Blogs from South America

Woke up at 6:30 to get ready for our trip to the coast, the Pacific Coast. Had a bit more leisurely breakfast as we were ready sooner than normal. I really have to teach the people of South America to make scrambled eggs. They put way to much liquid in them and zero seasoning of any kind. We did learn a good tip from a British couple, at the omelet station just have them cook you eggs any style. The man looked like he had the perfect over easy egg. After breakfast, it was off to the car for our 90-minute drive to the coast. Traffic was a bit heavy getting out of Santiago, but once on the autopista you can drive 75 miles an hour. Not that everyone else isn’t driving more like 100. I ... read more

Another early travel day, well not 4 am early, but still up by 6 so we could make our 11 am flight to Santiago. We did have time for a quick breakfast before we were in the cab at 8. Travel Tip, if your flying to another country out of Buenos Aires, you do need to allow extra time, getting through immigration is not a quick process. We were fortunate as our hotel concierge made sure we had a taxi at 8 so we had plenty of time to get to the airport (the in city airport), immigration and customs. Once through security, immigration and custom we still had 90 minutes before our flight. This is only because we got to the airport earlier. If we would arrived 30 minutes later, we would barely have made ... read more

When they "experts" publish these, lists, I am always curious about places I have also visited. This is a thrill-seekers list according to Kitty Holland of "Passing Thru Travel": The Trans-Siberian Railway, stretching over 9,000 kilometers from Moscow to Vladivostok, is the longest railway line in the world and offers one of the most iconic rail journeys. This epic voyage crosses eight time zones and offers a window into Russia’s vast and varied landscapes, from the dense forests of Siberia to the majestic Ural Mountains and the expansive steppes. Travelers can explore historic cities, experience Russia’s rich cultures and traditions, and interact with locals in remote communities. The journey can be customized with stops in cities like Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, and the stunning Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. A safari in Tanzania’s Serengeti ... read more

This has never happened to us in all of out travels. Italy is famous for their train strikes, London has Tube Strikes, France has general strikes, but we have never been in the middle of one. As previously noted in the prior blog, we may not have even known about it unless our taxi driver told us. We did get e-mails from the airline, which quickly rebooked us for Friday and the US Embassy e-mailed us as well. However, we were in the jungle all day, not exactly checking e-mails, and normally I don’t check them until right now, which is 9 pm. As soon as we got back to the hotel from dinner, we were lucky that we could extend our hotel by one-night, same room and even a cheaper rate. Then there was the ... read more

Today was a very early day, up at 4 am, in order to get ready and in the taxi to the airport by 5:30. Our flight was at 7:40, but we had no idea how long it took to get from the hotel to the international airport, how long security would take, etc. Turns out, we left at the exact right time. There was very little traffic, the taxi driver drove very very fast, and it still took about 30 minutes to get to the airport. This is the first time we have ever taken an in-country fight on a trip, so this was all new to us. We booked through Argentine Airlines, all online, I am impressed with the ease of check in, and how little time it took to get through security even without ... read more