Guest fountainhall Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 With Michael’s month in Brazil coming to an end, it’s clear he has peaked the interest of some readers in making a similar trip. I cannot follow that amazing series of posts with anything nearly as interesting, if only because when I was last there at the end of 2010 it was basically to take in lots of different places over four weeks, concentrating mostly on sightseeing and a bit of culture. But I thought it might be interesting (for some) to add my own comments about three other parts of what is the most amazing continent – Argentina, Chile and Peru. Since there is almost nothing about the nightlife to offer, though, some may wish to skip the text and maybe just look at the pics! South America is indeed a long way from Bangkok. But it’s not that far from the US and not much further from Europe. And generally, with a few exceptions, I found it was not nearly as expensive for those without Michael’s bank balance! That said, though, I’d been saving up for my trip for several years – basically miles, because it was going to take a mountain of them to get both there, around the continent and back. In total, I redeemed about 350,000 for 12 free flights, half in business class. If that may seem extravagant, in One World I needed 2 overnight flights via Europe to get there and 2 coming back! I was just not prepared to do that in steerage. Were I to do the trip now, I’d try to take the slightly shorter route through Sydney. In addition, I purchased three flights. One was a morning flight from Santiago down to Punta Arenas in the very south of Chile. As part of my British Airways intercontinental flights, I got this sector free. Unfortunately, even though I booked 51 weeks ahead, I could only get a night flight departing at 1:30am. Since it runs right down the side of the Andes Mountains and over the huge South Chilean Ice Sheet, I really wanted to see it in daylight. So in Santiago two days beforehand, once I knew that the forecast indicated clear and sunny weather, I splurged on a full fare ticket, managing to get a window seat at the back of the plane. The flight was a spectacular and worth every penny. Glaciers seen from the Flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas I had two other expensive ‘must dos’ on the trip. A 4-night stay at the wonderful Explora Hotel in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia (4 nights is the minimum). It’s not a luxury hotel in the sense that the Mandarin Oriental here is luxury. Yes, it’s beautiful in a simple but elegant sort of way with an almost Scandinavian ‘feel’ about it, and all (gourmet) meals, all wines, all spirits, all snacks, all treks with multilingual guides, all short evening background lectures were included in the price. But you really pay for the uniqueness of the setting which was mind-blowingly glorious! I felt sorry for all the others who visit the Park, because apart from a few hostels, you have to take bus tours and be out by 6:00pm. Explora Hotel The view of the Cuernos del Paine Range from the hotel The other was pure indulgence (again)! Way up in Peru, you can get from Cusco to Machu Picchu by several inexpensive trains. Or you can take the Hiram Bingham, one with the original cars from the Eastern and Orient Express which plies from Singapore to Bangkok. More on that later, but it was a fabulous way to get to Machu Picchu. Mimosas on boarding the Hiram Bingham Train To help offset these extravagances, I stayed elsewhere in several guesthouses and inexpensive hotels, usually in a $70 - $85 range (but I could have done it for less). That, too, for me was an eye-opener and a fun way to travel. Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is a fabulous city to start such a trip. Known as the Paris of Latin America, it really does have a European ‘feel’ about it. When I arrive in a new city (especially in a country new to me, if I do not have much time and I am, as in this case, language challenged!), I always book a car to pick me up. It avoids being ripped off by airport taxis and saves so much hassle, especially after two long consecutive night flights. This whisked me to the lovely little guesthouse, El Edificio de los Pavos Reales run by an American Kevin and his Argentinian advertising executive partner Diego. I don't remember how I discovered this $72 per night gem, but it could not have been nicer (on tripadviser it gets 117 “excellent” reviews out of 124). It has all of two rooms and a patio. Mine also had a private sitting area. Kevin was around much of the time, always ready to give me a ton of information on the best places to see which are not always in the guidebooks. As a result, I had lunch and an afternoon at the lovely Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, one of the best little Museums in the city. City Centre When I awoke one morning, I felt probably as bad as Michael on his recent trip. I had a bad bout of stomach ‘flu which seemed to attack without warning. Kevin was wonderful. He took me to the German Hospital, waited whilst all the tests were done, translated everything for me and then took me to the pharmacy for the medicine. He wasted 4 hours of his time, but he said it was all part of his duty to his guests. If I ever return to BA, I would not think of staying anywhere else. The subway line on which the guesthouse was situated still had the original carriages! It quickly took me into the centre of the city and then virtually wherever I wanted to go. I never needed a taxi. Subway Line A One day I took a bus tour around the city, thrilling my little great-nephews when I sent them photos of the home of Boca Juniors, the great Argentinian soccer team. Boca Juniors Souvenir Museum I spent a day wandering around the wealthier north part of the city, taking time to visit an amazing cemetery, the one where Eva Peron is buried, the most unusual cemetery I have ever seen. Eva Peron Resting Place I also spent a day walking around the centre where daily you see the mothers of those who disappeared during years of the military junta and who sit awaiting justice and news of their children. I tried to get into the famous tango restaurant Cafe Tortoni, but I had not booked and the queue was just too long. Being on my own, I ate simply and inexpensively – I knew better meals were on the way! I had hoped to attend an opera performance at the legendary Teatro Colon. Sadly, it was closed due to a strike. But I did see an impromptu performance by the orchestra and some of the ballet dancers on the street outside the stage door. That, I thought, was a nice gesture by the strikers. Café Tortoni Teatro Colon Impromptu Performance After just four full days, I departed BA for a short 2-day trip up to the massive Iguazú Falls in the jungle on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. I’ll start there in the next post. Quote
firecat69 Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 Fabulous post. Love to make that trip to Peru but I'm afraid I might have to get 2 new knees first with all the climbing and walking. Sucks getting old. Fabulous photos. Quote
TotallyOz Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 Fantastic photos and report. Thanks so much. You are a true adventurer! Quote
Guest Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 Thanks Fountainhall. We're getting some really excellent write ups from you & Michael on South America. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 27, 2013 Posted March 27, 2013 Iguazú I chose the timing of my trip to the continent for 2 reasons – one to ensure that I would see these Falls in all their glory – i.e. at the end of the rainy season, and the other to avoid the hoardes of tourists that descend on Chilean Patagonia from around late-November till it starts to get much colder early in March. Taller than Niagara Falls and vastly wider (they extend nearly 3 kms), you feel much closer to nature here at Iguazú than at Niagara. The Falls are now listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. From Buenos Aires, you get to Iguazú by bus or a 1’40” plane trip. Coming in to land, all you see are trees and jungle, apart from a large mist of water vapour in the distance. I stayed in a guesthouse called The Secret Garden – four rooms set in a lovely little garden run by an eccentric Argentinian. I had read of this guesthouse on the travel pages of one of the on-line newspapers (but which I cannot now remember). At $100/night, it was a little pricey, but it included drinks on a little terrace at 7:00 each evening as well as a wide assortment of canapés. So filling were the canapés and so often were they replenished, I did not need dinner either night. It was also fun to chat with the young Australians who were staying in the other rooms and to hear of their experiences elsewhere on the continent. The Falls can be ‘done’ in one day. The ideal way is to cross over to the Brazil side in the morning, for you are then on the east bank with the sun behind you and the full panoply of the Falls spread before you. After paying for your Park entrance ticket, buses take you for a 15-minute trip through the jungle and then leave you in front of a lovely pink-walled hotel. Immediately you hear the roar of water, but all you see are trees. After only a few seconds, quite suddenly there is a gap, and spread out in front of you is the magnificent sight of a split-level series of falls cascading down the other bank. On this side, there is a well-marked trail that takes you a good couple of kilometers to the other end and the so-called Devil’s Throat. Here the Falls double-back on themselves, creating a huge spray and an almighty roar. By noon, I was on my way back to the Argentinian side where you have a totally different perspective. Here you are actually on top of the Falls, with walkways leading you over the drops. It’s an amazing feeling. A little train also takes you to the far end and the Devil’s Throat to save weary legs – although the queues meant long waits. Park Visitor Frankly, photos do not do justice to the majesty and awesome power of these Falls. They are utterly spellbinding. If you want, you can take a boat up very close. I gave that a miss! To Santiago The next morning I was due to fly back to Buenos Aires and then on to Santiago. Since I was on a paid Aerolineas Argentinas flight to the domestic airport and had to fly out of the international airport on one of my free mileage tickets on LAN Chile, I had allowed a generous 5 hours for the transfer. Plenty of time, I was certain. I even left my large suitcase and some washing with Kevin. The day I left he was doing a laundry trip and generously offered to add my socks and underwear. I would pick them up when I collected my bag. But, the best laid plans! This was the day, quite literally, for accidents! Puerto Iguazú has a small airport with just two jet-ways (if you are in Brazil, you can stay on the Brazilian side where the town is known as Foz do Iguaçu). Another flight had just pushed back for the runway and we were about to embark when we saw that other flight returning to the gate. Our boarding was halted and the other plane’s passengers disembarked. No-one had a clue what was going on. It was only 30 minutes later that we were informed the airport was closed, but we did not know why. It was expected to reopen in another hour or so. We all trooped back past security. I went downstairs to talk with LAN Chile. I knew if I missed my connection I’d have to pay for a new flight. I needed to know if there was another that evening, or if I’d have to stay in BA. Then I learned the reason for the closure. A single engine aircraft had belly-flopped on landing. No-one was hurt, but all the debris had to be cleared from the runway. I started to panic! Even with a two-hour delay, I would barely have enough time to pick up my bag and laundry. Thankfully, I had Kevin’s number and he was at home. Don’t worry, he assured me. He’d arrange a car to pick up my bag, meet me on arrival and then drive me over for the Santiago flight. However, he was full of apologies. He’d forgotten that that day was a public holiday, and so the laundry was closed! That, though, was the least of my worries, for I could easily buy cheap clothes in Santiago. I was hugely grateful for his assistance with the car. That two hours came and went, and I soon became very nervous. Once we had boarded, I called Kevin from the plane and gave him the ETA. Finally we took off, but I just could not relax. Even if I could get a new ticket for the last flight to Santiago, it would cost at least US$400 and I was unable to get in touch with the hotel to inform them to change the car pick-up! After landing at the domestic airport, of course we stopped at a bus gate! Buses were waiting, but it took ten minutes for them to find a set of steps. As my bus rounded the plane, I saw just one guy manually unloading bags. I knew I was not going to make it! Once in the terminal, my luck changed. My bag was one of the first up on to the carousel. I raced out. No driver. But I spotted Kevin. Because of the holiday, he hadn’t been able to get a car, and so he and Diego had come themselves with my bag. What an amazing kindness! He organised a taxi, and off I went. Then, of course, the driver dropped me at the wrong terminal, and I had to race for 10 minutes with 3 bags to the right one. I’m sure the security guards were convinced I was smuggling something because I was sweating like a pig when I went through! But I made the flight. And LAN is an excellent airline with a splendid business class. I ate my first meal of the day, drank too much, had a short nap and was only sorry the timing was too late to see the sun set as we flew over the Andes. Santiago My little, almost French-style hotel – $82 per night for a small room with a comfortable large bed, well equipped bathroom and breakfast included – was perfectly lovely and only about 4 subway stops from the city centre. There’s not a whole lot to see and do in Santiago, but the city’s location at the foot of the Andes is spectacular. There is some lovely colonial architecture and a couple of fascinating Museums, so it’s perfect for wandering around. I wished I had allowed time to go north-east to Valparaiso which I was told was much more interesting. But my whole trip was 4 weeks, already bordering on the ‘too long’. So two full days in Santiago are all you really need. To Punta Arenas I was up at 5:00 for the trip to the airport and the morning flight down to Punta Arenas almost at the southernmost tip of the continent. This has to be one of the most spectacular flights anywhere. The Southern Chilean Ice Sheet is the largest outside Alaska and the two poles. All along the route, there were snow-caped peaks, dozens of glaciers, lakes galore. Towards the end, the landscape became greener as the harsh farmlands of Patagonia came into view. I had just one night in Punta Arenas, which is just as well as there’s not much to see. Had I done my homework better, I’d have taken a trip to the nearby Penguin Reserve. But I spent much of the afternoon in the Chocolatta Café doing emails and looking forward to the next few days in the Torres del Paine National Park. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 28, 2013 Posted March 28, 2013 Chilean Patagonia: Torres del Paine National Park This amazing National Park is a pleasant five-hours drive away from Punta Arenas. As you finally enter the Park, you see the three towers (the Torres) set amidst other more spectacular mountains in the Cuernos del Paine range. Actually these mountains are not all that high – about 3,000 meters or so. But they are so isolated and so spectacular! Sometimes when it was cloudy, it could be incredibly dramatic. On clear days, it was just, well, stunning. When I got out of the minibus, breathed in that incredibly fresh air and saw that amazing view, I knew I was in a very special place. The three towers normally hidden within the Range How did I know about the Explora Hotel? For the incredibly simple reason that I had read about it and seen an amazing photo in a travel magazine. I have made quite a number of similar decisions in the past - going up to Glacier Bay in Alaska, visiting the French town of Annecy with its small canals in the city centre, taking the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver - all because something in a magazine I read on a plane sparked my interest. The hotel’s location with lakes in front and behind is just so incredible. At night, I’d go outside and lie down on the boardwalk which led to a little pier and gaze up at the stars. Unbelievably, I noticed a guest whose wife seemed Thai. Not only was she Thai, both were close friends of friends of mine who live near Chonburi! I also made friends with a rather eccentric American lady, Elsie, and we did lot of the excursions and treks (gentle ones) together. We’d then have a couple of drinks in the bar before dinner which would be the start of evenings of great hilarity. That’s one of the nice things about travelling solo. You can meet some really great people. The hotel’s interior is very simple but incredibly comfortable. My bed was huge with windows opening on to that incredible view. The only truly luxurious part was the bathroom with its own Jacuzzi and some very enticing toiletries. This was one of the occasions when I wished I had been able to bring a Thai friend with me. Cuernos del Paine Range A guanoco on the lookout (herds always post look-outs) On my last full day, we were bussed over to a nearby estancia for a typical gaucho lunch. Then a gentle 2-hour trek with a different view of the mountains, before catching the minibuses back. El Calafate and the Perito Moreno Glacier After breakfast on the last morning, a fleet of minibuses was waiting to take us to our next destinations. I joined up with an Australian couple and headed for the Argentine border. After crossing over, we had a car waiting for us for a long 5-hour drive to El Calafate. This is a rather touristy town with lots of cafes and restaurants, colourful buildings souvenir shops and the odd native carving. The main reason for its existence, though, is it is the stopping off point for visiting the massive Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the few on the planet that is actually advancing. Perito Moreno Glacier from the air I started the next day on a coach for the 90-minute trip to the glacier. Before reaching it, we transferred on to a small boat so we could first get up really close. After returning to the pier, the coach took us to the closest land point. Here there is an extensive series of walkways that enable you to see the immensity of this natural wonder. Years ago I had been to Glacier Bay in Alaska with its 17 glaciers, but none was anywhere near as grand as this. I had hoped I could see a huge chunk break off and crash into the water. I did see some – but they were all small pieces. Yet I was thrilled to be there. Unquestionably, this is yet another of the continent’s ‘must-sees’. Back to Punta Arenas and up to Lima If there’s one problem with South America, it’s that it is so bloody big! My flights back up to Santiago and on to Lima had to leave from Punta Arenas and were again using miles. So the following day I had to make the long trek backwards to the Chilean border. Then it was an hour or so on to Puerto Natales, before another 3-hour regular bus trip down to Punta Arenas. The next morning I was up at 3:30 am for a 5:30 flight to Santiago with a long stopover in Puerto Montt, the centre of Chile’s Lake District – but unfortunately not long enough to go into the town and do some sightseeing. At Santiago, a 2-hour connection and then back into business class for a nice dinner, some excellent wines and a little snooze during the 4-hour flight up the coast to Lima, the capital of Peru. Here I was based in a small hotel - $70/night including a simple but nice breakfast which you order the night before - in the posh Miraflores district. Lots of trendy cafes and restaurants, and a couple of old archeological sights to see. But the centre of the city is far more interesting. Sadly Lima has no subway and, although taxis are cheap, the traffic is horrendous. So timing one’s trips in and out became crucial. What first strikes one in the city’s centre is how colourful Lima is. The buildings are mostly painted in lots of shades of yellows, reds, blues and various shades of brown. The centre is relatively small and so you can walk to most places of interest. Seeing the main square with the Presidential Place (gun-toting guards everywhere), the Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace can easily take all morning. Nearby is the Church of San Francisco with its adjoining Convent Building and a fascinating Museum and Catacombs. From here it’s a short walk to the Museum of the Inquisition. This gives an interesting insight into Peru’s colonial Catholic past, but the exhibits are a bit tacky, a bit too much like those in Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Not far away is another large square which I found quite cruisy, but I had no time and nowhere to go. I certainly was not going to take anyone all the way back to my hotel. The tiny rooftop restaurant in the hotel also served an informal dinner. Tired after my first day’s wanderings, I decided just to stay in and try it. The meal was magnificent and cheap, so much so that I also dined there on my second evening! Quote
TotallyOz Posted March 28, 2013 Posted March 28, 2013 FH, your stories and photos are simply incredible. They look like something taken right out of a picture book truly! You really have a fabulous eye! Quote
Guest Posted March 28, 2013 Posted March 28, 2013 Wow, amazing photos. Superb colours. Thank you for posting this. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 29, 2013 Posted March 29, 2013 The last leg: Cusco and Machu Picchu The 45-minute flight from Lima whisks you from sea-level to 3,400 meters up in the Andes for Cusco, the stopping off point for Machu Picchu. As soon as you walk down the plane steps, you immediately notice the lack of oxygen Within the terminal, you’ll be offered some cocoa tea which is said to be good for warding off altitude sickness. There are also oxygen bottles if you need a whiff. In my lovely little hotel not far from the main Square (around US$140/night B&B – Cusco is not cheap) there was an elderly man in the lobby also being fed oxygen! I know several people who have ended up with altitude sickness in Cusco, two having to depart back down to Lima very quickly. In Patagonia, I met two girls who had recently been to Cusco and who said altitude sickness pills are a must. They had three tablets left over which they kindly gave to me. I had to start taking them 36 hours before the flight, and easily got some additional pills at a pharmacy in Lima. I took them after every meal. Up in Cusco, thankfully I encountered no problems. But I took the guidebook’s advice: for the first 4 – 5 hours do nothing. Just lie on the bed and read as the body tries to acclimatise. After a couple of hours, I got bored. Purely out of curiosity, I wondered if perhaps there might be anyone from Cusco on gayromeo. I soon noticed that 115 or so were registered and 4 were on line, including a 19-year old student who was keen to meet up. Bearing in mind the ‘no activity’ admonition, I reluctantly said no for that evening, but we agreed on a date the next night. He worked in a bar in the evenings, and so after all my sightseeing, I popped over to the Norton Rat’s Tavern and had a couple of drinks. He was a real cutie. Once his shift was over, he . . . well, we'll skip that part. I can't show his photo, but I bought a T-shirt from the pub. The Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu was a real treat. It leaves slightly later than the others, and so you don’t have to get up quite so early. It also is the last to leave from the other end at Machu Picchu giving you have more time to wander around if you want. Alternatively, they provide afternoon tea at the Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel up at the actual entrance to the site – but to stay there, you need to be rich as rooms come in around US$1,000/night!! On the map, you can see that Cusco is on the right and Machu Picchu on the far left. You are actually going downhill to get there, almost 1,000 meters. The trip is only about 120 kms, but the track twists and turns between steep gorges and takes around 4 hours each way. So following mimosas on boarding, we had croissants and coffee and later a full 3-course lunch before arriving at the foot of the mountain. From the station at Aguas Calientes, you board a fleet of Mercedes buses that take you up an impossibly steep dirt hairpin track until suddenly at the final turn there in front of you is the extraordinary citadel that is Machu Picchu. When we arrived, sadly it was raining, but only slightly. November is the start of the rainy season, but I could not undertake my whole itinerary and get the most ideal weather everywhere. What photographs of Machu Picchu do not often portray is how small the area actually is – it accommodated less than 1,000 people in its heyday – and how steep the surrounding hills are. It’s easy to understand how the Spanish conquerors completely failed to find Machu Picchu: it is just so far above the valleys. At one point our guide led us down some steps at the side of the site. I was petrified, because on my left was a sheer drop of at least 300 meters – and no guardrail. Looking down at the Train Station I wished I could have spent the night and watched the dawn come up in the morning. But after tea and scones at the hotel, it was back on to the buses for the scary trip down the steep hillside. Once on the train, it was drinks time again before a 4-course dinner. In the bar car at the back of the train there was a combo playing throughout the trip. A great way to end a great day. The next morning I had more time to wander around Cusco. It is relatively compact and so you can see most of the main sights simply by walking. This was where the Spanish conquistador Pizzaro with a force of only 168 men and 62 horses, wiped out the entire Inca Empire of roughly 16 million, ostensibly in the name of religion, but of course it was primarily for gold – vast quantities of it. So every stone breathes history. Indeed, when you look at many of the buildings, you notice large blocks of rounded stones at their base rising often 2 or more meters. These are the original Inca foundations. The Square in the city’s centre is magnificent, a great place for people watching. It is bordered on 2 sides by the main Cathedral facing south and equally impressive Church of La Compañía de Jesús facing west. In the small park in its centre, you can see the city’s Rainbow flag flying. Cusco Cathedral Church of La Compañía de Jesús And of course there are souvenir shops everywhere, with one popular item being a rug which would clearly be coveted by those contributing to another thread here!! . . . Of all the towns/cities I visited, this is the one I most want to return to. This was the capital of the Inca Empire, and the surrounding valleys are packed full of history. After three nights, though, it was back down to Lima for one night before a further two flights to get me to Buenos Aires. One problem I found in the continent is that airlines didn’t seem to co-ordinate timetables. So getting from Lima to Rio or Lima to Buenos Aires usually meant 2 or 3 stops. A nice touch in Lima, though. When I left my cheap little hotel at 5:30, it was too early for breakfast. As I checked out they presented me with an unexpected packed breakfast to eat en route! And so 4 weeks after leaving home I was back at Buenos Aires airport for 2 more British Airways night flights to Bangkok with a couple of days stop-over to see friends in London. It really was a fabulous trip, worth all the miles, all the cost and all the planning. Only one thing I would have done differently (as Michael and firecat69 have expressed in Michael’s Brazil thread) – I’d have spent a few weeks beforehand learning some basic Spanish. This was one time on my travels when I felt hampered by the lack of even a few phrases. One tip: I’m told that if you plan your trip in advance and then buy your internal flights along with your intercontinental tickets, they work out much cheaper. Thanks to everyone for the nice comments. For those considering a trip to Brazil, I hope these posts might encourage you to add at least one more country. If not, then as this walker in Buenos Aires discovers every day, they must have been a dog to wade through! Quote
a447a Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 What can I say? SUGOI, SUGOI, SUGOI!!!!! Both yourself and Michael have inadvertently saved me a lot of time. After reading your comprehensive reports, I will never post another pathetic bar report again! haha Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 The major advantage travel reports have over things like bar reports is, I think, quite simple - photos!! Unfortunately, we are not permitted to post photos taken inside bars, nor of the barboys unless we have their explicit permission to do so. So bar reports are totally dependent on the writer's powers of description! Now if only bar owners and the boys would give that permission . . . Quote
a447a Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 Oops...double post. Damn phone! Time to get a tablet. Quote
firecat69 Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 The major advantage travel reports have over things like bar reports is, I think, quite simple - photos!! Unfortunately, we are not permitted to post photos taken inside bars, nor of the barboys unless we have their explicit permission to do so. So bar reports are totally dependent on the writer's powers of description! Now if only bar owners and the boys would give that permission . . . So many of the photos you posted are so spectacular that it definitely wants to make me go to some of those places. High altitude really bothers me. Even my visits to Bogota at 8600 feet were difficult for me. Keeping that in mind which would you recommend in what order for a 2 week trip? Departure point would be Atlanta, Ga? Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 With altitude being a problem, sadly that rules out Cusco and Machu Picchu. There may be a way of getting to Cusco other than via Lima so you get used to an in-between altitude first. But I don’t know where that stop would be. So that almost certainly also rules out Lima. The key to making a trip work in 2 weeks is to make the routing more logical than I was able to do by going down the Brazil/Argentina side first and then crossing into Chile for the start of the trip back up. (I lost 4 full pages in my passport just with the constant criss-crossing between countries!) If you want to see the glories of nature, then you have to try and fit in both the Iguazú Falls and the southern part of the South Chilean Ice Field. At Iguazú, you do need to walk quite a bit on both sides, but you do not have to do it all on one day. In fact, it makes sense to allow 2, one for each side. If you are flush with cash, there is a Sheraton Hotel within the Park on the Argentinian side, but staying there does not cut down much on the walking! There will be plenty of other hotels and guest houses on both sides to suit most budgets. Depending on visa costs, I'd be tempted to start by flying to Sao Paolo. Either spend a day or two there (perhaps checking out Michael's haunts) or connect to a flight to Foz do Iguaçu. Since you will be on the Brazil side, that’s the ideal way to get your first view of the Iguazú Falls. If you do decide to ‘do’ them in 2 days, on the second morning, you could get a car and driver to take you and your luggage across the border, spend one night in Puerto Iguazú, see the Falls on that side the next day and then get an evening flight down to Buenos Aires. I’d definitely want to spend 3 full days there. If you are interested in whale-watching, then you should try to add in a full-day stop at Puerto Madryn and the Valdez Peninsula which is one of the best places in the world to see whales and dolphins. From there, there ought to be a way to fly down to El Calafate for two days to take in the Perito Moreno Glacier. Or add in a third to see several others in the area. Then take the long road trip crossing over into Chilean Patagonia. That kills the better part of one day. Hopefully there may be one or two more hotels in the Torres del Paine National Park by now. If not, either stay just outside the Park or, if you can save up for it, the Explora Hotel is a quite magical experience. To wake up to that view every morning was stunning! If you do stay at the Explora, then you have a 4-night minimum stay. If not, then allow 3 days. From there, the only way out is the 5-hour trip down to Punta Arenas to catch a flight back up the continent. Since there won't be time to stay in Punta Arenas, let's hope there will be a late afternoon flight to Santiago which would be magical for seeing the mountains (make sure you have a window seat on the right of the plane). Spend a night there and then either get your flight home or first use it as a launching point for a couple of days in Valparaiso and/or the wine district. By my reckoning that is roughly - 2 nights at Foz do Iguaçu 1 night at Puerto Iguazú 3 or 4 nights in Buenos Aires 1 night in Puerto Madryn (hopefully flight schedules will make this work or it can be dropped if whales aren't your thing!) 2 nights in El Calafate 3 or 4 nights in or near the Torres del Paine National Park 1 night in Santiago in case international flight connections are tight Quote
firecat69 Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks so much for taking the time for such a complete answer!!! Quote
baobao Posted April 5, 2013 Posted April 5, 2013 Another amazing bunch of photos and observations. My hat's off to you again. Thank you! Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 31, 2013 Posted July 31, 2013 Just found this rather amazing photo of Machu Picchu which pans through a full 360 degrees! http://www.fullscreen360.com/machu-picchu Quote
Rogie Posted July 31, 2013 Posted July 31, 2013 Fascinating Two figures can be made out - otherwise the person filming has it all to himself! Quote
