Geo: -41.1333, -71.2833Day 7 – October 28The Llao Llao resort is lovely. Our room is a little snug for the price I'm sure we are paying; so is the bathroom; and there are nowhere near enough electrical outlets for charging the warehouse full of electronics I brought along.Breakfast was served in an elegant two-story room with picture windows offering magnificent views of the Andes and the infinity pool. Unfortunately, it is rainy and misty and chilly -- about 50°F. After breakfast, which was delish, I had a manicure at the spa. Others signed up for massages, exercise classes, etc. Anne, Patrick and I then donned our rain gear and insulated coats and headed off to visit the quaint chapel on property. When the rain picked up, I turned around. I'm a fair weather walker and, besides, ... read more

Geo: -41.3265, -72.9882Day 5 – October 26 We checked out of the Ritz and headed to the airport for our Sky Airlines flight to Puerto Montt, a shipping port in Chile's Lake District. Murray informed us it is rainy and cool most of the year, not unlike Seattle. On the transfer, Murray bought us up to speed on a little of Chile's political history, including Salvador Allende, the first Marxist to become president of a South American country. In 1970, he won the presidency, but three years later, the military moved to oust him in a coup d'état sponsored by the United States CIA. Army General Pinochet then ruled by a military junta until 1990, when democratic rule returned. All three countries we will visit on this trip have relatively recent democratic governments.He talked a little ... read more

Geo: -33.4691, -70.642Day 3 ~ October 24I love it when a plan comes together. After much discussion and many options, our plan for the day came together over breakfast. We took a 9:30 excursion on Turistik, a hop-on hop-off tour of Santiago ($34). We strolled along a parkway with many wonderful contemporary sculptures and hopped on a double decker bus for a supposedly 2-hour tour of Santiago. OK, so it lasted 3 hours due to noon-time traffic, but who's counting?We drove along wide thoroughfares and passed places like: • “Sanhattan”, a section of SANtiago that resembles ManHATTAN• Hotel Intercontinental and its living wall (exterior is a texture of live plants) … a technique used abundantly here• Parque Arauco, one of Latin America's most important malls• Beautifully landscaped sides streets, university campuses and sculpture... read more

Geo: 38.6276, -90.199Day 1My husband Patrick Arnall and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. Hard to believe we have been married that long. Harder still to believe that he has had the patience to put up with me all these years. ;-)I have never been to South America so it was a natural for my bucket list. He, on the other hand, traveled here oodles of times on business for Monsanto. But as he said, you can only see so much from a taxicab window. So off we go, into the wild blue yonder, heading WAY south of the border to see more of the Americas. I must admit that, like many Americans, I usually think of US residents when I use the term "Americans". I know that I rarely think of Canadians and ... read more

Geo: 28.5377, -81.3774Because we were staying on Disney property, we could take advantage of early Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom this morning. Meaning, we could get in at 8 am, a full hour before the rest of the crowd. Our plan was to depart at 7:15. We departed at 8:45. This group is a test of my organizational skills. ;-)Nonetheless, we drove to AK, parked and were still in the gate at 9 am as the rest of the crowd was entering. We again rented a locker at the entrance, where we stored a change of shoes, umbrellas, etc. Very handy. Worth the money.It was drizzling slightly as we arrived so our first photos show us in ponchos and raincoats (suggest you buy these at a Dollar Store and bring with you, rather than paying $10 ... read more