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Well my friends it is close to the end of this trip and I thought I would wrap it up with another blog about some of the other days and pictures I have had and taken in the last week or so.It is amazing the time has gone by so quickly, as everyone says I am sure.First let me tell you about the city concert.There was an arts festival here last weekend with bands playing in the parks and some exhibitions and childrens activities.One of the more interesting events was a concert last sunday night beginning at 9.This was the day Michael and I had been to the wine valley so when we got back to town and he picked up his wife and sister in law I was dropped off at my apt.I wanted to ... read more

Hi again,the sun is shining but I am feeling guilty for not writing for a few days, so thought I would spend some time and a bottle of Chardonnay with you while I continue to write about some of my other days of the last week. I had not been on a formal or informal tour of Valpo since arriving many weeks ago.One of my usual routines in a place is to take a bus tour or some other orientation to get to know the place where I am staying.Since there are no bus tours I looked elsewhere and came across Michael the Pirate. Yes yes I know stay away from pirates, I have already been warned, but Michael came well recommended by by British ex neighbours in the apartment and is also mentioned in the ... read more

Hello again blog buddies,just having my morning coffee and thought I would catch up on my travels and tell you about my return trip from Mendoza.I had reservations about the bus, after having taken 14 hours on the eastward crossing of the Andes a week before.My decision was made after weighing a few factors such as the fact I was travelling on a Sunday and I had been told part of my previous experience was due to the summer holiday phenomenon occuring in the middle of January when wave two of holiday travellers heads to Chile from Argentina just as wave one is returning.It all seemed to make sense and so the decision was made and ticket in hand I went to the bus station to catch the 09:30 Andesmar bus to Valpo . I was ... read more

Good evening my blogging friends from sun kissed Argentina.Mendoza is where I am at the moment in the shadow of the Andes on an arid plain about 800 meters above sea level.It is hot and for the most part dry here, though the heavens did open up last evening as I was walking home from having supper unfortunately. Mendoza gets 300 sunny days a year and it is in the center of an irrigated agricultural region,channeling snow melt from the mountains to nourish a rich wine,olive,fruit,vegetable and nut region. The city itself is filled with trees planted along every street and all irrigated by a simple system of wide irrigation ditches that run along the side of the road which feed the tree roots.These ditches are deep and wide so you need to be very careful ... read more

Hola blogging buddies. I am still here and again I will say, I am fine. I did lay low for a couple of days,partly to regain my composure and confidence and also taking care of some things closer to home. The weather has changed a bit ,with a cooler air mass passing by.Not sure how weather tracks down here,certainly do not have the benefit of Claire Martin or Ian Black explaining the weather patterns in detail, but from my balcony I can see and feel the change with a cooler air mass and even some rain the other night.For a Canadian it is still a pretty fine temperature but I see people bundled up like it was the dead of winter at times. In the past few days, notwithstanding black monday when I had my difficulties, ... read more