Travels around the World

March 23-31, 2008 - Santiago, Chile

2008-05-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

March 23, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up later than planned and got to breakfast just before it closed at 10:30 AM. I met and chatted with a Columbian Girl and an English couple at breakfast before heading out at 11 AM. My first stop was at the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda's home (La Chasona) in the Bella vista Suburb. I reached there around 11:45 AM and booked myself on a guided tour of the place for 12:45 PM. I spent the ensuing hour making Phone calls to friends and family and taking pictures of the neighbourhood around La Chasona.

We were given a very good guided tour (in English) of La Chasona that lasted 45 minutes. Neruda lived here with his mistress Magdalene. It is a very beautiful house that contains a painting by the Mexican Artist Diego Rivera as well as the Nobel Certificate and Medal awarded to Neruda for Literature in 1971. I had never seen a Nobel Certificate or Medal before so that was a first for me.

I would have liked to buy works by Pablo Neruda (translated in English) from the gift shop. But as the selection was limited, I passed. I walked back to the main street of Bella vista - PIO NONO and had a vegetable empanada for Lunch. It went very well with some hot sauce and should keep me hunger free for the next few hours.

Post lunch I took a long walk to the Bellas Artes Museum where I donated 500 pesos ($1) as they did not charge an entrance fee. There was a good section on sketches by artists such as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and Joaquim Torres Garcia (Uruguay). The museum was also having an excellent special exhibit devoted to the works of the Columbian Architect Rogelio Salmona - who is 81 years old and still continues to work. Many of his works contain a lot of curves similar to the Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer (who continues to work at 100!).

There was also a Photo Collage exhibit that I hated intensely. It seemed a pretty sad way of saying that you are an Artist! I purchased a nice Tie at the Museum shop before heading to the Plaza de Armas. I headed to a nearby Mall and change my Argentine Pesos to Chilean pesos. I probably lost about US$10 in the process. I also found a MOVISTAR office in the mall and get my Old Chilean Mobile Number reactivated. I added 3500 pesos (US$7) worth of credit and was glad to see that International text messaging still worked (I was able to send and receive messages). Incoming calls are all free so I do not use up my credit when folks call me from the US.

I had a Venezuelan Coffee and biscuits for tea before heading to Casa de la Moneda (Presidential Palace). It is a grand edifice and I took some pictures. I may come back at 9:30 AM (one of these days) to witness the Changing of the Guards.

I got back to the Hostel and spent time checking my E-mail and doing some research on the Wineries I wanted to visit. The front desk folks at the Hotel are extremely helpful.

For dinner, I headed to 2 different Indian restaurants and they were both closed! I had to finally settle for Chinese food. I had Vegetable Noodles and Wine from the Santa Rita Winery. Both were OK. I took a detour to a local grocery store to buy bottled water and cookies before heading back to the Hostel. I chatted with an American Couple and the Canadian couple from breakfast for a little while before retiring for the night.

March 24, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up at 7:15 AM and was done with breakfast by 8:30 AM. My chat with Lucy (she of the American couple) took longer than expected and I decided that I would not be able to make it for the Changing of the Guards at the Presidential Palace.

The Museum of Money was closed as was the Museo Ferroviario (Museum of Locomotives). Monday is the day when all museums are closed! I booked myself for two Bodega visits and tastings before heading in search of the American Express office (to exchange my Traveller's checks at a good exchange rate). On reaching the location (based on my Guidebook), I was told that the American Express office there had been closed for years and I was directed to another office 2 train stops away.

On reaching the other office, I was shocked to find out that the currency had strengthened against the dollar in the ensuing months and I was given an exchange rate of 440 Chilean pesos to the US Dollar. I proceeded next to the Chilean tourist office where the folks were not as helpful as I expected. Could it be the fact that I announced myself as being from Estados Unidos? I should probably announce myself as being from India from now on and see the reception I get.

I headed to the town centre and found the Municipal tourist office was closed. I headed to an All-vegetarian restaurant (NATURISTA) and was pleasantly surprised to see it packed. I ordered a soup and a tortilla. While the soup was quite good, the tortilla was more like an omelette which was not what I expected it to be! While munching on this, I got a great idea on how a traditional Indian Pancake (ADAI) could be made healthier if we could bake it instead of frying it. Whether it works remains to be seen!

I spent some time after Lunch planning the transport options to visit the wineries on my list. The transport arrangements present more difficulties than obtaining bookings to visit the wineries themselves. I went to the Presidential Palace and was told that visiting the palace was not possible at this time, but I could perhaps "try later".

I went to an Internet cafe for 30 minutes to obtain some information before settling at another vegetarian restaurant for an early dinner. Santiago seems to have many natural food restaurants. The Vegetable Quesadilla was OK. I headed back to my Hostel and located the nearest laundry. I was assured a 1-day service on my clothes. I hit an Internet cafe and blogged for 2.5 hours but the backlog still seems to stay at a month!

I received a call from a friend in the US and we chatted for as long as he wanted to chat (as I was not paying anything!). I noticed that my room smelled and was told that it has been painted! I was not happy with this. They could have waited until I cleared out on the 31st before painting the room.

I will have to wake up early tomorrow as I may have to take multiple forms of transport to reach the bodegas I am scheduled to visit. I hope all goes well.

March 25, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early. As it is still quite dark until 7:30 AM or so, it makes it difficult to gauge the time in the mornings. I had requested an early breakfast and I was done by 8 AM. I walked 10 blocks (15 minutes) to Republica Metro station before boarding a metro bound for the Central Station. On reaching the station, I purchased a ticket to BUIN (600 pesos). The train departed the central station at 9 AM. The coach was comfortable and as we were headed out of Santiago (against the traffic) the train was not crowded.

The ride to BUIN took 35 minutes. On getting off at BUIN, I approached a Kiosk owner (near the station) to get directions. He was rather helpful and told me that I could take either a bus or a shared taxi to reach the Santa Rita Winery. One has to say Puente Alto (the direction where I am headed) before asking for the Santa Rita Winery. After a 10-minute wait, I boarded a bus and bought a ticket (300 Pesos - US$ 0.70). After a 15-minute ride, I spotted the Winery on the right hand side and requested the driver for a drop-off. I was dropped-off at the entrance to the Vineyard.

The guard at the entrance talked to the tour office inside and told me that I was 1 1/2 hours early! I told him I was quite aware of that and that I did not expect my commute from Santiago to be this quick. He told me that I could head to the tour office area and walk around the vineyard to kill time. There is nothing else in the surrounding areas to do.

Santa Rita is in a lovely setting at the foothills of the Andes (although there are no snow covered peaks to be seen in the distance :)). I started walking to the office. I walked along a tree covered roadway on either side of which were Vines as far as I could see. After a 10-minute walk I reached an Adobe restaurant and the tasting rooms. I was asked to visit a museum located on the other side of the restaurant.

I had expected to see a wine museum containing the usual relics --> tools and transport used in the decades past, the evolution of the winery from its founding year (1880) and so on. I was surprised to see a sign that said "Museo Andino". The entry was free and I was the first visitor at the Museum today.

The Museum is dedicated to Andean Culture and contains artefacts from Peru, Columbia, Ecuador as well as Mapuche and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) cultures. The exhibits date from 11,000 BC to 1500 AD and they were in the form of Pottery, Textiles, Statues, Metal Implements (Horse shoes, Saddles etc.) and Ornaments (gold and silver) that were collected over a 40+ year period by the President of Santa Rita (winery). I spent a full hour here and could have easily spent more time admiring these collections. They represent one of the best collections I have seen in a long, long time.

A truly terrific way to use one's riches as it not only gives great pleasure to the "Collector" but also ordinary folks who may never get to see these otherwise. I am extremely happy that I arrives here 90-minutes early.

By the time I finished my tour of the Museum, it was close to the start of the Winery tour. I joined the tour of the winery with a Bilingual guide. There were 6 of us - 4 from Columbia, 1 from Spain and me (I was from India - for today!). Needless to say the English part of the speech (from our Bilingual guide) was just for me. She explained everything in Spanish first before repeating the same in English for my benefit.

Santa Rita uses steel tanks for fermentation. French and American Oak Barrels are used for aging. Santa Rita produces over 120 Million bottles of wine per year. Despite the winery's age (128 years), its operations have been modernized as evidenced by the bottling operation that can turn out 20,000 bottles per hour!

The old underground cellars at Santa Rita have been declared a National Monument in Chile. The bottles are arranged head to toe as it helps limit damage during earthquakes. During the 1985 earthquake out of 120,000 bottles stored here, only 2 were broken!

Santa Rita produces a wide range of wines. Their mass market wine is produced under the "120" label. Their Premium wine is called "CASA REAL". We tasted a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. We were given our tasting glasses as a memento. The wines we tasted were decent. We were given generous pours and I was forced to throw more than 50% after my tasting.

After the tastings, I loitered around the wine shop for a bit as I wanted to ask the clerk some queries. The Spaniard was buying wines and after he finished we wished each other luck / good tastings etc. before he stepped out (The Spaniard spoke English). After seeking a few clarifications on the wines we had tasted and then some, I told the clerk that I needed directions to get to Puente Alto (where my next wine tasting was).

He told me that the Spaniard was headed in that direction and told me to wait for a few minutes while he rushed out of the shop to ask the Spaniard to wait for me! He came back and collected the wine tour and tasting fee of CLP 7500 (US$18). All I can say, the tasting glass (souvenir) is rather expensive!

I walked out of the shop and saw the Spaniard waving to me. We shook hands and got in the car. He has been asked to drop me close to CONCHA y TORO (another massive winery) from where I could get a bus or a collectivo (Shared taxi) to Puente Alto. We chatted a bit during the 15-min ride. He used to work for Spanish Police and now does computer forensics for Interpol. How I wish I could get a good Analytical and challenging job like that! Some of the areas where his expertise is sought are Money Laundering, Child Pornography and Electronic piracy. He is currently in Chile on assignment and has used his free day to see some wineries! He told me that he has been to India as well to attend a forensic conference.

We reached Concha Y Toro and he dropped me off. I thanked him once again and headed to the nearest bus stop. I got a bus to Puente Alto (400 Pesos) right away and reached the centre of Puente Alto 15-minutes later.

I entered the city council office hoping to get some tourist Information on Puente Alto. There is a person in the city council office who sits in front of a computer and whose sole job is to help tourists. After about 20-minutes, we managed to find the exact location of ALMAVIVA Winery and the cheapest way to reach the place. I could have easily taken a taxi as the Winery had suggested, but I wanted to explore alternative options.

Lunch was a fiasco in that I could not find a place that served vegetarian food. I went into a supermarket instead and emerged with a can of juice and a bar of chocolates! After quenching my thirst and hunger somewhat I took a bus headed to San Bernardo and paid the fare of 400 pesos. I asked a couple seated next to me for Information on where to get off to reach ALMAVIVA Winery. They told me that they were getting off at the same place so I could follow them off the bus!

We reached the place after a 20-minute ride. The Winery entrance was hardly 30-metres away. A taxi from Puente Alto (for this ride) would have cost me 4000 pesos!

The sign at the entrance says "Concha Y Toro" while I have come here to visit "Almaviva". ALMAVIVA is jointly owned by Concha Y Toro (50% - Chilean) and by Rothschild (50% - French). A 10-minute walk inside the Concha Y Toro compound brings me to the entrance to ALMAVIVA. It is approximately 2:45 PM. The Security guard at the gate recognized my names and calls-in to the office inside. He accompanied me to the office and introduced me to SOLEDAD who will be my guide. She asked me to wait for 5 minutes while she finished up some work.

We start our tour and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a private tour for me! This is a very small operation when compared with Santa Rita. ALMAVIVA produces 100,000 litres (150,000 bottles) of wine per year. They produce just 1 Wine - ALMAVIVA which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Cabernet France (5%) and Carmenere (20%). They appear to be even more selective than Achaval-Ferrer (Argentina). Drip Irrigation is used to water the vines. The 2008 / 2009 ALMAVIVA may have Merlot and Petit Verdot in the blend as well.

The Winery is advised by a French Oenologist. ALMAVIVA has been in operation for less than 15 years and their first bottles wines date back to 1997. In keeping with French tradition, ALMAVIVA also produces a second wine called EPU that is sold ONLY in CHILE. Steel tanks are used for fermentation. French Oak barrels are used for aging. While many wineries used their OAK barrels for at least 3 vintages, ALMAVIVA uses their French OAK barrels just once.
The wines are aged for 12-18 months in OAK Barrels. On the whole, Chilean wineries aged their wines a lot more than short-storage, quick-sell Argentina! ALMAVIVA has 3-levels of Press wines. We saw the excellent barrel storage facility before heading for the tasting.

I tasted ALMAVIVA 2005 (that costs 60,000 Chilean pesos - US$ 150 per bottle). The wine tasted very good but would be better if aged for 3-5 years more.

I purchased the Second Wine (EPU) from 2000 (considered a very good year) for CLP 7000 (US$16). The tour cost was 20,000 CLP (US$46!). Despite the high price of the tour, I would highly recommend visiting this Vineyard / Winery. I thanked Soledad for taking the time to show me around and we chatted about Indian Teas (which happen to be her favourite) for a bit.

On the way back to the main road, I spotted VINEDO CHADWICK which was also highly recommended by Hugh Johnson's wine guide book. I did not feel like doing another wine tasting and tour right away and skipped it.

I took a bus back to Puente Alto (400 pesos) and then took a Metro from there to Central Station. I got off at Bustamante (Station) to check out a second Indian restaurant (Salaam Bombay - How original!) I ordered food and a half-bottle of RHIN from Undurraga winery. It was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling from 2004. It had 13% alcohol content, was pale yellow in colour and went well with the spicy Indian food. Since all I had was a can of juice and a bar of chocolate for lunch, I ordered extra bread as well to complete what would be a lunch cum dinner (it was hardly 6 PM).

Towards the end of my meal, the waiter asked me where I was from. When I replied India, he posed the question "Que Ciudad" (Which city?). When I replied "Chennai", he asked "Habla Tamil" (Do you speak Tamil? - My mother tongue!). I said "yes" in Tamil. It turned out that he was from Kanyakumari in the state of Tamilnadu (for which Chennai is the Capital). We started conversing in Tamil.

He had been in Chile for the past 5 years and working at this restaurant for the past 3 years. He told me that the restaurant opens for lunch from 2-4PM and for dinner from 7-12 Midnight. As I was a loner, he agreed to feed me at 5:30 PM! Since the chef was taking a break between shifts, he had been preparing my meal. Here was yet another case of a preconceived notion being incorrect (I had assumed he was from Bangladesh)! He happened to be a Hindu who had converted to Christianity (as evidenced by his name - Raman Samuel Nadar).

He gave me his card. I advised him against moving to the US or Canada as he would have to struggle there to establish a foothold. At least in Chile, the man has decent (free or nominal fee based) health coverage. He told me that there are 600 Indians (or people of Indian Origin) living in Santiago while there was 2000 folks of Indian descent in all of Chile. I think the Indians out here need to breed faster :)

I may visit the restaurant again during the rest of my stay. I headed back to the Hostel and chatted with a German who was wandering Chile to get some inspiration to finish his second collection of poems (at least that's what I think he told me). His name was Dieter Wagner and his first published book was "Suffering is like Happiness"! Don't ask me more :) I have not read it nor tried to delve into the meaning of the title or its contents!

I headed back to my room and wrote my diary before going to bed.

March 26, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up a bit later than usual but was ready and done with breakfast by 8:30 AM. I walk to the nearest Metro station and took a train to the University of Santiago Station. I walked 2-blocks to Terminal Sur (Bus Station). At the mention of Santa Cruz (where I needed to be for my wine tasting today), I was handed from one agent to another to another before finally being the shown the bus to board for Santa Cruz. [Note: There is heavy competition for customers as many Bus companies ply the same routes. Hence the need for many 'agents' whose job is to rope in as many customers as possible for the company they work for. The fares are all the same.]

I took a seat and the bus departed shortly after 9 AM. I had assumed that the ride to Santa Cruz would take 2-hours, thereby giving me at least an hour to get a collectivo (Shared Taxi) to take me to the Winery (Casa Lapostolle) for my tour and wine tasting session at 12:30 PM. I paid the 2500 Pesos (US$6 approx.) fare and settled back. The bus turned out to be providing a "Stop-when-requested" type of service. We reached RANCAGUA around 10 AM. We departed RANCAGUA at 10:15 AM and reached San Fernando at 11:15 AM. I called CASA LAPOSTOLLE from San Fernando and was told that the tour would indeed start at 12:30 PM. I watched the Scenery as the bus proceeded from San Fernando to Santa Cruz. I saw a sign on the right that said "Casa Lapostolle" and immediately requested the driver for a stop (Yes, I was availing myself of the "Stop-as-requested" privilege!). As the bus was travelling at 90+ Kilometres an hour (60 Miles), it was more than a mile from the Winery Entrance when it eventually stopped and I got off.

I went to the other side and waited at the Bus Stop there. A Collectivo came along presently and I took it and was dropped at the Winery Entrance a few minutes later (cost 200 Pesos - less then 50 cents). It was 12:15 PM. The guard at the Winery entrance (upon ascertaining the purpose of my visit) tells me that Winery tour and tasting are done at the CLOS APALTA Vineyards about 5 Kilometres (3 Miles) away on a road to the right!

It was blazing hot (34 C - 95 F) and I was not planning to walk the entire 5 Kilometres to the Winery. I stopped a passing Cyclist to reconfirm directions and he told me that I would need to take a Collectivo to get there. As it happened, a Collectivo was passing in the opposite direction and the cyclist stopped it for me. I told the driver where I was headed (a direction diametrically opposite to where he was headed!) and as there were no other passengers in the collectivo, he turned the Vehicle around and took the dirt road to the APALTA Vineyards.

We could see Vines covering the hillsides. After a drive of about 8-10 minutes, we pulled up in front of CASA LAPOSTOLLE (the CLOS APALTA Vineyards). I requested the driver to drive me all the way in and drop me near the offices - as the walk from the gate to the offices was more than a Kilometre and I was running late (It was just past 12:30 PM). As we waited for the gates to open (All Vineyards have large steel gates with security guards and access to the Vineyards is strictly controlled), we saw a van pull up close by (It was coming out of the Vineyard). The Security guard motioned for our car to stop and asked me to talk to the driver of the Van!

It turns out that the lady (driver of the Van) was heading to the main Casa Lapostolle office to pick ME up (as the guard from that Winery had called here informing them of my presence there!). Good Job! I paid up my Taxi and got into the Van with Lisa.

We drove into the APALTA Vineyard (a long drive as I had suspected). After passing through rows and rows of Vines, we drove up a steep Incline and pulled up next to a building and parked. We walked inside the building passing grape sorters on the way. We commenced our tour around 12:45 PM. It was (yet again) a private tour being done just for MOI! Talk about things working out in the end despite all the obstacles encountered during the process!

Grape picking is done manually at Casa Lapostolle (many Premium wineries do that and Casa Lapostolle was one). The Unique aspect at Casa Lapostolle is that de-stemming is done by hand rather than a machine as at other Wineries. There were 30 or so ladies de-stemming grapes. Another unique aspect of wine production at Casa Lapostolle is that Alcoholic Fermentation is done in Giant OAK (French) vats. Almost all of the wineries I had visited thus far do the majority of their alcoholic fermentation in giant Steel or concrete tanks.

APALTA (their Signature Wine) is a blend of Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Carmenere is the largest percentage in the blend while Petit Verdot is the smallest percentage in the blend. French Oak is also used for Barrel Storage. As at ALMAVIVA, CASA LAPOSTOLLE uses its OAK barrels just once. However, unlike ALMAVIVA, Casa Lapostolle does not produce a Second Wine. It produces just APALTA here.

The building housing the winery resembles a giant OAK Barrel embedded into the mountainside! The side of a mountain was dynamited to create this building. The building is 5 storeys tall. One enters on the top storey and climbs down to reach the each of the 4 subterranean levels. Gravity is used to transfer wine from 1 stage to another. The grape picking and sorting is done at the 5th level. The fermentation tanks are at the next level down. The OAK barrels are at the next level
down while the bottling is done at the lowest level! A temporary Bottling truck pulls up at the lowest level when bottling is required. Only the LABELS on the bottles are done at the main site (on the main road - Where I first landed before coming here).

ALMAVIVA (visited yesterday) has 3-pressings of its grapes although its Winemaker may decide whether or not to blend the different presses in a given year. CASA LAPOSTOLLE wines are made from Single Press only. The residue remaining from the first press is used as compost. I was taken to the cellar where the barrels are stored. It was quite impressive. What was even more impressive was the very large private cellar (below the main cellar) where the owner keeps her collection! Tourists are most certainly not allowed to view that during the tour. Employees of Casa Lapostolle are apparently taken there as part of their orientation! The owner (Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle) belongs to the Grand Marnier Clan. Hence money is not an object here and it shows!

We tasted the following wines:

Casa Lapostolle - Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - 14.5% Alcohol - 85% Sauvignon Blanc & 15% Semillon blend - Very Good

Casa Lapostolle - Cuvee Alexander - Cabernet Sauvignon (2006) - 15% Alcohol - Excellent

Both of the above wines were made at the Main Winery

We finally Tasted CLOS APALTA (2005) [Blend of 40% Carmenere, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot blend (the proportion is adjusted by the winemaker and varies from year to year) and 5% Petit Verdot]. This was definitely a young wine and would perhaps be ready by 2012. It had a 15% Alcohol content. As I mentioned before CLOS APALTA is grown and bottled at this Winery and 2005 is the most recent Vintage in the market. Casa Lapostolle produces 11, 000 cases of CLOS APALTA per year.

I purchased a Cuvee Alexander Sauvignon Blanc 2006 for 13,000 Pesos (US$ 28). The tour and tasting fee was 20,000 Pesos (US$46) which was way more than my room rent at my Hostel (13,500 pesos - US$ 29)! Oh, what the heck? At least I did not spend money lamely on a car rental, or an overpriced tour agency! For the money I paid, I got what amounted to a private tour and tasting!

I had asked Lisa on where MONTES Winery was located and she had told me that it was close by. At the end of the tour, she spoke to her manager and took me in a van and dropped me off at the entrance to Montes which was a 5-6 minute drive along the same road and is a competitor to Casa Lapostolle.

Talk about being nice! I thanked Lisa and we parted. She has 2 kids and is currently separated. She did a course in Viticulture before taking up a job as a guide in a winery. She used to work at VIU MANENT (another Winery Close by) before moving to Casa Lapostolle.

It was 2 PM and my tour and tasting at MONTES was not until 3 PM. As there was no place else to go, eat etc. I waited near the guard station (which did have some shade). I had cookies and water for Lunch!

The downside to wine tasting in these wineries (located in out of the way places) is that there are no places to have a meal (and I am not even talking of a DECENT meal - Some meal, any meal really!). While waiting for the clock to strike 3, I labelled and edited my pictures (directly from the Camera) and wrote my diary. At 3 PM, I was asked by guard to head-in. It was close to a 1-Kilometre walk from the main entrance before I reached the offices. I think I lost my Sunglasses in the taxi (on the way to Casa Lapostolle). The sun was scorching. But I still prefer this to RAIN!

Pamela (of MONTES) was waiting for me to commence the tour. There was a family of 3 from California (Father and 2 sons) who were part of the tour as well. In contract to Casa Lapostolle, MONTES produces a large range of wines. MONTES ALPHA M is the top wine. MONTES FOLLY and MONTES PURPLE ANGEL round up the top wines at MONTES. Alcoholic fermentation is done in Steel tanks. OAK vats are used for MONTES ALPHA M. Gravity approach as well as pumps used to move wine from one stage to another. MONTES have 3-pressings done with their grapes before the residue is used as compost. The OAK barrels are used twice before be re-sold to smaller wineries.

The de-stemming is done my machine. The harvest for 2008 is yet to commence. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc are all grown here. They are trying to grow Malbec as well. We visited the tasting area reserved for Commercial folks. It was a beautiful place. The Barrels are stored in stadium seating like setting. The tourists stand and observe from the dais at the centre! Music is piped in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is supposed to help in the evolution of the wine as well! (Learned something new today!)

The 5 of us (Including Pamela) were joined by an elderly Indian couple (Harish and Veena) at the tasting. Now there were 3 Indians and 3 Americans! We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc (Very, Very Good), Pinot Noir (Hated it), a Cabernet Sauvignon + Carmenere Blend (excellent) and Syrah (OK). The pours were generous and our discussions were spirited. I purchased the Cabernet Sauvignon + Carmenere Blend for 4500 pesos (US$10).

I thanked Pamela, bid adieu to the group and started my walk to the entrance. Harish and Veena (the Indian Couple) pulled up and next to me and scolded me for not ASKING for a ride! They gave me a ride all the way to San Fernando even though they were staying a place that was perhaps midway between CLOS APALTA and San Fernando! It was at least a 30-minute ride out of their way. They are retired and do 3-month adventure trips at least once a year. They are currently travelling across South America.

At San Fernando, we exchanged e-mails and promised to stay in touch. I took a slow bus to Santiago (2000 pesos) that departed San Fernando at 6 PM and reached Santiago around 8:45 PM. I took a metro train and walked to my Hostel. I called up the Indian restaurant (Majestic) but they were fully booked for the evening. I walked to Plaza Brasil nearby and ordered a vegetarian sandwich w/goat cheese at a local restaurant. It was bitter, but I ate all of it! I walked back to the hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.

The Winery tours in Chile have been excellent all around. I have purchased wines from 3 top producers. I hope they survive the flight to New Jersey (they did). The pours were generous and the tours good. I was the sole person or joined at best with a handful of people on these tours and tasting. There were no large HERDS like at tastings in Mendoza (especially La Rural!).

I am not sure what I want to do tomorrow.

March 27, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early and was done with breakfast by 9 AM. I took my clothes to the nearest laundry and was told that I could pick them up (clean, of course) after 7 PM today. I took a train to the University of Santiago and headed to the bus station there. I boarded a bus to ISLA NEGRA where the first home of the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda is located. The bus was air-conditioned and the fare to Isla Negra was 3500 pesos (US$8).

We departed Santiago at 10 AM and reached Isla Negra at 11:30 AM. En-route we drove inside what has been the longest tunnel of my trip thus far (perhaps 3 Miles). While my bus ticket said ALGORROBO, Isla Negra is 20-minutes away from ALGORROBO and the bus did take me there. From the bus stop, I walked for 10-minutes before reaching Neruda's place. I booked myself on a guided tour in English for 3500 pesos (US$8). I wandered around and took pictures until the tour commenced around 12:30 PM.

Our tour guide was an elderly lady who spoke flawless English. There were 6 people in our group. The house was lovely. Like Chasona (in the Bella vista Suburb of Santiago), Neruda house at Isla Negra features a lot of ocean and sea related artefacts and the house itself reminds one of being on a ship with its narrow doors, ship masthead figurines, pebbles and shells. The house also contains eclectic collections of Neruda such as butterflies, insects, birds, coloured glasses. The house has been built without the use of nails. Wooden pegs have been used instead. He even had a tooth of a fully grown Narwhal (Fish found in Arctic waters). The tooth was about 7 feet long! The man's appetite for collecting exceeded my own - and that is a big understatement!

The tour lasted 30+ minutes. We were not allowed to take pictures of the interior. I had a light lunch at the Museum Cafe with a lovely view of the Pacific. I wrote a few postcards during lunch and mailed them at a post office located within these premises.

I decided to visit the nearby town of Cartagena. I took a bus and the roundtrip ticket cost me 1000 pesos (US$2.1). The ride to Cartagena took about 20 minutes. While the main square was nice, the waterfront (located about 300 metres away on steep downhill roads) was far more interesting. I spent about 40 minutes here before taking a bus back. I thought I was headed to Valparaiso (as the bus took a much longer route) until it finally pulled it to the bus station at ALGORROBO!

I used a paid bathroom facility here. It is a good concept especially as they are clean. I purchased a ticket to Santiago (3000 Pesos - US$7) and slept most of the way until I reached Santiago. I got off close to the Metro Station Pajoritos and took a train to the centre. It was close to 6 PM.

I visited a tour company and booked myself on a trip abroad the "Tren del Vino" for Saturday (Mar 29) that cost me 22,000 pesos (US$50). I went to the Teatro Municipal a ticket for a classical music performance for Friday evening (March 28). A seat in the Amphitheatre Section cost 11,000 pesos (US$25).

I headed to the Laundromat and picked up my clothes and got back to my Hotel. I spent the next 30-minutes repacking my large duffel bag to ensure that the wine bottles I had purchased were adequately padded for the journey to the US.

I had dinner at an all-vegetarian restaurant called El Huerto. The food was decent. The wine was excellent. It was a Carmenere 2006 from VINA COCHALAN that was Medium bodied with a deep ruby red colour and a light finish (14.5% Alcohol).

I may wander around Santiago tomorrow as I have a performance to attend at 7 PM at Teatro Municipal.

March 28, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I got up a bit late, skipped breakfast and headed out to Casa Moneda (The Presidential Palace). Upon reaching Casa Moneda around 9:15, I was informed by a policeman that the Changing of the Guards would take place at 10 AM. I headed to a nearby Starbucks and had coffee and muffin for breakfast before heading back to Casa Moneda by 9:45 AM. The place was packed with tourists as well as locals.

The Changing of the Guards last 30 minutes or so and is held Mon thru Wednesday and Fridays. A nice ceremony. I could visit this place again next Monday (Mar 31) if need be. I headed next to Teatro Municipal where I was told that there are no Organized tours of the place. I could come back on Monday (Mar 31) at 9 AM and speak to an individual about a private tour of the Theatre.

I headed to Casa Colorado (a Historical Place) and spent around 35 minutes here (entrance fee of 500 pesos). This place chronicles the birth and growth of Santiago and the English translations are pretty good. I hopped on a metro to Baquedano station and headed to Pio Nono street (Bella vista Neighbourhood) where I had a Falafel with Hummus (on Pita bread) for Lunch. This was the first time I tasted anything middle eastern during this entire trip. The Falafel and Hummus were quite good.

I tried doing some souvenir shopping but found the prices for Lapiz Lazuli (trademark Jewellery from Chile) rather steep. I abandoned my souvenir shopping for the day and headed to the tourism office in Casa Colorado to obtain directions to other souvenir shops. I found that souvenirs made from Alpaca wool are even more expensive (than Puntas Arenas). I gave up and returned to my Hostel around 5 PM.

I rested a bit, showered and headed out of the hostel at 6 PM and reached Teatro Municipal around 6:30 PM. The Anfiteatro level ticket that I had purchased (11,000 Pesos - $24) had me seated at the 3rd tier of seating. The Theatre had been restored well and I had an excellent view of the stage. As the performance for this evening was not sold out, those of us seated in the 3rd level were offered seating in the lower level (Premium seating). Everyone in our area took up the offer except 5 of us.

The Orchestra played pieces by PUCCINI, MARTUCCI, ROTA and RESPIGHI. While the PUCCINI and MARTUCCI pieces put me to sleep, the ROTA and RESPIGHI pieces woke me up :) The crowd was quite appreciative as well. The concert was over by 8:30 PM and I got back to my Hostel by 9 PM. I headed out and had an Ice-cream with Fruit Salad for dinner as the Falafel/Hummus lunch was rather heavy. I proceeded to spend the next 2 hours at an Internet cafe to copy my Memory cards (the speeds were terribly slow).

Observations
==========
School children here are required to wear Uniforms. I noticed this across all the 5 countries I had travelled thus far. The uniforms in Uruguay and Northern Argentina have a very catholic touch in that even boys wear a frock on top of their trousers (sort of like a priest). Nevertheless it is nice to see Unformed school kids.

Waiters at Chilean restaurants make it a point to tell you that tip is not included and recommend a 10% tip! This is getting to be like the US, where tip is expected irrespective of the quality of service. Argentine is far better in this aspect. Leaving no tips at restaurants is not an issue. ANY tip is gratefully accepted. I hope Chile follows its eastern neighbour than the one far North :)

March 29, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I am not sure if my alarm came on, but I woke up around 5:45 AM. I had a cold shower as the hot water is timed to start at 7 AM! I hate places like there where you ablutions have to be scheduled to the hotel's timer! I just have 2 more days to go before I depart for the US, so I do not want to go through the process of exploring and switching hostels.

I left the hotel at 7:15 and reached the central station around 7:40 AM. I purchased a ticket to San Fernando (1600 pesos). I had a muffin and an Orange juice for breakfast while I waited for the train to depart. The 80 Kilometre (50 Miles) ride to San Fernando took 2 hours. I felt the train speed was decent despite it making about 15 stops on the way.

The TREN DEL VINO was just pulling into the Station as I arrived in San Fernando. I took pictures of the steam power train. I had booked myself on the TREN del VINO trip. The TREN del VINO would be taking us through Chilean Wine country during which we would sample some Chilean wines and cheeses. While waiting for the TREN del VINO to depart, I noticed a much nicer commuter train pulling into San Fernando Station. This train had left Santiago about 30 minutes later (than the train I took) and reached San Fernando 10 minutes later. Being an express train, the seats and service were much nicer (not that the ones on my train were shabby). I might take this train to Santiago on the way back (assuming the schedule meets my needs).

I was asked to sit in the last car (of TREN del VINO). My companions were a group of Germans and French as well as a large group of Chileans. The Chileans were loud - as they always are when in a group.

We were headed to Santa Cruz located at a distance of perhaps 40 Kilometres (25 Miles) from San Fernando. Our TREN del VINO would take a leisurely 90 minutes to reach Santa Cruz.

We were served wines from VINA PORTA. The first was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from 2007 that had a powerful nose, a light yellow colour and a smooth, short finish. The second was a Cabernet Sauvignon from 2006 that had a light nose, deep purple colour, medium bodied with a very long finish. I felt that the wine needed a few more years to mature and 3-5 years of aging would make it a very good (if not excellent) wine.

We were also given fruit and cheese platters along with bottled water and soda. In short, a very good wine tasting treatment.

Upon reaching Santa Cruz we were treated to a welcoming dance (perhaps Mapuche in Origin?) by some locals. The entire train (apart from moi) was comprised of people from different tour groups. I took a taxi to the town centre (300 pesos).

I obtained a map of Santa Cruz at the Santa Cruz Hotel. I walked to the nearby Mapuche Museum and paid my entry fee of 3000 pesos (US$7). I also paid for an English Audio guide (Headset) that cost me an additional 2000 pesos. It turned out to be an excellent museum and well worth a visit. Without my realizing it, I had spend close to 2 hours here. The museum chronicles Andean Peoples and Civilization, European conquest and occupation, liberation from Spain, World wars and more. The exhibits included costumes, coins, ammunition, jewellery, as well as a good selection of Antique cars. The museum also had a small section on ancient brewing and wine making techniques. Overall an excellent museum.

I headed to a Sushi place in the main square and had Cucumber Sushi with Wasabi along with Hot Sake. One of the waiters from TREN del VINO (who spoke good English) was waiting tables here. With the exception of the Sake, all was well.

Post lunch I headed to the Santa Cruz Hotel (On the main square) to look at some handicrafts. They were (as usual) way too pricey. I decided to head to BODEGA VIU MANENT. I had a long wait for a bus. It was worth it as the 10-minute ride to the Bodega cost me 300 Pesos, while the local taxis wanted 3000 pesos! I had to walk a Kilometre from the main road to the Bodega Entrance (which was not a problem for me).

The tour and tasting was 10,000 Pesos (US$22). I ensured that I would be tasting some well recommended wines before I forked out the money. I expect that! Myself and a elderly couple from Texas were given a tour of the winery and the vineyard on a horse drawn carriage.

We did a barrel (actually it was from a large steel Tank) tasting of a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve that had been aged for 12 months in French Oak. It was an excellent wine that was deep purple in Colour, smooth with a long finish.

At the tasting, we were given:

SECRETO VOIGNIER (2007) - Sweet, Simply Excellent
Malbec Reserva (2006) - Strong Nose, Light Body, rather sweet
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva (2005) - Floral Bouquet, Medium bodied with Medium Finish - Excellent

and finally:

Late Harvest Semillon (2006) - A lovely dessert wine.

I purchased a 500 ml bottle of the Semillon (to take back to the US) for 4000 Pesos (US$ 9). This would be my 4th bottle. I am not sure how I am going to pack these in my checked-in baggage to ensure their safe passage to New Jersey!

I took pictures of the Grapes (the fleshy fruit made for some interesting pictures) before coming to the main road and taking a bus to San Fernando (450 pesos). After a 30-minute ride, I was dropped at the Bus terminus at San Fernando. I took the 7 PM bus to Santiago (2000 Pesos). Despite the promise of it being a non-stop bus, it stopped whenever requested :( A movie was being shown during the ride to Santiago. I managed to catch glimpses of "The Great Debaters" starring Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington.

We reached Santiago close to 9:30 PM and I reached my hostel around 9:50. I did a quick check of my e-mail and found that my Japanese friend (from Ushuaia) had not yet arrived in Santiago. We will miss each other as I am headed to Valparaiso early tomorrow morning and will not return until late in the evening.

The search for restaurants (serving some vegetarian) was (as usual) frustrating. I finally settled on a cafe for a vegetable Sandwich and a Milkshake. The Salsa Aji (Pepper) I requested with the Sandwich was simply divine. I wrote some diary (at the cafe itself) before paying up and heading back to my hostel.

Update:
======

All bottles arrived safely in the US. The US customs did not bother with the 4 bottles of wine I was carrying. I did taste the Late harvest Semillon (2006) and it was superb. I would definitely recommend the purchase of this wine.

March 30, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early, had a hot shower and was ready by 7:15 AM. The exterior door (to the street) was locked from outside (by the night manager of the hostel) who had gone to get fresh bread for breakfast! I waited for 20 minutes until he arrived. I had a glass of juice but skipped breakfast. I took a metro to PAJORITOS Station and purchased a ticket to Valparaiso for 3700 pesos from TUR-BUS.

The bus departed at 8:50 and made its way out of Santiago. After leaving Santiago well behind, we more or less took the same route that I took to get to some of the Vineyards. We drove through a really long tunnel (around 3 Kilometres - 1.8 Miles) and passed through the Chilean Wine country (Casablanca Valley). I was "BODEGAED OUT" and did not want to visit any more vineyards!

We reached Valparaiso around 10:15 AM. I visited the excellent tourist office at the Bus terminal (in Valparaiso) and obtained a very good map of the place. Valparaiso is a hilly area with many Cerros (hills). In addition to roads, there are also many funiculars that can be taken to reach the top of some of these cerros. 15 of these funiculars / cerros are declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The earliest of these were built during the 1880s.

It turned out to be a lovely day yet again. I have not had a single bad day since landing in Santiago almost 10 days ago.

I viewed Valparaiso from Polanco, Peral, Concepcion and Espirito Santo funiculars before taking a metro train for 2 stops to view the port of Valparaiso. The metro train was excellent and clean. I spent about 20 minutes at the Valparaiso port before heading to Cafe Colour at Cerro Conception for Lunch. The vegetarian options were OK. Rice was uncooked and that to me is the easiest thing to cook!

There were 3 young American girls seated next to me. Needless to say they were talking loudly about anything and everything. While most of it was inane here is a snippet from their conversation that set me thinking (and doing some reading): "Black and White are not Colours but Shades". To a layperson that comes across as asinine. But technically speaking, BLACK is NO COLOUR (or absence of colour) where WHITE is ALL COLOURS. (reflection of all colours).

Post Lunch, I wandered around Cerro Concepcion and took pictures. I purchased a Chilean Wine guide from a wine shop. Many of the funiculars were under repair and not functioning. I visited Museo Lucas (on Gervasoni Promenade) that contained works by the Italian Caricaturist Renzo Pecchenino. The captions were all in Spanish but some of them were so good that they required no translation!

At the end of this visit, I received a call from a friend in the US and spent close to 30 minutes talking to him. That is the good thing about being with MOVISTAR in Chile. All incoming calls are free!

I headed next to Cerro Bella vista where I viewed several Street Murals as well as colourful houses. Some of the Murals here were done by the Chilean painter Roberto Matta.

I had more or less finished my viewing of Valparaiso and headed down. I took the 5:50 PM TUR-BUS to Santiago (3300 pesos - US$7). I reached Santiago around 7:30 PM and reached my Hostel at 8. I rested a bit, labelled the pictures taken during the day and headed to the Indian restaurant located within the Best Western Majestic.

I requested that my food be made extra spicy (something that I NEVER do in the USA) and was spouting flames on consuming it. I was nevertheless thankful for not having BLAND ITALIAN CRAP for the past 10 days! I ordered a half-bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Santa Ema that had a light nose, was light bodied with a short finish and was excellent with the spicy food I had ordered. I topped the meal off with a traditional Indian ice-cream with Pistachios. The bill came to 20,000 CLP (US$46) with a 10% tip. I was indeed generous. And why not? The ugly, snooty hostess during my December 2007 visit was not here and the folks who served me treated me well. I could not help but overhear conversation from a large group of folks who were obviously working in the Computer Software industry. Oh, what a boring life they lead:)

I may do some souvenir shopping tomorrow.

March 31, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

My last day in Santiago/Chile/South America on this voyage! I slept in as much as I could which in my case was getting up around 7:30 AM! I finished breakfast by 9 AM, checked out and asked for the bill.

While I appreciated a small discount in the room rent for 1 day (as it smelled of Kerosene from being painted earlier that day), I was surprised to discover that there was a service fee of 3% on the usage of VISA Cards and that I had been charged for a lot of my Internet usage (when the Hostel's advertisement clearly states that they offer FREE Internet)! When I pointed this out to Claudia (the Owner's daughter) she drew my attention to a small sign (posted in a place where one tends not to look) as saying that the FIRST 10-minutes of usage are free and anything beyond that is chargeable! With the kind of SLOW connections these folks have, 10-minutes of free internet time would get you nothing. The 3% surcharge on the VISA card was a trade-off as my US bank would charge me a similar amount for withdrawing cash in Santiago (to pay the Hostel bill). However, I would have exchanged more Traveller's checks (had I known of this 3% surcharge earlier) as I do not pay any commission for cashing my Traveller's checks.

During all my Travels in Argentina, I had never encountered any of these issues. FREE was FREE and Credit Cards were accepted without any additional Service charges! I suppose, this is the Chilean Sleight of Hand!

Claudia agreed to drop the Internet Charges as she agreed that I had not been told about it in advance (and the sign was not prominent). I had assumed that I would be charged for 10-days, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had only stayed for 9. I guess I have saved some money:)

I bid goodbye to Claudia. I left 2 bags in the storage room of the hostel until the evening. I headed to the American Airlines office and booked myself on an earlier flight hoping that I could make the early AM connecting flight from Miami to Newark. That flight was still showing up as full and I was asked by the American Airlines agent to try again when I reached Miami.

I walked to the Bella Vista neighbourhood but was surprised to discover that the artisan place recommended by my guide book was closed. I visited to another place recommended by my guidebook (also located in the Bella vista Neighbourhood) and bought some nice copper plates (from Atacama). The shop carried arts and crafts from all over Chile.

I took a train to TOBALABA (Mapuche Origin?) station and visited the famous MUNDO del VINO wine shop. It is a very large and well organized store. I was happy and relieved to note that there was no difference in price between the wines I purchased at the Winery and the same wines displayed at this store! Unlike Argentine wine shops that stocked ONLY Argentine wines, this shop had a decent selection of wines from France, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Argentina. However, they cannot ship wines. I was already carrying 4 bottles and decided not to buy any more.

I took a train to Santa Lucia and wandered around the Artisan shops there that were also recommended by my guidebook. As I could not judge the quality of Lapiz Lazuli, I wound up instead by getting a native shirt (made in the northern part of Chile) for myself.

I headed back to Plaza Brasil and headed to my favourite cafe to have a toasted vegetable sandwich along with a large orange juice for lunch. I spent the next 90-minutes at an Internet cafe trying to copy the last of my memory cards to my portable hard disks.

I headed back to the Hostel and proceeded to do some repacking as I had to accommodate the souvenirs purchased. The duffel bag appeared a bit heavy - 4 bottles of wine would definitely do that! The smaller bag appeared to be around 15 Kilos. I reminded myself to request the check-in agent at the airport to put a "FRAGILE" sticker on my wine-holding duffel bag.

The shuttle to the airport arrive at the hostel around 5:30 PM. The ride took 30 minutes and cost 4500 pesos (although with the devaluation of the US Dollar, it amounted to more than $10). The wait at the check-in counter took an hour. The Agent told me that the airlines do not put FRAGILE stickers any longer. She advised me to get my large duffel bag shrink wrapped. I did so at a cost of 7000 pesos (US$16). The large duffel weighed in at 24 Kilos and the smaller one weighed in at 11 Kilos. There were no issues with either bag (with respect to their size or weight).

I wandered around the duty free shops and realized that the wines were more expensive here than in the shops at Santiago or at the Bodegas themselves!

I changed the last of my Chilean currency to US Dollars and boarded my flight. It departed on time.

March 22, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina & Santiago, Chile

2008-05-26T02:26:00.000-07:00

March 22, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================

I woke up later than expected but was ready and finished with breakfast by 8 AM. I paid up 550 Pesos (US$180) for my 5-night stay here and requested a taxi to take me to the Bus terminal. A Taxi arrived in less than 3 minutes and I was at the Bus Terminal by 8:20 AM. Today, I am being an INDIAN! The Taxi driver wanted some INDIAN Coins from me. I told him that India does not allow Indian Currency to be taken out of the country. Although it is a TRUE Statement, it is observed in breach!

I educate the Cabbie on the 25+ states in India with each state having its own language and cultural traditions. He is surprised. I have educated an Argentina in a small way for today.

I ran into Michel and Lisa (Swiss couple from my SALTA Trip) at the Bus terminal. They were also travelling to Santiago along with their Son - who has been travelling South America on a bicycle. Of course, he was taking the bus for the trip to Santiago!

They were travelling on the same bus as I was. We chatted until departure time. I was seated in the Cama Section while they took the Semi-Cama section. Of the 9 Cama seats, 6 were taken.

We traversed the same route I had taken 4-days earlier to visit Cristo Redentor and Puente del Inca. While other took pictures, I watched with bemusement :) (feels good to be snooty!)

The Andes is one of Nature's magnificent creations. I loved seeing it again for the Second time in a week. After passing Cristo Redentor, we came across the Argentine-Chilean Border tunnel. We crossed the tunnel, entered Chile and stopped at the Immigration centre 2 kilometres later and completed the Argentine (exit) and Chilean (Entry) formalities.

As always one of my gadgets was a cause for concern - this time it was my Tripod. I was asked to produce a receipt for it. I told them that I was from the US (as evidenced by my passport) and that I am not carrying the receipt with me and have been travelling for 4 months (as could also be evidenced by the first Chilean entry visa dated December 2007). I was let go. There was no hand examination of all my possessions like what happened at Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas. All bags were X-rayed here and only suspicious ones (like mine) were asked to be opened.

The descent from the Andes on the Chilean Side was lovely. I took as many pictures as I could. During this ride, I also finally finished Bruce Chatwin's "Travels in Patagonia". It is definitely a good read - if you can finish it in 2 or 3 sittings. We were served Lunch on the bus as well (those seated in the CAMA section). Lunch was HAM and CHEESE Sandwich along with a Soda. I went upstairs to the SEMI-CAMA Section where Michel and Lisa were seated and gave them my Sandwich. I had the Soda and a bag of Chips for Lunch!

We started seeing a lot of Vineyards as we progressed towards Santiago.

March 22, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

We reached Santiago bus terminus at 4 PM. I bid adieu to Michel and Lisa and their Son. I took a taxi to my Hostel - Rio Amazonas. The cost was 2850 pesos - US$7 approximately. The Hostel looked like a dump from the road, but is a 100+ year old historic building with terrific interiors. I am paying 13,500 Pesos (US$ 29 Approx.) per night for a Single room with Private bathroom and breakfast.

I headed out of the Hostel around 5:15 PM and headed to the Plaza de Armas which was packed with people. However, all shops here were closed. I walked to the suburb of Bella Vista. I passed by the Zoo there and took the funicular railway to the top. There was way too much smog for a decent view of Santiago from the top. I took the funicular back down and walked around Bella vista. I found a very nice wine shop (El Mundo del Vino) and purchased a Map detailing the Chilean wine growing regions.

I headed to the Indian Restaurant located within the Majestic Best Western Hotel for dinner. While the food was standard issue Indian, I had a TRAPICHE CARMENERE Reserve (2006) that had a light nose, 13.5 % Alcohol content, was Medium Bodied with a Medium finish. Overall the dinner and wine were all right.

I walked the 8-10 blocks back to the hostel. The front desk clerk was quite helpful with assistance on Wineries and Vegetarian Restaurants. The hotel provides free e-mail for a maximum of 30 minutes (or was it 15?). I had a quick check of my e-mail, before going to bed.

March 18-21, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina

2008-05-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================

I had a good night's sleep. The air-conditioning in the room was good. As I had an early morning pickup, I woke up by 6, and was ready by 7. I was the first person at Breakfast. It was quite dark outside. While waiting for the tour bus to arrive, I talked to the front desk manager (Walter) about arranging private tours to the vineyards / wineries I wanted to visit in Mendoza. Walter called up a local taxi service and told me that a private tour would cost me around 250 pesos (US$83). I was also told that I needed to provide a 1-day notice to the taxi company about taking a private tour of the vineyards. Walter provided me with his cell phone number.

The tour bus arrived a little after 7. I took the seat close to the driver. It was a minibus with a capacity for 18 people that was perhaps half full at this time. After a few more passenger pickups, the bus was close to being full (perhaps 14 people). We headed out of Mendoza towards Villavicencio. Villavicencio is famous for the bottled water it produces. I doubt whether there is any other brand of mineral water in Argentina. After a drive of 20 minutes, we passed the factory producing the bottles of mineral water. We continued on and stopped at the spring where the water is sourced from. We stopped for around 10 minutes at the spring where we saw captive Guanacos. We were also given a free bottle of Villavicencio water thereby saving each of us around 2-3 pesos!

We left the springs at Villavicencio and climbed the mountains. The driver and guide (there were 2 people - which was unusual) spoke Spanish. The drive was truly hair-raising as we went around numerous hair-pin bends during our climb up the mountains. Being in one of the front seats, my thrill level was definitely more! We stopped at a viewpoints at 2200 metres and 3100 metres. From the viewpoint at 2200 metres, one could see the Villavicencio hotel far below us as well as the wonderful dirt roads with the numerous hair-pin bends that we had just traversed. From the viewpoint at 3100 metres, one can catch glimpses of the tallest mountain in the Americas - ACONCAGUA which stands at 6962 metres (over 21000 feet). We managed to get brief glimpses of ACONCAGUA as there was an extensive cloud cover.

We start heading down the mountains from the 3100-metre viewpoint. We were riding through the Andes. There were beautiful vistas all around and I took colour and Black & White pictures through the front windshield and through the window next to me. We stopped at Upsallata for breakfast. Despite having had a breakfast (2 hours ago) I had a buffet breakfast here for 12 pesos. Quite good.

We drove past the Puente del Inca (Inca Bridge) as it was quite crowded at this time. We would be stopping there on our way back (crowds or no crowds). We continued towards the Statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the redeemer) - a 3 metre high statue - erected on the border between Argentina and Chile to preserve the amity between the two neighbours. The statue was erected in 1904 at an altitude of 4200 metres.

If I thought the climb up the mountains (after visiting the Spring at Villavicencio) was hair-raising, the climb up the mountains to reach Cristo Redentor put my heart in my mouth. Every time the driver look anywhere other than the road or talked to the guide seated next to him, my pulse rate and heartbeat increased by a significant magnitude! THE (and I mean DEFINITIVELY) most hair-raising experience I have ever had.

The views were magnificent during our ascent. When we finally reach the top, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was freezing cold at the top with blustery wind conditions. I decided to brave it in my T-shirt even though I had a nice Alpaca sweater in my backpack. After 10 minutes, I got used to the cold and the wind was not an issue as long as I held my belongings (backpack / camera etc.) securely. We got good pictures of the Chilean and Argentine borders as well as the statue of Cristo Redentor. Prior to the opening of the tunnel (as a border crossing passage) between the 2 countries, this was the route taken to go from Argentina to Chile and vice-versa.
We spent around 30 minutes here. Everyone (except the lunatic - Moi) was covered up. I guess these folks cannot handle mild temperatures :)

I took more pictures on the way down as our Vehicle stopped at many places to let upcoming vehicles pass by. We retraced our route and stopped at Puente del Inca (Inca Bridge) which is a natural formation. It is covered in limestone lending it a sickly yellow colour. I got quite a few nice pictures. Pictures taken in Black & White do really stand out.

A lot of Argentine women (as compared to Brazilian women) are WIDE BODIED. Despite them wearing pants, flesh does spill over! I am yet to see an Argentine Woman in shorts (who looks good in it). [Brazil was full of them - Women in shorts, looking good]

From Puente del Inca, we headed a few kilometres south for our lunch break. As usual it was a tiny restaurant with a limited selection and I was the victim of daylight robbery - 25 pesos for a Vegetable sandwich and a coke! During lunch, I chatted with an Argentine couple from our tour group. He spoke English. SHE WAS GOOD! Lucky Bloke is all I can Say :)

Post lunch, we started our drive back to Upsallata. I took pictures along the way. They appear to have come out well. On reaching Upsallata, we had a brief stop for coffee. During the drive back to Mendoza (via a different route than the one we set out on this morning), we saw quite a few horrible accidents where the truck is completely overturned, cargo spilled all over and the cab smashed beyond recognition. Our driver who chatted up the cops (manning many of these accidents) snickered every time with the smug knowledge that it must have been a Brazilian who did not have a clue about driving these roads.

Our driver drove like a maniac. Since I am alive to write this, I guess I have come out on the right side of Statistics! I observed advertisements for Gasoline in many places. While the US gasoline is categorized into 87, 89 and 91 (or regular, premium and supreme), Argentina has Normal, Super and FANGIO (Named after the Formula-1 great - Juan Manuel Fangio)! I must say that I saw no gasoline classification named SENNA while in Brasil.

As we neared Mendoza, we drove by the Vineyards at Lujan de Cuyo. The Ruca Malen and Norton Vineyards were anything but impressive.

We reached Mendoza around 7:30 PM. I sent a text message to Amor and wandered around for a bit, waiting to see if she wanted to get together for dinner. After wandering around for close to 45 minutes, I settled on the Hotel's restaurant (TREVI) for dinner. Yes, the owners are Italians who have been in Argentina for many decades.

I had a Tortelli y Espinaca y ricotta with salsa verdura along with a Trapiche fond de cave Malbec from 2006 that had a strong nose, was medium bodied with a long finish. It was very good. The service was excellent at this restaurant. The owners (perhaps brothers) are terrific hosts and ensure that their customers feel right at home. One of the owners (who came over to see how I was doing with the dinner) was quite upset that I had not mixed the salsa properly and that I had not asked for extra cheese! He took the fork and spoon from my hand to mix the salsa properly before giving them back to me! One more mistake like this and I will perhaps be thrown out of this hotel as well :)

Tomorrow looks like a free day (as I have nothing planned for the moment).

March 19, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================

I had a leisurely wakeup as I had decided (last night) to do a city tour of Mendoza (by myself)
today. After breakfast, I walked on San Martin and purchased a Mobile phone card for 20 pesos. I headed to the Mendoza tourism office to ask if they could assist me in Vineyard visits and tastings. The tourist office provided me a list of Vineyards along with their contact details and told me that I would need to call the Vineyards directly and talk to them about tours and tastings.

As I had a fresh phone card in hand, I started to call the vineyards I wanted to visit. My first call was to Achaval-Ferrer a premium winery in the region. I was given a tour and tasting appointment at Noon today! I called Norton (a famous winery) and was given a tour and booking for tomorrow at Noon.

I scrapped my city tours plans for today (herein lies the flexibility of travelling solo) and headed to the bus terminus. I boarded a bus to the town of Lujan (20 Kilometres away). The cost was 1.65 pesos. After an hour's ride, I was dropped in the centre of Lujan around 11:15 AM. I took a taxi shortly thereafter to take me to Achaval-Ferrer winery. What should have been a short 10-minute ride took more than 20 minutes as the taxi driver was not familiar with this winery. We finally found after asking at least 3 different people for directions. The winery is located deep within the Lujan area.

The drive from the gate of the winery to the main building was about 1 Kilometre. The tour commenced around 12:20 PM. Apart from me, there were a Danish couple and 4 Belgians. The tour was conducted in English.

Achaval-Ferrer is a relatively new winery. It has been in operation for 10 years. During their first year of Operations (1998) they produced 2 barrels of wine. In 2007 they produced 11,000 barrels! This is definitely a small operation when compared to Norton (Argentina) or Concha Y Toro (Chile). Achaval-Ferrer focuses solely on Reds and Malbecs only. The winery has 3 owners (Achaval, Ferrer and the winemaker whose names escapes me). During our tour we met Mr. Ferrer who was helping sort grapes! The fermentation takes place in Concrete Tanks. This (Fermentation in Concrete tanks) is a Unique aspect of Mendoza Wineries. Fermenting in Concrete tanks helps in the gradual adjustment of temperature unlike steel tanks where temperature changes are immediate.

The Vines are pruned for super concentrated grapes which results in super concentrated wine. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 18-months in Oak barrels, followed by aging for 18-months in the bottles themselves before being shipped to the market. The United States is the largest export market, followed by Brasil, Europe, the rest of Asia and finally the rest of Latin America.

Achaval-Ferrer specializes in Single Vineyard Malbecs. They produce 3 Single Vineyard Malbecs grown at different altitudes. MIRADOR is produced from grapes grown at 700 feet, BELLAVISTA is produced from grapes grown at 1100 feet while ALTAMIRA is produced from grapes grown at 2200 feet. They also produce QUIMERA which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%), Merlot (25%) and Malbec (40%).

Their tasting room was terrific. We barrel tasted all their Single Vineyard Malbecs - MIRADOR, BELLAVISTA and ALTAMIRA. Mirador and Altamira supposedly sell for more than $100 a bottle (I need to verify that). The pour during our tastings was generous. The wines were uniformly excellent. The guide (a young girl) was excellent. I did not buy any wines here. I may do so later. I was not even charged the 30 pesos for the tour and tasting!

I requested the reception (at Achaval-Ferrer) to call me a taxi and waited. The setting of this winery is truly magnificent. The rows of vines were spread in front of me and I could see the snow-capped Andes in the distance while behind me the grape sorters were doing their job that result in these wonderful, super-concentrated wines. This vineyard / winery has to be my Numero UNO when it comes to grand settings. I sent a text message to friends just to rub it in!

The taxi did not turn up. After multiple calls and a wait of over 3 hours, a friend of one of the managers (at Achaval-Ferrer) pulled up in his taxi to take me back to Lujan! Walking is not an option as the town is far away.

During my 3-hour wait for the Taxi, I fixed up some more wine tastings - Luigi Bosca and Zuccardi. I was scheduled for a tour and tasting at Luigi Bosca at 5 PM this afternoon while I was scheduled at Zuccardi at 5 PM tomorrow.

I paid the taxi driver 30 pesos as he had to drive all the way from Mendoza - just to pick me up! I took his number and promised to call him in case I needed transport to visit the Zuccardi Winery. The cost would be 100 pesos as it would involve - Pick up from hotel, head to Winery, wait at Winery - while I tour/taste and return to Mendoza

As Luigi Bosca was also in the Lujan de Cuyo area, I decided to head there after a late lunch. After the wonderful tastings at Achaval-Ferrer, I had a rather sad lunch of toast and Orange juice for lunch! I had to eat something before the next tasting so this was better than starving.

The taxi from the centre of Lujan to Luigi Bosca cost me 6 pesos. This is a very big winery that also produces good wines consistently. Hence it was on my list of places to visit. The tour started 15-minutes late. The guide was horrible and appeared to be going through the motions. Luigi Bosca produces 28 different varietals! Compared to Achaval-Ferrer, these folks are not selective when it comes to producing wines. Luigi-Bosca wines start at 25 pesos, while Achaval-Ferrer wines start at 200 pesos!

Luigi Bosca uses steel tanks for fermentation. Barrel aging is done for 3-6 months. As the guide herself said, Luigi Bosca is more interested in making their money today. The Wine tasting was OK. The pours were adequate. We were charged 15 pesos (per person) for the visit and tasting.

Achaval-Ferrer will henceforth be the benchmark against which other vineyard visits and tastings will be measured!

I took a bus (from the entrance of Luigi Bosca) back to Mendoza. On alighting at the bus terminus at Mendoza, I went about researching and booking my bus ticket to Santiago, Chile. I opted for a CAMA seat on ANDESMAR for 75 pesos ($25) for March 22, 2008.

After booking my tickets, I went about looking for a vegetarian restaurant - which had been recommended in my guide book. On reaching it, I found it to be closed! Perhaps they open only for lunch!

I headed to an Internet cafe to backup my memory cards. On the walk back, I purchased a Phone card from a local kiosk that did not work. After a 20-minute tug-of-war with the kiosk owner (who refused to refund my money as I had opened the package!), I headed to a nearby movistar office where the problem was fixed. Talk about getting an Ulcer for the wrong things!

Based on the e-mail I had received from Michel and Lisa (Swiss Couple who travelled with me in Salta), I headed to their hotel to meet with them for a coffee. They had apparently checked out earlier in the day! I was confused. Amor had sent me an e-mail as well saying that she had tried calling but was unable to get through to me! I cannot wait to get to Chile and IT'S EFFICIENT MOVISTAR (yes, the same company operates in Argentina as well) network!

I capped the long day with a very good ice-cream!

An interesting note
--------------------
Instalment payments are offered even for credit card payments! I could have split my tour charges to ACONCAGUA (yesterday) into 3 payments of 40 pesos (US$13) each. The cost of the bus trip I had booked to Chile (earlier today) could have been split into 3 payments of 25 pesos (US$8) each!

I head to visits & tastings at Norton (Noon) and Zuccardi (5 PM) tomorrow. I will head to a visit and tasting at Bodega La Rural on Friday (Noon).

March 20, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================

I woke-up late and by the time I was ready, breakfast had closed. I took a taxi to the Bus terminal ($4.50 pesos). I booked a ticket on the 10:30 AM bus to Bodega Norton ($2.25 pesos). I purchased a box of chocolate covered peanuts for breakfast. Upon boarding the bus, I requested the driver to drop me off at Bodega Norton. I noticed a lot of familiar faces (from yesterday) as the bus route today would take me past Lujan de Cuyo. Quite scary when you consider that most of those folks are regular commuters, while I am a tourist!

The ride took almost 1 hour and 15 minutes before I was dropped near Bodega Norton. The bus stop was hardly 100 metres from the Bodega Entrance. On reaching the entrance, the security folks twisted themselves silly in trying to determine how I would reach the tour commencement area as I did not have a vehicle of my own. I was finally asked to head to the store where one of the girls took me through various buildings before dropping me off at the tour commencement area.

The tour and tasting was to cost 10 pesos. We were all given a welcome glass of sparkling wine - which turned out to be decent. Norton, like Achaval-Ferrer, is situated in a great location. Norton is a much larger and older winery (founded in 1895) and we had wonderful views of the vineyards and the Andes from the tour commencement area.

Norton uses mammoth steel tanks for fermentation. The English speakers were a smaller tour group as compared to the Spanish speaking tour group. Most of the folks in the English speaking group were Americans. To break the monotony, I told the group that I was from India! Many of the wines produced here spend 3-6 months in OAK Barrels before being bottled. The OAK barrels are 95% French OAK and 5% are American OAK. Norton even had 12 experimental barrels of CHINESE OAK. Depending on the amount of lead or arsenic - that all Chinese products carry (!), I think it will serve as an excellent Toilet cleaner :) For the large operation that Norton runs here, they only employ 300 employees. The Grape pickers employed during the harvest season are temporary folks and many of these folks are from Bolivia.

On Thursdays, Norton allows anyone to come in with their containers (usually 5-Gallon Jugs) and buy wines from the Barrels. I have seen this taken place at some French Vineyards as well.
Today being Thursday, there were a whole lot of people filling their 5-Gallon jugs at the back of the bodega!

The tour was done in a very professional manner. At the end of our tour we tasted the following:

2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve - Excellent (I am beginning to appreciate white wines better)
2004 Syrah Reserva - OK (Read: Don't spend money buying it)
2005 Malbec Reserve - Good
2006 Malbec D.O.C (similar to Appellation Controlee in France) - So, So (Read: Avoid)

One peeve about the tastings here was that they did not give us fresh glasses for tasting the different wines. As I said yesterday, Achaval-Ferrer remains the benchmark for wine tours and tasting.

I had a 20-minute wait at the Bus stop before taking a bus back to Mendoza. We passed Rio Mendoza and I noticed that it was dry. Not sure if it ever runs full. I got back to Mendoza by 2:15 PM. I headed to Naturata vegetarian restaurant and had a decent fill for 15 pesos. I headed to an Internet cafe and spend 40 minutes here reading the transcript of Obama Speech on race relations. Pretty Impressive.

I decided to call up the cab driver from yesterday. Hector said he would be at my Hotel in 15 minutes. I headed up to my room to rest a bit. Within 5 minutes, I get a call from reception saying that a taxi is waiting for me downstairs. On reaching the hotel reception, I found a new driver waiting for me. Hector had been held up and had sent someone is his place. It was 4:15 PM. I chatted a bit with Julio (the new driver) on our ride to Bodega Zuccardi. We reached Familia Zuccardi around 4:45 PM. I was asked to follow a guide, who when he realized I needed an English tour & tasting guide, gave me a brief (really brief) history of the winery before feeding me to an English tour already in Progress!

The tour group was comprised of Europeans including a young, terribly bored teen who annoyed the hell out of me with his antics. We tasted wines from the fermentation tanks and as expected they turned out to be very Tannic.

Familia Zuccardi has been in Operation for 45 years and produced 13 Million Barrels (20 Million Bottles) a year. The wine pour and tasting was decent although we did not taste premium wines such as Q or ZETA. Of the remainder, the Textual (Caladoc) - Grenache/ Malbec from 2006 was the best. We also tasted Port (Fortified wine) containing 120 grams of residual sugar.

The Shop at Zuccardi was a Zoo. The staff were interested in pushing all and sundry with little time for queries and the Euro trash were obliging them and buying up like there was no tomorrow! Overall I think the tour was just OK while the tastings were decent.

On the way back I requested the taxi driver to drop me off at a main street where I paid him 100 pesos (US$30). From here I took 2 buses to reach Cerro Gloria. After a short steep climb, reached the top. The views from here were decent. There is an Impressive Statue of General San Martin up here. After taking a few pictures, I made my way down and managed to get into a crowded bus to reach the city centre.

Dinner was at a vegetarian place called 'The Green Apple'. There were way too many Aubergine dishes for my taste. I headed back to the vicinity of my Hotel and went to an Internet cafe where I blogged for 2 hours. I still have a long way to go before I am current. I got back to the hotel around midnight, wrote my diary and went to bed.

I plan to visit Bodega La Rural at Noon tomorrow. Outside of that, the rest of the day is free.

I have been surprised to see children walk around with their parents close to midnight. Schools in Argentina have 2 sessions - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I guess these kids out with their parents late at night may be attending the afternoon session. Or maybe, Thursdays are "come out and show yourself" days here! Who knows?

March 21, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================

I woke up around 7:30 AM and headed out of the hotel (after breakfast, of course) by 9:30 AM thereby giving myself plenty of time to reach Bodega La Rural. I waited a while at the Bus station. I noticed that folks were going around asking change for 2 pesos. They were not begging but asking for Change. It then hit me. My electronic bus card had less than 50 centavos left in it. Apart from 20 centavos in Change, all I have are notes which means that I cannot travel on the public bus as one needs to provide loose coins for the fare or swipe the electronic cards (with adequate money on them)!

I left the bus stop and walked to 2 or 3 kiosks to inquire if they could recharge my electronic bus card. None of them could. I gave up and walked to the bus terminus. The official recharging office was closed for GOOD FRIDAY! I was asked to head to another Kiosk that had a REDBUS sign outside it. The Kiosk's recharging machine has broken down. The Kiosk attendant told me to go to the nearest bathroom! You wonder why? Most public toilets in Argentina (and Chile) have attendants who provide you with toilet paper and hand towels if you tip them. As tipping in mostly in Centavos, there was a very good chance that the bathroom attendant would be able to give me some change in exchange for my bills.

I head to the bathroom and ask the attendant to change 10 pesos. He could not do it. I then requested change for 2 pesos. He gave me 2 1-peso coins. Excellent! I ought to be able to go to the bodega and return as the 1-way fare is $1.10 pesos and I have $2.20 pesos (in addition to the 2-pesos changed by the bathroom attendant, I had 20 centavos in my pocket).

I walk to the bus and presently get on a bus (171) headed to Maipu where the Bodega is located. While I know that I need to South East from Mendoza City, the bus appears headed North East! I decide not to fret. After a while, the bus takes a road that appears to head due South. I am beginning to think that all will be well after all. However, in order to get off at the appropriate stop close to the Bodega, I request a fellow passenger for assistance. After describing the route in general, he tells me that I ought not to worry as it would take another 25 minutes for the bus to get close to Bodega Rural. It is 11:15 AM and I am assuming that I will reach the Bodega area close to 11:45 AM, which would be in time for my 12 Noon tour. [All the conversations are in Spanish - Broken or good, mostly broken on my part!]

The bus enters MAIPU town centre and appears headed in a different direction. I approach the driver and tell him that I need to get off at Bodega Rural. He tells me that we had passed the Bodega long ago and that I need to take the bus returning to Mendoza so that I can be dropped off at the Bodega! GREAT!

I am dropped at the Bus terminus at Maipu. Pretty soon, another bus departs the terminus. I pay the driver $1.10 and he tells me that we would be at the Bodega in 15 minutes. It is 11:45 AM and it looks like I am cutting it mighty fine!

It appears that my fellow passenger (who gave me assurances and directions) must have confused Bodega La Rural with Bodega Lopez because Lopez is exactly where he told me it would be! Oh well, I wish I spoke better Spanish or better yet he had spoken excellent English or Tamil!

After 15-minutes, the driver drops me at a bus stop and tells me to ask around for the exact location of the Bodega. Based on my map, I know it must be close. A lady who runs a bike shop tells me that the bodega is 1-Kilometre away. I start walking. It appears that the driver has dropped me a stop earlier. From the bus stop closest to the Bodega, it is a 0.5 Kilometre walk to the Bodega.

I reach Bodega La Rural at 12:15 PM. The guard tells me that the next tour is at 12:30 PM. That's not too bad. I spent the time visiting the Museum that has a good collection of old cars, carts, tools etc used to harvest and transport grapes decades ago. La Rural is in operation since 1895 and they grow only Cabernet Sauvignon in the Mendoza area.

The tour finally starts at 12:45 PM. There are more than a 100-people on this tour. The guide decides to do the entire tour in Spanish, even though she is Bilingual. At the end of the 30-minute tour, we are given a single tasting of a BAD Cabernet Sauvignon. If we wanted to taste more wines, there would be an additional charge for those. Based on the horrible free sampling, I decide not to press my save and instead save my money.

I should have listed to HUGH JOHNSON (whose guidebook has served as a wine reference for me in these parts for the past 4 months) and visited some other winery. Instead I listened to the IDIOTS from the South American Handbook and here I am visiting this Zoo. People bring babies and young kids to these tours and tastings. The bored young ones annoy people by never keeping quiet. I blame the IDIOTS (any parents / guardian who brings a child to these places has to be CERTIFIED as one) rather than the Kids themselves.

I walk back to the main road. I have no change with me and I still need to take a bus to Mendoza. I walk into the tourist kiosk nearby and ask for change (for $10 pesos). Seeing my sad, pathetic look, a local fishes out a $5 peso, 2 $2 peso and the crowning glory of it all --> a 1-PESO COIN! I find 20 centavos more in the deep recesses of my pocket and am ecstatic as I now have $1.20 for a fare of $1.10.

The bus comes along in 5 minutes. To my surprise, I find that the fare is $1.40! I tell the driver that although I do have money, $1.20 is all I have in CHANGE. Fellow passengers do not have any change either. While trying to find change (or rather hoping for it) once more in my pockets, I pull out the REDBUS card. The driver spots the card and tells me that I could use a combination of CARD and CHANGE. I put the fare $1.20 in the coin slot and swipe my card as well. Hooray! I have 20 centavos (I had assumed I had 50!) on my card, giving me the fare of $1.40. I take a seat and ponder for the rest of my 30-minute ride.

Argentine buses appear to have embraced modernism (technology) without proper planning. While Electronic cards are laudable, there should be an adequate number of vending / recharging kiosks where people can purchase or recharge their cards anytime of the day by cash or credit card. In addition to accepting Change, buses should also be designed to accept notes (at least up to 10 pesos) and dispense change.

I think the bus company simply hoards the change that it collects from the Coin slots. There is a perennial shortage of coins in this country. If you are visiting Argentina, upon arriving there (any place), head to the nearest bank and obtain about US$100 worth of coins! The unused part can be exchanged on exiting the country. I have been told that many merchants pay a premium to get coins. $100 1-Peso coins can command a price of $105 pesos!

I had a vegetarian sandwich and a large Orange Juice for lunch. I blog for 2.5 hours. After blogging, I take pictures near Plaza Espana. I make an attempt at shopping for souvenirs, but I am so disinterested that I give up and head to my hotel. I take a shower and write my diary before heading out.

I finally do some Souvenir shopping and buy some Mendocinian Chocolates. I have an Ice-Cream (banana split) at a famous Ice-Cream place. It is really good. I blog for 2.5 hours again. I still have a huge backlog of 30-days to get current!

Upon reaching the hotel, I request a wake up at 6 AM. My Bus to Santiago departs at 9 AM.

Notes on Bodegas in Mendoza
======================

Ideally a tasting tour at a Bodega should comprise of 8-10 people. If the group size is anything larger, avoid the bodega altogether (however good it is reputed to be). When planning Bodega visits, visit those recommended in a good wine book. Do not visit Bodegas recommended by folks like Lonely Planet, Footprint Guides etc. They are good at ferreting out cheap places to stay and eat. Sadly their taste in wines follows the same trajectory.

Among the wineries I visited, Achaval-Ferrer stands out in its tours and tastings. Norton comes second. Familia Zuccardi had a decent tasting although its tour left a lot to be desired. The rest (Luigi Bosca and La Rural) were a waste of my time.

March 17, 2008 - San Juan & Mendoza, Argentina

2008-05-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2008 - San Juan, Argentina
=============================
I had a leisurely wake up. It was raining. After breakfast, I checked out by 10 AM. I left my bag at the hotel and headed to the bus terminal to book my tickets to Mendoza. I booked myself on the 1:40 PM bus to Mendoza - Cama, of course. It had stopped raining.

I took a bus to the centre and paid 2 pesos for the lift to a Mirador (Viewpoint). The views were OK. I spent around an hour at an Internet cafe and headed to a local cafe for some lunch in the form of toast and juice! I got back to the hotel, picked up by bag and headed to the bus terminal. I had a 35-minute wait there as the Bus had not yet arrived.

The bus arrived at 1:45 PM and I checked in. I was given Seat No. 1. This time around there was 6 people in the 9-seater cama section. I was travelling with a different bus company - TRAMAT. TRAMAT had cloth seats while ANDESMAR (the company that bought me to San Juan) had leather seats. Needless to say, ANDESMAR seats were a lot better.

I dozed a bit on the way and we reached Mendoza a little after 4 PM.

March 17, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================
I took a Taxi (thankfully they were not on strike anymore) to Hotel Palace. I chatted up the driver on the possibility of him taking me to some of the wineries on my list in the Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu areas. He was asking for 200 pesos (US$67). I took down his name and number. On reaching Hotel Palace, the Check-in was a breeze. I picked up by large duffel bag from their storage and also my clothes from the nearby laundry.

As I was running low on Argentine Pesos, I exchanged some Dollars for Argentine Pesos. I visited the Trout and Wine Tour agency only to be told that there was a hitch in their programme and that I could not visit all the wineries on my list. I thanked them and walked out. I am sticking to the wineries that I want to visit - not what someone thinks is worth visiting! As I have a few free days in Mendoza, I am sure I will be able to plan something on my own.

I booked myself on a tour to ACONCAGUA for tomorrow (120 Pesos - US$ 40). I received a call from Amor and agreed to meet her at her hostel. I took a trolley to her hostel. We visited one more travel agency and Amor (being a native Spanish speaker) inquired about tours to the wineries I wanted to see. They said they would get back to me.

We met up with friends of Amor (whom she had befriended on a day tour in Mendoza) for dinner. The Lasagne with No Meat came with Meat! We tried a Sandwich with no Ham that came with Ham! I finally got lucky and had a chocolate alamendrado with Banana split ice cream!

Amor and I may meet again tomorrow as we are both doing day trips to ACONCAGUA - albeit with different tour companies.

March 15-16, 2008 - San Juan, Argentina

2008-05-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

March 15, 2008 - San Juan, Argentina
=============================

I woke up late and made it to breakfast by 10:15 AM (Breakfast closes at 10:30 here). It turned out that I was perhaps among the first customers eating breakfast there! A soccer team was staying in the hotel and they continued to amble in and chomp on their breakfast well after 10:30.

I had planned to visit the Natural Sciences museum in San Juan today. The museum would be open until 1 PM today (being a Saturday). Most tour agencies would also close by 1 PM. One of the tour companies I had visited yesterday called me up to inquire whether I would be interested in a tour of Ischigulasto Park on Sunday (tomorrow). As I was holding out hope for a second agency (that was conducting a private tour of Ischigulasto and Talampaya over 2 days for 2 people) to call me back on whether I could piggy back on their private tour, I had to decline this company's offer to visit Ischigulasto tomorrow.

By the time I reached the hotel reception on my way out, I had a rethink of my options here. If the agency (conducting the private tour for 2 people) is not able to get me in on the 2-day tour of Ischigulasto and Talampaya, it may be too late to book myself on the day trip to Ischigulasto (for tomorrow) with any other agency (since all of them will close by 1 PM today). Upon reaching the reception area to hand in my keys, I requested the front desk manager to call up the tour company associated with the hotel and booked myself on the day trip to Ischigulasto National Park for tomorrow (Sunday). The draw back was that the tour cost had to be paid in Cash. On the bright side, if the company arranging private tour is somehow able to hook me in on their 2-day tour, I could always take it as I have not paid to the company that is taking me on the day trip to Ischigulasto tomorrow.

I walked the 2 short blocks to the bus terminal and took a bus to the Natural Sciences Museum. I was dropped off after a 15-minute ride. The museum was a short walk from the bus stop. There entry to the museum was free. If one requires the services of a guide, one can choose to pay the guide. As the only guides available were going to provide explanations in Spanish, I declined their offer and proceeded to read up the Spanish explanations next to the exhibits.

The fossils on display were from excavations at Ischigulasto. The Ischigulasto formation dates to the Triassic era (before Jurassic). I saw a skeleton of FRENGUELLISAURUS ISCHIGUALASTENSIS as well as a skeleton of a DICYNODONT. The museum is part of the University of San Juan and I observed a couple of palaeontologists cleaning fossils. The museum was rather small and I finished my visit is less than 45 minutes. The University of San Juan also has a museum at Ischigulasto Park as well and this apparently contains a lot more fossils. I shall hopefully get to see it tomorrow when I visit Ischigulasto.

I walked around for a bit near the Museum area. I noticed teams of young girls playing field hockey in a nearby park. San Juan appears to have a field hockey league (for youngsters) and it was quite similar to Baseball, Soccer leagues for youngsters in the US (including the screaming of the parents at the referee)! Upon further research I found out that the Argentine women's field hockey team has had a stellar record. Maybe some of these youngsters (and their screaming parents) will make it to their national team someday!

There was a bit of a delay in getting a bus from the Museum back to the city centre. On reaching the city centre I headed to the travel agency to inquire about the possibility of joining their private tour. I was told that it was not possible. Perhaps the 2 folks (who are paying for this private tour) do not want a 3rd person (moi) joining them! [They know not what they have missed!] So I will only be doing Ischigulasto tomorrow.

I headed to SOYCHU (the Vegetarian restaurant I had dinner last night) for lunch. By the time I finished my lunch, the place was packed. Looks like Vegetarian food (when it is on offer) is quite popular in these parts. I headed to a call centre and call friends and family. It was 2:30 PM and siesta time was well under way. The call centre owner suggested that I could visit a local winery in the afternoon.

I headed to my hotel and rested a bit before heading to the bus terminal to take a bus to "Cavas de Zonda". It was 3:30 PM and I was told that I had to wait until 4:30 PM as the buses to this place are infrequent. The fare was 2.25 pesos (less than $1) for the 1-hour ride to the foothills of the Andes where the Winery is located. I missed getting off at the right stop the first time and had to wait until the bus made it all the way to the last stop and dropped me off on its return route! I walked to the Bodega entrance to find out that it closes at 5 PM on Saturdays! It was close to 6 PM now. I may try to visit this place on Monday as they open at 9:30 AM. "Cavas de Zonda" is supposedly famous for Sparkling wines.

I had a 45-minute wait by the road side for a bus back to town. I observed many cyclists speeding by. I suppose they must be training in the Andes foothills before heading for the tour de France. Upon reaching the city, I headed back to the hotel. I checked my e-mail. Wine tours in the Mendoza area appear to be getting finalized. I wrote my diary and charged all my camera batteries (did not want to be running out of juice when I am at Ischigulasto).

I headed to dinner at a well recommended local restaurant. The food (Italian) was ok, the local wine decent and the service was bad (as usual). As they had already added a service charge, I did not tip them. I walked back to my hotel.

March 16, 2008 - San Juan, Argentina
=============================
I woke up at 5 AM and was ready and at the reception a little after 6 AM! My pickup was scheduled between 6 and 6:30 AM. I waited...and waited...and waited. I observed many late-night (rather all-night) revellers stumbling home. Most of these folks caught a taxi in front of my hotel and some of them took their keys from the front desk and headed to their rooms.

A young lady appeared at the reception area and from the snippets of conversation I overhead it appeared that she was headed to Ischigulasto as well. I was not in a particularly friendly mood so did not strike up a conversation with her. The pickup vehicle finally showed up around 6:50 AM. It turned out to be a CAR! It appeared that the lady and I were going to Ischigulasto with the same tour company. The lady took the front passenger seat. Upon seating myself in the rear seat, I eagerly asked the driver for the number of passengers on this trip. When I heard his reply (4), I resigned myself to being squeezed in the back seat for the next 12 hours!

We headed to a nearby hostel and picked up a couple. All of the passengers (with the exception of yours truly) were Argentines. I was headed to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and language was not going to make a difference to my enjoyment.

I decided to catch up on my sleep during the 4-hour drive to the park. I woke up in time to see a magnificent sunrise around 8:30 AM. Brilliant Orange Ball of fire against a clear sky. Perhaps it's the near desert climate here, but the weather has been fantastic thus far. Due to space constraints, I had left my camera bag in the trunk of the car and memorized the sunrise in my mind. I dozed on after that.

We reached the park entrance around 10 AM. The trip had taken us less than 3 1/2 hours in large part to the excellent paved road and the sparse traffic on it. We paid the park entrance fees of 35 pesos (US$12). We were to follow a park ranger in our vehicles as we toured Ischigulasto National park. There were around 15 Vehicles (all shapes and sizes) and about 80 people. The ranger would take us on a 40-Kilometre (25 Miles) circuit (aptly called Circuito Turistico!) over a 3-hour period with stops at various places for a show and tell. Of course, it was all in Spanish. In the ranger's defence he spoke lucid, clear Spanish with clear diction and enunciation (perhaps the Argentines could not follow him!).

After our second stop in the circuit, I chatted a bit with our driver. It turned out that the clocks had rolled back an hour today! So I had woken up at 4 AM and had been waiting for the vehicle since 5 AM. D'oh!

Although the TRIASSIC era formations at Ischigulasto looked somewhat similar to the formations I had observed during a visit to the Dakotas (US) last year, the significant difference was that we were able to drive and walk among the formations in Ischigulasto on paths designed not to disturb the ecosystem here. Although we did not see any fossils or observe any digs, it was a very nice trip and a thrill to know that we had visited a place where some of the oldest dinosaur skeletons have been found.

After our show and tell as we were headed back to the park entrance, we drove by magnificent RED ROCK formations aptly called COLORADO. As we were not allowed to stop, I rolled down the window and took pictures from the car. Tours of Ischigulasto that take place in the afternoon do stop at these rock formations as the evening light enhances the redness of COLORADO. The park also conducts tours during full-moon nights. That would have required additional bit of planning on my side! (Perhaps next time)

We got back to the park entrance and I eagerly headed into the museum. While the displays were impressive, it turns out that all of them were replicas. The originals were supposedly in the museum at San Juan! When I told the curator that I had visited the museum at San Juan and did not see any Originals, I was told that the Originals at the San Juan museum were not for Public viewing! I hope that they change this policy soon and open up these fossils for public viewing - perhaps limiting the number of visitors per day to 200 or so.

The driver suggested lunch at a nearby place (3-4 kilometres away). I requested and obtained a cheese-free HUMITA and combined with some hot sauce, it was delicious. It would keep me alive until I get back to San Juan.

On the way back we stopped at a precious stone museum and a weekend artisan fair. I think all these could have been skipped for a visit to Talampaya which was just 65 Kilometres (40 Miles) from Ischigulasto.

I got back to my hotel around 7:30 PM and rested a bit. I decided to try having dinner at a cafe. Despite my instincts I ordered a cheese Pizza. It was DISGUSTING as ever. I took out 95% of the cheese off the Pizza and had the bread and tomato sauce with half a bottle of wine. Not bad :)

Almost all the tour agency trips I have taken thus far have drivers / guides who are quite knowledgeable and provide you with all the information and answers questions as well. They also do not stand around scratching their heads at the end of the trip waiting to be tipped. I am quite impressed with this attitude.

March 14, 2008 - Mendoza & San Juan, Argentina

2008-05-14T23:22:00.001-07:00

March 14, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
=============================
I woke up a little after 9 AM and was ready by 10. The breakfast was decent. I checked out after breakfast. I was heading to San Juan for a few days before returning to Mendoza again. I left my larger duffel bag at the Hotel until my return from San Juan.

I tried to get a taxi to the bus station. The taxi drivers were all on strike! Fine day to do it :) I took the only other option available and walked the 20 blocks to the bus terminus. Even the small bag and the camera bag were a burden to carry after 5 blocks! I made it to the bus terminus after 30 minutes.

I headed to the offices of the ANDESMAR bus company. They had services to San Juan. A Semi-cama would cost 18 pesos ($6) while a cama seat would cost me 22 pesos ($7.3). I chose Cama. The Cama seating was in the lower part of the double Decker bus. 9 seats in 3 rows with a 2-1 split for the aisle. I took the single seat. The leather covered seats were luxurious, reclined almost 180 degrees and were better or at least equal to Business class seats on Airlines. The Cama passengers were also served coffee and cookies during the ride. I skipped the coffee but ate the cookies. All this for a shockingly low price. I have to take this option (Cama) when I travel from Mendoza to Santiago (Chile).

The 2-hour plus journey was along the Andes range during which I read a bit and dozed a bit.

March 14, 2008 - San Juan, Argentina
=============================
We reached San Juan around 2:30 PM. Hotel America was 2 blocks away from the bus terminal. Even the local taxi drivers suggested that I walk it. The front desk gal was the prettiest gal I had seen in Argentina (thus far). The hotel had free internet. I checked messages. The wine tour companies were uniformly expensive.

Like Salta and Mendoza, San Juan closes at 1 PM and opens at 5 PM!

I visited a number of tour agencies to explore the possibilities of visiting the Ischigulasto and Talampaya national parks during my 3-day stay in San Juan. I encountered the same problems as at Asuncion (Paraguay). They would not run tours for Single folks. As San Juan was off the main tourist tracks, the chances of me getting to see all that I came to see appeared remote. I may get to see Ischigulasto perhaps on Sunday (March 16).

I found an all-vegetarian place for dinner. The food was not great.

I have a free day in San Juan tomorrow.

March 13, 2008 - Salta & Mendoza, Argentina

2008-05-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2008 - Salta, Argentina
==========================
I woke up early and checked out by 7 AM and followed it with a quick breakfast at the hotel. Upon finishing breakfast, I requested a Taxi to the airport. One arrived in less than 3 minutes. It was still pitch dark as we made our way to the airport. The 25-minute ride to the airport cost me 25 pesos (US$ 8). The locals here have no clue about the cost of these things as the hotel had claimed that it would cost me no more than 18 pesos and here I was paying 25% more.

Upon check in my duffel bag weighed in at 19 Kilos. My 'small' handbag probably had 15 kilos of stuff in it! I was quite relieved as this would be my last internal flight before I head back to the US - which would allow me to take 2 bags of 23 kilos each!

The flight departed a bit late. I got an exit row window seat with lots of legroom. Terrific! I read Bruce Chatwin and the articles in the Aerolineas Argentinas magazine during the flight. After the rather light breakfast served by the airlines, I dozed a bit as there was nothing great by way of scenery.

We reached Buenos Aires around 11:30 AM. I had to get out and go through a security check again before boarding my flight to Mendoza. I got a window seat again and continued my reading of Bruce Chatwin's travels in Patagonia.

March 13, 2008 - Mendoza, Argentina
==============================
We reached Mendoza around 2:30 PM. Radio taxis were the only option from Mendoza airport to the city. They charged a flat rate of 16 pesos. It was a lovely sunny day. We reached my hotel in 20 minutes which turned out to be quite decent. The hotel was costing me 110 pesos (US$37) per night. The front desk manager recommended a laundry close by. I headed to the laundry and requested that they be returned by March 17 (Monday). I walked to the town centre and had a late afternoon snack.

A word on Business practices in Salta and Mendoza: Almost all establishments close at 1 PM and re-open at 4 after a nice siesta. The only option between these hours is to sit in a cafe - which is what I did. The laundry being open between these hours was a surprise to me. I visited the local tourism office and obtained maps as well as information on local vineyards and the best times to visit them.

I headed next to a few local tour operators and asked about visiting some of the wineries I had chosen from my wine guide. Needless to say all these agencies took people to standard run-of-the-mill wineries and the wineries on my list would have to be done as a private tour costing upwards of 450 pesos (US$150)!

I headed next to a wine tasting place recommended by my guide book. It turned out to be an interesting place. I helped myself to one of their newsletters and promised to drop by later for a proper tasting as I did not want to do any tastings on top of the "light" snack I had consumed for Lunch.

I noticed that there appeared to be a HARLEY DAVIDSON festival of some sort going on in town. There were numerous bikers from Argentina and Chile congregated around the town centre. None of the bikers seemed able to tell me when and where there would be a formal kickoff for the ride (My bad Spanish was not much help]. I took a few pictures and headed to an internet cafe. I wrote to a list of tour companies recommended in the wine newsletter.

During my walk after the Internet cafe, I came across one of the agencies recommended in the newsletter. I spoke to the young Irish lad (and he works for a WINE TOUR COMPANY? !) about visiting some of the wineries on my list. He also suggested a private tour that would set me back 400 pesos (US$135). He also recommended a few good wineries and gave me a copy of the newsletter he published (on wine, of course). I told him to send me an e-mail by tomorrow evening on whether any tours could be arranged (with other wine lovers) to see the wineries I was interested in. [This way the cost could be reduced]

I headed to the restaurants (with good wine selections) that he had recommended highly. Both places had overpriced wines and limited options for a vegetarian meal. I finally found an Argentine restaurant that served decent Vegetarian food (Italian, of course). I had a decent Terranzas Malbec with my dinner.

I got back to my hotel and realized that the low quantity of food, plus 4+ glasses of Malbec was a recipe for heartburn. I took a couple of heartburn pills and went to bed.

March 10-12, 2008 - Salta, Argentina

2008-04-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

March 10, 2008 - Salta, Argentina
==========================

I woke up at 5 AM but had to let the shower run for 15-minutes before the hot water started flowing. The breakfast (@6:30) was quite basic - 2 croissants, Orange Juice, Coffee or Tea. While waiting for the tour bus to show up, I continued reading James Hadley Chase. Quite fast-paced as always.

My tour bus arrived on time at 7:15 AM. I was the first pickup. The Vehicle was a crossover Renault that seated 3 passengers in the back and one up front. I took the seat next to the driver as it would give me some additional leg room. We picked up 3 more people - a guy and 2 girls - all argentines from Buenos Aires before heading south to Cafayate. The driver provided commentary in Spanish. It had started raining heavily by now. Within 10 minutes, the windshield wiper on the driver's side stopped working. The driver pull the vehicle to the shelter of a gas station, pulled out an all-purpose tool (like a Swiss army or a Leatherman) from his hip pocket and fixes the wiper in 10 minutes. Very impressed with his handiwork.

We continued south to Cafayate - 190 Kilometres (120 miles) south of Salta. We stopped shortly after the wiper blade fix to fill up gas. It was still pitch dark. It was well past 8:30 before we saw any light. The dark clouds continued to follow us. I was told that it rains just 10-days a year in Cafayate. I did not want today to be among the 10!

Our first stop was a place called ALEMANIA - named after an Indian chief and NOT Germany. In the years past Trains from Salta used to come here regularly until part of the tracks were washed away during rains 2 decades ago. The tracks were not rebuilt, the train services stopped and ALEMANIA has turned into the Ghost town it is today.

After ALEMANIA we continued south until we stopped at Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat). Yes, those of you who have been reading and memorizing the details would know that one of the waterfalls at IGUASU was called "Garganta del Diablo". The Garganta del Diablo here is not a waterfall but a magnificent rock formation formed by years of Wind and Rain shearing a mountain leaving a diagonally sliced rock formation with a large opening on top - hence the name. I was very very impressed by this. While the rest of the folks in my group clambered over the smooth exterior and reached the lip of the diablo to take some pictures, my shoes would not let me get any grip on the smooth rock surfaces. I passed my camera to one of the folks who had climbed and he took some pictures for me.

By the time we finished viewing Garganta del Diablo and got back to the vehicle, it had started raining. The driver skipped a visit to the nearby Amphitheatre (yet another rock formation) with the assurance that we would visit it in the way back. The guy (Esteban) and one of the girls (Silvia) spoke passable English (way better than my bad Espanol) so we chatted from time to time and they interpreted the driver's commentary for me from time to time as well.

The rain eased up for a bit but by the time we reached a place called Tres Cruces (Three crosses) it had started pouring again. I got back into the Vehicle without taking a picture. I will request a stop on the way back - assuming the sun is shining at that time.

We reached Cafayate around 12:15 PM or so. Our first stop was at a bodega called VASIJA SECRETA. We tasted 3 wines here - a White (from Torrontes Grape that is native to Salta), a rose wine and a Red (Cabernet Sauvignon). None were impressive.

We headed to the town of Cafayate for Lunch. I ordered a HUMITA for lunch and had a wine ice-cream. I will definitely need to have a decent dinner. After lunch we walked around the town Square and I got to know my travelling companions a bit better. Esteban is an accountant by Profession and works for Deloitte. Silvia is an Technology consultant and works for ACCOR (a food company that makes cookies, candies and ice cream among others). Griselda works as a tester for the Mobile Phone company - Personal. The church in the town centre was supposed to have 5 naves - very unique as most churches have only 3. Despite visiting the church, I failed to notice this :)

I was treated to a coffee by the driver / guide. After coffee, out next stop was Bodega DOMINGOS HERMANOS. The wines here were decent - including the Torrontes. We watched the beginning of the wine making process - Grapes being unloaded from trucks and being de-stemmed. I did not purchase any wines.

Our next visit was to Bodega NANNI. It was apparently the driver's favourite bodega - after all he wears a baseball cap given by these folks! As regards the tasting here, the less said the better. One piece of advice though - avoid even under pain of death! I wish the tour companies took us to classier wineries - even if we have to pay for tasting - rather than take us to down and out vinegar manufacturers!

We started back to Salta after bodega NANNI. The clouds had cleared up and the sun was out. We stopped at Tres Cruces on the way back and I got some decent pictures. We also stopped at the Amphitheatre. It is yet another extraordinary rock formation. The amphitheatre was supposed to be acoustically 80% as good as the famed Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. Musicians and Philharmonics have performed here. The four of us took a group photo here. Rock formations like these remind of the trip I took across the great plains (Dakotas and Wyoming) back in August 2007.

I dozed a bit on the way back to Salta. The Argentines were shocked at my dinner plans for 8 PM! They invited me for dinner at a restaurant at 10:30 PM! We changed e-mails to exchange pictures. I headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest before dinner.

I met the Argentine trio for dinner. I had a ravioli and a decent wine. I got back to the hotel at 1 AM! I head out for a tour tomorrow at 7:15 AM again!

March 11, 2008 - Salta, Argentina
==========================

Despite the fact that I could not open my eyes, I forced myself to get up at 6 AM. I was ready by 6:45 and finished breakfast. I chatted with the night manager while I waited for my tour bus to show up. He said that he had not see such a long last name in his 35-years of working! Oh well, there is always a first time for everything :) I continued reading James Hadley Chase while I waited for the tour bus to show up.

The tour bus and driver showed up around 7:15 AM. Despite being very European looking and speaking with a light accent the driver was from Salta! My tour Vehicle today was a Chevy truck with an extended cabin. We were to pick up 2 more people before heading out. I took the seat next to the driver. We pick up a Swiss couple (Michel and Lisa both in their 50s) shortly thereafter and headed out of Salta. As we all spoke and understood English, the driver would provide his commentary in English.

It was pitch dark (as usual). What surprised me was that I saw young children dressed in Uniforms making their way to school. One would think that the schools would adjust their timings so that the children can come to the school during daylight hours. There are no school buses in these parts. Either parents drop their kids in school (Cars, public buses etc.) or if the school is close by, the kids walk to it. In some of the remote areas where the schools are far away from the children, the children stay in hostels Monday through Friday before coming home for the weekend. Public school are all free including the hostel stays and meals in those hostels.

Our first stop along the "Tren a las Nubes" route was a bridge across the RIO TORO. It was still a bit dark and there was a thick mist as well. I got out of the Vehicle and took a picture before my camera battery died out. Thank god I carry multiple spares - fully charged. I dozed as much as I could during the ride.

Our next stop was the small village of Santa Rosa de Tastil located 3000 metres above sea level. It was a bit cold here. With the late dinner last night and the early wakeup this morning, I had forgotten to bring my sweater. There were some vendors selling hand-woven ALPACA sweaters. After a bit of bargaining, I purchased an Alpaca Sweater for 40 pesos from a vendor. I promptly put in on and it helped a bit in fighting the chill. As I was walking around the village taking pictures, I ran into Silvia and Griselda from yesterday's trip. They were also doing the Tren a las Nubes - with a different tour company. We chatted for a bit and agreed to meet up for dinner at 10 PM in Salta. [Our tours are expected to end around 9 PM]

From the village the driver (Marcelo) took a path and climbed a hill above the village putting us at an Altitude of 3200 metres. We were here to observe the pre-Inca settlement. This was a well-preserved settlement and a large one at that. At its peak it had around 1000 people living here. Michel, Lisa and I walked around the settlement for about 20 minutes or so before we got back into the van. We observed a lot of large cactus plants in this area. According to Marcelo many of these Cactuses are 200-300 years old.

The lack of sleep was catching up with me. I dozed as much as possible. The driver chewed Cocoa to keep himself awake and alert. He said that every driver on this route chews the stuff. We were climbing even higher as we made our way to the town of San Antonia de las Cobres. We stopped at the high point of ABRA BLANCA (4080 Metres above sea level) to take some pictures. We saw our first snow capped mountain near ABRA BLANCA. While I did not see Colourful rock formations (like Cafayate), the mountain scenery was spectacular. I tried not to doze off and miss the scenery. Being a small group we could request the driver to stop whenever we wanted to take pictures.

We reached San Antonia de las Cobres around 11:30 AM. As the next stop would be almost 4 hours away, we decided to lunch here. I had white rice with Vegetables which tasted good. Michel and I shared a carafe of red wine. Michel owns a travel agency in Switzerland. We talked mostly about watches. He owns a BLANCPAIN! (of course, he was wearing a cheap 'travel' watch - like I was!) Michel and Lisa promised to show me around if I ever visited Switzerland.

After lunch we walked around San Antonio de las Cobres for about 30 minutes. Most of the people here have strong Indigenous features and resemble the Indians from Bolivia. However, they spoke no indigenous dialect. They conversed only in Spanish.

Marcelo told us that we would not be able to visit the last bridge on the train route as it was in a different direction than where we were supposed to be heading. I was a bit disappointed as this bridge is supposedly what one sees in any Photograph of the "Tren a las Nubes".

We headed to SALINAS GRANDES - a vast expanse of Salt flats about 100 Kilometres (60 Miles) away. I dozed most of the way. We drove on the famous RUTA 40 for this stretch of the trip. We saw quite a few VICUNAS on our way to the Salinas Grandes.

On reaching Salinas grandes, we walked around to take pictures. The complete whiteness of these flats was quite blinding and I was forced to wear my sunglasses. We also saw a house built entirely of SALT from these flats! We saw a lot of trucks carrying Salt from these flats to PARAGUAY which was a 3-day drive away!

From SALINAS GRANDES we started climbing mountains to reach PURMAMARCA where we would be dropping off Michel and Lisa. The weather was perfect. To use an analogy - like the opening scene of "THE SIMPSONS" - blue sky, clouds! The drive was spectacular. We crossed ALTO MORADO (4170 metres above Sea level) - the highest point during our journey today. After ALTO MORADO, we started seeing colourful rock formations (from the mineral deposits contained) in addition to the lovely mountain scenery.

Roads are excellent here. The early engineers have done a marvellous job of surveying and putting up these roads. Way too many hair-pin bends on our way up and down. We reached the valley of HUMAHUACA and started seeing quite a bit of greenery.

We reached PURMAMARCA and I parted ways with Michel and Lisa but not before we exchanged e-mails. They would be visiting Mendoza around the same time as me and we agreed to stay in touch and perhaps meet up there. PURMAMARCA is a small quaint village. There are quite a few Bed & Breakfast places in this tiny village and more were being constructed. It's claim to fame is a unique rock formation that has 7 colours.

Marcelo and I had a coffee and chatted a bit before heading out of Purmamarca. Just out of town Marcelo parked the vehicle on the side of the road so I could take some pictures of the 7-coloured rock formation. I did. We drove past San Salvador de Jujuy - Capital of the Province of Jujuy (pronounced Hoo-Hoo-ey). The cloud cover was quite thick and we passed through densely vegetated areas. It was quite an interesting contrast to the desert like landscape we had passed earlier in the day. We did not stop anywhere else on the way and headed straight to SALTA. Marcelo works as a free lancer. Any company that wants his services contacts him. The company takes a big chunk of the fees the tourists pay them and Marcelo gets a small percentage of the tourist fees. Although he had graduated with a University degree in Geology, he has been working as a tourist guide and driver for the past 4 years and seems to be enjoying it.

We reached SALTA a little after 7 PM. I think Marcelo made up the trip as we went along, otherwise we were not supposed to be back in SALTA before 9 PM. I thanked him and we bid adieu. I took a shower at the hotel and headed to an Internet cafe to copy my memory cards. I finished around 10 PM and met Silvia and Griselda at the appointed place. We headed to a restaurant called "El Solar del Convento" - a very nice restaurant that was not expensive.

We ordered a bottle of wine from the famous premium winery at COLOME (about 3 1/2 hours south west of Salta). It was 50 pesos. Needless to say we were not having COLOME's flagship wine :) I had a fettuccini for dinner. The twin 26 year old gals and the 43-year old man had an extended conversation (oh and dinner too). Having a captive audience I provided advice to them on all and sundry - whether I was qualified to provide them or not - in Spanish! I topped my dinner my having a Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert.

We finished our dinner and conversations close to 1 AM. I did not mind as tomorrow is a free day for me in SALTA. The girls were heading out at 6:30 AM for a 9-hour hike! I wished them well and we agreed to meet at 10 PM tomorrow to have dinner and take in a local cultural show. I may do some city sightseeing tomorrow.

March 12, 2008 - Salta, Argentina
==========================

I slept in and woke up around 9:30 AM. By the time I was ready, I had missed breakfast. I headed out at 10:30 AM into a light rain. I decided to visit Cerro San Bernardo later in the day - when the weather cleared up. My first stop was the Aerolineas Argentinas office to confirm my flight to Mendoza (tomorrow). I also obtained the number for the Airport Shuttle service - as I seemed to have misplaced the number I had. I visited Iglesia San Francisco and Case Uriburu. Uriburu was a former president of Argentina.

I visited the tourism office to obtain a list of vegetarian restaurants before heading to BIOS DIET restaurant. Today's lunch special was Soya Burger with Spinach cream sauce. This place is 100% vegetarian and also caters to diet-restricted folks (Diabetic, non-spicy etc.). The breads served here do not have salt in them! (although the Soya Burger did have salt). They do not stock any spices at all - period! I used the salt and pepper shakers liberally on my soya burger and spinach cream sauce. The highlights - in addition to the good healthy food - was the tall young waitress!

Post lunch I visited the 9 de Julio plaza. I took a few pictures here. It was part 1:30 PM. I headed back to the hotel and wrote my diary and some postcards while resting for a bit. I headed out again at 4 PM. It does get quite hot in the afternoon here and resting in a shady (preferably air-conditioned place) is the best way to spend it!

The Cable car station to Cerro San Bernardo was located right across from my hotel. I purchased a roundtrip ticket for 12 pesos (US$4). One does get good views of the city of Salta from the top of the hill. There is a small man-made waterfall on the top. I spent close to 40-minutes here (including the rides up and down on the cable cars).

I took a taxi from the Cable Car station to the train station. The "Tres a las Nubes" - when functioning - departs from this station. I met the guard on the train - who also doubles as a curator of the museum located in the station. A highly enthusiastic person who was quite thrilled to know I was from India. He insisted I fill out the visitor book. Once I completed signing the visitor guide book, he gave me a few souvenir tickets from the "Tren a las Nubes". He told me that the train will be operational starting July 2008. He gave me permission to wander around and take pictures.

I went to the yard and took pictures of their upgraded train. Looks quite touristy. The ride from Salta to Socompa (on the Chilean Border) and back normally takes about 14 hours. The train operates only during the Argentine Winter season. I would have to come back here later for the train ride. It is quite nice to meet folks like these who are quite enthusiastic and love their jobs and are willing to share information and spend time with tourists.

After the train ride, I walked to the town centre. I walked on Peatonal (Pedestrian Walkway) Florida for a bit. Packed with people. I came across and walked into Museo Hernandez and saw the Guemes Painting and some good works by Armina Serra. The Guemes Painting is a large very impressive piece of work. I visited the Artisan workshop but was not impressed with anything on display there. I visited an internet cafe to backup my memory cards and check e-mail. The bad aspect of internet cafe here is that Smoking is permitted and is quite disgusting.

I headed to a cafe for a late snack after which I visited the post office to mail some post cards. Since most establishments close between 1 and 4, they stay open late - until 8 PM or so.

I got back to the hotel and left my camera bag behind as it had started raining again. I was scheduled to meet the Argentine girls (Silvia & Griselda) for dinner and possibly a local cultural show. I waited for 20 minutes and gave up. I headed back to the hotel, packed up, wrote my diary and went to bed.

I head to Argentine Wine Country (Mendoza) tomorrow.

March 9, 2008 - Buenos Aires & Salta, Argentina

2008-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

March 9, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
==============================

After a leisurely wakeup and breakfast, I checked out by 10 AM but left 2 bags in their storage room. I decided to wander around until 12 Noon when the Museo Borges would open. Buenos Aires appeared quite a dead place at 10:15 AM. There were not many places open and the few that were, were small cafes. I found an Internet cafe and read news and checked my e-mail for an hour. By this time a few bookstores had opened and I went to those in the hope of finding Borges in an English Edition (translation). I did not have any luck.

I was at Museo Borges a little after 12. The Museum is located in the Galerias Pacifico shopping mall. I was quite disappointed with the museum as there was very little on Borges himself. Instead the museum showcased different artists. Among these exhibits was a retrospective on the Swiss Photographer RENE BURRI (very interesting) and works by the Surrealist Joan Miro (I was not impressed with the works on display despite my love of surrealist works). The rest of the Museum was devoted to Contemporary artists - who were quite sad - and that's putting a positive spin on it. The Mosaics by Gabriel Lopez Santiso were quite interesting with their vivid colours.

After my museum visit, I visited the adjacent Galerias Pacifico mall and purchased some candies from a famous chocolatier - Abuela Goye (Means grandmother Goye in Spanish). I tried to have a lunch at Ideal Cafe and was disappointed to see that it was closed. I headed to my favourite haunt - Cafe Tortoni - and had yet another breakfast for lunch. As this would be my final visit to this place during this visit, I took out my camera and shot some pictures. It is a great place. As I have said before, Buenos Aires is a lot like Paris. The cafes are wonderful without the snobbishness endemic to French cafes.

I got back to the hotel by 3:15 PM, collected my bags and took a taxi to the airport. My duffel bag still weighed in at 21 Kilograms! I was quite flummoxed. Even after shipping out 5 Kilos of goods from Uruguay, the bag continues to weigh over 20 Kilograms! I don't know what else to do. The bright aspect in all these is that I just have 1 more internet flight to go (from Salta to Mendoza) after which I will be travelling by bus to Santiago (Chile) before taking the trans-continental flight from Santiago to USA.

Buenos Aires is a terrific place. If there is one big city (in South America) I would like to visit again, it would be Buenos Aires. The place is rather inexpensive, there are lots of things to see and do and it is quite safe even at the wee hours of the night.

I started reading "I'll bury my dead" by James Hadley Chase. The blurb on the jacket stated that the book ought to be finished in a single sitting (250 Pages). By the end of my 2 1/4 hour flight from Buenos Aires to Salta, I had finished 110 pages.

March 9, 2008 - Salta, Argentina
========================

Dark grey skies greeted my arrival in Salta. There was, however, no rain. The tourism office at the airport was quite helpful and provided me with lots of Information. I took a Minibus to the City Centre (6 miles away). The ride took 30 minutes and cost me 6 Pesos (US$2). I was dropped in front of my hotel.

I met Maria at the front desk and was given a Triple bed room with Private bath and air-conditioning! The cost was 90 pesos (US$30) per night with breakfast. After putting my bags in my room, I got back to the reception and told her the list of things I wanted to see and do while in Salta. She spoke to someone on the Phone and there was someone from a local travel agency within 10 minutes at the front door! The "Tren a las Nubes" (Train to the Clouds) - which was the sole reason for me making Salta as a stop in my travels - was apparently not running as the maintenance works were still not completed. The Travel agency, offers a bus trip that follows the train route and also takes tourists to the Salt flats further north. I took this tour option for 270 pesos (US$ 90). This was to be a 14-hour round trip and I took this option for Tuesday, March 11. I also booked myself on another trip to the Cafayate area for 125 Pesos (US$ 42). This would be a 10-11 hour round trip and I slated this for tomorrow (Monday, March 10). I paid for all of these by Credit Card. Ah, the convenience of Plastic.

I headed to the centre of town for dinner and had a local dish called HUMITA that consisted of CORN, ONION and CHEESE steamed / cooked inside a palm leaf. One has to untie the palm leaf wrapping to reach into the cooked HUMITA. HUMITA tasted a lot like the Indian dish Upma.
It also has some slight semblance to the Northern Chilean dish QUINOA. I will perhaps request the QUINOA without Cheese next time around. Perhaps add some MALAGUETA peppers from my stash :)

Dishes derived from the Indigenous populace are usually terrific. The Unimaginative European (Spanish / Portuguese / Italian) cooking is what irritates me.

I head off to Cafayate tomorrow morning. My pickup is scheduled at 7:15 AM. I had to request breakfast specially at 6:30 AM (as breakfast does not open until 7 AM). It is well past midnight already. I hope I wake up in time for breakfast and the tour.

One of the nice things about the tours in these parts is that, the tour company will force the hotel to knock on your hotel room, wake you up and then take you on the tour. You may have bad breath (because you did not have time to brush your teeth) or smell bad (because you did not have time for a shower), but you will not miss the sights that you paid up to see!

March 8, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay & Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-04-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

March 8, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

======================================

I woke up at 8:15 AM and was ready to head out by 9:15 AM. I paid up for my 2 night stay - 900 pesos (close to US$45) and took a taxi to the Ferry terminal. The short ride cost me 40 pesos (US$2). For the first time during my 6-day stay in Uruguay, it was bright and sunny - and I depart in less than an hour! All I can hope is that the same sunny and bright weather will continue in Buenos Aires as well.

As the Taxi was not allowed to enter the port area, I had to get off at the entrance and walk 30o-metres or so. I am so glad I purchase this wonderful duffel bag in the US before my departure. It is quite rugged, has excellent wheels and can pretty much go anywhere. The check-in was quite easy. There was no security check. I completed my Immigration formalities (Uruguayan exit and Argentinean entry) here. I boarded the ferry around 9:50 AM and it departed for Buenos Aires around 10:20 AM. The ferry did not appear crowded.

The ride was uneventful. The waters were quite muddy.

March 8, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

===============================

We reached Buenos Aires in an hour. I had to wait 15-minutes to get taxi. It cost me 8 pesos (US$3 approx) for the ride. I was staying at Hotel Marbella (yet again) for a night. I got a room in a different floor this time.

After checking-in, my first order of business was to collect my long overdue laundry. I heaved a sign of relief upon picking it up. It was turning out to be a nice sunny day. I walked to the Palacio del Congress and Casa Rosada and took pictures (just wanted some nicer pictures as the ones I had shot earlier were taken during cloudy and rainy days). I had breakfast (rather lunch) at Cafe Tortoni. I wanted to visit Cafe Ideal (another historic cafe) but they seemed more interested in giving Tango lessons than serving coffee hence the choice of Tortoni yet again. Tortoni was packed.

I walked to the San Telmo neighbourhood and was quite disappointed. All the guidebooks build it up as some great place. Far from it, is all I can say. I found an old memorabilia store and purchased magnets of Argentine Greats (Fangio - Formula 1 Champion) and Borges (poetry).

I went to an Internet cafe to backup my memory cards. During my 1-hour stay here a fellow internet user lost his bag. As always with all these kids, they carry their entire credentials and valuables in their bag (Passport, IDs, Credit Cards, Cameras etc.) and when in an internet cafe, they get so carried away with their e-mailing that they fail to pay adequate attention to what is going on around them. Carrying your passport with you at all times is a DUMB thing. It is NOT required. Despite their stupidity I felt sorry for him.

I headed for dinner once again to Tandoor restaurant. I had a decent meal of Dal along with Appams. I met Shahrukh there and he told me that I was the first customer whom he had seen ordering appams! I had a nice Voignier from 2007 and it went well with the Indian food. Shahrukh was dining with the Indian ambassador to Argentina and he introduced me to the entire family. From the name it sounded like this Ambassador was from the Southern part of India and from my recollection (during the conversation I had with the Honorary consul in Belo Horizonte, Brasil) it appeared he had moved from Brasil.

I got back to the centre of town and took some night-time pictures of the broadest street in the world (Av. 9 Julio). I headed to an Antique bookstore and purchased first editions of a James Hadley Chase novel as well as a book containing speeches by the former president of India - Radhakrishnan. I wanted to have dessert at Cafe Tortoni but it was too crowded. I headed to an Internet cafe and checked and answered e-mails.

I got back to my hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.

I head for Salta tomorrow afternoon.

March 7, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

2008-04-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

=====================================

Woke up at 8 AM. Breakfast was OK. It was certainly better than not having breakfast. I stuffed myself with 4 croissants. I was out of the hotel by 10 AM. I visited the local tourist office and obtained some information on visiting the Plaza de Toros (Bull Fighting Ring).

I took a bus from the front of the tourist office to Plaza de Toros . The ride took 25 minutes and I got off right in front of the Plaza de Toros. It must have been a grand bull-ring once. Uruguay has banned bull-fighting for many decades now (Those Killjoys :)). The Plaza de Toros is old and crumbling. One is not allowed to visit the interior for safety reasons. Major work needs to be done here before the pubic can be allowed to visit the interior of the Plaza de Toros.

I visited many old rail cars in a nearby railroad depot that also appears abandoned. I asked a couple (who had also come to visit this place) to take a picture of me near the bullring. It turns out that they were from Jackson heights, NYC! Talk about travelling a long way from home and running into folks from your neighbourhood. The man was a native of Uruguay who had moved to the US when he was a child. He still has lots of family here and the couple were spending 3 weeks in Uruguay visiting his family. They were quite upset about the spate of bad weather as well.

We bid adieu and I took a bus back to the Centro. The ride back took 20 minutes. It was close to Noon. I visited a DHL office (close to my hotel) to inquire about the charges for shipping a package to the USA. The charge appeared reasonable so I headed to my Hotel to get the stuff (Documents, Souvenirs and clothes - no longer needed during this trip) that I wanted shipped. For a total 4.5 Kilograms (10+ Pounds approx.), I was charged 1915 pesos (US$ 91 approx). It was expected to reach the USA in 3 days. I would get to carry 5 Kilograms less during the rest of my travels. Thus far I have shipped out close to 15 Kilograms (33+ pounds approx.) since I began my trip back in December 2007.

I wandered around for a bit. A kid from the tourism department wanted me to answer a questionnaire. I spent 10-12 minutes answering all his queries. Needless to say, I panned the cuisine. I visited a place called the Drugstore and had lunch there. I had a Gnocchi with vegetable sauce. I also had a BAD Tannat from Bodega Don Pascual (2007). As the restaurant did not accept credit cards, I had to pay cash to settle my bill. I was down to 80 pesos (US$4 approx.) cash on hand!

I used 50 (of the remaining 80 pesos) to visit the municipal museum. Purchasing a ticket to this museum allowed me free access to 4 other museums as well. I spent over an hour visiting the Portuguese and Indigenous museums as well as the colonial house and the Mosaic Museum. While they had fancy costumes and china in the Portuguese and Colonial museums the biggest collection in the Indigenous museum was stones! This is an abject display of Indigenous civilization while showcasing European civilization. If you have wiped out the Indigenous population, you can portray their history any way you want - without being challenged.

I headed to a currency exchange place and changed US$100 for 2035 Uruguayan pesos. I had an ice-cream at a supposedly famous place. There are times like these when my guidebook falls short (by recommending an ordinary ice-cream place as something very special and great). They think that 3 vegetables (on a salad) qualifies them as having a good vegetarian selection and colourful displays with different labels qualifies a place as being the BEST Heladeria (Ice-Creamery) in town! Ignorant bastards.

I headed back to the hotel for a short rest. I may decide to go out later for some more sunset pictures.

I observed many folks using Mopeds in Uruguay. Not sure if they are all supplied by the large moped manufacturer from India - TVS.

I headed out of my hotel around 7:30 PM and took a leisurely walk to the waterfront. I found decent location and sat down. I could see the Buenos Aires Skyline in the distance. Although there was no rain, today has turned out to be quite cloudy. We had a terrific sunset around 8:20 PM. I took lots of pictures with my tripod, of course. I could not find a decent Internet cafe to back up my memory cards. I will have to do that when I get back to Buenos Aires tomorrow.

I head back to Buenos Aires on the 10:15 AM ferry tomorrow morning. I will have 2 half-days (tomorrow and the next day AM) before heading to Salta in Northern Argentina.

March 6, 2008 - Montevideo & Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

2008-04-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

March 6, 2008 - Montevideo, Uruguay

=============================

Although I received a wake-up call from the front desk at 6 AM sharp, I lingered in bed for an hour before getting up at 7 AM. By 8:15, I had checked out and requested a taxi to take me to the bus station. The Taxi arrived at 8:30. I thanked the front desk (day manager) for all her help and told the taxi to take me to the bus station. Hotel Palacio is a terrific place - both from a location as well as a price standpoint. The people here are quite friendly that I would definitely stay here again (if I visit Montevideo).

The drive to the Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) bus terminus took around 20 minutes. All I saw was a single massive cross. Not sure where the other two were! The taxi fare was 78 pesos (less than US$4). I went to the bus company (COT) window and gave her the reservation number. The fare to Colonia del Sacramento was 170 pesos (less than US$9). I had 30 minutes left before my bus departed at 9:30 AM. As I had not had breakfast (the singular bad aspect of Hotel Palacio), I headed to a nearby McDonalds and had 2 media lunas (that's what Croissants are called in this part of the world) and an Orange Juice.

I wandered a bit and was at the platform around 9:15 AM. The bus to Colonia showed up at 9:20 AM. I loaded by bags and took my assigned window seat. An European man took the aisle seat nest to mine. Beyond the bare "Hola", I went to being my anti-social self!

I had a solid sleep all the way to Colonia. Whenever I woke up to shift my sleeping position, I saw greenery everywhere.

March 6, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

=====================================

The journey to Colonia took 3 hours and we reached the bus terminus at Colonia around 12:30 PM. I took a taxi to my Hotel (ROMI). It was perhaps unnecessary as the hotel was just 4 blocks from the bus terminus. The fare was 50 pesos (US$2.5). The Hotel had no Information about my request of a change in the reservation dates from March 6-8. So much for all my e-mail communications and for them being on top of things! As the hotel was quite empty, I got a single room with Television and Fan for US$20. Not finding my original reservation seems like a boon as I was scheduled to pay US$35 per night for a double room with Air-conditioning. I figured that I could use the savings of US$30 (saved over 2 nights), hence I took the room with twin beds, fan and TV. The bathroom was nice.

I headed out shortly thereafter to get lunch. I had a horrible pizza for Lunch. I was forced to wash it down with a can of 7-up. Reminder to Self: NEVER have ITALIAN CHEESE BASED dishes in South America. I wish "La Cosa Nostra" would put out a contract on these HORRIBLE IMITATORS of Italian food.

I obtained a map of the historic old city and walked to it. The Old historic city completely UNDERWHELMED me!. This would not even register as a place of Interest when compared with a magnificent place like OURO PRETO. I am not sure if this Old City can even compare to OLINDA. It has a few historical streets, buildings and ruins and that's it. The good thing is that my hotel and Uruguay in general are quite cheap!

I finished my tour of the old city by 3:30 PM or so. The weather was dull and grey (as usual). I tried to take a bus to visit a local bodega but was unsuccessful. I had an ice-cream and coffee at a local cafe where I wrote some postcards. I visited the post office and mailed the cards. I headed to an internet cafe and blogged for 2 1/2 hours. My blogs were updated until February 12 (Still 3 weeks to catch up). I also managed to finalize my hotel for San Juan (Argentina). I headed back to the hotel for a short rest and a shower.

I took my tripod and headed out for some night shots of Colonia. I spotted a nice place and obtained decent twilight shots. I went to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. Despite the restaurant being nice, the service was bad. The Wine (a Tannat and Merlot blend from a local bodega) was bad as well. I guess I need to avoid blended wines in these parts.

Most restaurants in Argentina and Uruguay slap a cover charge at dinner. My cover charge at this restaurant was 40 pesos (US$2) presumably to cover their cost of bread and butter! I think this ought to be eliminated.

The weather was chilly as I got out of the restaurant. I noticed many folks wearing light jackets.

One of the interesting things about Uruguay is that one can find many, many antique cars on the road. These are not driven by rich collectors but by ordinary folks, who cannot afford the steep import duty levied by the government on foreign cars, and choose instead to service their old cars and keep them running. According to my guidebook, Uruguayan mechanics are considered the best in the world. Given the number of antique cars on the road is proof enough!

Post dinner I walked around the old city area. Many streets were quite deserted and I took my time composing and taking pictures. I felt quite safe. I got back to the hotel around 11:30 PM, wrote my diary and went to bed after midnight.

I have a full day at Colonia tomorrow.

March 4-5, 2008 - Montevideo, Uruguay

2008-04-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

March 4, 2008 - Montevideo, Uruguay
=============================

I woke up at 8 AM and was out of the hotel by 9. The hotel does not provide breakfast. I located the nearest laundry and ask for a 1-day service on a trouser and shirt. The cost was UR$110 (US$5.5) and it would be ready after 9 AM tomorrow. I headed next to a currency exchange and changed US$120 to Uruguayan pesos (the exchange rate was down to 21 pesos to a dollar). As the rate was close to 25 about 4-5 months ago, Uruguay appears to be yet another country where the weak dollar is hurting me.

I had an Orange Juice at McDonald's for breakfast before heading to the tourist office located in the town hall. An English speaking girl provided me with lots of information on Montevideo. I started to look for a Vegetarian restaurant as I had decided to have lunch before commencing my walking tour of Montevideo. After a fruitless search lasting 30 minutes, I headed to a Nouvelle cuisine cafe and had a Spinach Empanada and a muffin for lunch!

I walked to the Old City. I visited the Plaza Independencia, Jose Artigas' mausoleum, the Old City Gate, the Uruguayan Club, the Montevideo Cathedral etc before I found myself at the National tourism office. The girl here was even more helpful and provided me with lots of Information. She booked my bus ticket to Colonia (2 days from now) and also offered to make hotel reservations in Colonia as well. She provided me with the respective bus routes for the various places in Montevideo (Montevideo does not have any trains) as well as vegetarian restaurants in the city. By the end of my 40-minute stay at the tourism office, the staff of 4 was exclusively working for me! I was given numerous warnings about my camera and how I ought to be careful walking the streets here.

I was also told about the Origins of the name of Montevideo. The original surveyors had given it the following name - Monte VI de E o O (Monte VI de Este o Oeste) - the 6th Mountain of the East and West.

I decided to take a bus to the top of the short hill that gave Montevideo its name. After a 1-hour ride, I got off close to the Cerro. I took shelter for 15-minutes while a short downpour ensued. I walked for 20 minutes before reaching the hill. The hill houses a military fort and is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 AM - 5 PM. Today is a Tuesday! Even without entering the fort premises, I could get a decent view of Montevideo from here. I did not expect great pictures as the weather continued to be dull and grey throughout.

Some of the tourism offices have really gone out of their way to help me out. It is really fantastic.

I took a bus back from the Cerro to Ciudad Vieja (Old City). I walked around and took pictures. It was 6:30 PM. I visited the 130-year old cafe Brasiliero and had a cafe cortado (Coffee, water and milk). While drinking my coffee, I also updated my diary. I walked to the centre of town and spent an hour at an internet cafe. I headed to a Vegetarian restaurant (Sala) for dinner and had health food! The restaurant had a decent buffet spread including a choice of 2 desserts for UR$129 (US$6). After dinner, I walked back to my hotel. I had a quick stop at an internet cafe to let my hotel in Colonia know of my change in plans (I was originally schedule to depart Montevideo for Colonia on 5th March - Now I would do so on March 6th).

On reaching the hotel, I went to the Balcony and took some pictures of the street below. I wrote my diary for a bit before going to bed.

One of the interesting sights in Montevideo: Horse Carts are used to cart refuse.

March 5, 2008 - Montevideo, Uruguay
===============================

I was ready by 8:30 AM. I waited a bit at the front desk while the reception folks sorted out my extra night of stay (As I had mentioned before, I was schedule to depart Montevideo today - but was staying here for an extra night). All was settled after 15-minutes. I headed to the laundry to pick up my clothes. The lady at the Laundromat inquired about my touring experience yesterday and apologized for the bad weather today. I sincerely hope that the weather improves. I headed with my Camera and Tripod to Teatro Solis for a tour of the Theatre. There was no one around!

I headed to the Numismatic Museum. I was not allowed to take my camera and had to check it in at the security desk. The museum houses not only an impressive display of Historical (and current) Uruguayan currencies, but it also has a display section devoted to currencies from other countries. After spending 30 minutes here, I asked to purchase a set of coins for my collection. After some back and forth between a security guard and someone on the other end of a Telephone, I was introduced to a gentleman who took me to his office and showed me a price list of the various souvenir sets on offer at the Numismatic museum. He also offered the current set of coins at face value in plastic pouches. I purchased 2 of the current coin sets for UR$75 (less than US$4). Uruguay releases coins well after their supposed release date. The coins supposed to be released in 2008 will not be minted and available until 2010! Many of the older coins had the Independence hero Artigas. The proposal to change the head of newer coins to animals had raised a big hue and cry - on how Artigas could be replaced by Animals. The government has gone ahead anyway and new coins with Animal faces would be released in the coming years.

The rain had picked up considerably since I entered the museum. After a quick check at an Internet cafe, I headed to Teatro Solis for the 12 Noon tour. Free Spanish tours are offered on Wednesdays. English tours, however, cost UR$40 (US$2). I took the English tour at Noon.

The tour was conducted by a very attractive Uruguayan guide who spoke excellent English as she had been an exchange student (many years ago) in the US. The rest of our group were day trippers from Buenos Aires. It was a good tour. I was allowed to use my tripod and I took as many pictures as I could. A couple of mimes put up an Impromptu show (during our tour) which was quite entertaining. The Theatre has had many refurbishments and upgrades done over the years and is currently trying to hold performances of one kind or the other year around.

I had lunch at a local creperie. The Crepes were good and I was quite happy and satisfied with my lunch. Post lunch I headed to Uruguayan post to inquire about shipping some of my stuff back to the US. I decided to wait a bit longer. I headed next to the MAPI (Museo de Arte Precolumbino e Indigena) which was housed in an old building used earlier by the ministry of defence. The museum had a decent collection of artefacts most of which were between 500 BC and 500 AD. There were still many rooms on the upper level that did not have any exhibits. Even though the entry was free, I made a small donation (20 pesos).

I visited a museum dedicated to the Uruguayan painter 'Joaquim Torres Garcia' who published the book on "Constructive Universalism" (Universalismo Constructivo - Whatever that is). The entry was free. I liked some of his portrait works.

It was still raining. It was not even worth the effort to take my camera out of my bag! I visited an Artisan maker recommended by my guide book. I did not find anything appealing though. I walked on and presently found myself at a Vegetarian store. I purchased a pair of Vegetable spring rolls and they did not have any sauce! I decided to eat the rolls later.

It was raining quite heavily now. I decided to take a bus to the Punta Carretas shopping centre. After a 30-minute ride I reached the shopping centre. We passed the upscale POCITOS neighbourhood during our ride to the shopping centre. A very nice neighbourhood.

The Cineplex at the mall was playing "Petroleo Sangriento" (The Spanish translation for the Daniel Day Lewis’ movie - There will be blood!) There was a showing of the movie at 6:50 PM and it was just 6 PM. I purchased a ticket for 95 Pesos (less than US$5 - cheap). During the 45-minute wait before the movie started, I purchased a pair of socks as well as a decent raincoat. The theatre was quite nice with stadium seating. The movie turned out to be excellent and Daniel day Lewis' performance was well worth his Oscar. I ate the vegetable spring rolls during the movie. I washed it down with Coca-cola!

The movie was over by 9:30 PM and I was able to take a bus back to the centre. During my walk back to the Hotel, I spotted a decent Ice-Cream place and had 2 scoops for 60 pesos. I had a quick check at an Internet cafe before arriving back at my hotel. I paid the 1300 pesos (US$65 approx) for my 3-night stay and requested a wake-up call at 6 AM. I wrote my diary and went to bed.

I head to Colonia del Sacramento on the 9:30 AM bus tomorrow. I sincerely hope that the weather is good.

March 3, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina & Montevideo, Uruguay

2008-04-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

March 3, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
==============================

I woke up around 7 PM. I skipped breakfast and headed to the front desk to checkout. The front desk manager (same person as Yesterday Morning) apologized for not picking up my clothes from the laundry. As it was past 8 AM, he sent his assistant to pick up the clothes from the laundry. The assistance comes back 5 minutes later - empty handed as the laundry does not open until 8:30 AM. Waiting until then would definitely mean that I would miss my 9 AM ferry to Montevideo (Uruguay).

I pay up for my 5-night stay and take a taxi to the port. I ask the taxi to pass by the laundry one last time in the hope that they may open early. No luck as the laundry is still closed. I may have to do some wash and wear during my 5-day stay in Uruguay!

The check-in to the Ferry is quite similar to an Airport Check-in. You have counters up front where your ID and tickets are checked and moving baggage belts to cart away the checked bags to the ferry's hold. The Security check did not even require me to empty my pockets of coins. The exit (Argentina) and entry (Uruguay) Immigration formalities are both done here. The two people sit right next to each other! I obtained yet another stamp on my passport. US Citizens do not require any Visas for visiting Uruguay. This would be the 5th (and last country) I would visit during this trip.

The ferry had two levels of seating. I found a window seat at the upper level of the ferry. I had a 3-seater to myself. I was travelling in Economy class. The Ferry also had a first class section where you have uniformed folks serving you. Of course, the first class has less number of seats and is therefore quite roomy. The ferry was reasonably packed. Many of the folks were doing a 1-day excursions to Uruguay offered by BUQUEBUS (the company owing and operating this ferry). I had some croissants and juice for breakfast. I went through the motions of visiting the duty free shop on board the ferry! The walk through the duty free shop reminded me that I need to get socks in Uruguay (as I did not have more than a spare pair on me at this point). The pair of socks could be my souvenir from Uruguay!

I planned a list of things to see and do while in Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay) as well as the subsequent stops of Salta and Mendoza (both in Argentina). The weather was dull and grey. I did not even bother looking at the Buenos Aires Skyline from the boat. It rained heavily for a bit after we had departed Buenos Aires. Dark Clouds appeared to follow us during the 3-hour ride to Montevideo. Oh well, I cannot get too stressed about these things!

March 3, 2008 - Montevideo, Uruguay
=============================

We reached the Montevideo around Noon. The customs folks here wanted to inspect my larger duffel bag. I took a taxi shortly thereafter to my hotel. On my way in, I called Shahrukh's hotel (in Montevideo) and it appeared that they had checked out. I reached Hotel Palacio by 12:50 PM. I paid the taxi AR$14 rather than UR$83 (1 Argentine Peso = 6 Uruguayan pesos approx.) as I did not have any Uruguayan pesos. This is what one loves about South American and even European Countries. They will accept the adjacent countries' if one does not have any local currency. I doubt if I can use Mexican pesos or Canadian Dollars in the US - anywhere.

I headed up the Hotel reception and found a message from Shahrukh waiting for me. He was planning to swing by my hotel and pick me up around 1:15 PM before heading to the Bodegas. As I had 20-minutes before his arrival, I rested in my room for a bit. The Hotel is located in an 80-year old building. It has quite charming rooms. I was paying US$20 per night for a decent sized single room with an attached bath and fan. While waiting for Shahrukh, I sent a message to my friends and family announcing my arrival in Montevideo. I also obtained a city map from the reception. I was advised by the hotel reception desk not to venture into Ciudad Vieja (Old City) after dark. Fair Warning - I will heed to it.

Shahrukh and his girlfriend Romi showed up at 1:15 Sharp. We called a taxi and headed out. He had arranged 3 tastings for this afternoon at 2, 3 and 4 PM (in 3 different wineries, of course). The driver of the taxi took a bit longer route than necessary (he claimed it was "faster") before dropping us off at the first winery (Castel Pujol) for our 2 PM tasting.

This was a very old winery (dating back to 1752) although the current ownership has been in place since the 1970s. We were shown around the winery by a member of the family. We saw the grape sorting, de-stemming and crushing machines before heading into the cellars to observe the wines stored in casks and bottles. Just as MALBEC represents Argentina, TANNAT represents Uruguay. We tasted a Pinot Noir, a Tannat and a Sauvignon Blanc. I liked the Pinot Noir best even though it was light bodied (and my preference is for full bodied wines). We also realized they they were charging us US$7 per person for the tour and tasting. I told Shahrukh to keep a tab on all expenses so I could pay my share later (I have not had the time to change US$ to Uruguayan pesos). Shahrukh was paying for everything at this point. The Winery also has Vineyards on the Uruguayan Border with Brasil. Shahrukh purchased 3 bottles of wine. I thought they were reasonably priced. I wished they waived the tour and tasting fees every time folks made a purchase.

Our next stop (Santa Rosa Winery) was a 10-minute walk away. It appeared run down and a bit less professional than Castel Pujol. Although we were scheduled to be here at 3 PM, we arrived here at 3:30 PM. Romi had a gut feel that this was not a great place. While we were debating on whether to walk out of here or not, a well dressed gentleman greeted us and escorted us on a tour of the winery. The initial part of the tour appeared to reinforce Romi's gut feel about the winery. After the Initial part of the tour, we descended to the cellars. The gentleman escorting us on the tour was the Owner. The Winery had been started by his grandmother. Santa Rosa does not make table wine. They produce only fine wines and sparkling wines. They do produce wines from TANNOT but they do not produce any wines from PINOT NOIR - as they consider it to be a temperamental grape.

Our tastings were to be done in the cellar. We were to taste Sparkling wines, Chardonnay, Tannat and a blend. The tasting was to be done by the 3 of us along with the owner. Although the majority of the conversation was in Spanish, he thoroughly enjoyed talking wine with us and spending time with us during the tasting process. Neither Shahrukh nor I had ever had such a tasting experience as this. There was no clock watching, no bean counting (where they try and judge whether we are going to buy their wines or not), nothing. The owner had even gone to the extent of purchasing 2 boxes of crackers for us - that we used during the tasting process to cleanse our palates! We polished off an entire bottle of bubbly during our "tasting". He re-corked the Tannat (that was 3/4 full) and gave it to Shahrukh and Romi. Shahrukh expressed interest in buying some wines right away. He could not do so as it was past 5 PM, and no one (the owner's father alone excepted) could buy wines after 4 PM! He gave us a unlabelled bottle of wine from the cellar as a gift as well! Now you know why an experience like this is unlikely to happen again!

We thanked him profusely and got into the taxi (he had called for us) and headed back to Montevideo. I thanked Shahrukh for inviting me along. Romi thought I was "Divino" (Divine) as well as easy going and agreeable. I will NOT disagree with that Characterization!

We had the taxi drop us off near the old market area and we scoured places for dinner. As we had all skipped lunch, it made sense to have an early dinner. We settled on an Italian place that would not charge us any Corkage fee (we were planning to open one of the bottles given to us at Santa Rosa!). We had a good dinner, conversation and the wine was decent. Towards the end of the meal we were presented with a tab of UR$1300 (US$65). While I was willing to pay it off, Shahrukh thought that the bill was a bit steep considering what we had eaten. We found out that we had been charged a "Corkage" fee of UR$300 (US$ 15). Shahrukh and Romi had a long and extended argument with the restaurant folks about what we were told (no corkage fee) while we were being wooed to take a seat in the restaurant. The arguments were in Vain as the Waiter who had wooed us and served us had disappeared! We paid up the bill - ZERO tip of course and departed. Shahrukh and I exchanged some Dollars for Uruguayan pesos and we promised to keep in touch.

Shahrukh and Romi had booked tickets at Teatro Solis for a performance that evening. As they were heading back to Buenos Aires on a late night ferry, they told me to pick up the tickets in case I was interested. They told me that it was a Jazz performance by an American. I headed to the hotel to leave my Camera equipment behind before heading to Teatro Solis. I told an English speaking Usher about the tickets being under my friend's name (Merchant) and he went off to look for it. 5 minutes later I was given a single ticket and ushered in. There was no charge for this performance. I was seated in a box of 6 seats. As there was no one else, I had the entire box to myself. The box was at the rear-centre of the theatre and offered a good view of the proceedings. The program booklet stated that it was music and dances from Beethoven, Dvorak etc. This turned out to be fantastic news as I prefer Classical music to jazz.

Solis is a gorgeous little theatre and provided for a far more intimate setting that bigger halls like Avery Fisher hall (Lincoln Centre) or Carnegie Hall. The music portion was excellent. Some of the program pieces were accompanied by dancers. The entire program lasted a little over an hour. All in all it was a wonderful evening. I need to thank Shahrukh for this.

I walked back to my hotel (5 minutes away), wrote my diary and went to bed.

February 28, 2008 - March 2, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-04-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

February 28, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
=================================

I had a leisurely wakeup. I had Table service here for breakfast. The breakfast was decent. My first stop was at the BUQUEBUS office (15 blocks away) to inquire about ferry options to URUGUAY. Crossing Avenida 9 de Julio (the broadest street in the world) can take 2 traffic lights if you walk leisurely!

On reaching the BUQUEBUS office, I had a short wait before my turn came up. Based on the information I received, I decided to take a ferry from Buenos Aires to Montevideo (Capital of Uruguay) and return from Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay) back to Buenos Aires. These were fast ferries. The trip to Montevideo would take 3 hours, while the trip from Colonia would take 1-hour. The bus ride (which I would book on reaching Montevideo) from Montevideo to Colonia would presumably take 2-hours. The two ferry rides were to cost A$335 (US$112 approx.).

Upon exiting the BUQUEBUS office, it started raining heavily. So, what's new? Every big city greets me with a downpour (Asuncion, Rio, Salvador, Sao Paulo and now Buenos Aires) I ducked into a nearby internet cafe for 30 minutes and waited for the rain to subside. When it did let up a bit, I headed to the American Express office to exchange my Travellers Cheques to Greenbacks as well as Argentine Pesos. It started pouring again as I left the American Express offices.

I visited a tourist office next for Shelter and Information. It appears that the "Train to the Clouds" in Salta (Northern Argentina) is not running at this time. I may have to see what else is there to see and do in Salta as I have already planned on staying there for 4 days.

I visit the Retiro Train Station and inquire about trips to Tigre Delta. There is no advance booking possible for these trains and tickets can be purchased before the time of travel. It appears that the Train takes about an hour from Retiro Station to reach Tigre Delta. I may visit Tigre on Saturday.

I headed to a Telephone centre and called home. All was well. I took a train back to my Hotel. Public transport in Buenos Aires is good and cheap. I rested a bit in my hotel and dried myself. I left the hotel a bit later and went out in search of lunch. I found the famous Confiteria TORTONI and had a Sundae for lunch! Despite the price (A$22 - US$7), it was excellent. The other tourists who were just having coffee, stopped midway to take pictures of me and my Sundae before and during my gobbling!

As it was still raining when I left the cafe, I headed to a nearby Internet cafe and blogged for 3 hours. The cost for 3 hours was 9 pesos (US$ 3). The rain had more or less stopped and blue skies were trying to peek through the clouds. I got back to the hotel, took my camera backpack and headed out.

I headed first to the Palacio del Congress and then to the Obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio for pictures. It was well past 7 PM and there was still excellent light. After my picture taking, I start my hunt for an Indian restaurant. The restaurant on lavalle and Florida streets - Bombay - is closed. Another vegetarian restaurant - Thulasi - is open only from 10:30 AM to 4 PM - Mondays through Fridays! I decide to head to Tandoor restaurant a bit further away.

I take a train to Recoleta and head to Tandoor restaurant. It appears to be a very nice neighbourhood and the restaurant looks classy as well. I order food and a wine by the glass. 2 men of Indian descent seat themselves on a table next to mine and start blind tasting 4 bottles of wine. I cannot resist commenting and we are pretty soon chatting away and I get to "SAMPLE" wines from 2 of the 4 bottles they were having! It turns out these 2 men were former engineers, who had quit their jobs, travelled in south America and had decided to open this restaurant.

The restaurant has been in operation for 8 months. We chat about wine for a bit and exchange e-mails as well. One of the owners will be in Montevideo (while I am there as well) and he promised me that we could do some joint visits to the bodegas there. I finish my dinner, bid goodnight to Shahrukh and Beliappa and head back to the train station.

Turns out that there are no trains after 10 PM. I take a taxi from Recoleta to my hotel (A$10). During my ride, I chat with the driver. It turns out that he is a realtor by day for REMAX. I get his contact Information. Who knows when I may come into riches and may want to buy some property everywhere!

I could not write the diary after 4 glasses of wine. Amor had left a message at the Hotel's front desk that she would stop by tomorrow morning at 9 AM. Based on my observations over the past 2 days, women in Buenos Aires are very Average looking. Certainly nothing to write home about!

February 29, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
=================================

I woke up at 8:15 and decided to snooze for a bit. The next thing I knew was Amor calling me at after 9 AM! She had to visit a travel agency and was going to be delayed a bit. We agreed to meet up at 10:!5 AM near the Obelisk on Av. 9 de Julio. I got ready in a hurry and just had a tall glass of Juice for breakfast before heading out of my hotel. I reached the obelisk area around 10:20 or so and walked around a bit. Amor showed up around 10:35 AM and apologized for being late.

We headed to her hostel as she needed to check out. We headed next on Av. Florida. Florida is a peatonal - pedestrian only street. As my Brazilian Phone was not working in Argentina, I had asked Amor (since she is a fluent in Spanish and English) if she could help me find a decent Mobile telephone company in Buenos Aires. During our walk, we headed to the nearest Western Union and I exchanged 122 Brazilian Reais into 180 Argentine pesos. We found a MOVISTAR office and approached a customer service representative. After a long back and forth between me and the customer service representative (with Amor as the translator), I decided to purchase a local Argentine SIM Card for A$12 (US$ 4). The Chip came with a 5 peso credit.

I used my Argentine MOVISTAR Card (that I had Purchased in USHUAIA in late January) and it worked. I now had A$25 credit on my Phone. International roaming was not possible with this number. While Chilean MOVISTAR had all the features including International roaming. However, I would be able to use this Number in Uruguay - as Argentina considers Uruguay to be part if it :)

Amor and I headed to lunch at Thulasi. I had rice and Vegetable Kofta. It was a tad bland and I asked for pickles (the Indian Kind) to spice things up. Amor had rice and Chana Masala. We walked back and bid adieu. We plan to meet up again in Mendoza (Argentine Wine Region) in 2 1/2 weeks.

I headed next to the Aerolineas Argentinas office to reconfirm my flights and to explore the flight options to visit Bariloche from Mendoza. On reaching the office, I found out that the flight to Salta had changed. It was no longer at 3 PM. I was offered a flight either at 11 AM or at 5:30 PM. I chose the 5:30 PM flight. However (and they tell me this after all the time I have spent there) , I need to get my PAPER tickets (already issued to me) before they will issue the new tickets with the changed flight timings! I had to go back to my Hotel to get these. All flights within Argentina passed through Buenos Aires. To go from Mendoza to Bariloche, I would have to go from Mendoza to Buenos Aires and then to Bariloche which seemed quite a waste of time. The flight option was to cost me an extra A$1100 (US$350). As the bus from Mendoza to Bariloche takes 19-hours, I may decide to skip Bariloche during this visit.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Casa Rosada (Presidential Palace) were nearby. I spent the next 45 minutes visiting these places. I then took a train to my hotel and rested a bit, did an internet check and headed back again to the Aerolineas Argentinas office. In many of these offices, one needs to take a number and wait their turn. I was a bit late in responding to my number (when it was called) and the agent told me that I needed to retake a new number. I blew my top. It worked! An English speaking agent took me right away and helped me out. After all this huffing and puffing, she finally tells me that the paper ticket (with the changed flight details) would be issued at the Airport (on the day of my flight). And I have already wasted 2 hours on this! I wish all agents would read from the same Script.

I headed next to the Movistar office to confirm the International code for sending TEXT messages to friends and family. I was asked to use the "+" sign rather than "00". It seemed to work. I took a train to Callao station (near Recoleta). I walk to Espacio Norton. I ran into a young man called Marcelo who works for the Marketing department for Bodega Norton. An excellent English speaker, he tells me that Espacio Norton is holding a wine tasting that evening at 7 PM. He asks me to come by at 7 PM and assures me that he will ensure that I am on the list of Invitees. The Sommelier for this evening's wine tasting would be a Spanish speaker and I may not understand all of the comments or discussions that take place.

As I had some time before the tasting, I visited a nearby music shop called NOTORIOUS. I was able to sample 4-5 CDs of Argentine jazz music, before I decided to purchase a couple for A$51 (US$ 17). That's the kind of price all CDs and DVDs in the US should be (US$4 - US$8). Anything higher and downloads are justified! After all most of the money is skimmed by the fat cats (in the marketing and publicity) and very little goes to the artists anyway.

I had a brownie and coffee at Notorious cafe and headed back to Espacio Norton. I was welcomed and given a welcome glass of Sparkling wine. I chatted with an Argentine in Spanish (as much as I could). 2 Sommeliers walked us through the tasting of 3 wines - a Sauvignon Blanc, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec - all from 2004 vintage. The Sauvignon Blanc was the best of the lot. It was a good tasting session with the sommelier asking and responding to questions from the tasters (In Spanish, of course). At the end, we were given a tour of the house of Norton. On departing the place (after the tasting), I was given a bottle of their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon as a gift for showing up!

Some of the tasters were rather well dressed. Women here may be ordinary looking but they do dress well. I took a train back to Centro. I headed to a cafe and had a simple cheese sandwich and coffee. The white bread was excellent. It reminded me of tasting similar bread (many decades ago) at Dasaprakash in Chennai! I headed to an Internet cafe to back up my memory cards. On my way back, I came across a cinema theatre showing "There will be Blood". I may see it tomorrow.

I plan to visit Tigre Delta tomorrow.

March 1, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
===============================

I woke up early and was done with breakfast by 7:20 AM. I took the metro to Retiro Station and purchased a roundtrip to Bartolome Mitre Station for A$1.80. Retiro is a grand old station. The train carriages (on the train to B. Mitre station) were quite old and the seats were worn. I noticed a large mosque on the train route (close to Retiro Station). I assumed that Buenos Aires must have a decent Islamic Population to warrant such a large mosque.

The train ride to B. Mitre took 40 minutes. I had to walk to the Coastal Train Station (called MAIPU) to take another train to Tigre Delta. The ticket office was not open. The train (a short one with just 4 coaches) came in to Maipu station a little before 9 AM. I purchased a 1-way ticket to Tigre for A$5 on the train. There were 10 station between Maipu and the final destination of Tigre. Every station had been highlighted (on my train map) for some attraction or the other. The train was much newer and it was air-conditioned.

There is a lovely residential area close to Maipu train station. I wondered how much the property prices here were. The ride to Tigre delta station took 30 minutes. I walked for about 10-minutes before coming to the dock area. To appreciate the central attraction of this area, one needs to take a boat trip on the tigre delta. Boats trips were being offered for 60 minutes for A$18 or 90 minutes for A$30. The weather was dull and grey and showed increasing promise of rain. I decided to walk around the place until the sky cleared up and before I took a boat trip on the delta.

I noticed people rowing on the tigre river. There were single row boats and rowing teams practising. I suppose, Argentina, must have a decent rowing team at the Olympics. I took a long nice walk. There were many old buildings and museums. The Museo del Arte, Tigre is an excellent building on the waterfront. The museum opened at Noon and it was hardly 11 AM!

As with all my days (thus far in Buenos Aires), there was a light drizzle followed by a brief downpour. I waited it out in a shelter and continued my walking tour. I reached the Central area of Tigre around Noon. I walked around the Tigre Station (as opposed to the Tigre Delta Station) which has direct train services to Retiro Station in Buenos Aires. The fare is cheaper as well (A$1.00).

It was still cloudy. I decided to take a boat ride at 3 PM hoping that it would clear up by then. I continued to see a lot of interesting properties. This might not be a bad place to live as it may not be as expensive as Buenos Aires and yet it is quite close to Buenos Aires. I spent an hour at a local Internet cafe to kill some time. I walked by the tourist office and picked up a vegetarian empanada for lunch from a nearby shop as I did not want to eat Italian food again!

I walked to the Tigre Delta Station and the Portos de Frutos area 20 minutes later. I purchased a ticket for a 90-minute boat ride. It was close to 2:30 PM. As there was a weekend flea market going on, I spent some time walking around the place. Nothing interested me.

I got back to the dock and boarded the boat. We departed around 3:15 PM. There were about 30 passengers on this 100-passenger boat. We had a decent bilingual guide. We started along the Sarmiento river and a few other tributaries. We observed a lot of nice houses. Some of these houses were on stilts. I hope the waste is treated before being pumped back into the river. Within 10 minutes of our departure, the clouds opened up and it poured for 15-minutes. Once the rain stopped, I headed to the upper deck to take in the view and some pictures. One could see the Skyline of Buenos Aires in the distance. We were even catching glimpses of a blue sky!

The tour ended around 4:30 PM. The guide wanted to see some of my pictures. I obtained her card (with her e-mail address) and told her I would send here an invitation to my online album, once the pictures are uploaded. I got back to Tigre delta station and purchased a ticket to Maipu station. It was A$8 this time! It appears that I was treated as a resident of Buenos Aires on my way in and hence I was charged A$5.

I would probably not recommend this day trip. Frankly, there is nothing of terrible interest here. Of course, if you want to escape the big city for a day, then this would be a good place.

I got back to Retiro Station around 6:20 PM. As the movie "There will be blood" was playing at Recoleta, I decided to see it. I had a long, long walk (as I had underestimated the distance of the theatre from the Station) before reaching the theatre a few minutes before show time. The only tickets available were in the first row! I passed as I was not that desperate. I took a bus back to my Hotel. I rushed to the nearby laundry (before they closed at 8 PM) and gave my clothes for washing.

On my return, I decided to sample the other Indian restaurant in Buenos Aires - Kathmandu. It was a little ways from the centre of town resulting in a 15-minute train ride and a 15-minute walk after that. I reached the restaurant at 9 PM and got a table. By 10 PM, the place was packed. The restaurant is run by folks who hail from Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. The chef is from New Delhi. "Kathmandu" is a name presumably chosen at Random - or to avoid the tedium of "Taj Mahal" or "India Palace" :)

The food was OK. It was certainly better than eating bland pasta again! I took a taxi back to the hotel and it cost be A$12. It was close to midnight, but the streets were completely alive with activity. Locals were out and about everywhere. Needless to say, the tourists were safely tucked away in bed - and I was headed there as well. Buenos Aires may indeed be the Paris of South America.

I wrote my diary and headed to bed. I may head to San Telmo tomorrow. I would also need to pick up my laundry - late in the afternoon - tomorrow.

March 2, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
===============================

I had a bad sleep. The rich Indian food gave me heartburn and I was forced to wake up in the middle of the night and take a few pills to take care of it. I had a really leisurely wakeup and wound up missing breakfast.

Teatro Colon - the most famous theatre in South America - was closed for renovations and no tours were possible. The hotel front desk offered to pick up my laundry in the afternoon thereby saving me a trip back to the hotel. I was also informed by the front desk that River Plate (one of the two Soccer team in Buenos Aires - the other being Boca Juniors, from where Diego Maradona rose to greatness) was playing a home game today. There was a tour company that was providing a ticket to the game along with a pickup / drop-off service - from/to the hotel for A$130 (US$45). I passed as I knew that by going on my own, I would have a better experience and definitely save a lot of money. The hotel front desk also said that River Plate was located in a nice neighbourhood and that I could go there on my own.

I took a train and a Bus to visit the stadium of Boca Juniors. The area is quite old and many of the houses were painted in bright colours. There were Tango street performers who were dressed to kill. They offered to pose for pictures - for a fee! I passed. I walked to the nearby Boca Juniors Stadium. I paid the A$17 (17 pesos) fee and started with a visit to the stands. The spectator areas are barricaded from each other and from the players with barbed wire. I guess this must be a far rowdy crowd than the crowd that visits Maracana (Brasil).

I also visited the adjacent museum which had profiles on the all the former greats of CABJ (Club Athletico Boca Juniors). Yes, Diego had a 20-feet long statue at the entry to the museum. The museum had videos of some of the great games from earlier years. One of the videos showed a goal by Diego Maradona against arch Rival River Plate in April 1981 - indicating signs of greatness that was to come in future years. A truly gifted player.

Although I wanted to buy a souvenir, the jerseys were way too expensive and I passed. I had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the neighbourhood and the food was simply horrible. I ate it anyway. This is what I called "between a rock and a hard place". I eat Indian food - I love it but get heartburn. I eat Italian food - the food is bad and I simply hate it. What's a vegetarian to do?

As I had decided to visit River Plate stadium and try for tickets there, I needed to take a bus to get there. I had to be rather delicate in asking directions to "River Plate", as this was "Boca" Country. The buses here require exact change. I spent a fruitless 20-minutes walking up and down many store entrances, asking for small change for my larger peso bills. None of the shops had change. I think they were being jerks. I finally found a 1-Peso coin in the deep recesses of my trouser pockets and was quite relieved.

The bus ride to River Plate took about 40 minutes. The bus had man River fans dressed in their regalia and chanting all their slogans. I got off wherever they did and followed their trail for 15-minutes before reaching the River Plate stadium. The neighbourhood was quite classy with really nice houses. There was a security check outside the Stadium and I was asked to throw my water bottle (a plastic one) away. I went to the ticket counter and purchased a ticket for the upper deck for 70 pesos (US$23) which I thought was a tad expensive.

There were barricades (barbed wire) here as well - between the stands and between the stands and the playing field. There was no shelter for any stands as I had experience at Maracana. The opposition team (from San Juan) was relegated to a stand of their own. The crowd was vociferous. There was a heavy police presence all around. Unlike Maracana, there was no Samba drumming here - just chanting.

River Plate scored twice in the first half. San Martin scored on a penalty kick but River still led 2-1. The second half started in pouring rain. I had my raincoat on and watched the game. Both River and San Martin scored, but River still led 3-2 when I decided that I had had enough and headed out to the stairways to take some shelter from the rain. The game was called off after 15-more minutes of play. The teams will apparently meet again and replay this game.

I waited for an hour at the stadium hoping for the rain to stop. When it let down a bit, I started walking to the main road. All buses and taxis were full. The rain picked up again. MY BLOODY LUCK! After another hour or more of waiting, I finally managed to get a bus and a seat on the bus. A local Argentine gent helped me get off close to Retiro Station. I took a metro train back to the hotel.

I was surprised to find that my laundry was not there. As the evening manager was different, he had no clue as to what I was talking about! I leave for Montevideo (Uruguay) early tomorrow morning. If the Laundromat opens at 8 AM, I have a chance to pick up my clothes otherwise I need to think of a Plan "B".

I had originally intended to leave my larger duffel bag in the hotel during my 5-day trip to Uruguay. After the laundry fiasco, I decided not to trust these folks with my bags. I packed all my belongings into the 2 bags that I intend to take with me to Uruguay.

I walked to a nearby street and had a late dinner. I had a cheese sandwich and coffee. The white bread was excellent. Post dinner, I headed to an Internet cafe to pay my credit card bills and backup my memory cards. I saw a note from Shahrukh (the Indian restaurant owner in Buenos Aires) about visiting bodegas around Montevideo tomorrow afternoon.

I got back to the hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed. I keep my fingers crossed for the Laundromat to open by 8 AM so I can pick up my clothes before I head to Uruguay.

February 27, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil & Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-04-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

February 27, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil
===============================

After breakfast, I headed to an Internet cafe. I was a tad early and I had to wait for about 15-minutes before it opened. I spent an hour backing up all my memory cards and checking e-mail. The free connection at the hotel cannot be abused by using it for an hour and more. The most you can use the free connection is 15 minutes. Hence my search for an Internet cafe to copy my memory cards.

I headed to the BANESPA Edificio. It provides free entry to the viewing area at the top. One has to climb 2 storeys - from 38th to 40th floors. It provides good views of Sao Paulo from the top. I rush back to the hotel and check out. I paid cash for my 3-night stay - R$232 (US$ 140). I run to the bus station for the airport shuttle, purchase my ticket to the airport and load my bags and take a seat. The bus departs after a minute. Talk about cutting it close!

I have yet another peeve with the Brazilians (in addition to their Whistling habit) - especially those folks in customer service centres - bus stations, airports, hotels and so on. They have an extremely irritating habit of breaking of their conversations with you and talking to someone else.

The ride to the airport took 30 minutes and I used the E-Check in to check myself in. As I needed to check in my bags, I had to wait for a TAM Airlines agent. They were disorganized as usual. Someday they need to get their act together.

Nextel Walkie-talkie mode is quite common is use here even when NOT needed. Yet another area of similarity with India - ZERO Cell phone etiquette!

I buy a TIM Phone card (for my Brazilian Mobile Number) for R$25 (US$14). I purchased a box of Brazilian coffee. I had thought the price was R$5 but it turned out that the price was US$5. The moment I queried this price difference, the salesgirl at the counter, increased my Change from 0.10 Centavos to 0.60 Centavos! Brazilians need to STOP Short changing all people all the time.

Without my asking I was assigned an exit row seat. I had ample leg room. I had a decent lunch on the flight to Buenos Aires (Pasta & Red Wine) and followed it up with a decent snooze. TAM Hostesses were getting a bit old hat!

February 27, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
==================================

We reached Buenos Aires 30 minutes late. Buenos Aires was 1-hour ahead of Sao Paulo. The Brazilian Mobile was NOT working. As I was scheduled to meet Amor (my friend from San Pedro de Atacama), I used a public Phone to leave a message on her mobile about my flight being delayed and that we ought to meet up at 9 PM rather than earlier (as we had originally planned).

I took the shuttle bus to my Hotel. The fare was A$38 (US$13 approx). The bus took 30 minutes to take us to their depot in the city centre. From here folks whose hotels were close to each other were grouped together and taxis were used to drop us off at our hotels. The taxis were owned by the bus company as well. All we did was pay them a single fare of A$38. Pretty good approach. My Hotel Marbella which is usually (in other Spanish speaking countries) pronounced Mar-Beyya was pronounced in Buenos Aires as Mar-BeSHA.

I had a decent room for the price I was paying. Amor did receive my voice mail (left on her mobile) and arrived at the hotel a little after 9 PM. We greeted each other and walked to the port area for dinner as the restaurant choices were a bit better there. After a 20-min walk, we reached the port area and settled on a nice restaurant. The weather was great. We sat outside by the pier. I had an Italian entre with a Norton Malbec 2005 for dinner. We exchanged travel notes (since our last meeting in December 2007) and future plans in South America and beyond.

I got back to the hotel at 1:45 AM. I could have never done this in Brasil (unless, I had an armoured car). It is great to walk around a place at night and see / experience the nightlife. I may meet Amor again on Thursday or Friday.

February 25-26, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil

2008-04-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

February 25, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil
===============================

I woke up late and realized that I had a sprained neck. While I was getting ready, I received a call from the Hotel reception. It was Andre Zara. I met him, apologized for confusing our time of meeting (I had assumed 9:30 when it was supposed to be at 9 AM) and had a quick breakfast before we headed out by 9:45. As Andre had to be back at work by 11:30 AM, he had planned a short walking tour of Sao Paulo for me.

We walked past the Teatro Municipal and Viaduto Cha. As the teatro was having a performance tomorrow evening, I may plan to see it. Viaduto Cha was the place where Sao Paulo was founded. We headed to Viaduto Piquenia and looked around in the electronic shops for IPOD Chargers. There were 2 Chinese makes with one selling for R$80 (US$45) and the other for R$40 (US$23). One was supposedly "Original" while the "other" was not! Neither of them had an Apple logo or even a prominent manufacturer logo (say like Belkin). The Hilarity was in the salesperson saying that one was an ORIGINAL while the other was not. All products made in China are clones! I decided to pass on this purchase and go without my IPOD music for the remainder of my journey (5 more weeks).

Andre turned out to be quite engaging. He provided lots of information and history on Brasil and the Tupi-Guarani language / people. Many of the metro station in Sao Paulo have Tupi-Guarani names. I visited the housing complex designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It was a 1000+ people apartment complex right in the heart of Sao Paulo! I was sufficiently impressed. We headed to Andre's office (that was close by) and he introduced me to his colleagues as "Indian. No Fala Portuguese". I was offered an English edition of the 2008 Brasil Turis at his office. Andre told me to either call him or visit him at his office in case I needed any assistance. As a travel writer, he gets to choose his hours of work. (Which is why he was able to spend 2 hours with me on a Monday morning). Nice.

I thanked Andre and headed out to Edificio Italia. As it would not open until noon, I headed back to the Hotel, checked my mail (free Internet at the hotel) and headed out to Nutrisom - an ovo, lacto vegetarian restaurant - for Lunch. They had an all-you-can-eat buffet that had a decent spread. The cost was R$14.50 (US$ 8). I chatted a bit with the manager of the place (who spoke decent English). The place has been in Operation for 16 years and it appeared quite popular as it was packed.

Post lunch, I headed to the Teatro Municipal and purchased a ticket for tomorrow evening's Ballet performance for R$10. I may explore the option of taking a tour of the Teatro itself tomorrow Morning. As they do not have organized tours, I have to call to the day manager and speak to him, get their permission before I can be shown around the teatro.

I wandered around the Teatro area and took pictures near Valle del Anhanganas. I headed next to Edificio Italia which is open to the Public (free of cost) between 3 and 4 PM. I took the elevator to the 41st floor and soaked in the bird's eye view of Sao Paulo. As there is no other tall building close by, one gets a pretty good view of Sao Paulo from here. I went to the roof top restaurant here and had a coffee for R$8!

I took a bus from Edificio Italia to Paulista and visited the tourist office there. An enthusiastic English speaking kid provided me with lots of Information and even gave me a small lapel pin as a souvenir in lieu of my completing a survey. I headed next to a Bookstore - a large one with a very good selection - but they did not have the books I was looking for. I made note of a few more Brazilian Authors while at the bookstore. I need to get some of their books (English Editions, of course) when I get back to the US and start reading them.

I decided to head back to the Hotel. While waiting for a bus I chatted with a Brazilian Kid who spoke English. A 20 year old, who works from 9-5 every day and attends college from 7-11 PM each night. 5 Days a week. Wakes up at 5 AM and sleeps at 1 AM. I should not complain about my life being tough at all. Not that it is - these days!

We exchanged e-mails. People here (after the initial 2-minutes of conversation) directly ask you where you stay and for how long etc. I provide it. They are being friendly and there is no point in being overtly suspicious and refusing to provide this Information. Of course, one needs to get a pulse of the stranger's intent before coughing up all the information. My being from INDIA certainly helps as a lot of Brazilians Identify easily with another large country with a large population and people struggling to make ends meet. I certainly look poor and I cannot imagine that anyone could think of raiding my place of stay. Not sure if it will be worth their while :)

I gave up on the bus after 45 minutes and went in search of a Hare Krishna place for dinner. It was closed. What a Surprise! I headed to STARBUCKS (there were very little options otherwise) and had a muffin and coffee for R$14.50 - the same price I paid for a far more sumptuous lunch! Looks quite popular with a lot of single attractive women. It feel quite dumb to open a conversation with "Fala Ingles"! (Do you speak English?).

There were movie theatres upstairs. The movie JUNO with English Dialogues and Portuguese Subtitles was scheduled to start in 10 minutes. I purchased a ticket and watched the movie. It turned out to be a pretty decent movie although it had too many songs for my taste. If I wanted too many songs, I can see a bollywood flick. Hollywood ought to know fully well that it cannot match Bollywood in THIS Category :)

I took a train back to the hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed. I have a meeting with a Wine Writer and her Friend (A Chef in a French restaurant) tomorrow morning. I attend the ballet performance tomorrow evening.

February 26, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil
============================

The neck sprain kept me from having a good night's sleep. I woke up at 9 AM and made it to breakfast just before it closed at 10 AM! I called Silvia (Wine Writer) and suggested that we meet at a cafe in the Jardins area around Noon. I was able to locate the street (where the cafe was located) on my Sao Paulo Map and was quite comfortable getting there by Noon. As the Hotel's computer was occupied, I headed to an Internet cafe nearby. They wanted a passport or some other form of ID before they would let me use a computer! I told them I had nothing on me. I was allowed to use a computer anyway! I think some of these folks carry the security / identity thing a bit too far. I had never encountered such a request anywhere in South America or even within Brasil.

I checked my e-mail, bank and credit card accounts for an hour before heading to meet Sylvia at the cafe in Jardins. Since Daniel Day Lewis had won the Oscar for best actor for his role in "There will be Blood", I will need to see it! However, I was quite surprised to notice that "Sweeney Todd" did not get any awards.

I reached the Cafe in Jardins 10-minutes early and asked for a 3-person table. Sylvia called minutes later and told me that she would be here in 10 minutes. She arrived and we ordered coffee and chatted a bit. Her friend (the chef) could not make it as she had to be at work. Sylvia provided me a list of things to see and do while in Sao Paulo. She told me that the Centre area (of Sao Paulo - where I was staying) was not safe. I told her that I do not stay out late at night. Will watch my back anyway.

Being a wine writer, she gets to visit a lot of places and knows many folks in the wine and restaurant business. She gave me a brochure from a bodega in Uruguay. Since we met (and parted) in Calafate, Argentina, she has been to Tuscany for a month and is scheduled to visit Boston for the entire month of March. I don't believe Wine writers get paid a whole lot. She must have a trust fund! We finished our coffees and walked a few blocks together before parting ways. During this walk, she introduced me to a complete stranger (Stranger to me, anyway) who (she claimed) was the best chef in Brasil.

I headed to a vegetarian restaurant called SAFFRA. I had a Salad along with Pineapple and Mint Juice. The lunch was OK. NUTRISOM was far better. I took a train to Luz station.

I spent over an hour at the PINACOTECA (a museum). In addition to the Brazilian Candido Portinari, I saw works by Jose Ferraz de Almeida Junior, a few sculptures by RODIN and a few by the Brazilian JOSE PEDROSA. There was a special exhibit on TARSILA do AMARAL including her famous (or rather, expensive!) work ABAPORU - which was on loan from MALBA (Museo de Arte, Latin America, Buenos Aires). PORTINARI's FORESTAL (forest) was quite impressive.

Opposite the PINACOTECA was the Train Station. It is a beautiful old structure including a clock tower. After taking a few pictures, I headed to SE metro station. The Edificio BANESPA was not letting in any more visitors (to the top of the building) today. I was asked to try again tomorrow morning at 10 AM.

The weather has been holding well for the past 2 days. I am quite annoyed with the Brazilian habit of whistling to call attention. Whether it is to hail a cab or a bus or to attract the attention of a peanut vendor, whistling is quite common. You whistle to attract a dog's attention - not people's! Quite disgusting.

I got back to the hotel and rested a bit, showered and wrote by diary before I headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I had Ravioli and Sangria for dinner. I finished dinner in 35 minutes and headed to the Teatro Municipal for the evening's ballet performance. I was not taking my camera to the performance. I reached the Teatro by 8:45 PM. It was a nice Theatre. There were only 100 seats for this evening's performance of "Meta Sensoriais". We were given brochures about the ballet in Portuguese. As there were no English brochures available, here is what I am guessing about the Ballet performance.

We were ushered into the theatre around 9:20 PM. There were 6 acts to this performance.

ACT 1
=====

"A" shaped ladder is the prop. Lady in rag garb falling backwards and forwards on the connector (the connector between the two legs of the ladder). The audience was invited to touch her.

ACT 2
======

A young man wraps himself in plastic bags. He hugs the bags, kicks the bags and finally throws the bags at the audience.

The above 2 acts were witnessed by the audience in a standing only position. The accompanying music with like a Hyena (with a Cold), howling along with bad amplification + feedback from the sound system. Yes, the bad amplification+feedback was part of the music.

Act 3
=====

2 ladies lying on the floor, twisting their bodies, and jumping from time to time. All of this takes place amidst a string of lights laid out on the floor. They skirmish briefly at the end of the act. The audience were provided a limited number of seats to witness this performance. Those not lucky enough to get a seat watch the performance standing. The music resembles a BAD version of Pink Floyd's TIME

Act 4
=====

A white screen serves at the main prop with images projected on it from time to time. A woman stands in front of the white screen. A man plays with Cell phone tunes for a bit, then used the cell phone's camera to take pictures of her Toes, Hands, Hair, Ear etc. They make an attempt at an actual Ballet performance (sort of)

Act 5
=====

A bald headed, shirtless man in standing in a PAN of water (yes, that's right - A PAN of water). A Second man bends down, washes each of the man's feet and dries them with a towel. Following this they dance (yes, I would call their movements that!). The music gets MARGINALLY TOLERABLE as a MINDLESS DRUMBEAT replaces the Hyena (with a Cold) howling

Act 6
=====

All of the audience is more or less seated for this act. 6 performers (3 men and 3 women) twist and dance to MINDLESS DRUMBEAT. This act had some words said in Portuguese - which I did not understand. After jumping up and down and playing musical chairs (yes, that's right) for a bit, they engage in some pushing and shoving. At the conclusion they all get together and carry and comfort the lady in Rag Garb (from Act 1).

The audience (me excluded) Clap. Performers take a Bow. The END.

I SHALL REMEMBER THIS. Give me my Swan lake or La Bayadere any day. Not Mindless stuff posing as art.

I walk back to the Hotel. The area appears like CHELSEA (NYC) at night!

February 24, 2008 - Belo Horizonte & Sao Paulo, Brasil

2008-03-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

February 24, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I had a really early wakeup (2:45 AM). I was ready and checked out by 3:40 AM. I had to wake up the night manager to hand over my room key. We waited on the street for 5-6 minutes before hailing a cab. It cost me R$5 (US$3) to the Rodoviaria which was definitely better than hauling the 3 bags yourself for nearly a Kilometre. Police guards were all around the Rodoviaria. Unless one has a valid ticket, he/she is not allowed to enter the Rodoviaria between Midnight and 6 AM.

Felt quite safe. I headed downstairs to platform H2 for the bus to the airport. There were hardly 5 passengers from the Rodoviaria headed to the airport. When the bus made a stop at Pampulha airport before heading to the Belo Airport, the bus was packed with airport staff and aircraft crew. I spelt a bit during the ride to the Belo Airport.

E-Check in was working and my check-in process was done in about 7 minutes (of which 4 were spent waiting for an agent to check my bag!). I think the flight was headed onward to Rio (after the stop at Sao Paulo) and perhaps out of Brasil. We had to go through the International Check in process and one of my wonderful bottles of Hot Sauce had to be thrown out. However, my small bottle of the actual peppers soaked in Vinegar was allowed to go through!

Randomness as always! In fairness, I was given the option to go back and CHECK-IN my bottle of Hot Sauce to Sao Paulo! Too much hassle and I took the easier option of putting it in Garbage. A gentleman in front of me, had to throw away his quite expensive bottle of after shave. I am not sure these idiotic randomness will cease in my lifetime.

During the first part of the flight, I read my guidebooks and wrote down things to see and do in Sao Paulo. I dozed rather well during the second part of the flight.

February 24, 2008 - Sao Paulo, Brasil
============================

The flight landed 15-minutes late. There was a confusion at the baggage carousel as we were direction to one carousel, while the display indicator said another! The bags took about 30-minutes to arrive. As we had landed at International section of the airport, I had to show my boarding pass at Passport Control. Everyone from the plane (even those folks with 7+ bags for 2 people) were going through the green channel! Customs clearance took another 20 minutes. Inefficiencies just seem to multiply in the bigger cities here!

The girl at the tourist office (at the airport) spoke English and was quite helpful. As I was running out of local currency, I took some money using my ATM card. I wanted to buy add some money to my Brazilian Mobile Number as I need to call my Sao Paulo contacts.

There was a bus to the centre of Sao Paulo from the airport and the cost was R$28 - which was the most expensive thus far. The bus had hardly 10 folks. It was air conditioned and took about 30-35 minutes to reach Praca Republica. My hotel was around the corner - even a taxi driver indicated that I had to walk! I rolled by duffel and reached the hotel shortly. Despite it being just 10 AM, I was allowed to check-in. I was given a very spacious room with Air-conditioning, Mini fridge, TV (very few channels) and a view of the street. I was paying R$76 (US$ 43 approx) per night. Breakfast was included - as always. I think the price appears to be cheaper that what I had written down in my Grand Itinerary - I had it down as R$93 per night!

I spent a few minutes making notes on some of the additional places I wanted to see. Andre (the tourism writer) called and asked if we could meet tomorrow. It was quite fine by me. It was turning out to be quite a dull grey day.

I asked the hotel front desk for additional information on the places I was planning to see before taking a bus to the Butanta Snake Farm. The bus conductor was not very communicative. A few passenger helped me get off at the appropriate stop. I still had a 20-minute walk from here before I reached the Snake farm.

I paid the R$5 entry fee and started going around the farm. They have very good laboratories and exhibits. All of the descriptions were in Portuguese. There was a central hall which contained a large number of live snake specimens. The INDIAN PYTHON was the most magnificent snake - among those present. Lunch was bread and butter!

The money exhibit was closed. I paid a visit to the historical museum at the farm and headed out. This is a very nice place.

I took a bus to the centre of Sao Paulo to visit MASP. I got off 1-stop later than I was supposed to. It started raining heavily. Despite my raincoat, I took shelter for about 25-minutes before walking into MASP (Museo de Arte Sao Paulo). The entry fee was R$15 and all bags had to be checked in at the entrance.

MASP turned out to be a VERY, VERY good museum. Works by almost all major European artists were presented. The unusual one for me was a painting by Toulouse-Lautrec as I had never seen one before in a museum. The Brazilian Artist Candido Portinari had quite a few works on display here. My revelation during this visit came when I visited the Photo Gallery at MASP.

TATSUMI ORIMUTO´s photographs with his mother, chickens, bread, drums etc were fantastic. The creativity that went into creating these pictures were simply brilliant. He is one contemporary Photographer whose works should not be missed.

I have to thank my new friend (Robert, the Architect from Belo Horizonte) without whose recommendation, I would not have visited MASP. Definitely a place worth visiting.

It was still raining as I prepared to leave the museum. I took a bus back to the hotel and spent an hour or so drying and relaxing. There was a Championship match between BOTAFOGO and FLAMENGO. Just as I turned on the TV, FLAMENGO equalized with a Penalty shot. Players on either side were red-carded and both teams were down to 10 players each. Then 1 more player was red-carded from BOTAFOGO. Now there were 9 BOTAFOGO players to 10 from FLAMENGO playing a game that was supposed to have 11 a side! I was enjoying it. FLAMENGO won with a score of 2-1. This is the kind of game one ought to see at MARACANA (where it was being played). The stadium was packed (perhaps 200,000 people?). I can only imagine the passion and drama in the stands. It was pouring in Rio (where Maracana is located) as well. Did not matter as most males were shirtless!

The hotel manager had done some research while I was resting and had found an Indian restaurant for me. I called the restaurant and obtained directions. I took the metro this time. It was an easy ride plus a 15 to 20-minute walk. While the food was OK, the service was indifferent at best as the waiters were more interested in chatting amongst themselves than in serving customers! I will need to explore other restaurants in the next 2 days.

I took a train back to Centro. Quite a few unsavoury figures about. There was a heavy police presence including the occasional helicopter sweeping its powerful beam on the action down below.

The Oscars are on tonight. I am not sure if I will get the live broadcast on the TV in my room (as it has very few channels). The hotel has free internet.

I meet Andre at 9:30 AM tomorrow.

February 20-23, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil

2008-03-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

February 20, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I did not sleep well last night. Perhaps a new hotel and the fact that it was a bit run down gave me a queasy feeling and kept me from sleeping. I woke up at 7 AM and finished breakfast by 8:15 AM. I saw regular folks (families) etc. at the breakfast table indicating that the hotel was not all that bad despite its appearance and weird insistence on paying before you stay! I paid up for one more night´s stay (R$45 - US$27) and headed to the Rodoviaria 10 minutes away. The place around my hotel was far more livelier now than it was last night.

The 8:30 AM bus to Ouro Preto had just departed and the next bus was at 9:30 AM. As there was no other bus company running a bus to Ouro Preto before 9:30 AM, I booked a ticket on the 9:30 AM bus to Ouro Preto and a return ticket from Ouro Preto to Belo Horizonte on the 6:30 PM bus as my guidebook had warned that return buses get full rather quickly. The round trip cost me R$36 (US$22).

I went to the Post office to buy some stamps for the cards I had to mail. WINDOWS 98 systems were being used and they were constantly freezing up! I finally managed to get the stamps and headed to the tourist office at the Rodoviaria and obtained a decent map of Ouro Preto.

I headed to the platform from where the bus was scheduled to depart. I saw guards all around. Security like this does make one feel safe despite warnings from locals. The bus pulls up to the platform at 9:25 AM. It is an executive style bus, with air-conditioning and reclining seats.

Belo Horizonte sits in a valley. As the bus headed towards Ouro Preto I could see lush green hills all around. We headed south towards RIO. The bus stopped occasionally to pick up folks. Due to the lack of sleep the previous night, I dozed off and woke up as we reached the Ouro Preto Rodoviaria at 11:15 AM (a tad earlier than the projected 2 hours of travel time).

February 20, 2008 - Ouro Preto, Brasil
=============================

I walk out of the bus station and head to Igreja Paula. It is closed. An elderly gentlemen explains the lay of the land and points out the different churches and tells me that Igreja Paula would open at 1:30 PM. I thank him and take the steep cobble stone street to Igreja Rosario. It is closed as well. I take pictures of the exterior.

Ouro Preto is a UNESCO World Heritage site. While there are times where certain specific edifices are declared World heritage Sites by the UNESCO, in the case of Ouro Preto, the entire city has been declared a World heritage site. All streets in Ouro Preto appear to be cobble stoned and the houses are painted in bright colours.

I walk around a bit and after getting some directions from a policeman, I hit a Vegetarian restaurant (ADEGA). I am quite upset with my guidebook when it comes to vegetarian restaurants. Most of these folks think that a restaurant having a salad bar qualifies as an "Excellent" vegetarian restaurant and they recommend it "very highly". This place (ADEGA) had more meat dishes than vegetarian choices! I should become a writer and recommender of Vegetarian restaurants - after all, it takes a committed vegetarian to know what is a "Highly recommended" vegetarian restaurant and what is most definitely NOT! I made what I could of the lunch buffet.

I walked more of the cobble stone streets until I hit the centre of Ouro Preto and Praca Tiradentes. I ask the local tourist office for directions and a better map. I snap a few pictures of the Praca and Museo Inconfidencia. The single greatest artist associated with Ouro Preto and the adjacent town of Congonhas de Campo (which I plan to visit as well) was Antonio Francisco Lisboa - more commonly known as Alejadinho.

I visit Igreja Carmo next. No photography permitted. I accept and honour it. (Not so with many tourists - Left onto me, I would delete the entire memory card - just for disobeying!). Igreja Carmo is a very Impressive church.

I head next to San Francisco de Assis which contained an extraordinary ceiling painting (like the one done at the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo) that took 10 years of effort and was done by Athaide. The church also contained more of Alejadinho´s work. I headed next to Museo de Alejadinho. It was a long steep walk down and back up again on cobble stoned streets. It was HOT. The museum was not that spectacular.

However all this walking gave me opportunities to view Ouro Preto and appreciate its beauty from different places. Ouro Preto is also situated in a valley. With the exception of the Praca Tiradentes, all the streets either go up or down and all of them are cobblestoned. Quite extraordinary. Gold riches (no doubt plundered from some local tribe or area) has been used extensively to decorate many of these churches. The former name of Ouro Preto was Villa Rica.

I walk a long way to reach Igreja Pilar. I stop at a famous pastry shop (Beijinho doce) to "sample" stuff. Pretty good indeed. The weather has been glorious so far. All of the churches ban Photography outright. Carrying my tripod appears to have been a waste thus far. I reach Igreja Pilar and pay the R$4 entry fee. This is singularly the best Church thus far. However, Igreja San Francisco still has the best ceiling painting. One can belong to another faith or even be an atheist, but workmanship like this needs to be appreciated.

I walk to the train station. The last train to Marianna has left. I take a few pictures of the train station and take a different route to reach Praca Tiradentes. I get more excellent views of Ouro Preto during this walk. I visit the Teatro Municipal and pay the R$2 entry fee. I am finally allowed to take pictures and use my tripod! Teatro Municipal at Ouro Preto is the oldest theatre (1776) still having performances. The sound and lighting systems were being tested during the time I visited the theatre.

After I finished my visit, I headed out. There was a very light drizzle. I reached the governor´s palace at Praca Tiradentes and took a few pictures of the Praca. I walked to the Rodoviaria and am there by 5:50 PM. I am, however, not allowed to board the 6 PM bus as I have a "reservation" for the 6:30 PM bus. Advance booking happens to have put me at a clear disadvantage here!

I managed to kill 25 minutes and board the 6:30 PM bus. I observe that it is a full moon night. With some advance planning, I could have spent the night at Ouro Preto and taken pictures of these wonderful city by the full moon light. Oh well! I doze during the ride back. We reach Belo Horizonte around 8:30 PM.

February 20, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I head to the hotel, have a wash (they actually changed sheets - I know I am being a bit nasty here. But if you saw the hotel, you would come to the same conclusions and make the same comments as I do) and head our for dinner.

I take a Taxi and ask to be taken to Maharaja restaurant. (yes, this was one of the places recommended as a vegetarian restaurant by the tourism office folks). All I know is that with a name like Maharaja (or the Ubiquitous and Unimaginative 'Taj Mahal') the cuisine definitely has to be Indian. Although my hotel is very close to the bus station and is therefore very helpful for me to travel to other nearby cities, when it comes to restaurants, the downtown area (where my hotel is located) is a complete dump. The 15-minute taxi ride cost me R$10.

Maharaja appears to be a swank restaurant. I am ushered to my table by a Brazilian Hostess who speaks adequate English for us to communicate). I request and am seated in the non-smoking area. I am the SOLE person in this area - that can seat at least 50 people. Most folks are sitting outside listening to some live Sitar music and watching some Bollywood stuff on a 60 inch screen. Way too tacky for such a swank restaurant!

I order food (yes, as I suspected it is an Indian restaurant with ample vegetarian fare) and chat with the hostess, Sara Ananda Gomes. Her father is the Honorary Indian Vice-Consul at Belo Horizonte. The Indian Consulate is in the 2nd floor of this building. The restaurant has been open only for a month. It has an Indian chef poached from a Sao Paulo restaurant. I was introduced to the Sitar (and flute) player who was trained in Varanasi 15 years ago.

Sara is a 2nd year medical student. She needs to do 4 more years of college. She is hostessing until college opens. Being who she is, she does NOT need the Job. Her great grandfather migrated from Goa to Brasil. Her father was born here, practices Hinduism and is a vegetarian. All his children have the middle name - ANANDA - meaning happiness.

Dinner turns out to be quite decent and cost me R$50 (US$28). I would say it is definitely worth it compared to some of the bills I have had for lousy Italian crap.

Sara made sure I met her father - the Honorary Indian Vice-Consul himself. We chatted a bit. We exchanged cards. I may even get to meet the Consul when I visit Sao Paulo as he is one of my own - a South Indian by the name of Swaminathan. Who knows, if I am lucky I may even get some decent Idly and dosa at his place.

Mr. Gomes also acts as a business liaison between India and Brasil. He travels to India frequently. There are apparently 60 Indian families here (in Belo Horizonte). While some of those families are in trade, other families work for ACCOR-MITTAL (the Steel Giant whose office tower is right across the restaurant)

I may re-visit this place on Friday or Saturday.

I take a taxi back to the Hotel. Taxi drivers operate 12-hour shifts here. I write my diary and go to bed.

Ouro Preto is an extraordinary place. I would highly recommend staying overnight.

February 21, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

Try as I might I could not wake up early. I had breakfast at 9 AM and paid the hotel for 2 more nights. I might actually wind up staying all the 5-nights here as originally planned. I get to the Rodoviaria by 9:20 AM. The next bus to Congonhas de Campo is at 10:15 AM. I booked a ticket (R$15) as I did not have an alternative option. After all, I have travelled to Belo Horizonte purely to see Ouro Preto and Congonhas (pronounced CON-GON-YAS). I spent about 15-minutes checking my e-mail at an Internet cafe at the Rodoviaria.

I boarded the bus and dozed off. The bus route would more or less be the same as Ouro Preto. The two towns are 20 kilometres apart and they do not have a direct bus service! I woke up at 11:45 AM as the bus reached Congonhas. I headed to the tourism office nearby as the Tourist office at the Rodoviaria (Belo Horizonte) did not have any information on Congonhas. The tourist office lady spoke only Portuguese and she appeared to be telling me things without understanding the information I was seeking.

February 21, 2008 - Congonhas de Campo, Brasil
=====================================

I finally got the Bus numbers and timings to reach Cathedral Bom Jesus where Alejadinho´s greatest works rest. There was a bus at 12 Noon from the Rodoviaria to Cathedral Bom Jesus. waited and the bus arrived a little after 12. I paid the R$1.70 fare and took a seat. The bus traipsed all over town (really, it would be hard to find out if he missed passing a single street!) before reaching the Cathedral after 25 minutes (The distance - as the crow flies - from the Rodoviaria to the Cathedral is 3 Kilometres or 1.8 miles!) While the cathedral does not permit any Photos, the crowing achievement of Alejadinho are the 12 prophets (carved by him) who straddle the entrance to the cathedral. Magnificent works. I took as many pictures as possible. I did visit the cathedral as well and it had a good ceiling painting as well. Perhaps it was Athaide. I did not follow the Portuguese there.

The Cathedral is situated on a hill and provides excellent views of the town below. I had the SECOND worst lunch ever at a restaurant (Corva do Daniel) recommended by the Guidebook. The Salad I ordered had HUGE slides of carrots, beetroot, potato, Onion and cucumber and peppers. Granted it was a SALAD. I had expected the vegetables to be grated or thinly sliced. Not as big as the actual veggies!

I had "Dulce de Leche" for dessert and hated it. To those of Indian Origin reading this the following comparison might help - it tasted like mushy Jaggery! Coca-Cola was the best part of Lunch!

As I had just missed the bus to Rodoviaria, I spent some more time taking pictures. I had no interest in even looking at souvenirs. I took a bus back to the Rodoviaria around 2:50 Pm. The bus took a grand tour before reaching the Rodoviaria around 3:25 PM or so. The catch here was that I had to wait for the Bus (heading to Belo Horizonte) to pull-in before I could buy tickets! I had an Orange juice and waited. The bus from Sao Joao Del Rei that is headed to wards Belo Horizonte pulls up around 3:50. I buy the ticket (R$15) and board the bus. No Air-conditioning. I open the window and doze all the way.

February 21, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I reach Belo Horizonte around 5:30 PM. I visit the TIM (Mobile company) office next to the hotel. After a 30 minute wait during which my name, passport number and date of birth were collected, I am approved to make OUTGOING Calls! Yippee! I must say the customer service representative there was a very helpful young kid. I said Muito Obrigado (Thank You very much) many times.

I made a quick stop at the hotel, leaving behind the camera and accessories (in my larger bag and locking it) before heading out. I reach an Internet cafe after 15 minutes. The place is quite lively at 6:45 PM. I stay there for 90 minutes as I need to back up my memory cards to my portable hard drives (had not done it for a few days). I read the news and reply to e-mail messages.

I visit a hotel close by to check on their rates. Front desk tells me to call reservations before 6 PM to get better rates than what the front desk can provide. I spot a lot of young well dressed young girls. It is apparently a graduation party for Biology students. I ogle! They could be studying Astronomy for all I care.

I have dinner at an Italian restaurant located at this hotel. I have a Penne Arabiata along with a Brazilian Miolo Selecao 2006. It turns out to be a good combination. The Miolo is one of the few wines made in Brasil. The Miolo Selecao is a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. It has a light nose and is light bodied with a short finish. Dinner turns out to be a far better experience than the disgusting lunch.

I write some diary while waiting for the food to arrive. I head back to the hotel after dinner.

As I have seen the two places I had planned on seeing and as I have 2 more days in Belo, I may visit Sao Joao del Rei tomorrow.

February 22, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I woke up at 4:30 AM and was out of the Hotel by 5:30 AM. I was at the Rodoviaria by 5:40 AM and bought a ticket to Sao Joao del Rei on the 6 AM bus. This was to be a 3-hour bus Journey via Congonhas de Campo. It seems like the pilgrimage trips I did with my folks to various places when I was growing up! There was a thick fog and light rain as we left Belo Horizonte. I dozed on and off. We had a 15-minute break at Congonhas to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, get some food etc. The 1-way trip to Sao Joao Del Rei is quite pricey at R$34 and the bus is not an executive bus!

The Scenery from Congonhas to Sao Joao was unremarkable and I dozed some more to compensate for the 4:30 AM wakeup. We reached Sao Joao del Rei around 9:15 AM or so.

February 22, 2008 - Sao Joao Del Rei, Brasil
=================================

I obtained the directions to city centre and took a local bus to see San Francisco de Assisi Church with a few works by Alejadinho. After spending some time there and taking pictures, I tried to head to the nearest tourist office. It was closed. As there was a pewter factory nearby, I wandered in to see the products. There was an artisan, who was using an old fashioned lathe to churn out all the pewter products on display in the shop. He took time off from his work to explain the process to me (in Portuguese, of course!). I promised to return later in the day (as I did not want to be carrying around these heavy souvenirs all day long)

I had a long (and clueless) walk and finally reached the train station. I reached there at 11:05 AM. Most offices open close at 11 AM and re-open at 1 PM. Man, I want to work in a place that forces a 2-3 hour lunch!

One of the train station employees saw me peering (helplessly) through the window and come up to ask what I wanted. She spoke decent English and directed me to the tourist office. I headed there and obtained good local maps and brochures in English. I headed to Carmelo, Pilar and a few other churches. All were closed for Lunch! I was hungry as well as I left way too early for breakfast! I found a decent food-by-weight (Comida-por-Kilo) place. They had good salads and fruits. I fill up my entire place and it still came up to 1/3 of a Kilo. Food-by-Weight places are quite common in Brasil. These folks will be bankrupted in no time if they opened similar places in the USA! Despite the abundance of food-by-weight places, the folks here are generally slim.

Post lunch, I headed back to the Pewter factory and purchased some souvenirs. I took a long and leisurely walk back to the train station. It was a gorgeous, picture perfect day. On reaching the train station, I purchased a round trip to the nearby town of TIRADENTES (10 Kilometres - 6 Miles away) along with a visit to the Train Museum at Sao Joao del Rei for $25 (US$13). This turned out to be a very good museum with a number of old coaches and locomotives. Folks in those times, did travel well.

The train departed Sao Joao del Rei at 3 PM and we reached TIRADENTES at 3:45 PM. I head to the centre of town - 10 minute walk away. There is a short downpour and I take shelter in a souvenir shop for 15 minutes. I bought candies and cookies to eat! I headed back to the train station and took the train back to Sao Joao del Rei at 5 PM. I had the entire last coach to myself. So was able to move from seat to seat to take different pictures :)

On reaching Sao Joao del Rei station, we came across a group of musicians performing on the station platform. I took pictures. As some of the pictures had come out well, I approached the station employee (who had helped me earlier this morning) to ask if I could get some contact Information about these musicians, so that I could send them the pictures I had taken of them. She talked to the group´s direction and got me her e-mail address. Will need to send the pictures once I am done with all my travelling.

I took a taxi to the Rodoviaria at Sao Joao del Rei. I had 45-minutes to kill before my bus to Belo Horizonte arrived. I had toasted bread and butter along with a cup of coffee for dinner! The bus departed at 7 PM. The seat next to me was taken up by an elderly gentleman who turned out to be an architect. Since he spoke some English, we had a decent conversation. He even bought me a can of juice at Congonhas de Campo (where the bus stopped for 15 minutes before heading to Belo Horizonte). He advised me to visit the early works by the famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in the Pampulha neighbourhood of Belo Horizonte. He also strongly advised me to visit the MASP (Museo de Arte Sao Paulo) when I visited Sao Paulo. We exchanged e-mails and promised to stay in touch.

February 22, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I reached the Hotel by 10:40 PM. I wrote my diary, completed some Post cards and went to bed. As I have a free day tomorrow, I may visit Pampulha tomorrow.

February 23, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

I had a leisurely wakeup (compared to yesterday). After breakfast, I paid up for my final night of stay at the hotel. I met Vivianne (who was quite personable) with whom I had communicated numerous times, during the booking process through the internet. Most folks have used an online Portuguese-English dictionary to reply to my e-mail messages just as I had used similar online translation services to convert my queries from English to Portuguese before e-mail it to the hotel. So when we finally meet, the truth some out. I cannot speak a lot of Portuguese and they cannot speak English. We mime :)

I requested a Taxi at 3:45 AM tomorrow morning as I did not want to be dragging my bags to the bus station at that hour. I visited the post office next, to ensure that I had the correct postage on all my postcards (I had).

I took a bus to the Pamulpha neighbourhood (Located North east of the city). On reaching the area, I had a bit of a walk (15 minutes) before reaching the lake and the Museo de Arte. The entry to the Museo was free and there were some decent works. I needed to take a bus next to Casa Bailar (House of Dance) - which was another of Niemeyer´s works. I had to wait almost 20 minutes for what turned out to be a 7 minute ride :) There was nothing noteworthy here. I walked next to the Church. Although all these buildings (Museo, Casa Bailar and the Church) can be seen from each other, they lie across the lake from each other. The lake, despite appearances, is quite a long one and hence the long walks of 3-4 Kilometres (2-2.5 miles).

I was completely underwhelmed by all of Niemeyer´s works here at Pampulha. They seemed quite tame. One can see the Brilliance of IM Pei´s Pyramid at Louvre or Santiago Calatrava´s design of the Olympic stadium for the 2004 games at Athens. I can understand that the works at Pampulha were Niemeyer´s first works, but there is nothing noteworthy raving about (as most local guide books do) his works at Pampulha.

I head next to the MINERAO Soccer stadium which happens to have the second largest capacity (70K people) in Brasil after MARACANA. There were no games today. I paid the R$2 entry fee and visited the home team area and the upper tiers of the stadium. Pretty Impressive. There was the dank odour of the toilet as I walked down the stairs to head out. Hopefully they will get their civic sense together before they play hosts to the 2014 soccer world cup.

I took a bus back to the centre. I got off at Plaza Libertad and took pictures of the Plaza as well as Palacio Libertad. I found JOY RAMA - A vegetarian place - for lunch. After a 5-minute wait for a table, I had a decent plate of food comprising rice, curry, salad, and a falafel like fried dumpling and soup. The Soup was quite high on Cumin or turmeric or both! The Lassi was OK. I chatted with the owner - Ana Paula - a Brazilian who had lived in Texas for some time.

Post lunch, I stumbled across a mall and movie house. After confirming multiple times that "Sweeney Todd" was showing with ENGLISH Dialogues, I purchased a ticket for R$13 (US$8). It was in English (with Portuguese Subtitles). I loved it, especially the art direction, acting and Tim Burton´s directing. The production design was pretty good too.

The movie was over by 5:45 PM. I wandered close to 45 minutes thinking I will head to Maharaja Indian restaurant for a good meal. The restaurant was not scheduled to open until 7 PM! I walked back to the centre of town and spent an hour at an Internet cafe. It was close to 8 PM now and I did not feel like taking a taxi all the way to the Indian restaurant now. I headed instead, to the nearby Othon palace (where I had my first dinner at Belo Horizonte) and had a Brownie with Ice Cream for dinner!

I got back to the Hotel and spent time writing my diary and requested the night manager to ensure that I get a taxi by 3:45 AM as I needed to take a bus from the Rodoviaria to the Airport at 4:15 AM for a 6:15 AM flight to Sao Paulo. I am scheduled to reach Sao Paulo around 8 AM and will be up all day as I am scheduled to meet the travel writer (whom I had met on my flight to Rio - 3 weeks ago) who has promised to show me around.

Despite my misgivings, the hotel has been OK. However, if I visit Belo another time, I will stay in the SAVASSI Neighbourhood as there are far more restaurant and entertainment options in that area, and being a residential neighbourhood, it is also a lot safer at night.

Ouro Preto, Congonhas, Sao Joao Del Rei and Tiradentes have been excellent. Unsurprisingly, I did not see a single American either during my Stay in Belo Horizonte or during my travels to the nearby places.

February 19, 2008 - Salvador & Belo Horizonte, Brasil

2008-03-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

February 19, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil
===========================

I wake up late and finish breakfast. I browse through Jean-Paul and Zeline´s CD collection at the Pousada. Zeline allows me to use Jean-Paul main computer to rip the CDs I like to my Portable hard drive. I read about my close buddy Fidel´s resignation :) I pay Zeline R$400 in cash for my 4-day stay at their pousada. I have been the sole occupant of their Pousada for the past 3 nights. They have 5 rooms to rent.

I left the Hotel at 11 AM. The Pelourinho area has been cleared of all paraphernalia related to the Carnaval. I head up to Jorge Amado´s house again and take some decent, uncluttered pictures of the Pelounrinho. I tried to do some Souvenir shopping. I am gradually losing interest in Souvenir shopping whether for myself or for someone else. I have lunch at the restaurant from 2 nights ago. I have rice, green peas, pureed manioc and mixed salad. This should see me through the evening. I visit the Carmo Hotel on the way back. It used to be a convent and has now been converted to a fancy hotel. Only Hotel guests are allowed to go beyond a certain point! I take a few pictures from wherever I am allowed and head to hotel.

As I am leaving today for Belo Horizonte, the weather is fantastic. Clear Blue Sky and Sunny!

I am back at the Pousada by 1:45 PM and I request Zeline to call for a taxi. I thank Zeline and take the taxi to the Bus terminal at Praca da Se. After a 20-minute wait, I get a bus to the Airport. As I mentioned before, I paid more for the 10-minute Taxi ride (R$8) to the bus terminal than the 1-hour Air-conditioned bus ride (R$4) to the airport. I dozed most of the way. One of the unique features near the airport is a bamboo canopy for about 2-3 kilometres from the main road all the way to the airport.

I do an electronic check-in. TAM airline folks are still quite SLOW. I check-in my duffel bag, prepare list of things to see and do while at Belo Horizonte. I doze during the 90-minute flight to Belo Horizonte.

February 19, 2008 - Belo Horizonte, Brasil
===============================

On reaching Belo Horizonte and collecting my bag, I head to the tourism office at the airport. I am provided with a lot of Brochures in English. One of the better developed airports I have seen during my travels so far. There is a minibus to the centre of town every 20 minutes or so. The cost was R$6.75. We get a full-sized bus. After departing from the airport, the bus stops at the local (city) airport before heading into the town of Belo Horizonte. It drops me off at the main bus station. From here it is a 10-minute walk to my Hotel.

I am given a Tiny room with a full-bed and am asked to pay for my stay in advance. Even though I had booked to stay here for 5 nights, I just pay for 1 night. I would like to try out tonight and if I am comfortable, then I can perhaps pay for other nights. I head out in search of dinner. I walk to Othon Palace and am quoted a price of R$170 per night (4 times what I am paying)! I head to the restaurant on the 25th floor of Othon Palace an have a salad and top it off with a Brownie and Ice cream.

I may head to Ouro Preto tomorrow.

February 16-18, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil

2008-03-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

February 16, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil
============================

I woke up at 8 AM and turned out to be the sole person at the breakfast table. Sumptuous breakfast. Fresh fruits, fruit juices, bread, butter, marmelade, fried bananas, different types of cakes, bruschettas with tomato and coffee! I could not eat everything on offer. If you are a meat eater, I am sure you have other options that can fill your belly for an entire day!

It poured during the entire time I was having breakfast. Once it tapered a bit, I headed to the nearest Laundromat and gave them my clothes. They charged a flat rate of R$20 for up to 5 Kilos of load. They were to deliver my clothes in about 3 hours. They are not open Sunday, but I could always pick up my clothes on Monday.

I got back to my Hotel. Jean-Paul warned me to be careful about my camera in the Old city area as there have been reports of Camera snatchers. As the old city has way too many alleyways, it is rather difficult even for the police to chase after these folks to recover your goods!

The rain had stopped completely by the time I returned to the hotel and the sun was out. I headed out with my Camera and tripod. I reached the San Francisco Church in Pelourinho after a 20-minute walk. The church has its charm but the convent´s altar was OTT (Over the top). Gold coverings everywhere! No Photography was permitted and I did not attempt any. I had a coconut after I finished my visit and headed to the tourist office nearby where I obtained additional information and maps.

I headed back to the Laundromat at 1:30 and my clothes were ready. I took the bundle back to the hotel and rested a bit. As TIM (Brasilian Cell Phone company) does not provide free incoming calls, I recharged my Phone card.

I plan to visit a nearby Island (by taking a ferry) on Sunday. The local natural food store (that serves vegetarian food) was closed on Saturdays! I had a bruschetta and soda for lunch at a nearby cafe that had a good view of the Harbour and the sea.

It was getting quite hit and I was sweating. I traversed through the Pelourinho area and reached Praca da Se (where the bus from the airport dropped me yesterday). Although it does appear close to my Pousada, I will take a taxi from my Pousada to here before taking the shuttle bus to the airport (all this planning is when I head out of Salvador to Belo Horizonte next Tuesday!).

I took the Lacerda Elevator (Charge R$0.05) to Cidade Baixa (Lower City - Baixa is Lower and Cidade is City). I took pictures of the Church there, the Naval academy, Maritime area and aqueducts before taking the elevator back to Cidade Alta (high City!).

Once I got back to Praca da Se, I took a bus to Farol de Barra. I got off way beyond where I was supposed to. I ran into a young couple who were headed to the Farol as well. They asked me to follow them! Looking and acting dumb has its advantages! People go the extra bit to help you and guide you.

After traipsing along for about 20 minutes, we reached the Farol. I thanked the couple and headed to the Farol. If you remember your lessons from 2 days ago, you will recall that FAROL refers to a Lighthouse in Portuguese! The Hydro graphic (Oceanographic in English) museum is located within the lighthouse premises. The entry fee was R$6 and it was a decent museum. While the museum is in the lower level of the lighthouse, the upper level has a cafe and a viewing deck. I had travelled all the way from Praca da Se to visit this upper deck and hopefully take decent pictures of the sunset! The weather co-operated and I watched the sunset from the FIRST lighthouse in South America (1560s).

When I tried to get back to Praca da Se, I found that all buses were being re-routed due to some concert performance en-route. Even most drivers and conductors were clueless as to which bus will take me back to Praca da Se. I gave up after 30 minutes and hailed a taxi. It cost me R$13.

I stumbled upon a group of dancers near the church of San Francisco. It had some semblance to Carnival but it appeared to also have some religious overtones. Folks in Salvador are descended from African Slaves and despite following Catholicism also practice some native beliefs. Despite the numerous warnings I had received, I whipped out my camera and flash and took some pictures of these dancers.

I walked into a nearby cafe and announced to the helpful maitre´d that I was a vegetarian. I had white rice with green peas and pureed manioc for dinner. Manioc is a flour. I also requested and had some EXCELLENT hot sauce made from local pepper. The pepper is called MALAGUETA. No TASTELESS, ITALIAN CRAP tonight!

I walked back to my Pousada. En-route I kept popping into many music shops to inquire about some CDs that had been recommended by the NY Times as representing Bahian Music. I did not have any luck finding them tonight. I blogged on the hotel´s computer for 2 hours, chatted with my brother, wrote my diary before going to bed.

I may head out early tomorrow (by 9 AM) to take the ferry to Isla Itaparica.

The wonderful welts given to me so lovingly by the inhabitants of the Amazon have more or less disappeared!

February 17, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil
============================

I had a leisurely wakeup. It was pouring outside again. I helped myself to the sumptuous breakfast (yet again). As the rain continued to pour and showed no signs of abating, I blogged on the Hotel´s computer for a bit. I depart the hotel around 11 AM. The rain appears to have stopped completely. The weather forecast calls for 50% precipitation today and 20% precipitation tomorrow. I walk to Praca da Se and take the Lacerda elevator to Cidade Baixa. I head to the ferry docks and buy a 1-way ticket to Isla Itaparica (R$4). There was a departure at 11:30 AM (5 minutes later).

The boat has hardly left the Salvador quay when the sky opens up and it pours. And Pours. And Pours. The ferry to Itaparica is filled with locals and a few tourists. The rains appear to be keeping many folks away.

After a 35-minute ride, the ferry reaches Itaparica. As it is still raining, I debate about getting a return ticket and taking the ferry right back to Salvador. As I have a poncho handy, I decide to don it and walk a bit around Itaparica in the hope that the clouds will pass and the sun will Shine. (ever the optimist). I roll up my trousers to my knees, don my Poncho that covers me as well as my backpack and start walking. I head into a hotel a bit later to ask for directions to the old town. The English speaking owner is quite helpful and tells me that the old town is 20 kilometres (13 miles) away. With the weather being this bad, he does not think that today would be a good day to visit the old town.

I concur with his reasoning, thank him and head back to the Itaparica dock and purchase a ferry ticket back to Salvador. I take the 1 PM ferry back to Salvador. I take a few pictures of Itaparica from the shelter of the Ferry. On reaching Salvador, I head to Praca da se and take a bus to Barra. I get lost in trying to find a vegetarian restaurant and the locals help me find Ramma (pronounced HAMMA). It is a natural food restaurant and the price is by weight. You can fill your plate with whatever and how much ever you want and based on the weight you are charged. I have a decent lunch along with a glass of fresh Mango Juice. The price of R$15 (US$ 9) is well worth it. Ramma and the Chinese Vegetarian restaurant in Asuncion (Paraguay) both have fish cutlets at the end of their buffet counters! I guess this is to appease those folks who call themselves Vegetarian but like fish. The restaurant appears to be quite popular as it was packed.

I wait for 30 minutes for a bus back to Praca da Se. The rain has stopped completely now. I head to an Internet cafe and copy my memory cards to my portable hard disks. I head back to the hotel, shower and then blog for 2 hours before heading out to dinner at 9 PM. I find a Cafe in Carmo that is almost closing. I have an Excellent Green Pea Soup with Bruschetta followed by Brownie with coffee ice cream. Quite filling and I am happy. I head back to the hotel and blog for 2 more hours. I still have 2 weeks of blogs to catch up and get myself current.

As Brasil is famous for its coffee, I decide to try some good Brasilian coffee while I am in Salvador. Coffee is mostly grown in the State of Sao Paulo.

February 18, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil
===========================

A leisurely wakeup and sumptuous breakfast as usual. I head out into a light drizzle. It appears to be a pattern here. Quite similar to Rio (where it rained most of the days I was there). Within 10 minutes of my heading out, the clouds opened up and I took shelter (despite my Poncho) in the nearby Carmo Church.

The rain gods finally stopped raining on my Bahian Parade and I headed to the house of the writer Jorge Amado. I spent 30 minutes here. One gets a good view of the Pelourinho from the first floor of this building. Note to Self: Read books by Brazilian writers Jorge Amado and Paul Coelho. I wanted to buy a English edition of a book by Jorge Amado but the bookstore at Amado´s house wanted to charge me US$40 when the US retail price (as printed on the book jacket) was US$14.95. I shall wait to get back to the US and get it from AMZN or BN.

I visit the tourist office and use their public Phone and my Brazilian calling card to call home (India). The line kept getting disconnected every 4 minutes. I guess this is a good way to monitor my conversation! I visited the Museo Afro-Brasilero and Archaeology and Ethnographic Museum. There is a very helpful English guide book (returnable to museum upon exit) provided. I spent around 45 minutes here. Quite a decent museum. I next headed to a highly recommended cafe for a cup of Brasilian Coffee. Quite decent coffee. I purchased a small bottle of MALAGUATE Peppers doused in Vinegar.

I headed to Praca da Se and visited the Memorial Gobernadores. Free entry. Very Opulent Halls and ceilings. The Balcony of this building has great views of Cidade Baixa. I took pictures. It was quite hot and humid. I took a bus from Praca da Se to Barra Shopping. The music CDs (by the Brazilian Artists, I was looking for) were priced at R$30 to R$40. I was looking to pay R$10! As I walk around the mall, I see a movie theatre running JUNO with English dialogues and Portuguese Subtitles. The next show appears to be at 4:15 PM. I receive a call from a friend in the US and we chat for 20 minutes. TIM (the cell Phone company) had given me R$25 credit. The incoming call uses up all this free credit. I find an office of TIM within the mall and charge my Phone for R$50 (US$28).

I get back to the movie theatre by 4 PM. It turns out that JUNO is shown only ONCE every day at NOON. The 4:15 PM show that I saw earlier was for something else. Oh, one of these days, see an English dialogue movie, I shall!

Jean Paul is a Frenchman who has lived in Bahia for over 20 years. He has been Married to Zeline for a long time now and they have 2 sons. Zeline appears ageless! I saw pictures of her with her babies from years ago and she appears the same as today.

Jean-Paul provides me with the address of the Natural food restaurant he recommends and tells me on how I could get there. I take the name of the restaurant (including the address) and head to a bus station. I finally get a bus and show the address to the conductor. There is a long discussion between the bus driver and conductor on where I should get off to reach the restaurant. After a ride of 20-minutes, I am asked to get off at what appears to be a bus terminal.

I ask around a few times for the directions to the restaurant and after a steep climb on a cobblestone street, I reach the place. They are CLOSED!

The first act of my enlightened dictatorship (it cannot be anything but enlightened) would be to educate the Portuguese speakers in the TAMIL Language and cuisine and abolish Portuguese totally. Italian cooking and any cooking that cannot cater to vegetarians (Salads are for cows and horses) are abominations. Folks following these ought to be shows the path to salvation and good vegetarian "cooking". key word - "Cooking". Not boiling stuff. Actually cooking.

One of the first step in this Salvation process would be for each individual to consume a bottle of MALAGUETA Peppers. You may think this is Hunger and Anger (from hunger) talking, but I am dead serious!

I finally take a bus to Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market) and then the Lacerda elevator to Praca da Se. Walk to Praca 15 Noviembre hoping to have rice, green peas and pureed Manioc again. The restaurant is closed on Mondays! I head back to Hotel.

I have decided that I cannot have Italian Crap for dinner. I head to the cafe from yesterday. I order the Green pea soup and Natural sandwich (lettuce, carrots, corn, wheat bread). I open my bottle of MALAGUETA peppers and pour some of the vinegar onto my Natural Sandwich. I also take out a pepper, slice it into tiny pieces and spread it over my sandwich. Simply DIVINE!

I top this off with a coffee and head back to my Hotel and blog for 2 hours. I may decide to try something new with my MALAGUETA Peppers tomorrow!

February 15, 2008 - Recife & Salvador, Brasil

2008-03-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

February 15, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
=========================

I wake up late and finish breakfast by 9 AM. I inform Francisco that I will check out at 12 Noon. As MasterCard is accepted, I could pay by Credit card as well. I decide to explore a bit of Boa Viagem and walk along its Beachfront. Nothing strikes me as being great or extraordinary. The surprising aspect of the beach is that it is a very short one. There is hardly 15-feet of sand before one reaches the water´s edge. I head to an Internet cafe and blog for 2 hours. I have completed my blogs of Paraguay and have commenced Iguacu.

I get back to the hotel by Noon. The front desk clerk offers me a discount of 10% on the bill, if I pay by cash. I take the offer and pay cash. While the clerk calls a taxi for me, I bid adieu to Renato - the restaurant manager of the hotel - who, like Francisco, is also from Italy and has been in Brasil for 10 years.

The taxi arrives in 10 minutes. It is a flat R$10 fee to the airport (as it is very close to Boa Viagem). It is certainly cheaper than the incoming ride from the airport to the hotel that cost me R$15. We reach the airport in 15 minutes.

TAM´s automatic check in kiosks are not working. We stand in Queue. However, there appears to be no one at the counters. Talk about being disorganized! All the pretty faces and killer dresses cannot hide the basic inefficiency. Of course, their excuse for sloppy service could be Carnaval - even though it has been over for a week now!

The queue finally starts moving and I get my boarding pass. There is no vegetarian food option possible on TAM flights. I go looking for LUNCH. I find a cafe and have a grilled cheese sandwich and hot chocolate for Lunch.

The flight appears to be full. As always I have a window seat and (as always) I doze on and off. One gets a very good of Recife while taking off (remember I landed in the night and could not see much) and we also had a good look at Salvador while we were circling before landing.

February 15, 2008 - Salvador, Brasil
===========================

The flight was just 10 minutes late. The flight time from Recife to Salvador was an Hour and 10 minutes. I collect my bag and find that no locks have been broken on it - to my huge relief. I obtain a map of Salvador from the tourist office at the airport as well as the various transport options to my Hotel.

The "ONIBUS" (yes, they cannot seem to pronounce the M in "OMNIBUS") appears to be the cheapest option to get to my hotel. I must also mention (in case I have not already) that they pronounce the letter "R" as "H". Therefore, "RIO" is pronounced "HEO" and "Recife" is pronounced "Hecife". The RIO pronunciation as HEO appears to apply only to the City, as they seem to Pronounce the names of the Rivers (Rivers are called Rio in Portuguese and Spanish) properly - As in RIO Negro or RIO Amazonas.

I digress. I wait for 20 minutes before an ONIBUS shows up. The fare is R$4 to a place in the centre of the old city called - Praca da Se (in English - Plaza of Se). The ride from the airport to the Praca da se takes 90 minutes - More time than my flight from Recife to Salvador! Hey, I am on an extended vacation here - no sense in rushing it.

On getting down at Praca da se, a local (who travelled with me on the bus and who speaks good English) helps me find a taxi and gives the appropriate directions to the driver (in Portuguese) on how to take me to my Hotel. There is a Heavy albeit brief downpour during our ride to the hotel. After a few wrong turns, we reach my hotel after 30 minutes! It should have taken 15-minutes at most. The taxi fare is R$13 (and the longer bus ride was R$4). The Taxi from the airport would have cost me R$85. As I said before, Rio and Amazon have spiked my expenses and if it has to bread and water, so be it!

I chat with Zelina (Wife of Jean-Paul) who greets me and shows me to my room. I have had many conversations (via e-mail) with Jean-Paul and Zelina before booking this Posada Baluarte.
I have a nice big room with a fan. There is a mosquito netting suspended from the ceiling that covers the entire bed. Nice bathrooms. In all, very tastefully done place. I am paying R$100 per night (US$57 approx.).

I freshen up and head out for dinner. Although the tourist office listed a few Vegetarian restaurants, none are open for dinner! The old city is called Pelourinho. I walk around Pelourinho. Great colonial edifices and cobble stoned streets. I visit "Al Carmo", Italian restaurant. I pay R$47 (US$28) for BAD penne, wine and dessert.

I walk back to the Pousada. As they have free e-mail, I spend some time checking my mail and reading the news. I am not in the mood to blog. I write my diary for the day and read up on things to see and do in Salvador for the next 4 days before going to bed.

February 13-14, 2008 - Recife, Brasil

2008-03-20T17:36:00.001-07:00

February 13, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
==========================

I woke up a bit late. The breakfast was acceptable. People just do not seem to have toast in Brasil. All one finds are untoasted buns on which butter, marmalade, cheese and even ham are added and eaten. "Toasting" is still a requirement for me. Hence the "acceptable" definition for the breakfast here.

Post breakfast I chatted with Francisco on find out what to see and do and the ways of doing it by using public transport. Francisco provided me with some guidance on the different transport options. I headed to the tourist kiosk nearby. The folks in attendance spoke decent English and I managed to find out a lot more information.

Public buses run to both OLINDA and JOAO PESSOA. OLINDA is 10 Kilometres (6 miles) and 40-minutes away (it is treated like a suburb of Recife) whereas to reach JOAO PESSOA, I need to take a train to get to the long distance bus station (1-hour journey) and then take a bus from there (2-hour journey). As it was already 10 AM, I decided to do OLINDA today.

The bus stop for OLINDA was close to the tourist kiosk. I had a 20-minute wait at the bus station and kept saying "Desculpe" (sorry) many times as folks assumed I was a local (a TAMIL speaking Brazilian at that) and kept asking ME for directions!

I managed to get a seat on the bus as it was rather empty. The fare was R$2.60 (US$1.45). I watched the passing traffic, people and scenery during the 40-minute ride until I was told by a rather helpful fellow lady passenger to get off at OLINDA. I had obtained a decent map from the tourist office and headed towards the local tourist office. [While the big cities might provided a small scale map of nearby areas and suburbs, it is better to visit the local tourist offices in those nearby areas and suburbs and obtained a large scale map of the area]

En-route, I was accosted by "Guides". I had read about them in my guidebook. They are former street kids who have been trained in the local history (and are perhaps taught at least 1 additional language in addition to their native Portugese) and are authorized to act as guides to tourists. Muggings in these areas are apparently quite common and hiring one of these "Guides" is an insurance against such muggings.

One of the more persistent kids walked all the way to the tourist office with me. Although he spoke some English, I preferred to get the explanations in Portugese with some English thrown in as this was the only way, I would get to familiarize myself in that language.

The local tour office provided me with a list of maps, cultural events, museums, ways to prevent AIDS etc. in a decent handy packet. They also advised that I could pay R$5 per hour for the services of the guide.

The guide started at R$25 for a 2-hour tour of the area. I bargained him down to R$15 for 2 hours. It was 12:45 PM. We started to walk the cobble stoned streets and hit a slew of old churches and cathedrals. During our walk, a young lady wanted to be photographed! After confirming with the guide that it was not for money, I obliged her. I was also trying to test my portraiture skills as most of what I take pictures of are landscapes! An attractive local girl.

My head is spinning with all the church related information my guide is reeling fast and furiously. Most of the churches and cathedrals are closed for restoration. OLINDA is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the churches open at 6 PM for services while others open at 2 PM after lunch.

Igreja Da Se (Igreja is similar to Iglesia in Spanish - Church) presented an excellent viewpoint from which to view OLINDA, Recife, the beaches, Atlantic Ocean and even the distant suburb of Boa Viagem (where my hotel is located)!

Most of the churches here were built in the 1500s. The entire area of OLINDA is paved with cobble stoned streets. Decor from Carnaval celebrations were still around. While the CARNAVAL at Rio is world famous, places like Recife and Salvador have apparently terrific Carnaval celebrations. I was told this by locals who can probably appreciate these things better.

We end the tour around 1:45 PM. The guide demands R$20. I politely tell him that even though has lasted just an hour, I will pay him the agreed upon R$15 (rather than prorate the fee and pay him just R$7.50). He does not have change for R$50 (US$30). We walk around some more and ask at 4-different places. No luck. Finally a stranger on the street changes the R$50 bill for smaller bills! I pay the guide and thank him.

I head to a Creperie for Lunch. I have a decent crepe and a Cashew juice for Lunch. Cashew is pronounced CAJU - Similar to the Hindi term for Cashew. I redo a walk to some of the places (I visited with the guide earlier) and take some additional pictures. I also visit some additional places that the guide has missed in his hurry. The houses here date mostly to the 1800s. There are some houses that date even earlier. They are all very colourfully painted. Walking around OLINDA involves steep climbs and descents!

I sat down after one of these climbs and had coconut water. The old man (running the stall) and I had an extensive conversation in Portugese with me nodding my head pensively from time to time! It worked! I did not have to provide an answer or comments to whatever he was saying!

As I walked around some more, I noticed that the municipal workers were gradually starting to bring down the celebratory decor from the utility poles!

I visited a Church and a Monastery and used my tripod liberally as there was a ban on flash photography.

I finished seeing all the places in OLINDA by 4 PM. I headed back to OLINDA´s bus station and waited for 15 minutes before a bus arrived. I picked up the same bus as I came in earlier this morning. As the bus was returning to Boa Viagem on a parallel street, I mistakenly got off 20-blocks too early and had a 20-minute walk back to the hotel. I got back around 5:45 PM.

I had requested Francisco to find out about Organized tours to Joao Pessoa. Apparently all tours to Joao Pessoa require a minimum of 15 people. As that is a non-starter of an option, I plan to take the train and public bus and visit the place on my own.

I visited a local internet cafe to check my mail, credit cards, bank accounts etc. All is well. I head to another Internet cafe with faster connections and blog for an hour. I am far from being up to date.

On my return to the hotel, I stop at a supermarket and buy some bottles of water. I visit the Hotel´s restaurant at 10:30 for dinner. I order a fettuccini with tomato sauce. I write my diary while waiting for my food. The visits to Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon Jungle Lodge have really escalated my expenses for February. It will have to be bread and water from now on!

I finish dinner and finish updating my diary. I have an early day tomorrow and it is well past midnight now!

February 14, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
==========================

I woke up at 6 AM. I get ready, finish breakfast and am at the Bus stop by 7:30 AM. I don´t think I am ever this punctual and enthusiastic for anything related to work! The bus drops me at the train station around 8:25 AM. The train drops me at the long distance bus terminal around 8:50 AM. The train was an Air-Conditioned train. Both the train and bus were quite empty. Either people here start work really early, or they have all taken time off during the month of February to enjoy the summer!. The bus and train ride together cost me R$1.75 (US$1.00). The combined bus and train ride to the long distance bus terminal has taken me close to 75 minutes.

The Progreso bus company had a departure for Joao Pessoa at 10:30 AM, while the Bonfin Bus company had a departure to Joao Pessoa at 9 AM. I took the 9 AM bus from Bonfin. The fare was R$22 (US$13). It was an executive bus and the seats reclined well. I, however, sat upright and watched the scenery. Road expansion works were in progress and it looks like the Brazilian army was helping out (folks dressed in Military fatigues were helping around and hence my assumption).

The bus made a few stops to pick people up and we reached Joao (Pronounced "Jo") Pessoa (Pronounced "Pesso") at 11 AM. As always I obtained a good map from the local tourist office (many are located at Bus terminals and airports in addition to prominent streets within the city).

The ONLY reason I had Joao Pessoa on my Agenda is because it is the Eastern most point in all of America (yes, that includes North and South!). A lighthouse apparently exists at the eastern most point and this is where I wanted to do. It was called Farol "Cabo Branco" (Farol means Lighthouse in Portugese)

I take a local bus (507) to "Cabo Branco". The fare was R$1.70 (US$1). After navigating through the city for a bit, the bus traverses through the lovely beachfront of Joao Pessoa. Bus 507 does not go all the way to the Lighthouse but stops about 2 Kilometres (1.2 miles) from it. I was to take a PENHA bus from the end of this line and eventually reach the lighthouse.

As our bus is pulling into its final stop at Cabo Branco, our driver notices that the Penha bus is just departing. He pulls right in front of the Penha bus thereby ensuring that those of us wanting to take that bus can do so!

I am dropped (after a ride of 5-8 minutes) near a construction site. Before I could turn around, the bus speeds off! A security guard at the construction site see a lame tourist (moi) standing clueless and directs me to the lighthouse. After a 500-metre walk, I come upon a sign (in Portugese) about this being the easternmost point in all of America. The Cabo Branco Lighthouse is also nearby. It is not functioning at the moment.

I spend around 20 minutes here taking pictures and requesting a local coconut vendor to take my picture. As I was quite thirsty, I ordered a coconut from the vendor (for the coconut water). I was asked by the vendor and his assistant to put away my camera in my bag before I leave the area as they were afraid that I would get mugged. I duly complied!

I head back to the construction area and the security guard tells me that buses comes this way every 30 minutes. As there is no proper bus stop, I take shelter under a billboard for the shade while I wait for the bus. About 20 minutes later, a bus comes in the opposite direction and does a quick U-turn about 50 metres ahead of me and starts to pull away towards the city. A local construction worker sees my plight and whistles. The bus promptly stops. I run and get on board. Both men and women whistle here and buses actually stop to pick them up. I need to learn to whistle well!

We get back to the area where bus 507 had dropped me earlier. As the 507 buses are quite frequent, I decided to walk to the beach and wander for a bit rather than take the next 507 back to the long distance bus station (Rodoviaria is the name given to long distance bus terminals).

What a magnificent beach! Turquoise green waters and white sand. Quite long and beautiful as well. Rio´s beaches are dumps compared to this. I am not sure why tourists flock to Rio for its "Beaches". If you want Beaches, sun and Sand, JOAO PESSOA is THE PLACE. And to top it all, there are hardly any Tourists and therefore quite peaceful.

I approached 3 sunbathers and asked whether I could capture their profiles in the picture I was composing (framed between a pair of palm trees). They agree readily. I take the picture and return to thank them. The picture has turned out well (especially in Black & White). There are lots of Coconut and Palm trees in the beach area here. I am not sure what the property prices are here.

I take bus 507 back to the centre of Joao Pessoa. I ask the conductor where to get off so I can view a famous cathedral and a lake in the centre of the city. He tells me that the bus travels close to both places. I presume I should be OK. All of this conversation is Spangese (mucho Espanol and poco portuges). After a 25-minute ride, a young lady approaches me and tells me that I need to get off at the next stop. The conductor has told her what I wanted to see and she dutifully remembers it and tells me that this is where I need to get off the bus. Quite helpful folks. I do see the park from the bus and get off.

I take a few pictures of the lake (located in a park in the very heart of Joao Pessoa) and walk to Cathedral San Francisco. I walk by a shopping centre and head to the food court. Pizza appears to be the only option here. I am quite revolted by the sight of Italian food these days. If you are eating the same stuff (that is ALIEN to your basic cuisine) day after day for months on end, I am sure many of you will be disgusted as well. Ah, the things I have to put up with - in the name of adventure!

After lunch, I head to Cathedral San Francisco. The locals direct me properly as I am visiting a place of worship! Excellent Baroque Architecture. I spent 20-minutes or so taking pictures and head to the Rodoviaria. I reach the Rodoviaria around 3:45 PM. A bus by Bonfin to Recife leaves at 4 PM. The fare is the same - R$22. I doze on and off during the ride back. During my onward journey to Joao Pessoa and during my return trip to Recife, a lady inspector get on the bus to inspect the tickets. I guess this is one more way of ensuring full employment :)

As we reach close to Recife, the bus more or less empties. A gentleman wearing what looks like a very official looking badge tells me that this is the place to get off for Boa Viagem (even though I know that this is NOT the main Bus terminal!). Then again, this place could be closer to Boa Viagem (the suburb of Recife where my hotel is located) that the main Bus Terminus.

After I get down and the bus departs, he offers me "TAXI" options to Boa Viagem. Turns out that he is an Official Taxi Agent and hence the badge. I am livid and I let it show. He promptly directs me to a Bus that supposedly takes me to Boa Viagem Shopping. Shopping malls are a very big thing in Brasil. Everywhere you turn, you can hear the word "Shopping" amidst a smattering of Portuges. I pay the R$1.75 bus fare and hope that the bus does indeed take me to Boa Viagem Shopping.

The street names are a bit far away for my blind eyes to read at night so I am quite clueless as to where I am (all part of the adventure). After 40-minutes or so, the bus more or less empties. A fellow lady passenger tells me that this is indeed Boa Viagem Shopping. I walk to the Information desk in the mall and they point out the location where this mall is located. It is about 10 blocks from my hotel. Not too bad.

The place is packed with people young and old. Malling did not appear to be a big thing either in Chile, Argentina or Paraguay. Starting from "Foz do Iguacu" (my entry point into Brasil) everyone always took a bus to go "Shopping". After all I was taken 2 nights in a row to a mall while in the Brasilian side of Iguacu!

I look around for dinner and do not have much luck. I have a milk shake for dinner. I walk to the hotel and rest a bit. I hit an internet cafe nearby and blog for 2 hours. I am getting closer to finishing my Paraguayan experience and thereby the month of January 2008.

I stop by a 24-hour grocery store and pick up water and get back to the hotel. By the time I write my diary for the day and go to bed, it is 1 AM.

As Francisco was telling me earlier, if the tour companies offer a tour option to Joao Pessoa for R$55 (US$34) and cover the places I saw on my own today, I would say it is a fantastic bargain as I have spent close to R$54 on my visit to Joao Pessoa today.

Then again you lose out on the thrill and adventure aspects as half the fun is finding out what you can do and how you can do it, in a place where you do not speak the language very well!

As I have said before, the Brazilian tourism agency is excellent. The tourism offices are quite helpful and provide excellent maps and any additional information you require. More and More, Brasil reminds me of India in many aspects. A major similarity is in the manic driving that takes place both here and in India! A second major similarity is the colour of the people - ranging from very fair skinned to very dark skinned.

February 12, 2008 - Manaus & Recife, Brasil

2008-03-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
===========================

After having an early breakfast, I headed out to see Valdemar (the agent for Anavilhanas Lodge). We chatted for 35 minutes. I told him that the lodge needs to post clear signs for NOT smoking during Canoe trips. The NYT article has apparently triggered an avalanche of bookings here. As there are just 12 cabins, one need not fear the hordes overwhelming the place anytime soon. They have good guides and free transfers from and to Manaus. Apparently all the guides who work for them are free lancers. There is apparently a guide of Indian Origin (Prakash) who speaks Hindi (as a guide). Nope, he was not around during the time I was there.

The shops here open at 8 AM and close by 6 or 7 PM. I had a bit of a walk and headed back to the hotel around 9:45 AM. I ran into Wilson and Djallman at the entrance. They were apparently headed to the airport for a pickup and they offered a ride to the airport for R$20. I promptly checked out of the hotel and accepted their discounted ride. I was at the airport by 10:30 or so. I checked in and found out to my surprise that my flight was not a non-stop flight to Recife. On my flight into Manaus, I had a single stop over (Brasilia) from Rio.

My flight to Recife from Manaus was to stop at Santarem, Belem, Sao Luis, Fortaleza and Recife before heading to Salvador! If I am expected to reach Recife at 9:25 PM, I pity the person who is travelling from Manaus to Salvador on this flight! The saving grace was that I did not have to change planes. I just sit in my allocated seat for the next 9 hours! The bag checked in at 19 Kilos.

I did some small souvenir shopping at the Airport. Knowing that there will be no vegetarian food on the plane, I had a Panini (Sugar with Cinnamon) and Mango Juice. I boarded the flight around 12:10 PM. It was pouring rain outside. I read Bruce Chatwin for a bit and dozed off (maybe it is his writing style!). I woke up at 1 PM and found the plane still sitting at the gate! Weather delay. We finally departed at 1:15 PM.

We landed at Santarem at 2:10 PM. The forest was at the very edge of the airport. The Amazon river stretched well into the Horizon. Truly mighty river. For a town with a population of 300,000 the airport looked fairly quaint. We departed Santarem at 2:30 PM and flew over the Amazon. The Rio Negro and Solimoes were separate. There is apparently another meeting point at Santarem. We will follow the Amazon through to Belem (our next stop).

We landed at Belem at 3:40 PM. The Amazon´s might was quite evident here as well. We departed Belem at 4:20 PM. Although Belem is as big as Manaus (population wise), it appeared a bit more organized (in terms of Urban planning) as opposed to Manaus (which appeared to lack any form of it!).

We arrived at Sao Luis at 5:20 PM. We appear to be 1 hour ahead already. We departed Sao Luis at 5:45 PM (or the new 6:45 PM). It had started to get quite dark.

We reached Fortalezza at 7:50 PM. It looked like a well planned city from above.

I had reached the maximum stops (EVER) on an in-country flight (I would have to research all my International flights to see if any of them had so many stops without a break). We had the largest incoming crowd (thus far) at Fortalezza. The flight may even be full from here on. We depart Fortalezza at 8:20 PM.

We reach Recife at 9:20 PM as per our Schedule.

One curious note: Brazilians pronounce the "r" letter as "h". RIO becomes HEO. RECIFE becomes HECIFE.

February 12, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
=========================

I collected my bag and picked up a few local maps and information from the tourist booth at the airport. I took a pre-paid taxi from the airport to my hotel. The 10 minute ride cost me R$12. I requested a quiet room at the hotel. I am being Charged R$84 (US$50) per night at the hotel. The room is probably worth US$30.

As I was too tired to go out for dinner, I had dinner at the Hotel restaurant. Italian restaurant. Penne with Pesto and an Italian Wine. Good dinner. Owner is an Italian migrant who has been in Brasil for 10 years. Towards the end of my dinner, I met Francisco Appio (also a migrant from Italy) with whom I had communicated during the research the reservation process.

I need to decide on what I can do tomorrow. I have 2 full days in Recife before I head to Salvador on the 15th.

Note on Tourism
============

Just about every place I have visited thus far has a nice tourist office with very detailed maps of the area. The folks staffing the tourist office may not always speak English but they are very knowledgeable and are able to help with little details.

They are definitely a saving grace for the single traveller.

February 11, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil

2008-03-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil
======================================

I had a leisurely wakeup and headed for breakfast where I bid adieu to the English (Indian / Sri Lankan) girls. I shared my breakfast table with an elderly Indian gent. There was yet another Indian family of 4 seated at the next table. 8 South Asians in the same place! This is the first time that has happened during my 9-week travel.

I had my final excursion at 8:30. 4 of us (with our Italian Guide) sped off in a canoe at 8:30 AM. 3 other canoes (that were tied to our canoe) trailed behind us. We reached branch of the Rio Negro after 20 minutes. The 3 canoes were detached from ours. The elderly Indian gent and I got into a canoe, a middle eastern couple got into the second canoe and the Italian guide got into the 3rd canoe by himself. We were to paddle in the Amazon! I let my partner sit up front and steer the boat while I sat behind and got into the paddling rhythm.

We spotted a few birds and a trio of insect eating bats. As neither of us were good paddlers, I lad left my camera bag behind in the motorized canoe which was being piloted by a driver well behind us. In the event I need the camera, I could always signal and take it from him. It was a fantastic experience. The only sounds were the sounds of the Jungle and our paddles swishing the waters of the Rio Negro.

We paddled to the end of the tributary where the middle eastern couple and our guide took a dip in the waters. The paddling during our return journey appeared a bit easier. In all we paddled about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles approx) before boarding out motorized canoe for our ride back to the lodge.

We got back to the lodge around 12:15 PM. I showered and packed up as I was scheduled to leave for Manaus after Lunch. After Lunch, I paid up the hotel bill and provided a very positive feedback on my experience there. I requested that neither Cell phone nor internet connection EVER be established here. I met the young couple from Sao Paulo who own and operate this place. Although this place has been in operation for less than a year, the NY Times review boosted their visibility immensely and many of the folks at the lodge were booked at this place by their travel agents. Needless to say, I was the lone exception in that I contacted the lodge and booked my stay with them directly.

The waste water from the cabins in treated and then sent into the ground (NOT the river). They run a very eco-friendly operation. The exchange rate given to me during the billing process was quite bad as it increased my bill by at least US$70.

I have cruised the Amazon, trekked in it, observed the sun rise and paddled in it and have large welts (from the numerous insects that relished my blood) to prove it. I hope the welts are not permanent :) I am completely satisfied.

Cassio (my guide for the past 2 days) was headed back to Manaus as well. I was the sole passenger headed back to Manaus. The three of us (Including the driver) were driven in a cross-over vehicle to Manaus. Cassio works only 10-days per month at the lodge. He works for the rest of the month in Manaus as a tour guide (for different cruise ships that stop at Manaus) taking tourists to the "Meeting of the Waters" and "Janaury Island". He is too good a guide to be wasted on small stuff like that!

The weather during our drive was the very definition of unpredictable. It rained for 2 minutes, the sun shone for 2 minutes and then it rained again for 3 minutes and so on. We stopped to see a dead snake on the road. It was a poisonous one. After making sure it was dead, Cassio picked it up and I snapped a picture :)

We reached the other side of the Amazon (across from Manaus) 2 hours after departing the lodge. As we had to wait for 30 minutes to board the next ferry to Manaus, I headed to the nearest post office to mail my post cards. After the ferry crossing, I was dropped at my Hotel. Cassio gave me his contact information.

February 11, 2008 - Manaus. Brasil
==========================

After checking-in (I requested and got the same room) and dropping my bags, I headed out in search of an IPOD Charger. A locally made charger was being sold was 70 Reais (US$ 40). I gave up. I headed to a nearby internet cafe and backed up all my memory cards from the Amazon trip and updated my blog for 3 days. (Still a long way to go before I am current).

I also researched things to do in Recife (my next stop) and Salvador (the subsequent stop after Recife). I leave tomorrow afternoon for Recife.

February 10, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil

2008-03-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil
======================================

I was woken up at 5 AM for the Sunrise viewing and contemplation. We gathered in the lobby at 5:20 AM and set on in a single canoe by 5:30 AM. There were 5 of us, plus a guide and the boatman. We entered the Anavilhanas Archipelago and cruised for 20 minutes. We saw a beautiful clean sky.

I saw the southern cross for the first time since leaving Australia / New Zealand in 2001! Although one could see it in Chile, it can only be spotted in the early hours of the morning and I did not visit any observatory at 5 AM in the morning while in Chile. We also saw the Scorpion´s tail as well as Venus. Although the sky was quite brilliant with all these astronomical formations viewable, the low light and the travelling canoe made pictures impossible (most images required a 2-3 minute exposure)

The calm waters of the Archipelago were disturbed partially as our canoe glided through. The sky turned pink around 5:50 AM and by 6:10 AM or so, the sun peeked out as a deep orange ball before sliding behind clouds. Sunrise on the Amazon to go with am evening at the Carnaval and a game at the Maracana!

We spotted a few birds but they were a bit far for us to see them properly or get any decent pictures. The closet we saw were a flock of 8-19 birds belonging to the Macaw family.

We got back to the lodge area by 7 AM and I was at breakfast by 7:15 AM. It was a very good breakfast. I had toasted bread for the first time in 2 weeks (after Asuncion, Paraguay). I will try the Manioc (flour made from a root) pancake tomorrow. Pete and Pam (folks who joined me for dinner last night) gave me their card.

I headed back to my room and had a quick shower and was ready for our 8:30 AM tour. We took a short canoe ride to the village of Novo Airao to fee PINK DOLPHINS. Dead Piranha were chopped up and provided to us to feed the dolphins. Cassio held up a piranha and opened its mouth to reveal its rows of sharp teeth. Took picture! Folks can swim with the dolphins and feed them as well. All except me got into the water for a swim and feed. I was the Photographer!

We walked into Novo Airao village and visited numerous artisan shops for an hour or so. Nothing caught my attention and I did nit buy anything. I did have a delicious, sweet coconut water. Simply fantastic. The Amazon river traverses over 6 states in Brasil. The Amazonas state is the largest of the 6 states and Manaus is its capital. Many small towns lie on the shores of the Amazon and they range in population from a few thousand people to over 100,000 people.

According to Cassio, I could get a nice house in Novo Airao for 40,000 Reais (US$22,000). Paraguay is still in my heart. Novo Airao is 3 degrees south of the Equator.

We got back to the hotel after our tour. The air-conditioned log cabin is a godsend! I rested a bit and labelled the pictures I had taken. I wrote my diary. After lunch we are scheduled to go on an extended cruise inside the Anavilhanas Archipelago.

We had a decent lunch. The clouds opened up and it poured. The lodge is well organized in certain aspects. They had at least 15 or so golf umbrellas for us to use. I took one and got back to my cabin. I headed to the rear veranda and slept on my hammock (well shielded from the rain) for an hour or so. It was a great feeling. If I did not have the cruise at 3 PM, I would have dozed until dinner! The rain had stopped completely by now and the sun was shining.

Our canoe cruise in the afternoon within the Anavilhanas Archipelago was for 2.5 hours. From the little I have seen of the Amazon, it is quite extraordinary. Extraordinary plant and animal diversity (although we did not see a lot of the animals of the Amazon). We spotted Vultures, river dolphins (also known as Black dolphins), Toucans and a few other birds. It turned out to be an excellent afternoon with lots of Sunshine and I took lots of pictures.

Upon my return to the lodge, I researched hotels for the next stops in my extended vacation. I played a game of pool with the English girls until dinner. The dinner was good. I have not suffered from lack of good food or monotony of the same food at this lodge.

Post dinner, we were scheduled to go for a night cruise at 8:30 PM. It was pitch dark with a lovely starry sky. We had an Italian guide with us for this trip. What an excellent vision he had. He spotted tiny birds and snakes (no more than 6 inches in length) from over 50 metres away with the aid of the flashlight. Although this trip was to sight Caimans, we did not spot any as they would dive underwater by the time we reached them. Ideally one should catch them unawares. We were not lucky tonight.

Visiting and cruising the Amazon: Yet another childhood geography lesson come true!

February 9, 2008 - Manaus & Anavilhanas, Brasil

2008-02-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

February 9, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================

I was ready by 8:15 AM. I checked out and waited in the hotel lobby. The Van from Anavilhanas arrived at 8:25 AM. Myself and 2 other girls (from the UK) were the sole occupants of the van and I was the Portuguese expert of the 3! We drove for 20 minutes and then boarded a ferry to cross the Amazon (Rio Negro). The ferry accommodates Vehicles and passengers. Quite a few trucks, cars and vans (Including ours) along with 200 people perhaps. We had a 40-minute wait at the dock while our ferry was being loaded. The ride across the Amazon took 30 minutes.

From the other side of the River, we had a 170 Kilometre (105 Mile) drive to the Jungle Lodge. During the 2+ hour drive, I chatted with the driver in as much Portuguese as I could! We talked about cost of living in Manaus, Salaries in Manaus and so on. He told me that good housing in Manaus could cost US$60,000. I am still inclined to buy a place in PARAGUAY!

There is a very good road for most of the drive to the Jungle Lodge. About 5 Kilometres from our lodge, the driver took an unmarked turn to the right and drove for about 15 minutes before we reached the lodge. It was close to Noon when we reached the lodge.

February 9, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Brasil
=============================

I met Cassio (who spoke decent English) and who would be our guide for the next 2 days or so. We were provided with a welcome cashew drink which was quite good. One of the girls from the UK was a vegetarian as well. Both of us were quite satisfied with the vegetarian Options for Lunch. Both the girls from the UK work in corporate finance. They were on a 2-week holiday across brazil. One of the girls had visited the Pantanal. [The pantanal is supposed to be teeming with wildlife and I will see it during my next visit to Brasil]

I got back to the comfortable confines of my cabin and wrote some postcards.

The lodge is FANTASTIC. There are just 12 wooden Cabins. Each Cabin has 2 beds in a large ceilinged room. The rooms are air-conditioned. Each cabin also has a small veranda out back with a Hammock! There is no concept of having to share the room with someone you don´t know or having to pay twice the price because you are single. If a couple takes the room, the charge is US$950. If a single person takes the room, the charge is US$570. Each of the rooms is given an animal motif. My cabin was No. 1 and my animal motif was an Ant Eater. So when heading to the dining area, I need to sit at the table that has an "Ant Eater" on top of it!

We headed out at 3 PM for a "JUNGLE WALK". We had a short walk to a private dock and then boarded a canoe - fitted with an outboard motor. We sailed for 20 minutes or so before cambering on to land. I was bitten by all kinds of creatures during the 1-hour jungle walk (and I have the welts to prove it!) We did not see any wildlife or even butterflies. The tree canopy is pretty high and many of the birds nest close to the top. Cassio carried a wicked looking "Crocodile Dundee - That´s a KNIFE" - weapon. It had good heft and he used it from time to time to hack away at the Jungle to clear small paths for us.

He told me that in the event of a Jaguar attack, the weapon might at least help repel the Jaguar for a little bit. He also had a heavily splintered and bandaged right index finger. This was a result of a Caiman (that Cassio was holding while it was being tied up) slashing its head from side to side and the side teeth creating a deep gash on cassio´s right index finger! He seemed pretty sanguine about it.

I was drenched in sweat by the time we got back to the lodge at 5:30 PM. I borrowed the IPOD Charger from one of the UK girls to charge my IPOD (Not sure why I am doing this, as I discovered today that one of my headphone earpieces is broken - yet another Chinese made product!). I showered and then walked to the dock area and sat there for a bit listening to the sounds of the Jungle. Dinner was at 7 PM.

I shared a bottle of wine with an elderly Californian couple. Since we started chatting, the folks at the lodge moved our dinner tables together so we could have dinner and converse in a civilized way rather than having to shout across tables. Pete gave me his card and promised to show me around the wine region around his place (NOT NAPA - it was a different area) whenever I chose to visit him and his wife. As Pete and his wife were heading out the next morning, I may invite the UK girls to share my dinner table tomorrow.

As different people come in for different stays, the hotel people group different people for different activities. Since the UK girls were staying a bit shorter than I was, they were scheduled to go on a night time wildlife spotting (from the Canoe) tonight at 8:30 PM. I was scheduled to do the same thing tomorrow evening.

I spoke briefly to the lodge manager and she agreed to let me use the lodge computer to do some offline blogging for a few hours. The lodge has absolutely no Cell Phone reception and does not have internet connectivity. Thank GOD for BOTH! After 2 hours of blogging, it appears that I have lost whatever I had typed! DAMN - is all I can say.

I am scheduled to go on a Sunrise Walk and Contemplation at 5:30 AM tomorrow. It is 11:30 PM now and I am going to hit the sack.

February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil

2008-02-28T10:17:00.001-08:00

February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================

I woke up at 6 AM and finished breakfast by 7:30 AM. I had a cold shower (It wasn't too bad). As I had a bit of time to kill, I found myself watching "Law & Order" on TV for about 40 minutes. During a bit of clumsiness, I had dropped my cell phone and IPod charger on the Mosaic floor of my room and the result was that the charger had gone kaput. (yes, it was a Chinese made product!) As a result, I had my Phone recharged at the reception where someone had a charger that fit my phone.

I left the hotel and walked to the dock to board my boat for the 6-hour cruise. On my way, I purchased some additional credit for my Mobile Phone. Unlike Chile, the Brazilians charge for any and all uses of the Cell phone (Incoming, Outgoing, Text messages etc.). The boat was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. There was a good English (and Portuguese) speaking guide on board as well as a Videographer who was recording our every move!

We had a good view of Manaus from the river. We were also treated to a Welcome Caipirinha (Brazilian drink) and some watermelon on the boat. We reached the "Meeting of the Waters" in a hour. This is where the darker and slower moving "RIO NEGRO" meets the muddier and faster moving "RIO SOLIMOES". Negro moves at 3 Kilometres (1.8 miles) per hour while the Solimoes moves at 9 Kilometres (5.5 Miles) per hour. They travel separately for 18 Kilometres (11 Miles) before mingling. From this Meeting point, the Amazon travels 1600 Kilometres (1000 miles) east before emptying into the Atlantic. The Amazon is 96 Kilometres (60 MILES) WIDE at the Atlantic while it is 3-5 Kilometres (1.8 - 3 Miles) wide at Manaus. The boat captain stayed as long as possible at this point allowing us to take all the pictures we wanted.

We headed next to JANAURI Island. On reaching the Island, we walked on an elevated wooden walkway to see Giant Water Lilies. We also spotted a lone Caiman below our walkway. There were quite a few tourist stalls here but there was NO sales pitch whatsoever. We got into a couple of canoes and headed on one of the Rio Negro´s tributaries. It was a good trip of about 40 minutes. On our way back, we stopped at a floating dock, where a group of locals carried different creatures and offered it to tourists to pet them! Sloth Monkeys and a baby anaconda were among the creatures. Needless to say any picture taking or petting of these animals involved a "donation". I passed. I purchased a coconut and spent my time here by savouring Coconut water after a really long time. It was terrific.

We headed back to the JANAURI Island dock for Lunch. There were a few vegetarian options. One of my tour group members (A Brazilian from Rio) was a Sai Baba devotee and did not eat any meat. Her Husband and young daughter did! They spoke English and helped me with my food options at Lunch. I also chatted with an Australian (an Englishman who has been living in Australia since he was 6 years old) who works as a lawyer near Brisbane. We agreed to meet up for dinner later that night.

We got back to Manaus and the Sai Baba devotee gave me her business card. On my way back to my hotel, I walked into a few side streets and found a vendor selling chargers. I tested and purchased a charger for my Phone for R$10 (US$ 6). Knockoffs of almost anything can be bought here! These same folks wanted R$80 (US$50) for an IPOD Charger. I decided to go without Music for the rest of my trip rather than succumb to this highway robbery.

I rested a bit, spent some time at an Internet cafe and headed to a nearby post office to buy some stamps (for the postcards I had purchased). I headed to the TajMahal Intercontinental hotel and its revolving rooftop restaurant for dinner! Ricky (the Australian) was staying at this hotel and he joined me at dinner. Excellent view of the Manaus at night. Pity that I did not carry my camera or my Tripod with me.We had a good conversation. Ricky wanted to go to town. I decided to head back to my hotel as I had an early morning pickup tomorrow - to head to my Jungle Lodge.

I wrote the diary for a bit and then went to bed. The cell phone charger continues to work!

February 7, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro & Manaus, Brasil

2008-02-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

February 7, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

I woke up on my own and the hotel´s wake up call came at 4 AM sharp. I was ready to head out by 5:30 AM. As the payment for my stay at this Hotel was always in advance, I handed my key to the night manager, thanked them and headed out. The driver (of the taxi) I had spoken with yesterday morning was waiting outside. He had been waiting for 15 minutes! He was an elderly gent so felt reasonably safe. [Taxis in Rio are known to take you on certain "Unforeseen routes" where you get mugged]

Chatted with him as we drove to the airport. Maybe it is the "consulting" profession I was in for a long time: I am able to pretend and give the impression of being "Knowledgeable" rather well! We reached the airport in 35 minutes. Used the electronic check in and had my bag checked-in and boarding pass in my hand in less then 5 minutes. The bag still weighed in at 18 Kilograms (despite the fact that I had given at least 4 Kilograms of stuff to my friend to carry back to the US)! Maybe there is a spell on the bag.

The flight departed on time. I had a window seat. The 2 seats next to me were empty. The flight headed to the Capital Brasilia (90 minutes) first before heading to Manaus (2 hours from Brasilia). The flight was scheduled to continue to Boa Vista (another 45 minutes) from Manaus. The only good thing about all this was that Manaus was 2-hours behind Rio.

I slept a bit during the flight, read my guide book and noted down places to see and things to do in Manaus. The plane almost emptied in Brasilia as all the Politicians and lobbyists disembarked! The flight fill back up to 75% of its capacity. We reached Manaus at 12:30 PM Rio time (10:30 AM local time). There were no locks broken on my bag this time!

February 7, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
A taxi cab with my name was waiting for me. The driver and a representative from the hotel sat up front and I sat in the back. The hotel rep (Wilson - Young kid) kept fishing for my plans in Manaus as he wanted to sell me some package or the other during the ride to the hotel. I did not bite.

I expected Manaus to be a remote jungle outpost with a handful of hotels located in a clearing near the Amazon Jungle. It turns out to be a thriving CITY of 2 Million People! I was definitely disappointed. I come to the Capital of AMAZONAS State, not to see a big city. I hope my stay at the Jungle lodge in the Amazon (for 2 nights / 3 days) will help re-establish my image of this place.

I was under the impression that the pickup from the airport was a complimentary one. Oh, how wrong could I be: I was asked to fork out R$40 for the ride! My ride in RIO was cheaper (at least from the Airport). The hotel (Dez de Julho) was passable. The room was clean and so were the sheets. The lighting in the room was horribly dull (I most certainly cannot READ here). The price was R$60 (US$35) per night. I headed out, bought a R$10 phone card (for making land line calls) and called my parents.

I headed next to meet the representative for the ANAVILHANAS JUNGLE LODGE with whom I had corresponded quite a few times during the booking process. Valdemar was thrilled to see me. He spoke reasonable English and we chatted for 45-minutes. He told me that my Jungle Lodge stay will not cover the "Meeting of the Waters" and that I may have to do that on my own. Valdemar is a very engaging gent. He advised me on safety issues in Manaus and told me not to venture out after 10 PM.

The Vegetarian restaurant (that I went in search of and finally found) was out of food by 2 PM! It was quite hot and humid - as a tropical place is expected to be! The Paraguayan shirt was not cutting it in his heat. It was wet and sticking to me (despite it being made of cotton). I headed back to Hotel, rested in the air-conditioned comfort of my room before changing into a T-shirt and heading to the nearby Eco-Cafe for a snack.

I bought tickets for the 4 PM English language tour of the Teatro Amazonas. This is a 110 year old Theatre built during the rubber boom of the late 19 century. Sadly, the theatre was not having any performances until February 20 :( In the early days of this theatre, the costumes worn by the performers used to be sent to France to be laundered!

I visited the Amazon Explorers office (a company recommended by Valdemar) to explore the tour options to see the "Meeting of the Waters". The company had a 6-Hour tour of the "Meeting of the Waters" for R$90 (US$55) and lunch was included. It sounded decent, so I booked myself on a trip departing the next morning. I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Brazilian SIM Card for R$15 - with a R$ credit included. I hope it works!

I headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The restaurant provided a mean hot sauce (I mean MEAN) that was made from Potato Juice and Pepper. The Pizza that I ordered was tolerable. The internet connection I tried was quite bad and I gave up after 15 minutes. I tried sending messages to friends (using my Brazilian SIM card) and it worked!

February 2-6, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

2008-02-17T17:12:00.001-08:00

February 2, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

I woke up early and finished breakfast by 8:45 AM. I spoke to the Day manager (who spoke excellent English and was quite personable) about the non-arrival of my Carnival tickets. He told me that nothing had been delivered thus far and explained that there are delays at times and that they would eventually be delivered. Comforting words but I would prefer to have the tickets in my possession! One of the assistants at the front desk told me that there was a soccer game that afternoon at the Maracana. He also told me that given that the Carnival had commenced, there may not be much of a crowd at the game.

I walked to the Laundromat which was 2 blocks from my hotel. IPANEMA seems like Palm Beach! Stores like H.Stern, Tiffany and Mont Blanc abounded and here I was looking for a cheap Laundromat. The lady at the Laundromat spoke no English or Spanish. Fortunately a customer (who had come to pick up his laundered clothes) did speak Spanish and he told me that clothes given today (Saturday) will be ready for pickup on Wednesday (Feb 6th) evening as most stores are closed the next 3 days for the Carnival! I rushed back to the hotel and back to the Laundromat to hand over my clothes. The charge for 3.2 Kilos was R$22 (US$12 - a tad expensive).

I walked to the beach at Ipanema (3 blocks away). It was 9:30 and it was hot and humid. I was wilting. I popped into an internet cafe for 30-minutes. I found an e-mail there from RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES stating that the carnival tickets would be delivered today (Saturday) evening. I think they are cutting it a bit too fine (as tomorrow is Sunday and my Carnival program is on Monday Evening). At least, there had not been a missed delivery (Where they came to the Hotel and there was no one at the front desk to sign for it and accept the tickets on my behalf).

They had sent a link containing a whole set of documents pertaining to the Carnival. The traditions, sequence of events for each of the 2 days (Sunday and Monday), how to get to the Sambadromo (where the samba schools parade) and so on. I printed the entire lot. I headed back to the hotel and dumped all these documents in my room.

Ipanema does not have a metro station. There is a bus service that will transfer passengers to the nearest metro station. I wanted to head to the city centre to see the Teatro Municipal and other historic buildings. Two Brazilian girls (who spoke no English) literally guided me all the way (Choosing the right bus, getting off at the train station and taking the train going the right direction and getting off at the right station) to the Teatro Municipal.

The bus was excellent. Well air-conditioned with classical music being piped all the way (20-min ride). The Trains were also air-conditioned, with detailed announcements in Portuguese with the Station names alone being repeated in English ("Next Stop - BOTAFAGO"). After getting off at CINELANDIA Station, it took us close to 6-8 minutes just to get out of the underground station.

Carnival was in full swing and the area around Teatro Municipal and the Bibliotheca was taken over by the Carnival crowds. The crowd was packed so tight that I had difficulty squeezing by. I wandered for a bit around the side streets which were relatively empty. I was thirsty and had a drink at a McDonald's like cafe.

I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the plunge. I took out my fancy camera and the 24-70/2.8 lens. I attached the equally fancy flash on top of this. I hung the camera around my neck and started to edge my way into the crowd. And it was like Gopal's parting of the Bay of Guanabara! People assumed that I was a professional Photographer and posed for me. There were shouts from different corners from people asking me to take their pictures. They may be a tad disappointed when they do not find their faces in tomorrow's papers!

People are indeed quite uninhibited here. Your colour, body size or shape does not matter. People of all walks dress up and party. There were numerous food stalls set up. Needless to say they were all heavy on meat.

I spent over an hour 'posing' as a 'Photographer'. After having my fill of the street carnival celebrations, I walked along a quieter nearby street and saw old churches and the former parliament building (when RIO was the Capital of Brasil). I stumbled onto the Centro Cultural after about 20 minutes of walking. I had a late lunch of Pasta at the cafe there.

I continued my walk along Presidents Vargas. I saw people preparing floats for the parades. I took pictures of the floats and the people. Stores near Uruguayana station were selling all kinds of costumes.

I headed into the Uruguayana station and took the train to Maracana. I purchased a ticket on the upper deck (R$15). BOTAFAGO was playing VASCO. I walked into the second half of the first game (they were playing 2 games against each other today). I walked (purely by accident) into the BOTAFAGO stand. As I walked in, BOTAFAGO scored on a penalty kick (1-0). The stand erupted. Samba drums, sparklers, huge flags being unfurled and the BOTAFAGO fans jumping up and down. The Huge banners can and do cover an entire stand (of 10,000 folks).

Maracana (which has been given a big facelift in recent years) is a magnificent stadium. Here was yet another dream come true as I have always wanted to watch a game at the Maracana. The renovations to the stadium have been done as Brazil prepares to host the World Cup in 2014. A ticket to the finals (of the 2014 cup) with Brazil as a finalist would be something to dream for!

I digress. The word 'Passion' should ONLY be used to describe a Brazilian Soccer fan. The moment a player gets the ball, there are 10,000 coaches directing the player on what he needs to do next. Disappointment reigns if the player chooses an alternative play to the one that was proposed.

The first game ended and Botafago won (1-0). The second game started at 6:15 PM. A long trail of tourists (predominantly white) shepherded by a guide arrived at the Botafago stands and meekly sat down. One of the hotels in Ipanema was charging R$90 (US$55) for this game (transport was included both ways). The Metro tickets are R$2.40 each way and the ticket cost me R$15. For R$20, I was doing the same thing as these tourists. Then again, I am on an extended trip and watch what I spend. As long as I do not open my mouth (or am asked something), I am a Brazilian for all intents and purposes. As I do not dress flashily or do not stand out by wearing flowery shorts or a T-Shirt that says "ENGLAND" or "NY YANKEES", I am able to mingle easily. Getting sunburnt does indeed help.

In the Second game, Ze Carlos (of Botafago) scored a Magnificent goal. Hopefully it is on You Tube (BOTAFAGO vs. VASCO - Feb 2, 2008). BOTAFAGO was leading 2-0 well into the second half before Vasco scored (2-1). Ze Carlos then committed a dumb penalty and was promptly red carded. He was roundly cursed by the fans. Cursing and Passion are not limited to the men folk at these games. The women can unleash a verbal barrage as well and they do.

VASCO equalized shortly thereafter. Botafago fans were crestfallen. A little after the second half had commenced, I had started to walked around the stadium to take pictures from the different stands and by now, I had returned to my Original Botafago stand. As I settled into a seat (there is no numbered seating here), a Botafago player was bought down in the Vasco goal area and Botafago was awarded a Penalty kick and the offending Vasco Player was red-carded.

Botafago scored on the Penalty kick and regained the lead (3-2). The stand erupted. I was high fiving and hand shaking with complete strangers and rejoicing. This is Sport. Pure and Passionate. Botafago also has a beautifully rhyming song that is sun at frequent intervals during the game. The Samba drummers go on almost non-stop for the entire game. Botafago went on to win the second game as well (3-2) and the players (to a man) come before the Botafago stand and salute the fans.

A Singularly great experience. I cannot think of another to top this. As the game ended, VASCO fans were let out of the stadium through one exit. Botafago fans (including Moi) were shepherded to another exit (180 degrees away). To avoid any ugly altercations, Riot police are deployed in force. They patrol the stands during the game and are on hand shepherding the opposing fans to diametrically opposite exit gates.

It is an excellent experience and quite safe to walk around the stadium area and to take the train at night after the game. I would unreservedly recommend this to any soccer fan as long as you can let go and be passionate about one or the other team playing.

I took the train from Maracana to the last stop and then transferred to a Bus to get back to my hotel. I am getting good at this. I stop by to have a nice Yoghurt shake at a natural food place at 10 PM. I check with the front desk and the Carnival tickets have still not been delivered. I am really worried now as tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is our Carnival day.

I do a late e-mail check at the hotel and find out that RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES has refunded the money to my PayPal account! There were no explanations given for this. I write to them asking the reasons for refunding my money and telling them that my trip to RIO (at this time) was made exclusively for the Carnival.

I am not sure if we can even get tickets for Monday's Parade.

February 3, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

After breakfast, I talked to Philippe (the front desk manager who speaks excellent English) about my Carnival fiasco with RIO CARNIVAL Services (RCS). There was a German girl at the desk who experienced a similar fiasco (RCS refunded her money as well without explanations). Highly dubious company as there is no one to answer the phones at the number given in our e-mails.

Philippe called a few local travel agents to inquire about tickets for tomorrow. They had tickets for R$425 (US$ 250) - which was half the price of what RCS had charged us! I told Philippe that I would talk to my friend who was expected to arrive later this morning before confirming.

It had started raining and the steady drizzle showed no sign of stopping. Dark clouds were all over. I headed to an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 ports and backed up my memory cards containing the pictures from Iguacu and the soccer game from yesterday.

I got back to the hotel by 1 PM and found that my friend had checked-in. We chatted about the ticket issues and RCS and decided to buy the tickets from the local travel agents. After all we were saving US$250 per ticket even after spending R$425 per ticket. Since the travel agents (who were selling the tickets) would only accept CASH, I headed to a nearby ATM to withdraw some money. After giving the money to Philippe and asking him to hold the tickets for us, we headed out to Lunch.

We went to NATRAJ (the Indian restaurant I visited on Friday) and had an extended lunch with a nice Brazilian red wine. To digest all that food, we took a leisurely walk along the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema. We saw quite a few street parties (block carnivals as they are called) on the way back and also waded into the waters for a bit.

After a short pit stop at the hotel (where we picked up our Carnival tickets), we started walking towards Copacabana beach. Leblon is to the West of Ipanema, while Copacabana is to the East of Ipanema. A leisurely 40 minute walk bought us to Copacabana beach. The rain had stopped.

We stopped to watch people playing beach soccer-volleyball! (Cannot think of an appropriate name to describe it). The "field"is a beach volleyball court. The server starts by placing the ball on a mound (just outside his side of the court) and kicking it. The ball sails over the net to the other side. The opposing team (composing of 2 players) use their head and feet and have to send the ball back to the other side in 3 tries. These folks are extremely skilled and it was quite fascinating to watch them play this.

Having had a heavy and late lunch, I settle for an Ice-cream sundae at a restaurant on the Copacabana beach front. We walked to the Marriott hotel to see the Super bowl and found that it was quite crowded. Copacabana palace hotel was not showing it. We headed back to the hotel in the hopes of seeing it there. The Hotel TV channels were not showing it!

I wrote my diary and watched the Samba Parade being shown live on one of the channels. Of the 12 Samba Schools that compete, 6 schools march today and the remaining 6 march tomorrow. The 6 top place finishers will have a winners parade on Saturday (Feb 9).

The weather has definitely rained on our parade today. All we can hope for is that tomorrow and the rest of our days in RIO are rain-free.

February 4, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

Murphy's law. It started raining early and continued. We wandered aimlessly from 10 AM - Noon around Ipanema. Being Carnival, most shops are closed and the few that intend to open do so after 12 Pm or sometime even after 3 PM. We visited a nice bookshop in Ipanema and then took a train to the city centre to visit a historic confiteria. It was CLOSED. The Poncho purchased at Iguassu was a life saver for me. We took a train back to Copacabana and headed to the Copacabana beach hotel to exchange Traveller's checks. American Express (surprisingly) does not operate in Brasil.

The Copacabana palace hotel (a very high class hotel - far better than the Marriotts' of the world) has an arrangement with Amex, wherein they exchange AMEX Traveller's checks for a nominal fee (0.38% of check value - So for $100 exchanged, they will deduct a fee of 38 cents) which was much better than paying the exorbitant ATM Service fees levied by the Brazilian banks.

We wanted to have lunch and decided to check out the Copacabana palace hotel lunch room. We were NOT dressed properly to be SEATED at the Restaurant but could eat the buffet lunch instead. I walked around and spotted 4-dishes out of about 50, that I could eat. The buffet was R$240 (US$ 140) per person! Now you know why I called it too classy and WAY above the Marriott! We made some excuse about my friend having a bad stomach and walked out. We settled on a nearby restaurant and I ordered Pizza for Lunch. It was Singularly the most disgusting thing, I have ever tasted in my life. Since the Carnival was scheduled to start at 9 PM and go on through the night into early Tuesday Morning, I had to eat something.

We walked back to Ipanema. The rain had more or less stopped. We stopped at a nearby grocery store and bought some cookies and water for the evening.

We left the hotel at 6:30 PM and took a bus to the nearest train station and then the train to Central Station. We had a 20-25 minute walk from here to the Sambadromo - where the schools march. The walk took 25 minutes as the crowds had started pouring in to the Sambadromo. All our tickets had Magnetic strips on the back. (Even the soccer game tickets had magnetic strips) Many of the stadiums and the sambadromo have installed card readers. We swiped and entered the Sambadromo.

We were at the Upper level of Section 7. Seats were unreserved. I glorify the situation by calling them seats. It was a long concrete slab! The slabs were all wet and some even had small puddles of water. Talk about a business opportunity. Vendors were selling cushions (encased in Plastic) for R$10 per cushion. We bought 2.

The parade commenced around 9:30 PM. The first school put up a terrific performance. Their music and song (that accompanies their dance routines) were excellent. The school took about an hour and 15 minutes to walk the length of the sambadromo. There are 3 sets of Judges situated on sections 7, 9 and 11 and the schools usually stop and perform for these folks. Being in Section 7 had its advantages.

When one entered the stadium, one was provided with a small packet. The packet had information on the Sambadromo, its facilities, the sequence of schools parading that evening, the songs being performed by each school as well as the School's presentation theme and so on. All of our packets had male and female contraceptive devices including pictorial instructions on how to use them along with a warning on how we ought to protect ourselves from diseases including Aids. Give them full credit for this. They know fully well that people here come to party and have a good time and they acknowledge it while ensuring that fun can be disease free. Knowing the American prudishness, I would be shocked if they did something similar at New Orleans.

There was a 10-15 minute break while the cleaners cleaned up the parade route that is usually strewn with streamers and other paper stuff. The next school started marching after this cleaning operation.

When each school commences their parade, there is a 10-minute fireworks display. My friend and I were spoilt by the American fireworks and were not impressed by the fireworks put up by any of the schools. The performances alone were fireworks enough for us.

The scantily clad women (that adorn most newspapers or magazine pages whenever they decide to report on Carnival!) dance in front of the drummers to motivate them. Each school has a large group of drummers and percussionists, singers, a dozen floats that depict the theme chosen by the school (could be slavery, global warming etc.) and dozens of folks who ensure that the entire school performs its choreographed routine to a T.

I used my SLIK AMT (Aluminium-Magnesium-Titanium) tripod along with my 24-70 /2.8 lens for most of the shoot. Since the performers were constantly moving, I needed a shutter speed of 1/100th of second to stop the action. Needless to say, I had to increase the ASA (Film speed - yes, it exists in Digital Cameras as well) to 800! I even shot some pictures at an ASA of 1600. Will see how they turn out. It is in situations like these that one missed the SWEETEST lens of all - the 70-200/2.8 with Image Stabilisation! If I get a decent tax refund for 2007, I can keep that dream alive :)

We watched all the 6 Schools parade. Each school takes anywhere from 60-75 minutes to complete their parade across the length of the sambadromo. Some folks (mostly tourists) leave after 1 AM or 2 AM as it is well past their bedtime. The winner from the last year's parade marches last and my friend and I were determined to stay until the end. For 2 folks who had been awake since 8 AM Monday morning, we did pretty well. By the time Beija Flor (Hummingbird in Portuguese) finished its spectacularly costumed and choreographed parade, it was close to 5:30 AM.

We got back to the hotel (trains run all through the night during these days) at 6:30 AM. I wrote my diary for a bit so I could stay awake until 7 AM. At 7 AM, I headed down for Breakfast! After a quick breakfast, I got back to my room and hit the sack by 7:30 AM.

Wonder of wonders: The weather was good throughout the parade - Starting from 8 PM until I hit the sack at 7:30 AM it did not rain at all!

February 5, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

I woke up around 1 PM, showered and headed out at 2 PM. My friend was still sleeping. We had agreed during our ride back (early this morning) that we would meet for dinner tonight! It was quite dull and grey to do any sightseeing. I sincerely hope and pray that tomorrow's weather is better as it would be my last full day in Rio before I head out to the Amazon on the 7th morning.

I headed to a local internet cafe and backed up all my Carnival pictures. I had shot over 500 pictures. I hope at least 50 are GOOD! My hotel manager had told me that Banda Ipanema was performing at Ipanema centre. After the excellent and grandiose performances at the Carnival, these performances were quite lame.

I visited a local bookstore / cafe for some tea and cake before heading back to the hotel by 6:30 PM.

We headed to a well recommended Italian restaurant nearby. For the food we had it was WAY overpriced.

My friend had decided to see another Carnival Ball nearby. The show was to start at 11 PM and go on until the wee hours of the morning. The tickets were R$200 (US$120). I wanted to spend tomorrow seeing as much of RIO as possible and that cannot happen if I go to this Carnival ball tonight. I passed.

I obtained my friend's laptop and transcribed my hand written blog to an electronic document. Sometimes I wish I had carried a small laptop. Then again, carry too many expensive items was not too appealing.

February 6, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

I woke up early but by the time I got out of the hotel, it was 10:30 AM. I took a bus (511) to Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). The mountain has a cable car to the top from where one can get excellent views of RIO. The cable car fee was R$35 (US$20). The cable car operates in 2 stages. Stage 1 takes you to a certain altitude where one gets off and can walk around. If one intends to go higher (which everyone wants to), you walk about 200 metres and take a second cable car to the upper most level.

The first viewpoint was quite good. It was not raining and one was able to see a lot of things around. Corcovado (which is famous for the "Cristo Redentor" statue) was being gradually obscured by the clouds. I met a Brooklyn chap (John) at the first viewpoint. We chatted and took the second cable car to the uppermost viewpoint.

By the time we got there, there was a thick cloud cover BELOW US. We literally felt like we were on CLOUD 2! It had started drizzling as well. Curse the weather gods! We tried to wait it out by having a coffee and chatting for 45 minutes to no avail. We gave up and headed back down. John was taking an early evening flight back to the US. He had spent close to 2 weeks in Brasil - 1 week in Salvador and 1 week in RIO). He had seen Corcovado already and even though that was next on my agenda, I decided to forgo it as the drizzle and the cloud cover meant that I would not be able to see anything from the top.

We decided to visit Santa Teresa and travel in an ancient Tram that would take us to an back from Santa Teresa. It was considered a Bohemian neighbourhood with lots of artists and cafes. It may even be a good place for Lunch. I still wanted to visit the famous confiteria shop and have a dessert there. We took a bus from Pao de Acucar to the city centre. Buses here are cheap and excellent to travel around. The journey took around 25 minutes and took us across Botafago, Flamengo etc. before dropping us close to the city centre.

We asked around a few time about the Cable car to Santa Teresa before finally finding it. During our search, we came across a Praha Mahatma Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi Plaza) and we both took turns taking our pictures there! The tram (single car) can take only 40 people at a time. We waited closed to 40 minutes before we could board a tram. The charge was R$0.60 (60 Centavos - 35 cents). The tram goes over an ancient aqueduct before climbing to the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. One can get a good view of parts of Rio from here. I took a few pictures.

My guidebook had also warned that I needed to keep all my belongings close to me as folks can snatch things and disappear into the alleyways. I kept my camera safe inside and had an iron grip on my backpack. During our ride we observed that most restaurants were full. On reaching the final stop, we decided to stay on and return back to the centre. We paid the return fare and got back 10 minutes later. A decent experience but definitely NOT a must do. I could have tried my luck at Corcovado instead!

We decided to head to the famous Confiteria for a bite to eat. I had an excellent waffle with Ice-cream and hot chocolate at Confiteria Columbo which has been in operation for the past 108 years! John explained in detail, about his nut allergy symptoms and remedies. Was quite interesting to hear it from someone firsthand. He repeatedly asked the waiter whether there were nuts in my hot chocolate before ordering it (there were none). I could not tell whether there were nuts or not, as I am all nuts and no veggies! He carried a Syringe with him all the time, in case he gets an attack. (it contains an adrenalin shot to ease the constriction experienced during these attacks)

We asked for the bill and left the money in the billfold provided by the restaurant. Like true Americans, we assumed that that was that (i.e: The waiter would pick up the billfold, take the money, post it against the bill and all would be well). While we were chatting and getting ready to leave, a waitress came to clean our table. After we got up, John checked the billfold and the money was not there. We assumed that the waitress cleaning the table had picked it up and we drifted out.

We noticed that there was an additional section of Confiteria columbo that was selling cookies and pastries prepared by the confiteria. We were both taken in by the fancy ceiling of this area and I took my camera out and took a few pictures. We each bought a souvenir from the restaurant as well. As we were getting ready to leave, a waiter asked us to follow him. He showed the billfold to us and asked us about the money. We told him that we had left the money in the billfold and walked and that we assumed that the waitress who cleaned our table took the money to give it to the cashier.

We even pointed our the waitress who cleaned our table. The head waiter asked her and she denied taking the money. The head waiter believed us and told us to carry on. John wanted to settle this at a higher level. We walked to the other side and explained this to the restaurant manager / owner. He spoke a bit of English. He asked me if I spoke Portuguese and I said no. He called and head waiter and there was a 5-minute discussion between them in Portuguese. At the end of it, the owner looked at us and said: "You can go. I want you to come back next time". John thought that was an oblique way of saying "don't come back"! I thought the opposite: He did not want us telling folks back home about how we were cheated at this famous restaurant! Bad publicity and he knows it.

We both think the waitress who cleaned our table took the money. John shared a few of his horror stories (that he had experienced in the last 2 weeks in Salvador and in Rio) during our train ride back to Copacabana. This was definitely a wake up call for me to be VERY Careful during the rest of my Brazilian trip. Most of the times, I pay by Credit card. There cannot be any sleight of hand there, as I need to sign a receipt - when I can ensure that the correct amount has been charged to my card. I should probably continue to do more credit card charges in the future.

On reaching Copacabana, we bid adieu and promised to catch up when I returned to the US in April. I took a bus back to Ipanema. As my friend was headed back to the US and had space in the suitcase, I packed up a few souvenirs, unneeded clothes, brochures etc. (about 4 Kilograms) and gave it to my friend to carry back home.

We headed to a different Indian restaurant for dinner as I want to have my fill of spicy food for the next month! We had dinner at RAJMAHAL at Botafago. The restaurant had a nice ambience. The food was so-so. The Vegetable Biriyani had way too much turmeric in it. Quite expensive for the quality of food we had. I would most certainly recommend NATRAJ (In Leblon) over RAJMAHAL, any day. The BEST Indian food so far was at the Indian restaurant in Santiago, Chile. Will have to see if I can find better Indian restaurants in Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires.

We took a taxi back to the hotel. I bid adieu to my friend as I would leaving very early tomorrow morning for my 7:20 AM flight. I packed and went to bed around 11 PM.

I had spoken to a taxi driver (many of whom hang around our hotel entrance) about a ride to the airport tomorrow morning. He will hopefully be there at 5:30 AM as I requested.

My Impressions of RIO, Carnival and more:
===============================

Carnival is a terrific experience. Avoid RCS (RIO Carnival Services) like the plague. One can always come to RIO and buy tickets that are significantly cheaper than those offered by RCS. In a way the cancellation of our tickets and the refunding of our money was a blessing.

Most folks (including us) stayed at Copacabana and Ipanema. See if you can find a place farther down and stay there. DO NOT BOOK a 5-day hotel package like we were forced to do. Pay more per day but STAY for 2 NIGHTS ONLY. Since most places are closed for the carnival, leave RIO after your Carnival watching and head out someplace quiet. Come back a week after the Carnival when stores and museums open for business and hotels start charging NORMAL prices. San Marco Hotel (where we stayed) is not worth more than US$40 per night of stay. We paid close to US$200 per night!

As I said earlier. They know the desperation of the tourist (or more precisely the first time visitor to the Carnival) and they squeeze you dry.

If you even remotely follow soccer, a game at the Maracana is a MUST. Sit among the locals and experience the passion. Don't sit next to some blokes (or shielas) from back home and reminisce about traffic back home, or some local sporting team back home and other inane bullshit. You are at the Maracana. Experience it. [Yes, I met a fellow New Yorker today. We spent no more than 3-4 minutes exchanging information about ourselves. The rest of our time was spent experiencing RIO and exchanging information and advice on travel / places in Brazil. Not africa, Connecticut or Thailand! Here and NOW]

The beaches in my Opinion are OVERRATED. You need to be well out of RIO to experience GOOD beaches. So if beaches are your thing, there are FAR better places than RIO.

Carnival parties: Avoid the parties in Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana etc. They are filled with stuck up tourists (I include myself here) who know not how to party. Go to the city centre or other places where the locals party. THEY KNOW HOW! Even if you are stuck-up, the process of Osmosis can do wonders to your partying mood!

Outside of the Carnival and a game at the Maracana, I cannot see ANY REDEEMING qualities to visit and spend more than 3-days in RIO.

As I am travelling to at least 5 other places before the end of my Brazilian odyssey, I shall hopefully recommend better places to visit in Brazil to spend time (and money) in.

February 1, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu & Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

2008-02-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

February 1, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Brasil
==============================

For some inexplicable reason, I seem to be having sleepless nights the past few days. I wake up at 8 AM and was still sleepy (despite going to bed around 11 PM).

After breakfast, I got back to my room and reviewed my travel guides on places to see, things to do etc. in RIO. I should be able to accomplish all my activities during my 5-day stay there. Setting aside a full day for Carnival and recovery from it still leaves me with 4-days of time and I am not the type that likes to sit at the beach for hours and let life pass me by!

Despite the checkout time being 11 AM, I checked out at 10 AM as I had nothing else to do. My credit card was charges BR$180 (US$105) for 2 nights. Not a bad price for this hotel. I ran into Carla (or Denise as she prefers to be called). Denise and I had communication many times during the reservation process and she was the person I spoke to from Asuncion when requesting an extra night of stay at this hotel. Tall, Slim, Brazilian beauty. She towered over me in her heels. Even without them she would be slightly taller than me! As she spoke English we chatted for a bit.

A divorcee (with a 10-year old son) and a fish-eating vegetarian who happens to be a spiritualist. I met her Mom, dad (who owns the place) and Uncle (who runs the Hotel's travel agency) as well. Dad owns 2 other hotels in addition to this one. She has a couple of close Indian friends who live in Foz do Iguacu and is familiar with Indian cuisine. The Indian is a trader at Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). My hotel manager / driver at Ciudad del Este had also told me that almost the entire market at Ciudad del Este (which trades primarily in electronic goods) is owned / operated by Indians.

All of the Information was volunteered including the fact that she is NO LONGER married! However, looking and dreaming appeals far more to me these days :)

Both Denise and her mom were surprised that Footprint guides (South American Travel Handbook) had recommended their hotel. They were under the impression that one has to pay their way to get listed in these guidebooks. They were also unaware that most of the writers for guidebooks, stay anonymously and then rate the hotel or a restaurant. They said that if anyone mentions the guidebook (when making a reservation at this place) they would get a discount. I jokingly asked for my discount (as I had made my reservation based on this guidebook), but my question remained unanswered!

Denise and her parents headed back to work. The Hotel internet was R$10 per hour - no part-hour charge was possible. I asked her Uncle to take me to the airport. He had initially quoted me the same fare (R$40 - US$22) as the regular taxis for dropping me off at the airport.

He spoke good English and Spanish. I preferred to converse in these rather than Portuguese. He told me that the hotel business was quite good even in non-summer months. There are apparently 10,000 Arabs living in the Foz do Iguacu area. These folks are the descendants of the initial Arabs who came from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine etc 40+ years ago and were the first to establish trade between Brazil and Paraguay. In addition to the Arabs, there are lots of Indians, Chinese and Koreans as well. All engaged in trading at Ciudad del Este which was not surprising. Foz do Iguacu has a population of over 300,000 and over 200 hotels!

He described the corruption scale of the lower South American Countries. Paraguay is most corrupt, followed by Brasil and then Argentina. Chile is considered quite clean. Paraguayan police apparently dislike the Chinese and Korean folks. Is it because they are successful traders or is it because they sell shoddy products that break down on day 2? Don't know. Did not ask as we had reached the airport by now.

I paid the 40 Reais as we agreed. Looks like I have not been given any discounts! At the airport counter, I asked if I could travel on an earlier flight to RIO. No luck. Internet was expensive. I had 2-hours to kill. I browsed through some magazine shops. English language magazines are quite expensive here. Even a cheap Magazine like PC world costs around US$15 here. Some other magazines were more than US$20.

I ordered a Milk shake and wrote a bit of my diary. I still had another 40-minutes to kill! For all the time-wasting tactics and coming to the airport early, my flight departed an hour late! It is a good thing that I have a 2 1/2 hour gap at Sao Paolo (where I will change planes for RIO). As the flight took off, I did get a distant peak at Iguassu from the sky. Apart from that, it was an uneventful flight.

At Sao Paolo, I had to go through the International departures for the flight to RIO as it was eventually heading to Caracas (Venezuela). We waited close to an hour before boarding the plane. I had a window seat (I had requested Window seats for all my TAM flights when I made my booking). I watched my bag being loaded onto the Cargo hold of the plane.

A young kid sat next to me and we broke ice after an hour or so. He is a journalist working for the Brazilian tourism organisation and was headed to Recife (in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco) to report on the Carnival Celebrations there. He gets to travel around the country on an expense account and writes about cultural and tourism events. Nice gig and he loves it. He is 22.

We talked Soccer for a bit. He things the current coach DUNGA will not last long and that Ronaldo is fat. He thinks I should be fine by myself while travelling in RIO as I look like a Brazilian (until I open my mouth). Since he is based out of Sao Paolo, I will get in touch with him when I reach Sao Paolo. He has promised to shoe me around. All I would perhaps need are the locations of the Indian restaurants there and how to reach them :)

February 1, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================

I was waved through Passport and Customs as I told them I was coming from Iguacu. I obtained an excellent map of RIO from the state tourism agency at the airport and decided to take a bus to the area of IPANEMA where my hotel was located. I chatted with a Brazilian (who spoke English) who was also headed to Ipanema. We waited for close to 20 minutes and there was no sign of the bus to Ipanema.

A cab driver chatted the Brazilian up and wanted R$50 to carry any number of passengers to Ipanema in his mini-van taxi. We found 3 others (2 were Brazilian and 1 was a German Tourist). Apart from the German and self, the rest of them hardly had any baggage. So squeezing 5 people into the Mini-van along with our luggage was not a problem. All of the folks were travelling to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (adjacent suburbs). AT R$10 a person, it was R$3.50 more than what we would have paid as a bus fare (R$6.50).

The Van dropped me close to the hotel and I had to walk a block to get to it. Not an issue as my large bag had sturdy wheels and Ipanema is considered a very safe neighbourhood. I check-in and was shown a tiny-room with 2 beds and an attached bathroom. I was sharing this with my ex-colleague (who had called the hotel to inform them that she would be arriving on Sunday Morning). Would be a tight squeeze. Being Carnival time, we were being gouged and they knew it and we knew it and they knew that we knew it!

The Hotel had not received any tickets from RIO CARNIVAL Services. I was worried as they were scheduled to deliver the ticket on Feb 1 by 3 PM. The front desk clerk did not speak good English. I will need to talk to the day manager tomorrow morning about this.

The local map of RIO had advertisements on the observer side and an advertisement for an Indian restaurant caught my eye. It was located in Leblon (20-minutes by walk from my hotel). I started walking and stopped to ask a local lady for directions in Spanish. She took one look at me and told me in perfect English that I SHOULD take a BETTER lit road for the next 19-minutes of my walk before coming to the next street for the final minute of my walk. She told me to be careful and wished me luck. These ominous warnings are getting to be a real downer for me. I had none of these issues in Chile or Argentina and despite the warnings, I had a good time in Paraguay.

I reached the restaurant and gorged like this was my last supper. The bill was R$65 (US$38)! I did not care. I was tasting Indian food after 6 weeks and wanted to make the best of it. The quality and taste at the Indian Restaurant in Santiago, Chile was far superior! There were 4 Indians at the next table. All through their meal (and most of mine) they talked shop. Terms such as deliverables, project plan, change request, chargeability, statement of work and more! Now I really know why I need a CHANGE! I gathered that they were trying to con a junior guy into accepting more responsibilities. The poor kid had no chance. He was going to take the additional responsibilities and wreck his life!

After the group departed, I chatted with the rather enterprising manager from Kerala who had lived here for 10+ years. We talked about the local stock market, coffee growing and so on.

I walked back to the hotel on the brightly lit street. Wrote my diary and went to bed. The Carnival has commenced today. It will last for the next 5 days until Ash Wednesday (Feb 6).
Since my ex-colleague does not arrive until Sunday, I may use tomorrow to see some of the things on my list.

January 31, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Basil

2008-02-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Basil
=============================

I woke up at 8 and was done with breakfast by 9 AM. Buffet style breakfast. Had Orange Juice, some fruits, cakes, half-a-baguette and coffee. The long distance bus station (Rodoviaria) is right across from the hotel. I could potentially take a bus to Rio or Sao Paolo from here! I took a local bus to the city centre (R$ 2). The driver dropped me outside the main bus terminal. I had to pay R$2 more to enter into the bus station. The bus to CATARATAS do Iguacu arrived in 10 minutes. One enters through the front and has to pass through a NARROW turnstile before taking a seat (or standing if no seats are available). Definitely NOT for fat people.

The driver to the Park (on the Brazilian side) took round 30 minutes. On the way to the park, it stops at the Foz do Iguacu Airport to drop off or even pick up passengers going to the falls. I may explore this option (of taking the bus to the airport) for tomorrow's departure to RIO.

The bus dropped us off at the Park Entrance. The entry fee is R$20 (US$12). The entrance is situated 8 Kilometres (5 Miles) from the falls area. A Park bus takes you from the entrance to the viewpoints of the falls.

We were dropped off near the Cataratas Hotel. Similar to the Sheraton Hotel (located inside the park on the Argentinean Side), the Cataratas Hotel is located quite close to he viewpoints of the falls. I had spoken to these folks as well and they wanted to charge US$300 per night. Paying R$2 (US$ 1.2) and a 30-minute ride each way is NOT bad at all. One can see the Sheraton Hotel (Argentinean side) from the viewpoint near the Cataratas Hotel.

A 1.2 Kilometre (0.75 miles) trail from here takes one through all the viewpoint on the Brazilian side. The trail is mostly a concrete path with very few steps. Very easy compared to the lower trail or the climb up San Martin Island on the Argentinean Side.

The Argentinean side has the waterfalls dropping from the Rio Iguassu. The Brazilian side gives an frontal view of all these falls. The Brazilian side truly complements the Argentinean side of the falls. One is able to see appreciate the majesty of the falls without getting wet :) At the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat), the Brazilians have built a walkway that goes very close to the Gorge (aptly named Devil's Gorge). As I had purchased a Poncho after yesterday's random showers, I donned it and protected self and camera from getting wet.

Near here, one can take an Elevator or climb a set of steps (around 150) that puts you over one part of the Garganta del Diablo. I took the steps and walked up. It was a truly terrific view from the top overlooking the Garganta del Diablo. It was a perfectly Sunny day with blue skies and a few clouds. Great for Photographs.

As always the tour groups were here in force. Man of these dimwits take eons to 'Compose' and 'Shoot' their pictures. If all you have is a P&S (point and shoot) camera, what difference does it make? You'll still get a crappy picture anyways. Sorry, but this is the 5-D speaking :) One lady even went to the extent of COMBING (you cannot make these things up) her husband's and children's hair before letting a park photographer take their picture! (Park Photographers are for Souvenir Photographs for which one pays). I look as poor and sweaty as possible when someone takes my picture in these places :)

I had lunch at a cafe at Porto Canoas overlooking the falls. What a moment to remember. The Brazilian side also offers many options (yep, extra charges) that range from 4-wheel drive adventure in the jungle surrounding the park to hikes (for a few hours) in the Jungle. There is apparently good wildlife here. Will probably save it for the next time. The Brazilian side also offers Helicopter rides for 3-10 minutes over the falls. As the racket created by the copters are said to disturb the wildlife in the surrounding Jungle, the copters fly very high over the falls thereby lessening the experience. I skipped it.

I purchased a few postcards and stamps and mailed to family and friends. Hope they get to the recipients. I take a bus back to the entrance of the park. The Parque des Aves (Bird Park) is located very close to the park entrance (they know how to rope you in as well!). I walk the 10-minutes to the Parque des Aves. The entrance fee is payable ONLY in US$. I pay the $12 entry fee and enter. Knowing I was going to be visiting this place, I had carried my tripod with me.

The place was cackling and screeching with all kinds of birds. Flamingos, Peacocks, Parrots, Toucans, Vultures (King Vulture and one other species I cannot recall now), Macaws and more. The parque also houses Anacondas, Caimans and large lizards. Unlike the Anacondas and Caimans, the large lizards roam free. One needs to be careful not to step on any of the birds, animals or reptiles as the tourists enter the large (and tall) cages where they were housed. Vultures and vicious predatory birds as well as some rare bird species were in cages by themselves.

The Macaws created quite a racket when I entered their cage. I was warned by young park ranger to be careful with my tripod as they would shred the plastic and rubber (that surround the metal tripod) in minutes. There is a large sign here that says "One is advised to enter at their OWN Risk and the parque bears no responsibility (if the Macaws decide to have a go at you)"

After spending more than an hour at the Parque des Aves, I take a bus back to the City Centre. This time, the bus drops me inside the bus terminal thereby saving me 2 Reais! Within 60 seconds, a bus pulls up that is headed to the Rodoviaria (where my hotel is located). I hop on and reach the hotel in 20 minutes. I spend an hour reviewing (and deleting) pictures from the day.

I take the free bus to the shopping mall again. I have dinner at the Natural cafe again and copied the memory cards to my hard drives. I had to do this, as I had all my pictures from the past 2 days of the Iguassu experience, sitting in a single memory card. I checked my e-mails and noticed that my ATM W/d of BR$300 the previous day had resulted in my bank account being debited for $175 (including fees). The rough exchange rate was 1.7 Reais to a dollar.

I got back to the hotel by 9:45 PM and spent a bit of time packing up and writing my diary. I may leave the hotel by 11 AM tomorrow for my 1:30 PM flight. I may even think of leaving a 10:30 AM if I am planning to take the bus to the city centre and then another bus to the Airport.

It looks like Brazil may turn out to be an expensive place to visit. Cataratas do Iguassu are a MUST SEE. Iguassu following Antarctica. Pretty good nature spots.

January 30, 2008 - Puerto Iguassu, Argentina & Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

2008-02-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2008 - Puerto Iguassu, Argentina
==================================

I woke up a bit later than usual. Post breakfast, I paid my bill for a night's stay ((ARP 110 - US$ 37) and checked out. I left my bags in the hotel's locker (somewhere close to the front desk). I utilized the free internet at the hotel to quickly check my e-mail and left the hotel at 9:30 AM. I took the local bus (A$ 8 round trip) to the falls. The bus was packed.

We reached the falls in 30 minutes. I paid the entrance free of A$20 (50% discounted). I took the train to the lower trail station. The trail here consists of hundreds of steps that take you to the Iguassu river (after it finishes its fall). Apart from a few areas where the descent (and ascent - when one comes back up) is steep, it is a pretty easy trail.

One gets to see the falls all the way during the descent. Simply magnificent and grand. The falls here are spread over a 4 kilometre (2.5 Miles) span. I can write reams about this, but one has to see it to believe it.

At the base of the steps, there are free boat trips to San Martin Island. There are also paid (speed) boat trips that take you NEAR the base of the San Martin Falls. One gets VERY wet during these Speed boat trips. I skipped the speed boat trip and took the free boat trip to San Martin Island.

At the landing of San Martin Island, there is a small beach consisting of the water flowing from the falls. One can also climb a set of steps to reach the top of San Martin Island and observe the different falls. I started my climb. These steps were STEEP but very safe. I was completely out of breath on reaching the top.

Rested for a few minutes and then started walking. The skies opened up and it started raining heavily. I cursed the rain gods! I could have cursed myself for NOT getting a replacement PONCHO (to the one I lost at Puerto Natales, Chile). I took shelter under a tree canopy. It rained for an hour before the clouds moved over and I saw a bit of blue sky. I walked around the entire Island of San Martin. One gets terrific views of different falls from all parts of Isla San Martin. The water spray near San Martin Falls in quite unavoidable. Made the best of it and tried to get a few pictures without ruining my camera.

CATARATAS do Iguassu - is quite majestic sounding and aptly so. The English 'Falls' is quite a limp description. I observed numerous birds (Eagles) nesting near the falls and the trees nearby. I need to get myself a good book on the bird and animal species to help me identify these creatures.

I walked down the steps and got to the landing area at Isla San Martin. The beach and water were inviting. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in for a bit. It was quite humid and hot and the cool water was very nice. Most folks who comes here, wear their swim suits underneath their clothes. Both yesterday and today, most locals (South Americans of all countries who visit the falls) were in their swimwear while wandering close to the falls. Men in swim shorts and women in 2 piece swimsuits. They love it.

I was carrying a large towel and had to stop and wipe my face frequently as I was sweating profusely and my glasses were constantly slipping off their perch! Oh, how I wish for the Humidity free climate of ANTARCTICA!

Excessive falls are like too many Icebergs or Penguins in Antarctica. You tend to move on after a bit. I took the ferry back to the main land and climbed back up the lower trail. It was not too bad. I accidentally came across the Sheraton hotel. It is situated inside the park and many of the rooms have good views of the falls. I did not have enough points to get a free room here and the cost per night was US$250 - a bit much considering that I would anyway go out of the hotel room to see the falls up close.

The clouds burst open again and I had to take shelter. It poured and delayed my departure from the park for close to an hour. I had lunch at 4 PM. I decided not to do the nature trail. I took the bus back to Puerto Iguassu and got back to my hotel. The hotel manager called up a friend of hers who quoted a price of 70 pesos to ferry me from this Hotel to my hotel on the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. It was a bit pricey (US$25), but public transport did not appear to be an option as my Hotel on the Brazilian side was located far away from the city centre.

The taxi arrived in 15 minutes. I did not even get out of the taxi on the Argentinean side as the driver took my passport and got it stamped. On the Brazilian side, I had to go in person. I hand the passport to the official. The page was opened NOT to the Brazilian Visa page (US Citizens require a visa to get into Brazil) but to the Indian Visa Page. The official blindly stamped it. He did not even look at my passport to see if I had a valid Brazilian visa! Could have saved myself US$100 (that I paid at the Brazilian consulate in New York). My cab driver had not heard of my hotel. He drove around a bit and we located it after being lost for 10-minutes or so.

January 30, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
==============================

Luz Hotel was a Tall Building that stood out from the surrounding buildings. I was given a room in the top floor (8th storey) of the hotel. I had a decent view from my room. I did not have a SINGLE REAL (Brazilian currency) in hand. I had paid my Taxi driver in Argentine Pesos (as he was from Argentina). The local shopping mall sends out complimentary buses to many of the larger hotels to get their guests into the mall (and hoping that they open their wallets in a big way). I took the 7:45 PM bus to the mall, as there is an exchange place as well as an ATM within the mall.

I reached the mall in 10 minutes or so. I exchanged all my Paraguayan Guaranis that netted me a grand sum of 70 Reais (US$40 or so). As it was not a lot, I went to the ATM and withdrew some more money. Will wait to see how much I am being charged as a service fee. By the end of this trip, I may have spent a few hundred dollars just on these service charges! The local Mobile company (TIM) could not answer all of my queries. I will perhaps try again in RIO in a few days time.

Portuguese is far different from Spanish. Pronunciation is very different especially to someone who does not even speak good Spanish. I may need to pick up this language fast as I am travelling in Brazil for the next 4 weeks.

There was a health food kiosk that had a decent garden sandwich. I had the sandwich and a chocolate milk shake. I also found an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 connections. I used their services and was up to date in regard to backups of all my memory cards.

The shuttle came by to pick us up at 9:30 and I was back at the hotel by 9:45 PM.

Luz Hotel is quite decent. My room has a mini-bar (Frigo-bar as it is called here), twin beds, Air-conditioning and Cable TV. I am paying R$90 (US$55) per night, including breakfast.

I may take a public bus to the Brazilian side of the Iguacu falls. If I have time, I may also visit the 'Parque des Aves' (Bird Park) that has live birds from all over brazil - including the Amazon.

January 29, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay & Puerto Iguacu, Argentina

2008-02-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
=================================

I did sleep well last night. Perhaps I was anxious about my bus travel to Argentina and then onto the Brazilian side of Iguassu 2 day later. I finished breakfast, paid by the hotel bill and was ready by 7:45 AM. I found that I had been charged 1,000 Guaranis ($0.22) by the hotel for requesting that my bread be toasted. I felt it was incredibly cheap on their part and I did not want to argue about it.

The front desk manager was already there and we loaded by bags onto his car. We headed towards the ITAIPU dam. We headed on the road to Asuncion before veering off towards the Brazilian side (and the dam). The dam is roughly located Northwest of Ciudad del Este.

Visiting are shown a 30-min film (in Spanish) starting with the initial planning of the dam, its construction, operation and the environmental impact it has and the protected ecological areas created on the Paraguayan as well as the Brazilian sides. The material used to construct this dam (the largest hydro electric project in the world) can be used to construct 200 MARACANA stadiums (Maracana, located in Rio de Janeiro - for those not in the know - is the largest soccer stadium in the world that can accommodate 200,000 people). There is no fee to visit the dam.

After the film, we were taken from the visitor centre on a special bus to the dam itself. The driver (my hotel manager) joins me in this tour as well. He is 31 and had worked in the hotel for 13 years. His wife has worked in the hotel for 16 years. They have 2 boys - 8 and 12. They life a decent life. Because of the power generated by the dam, Electricity is quite cheap in Paraguay. The hotel manager pays the equivalent of US$2 for his 2-bed room home. Housing appears to be cheap as well. A good ranch style house with a bit of land can be had for US$20,000. I have to seriously think of moving here. Renate (the owner of the Hotel) was born in Paraguay to German parents. She is married to an Austrian (hence the name of the hotel) and has 2 sons doing college in Germany.

The bus dropped us off at a viewing point and got our first glimpse of ITAIPU. It is quite grand. As the rainfall had been rather poor the past few years, the sluices were not opened. So we could not see the waters gushing from the dam. The ITAIPU dams the Parana river. We drove to the Brazilian side and finally over the dam itself before returning to the Paraguayan side of the Dam.

We headed next to the Salto Monday falls where the Rio Monday (Monday River) drops into the Parana Gorge. There is a 2000 Guarani ($0.45) entry fee here. The falls drop about 30 metres or so. Very nice and picturesque. Good thing that I am seeing the smaller falls before heading to Iguaçu.

Using the cell-phone of the hotel manager (my driver), I tried to reconfirm my TAM flights for Feb 1 (from Iguassu to Rio). After 10-minutes of conversation, we were getting nowhere. And this was with a representative who spoke English. I requested the drive take me to the local TAM office in Ciudad del Este. On reaching the office, I found out that I had spoken to one of the folks in this office! I showed them my E-Ticket and explaining the difficulty I had (15 minutes ago) in re-confirming my reservation, I requested them to re-confirm all my flights (all the way till Feb 27 when I head from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires). They did as I requested.

The driver dropped me off at the Bus station and I paid him 180,000 Guaranis (US40 approx.) and thanked him. He indicated the platform from which the bus to Puerto Iguacu would depart from. Since he was planning to show a German Couple the Iguacu falls on the Argentinean and Brazilian sides tomorrow, we agreed that if we meet up late enough on the Argentinean side, he could give me a ride to my Hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguacu.

The bus arrives 10-minutes later. The fare is 6000 Guaranis (US$1.3). As there is no separate luggage compartment, I carry my large duffel bag on board and place it in the seat next to me. The bus goes through the market in Ciudad del Este and picks up many folks. It then crosses the friendship bridge and heads into Brazil. I am wondering whether I took the right bus! (as I just paid my fare and got on the bus without re-confirming whether it was the right bus). After crossing the "Puente de la Amistad" the bus does not stop. It continues along Avenida Iguacu and Avenida Cataratas and after a 30-minute ride, I find myself crossing yet another bridge and disembarking at the Argentine border! I did take the right bus after all.

January 29, 2008 - Puerto Iguacu, Argentina
=================================

There were no issues at Argentine Migration. The customs official decides to gives my bags the special treatment. Of all the things in my bag, she picks up my 4-port USB Hub and my dual-USB Charger as electronic items and asks to see the receipt for these two. She ignores the $3000 Camera, $1200 lens, $500 flash, $200 IPod, $100 cell phone, the 2 portable hard drives which cost $200 and decides instead to charge duty on items that cost me less than $50 cumulatively!

I told her that these items were all purchased in the US several months ago and I was not in the habit of carrying receipts for such items. She lets me go. Weird experience! By this time, my bus had already left. There were a few taxis waiting near the customs station and I take one to my Hotel (10 mines away - Puerto Iguaçu is not a big place). I declined the taxi driver's offer to drive me to the Iguassu falls for A$50 (US$17).

I check into Casa Blanca Iguassu and am given a 4-bed room for myself. The cost is still 110 pesos a night (US$37). I dump my bags and head down to the reception. I obtain a local map and the directions to the bus station. I jump on a bus to the falls just as it is leaving. The cost is 8 pesos (less than $3) roundtrip! The ride to the park entrance takes 30 minutes.

The park charges an entry fee of 40 pesos. Entry on a second successive day (as I intend to revisit this place tomorrow) is 50% off. 2 days at the park for 60 pesos (US$20) is great. I pick up a detailed map of the park at the visitor's centre. Is it a little after 3 PM and I stop to have lunch. I have a Pizza and a soda for 15 pesos (US$5). Rather expensive.

Post lunch, I take the train (running inside the park) to Devil's throat. I am quite impressed by the grandeur of it all. On reaching the Devil's throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish) station, we have to walk on a wooden walkway (built over the River Iguassu) for 1 kilometre. IGUASSU is GUARANI for BIG WATER.

The Garganta del Diablo is truly magnificent. The waters drop 100 metres and there are frequent water sprays and rainbows. I spend close to an hour here. I spot an elderly couple and request them to take my picture. He replies "no" even without turning to look at me. I am offended because he thinks I am a local asking to take their pictures for a fee. I tell him (in English this time) that I am not SELLING anything and all I want is for him to TAKE a picture of me with my camera. He gives me a sheepish grin and does it.

The couple are Canadian. I am not sure why people comes to these places and bring their inherent prejudices as well along with them. Maybe if I had not been sunburnt and was whiter, he would have listened to me! Damn Norte Americanos. They don't even make an effort to learn or speak the local language. They assume everyone knows English and talk to everyone in English. A-holes.

I take the train to the Upper Trail. The Iguassu falls on the Argentine side has 2 trails. I decided to the Upper trail today and will do the lower trail tomorrow morning. My walk on the upper trails leads me over Bossetti and San Martin falls. My joy knows no bounds. I am still yet to take the lower trail on the Argentine side and view the falls from the Brazilian side. Iguassu is simply GRAND. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct when she visited Iguassu and said "Poor, Niagara". There is just no comparison. I noticed numerous rainbows and hopefully have some good pictures.

I take the train back to the park entrance. I get my ticket stamped for the 50% discount tomorrow. I take the bus back to the hotel and rest for a bit. I head to a nice restaurant and have a Vegetable Gnocchi for dinner. It was a good restaurant but I was given indifferent service. I did not tip. I walked back to my hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.

I will visit more of the Argentine side of Iguassu tomorrow and head to Brazil late in the afternoon. I will have the whole of Thursday to explore the Brazilian side of the falls before I head to Rio on Friday afternoon.

January 28, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay & Ciudad del Este, Paraguay

2008-02-15T04:40:00.000-08:00

January 28, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================

Woke up around 9 AM. Checked the alarm to see if it was working. It was! I must have slept through it. I finished breakfast by 10 AM and paid the hotel charges for 3 nights - a fanciful sum of 423,000 Guaranis! As my flight was not until 4 PM, Graciela told me that I could stay until my departure to the Airport (Say 2:30 PM). I love this place.

I returned to my room, packed up and headed out at 11 AM. My first stop was to the hardware store across the street from my hotel. I purchased 2 sturdy locks for my bag (as the old locks were broken during the journey from Buenos Aires to Asuncion). They were YALE locks made in TAIWAN and cost 27,000 Guaranis (US$6).

The next stop was to a call centre to call up a hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguassu falls to add an extra night to my stay. This hotel appears to be far away from the falls (30 Kilometres). I called up a hotel that is right on the falls and they wanted US$260 / night. 30 Kilometres it shall be as I am paying US$50 per night!

I visit the old handicraft market next and buy a nice guarani top (similar to the Indian Kurta). I do see some nice shirts. I visit a shop run by an Orthodox jew. Got to give them credit for maintaining their traditions wherever they are. The designs for the tops or the shirts are not captivating enough. I decide to shop around and head out. I visit the Chinese Vegetarian place for an early Lunch. Will keep alive until dinner time.

I walked to the shop (in which I had seen an excellent shirt the day before). It was yesterday (being Sunday) and was still closed today. Mauricio Libster's jewellery shop was closed yesterday and today as well. I will have to send a card to the couple thanking them for their advice and hospitality. I exchange US$100 for Guaranis as I may need it in my next stop of Ciudad del Este. I stop at a shop on Palma street and see an excellent shirt (made in Paraguay, of course). It was priced at 100,000 Guaranis (US$ 22). I keep bargaining for a while (am never good at it) and the ladies stand firm on their price. I bite and buy it.

I get back to the hotel. Graciela had left a note for me at the front desk. She had arranged a transfer to the Airport through the same driver who was to take me on a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro". The cost would be 65,000 Guaranis (US$14). The van arrives at 3 PM sharp and we head to the airport.

During our ride a small stone kicked up by a car going the opposite way hit the rear window of our van cracking the window pane. It is completely shattered. I feel extremely bad about this, but I am in no position to spring $$$ for repairing the window pane. I notice very nice houses as we get out further from the centre of the city. We reach the airport and I thank the driver and pay him. My Spanish is not good enough to commiserate his loss (of the window pane).

TAM baggage allowance within Brazil is apparently 25 Kilograms. The customer service representatives at the airline counter are dressed to kill! The local soccer team is also travelling on the flight and there are 3 TV cameras recording the event and each player does the obligatory thumbs up as he passed the cameras. I am sure they have a picture of me as well :) The flight is headed to Rio de Janeiro after Ciudad del Este.

The stewardesses on the TAM airline are dressed to kill (by a significant magnitude as compared to the airlines counter ladies!). IT IS a BRAZILIAN Airline. Need I say more? :) The flight to Ciudad del Este is 40 minutes. By the time we reach our cruising altitude we start heading down to Ciudad del este. Only 5 passengers (including moi) get off at Ciudad del Este. The airport is located 30 Kilometres from the city and there are no shuttle buses. I pick up a taxi for 100,000 Guaranis ($22).

January 28, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
=================================

Paraguay is extremely green. Anytime you peek out of an airplane window all you see is green and lush growth below. And this is the SUMMER. Terrific. The drive to Ciudad del Este centre from the airport takes 30 minutes or so. As we near the city, I notice a long line of trucks (stretching many kilometres) parked by the side of the road. The driver tell me that these trucks are waiting to cross the bridge into Brazil. The trucks are allowed to cross only after 6 PM. Hence the long line and the wait.

My Hotel (AUSTRIA) is just off the main street of Ciudad del Este. I get a decent room with twin beds in the back of the hotel (so it is quieter). The hotel charges $30 (US) per night including breakfast. Asuncion Palace Hotel is still far and away the best place I have stayed thus far. The manager at the front desk offers to take me on a private tour of the Itaipu Dam and Monday Falls for US$40. Rather than haggle with taxi driver and research bus routes, I may take him up on that.

I ask him whether I can cross the Friendship bridge (Punta de la Amistad - connecting Paraguay and Brazil) that evening visit Brazil for 15 minutes and walk back on the bridge to Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). He tells me that during the daytime it is fine but not in the evening / night-time as there are "Banditos". I leave the hotel and walk to the Paraguayan side of the Bridge and take a few pictures. It is hardly 6:30 PM and all the shops are shuttered. There are many folks on motorbikes who offer to take me across the bridge and back. Although my guidebook has mentioned these folks and I am carrying my passport, I decide not to take up their offers.

I walk around a bit and am back at the hotel by 7:15 PM and decide to have dinner in the hotel as I did not find any place that could cater to a vegetarian. The manager gets me plain spaghetti, salad and break. I hate it, but it is better than starving. The bright spot of the evening turns out to be a decent Santa Helena (Chilean) wine. I log on the internet to check messages. Both the dinner and the Internet charges have been added to my hotel tab. Fine by me as I can pay it all by Credit card.

I tell the manager that I will indeed take his offer of driving me to Itaipu and Monday falls for $40. I also request that I be dropped off at the Bus station as I am planning to take a bus to the Argentine town of Puerto Iguacu. Breakfast starts at 6 AM and we will head to Itaipu at 8 AM. I hope to finish my tours by 11 AM and hopefully reach Puerto Iguacu (Argentina) by 1 PM or so.

The Guarani language and culture still thrive in Paraguay. All Schools teach children both Spanish and Guarani. Almost all adults can speak both languages. Good to know that the old languages and cultures are not being left for dead.

January 26-27, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay

2008-02-13T15:17:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================

En-route to breakfast, I met Graciela at the front office. She owns the place and was the person with whom I had exchanged numerous e-mails before booking this hotel. She spoke good English. I requested her to call Intertours (tour company) to find out the possibility of doing the "Circuito de Oro" today. She dialled the number and handed me the receiver. I requested an English speaker to whoever was at the other end of the line. After being transferred half-a-dozen time to Spanish speakers (each of whom promised me to transfer to a English speaker next!), I finally got an English speaker. She told me that the tour was the day had already departed at 8 AM and that the next tour for the "Circuito de Oro" was on Monday!. As this is an 11-Hour tour (that returns at 7 PM) and since my flight on Monday is at 4:25 PM, Monday would definitely not work. Graciela offered to talk to a local driver about doing a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro" for me along with an English speaking guide.

The breakfast room was a nice, large ceilinged room. I had Orange Juice, a slice of Watermelon, toast, a piece of Chocolate cake and coffee. Perhaps the most decent breakfast since departing the Antarctica cruise ship!

Upon returning from breakfast, Graciela told me that the private tour with an air-conditioned car, a driver and an English speaking guide would cost me US$120. I decided to wander around town and explore other tour companies and options. I headed first to the TAM airlines office to confirm my reservation from Asuncion to Ciudad-del-Este. Until now I have been travelling on LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas while traversing Chile and Argentina. Starting Monday (Jan 28), I will be travelling on TAM (Brazilian) airlines for an entire month (within Paraguay, Paraguay to Brazil, within Brazil and my flight from Brazil to Argentina). After a 30-minute wait at the office, I got my reservations confirmed. It is a pity as neither Aerolineas Argentinas or TAM Brazilian Airlines have a frequent flier programme with any American Airline. It looks like I may have to reconfirm my flight with TAM 72 hours prior to every upcoming flight! The office provided me with a handy leaflet containing the Phone Numbers and addresses of the TAM airlines offices in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.

I went in search of VIP tours. I found it after a 10-minute walk. The folks at the office spoke no English. I, however, managed to express my interest in doing the "Circuito de Oro" or "A Tour of the Jesuit Ruins" either today or tomorrow (Sunday). Although both tours can be done tomorrow (Sunday), they require a minimum of 2 persons to run a tour. I could instead pay double the price and they would run the tour for me alone. I was not that desperate to do that and I thanked them and headed out.

While at the tour office, I noticed a large leather basket and a small cup with a metal sipper attached to the basket. I found out later that the leather basket holds a tall flash filled with Hot water while the small cup (with the sipper) contains MATE leaves. Looks like Mate drinking is taken quite seriously and stylishly here!

My wanderings bought me to the Plaza de los Heroes and the adjacent Plaza Independencia. I took a few pictures at both places and headed towards Plaza Uruguaya. I was heeding to the advice given my Mr. Libster and his friends and not walking around with the camera hanging around my neck. I did see a large police presence all over the place especially in the central area where I was presently walking. At Plaza Uruguaya I took a few pictures.

On one side of the plaza was the old train station that is currently a museum. The oldest train in South America used to run from this Station to the resort of AREGUA. The station is all its Victorian Glory now serves as a museum with a couple of Old carriages and a locomotive from the 1860s. The train to AREGUA now starts its journey from the Botanical Garden. The tourist office was right. The train to AREGUA now runs once every 2 weeks and the next train was on February 3 (when I would be in RIO eager for my CARNIVAL experience!).

I spent over an hour at the Old railroad station (museum). In addition to the coaches and locomotive, antique bells, clocks, ledgers and the waiting room have all been preserved for display.

I walked next to the Cathedral which opens only on Sundays for Service. I took a few pictures of the exterior. A young kid asked me for money and I said no. The kid walked away. Despite the scarcity of people around this area, I did not feel insecure as there was a large police presence around.

I visited the Cabildo situated on the banks of River Paraguay. In addition to containing some historical artefacts, it houses a ballet museum as well as a hall chronicling the history of Paraguayan cinema. It also houses a lot of memorabilia from the careers of 2 Paraguayan musicians (one a western classical musician and the other a crooner).

I wanted to head next to the Governor's palace. The girl at the museum asked me to take a longer route to the palace as it was more secure. The shorter route would take me 8 minutes to reach the palace. I heeded the girl's advice and took the longer route. I wound up on the central street (called PALMA) and came across the Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant that was mentioned by the tourist office the previous evening. There was a Chinese lady who spoke Spanish and assured me that all the food was Vegetarian. I had a few potato cutlets and Vegetable rolls for Lunch. Food here is charged by the weight and my grand lunch along with a bottle of coca-cola cost me 10, 000 Guaranis (US$ 2.1 approx). The potato cutlets along with the hot sauce (provided on request) was terrific. Goes to show how starved for spice I have become. The restaurant is open ONLY for Lunch and will be closed on Sunday. Will probably come here on Monday afternoon for Lunch before I head to the Airport.

The Governor's palace was a magnificent edifice. Guards patrol the building grounds and I was not allowed to even set foot on the lawn. I had to settle for pictures from the road which was not bad at all. I also took external pictures of Casa Viola (It was a pink building).

I walked towards the Port area and customs house. I started heading back towards my hotel from here. One of the buildings had numerous stalls and shops selling native Paraguayan handicrafts. They were quite reasonably priced and I observed quite a few Guarani women making necklaces and other artefacts next to their stalls. I decided to return here on Monday and purchase a few artefacts. My way of helping the local artisans.

I got back to the Hotel and briefed Graciela on my activities this morning and she, in turn, recommended a few places I had missed seeing. As the temperature was in the mid 30s (Centigrade), I rested up a bit (in my suite!) and headed out at 3:30 to "Manzana de la Rivera". It was a good museum that showcased old Photos of Asuncion as well as Aboriginal artefacts. All the descriptions were ONLY in Spanish. I made the best of it. In addition to the Photo and artefacts gallery, the Manzana also houses 2 art galleries that house paintings from Contemporary Paraguayan Artists. The paintings were for sale and ranged from US$200 - US$ 1800. Manzana de la Rivera telescopes into 2 other buildings and the last of these buildings was Casa Viola (that I had Photographer from the outside earlier today). Casa Viola houses the Ballet Institute and the local office of UNESCO.

There is a cafe inside the Manzana and it provides terrific view of the Governor's palace. I had a soda and spent 30 minutes admiring the view. As the cafe is open until 3 AM, I may return here to take pictures of the Governor's palace by night (it is lit at night).

My next stop was Palacio Legislativo. It was a gleaming glass and steel structure located opposite a Shantytown. This was the street I was warned not to venture into earlier today. I spent 10-minutes here taking pictures. No one approached me. Being the legislative chamber, there was a good police presence here. I felt safe.

I headed next to the Teatro Municipal. There were no performances tomorrow, but there was a performance currently underway and the clerk at the box office allowed me to go in and take a look (free, of course). I caught the last 5 minutes of "Hansel and Gretel" in Spanish. There were lots of children in the audience and they appeared to be enjoying the performance thoroughly.

I visited the "Casa de la Independencia" next. This was the place where the plot for independence from Spain was hatched.

As tomorrow was appearing to be a free day, I headed to the tourist office to get directions to the town of San Lorenzo. It was 45-minutes by bus.

I got back to the Hotel, showered and headed out for dinner. I spent an hour in copying the pictures from my memory card to my portable hard drive. My dinner at Restaurant BOLSI consisted of Ravioli with Almonds (dipped in honey) and served with Arabiata Sauce followed by an Ice-Cream. The grand bill was 60,000 Guaranis (including tip) which worked out to US$12 and was the most expensive thing in Paraguay so far!

All of the museums in Asuncion are free. I encountered a light, steady drizzle on my return to the hotel (after dinner). I skipped the photo shoot of the Governor's palace by night. I sent out a few queries to future places of stay and checked cricket and tennis scores (Australian Open). I was happy with Obama's win in South Carolina.

I will probably visit San Lorenzo tomorrow.

January 27, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================

I went to Breakfast at 9 AM. It was raining heavily outside. As the windows in my room are shutterred (wooden shutters) - to prevent outside noise from disturbing my sleep - I could neither see nor hear the downpour from my room. As the rain showed no signs of abating, I decided to use the Hotel's internet and blog for a few hours until the rain stopped. I was getting closer to being up to date with my blogs.

At Noon, it was still pouring and I did not want to spend the rest of the day in front of the computer (or) in my Hotel room. I asked the hotel if they had a spare umbrella I could borrow and they loaned me one. The Bus to San Lorenzo stops very near my hotel. I walked to the bus stop (50 metres away) and waited for the bus.

A bus came by in 5 minutes. I gave the driver 5000 Guaranis and he gave me back 3000 Guaranis and a ticket. No works were exchanges :) The bus system here operates on a flat fare from anywhere to anywhere (similar to New York's metro system). I took a seat and watched the streets go by. After 8-10 minutes of driving, we were outside my area of familiarity with Asuncion. As the tourist office had provided me with a pretty decent map of Asuncion, I was able to follow the bus route as the streets were clearly marked.

After 30 minutes of driving we appeared to be in the countryside. I requested a co-passenger to let me know when to get off for the San Lorenzo Cathedral (which I had come to see). He told me to get off a few minutes later and I did. The total journey was 45-minutes or so just as the tourist office had told me. It was pouring here as well. The cathedral was right in front of me and was closed. Maybe the services had ended (I assume they had services as today was a Sunday) and the cathedral had closed its doors. There was hardly any shelter from the rain for me to take out my camera and take pictures.

The streets were flooded. I had rolled up my trousers to my knees. I thanked my foresight in wearing sandals and not shoes! I waded in ankle to knee deep water and keep asking directions for Museo Boggiani (one of the other places, that is a must see in San Lorenzo). After 45 minutes of being told to do in different directions, I found the street and followed it to the door number as shown in my guidebook (888 Colonel Bogado). It was exactly as the guidebook said - 1 1/2 blocks from the cathedral and I spent 45 minutes walking around because the locals were clueless!

I rang the bell for the museum and waited. A door opened and an old lady told me to come back at 3 PM. It was 1:45 PM now. I went in search of food - Vegetarian food. As the umbrella given by the hotel was quite small, my backpack appears to be quite wet. I only hope that "Precious" inside, is dry! I found a restaurant close to the cathedral. I ordered CORN empanadas and a soda for a total of 7500 Guaranis ($1.6). I decide to follow my meagre lunch with 3 scoops of Ice-cream for 5000 Guaranis ($1.1). It was still raining heavily. I was getting tired of people watching. People coming in to order, maybe eating their food there and so on. I was getting bored as there were not many people around due to the heavy downpour. I saw the SECOND fattest person in all of Paraguay. The folks here are uniformly slim and healthy. Hence the rarity and oddity of seeing a fat person.

It was past 3 PM after all these musings and I decided to head to the Museo Boggiani. The elderly lady welcomes me. This is also a free museum! Boggiani was an Italian explorer who spent time with the Guarani people and over time documented their culture. The museum descriptions were all in Spanish. I once again made a conscious effort to read and comprehend the descriptions and was mostly successful. The museum exhibits included headdresses, weapons and tools used for hunting and fishing, utensils and musical instruments used, masks, talismans and even a few contemporary photos showing the Guarani people as they live today in their native areas.

The museum also has a shop selling handicrafts made by the natives. The shop is across the street from the museum and the lady leaves the museum unattended and walks across the street to open the museum shop for me. I buy a couple of wooden carvings for 30,000 Guaranis ($6.5). I thank the lady and head to the bus stop. The Bus to Asuncion stops at the end of the Museum street (Colonel Bogado). I wait for 10 minutes before one shows up. I give the driver 20,000 Guaranis and he returns 17,900 thereby charging me the correct fare of 2,100 Guaranis ($0.45) for the 45-minute ride.

It is still pouring here. I take a seat and watch Asuncion come up. The rain has now stopped. I get off a few stops earlier at Plaza Uruguaya as I feel like walking. During my walks in Asuncion and San Lorenzo and my travel in the local bus, I have not felt threatened at any point in time. Maybe the locals (read RICH people) are a bit paranoid here. Similar to folks living in the suburbs having fanciful visions of NYC where everyone is a mugger and everyone is mugged!

I get back to my hotel and dry the backpack and the contents therein. Fortunately, the camera and associated equipment is quite dry. I spend some time writing my diary. I head to yet another Italian place (recommended by the Asuncion visitors guidebook) for dinner. On reaching the place after a 15-minute walk, I find it closed!

A nearby Mall appears to be open. I walk in and wander around for a bit before hitting the food court on the 3rd floor. I spot a place with 'ARABE' in the title and head there. I see HUMMUS and BABBAGANOUSH on the menu and my eyes (and hopes) light up. I asked the manager for FALAFEL! He dashes my hopes my saying that they don't have it anymore :( I settle for a Spinach empanada as it is the sole vegetarian dish.

There is a multiplex within the mall and the Clive Owen flick "Shoot em up" is playing with ENGLISH Dialogues and SPANISH Sub-titles. The next show is at 10 PM. Perfect. I spent the next hour at an Internet cafe and get to the box-office around 9:40 PM. Apparently I am the ONLY customer (so far) for the 10 PM showing of this movie and they require at least 2 folks before showing the movie. I decide to hang around for a few minutes to see if anyone else will show up to see this film. Most folks who come by want to see Nicholas Cage in the "National Treasure" sequel (or is it a prequel?) as it has SPANISH Dialogues (No ENGLISH Subtitles). I could buy 2 tickets to the Clive Owen film (@20,000 Guaranis a ticket - US$ 4.8 approx) and they would run it for me. Somehow the thought does not go well with me. I give up and return to the hotel. I blog for 2 hours and my Antarctica experiences are up to date (I am still behind on the overall trip).

I receive a call from my brother and the hotel manager (whom I had told to expect a call where the only word from the caller would be "GOPAL") rushes to inform me. We chat (brother and I) for 10 minutes. All is well on both sides.

Asuncion is a dead place on Sunday with the exception of the Mall which I think must have opened late in the afternoon or early evening. Being a catholic country, I am sure opening the mall on Sunday morning would be severely frowned upon. Apart from News Kiosks and restaurants, there is nothing else that is open.

I go to bed around 1 AM. I hope to be up early to do a final round of Asuncion including a visit to Mr. Libster's store to update him of my visit and thank him for his advice.

January 25, 2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina & Asuncion, Paraguay

2008-02-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

January 25, 2008 - Buenos, Aires, Argentina
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I woke up at 8 AM and was ready by 9 AM. The A/C worked really well. I did not have a proper sleep though. I paid my bill (150 pesos = US$50) using a credit card (as one gets the best exchange rates from the credit card companies even after their services charges for International transactions) but requested a late checkout at 11:30 AM which was agreed to. The breakfast (included in the price of the room) at the cafe next door reminded me of a Japanese Garden setting. It was a small space used very creatively. Despite all this I think there are better hotel bargains in Buenos Aires than this one.

I obtained a local map from the Hotel and headed to Aerolineas Argentinas office as I wanted to confirm that my International flight later that afternoon from Buenos Aires to Asuncion (Paraguay) was departing from AEP (City Airport). It was indeed and I was requested to be at the Airport by 12:30 PM. This was good news as the cab fare to the city airport from my Hotel would be far less than the cab fare to the International Airport.

I headed to the American Express offices. It was not possible for me to Obtain Paraguayan Currency (Guaranis) at the Buenos Aires office of American Express. I could however exchange my US$ travellers' checks and get US$ currency for a small transaction fee. ($1 for every $100 exchanged) There was no transaction fee for any US$ travellers' checks exchange for Argentine pesos. The Argentine exchange rate was 3.20 pesos for every dollar. This is the best rate I have obtained by far. I exchanged a few hundred dollars for Argentine Pesos and a few hundred dollars for US$ cash. I visited an Internet cafe for a short time to ensure that there was no suspicious activity with my Bank account (I had been receiving many e-mails claiming that there were problems with my account and that I needed to contact my Bank right away). There were none.

Buenos Aires is perhaps by far the biggest city I have visited so far. There were a lot of nice old turn-of-the-century buildings in the city centre. Some of the streets in the city centre are pedestrian only zones. I can see myself living here by operating an IDLI shop!

I was back at the Hotel by 11:40 AM. I hailed a Taxi outside the hotel to take me to the City Airport. The drive took 20 minutes and cost me 20 pesos (including tip). It was a far cry from the 80 pesos it cost me to get to my hotel from the International Airport earlier this morning. My duffel bag continued to weight in at 18 Kilograms. There was a departure tax of 57 pesos (US$ 19).

The flight was scheduled to make a stop at Corrientes (Close to Iguaçu) before continuing to Asuncion. The flight departed at 2:40 PM rather than the scheduled time of 2:05 PM. Guess that is Argentine efficiency! I had a window seat and an elderly couple occupied the 2 seats next to mine. I did some accounting (as I wanted to know if I was travelling within budget) and listened to some carnatic music. I was provided a cereal box and coke for lunch (during my flight).

We reached Corrientes after 90 minutes. We were asked to disembark here to clear Immigration! We could have done the same at Buenos Aires! The elderly couple sitting next to me were Paraguayans heading home to Asuncion. The old man was 91 and the lady appeared close to 80. He ensured that I had all the proper documents and insisted that the Airline personnel provide me with all the appropriate forms! They spoke Spanish and he asked me where I was staying in Asuncion. The name of my Hotel escaped me and I told him that the relevant details were in my bag (in the overhead compartment). I promised to tell him if I recalled the name (or) after I had retrieved my bag from the overhead bin.

January 25, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
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30 minutes after departing Corrientes we landed in Asuncion. The Immigration line was rather slow. The old man required wheelchair assistance and was accorded priority in the Immigration line. After clearing Immigration, he walked back towards me (still waiting for my turn) and asked me yet again for the name of the Hotel where I was staying. I told him it was ASUNCION PALACE HOTEL. He told me that it was a decent hotel and asked me how I was planning to get there as there were no shuttle buses to ferry passengers to hotels in the city. When I indicated the taxi as an option, he told me that it could be expensive and offered to drive me in the vehicle that he would be taking to the city. He and his wife would be dropped off first and I would be dropped at my hotel later. I took him up on the offer and he told me that he would wait in the arrivals area.

When my turn came at Immigration and customs, they appeared to be mere formalities as I had already obtained a VISA at the Paraguayan consulate in New York. I discovered (to my deep annoyance) that both locks on my duffel bag were missing. A quick check revealed that my camera tripod was still in the bag. The rest are just clothes so hopefully nothing is missing.

The old man's wife met me just outside baggage claim and led me to her husband. They were talking to another elderly couple (although far younger than these two) who appeared to be friends of theirs. I made a quick detour to the money changer at the airport and exchanged US$100 cash in return for 466,000 Guaranis (no, that is not a typo - exchange US$300 and I would be well into the Millions). The other couple asked me to be 'very careful' (in English) during my stay in Asuncion.

A driver led the way to a station wagon and told me that my bags will need to be in the deeper part of the boot as the old couple's bags will need to be closer to the boot's door (as they would be dropped first). I rode up with the driver and from time to time, the lady pointed me out to points of Interest. The drive from the Asuncion Airport to the city reminded me of the driver from Chennai Airport to the city. A 4-lane road with hardly anything noteworthy on either side.

After 30 minutes of driving we reached what appeared to be a nice residential neighbourhood. A gate is unlocked and a young man, his wife and young daughter and a black dog greet the old couple. It is quite obvious that the young couple work as a handyman/gardener/cook for the elderly couple and probably live in a small house on the property. They greet the couple and greet me as well. The main house is simply gorgeous. A ranch style brick house built in the colonial style of the late 18th century. The couple (during their conversation with me on the airplane) had deduced (no doubt from my poor Spanish) that I was a lame tourist who ought to be helped at all costs. Hence their offer to drive me to my hotel in their car. As my Spanish was far from perfect, I did not understand during the ride from the airport that the driver of the car was actually the old couple's driver. I had assumed it was some private taxi service and that I may have to pay my share of the fare when I was dropped off at the hotel. (Give me credit though - I was not dumb enough to open my mouth and ask 'Quanto Cuesta' - How much?). I was too stunned by their generosity and felt it would be impudent to take out my camera and take pictures of their fantastic house. The old lady gave me their Phone number and asked me to call the number after I departed from Asuncion (that's what I thought anyway). The old man asked me to be careful - pointing to his eyes, ears and head. He was apparently born and raised in this house and as I mentioned earlier he is 91. Therefore the house must be late 18th or early 19th century. I was offered a glass of water as it is quite hot and humid. I requested the old lady to give me their address as I can send them a postcard. She complied.

We bid adieu and I set off with the driver to my hotel. The driver has been instructed to show me around the town of Asuncion before dropping me off at my Hotel. I chat with the driver on my ride. It turns out that the Old man owns a Jewellery store in town and is the EXCLUSIVE ROLEX DEALER for PARAGUAY! Mauricio Libster is the name of the Store and the elderly gentleman is Samuel Libster. The store is celebrating its 80th year in operation starting from when my Patron was 11 years old. The driver drove me to the shop and some other sites in the city. He dropped me off at the hotel and I thanked him as well. He asked me to drop me by the store during my 3-day stay here. Perhaps Mr. Libster may be there.

ASUNCION PALACE HOTEL is a fantastic place. It used to be a former Governor's house and I was given a Suite with 13 feet ceilings for US$30 per night (Air-Conditioned and Included breakfast). This room and hotel are thus far the largest and the best place I have been so far during my 8 weeks of travelling in South America. After Checking in and freshening up, I visited the tourist office nearby and obtained a decent map of the city. Sadly the historic train to Aregua (a nearby resort town) that operates only on Sundays will operate only the following Sunday (Feb 3 - when I will be in Brazil). While my guidebook had given the impression that the train ran every Sunday, it apparently operates every OTHER Sunday! A bit of a disappointment. Oh well.

I walked around trying to find a decent place for dinner. It is quite hard to find Vegetarian Options here. I settled finally at a meal in a cafe and a really bad cheese pizza. Instead of Opening an IDLI shop in Buenos Aires, I need to open one in ASUNCION. As Mr. Libster and his friends had scared me with their 'Be Careful' warnings, I spent the rest of the evening in my hotel updating my blog (with which I was quite behind). The connection was quite slow but the price was cheap (good enough for basic e-mail and blog writing). I wrote some diary before falling asleep.