TravelStream™ news feed for member johnmyers2 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/johnmyers2 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:00:59 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnmyers2/1/1230839220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnmyers2/1/1230839220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnmyers2/1/1230839220/tpod.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:00:59 -0500 Adventures in South America

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas to you All!!!


What a year!! We feel fortunate to have survived, financially somewhat battered, but still in good health.



Knowing nothing of what was to follow, as planned we spent the first 3 months of this year in South America. We established a travel blog (great fun in itself) and many of you followed along as we progressed through the 'Southern Cone' of the Americas. Mitzi joined us in Santiago, our starting off point, and we traveled with her to Peru (Machu Picchu, Cuzco), Argentina (Buenos Aires), and a day trip to Uruguay. We rented apartments in Santiago, B.A., and Montevideo and took side trips to places as varied as the Atacama desert, the Chilean lake district , Iguazu Falls,

Patagonia with its penguins and glaciers, and a Uruguayan estancia. We loved it all and were agreeably surprised that we

did not miss our home surroundings. Although Chile, Peru, and Argentina have the big tourist destinations and are all wonderful to see, the most relaxing and comfortable place (especially from a climate point of view) was Uruguay. Its beaches and countryside are almost absent of visitors by March when we were there. Its excellent wines were also a pleasant surprise.
Christy and Eric continued in Nicaragua, but now in Managua (the capital). Eric's responsibilities to Bloomberg made the move necessary. Christy worked for a friend of ours in

Chicago. The Internet and Skype have literally eliminated geographic considerations when it comes to many office tasks. She continued to visit 'her families' in Granada whenever possible. Their big news is that they are moving to Panama in January. Eric will become the Bloomberg guy in Panama, a much bigger and more important country from an economic viewpoint than Nicaragua.
In July we went to England, no wedding this time, visited with my mother who remains unchanged and is now 90, and then we were off to Mitzi's house in France (much better weather than last year) where we were joined for a weekend by my brother Paul and my sister Angela, and their spouses. We were also visited by Silvia and Jose, whom we visited last year, who drove up from Madrid with a Jamon Iberico and its Jamonera (a whole leg of ham with its carving stand), a specialty of Spain.


On returning to England we drove up to Dundee, Scotland (with the ham), to visit with Mitzi's daughter Lindsey and her fiancé Alex, and Lindsey's beautiful daughters Katy and Chloe. Duncan, Mitzi's son also joined us for a few days.
After 6 weeks away, we returned to Chicago where the unraveling of the economy was already beginning to show. Needless to say we made no effort to sell our townhouse in Naperville, in fact we will not try until at least 2010. .
In August Greg took an opportunity to join a startup company offering services to the capital markets. It is hardly a nourishing environment for this endeavor right now so we will see how they do. He and his new wife Karen are building a country house in the depths of the Illinois countryside which should be finished in the new year
Vedran continued with the company he joined last year. He visited Croatia again and his sister Vanja visited Chicago in October.

I continued to cycle quite seriously, doing more miles this year than last, including 2 five day trips in Wisconsin with friends in September.
Joan had to have foot surgery again to remove a cyst which had regrown.
November was busy. We spent 10 days in Nicaragua staying with Christy and Eric. Following that Mitzi came for her annual Chicago Thanksgiving visit. She and Joan flew off to Palm Springs to stay with our friend Kathy and also to visit Las Vegas. This was the first time Mitzi had been to California and Nevada. They returned to Chicago in time to celebrate Thanksgiving in our apartment with Greg, Karen, Vedran, and our friend Ruth. Unfortunately Christy and Eric did not make it, but they will be here for Christmas.
The much delayed remodeling of the master bathroom was completed while Mitzi was here. All did not go smoothly but we are very happy with the end result.
July 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of our arrival in North America (15 years in Canada, 25 in the USA). It has been a great ride and we hope the ride continues for many more years yet.
We managed to spend over 5 months of 2008 traveling. With the economy in freefall it is unlikely we will do the same in 2009, unfortunately, but this too will pass.
May you all enjoy a happy and warm Christmas and a prosperous and healthy 2009.

Joan and John
P.S. Joan had a great time taking photos, including all of the above.
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Zapallar, Chile

Yesterday we drove from Pucon in the south of Chile to Zapallar on the Pacific coast, west of Santiago. If our first impression of Pucon was of the English Lake District then Zapallar is Carmel in California. We arrived as the fog rolled in from the ocean, just as it does in Carmel most days.
The drive itself was easy, if prolonged. The odometer showed we had driven 948 km in just over 9 hours. This is a tribute to the great highways in Chile - they are at least as good as the US interstate system if not better in places. This is not Mexico even if they do speak Spanish.
Having traversed a good portion (if by no means all) of the country I feel ready to give my first impressions.

First - tolls - the good roads are paid for by tolls. Consequently they are mostly empty. Every 50 miles or so you have to pay about 3 dollars - it mounts up. As a warning to US and Canadian visitors, there is also a 'toll' for them when they enter the country. It is a $100 for US and $45 for Canadians ($35 for Australians and $15 for Mexicans). However, everyone else gets in free. Happy were the Myers as they waved their British passports through immigration. Brazil also charges US citizens $100 to enter. As we are going there as well we will save $400 by using our British passports instead of our US ones. Purely a commercial decision!!

Second - flowers - they are everywhere, seemingly growing wild. Fuchsias, hydrangeas, bougainvillea, and of course flowers we have never seen before. In Zapallar there are literally cascades of geraniums down the cliffs to the beach.

Third - mountains - as we drove north from Pucon the Andes were constantly to our right, often rising to great heights and seeming very close. The tops were covered in snow and glistened in the sun. Chile has a geographical profile much like California, with coastal mountains, a central plain and then the Andes. Like California the central plain is a prolific agricultural producer with every kind of fruit and vegetable plus, of course, extensive vineyards. Wines we have sampled so far (I'm the red guy and Joan is the white) are two Sauvignon Blanc and two Carmerere (Santa Rita and Concha y Torro), mine were very good and Joan enjoyed hers as well.

Fourth - bicyclists - they are everywhere. Many people use bicycles as their main mode of transport (there are many poor people here) but there are also lots of keen road bikers complete with safety helmets and total riding gear, just like me in fact when I'm out on my bike. There is also a triathlon taking place in February which could explain the extra cyclists.

Fifth - beauty - this country is beautiful. We took a 3 hour walk along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There is a pathway/promenade (called La Rambla) along the coast which seemingly goes for ever. This is no casual affair but has carefully constructed steps, fences, and ramps. The climate here on the coast is perfect (except for the fog), warm but no need for air conditioning. Many rich Santiagans have built beautiful summer homes here to escape the heat of Santiago. There must be some English blood in them as their gardens are full of flowers and very meticulously maintained.

We visited a nature reserve today, where we saw Humboldt penguins in their natural state for the first time in our lives. We were quite excited. They are on a small island less than 100 metres from the shore. No one is allowed on the island but you can observe from la Rambla easily, and with help of good lenses capture good photos and videos.

Sixth - Birds. There are varieties of birds which we have never seen before. Perhaps they exist in North America but they seem much more accessible here.
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Rocha, Uruguay

Estancia El Charabon (www.elcharabon.com)

One of the items on our wish list from the very beginning of our trip was a visit to an estancia. It took until the last week of our trip to fulfill this objective. We were richly rewarded for our wait.

We selected El Charabon almost at random from a list supplied by a travel agency in Montevideo. But, like most of our choices on this trip, we could not have picked better. The welcome extended to us by the owner (duena) Graciela was most gracious and inclusive. It was almost as if we were being welcomed into her family.

El Charabon means `baby rhea´ and indeed there were two rheas (nandu) on the grounds. The estancia is located some 220 km from Montevideo in the province of Rocha which is northeast of the capital, and not far from the coast. The estancia sits on the highest point in the region and has stunning views over the rolling pampas. The weather, for the three days we were there, was magical with puffy white clouds in brilliant blue skies. The recent much needed rain had made everything green.

The estancia is a working ranch with 950 hectares, 150 of which is Eucalyptus trees for lumber, and there are 900 Hereford cattle and many Hampshire Down sheep. The principle activity is horse riding and most guests avail themselves of this with the help of an imposing gaucho (Fernando). The estancia can accommodate up to 20 guests but, it being the end of summer, there were only, at most, 6 guests when we were there. We were content to take in the tranquil atmosphere of the surroundings and go on a walk over the fields. The estancia is so located that it seems remote from everything and everybody - there is no sign of any other human habitation in looking over the pampas.

Four meals a day are included, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. We struggled valiantly to eat all the delicious food cooked by two charming young chefs. Those of you who know us will understand when I say that we were up to the task. Joan is threatening starvation rations when we return to Chicago!

The estancia being so close to the coast, we drove to Cabo Polonio, one of Uruguay´s wildest area. Cars are not allowed into the reserve which consists of rolling sand dunes. Walking and horse riding are options, but also available, and which we took, are high rise trucks which offer 10 km rides through the dunes to the `settlement´ of Cabo Polonio. In addition to the `hippie´ life style on view, the main attraction is a seal and sea lion colony. Unfortunately only two sea lions were to be seen, and the seals had all moved offshore to rocky outcrops about 1,000 metres from the shore. We ate lunch outside at La Perla restaurant which sits almost in the water.

We returned to El Charabon for our last dinner at the estancia. As it was the end of the season (although the estancia is open year round) we had a special dinner and drank a champagne toast to the staff, who had all assembled in the dining room.

We lingered until after lunch on our final day, reluctant to leave, but finally we drove off back to Montevideo and `home´.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Juanico Vineyard

Having written about this wine maker previously, we were lucky enough to be able to visit their extensive vineyard some 38 kilometers from Montevideo in the village of Juanico. My jolly landlord, Adam, had set up the visit in his role as travel guide writer. It was a beautiful day and, despite the modern technology in evidence, the ancient origins of this vineyard were what impressed. The original building dates from 1830 and the cellar is even earlier, having been started in 1817. The cellar was built by Guarani indians, who had been trained by the Jesuits. The brick cellar, barrel vaulted in the traditional style and built of brick, is still as solid and crack free as the day it was built.

Our guide Jimena, a young woman fluent in English, was our pleasant and knowledgeable companion as we were shown around the extensive property (500 hectares, of which 200 are growing Eucalyptus trees). The vineyard produces close to 5 million litres a year and exports to 40 countries. They grow 40 different varieties of grape and presently use 14 of them to make wine. They are constantly testing new varieties and combinations.
They have no wine earlier than 1992 in the cellar. As our guide explained, the wine produced previously was very bad. They ripped out all the vines and replaced them with vines from Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux vines were chosen because of the geographical similarity of the two locations. Both are on a major estuary (Gironde and River Plate) and both are well watered.

The tour being soon over, we were shown to the dining room where the wives of the military attachés from the various embassies were just finishing their lunch. That must be a hard job, military attaché in Uruguay!

We had already tasted an excellent champagne (sorry, sparkling wine) and were now treated to 4 more wines, a heavily oaked chardonnay/viognier blend, cabernet sauvignon, tannat, and one of their premium wines, Preludio, which is a combination of 6 grape types, including cab, tannat, cab franc, and merlot. Unlike most vineyard visits we were offered more than just a taste, including a whole bottle of their 2002 Preludio, which was delicious.
The lunch was the traditional parilla, with a seemingly endless supply of carne, cerdo, and chorizo (beef, pork, and sausage) served on sizzling hot grills, followed by a very tasty chocolate cake, and coffee with port (sorry Licor de Tannat).

Best of all the whole visit was free, thanks to Adam´s status as a world renowned travel writer. We proceeded to spend our savings (and more) on some wine which we will bring back to Chicago to share.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Gauchos

This week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) which is now officially called Semana Turistico in Uruguay. It is still, nevertheless, a major holiday, with many stores and offices closed for the whole week. As I write it is Good Friday around 1:50 p.m. and outside not a soul can be seen. It is the quietest it has ever been here, even the local bar/restaurant, which is usually open (and full) until 2 am every day, has been closed since Wednesday.

We were aware of the role gauchos had played in the development of both Argentina and Uruguay. As herders of the vast numbers of cattle that developed on both sides of the River Plate they were a major contributor to the wealth that developed from the supplying of beef to both Europe and North America as those human populations grew rapidly in the 19th century. The gauchos, of course, saw little of that wealth. They are still a major romantic element in today's folklore and myth in society here. We attended the big fair/rodeo which is held annually in Semana Santa in Montevideo. Gauchos from all over Uruguay attend. Unlike other rodeos there are no bulls, or calf roping events. It is purely a display of horse riding skills on bucking broncos. There are two events. One with saddles but no stirrups on the horses and one without, just a rope around the horse´s neck. The main attraction for us was to see the gauchos, proudly wearing their gaucho 'uniform', strolling the grounds between the events. I must say they looked good!
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Teatro Solis

Teatro Solis is a gem! Amid so much that is slowly crumbling away in Montevideo, Teatro Solis shines like a beacon of hope. It is the nearest thing to a national theatre that Uruguay has. Built in 1856, it has recently been lovingly restored and the attention to detail is of the highest standard. Even the bathrooms are works of art, bearing comparison to such Chicago icons as the Art Institute and Symphony Center.

We attended a modern dance performance given by the local Ballet de Sodre. The main event was a performance of Tierra y Luna (Earth and Moon) from a poem by Federico Garcia Lorca. Both the music and the dance were outstanding.

The pictures of the theatre show much more than I can describe.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Sidewalks.
Everywhere we have been, less so in Chile but about the same everywhere else, it has been necessary to keep at least one eye on the ground in front of you when walking on the sidewalk. In addition to the leavings of the aforementioned stray (and not so stray) dogs, there is a constant need to watch out for holes in the sidewalk. Most sidewalks are paved with ribbed concrete tiles about 9 inches square. They inevitably come loose and pop out forming holes which get larger the longer they are not attended to; also the loose tiles form small piles which can also trip you. There is also a commendable plethora of trees planted along the streets to provide shade (or drip on you when it rains). Their roots play havoc with the sidewalk tiles. Incidentally, all of the photographs of the sidewalks were taken within a couple of hundred yards of our apartment in a far from poor neighborhood.
This neglect of the sidewalks is symptomatic of a much larger problem, lack of maintenance of public spaces and buildings. Again I exempt Chile from much of this criticism but that is probably because most of the infrastructure is newer.
I understand that there has been an economic meltdown and that many items have had to be postponed but something needs to be done, and soon, if the sidewalks are to be anything but muddy footpaths. As a sidelight to this, it seems that Uruguay introduced income tax for the first time last year. It was received as if there had been a Bolshevik revolution (they have a left of center government here for the first time since the early 20th century). I also understand that property taxes (rates) are low (although there is a 23/24% VAT for most items). It would seem that funding for public projects is being neglected in a desire to keep taxes low Where have I heard that before?
I had another view of this from a delightful guide who showed us around the Legislative building. It is very difficult to implement an income tax when inflation is eroding the value of incomes and leaving people materially worse off than they were before. I would have expected that the extremely regressive IVA (VAT) would have been reduced at the time of implementation but that seems not to have happened.

Scavengers
The effects of the economic 'meltdown' of 2002 have still to be eliminated. The most obvious evidence of this is the presence of garbage scavengers in most neighborhoods. The practice of leaving garbage containers out on the sidewalk makes it easy for the scavengers to gain access. While they are performing a useful social role in minimizing the waste of resources, it is difficult to imagine how they bring themselves to do it. Some better off residents leave food in plastic bags on the garbage containers for the scavengers. Their ponies are in worse shape than they are.

Since writing this I have learned that these scavengers are licensed by the city and deliver their spoils to a licensed recycling center. They are also, at least nominally, required to pay income taxes and social security. They are also forbidden to use child labor, although this seems widely ignored.

Lest it seem that I am being too critical, I would like to stress that we like Uruguay very much. It is a much quieter, calmer, and more agreeable place than Argentina. But it would be misleading to omit entirely some of the less agreeable aspects of life here.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Palacio Legislativo

Through the auspices of our landlords we were put in touch with a guide from the National Legislative building. We were indeed fortunate in that not only did Mabel speak fluent English but she was also a delightful companion to have as a private guide to a wonderful building she is rightly so proud of.

The Palacio Legislativo was built at the height of Uruguayan prosperity and still impresses with its craftsmanship and quality of materials. Unfortunately, like many other buildings in Montevideo, there is a lack of funds to maintain some of the less vital elements such as the graffito on the exterior of the inner walls.

The Uruguayan constitution is modeled on the US, with an executive presidency, a senate (30) and a house of representatives (99), and supreme court whose judges are proposed by the President and approved by the senate. The vice president serves as president of the Senate, and a speaker is elected annually to head up the house. We were able to see both houses and also traversed the tunnel which connects the legislative building to the administrative building that houses the legislators offices.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Mate Drinkers

While there was plenty of evidence of mate (matay) use in Argentina (little sign in Chile), the use of mate in Uruguay is widespread. The sight of Uruguayans, young, old, male, female, walking along while holding the cup or gourd in which the mate resides, with a hot water Thermos flask tucked in the crook of the arm, is so prevalent that I expect a genetic adaptation to occur where babies are born with one arm permanently bent to hold the flask. There are even hot water dispensers in places like gas stations to fill up the flask. Another method of carrying is to have a large leather case, usually oval in cross section, in which there are compartments for the flask, yerba powder (tea bags are available but I have never seen them used), gourds (mate means gourd), bombillas (the metal filter straw used to sip the mate), etc.

It is as if all those people one sees in North America and Europe carrying plastic bottles of water had converted to making and drinking tea as they walked along.

Mate, full name Yerba Mate, is derived from a plant which is a member of the holly family (Ilex Paraguayensis). It was used by the indigenous people prior to the Europeans arriving, but the first large scale cultivation and commercial exploitation occurred in the 18th century in the Jesuit plantation missions which straddled the present day Paraguayan and Argentinean borders.

A minor industry involves the making of mate accessories; mugs from cows hooves, silver, leather, plastic, wood; bombillas in beautifully decorated aluminum, silver, and gold; carved leather carrying cases; and more.
The use of mate is mainly confined to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Chile, the southern provinces of Brazil, and parts of Bolivia. Bottled mate is available in California. Syria and Lebanon are also significant drinkers as a result of returning immigrants from South America. According to our indispensable guide Wayne Bernhardson, author of Moon guides to Chile and Argentina, and previously, Lonely Planet guide to Argentina, Uruguay & Paraguay, Uruguayans drink twice as much per capita as Argentines. All kinds of medicinal claims are made for it. It is certainly high in caffeine, which may explain its constant use.

In Uruguay there is a national law that prohibits drinking mate while driving, because it has caused many accidents, people getting scalded with hot water while driving. For the same reason, there is also a "forbidden to drink mate" sign in all public transportation buses.
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Montevideo, Uruguay

Wines
Another discovery was a red varietal wine that I had never heard of - Tannat. It is the national grape of Uruguay. Again Wikipedia provided me with more information. It is apparently a French varietal from the Madiran region in the South of France but it is rarely used there by itself because of high acidity and tannin. The Uruguayan variety avoids those nasties and I have enjoyed two different brands already. The wine is very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec in terms of body and color, and even in taste. As my palate is not well developed those of you interested should try some yourself.
The two brands were Montes Toscanini 2006 from Las Piedras, Uruguay, which cost about $6, and Don Pascual Reserve 2006, Estableciemento Juanico, Familia Deicas ($7). The latter has a web site (www.juanico.com) and the wine is available in Chicago, or at least this wine is - Bodegones del Sur, Tannat. Don Pascual Tannat is available through the Liquor Control Board in Quebec, and something called Pueblo del Sol, a merlot/tannat blend is sold in Ontario. No mention of BC however. Three tannats from Juanica are sold in the UK - Preludio Tannat Roble, El Hornero Tannat, and Teru Teru Tannat Reserva. There is even a distributor in France, in Pessac, who sells Casa Magrez Tannat.
They have begun growing this grape in California so it may be that in future years we will see more of it. Joan is drinking another Argentinian sauvignon blanc (2006) from Finca El Portillo in Valle de Uco, Tunuyan, Mendoza ($6).
Some more: De Lucca, Vino de El Colorado, Tannat 2007, Reinaldo de Lucca, El Colorado, Canelones, Uruguay;
Prima Donna, Riberas del Santa Lucia, Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Antigua Bodega, Stagnaris, Santos Lugaris, Canelones;
Don Pascual Reserve, Sauvignon Gris, 2006, Establecimiento Juanico.
Purely in the interest of science I am now drinking a Don Pascual Reserve Marselan 2007. I have learned that this is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache first grown in France in the 1960s. It was planted in Uruguay at the end of the 20th century and first harvest was in 2002. The label says that it has elements of red fruits, eucalyptus, and mint. I will say that it has a pleasant aroma, is somewhat lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, and tastes very much in the Cabernet style. It is in sum a very nice drink.
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