The Steiners

Our Itinerary: 30-Sep Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel Travel from CMH>ATL>LIM Arrival 10:15PM 1-Oct Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel Lima Historical Center 2-Oct Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel Lima Historical Center 3-Oct Paracas, Peru DoubleTree Resort Paracas Drive to Paracas 4-Oct Paracas, Peru DoubleTree Resort Paracas Beach 5-Oct Paracas, Peru DoubleTree Resort Paracas Reserva Nacional de Paracas 6-Oct Paracas, Peru DoubleTree Resort Paracas Reserva Nacional de Paracas 7-Oct Paracas, Peru DoubleTree Resort Paracas Reserva Nacional de Paracas 8-Oct Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel Drive to Lima 9-Oct Lima, Peru Sheraton Lima Hotel Miraflores 10-Oct Urubamba, Peru Tambo del Inka Resort Travel from LIM>CUZ 11-Oct Urubamba, Peru Tambo del Inka Resort Machu Picchu 12-Oct Urubamba, Peru Tambo del Inka Resort Huayna Picchu 13-Oct Urubamba, Peru Tambo del Inka R... read more

We are in the Air France lounge now, whiling the time away in what is clearly superior to any of the Delta Sky Clubs so we cannot complain however we got to the airport early as I wasn't 100 percent on the departure time and had not had a chance to check, and it turns out the flight is delayed by 5 hours because the earlier flight came in late and the ever so pleasant Delta flight crew has to rest at the Hilton. So while they rest, the rest of us get to suffer, it is for safety's sake I suppose, but on the other hand Delta crews don't really work that hard when on the ground or in the air, so I am not sure what they are doing. Maybe they will be having ... read more

The drive from Kleinmond/Hermanus to Cape Town is surprisingly shorter this way than passing through Stellenbosh and Franschhoek. To be sure, the biggest issue with the last is that the road from Franschhoek is very windy as you are passing through the Holland Hottentots Mountains which makes what looks like a short distance quite long. High Places in Cape Town I knew when I booked us on tomorrow's Premier Classe train that trying to get things done on New Year's Day would be a problem. Well, it has been, although I don't think we missed all that much. We saw The Castle (Cape Town's main defensive fort), but it was closed; we saw and drove up Table Mountain, but the cablecar was closed; we drove up to the Noon Gun, but the gates were closed; we ... read more

We are relaxing poolside today but the Arabella Western Cape Resort and Spa is a severe let down, right down to the restaurant manager making up today's forecast yesterday so that the day is only passable for the pool. I have figured out the right location in the hotel to make the internet work, so we want to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010 before we drive off to Cape Town. We did not do anything too crazy last night, as a matter of fact I feel asleep as Moscow was celebrating the New Year, so about an hour early. I am very tired and this go-go is really wearing me down. On top of that, we are really enjoying Namibian beer and South African beer and wine and that does not help when combined ... read more

My first introduction to good South African wine was a Spier Reserve Pinotage 2006 I enjoyed in Virginia about a month ago, so I have been looking forward since then to having some good wine. South Africa is no California, France, or Italy but its wines are quite good and most importantly still very affordable for good quality product. We focused on Stellenbosch and Franschhoek area for our wine tour but be advised that the viticultural areas extend well beyond these areas and Paarl and include much of the area surrounding Cape Town and the Western and Southern Cape. The drive from Cape Town is quite easy, but as you can see from the photos you discover on the outskirts of Cape Town how most of the people live here, particularly near the airport. Again, you ... read more

We are to visit Walvis Bay today, but I am not sure that will be ultimately achieved. I was just awakened by Jennifer with sad news that has got me a bit depressed. Matt will know right off what I'm talking about - Urban Meyer is leaving college football and the Gators. I completely understand why he is doing it but I think that he and the people we have on the team these last few years are a group of very special people and it is sad to see that the season should finish this way. I think our loss to Alabama was the first sign that things were not right as a whole for the team. I think that Tebow, like Meyer, realized after his laying unconscious on the field that victory was not ... read more

A LOT has happened in the last three days, so one day flows into the next and into the next. We are already the 26th here in Swakopmund, so a belated Merry Christmas to everyone, we miss you, but we have to admit that being the in the hot sweltering desert climbing massive red sand dunes and driving across moonscaped gravel roads makes you forget a little bit that it is Christmas! A quick recap on the relevant for Sossusvlei this AM. My favorite part of the trip so far. FINALLY After 1400 kilometers and 20 hours by bus, followed by 350 kilometers and 6 hours by car on gravel roads through the desert, we arrived at Sesriem yesterday, at the entrance to the Namib-Naukluft National Park. We signed up with the hotel for a 6AM ... read more