Altamura and Castel del Monte

September 12, 2023

We were picked up by our driver, Massimo, and left Matera for Altamura and Castel del Monte. We rendezvoued with our guide for the day, Silvia, at the Di Gesu Bakery in Altamura . We were met by Giuseppe, the 5th generation proprietor of the business. He was quite proud of his product and walked us through the steps of making the best bread around. We had to admit that it was very tasty, soft in the middle and crispy on the outside The wood burning oven behind us in the photo is 6 meters in diameter. Quite huge. It takes 40 minutes to load the oven and the best bread is what goes in first and comes out last.

From the bakery we walked through Altamura’s Old CIty, which had been abandoned in the 600’s when Rome fell and was rejuvenated by Frederick II in 1233. We stopped at the Cathedral of the Assumption to view the intricately carved portal, a lovely sculpture of a young Joseph with Jesus and a special painting of the conversion of St Paul.

I bought a purple outfit I saw in a store window and could not resist. Then we headed for the next town, Gravina, where we stoped at the Church of Purgatory and took in the sayings on the wall. “What you are, is what I used to be.” “What you are going to be, is what I am.” Sylvia had her own saying. “The mother of the idiot is always pregnant.” Not sure what she had in mind.

The Church of Purgatory, with sayings on either side.

On that note we all had a coffee and then hit the road for my big goal for the day, the Castel del Monte an hour north of Gravina. The countryside was mostly gentle rolling hills. Very lovely even though the fields were mostly brown cut grass. Trees were very sporadic but added variety to the sameness of the undulating hills. Most of the buildings we saw along the way were abandoned farm houses. Farming and sheep raising had once been the main economy of the region. Today the economy is mostly olive oil, then olives and grapes, followed by almonds, fruit trees and then wheat–the crop we were passing through.

Mediterranean pine trees with rolling hills in background

As we approached the Castel, the conversation turned to Frederick II, who commissioned the castel in the 1240’s. He was born in 1194, became the king of Germany in 1212=]\ and Emperor of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire in 1220. He was a Christian, but was excommunicated 3 times by the pope. He died in 1250 after having been a forward thinking leader and commissioner of great works.

This structure is a perfect octagon, that took years to get perfect. there are 8 sides, 8 equally sized rooms on two floors, beautiful marble walls with corinthian columns, and bathrooms on both floors. The building sits on top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the area. It was built with great precision and has a grace about it that makes me think of it more like the Taj Mahal. We spent an hour roaming around the place and taking in the atmosphere. I was pleased to have added it to our list of sights to see. We drove back to Matera and called it a good day. Mark and I had dinner in a local underground restaurant called La Lopa and went to bed. We have not yet adjusted to the time change..

September 14, 2023 – 5:59 am Categories: 2023 Sept-Oct: Italy/Sicily/Malta, Adventures | Comments (5)

2023 Sept-Oct: Italy/Sicily/Malta

We began in Puglio Province, the heel of Italy

September 10, 2023

Planning for this trip began over a year and a half ago, during the waning days of COVID confinement, when Mark and I began discussing how to spend our coming “aught” dates: his 70^th, my 80^th, and our 30^th anniversary. We agreed it would be wonderful to invite some friends to join us on a travel adventure.

We chose Sicily as a place we wanted to visit and thought others might want to visit too. We made lists of companionable people to invite. At first, we thought it would be hard to find enough couples, but in the end, I was wishing we had more rooms to share. There are several more people we would like to have included. I went online and researched places that could provide what we had in mind. Eventually I found Il Borgo, a villa on the east coast of Sicily between Catania and Syracuse. It had 12 equally nice suites, each with a private bath, set in a lovely courtyard and floral gardens. There was a pool and sauna, an olive orchard, a nearby beach and catered meals per request. On top of all that, the place came with a concierge to help us plan our daily activities.

Once we secured the place, we started asking people to join us. We agreed to pay for the accommodations but they would need to provide their own air, ground transportation and most meals. We were not sure what reception we would get, but almost everyone gave an enthusiastic yes. I guess Sicily, photos of the villa, birthdays to celebrate and plenty of lead time to make their own plans drew people to us.

A year and a half later we are finally on our way. Our personal plans have evolved to include the province of Puglia (the heel of Italy), Sicily, Malta and finally Florence. Our week at the villa in Sicily is from September 23-30. Each couple has created their own adventure. Some left home days ago, others leave during this next week. Some will arrive just in time and travel to other places after Sicily. We are having much fun following all their plans and getting excited along with them.

I had not planned to keep the blog going during this very social adventure, but several people have asked me to do it so I will try to accommodate but am making no promises.

We left home at 8am on the 10th and arrived at SFO after only 2 hours and 19 minutes with Mark at the wheel. Our friend Josh Scott accompanied us and drove away when we said good bye. I sure hope he drives slower than Mark did.

It was my first time through security with my pacemaker. I was pulled aside, had to take my shoes off, even though I am over 75, and received the most thorough pat down I have ever experienced. Sure hope that will not be my plight with every flight.

We flew on United from SFO to Munich, had a short lay over and continued on to Bari, the capital of Puglia Province in Italy. From there we were driven 65 kilometers southwest to Sassi di Matera, which is in the Italian province of Basilicata. Have a look at the map of Apulia, Latin for Puglia, above.

Our guide for the afternoon was Anna. She met us at our lodging in Matera, Corte Sin Pietro, and we began our walk-about. Sassi, she said, means rock or stone and Matera is built on hills made totally of rock and stones. There are 2 different Sassi neighborhoods that contain over 3,000 structures carved completely out of rock. They were occupied for millennia by troglodytes and are one of the oldest occupied towns in existence. Human remains have been found in the area from 9,000 years ago.

More recently, house fronts have been made with constructed limestone blocks with caves in back of or under the house. Today, houses are built completely of stone blocks with no attachment to caves.

The whole town is bizarre, but most interesting and appealing to wander through. Tourism has become big in the area and the town is full of restaurants and houses converted into accommodations, such as the cave-like room we are staying in, which has no windows and is below ground.

Anna lead us to interesting churches that were made at least partially in caves.

St Lucia Cave Church from 1000’s, was lived in by Benedictine nuns and had a cemetery on the roof. There was a museum attached to the church that was also interesting and unusual. The Church of St Peter Caveoso had a painted wooden ceiling from the 1700’s and a niche for St Anthony. The whole tour was very unusual and kept us both engaged.

Due to poverty, humidity, mold and sickness, the government moved the residents out of the Sassi neighborhoods into apartments in 1952. The people were healthier but missed the attachments they had to each other living in close proximity in the Sassi. Today many descendants of the Sassi residents maintain homes in the area.

At 8pm, we had dinner at a Michelin Star restaurant called Vitantonio Lombardo. It was named for the chef and was in a nearby cave. We had a delicious 5-course meal skipping the 7 and 10 course option, and that was just the right amount of food. By the time we finished, we barely made it to our room before falling asleep. It had been over 30 hours since leaving home. Very long, but satisfying day.

Waiting for dinner Inside the cave restaurant called Vitantonio Lombardo

Scenes from around Matera

September 13, 2023 – 11:36 am Categories: Adventures | Comments (2)

From Last February! Interesting pictures from our trip to Patagonia!! We are now on our way to Italy!

Patagonia is spread between Argentina and Chili and is the southernmost region of South America, including Tierra del Fuego. Patagonia is famous for its variety of wildlife, unspoiled nature, and ancient Indian cultures. Archeological findings date back to 8,000 BC, from Pre-Columbian civilizations to the skilled Mapuche Indians known for their mastery in weapons making and agriculture in the 16^th century. In addition, part of the Andes, one of the longest rock formations on earth, are found here. Within the Andes is the tourist destination and trekking paradise of Torres del Paine National Park located in the Cordillera del Paine mountain chain.

Massive exposed, granite rock features, formed in the Cretaceous Period, when dinosaurs wandered the planet, raise among turquoise lakes, rapids, waterfalls, and flatlands. They are the remnants of the sedimentary stratum, which has been eroded away in the Torres del Paine Park. Hopefully, I will have some photos to share soon.

Meanwhile, the park was established in 1959 and is 70 miles north of Puerto Natales. At 593,000 acres it is one of the largest and most visited in Chili. In 1978, the park became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is known as the most beautiful park in Chili for its famous Grey Glacier, two popular treks and the most photographed attraction called the Torres del Paine, the three distinct 11,000 foot+ granite towers. The word Paine is from the Tehuelche Indian word meaning “blue”blue towers.

We arrived at Puerto Natales in a driving rain storm and zero visibility. After a lengthy arrival process we finally departed in a van with another couple and headed for Explora Lodge, an hour and a half away. The road was a mix of asphalt and gravel. Very rough and bumpy and the rain did not let up. The other couple never said a word to us and it was a very quiet rode. We could see only the scrub, brush and low tree cover near the road and the occasional lake. Eventually we passed the large and very turquoise blue Rio Paine. Very pretty even through the rain. Once we arrived ate the lodge, we were greeted by the receptionist and activities director, who walked us through the activities options for our 3 day stay. Tomorrow’s suggested options include a short hike for Mark and a horseback rode for me, followed by lunch and a break before the afternoon activity of a looping drive to see the Torres del Paine hopefully. It all depends on the weather; wind, rain and fog. The lodge is very light and airy and spread out. Our room is very close to the dining room, thankfully. We quickly unpacked and went to dinner. Finished unpacking and went to bed.

September 10, 2023 – 12:51 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Post a comment

Between Uruguay and Italy was…Cuba….

It has been several months since we last posted from Uruguay and much has happened to us, both emotionally and physically. In late May we made a one week trip to Cuba with friends from Classical Tahoe, a classical and jazz performance organization in North Lake Tahoe. Here are some shots of our activities from the first 2 days we were there.

We also walked around Havana, attended two dance performances and went on a classical car “drive-about” the city.

The dance performances I got to experience

On May 27th, about 9:30 the morning of the third day, the left side of my body collapsed and went numb. Fortunately, we were in our hotel room and had already had breakfast. Mark called the hotel nurse, who took my blood pressure. It was 180 over 90. She called for emergency services and in short order, I was in an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens blaring and headed for what we thought was the hospital. Instead, we arrived at a clinic where I spent 4 hours before the staff told us they could not help me and that I should go to the hospital. Back in the same ambulance with the same drivers, I finally ended up in the stroke ICU ward on the 8th floor of a 25 story converted bank building.

As it was a Saturday, there were few medical services and no English speaking MDs or staff available. I spent the weekend mostly sleeping as I was not allowed out of bed. The nurses were on 12 hour shifts and I experienced a few of them. The Sunday evening nurse was a young man, who invited his lady friend to stay overnight. The two of them spent the night together in the bed next to mine. By morning, she was gone. This seemed unusual, but this was Cuba, not the US.

The orchestra performance Mark attended with the Classical Tahoe group.

Meanwhile, Mark managed to attend the farewell musical performance at my insistence and did his best to figure out how to get me home, but it wasn’t until Monday morning that the hospital staff got into gear and an English speaking doctor showed up, he was from Honduras. He immediately ordered an MRI and concluded that I should get to California as soon as possible. Mark then arranged for me to be taken back to our hotel, where I stayed in bed until the next morning when we began the journey home. Mark secured front row seats to Miami and first class tickets from Miami to SFO, but we had to wait in the Turkish Airport Lounge for 5 hours between flights. The lounge was completely packed, but we managed to get seats while we waited. Halfway to SFO we learned there was a strong tail wind and that we would arrive early. So, when we landed, we grabbed our bags, which had not been checked, and headed for the Uber pick-up site. By then I had given up the wheelchair and was walking with Mark. In an hour and a half, the Uber driver delivered us to our car at the SAC airport before the flight from SFO departed. All we wanted to do was get home and into bed, but our doctor friend, Scott Kellermann, had insisted we go directly to Mercy Hospital so we did. The ER was full of people when we arrived but we managed to get seen after half an hour.

Once in the system, there was no stopping the process. As there was no bed for me, I was kept in a small ER space and moved from one test to another throughout the night. After 12 hours I was finally delivered to a very nice private room and several doctors came in to tell us what had happened to me. Very high blood pressure, a stroke for sure and A-Fib too. I was put on lots of meds, stayed one more night in the Mercy San Juan Hospital and finally Mark took me home. After many days of rest and more doctor appointments, I began to feel better. Then Dr Ryan Smith , my Cardiologist, insisted I get a pacemaker to keep my heart beating at a minimum of 60 beats per minute. For many years my heart rate had been between 39 and 43 and Dr Smith had wanted me to get a pacemaker for several years. At his insistence, Dr O’Neil at Mercy General did the pacemaker implant surgery on July 31 and I spent another 2 nights in that hospital. Having spent 6 nights in three different hospitals I am determined to recovery and stay away from hospitals.

It is a good thing that we are retired or there would not be enough time to recover, plan adventures and actually travel. We have been planning a trip to Sicily for almost 2 years and at last we are about to embark on the journey, which has expanded to include Puglia (the heel of Italy), Malta and Florence. The next post will be from or about Italy, depending on when I have the time and energy to write.

Italy, Sicily and Malta–September-October, 2023

Pugia or Apulia Province is the heel of Italy

September 10, 2023

We left home at 8am and arrived at SFO after only 2 hours and 19 minutes with Mark at the wheel. Our friend Josh Scott accompanied us and drove away when we said good bye. Sure hope he drives slower that Mark did.

Today we fly on United from SFO to Munich, have a short lay over and fly on to Bari, the capital of Pugia Province in Italy. From there we will be driven about 2 hours to Matera. We are in for a very long haul.

September 9, 2023 – 5:48 pm Categories: 2023 May-Cuba | Comments (2)

Uruguayan countryside

Saturday, February 18, 2023

We left Montevideo on the morning of February 17 heading south-east through the countryside with a driver named Tomas . The weather was cold, windy and threatening rain. He spoke reasonable English and could carry on a good conversation with us. The countryside was fairly flat and green with lots of trees, shrubs and grass. We saw cattle, sheep, pigs and horses all in pastures. Soon it began to rain and was pouring by the time we picked up our guide, Paula, along the roadside near Garzon. She spoke excellent English told us we would be visiting a winery and learning about the history of the local wine operation.

Then we proceeded to the village of Garzon, where we would have lunch in a restaurant owned by Uruguay’s most famous chef, Francis Mallmann, who had a number of fine dining establishments in European cities and opened this one in 2002. He likes the small town atmosphere of Garzon, however, and spends a good part of the year in the village.

Meanwhile, the owner of the wine and olive operation is a billionaire from Argentina, He is the chairman of Panamerican Energy, an oil and gas company he acquired from his father. He arrived in Uruguay in the 1990’s and, after careful study of the land, he purchased 10,000 acres in the area and planted 1,200 parcels of vines in 23 different varieties. The vineyards were planted in the early 2000’s and are only now beginning to produce good harvests. He also planted many acres of olive trees, which are also just coming on line. Our first stop was the 205,000 square foot facility that houses the winery, restaurant, tank storage an miscellaneous other activities. The building is extremely modern and sophisticated and mind-blowing. We began a walk about some of the parcels, but soon it began to rain again and our guide called for a golf cart to pick us up. I did get to sample a few grapes that missed the harvest. They tasted sweet. The harvest has just begun and 300 people work the grapes every day. They are transported by bus from the nearby towns and are glad to have good jobs. We were invited to a wine tasting and walked from room to room tasting 2 different whites and 2 different reds, including the Garzon flagship grape, Tannat. It has become a popular Uruguayan wine. The wines are stored in large concrete tanks for a time and then transferred to large oak barrels for further aging.

After the wine tasting we went to Garzon for lunch in Francis Mallmann’s Restaurant. The menu was very interesting. Mark had fish and I settled on Suckling Pig. I knew it would be too much food, but I wanted to taste the pig and figured others would share. It was absolutely excellent–tender and sweet. We managed to eat about half of the animal and saved the rest for our driver Tomas. He said he loved the portion we gave him. Francis was in the restaurant when we finished lunch and we had a short chat with him and got a photo. After lunch Tomas and Paola drove us to our lodging, Bahia Vic, on the beach in Jose Ignacio. It was still pouring rain. We could hear the rain on the roof as well as the pounding surf. Delicious. Happy to go to bed early. This is our last hotel before home.

Francis Mallmann, the famous Uruguayan.chef

No more tours or guides. Just beach walks and meals in beachy restaurants. Nice. Well it was nice until yesterday, the 19th. It was a warm sunny day, if a bit windy. We went for a long beach walk in the morning. Saw a bunch of shops holding forth on the beach. Also saw many bubble-like translucent balls that are made by snails, who lay their eggs in them and set them adrift.

Eventually the snails hatch and make a hole in the bubble to crawl out. Took a ride to a restaurant we had booked only to find out they were closed for a wedding. So we began another long walk toward the hotel thinking we would find an eatery somewhere. We did and had a delightful lunch at a place called Il Faro,

named for the nearby lighthouse. At the suggestion of the people at the table next to us, we ordered white clams in a white wine and parsley sauce. Neither of us had ever seen white clams. We loved the meal and were glad to have learned about it. We continued our walk and eventually got back to the Bahia Vik for a nap. But it was impossible to sleep as the music and dancing at la Susana Restaurant next door was penetrating.

Susana’s Cafe is to the left of our hotel stairs

At about 6:30 we saw some smoke and looked out the window. to see that it was coming from Susana’s. We did nothing for a few minutes, but the smoke, which was blowing in our direction got thicker. As I watched, I saw it erupt into flame and decided it was time to pack up and get out.

Mark was not so anxious and took more photos while I packed. Finally, he got into gear and hastily packed, but had not left room for a pair of shoes and decided to leave them behind. While packing, the power went off. Knowing we had no elevator to use, we were just thinking how to get to the ground, when a hotel worker ran in to get us out. He led us across the roof and down the far side of the building on an exterior stairway. We managed to get all 4 bags to the stairs, but somehow, Mark’s small bag got separated from us. We ran with the bags to the front gate and watched the scene unfold as more and more guests were evacuated. They had not seen the fire coming as we did or they were away from the property at the time and not allowed into the building when they did arrive. Finally 4 fire trucks arrived along with many cops and other personnel. The scene got pretty chaotic. We heard from our guides that they were working out a plan for what to do with us and their other guests and to chill, which we did…for real. I was really cold by the time our ride arrived. Without the shoes or Mark’s small bag, we were taken to the sister hotel, Playa Vik, where we had wine “on the house” until dinner time. We were taken to our restaurant, Solera. After what was a lousy meal, our guide came to take us to the lodging they had found for us. It was a place called Posada Luz, an estancia a few miles out of town in the countryside. It proved to be a nice facility, with a whole new setting from where we had been. Not being able to see anything, we went to bed.

In the morning we could see the countryside, hear hundreds of green parakeets feasting in the vineyard and enjoy the quiet. Our room had an upstairs terrace that was pleasant for hanging out. The slight breeze was most welcome after so many windy days. Eventually we went to breakfast in the outdoor garden. After many calls and texts, Mark’s bag and shoes were finally located with the help of an Apple AirTag he had installed in the bag when we left home. Posada Luz is 20 minutes from town and the beach, so we are spending our last day enjoying the estancia.

We walked around the grounds, stared at the parakeets, took a few pix and hung out at the pool. At 7pm, we were served a few simple tapas, said good bye to the staff and joined our driver for the 2 hour ride to the Montevideo Airport. Once checked in, we waited three hours for the 1:30am flight to Panama. That 7 hour ride will be followed by another 7 hour trip to LAX, where we will go through customs and wait 3 more hours before flying to SAC and a grateful ride home with Ken Zuckerman.

It has been a an interesting trip full of adventures and unexpected turns. We hope you have enjoyed reading about it. Apart from the beautiful scenery in Patagonia that was expected, I have been most surprised by Uruguay. The people were most friendly and welcoming, the city most attractive and appealing, the beaches and the scenery especially pleasing. If it were not so far away, I would come here to visit more than once. Until next time.

Happy trails, until we meet again,

Julia and Mark

February 20, 2023 – 7:17 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (1)

Montevideo, Uruguay

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

We landed in Montevideo at 9:30am and got to our lodging, the Alma Historical Boutique Hotel, in the old town by 10:30am. Our guide, Hans, told us he would be with us until we leave Montevideo. He spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable. He waited for us to get settled into our room, which was a small space named for Geraldo Rodriguez, a composer of Tango music. The small inn was very much in the heart of the old city and perfect for walking around and meeting people. The weather was a perfect summer day, not too hot, when we walked in the shade, and a slight breeze. Hans told us the population of Uruguay is 3.5 million and that of Montevideo is 1.5 million. It is indeed a small country. Products they export include leather, meat, wool and agricultural products. They also have paper mills and timber and sell paper products and cellulose. The country also mines amethyst. Their biggest imports are vehicles and fuel. The country is 45% Catholic and there are about 20,000 Jewish people. The country has been a democracy since 1985. Hans shared a lot about the history of the country and I will try to remember some of it.

First of all we did a walk about the old town of Montevideo and saw buildings with different architectural styles, including colonial and European neoclassical. A dominant theme was Art Deco. The country was most prosperous during the 20’s and 30’s and Art Deco was big in that era. The only city with more Art Deco is New York. One particular building we stopped at was an Art Deco front with a frieze of Artigas.

We stopped there awhile as Hans wanted to tell us about the man who was an Uruguayan hero and the father of Uruguayan independence, Jose Gervasio Artigas. He lived from 1764 to 1850 and was a political leader, a military general, and a statesman. Among other things, in 1815 he designed one of the three Uruguayan flags still used today. It is blue-white-blue horizontal stripes with a red diagonal stripe going from upper inner to lower outer corner of the flag, representing federalism. It is especially connected to the Armed Forces of Uruguay.

National flag is in the middle; Fag of the 33 is on the right and Artigas flag is on the left

Hans told us Uruguay is the only country in the world that has and uses three national flags. The primary flag was designed in 1828. It is white with 4 blue horizontal stripes. In the upper inner corner is a white canton with a golden sun with facial features and 16 golden rays.

The third flag is called the Flag of the 33 as it was used by a military group of 33 men that started the fight for freedom against Brazilian rule in the Oriental province, which is present day Uruguay. In 1828, after 8 years of being a Brazilian province, Uruguay’s independence was recognized. THe flag is a blue-white-red tricolor. On the white stripe is written LIBERTAD O MORTE (Freedom or Death).

We stopped at Cafe Brasilero, an Art Nouveau establishment dating from 1877, serving Brazilian coffee. The photos on the walls were most interesting. There was even one of Audrey Hepburn.

We learned that the name Uruguay comes from the river by that name that marks the western boundary of the country. It was named by indigenous people, who called it the River of Colorful Birds, or Uruguay. Although there are only 3.5 Million people in Uruguay, there are 12 million cows. The country is mostly flat and green and great for cattle. The tallest hill in the country is 1514 meters. The Coat of Arms depicts agriculture, commerce, the sea port, sunshine and forestry, all of which have served the country well.

From the Cafe, we walked to Matriz Square, the first open space in the Fronting on it is the Colonial style Metropolitan Cathedral. It has a beautiful modern alter. In the center of the square is a fountain built to commemorate the coming of potable water to the town.

The city was founded in 1724 by Bruno Zabola, who kept the city from the Portuguese. The far side of the plaza is a remnant of the town’s original fortifications, built in 1742. Looking through the gate into Independence Square, we see a beautiful eclectic building called Salvo Palace. The horse rider statue in the middle of the square is of the independence hero Artigas, 1764-1850, who is buried on the spot. Behind the statue is a modern building called the Executive Tower, built in 2009.

Meanwhile, in 1680, the Portuguese founded a town they called Colonia del Sacramento directly across the Rio de las Plata from Buenos Aires and north of Montevideo. The fresh or “sweet” water, Rio de la Plata was discovered in 1516 by Juan Dias Desolys.

Buenos Aires was founded in 1536, but burned down and was rebuilt in 1580.

In 1806-07, the British invaded Uruguay and Argentina, but the local Spaniards fought them back. In 1816 the Portuguese took all of Uruguay by land and sea. Brazil gained its independence in 1822 and, in 1825, Brazil fought the Portuguese. In 1828, England, Argentina and Brazil made a contact to create a new state, which they named the Republic Oriental of Uruguay. Oriental meaning all the land east (or oriental) of the River Uruguay. The official date for the creation of the country is July 18, 1830. The Main Street tin the city is called “18 July”.

We did a lot of walking and eventually took a city bus to get us to the Mercado where Hans wanted us to have lunch in one of his favorite places. It had been a fish market before the Mercado was converted into a collection of restaurants. I had pasta with fish and Mark had fish and rice. Both were good, but huge portions. Hans told us to get to go boxes so we could give the extra food to the homeless, who hang out around the place. It was the perfect solution. After the hand off, Hans walked us to our hotel and departed. I worked on the blog and Mark went to a shop Hans had recommended to buy a leather bag for himself. The store was owned by a Jewish woman and Mark had a nice conversation with her.

Painting of a typical carnival parade. It looked a lot like the parade we watched

We were so full from lunch that we decided to pass on dinner. I was still working at 8:30 when we began to hear loud music outside our 4th floor window. A crowd was gathering until it was obvious that something organized was happening as floats arrived along with people in costumes. Drumming became intense, so we went down stairs to watch the activities. Turns out a Carnival parade was developing and our street corner was the starting point. It was fun to watch as they formed up and marched off one group at a time. About 9:30 we got a little hungry and dropped in at a local cafe, Jacinto, and had some of the best gazpacho we have ever eaten. While there we met a Brazilian couple who spoke good English and we had a fun conversation. Soon the parade was really getting rolling and by 10:30 it was all over. I could hear the drumming fading away. It had been a lovely day for weather. Not too hot, or windy–a very nice day. In the morning the port-o-potty was gone and the street totally cleaned up.

Tuesday, February 16, 2023

Hans picks us up at 9am for another sightseeing day. The weather started out ok but was cooler and a bit windy. This day is of the city at large with less walking. We started with a scheduled visit with a famous drummer, Ferdinand “Lobo” Nunez. He met us at his workshop called “El Power”. It had been in his family since 1837 and was where his ancestors, enslaved people, bought their “freedom”. As a way of living they made brooms that were sold on site. His grandfather was a prominent musician, who taught him how to play the drums along with his father. The workshop was full of musical instruments that make a multitude of sounds. He demonstrated a number of them to us and some of them made us laugh. In addition to playing in a group, he teaches drumming and manufactures drums as well. He makes them from pine planks that are shaped into curved staves, chamfered, assembled and polished. Then rings are placed and sliced. He is very proud of the wonderful sounds his drums make and played some candombe music for us on three different drums. It is lovely style to listen to whether played loud or soft. He made a drumming convert of me. He talked about his personal history, especially how his own children are learning to play in a group with him. We happened to show up on his 67th birthday and he recollected that Mick Jagger had showed up to celebrate his 60th birthday with him. We shook hands and got a nice photo.

From Lobo’s place Hans took us to City Hall, where we road an elevator to the 20th floor for a 360 degree view of the city. The city view was nice, especially of all the sycamore trees, but I mostly enjoyed the old photos of Montevideo from the 1920s and 30s.

From City Hall we drove to the Parliament Building. Two of the three flags are showing. The neoclassical building was constructed in 1925. It is the seat of legislative power and houses 30 Senators and 99 Representatives for 19 states. It seems the Uruguayans copied our constitution. All citizens over 18 must vote every 5 years or be fined. Can work off the fine. Uruguay is the most democratic country in Latin America. 62% of the population is middle class. Formal employment in Uruguay is at 80%. (Formal employment is any employment that has an agreed to work contract.)

Also facing the square were a beautiful Silk floss tree in full bloom. There are many around, but few we saw in bloom.

On the fourth corner of the square was a well painted group of murals of Uruguayan artists: Mario Bernadette, a writer; Rosa Lima, a guitarist; Alfredo Zitarrosa, a singer-songwriter; and Juana de Ibarbourou, a writer and poet. The muralist was Joaquin Torres Garcia, a painter and sculptor.

From this square we drove to a huge Mercado and walked through it. It was spotless, full of different shops loaded with merchandise and fascinating to observe so much variety. When we walked by a jewelry and stone store, I was attracted by very purple amethyst stones and ended up buying some, which I had promised myself not to do. Oh well. At least it will go with a lot of my clothing.

We came across a shop selling Mate Tea paraphernalia and took this photo so you could see that it is very popular in Uruguay and other South American countries. I tried it once, but did not like it, even though I like tea. It tasted too much like straw to me. The name “mate” comes from a Quechua word meaning calabaza or squash. To make mate tea, use an aged mate tea cup, which has been made from part of a dried gourd that has been transformed into the shape of the cup. Fill of 2/3rds the cup with dryYerba mate tea, a wild herb primarily from Paraguay. It is a stimulant, a diuretic and a tonic. It has about as much caffeine as tea or coffee. Leave empty space on the side of the cup from the bottom to the top. Pour warm water into the empty space keeping the mate to one side until the yerbe absorbs the water and expands. Place a metal straw with a filter at one end into the cup where space has been left and pour hot water onto the mate to create an infusion. Enjoy.

A shop in the Mercado selling mate tea cups. There are many styles and prices as well a a variety of straws with filters. Also included are thermoses for the hot, but not boiling, water. We saw many people carrying a cup and thermos around as they walked from place to place. Seems like a big bother to me. I read that many people treat the tea as a companion.

From the Mercado, Hans took us back to the Cafe Brasilero for lunch and then we drove around more old and new neighborhoods including the high end beach area with lovely sycamore lined streets, beach condos and apartments, and the Montevideo beach.

Some miscellaneous notes I took and hope you appreciate.

Hans told us Uruguay was the only port of entry for slaves in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in 1791. Most of the slaves were passed through to other countries. Slavery was totally abolished by Uruguay in 1842, the first country to do so. Brazil ended slavery in 1880.

There was an additional war Hans told us about, the Uruguayan Civil War, which was a series of armed conflicts that lasted from 1839-1851. It was the longest and hardest fought in the country’s history. The struggle originated in the rivalry between the Colorado (Red) Party based in Montevideo and led by Fructuoso Rivera and the business interests in the city and the National (White) party led by President Manuel Oribe and the agricultural interests of the countryside. Eventually the Red forces defeated the White forces and peace was negotiated. It is a long story to google if you are interested.

Abortion was legalized in 2012.

Recreational and medicinal marajuana was legalized in 2013.

Gay marriage was legalized in August 2013.

This is all I have for Montevideo. I hope you have enjoyed our two days there.

February 19, 2023 – 11:06 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (1)

Another day in Buenos Aires

Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Valentine’s Day

We spent all day yesterday getting from the Explora Lodge in cold, overcast, wet and windy Patagonia to hot, sticky, sunny Buenos Aires: 3 hours by car to El Califate airport; 4 hours at the airport; a 3-hour flight to Buenos Aires; and a half hour drive to the Park Hyatt Hotel in the city center. All we wanted was a quick bite and bed, which we did at the hotel’s peaceful garden restaurant. So, this morning we woke up to a very warm and sunny day to celebrate Valentines.

Our morning was relaxing until we met our guide, Gilda. At 10am we started a drive about the city, looking at buildings from the different periods of Argentine development, both cultural and political. Our driver, Eddie, was very competent and spoke more English than most drivers. Between the two of them we heard a lot about the city and the country. First, the population of Argentina is 46 million and Buenos Aires is 3 million. The words Buenos Aires mean “good winds”, so when Pedro Mendoza arrived on February 2, 1536, he named the place Our Lady of Buenos Aires. Our first stop was on the Plaza del Mayo in the heart of the city to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, where Pope Francis had reigned as Archbishop. The reason he has not returned since becoming pope is that the different governments will not tolerate his appearance when they are not in charge. Most Argentinians are Catholic, but few of them are practicing.

The front of the Cathedral has a dozen corinthian columns..

I got some nice photos of the inside of the basilica. In one large niche was the sarcophagus of Jose San Martin, who was a Founder of Freedom from Spain on July 9, 1816. Three statues of women representing Freedom, Labor and Agriculture surround the sarcophagus as well as two live guards who have a changing of the guard every 2 hours.

Inscribed stone representing Covid dead in anger with the government for not taking action.

From the cathedral, we walked along the Avenue of May with a view of the Casa Rosada, or Pink Palace, which is the Office of the President and where, under one of the upper arches, Evita gave her famous speech, “Don’t cry for me”, in 1951. From one vantage point we could see a mural of Evita painted on a high-rise building. In the middle of the avenue is a glass walled memorial of inscribed stones representing the many people who died of Covid. There had been a mass protest directed against the President, Alberto Fernandez. The mayor refused to allow the stones to be removed and installed a glass wall. Nearby, is Buenos Aires’ landmark obelisk, built to mark the first anniversary of independence from Spain.

From the city center we drove south to an area of the city called Boca, which is the name for the Italian immigrant neighborhood. The area had been abandoned during the yellow fever era of 1852-1871 when hundreds of people died every day. When the Italian immigrants arrived in the 1880’s they moved into this abandoned area. Now the area has been restored by the locals into a colorful tourist area with many shops and restaurants. Here I found Pope Francis and had my photo taken with him. Tango became very popular and famous here as one of the few nonverbal connections immigrants had with each other. Today Russians are entering the country in droves. Gilda told us about 20,000 arrived recently, with 300 pregnant women hoping to have their babies born in Argentina, because the new babies are automatically citizens and their parents can become citizens after residing here for 2 years. Once they have Argentinian passports, they can travel to other countries. There are currently no Argentinian immigration quotas.

From Boca we went to the Modern Port for a look at the tallest buildings in the city and to see a most unusual bridge called Puerto de la Mujar, or Woman’s Bridge. Built in 2001, it is a rotating foot bridge for one of the docks in the commercial district of the port. A cantilever cable stayed bridge that is also a swing bridge, it is most unusual in its asymmetrical arrangement. New buildings in this neighborhood are quite expensive.

The 19-year old girl that died on her honeymoon.

Next on the list of sites to visit was the City of the Angels, where over 4,500 mausoleums and underground crypts contain many thousands of deceased. Inaugurated in 1822 the cemetery was open to everyone. By 1881 only the wealthy could afford the fancy statuary, sculptures, and massive construction. We saw the crypt of Eva Peron, who died in 1952 from uterine cancer, and a handful of others. One very sad story was of a 19-year old girl who died on her honeymoon. The mother had a large crypt built just for her including an underground room that looked just like her bedroom at home. The mother would come and sit with the dead girl and mourn her passing. Eventually the girl’s dog joined her in the crypt.

We learned that the Jewish community in Argentina, at 250,000 people, is the fourth largest in the world behind Israel, the US and Canada. Gilda told us a kosher McDonalds exists in a mall in Buenos Aires and that the only other one is in Isreal.

We noticed that the city was very clean and devoid of graffiti, unlike Santiago, Chile, where the graffiti was so bad the signs were nearly unreadable.

Gilda and Eddie dropped us off at an Empanada restaurant called San Juanino.

We ate lunch quickly and found an Uber to take us to the Teatro Colon Opera House where we had tickets for a tour. We were there for an hour, got some nice images, but precious little information as the guide’s English was, sadly, not understandable.

It had been a long day by the time we got back to the hotel, but we wanted to eat the local meal of BBQ, so we changed clothes and headed for El Mirasol, a nearby restaurant under the freeway, where we enjoyed excellent BBQ. Mark had beef and sweetbreads kabob and I had pork ribs with apple sauce. It being our Valentines dinner we had tried for a more highly recommended place, but could not get in. Our choice was fine.

El MIrasol where we had great beef and pork

February 15, 2023 – 5:03 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Post a comment

More from National Glacier Park

The park was beautiful in the forests and in the mountains. Here are more images from Mark’s camera.

Route of our 3 hour drive from Califate to the Explora Lodge on the edge of Glacier NationalPark.

One of many glaciers along the hike. — One of many glaciers above the forest. Taken from the boat on Lake Desierto.

February 14, 2023 – 3:59 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Post a comment

Glacier National Park, Patagonia

Sunday, February 12, 2023

We have been at the Argentinian Explora Lodge since Friday. It is newer, but smaller than the one in Torres De Paine, Chile. It is not in the Park, but next to it and provides the same sense of being in the wilderness — comfortably. During the daytime we are out hiking on a track we specifically selected the evening before. During the hike we have a guide, but see no other people on the trail. At the end of the chosen hikes, long or short, difficult or easy, the guests return to the lodge, where all the creature comforts await. Mark and I have chosen relatively easy hikes to keep my knee happy.

Yesterday, we chose two half day hikes and had the same guide, Marianna, for both. No other guests joined us. I suspect it was too slow for most. The first hike started from the lodge and covered about 2.5 miles. It was not steep or windy, but it was a forest walk with lots of tree roots to cross.

As we hiked, as usual, we peppered our guide with personal questions. We learned Marianna is a single mom with a seven year old daughter. Guiding is a pastime activity to supplement her income as a government employee and it also keeps her near her love of climbing. She is lucky enough to own her own home, it’s currently only one bedroom that she shares with the daughter. She has hope to expand the house and build an apartment as well that she plans to rent for additional income.

We enjoyed the scenery and being in a forest, but I was tired by the time it was over. Back in the lodge we had a nice served meal, rested a bit and grabbed some snacks for the afternoon hike. Still just the two of us and Marianna. We were driven to the start point at a gravel bed along the edge of the Electric River. We gradually hiked up the gravel bed periodically crossing small streams as we went. Marianna made sure we crossed on rocks to keep our feet dry. Finally we crossed a bridge and climbed a small hill into a forested area. We could see where we had been and the glaciers high up on the mountains. The now wooded, trail gradually headed back down to the road. More difficult trails went up into the mountains for closer looks at the glaciers. Not for me. Maybe another time. By the time we were back at the car, we had covered over 5 miles and I was really done in. My total for the day was 7.5 miles according to my watch. The most I have walked since before my knee surgery. Back in the lodge, we called the spa for a jacuzzi appointment and got right in. Boy, did that soak feel good.

Crossing a bridge over the Electric River

At cocktail time, we met with another guide, who described today’s options. Not wanting another long walk, I was thrilled to be offered a drive to a lake, a boat rode on the lake, Lago del Deseirto, and a relatively short hike followed by a bag lunch and a return to the lodge before 3pm. This had been Marianna’s suggestion to the guide staff. From the boat, we saw several glaciers, lots of wooded forest along the lake and on the hike. There were a couple dozen people on the boat, but they all scattered and we were alone with our guide, Pablo, and one other couple, who were from Chicago. We finally got to see the third type of birch tree, the evergreen called Guindo. This hike was a gradual up slope, all in the forest with some tall, 100 year old linga birch trees. Because this part of the forest was in the rain shadow due to a break in the Andes, which allows the Pacific weather stream to penetrate east, the terrain was lush and green with lots of moss, plants and grass.

The River Desierto up which we sailed to go on our hike.EVERGREEN BEECH LEAVES

The usual winds were not as strong these two days and we all appreciated the slight warmer and calmer weather. The hike lasted about 2 hours an we only went about 2 miles as Pablo stopped often to talk about the trees and plants we were seeing. The other couple were happy to go slow too. Pablo is married and has a three year old son, he is Ecuadoran and came to this area for his love of climbing too, just like Marianna. He is a full-time independent guide. Pablo reminded us that there are no thunderstorms or lightening in Patagonia because the exceedingly strong westerly winds we have experienced since being in Patagonia, do not allow the formation of cumulonimbus clouds

Monday, February 13, 2023.

We leave Patagonian this morning. It is not windy, but it is raining. We were very lucky the last 2 days of hiking as there had been very little rain and almost no wind. If I had it to do again, I would plan the trip differently and allow for more activity days in each place and a healthier leg to do the activities. However, we are off today to Buenos Aires where we understand the temperature is 90 degrees. Quite a change for sure. Here the temperature has been 45-50 degrees at most. The food at this Explora has been just like the food at the last one–mediocre–actually a bit disappointing. Our rooms have been, on the other hand, superior—spacious, good beds, big windows with great views and excellent service.

February 14, 2023 – 2:23 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (3)

From Chili to Argentina–one glacier to another

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Early yesterday morning a non English speaking driver, Victor, picked us up and we headed for El Calafate, Argentina. The drive through thee Patagonia steppes took 6 hours over mostly good, paved tarmac and was very uneventful, including our passage out of Chile and into Argentina. The scenery was nearly all steppe, similar to what we experienced in Mongolia years ago. Very flat with low scrub and brush. Monotonous. Mark buried himself in an audiobook and I in a podcast. The time flew by. We did spot a red Patagonian fox, many guanacos, several lesser Rhea, a small ostrich-like bird, a buzzard eagle, several Crested Caracara birds and an Aplomado falcon, Sorry, no Puma or Armadillos.

By mid afternoon we reached El Califate, gateway to Los Glaciers National Park and on the shore of Lake Argentina. We checked into Los Ponchos, our home for 2 nights. It is a small Inn near town. We went for a long walk along the lake and saw many Black-Necked Swans but did not reach the town center before my legs gave out. We decided to have salad and pasta dinners in our hotel, as it was offered to us and I did not want to walk any more. We were in bed by 9pm.

Next morning we had a light breakfast at 7am. I sipped on a Mate tea popular with South Americans. But I did not like it. Tasted like I was sucking on dried grass. Anyway, we were met at 7:30 by our driver, Andrea, and guide, Paula, for the day. Paula spoke good English and was very knowledgeable about our activities for the day. As we drove the 80 kilometers to the park, Paula talked about the flora and fauna we had been wondering about. I was interested in the trees that grow along the sides of the mountains. They do not start at the bottom and end before the top and are mostly beech trees. There are three kinds of Beech tree. Two that are deciduous and one that is evergreen. The deciduous ones are the Nire, which is an antarctic tree, and the Lenga, which is a tall deciduous tree. The third beech is an evergreen called a Gungo. They thrive on a specific amount of precipitation that is found at certain elevations. They especially like the cold damp temperatures near glaciers. My favorite plant siting was a Notro, or Fire-Bush. Reminded me of the Indian Paint Brush we have in the Sierras.

Then we got into discussing the glacier. Not only is Moreno Glacier the third largest in the world behind Greenland and Antarctica, it is probably the most easily accessible to see, measure and study. Lago Argentino, into which the glacier flows, is 80 kilometers long, 20 kilometers wide, 900 feet average depth and 1,466 square kilometers. Three times larger than Tahoe. At some time in the past, the glacier covered the entire lake. And yes, we were cold. Even though it was a sunny day, the air was cool, and the wind made it feel much colder. From the parking lot at the glacier, we walked down and around the hill facing the glacier on a well constructed catwalk and got some nice photos and even saw it drop a few pieces of ice into the lake. Then we got on a boat that took us within 300 feet of the ice wall. There was more calving that we almost got to witness a second too late. Such an easy way to see a huge natural wonder.

We returned to El Calafate late afternoon, rested and got warm. Took a taxi into town to have dinner at a place called Mako. It had been referred by one of our guides and was a fabulous find. Every bit as good as the best in San Francisco. Mark had perfectly cooked rib eye and I had an equally fine local Hake fish. Best meal of the trip, so far. The town is also quite charming and full of locals and tourists enjoying an evening stroll. Our waiters said they come to Calafate for the summer season every year because the pay is better than anywhere else in Argentina. They cannot afford to leave the country because the peso is worth so little. Argentina is the second poorest country in South America. It is only ahead of Venezuela. Although a small town in the middle of nowhere, El Calafate is a tourist Mecca for its access to Moreno Glacier, the third largest in the world and certainly the easiest to visit.

Back in town we took a few snaps to show you the lay of the land. El Calafate has a population of 29.000. It felt like Grasw Valley and Nevada City in one metropolis. There is a photo of our dinner restaurant, Mako, and a few of town and Lake Argentina.

February 10, 2023 – 12:36 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (2)

The Grey Glacier toes into the Grey Lake

February 7, 2023

Today we were driven from the Explora Lodge to the Grey Lake Lodge 40 minutes away. From there we took a zodiac a couple miles up stream to a large catamaran beached in the sand. Once the 100 souls who could fit were packed into the boat, the captain motored us further upstream to the toe of the 6 km wide, 30+ meters high glacier, where we had plenty of time to get a good look. There were two sides to the glacier,

Grey Glacier drops into Grey Lake. Yes the lake is grey — Grey Glacier drops into Grey Lake. Yes, the water is grey.

one on either side of a rock island that appeared to hold the glacier in place. The glacier is located in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field just west of the Cordillera del Paine, which is a mountain group in the Torres del Paine, where our lodge, Explora, is located. This glacier is receding and will continue to recede unless global warming is stopped. The boat lecturer told us that the reason ice is blue is that it is the only color that passes through ice and is not absorbed. Only 30% of ice bergs is exposed above the water line. Nice to be reminded about things you already knew, huh?

Mark’s favorite glacier and ice berg photo

Back at the lodge, we grabbed a bite to eat just before the restaurant closed at 2:30pm. Then I went for a walk about the lodge to get familiar with some of the plants. The planets I identified are the Thorne skeleton weed, or Mother-in-lays weed, the common myrtle, Japanese barberry, Scarlet Lady’s Tresses. There are also three different beech trees that are quite common, but I did not see them on my walk.

February 7, 2023 – 1:31 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (4)

Patagonia at last

The park was established in 1959 and is 70 miles north of Puerto Natales. At 593,000 acres it is one of the largest and most visited in Chili. In 1978, the park became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is known as the most beautiful park in Chili for its famous Grey Glacier, two popular treks and the most photographed attraction called the Torres del Paine, the three distinct 11,000 foot+ granite towers. The word Paine is from the Tehuelche Indian word meaning “blue”. Among the peaks we ww were beautiful blue lakes in different sizes. Every day has been windy and today was the worst. It was up to 50 mph as we tried to do a hike and gave up.

Yesterday, our first day in the park, I went for a horseback ride while mark went on a hike. Worked well for both of us. My horse was named Tequila and we got along fine. He did all the walkai9ng and I enjoyed the scenery, while trying to keep from being blown off. I was in a small group of folks from other American states.

After lunch we went on a 3 hour drive through the park to get a fuller picture of the sights and especially to see the towers, that is the Torres del Paine. In spite of the wind, there is a lot of fog and many of the peaks are shrouded in white. Here is a selection of what we saw, including animals. We saw mostly guanacos, large South American natives that are related to the camel, a handful of flamingos, who seem totally out of place, one ostrich and a couple of mice our guide enticed out of their hole.

Today, we set out at 8:45 to do an easy hike to a scenic place in the French Valley. Our first stop was a waterfall, a short walk from the car. However it was so windy that we could barely stand. A park ranger arrived and took a sample of the wind. It was gusting to 50mph. We debated about going further and our guide decided it was not worth the effort so we turned back and managed to make it to the car without anyone falling. On the way back to the lodge, we stopped at a small clamping facility, got out of the wind, had a tea and coffee and admired the view. There was even a black sand Bech as well as a long boardwalk to cross over the lake. It is called Lago Pohoe.

We danced to remain upright in the 40-50 mph wind.

Once back at the lodge, we shopped for Patagonia jackets on sale, had lunch and spent the afternoon reading and writing. The mountains out our window were the clearest we have seen. I’ve included a plan of the lay6out of the peak names. The far left cluster is called the Cerro Paine Grande. The low point, called the Valle Frances

February 6, 2023 – 1:52 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (7)

A short visit in Santiago

Well, we made it to Santiago comfortably on time. Our flight out of SFO was delayed more than 2 hours. Thankfully our scheduled layover in Houston was 4 hours and we were able to make the connection without trouble. Once in our United business class seats, we ate a quick dinner and dropped off to sleep for several hours. Mark woke me up with only 20 minutes to collect myself before landing. I had slept 6 hours, even missing breakfast.

Once on the ground and through immigration and customs we were driven directly to our lodging, the Singular Hotel in the historic part of Santiago. We learned from our driver that that Chili has 18,000,000 citizens and that 8,000,000 live in Santiago. There are currently an additional million Venezuelan immigrants living in Chile. They are not all enthusiastically welcome, according to the driver. After cleaning up and a rest in our hotel, we went out for a walk about the neighborhood and took a few photos. The city is full of graffiti on every wall on every street and only some of it is any good. We found ourselves in the university district with schools all around. There was an interesting fountain called the German Fountain built in 1912. It was very attractive except for the graffiti all over it. We walked along the Mapocho River, which passes through the city, and learned that it floods in the winter and nearly dries out in the summer. At the moment it is shallow, but swift and very muddy.

Close up of the fountain with a lot of graffiti

In the late afternoon we dressed for dinner and took an Uber to another part of the city to join Scott Browne and Larry McGrath for dinner. We had learned they would be in Santiago when we were expecting to be there, so we planned a dinner together. It was fun to connect with friends in a foreign city. We shared a delicious dorado fish dinner and many laughs. Back in our hotel, I wrote this post and tried to sleep. Our room was so warm with marginal AC, it took a long time before I dropped off. It had been 90 degrees most of the day. It is definitely summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Tomorrow we continue traveling South to Patagonia.

February 4, 2023 – 4:11 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (1)

South to the bottom (almost) of South America

We leave SFO mid-day on February 2, Ground Hog Day, and fly to Houston for a 3.5 hour layover. After leaving Houston we fly 9.5 hours to Santiago, Chili for an overnight. Then on to Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales in Southern Chili. This will be our most southerly point. This map is a nice image of what we fly over. The second map is more clear as to our destinations.

From Puerto Natales (the red dot near the southern end of Chile) we drive to Torres del Paine, a National Park in Chili (the lower green star). Our accommodations are at a place called Explora Patagonia, somewhere in the park. From the airport we will be driven 112 miles to our hotel. We will stay at Explora four nights and do our activities from there. Then we will be driven to Glaciers national Park, a 9.5 hour ride, to another hotel for a few more days. More on all that later. We do end up in Uruguay for several days before coming home from Monte Video.

The third image is a dense topographical map of Patagonia. It demonstrates the attraction to the area for people wanting to hike, take awesome photos and get away from crowds. I have read that we will not be hiking above 3800 feet in elevation even though there are several tall peaks and many hikes of multiple lengths. Hopefully my knee will be able to hike all we want.

This map makes the land look daunting. I believe we will be near 54 degrees latitude and in the middle of the mountains. I will be more definitive when I know more.

THE TIP OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO IS THE MOST SOUTHERLY POINT ON EARTH TO WHICH MAN HAS WALKED. HE ARRIVED THERE SOME 10,000 YEARS AGO, BASED ON ARTIFACTS FOUND IN THE AREA.

February 2, 2023 – 10:14 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (8)

Our next destination is Patagonia

We are ready to travel again. We have selected South America as our first destination. Beginning on February 2, 2023 we will fly to Santiago and then on to Torres del Paine in Chili, Moreno Glacier Park in Argentina, two Patagonian Parks for several days each. (Look for the green stars on the map below.) From the Parks we will fly to Buenos Aires for a couple of days, then on to Uruguay for several days in that country. We fly home from Montevideo, Uruguay on February 20, 2023. Hopefully, I can still document and post our travels. I’ve developed macular degeneration in both eyes and had my left knee replaced. Will I manage the rigors of hiking in Patagonia? We shall see.

January 17, 2023 – 5:28 pm Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (7)

2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay

January 8, 2023

We are getting ready to make our first major adventure since or trip to Pakistan in 2019 and the beginning of the pandemic. in early 2020 Covid appeared on the world stage and caused us and along with others to put our lives on hold. We had planned to visit the Congo and revisit Botswana and Namibia. We also hoped to start touring South America: in particular, Brazil, the Amazon and Patagonia. Instead, we hunkered down and stayed in our own back yard.

Among other things, we sold our beloved airplane after 46 years of wonderful flying, I had left knee replacement surgery, Mark had right shoulder replacement surgery and I developed macular degeneration in both eyes. Meanwhile, I continued to walk every day with the local “street walkers” as we call ourselves. We had great conversations while walking, regardless of the weather.

We closed escrow on a Lake Tahoe house in Kings Beach in November 2019. When we occupied the property, we soon realized it needed work and lots of it. With no opportunity to travel and a house needing repairs, we jumped in and began what became a major remodel project. Here you can see our first experience of stormy weather in the back yard. The waves splashed on our windows with each storm through the winter of 2020-2021.

This is the house as it looked when we purchased it

By March of 2020 we were working with an architect, a designer and a contractor and became so engrossed that we did not think about Covid. Our crew did not think much about it either. The time flew by, the work unfolded, and the house was rejuvenated. Here we are installing a new hot tub on the roof. We finally moved into the finished house in October of 2022, just as Covid was winding down. The timing could not have been more perfect for us. As for catching the virus, we each had a mild version of it in July 2020. Below is the finished living room and dining area, the view from the upstairs bedroom, our first Christmas in the house with Mark’s mother and sister and the boat dock in the summertime.

2021 –First Christmas at lake house with Mark’s mother and sister

Front and back of newly remodeled lake house

Kings Beach lKE HOUSE — Front and back of newly remodeled lake house

Half way through the remodel, we took a vacation to New England to see the fall colors. It was my first time in New England and the colors were spectacular. Both of us love lobster and we took every opportunity to eat the crustaceans. We visited Boston for a week and took in the historical sights. Then we headed north visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum and Dr Seuss’s sculpture garden. When you look at our house photos you may notice a few Dr Seuss pieces. We really enjoy the color and fun in his work. The Rockwell classics are so numerous I could not help including several.

Further north and west we visited the Stowe ski resort, where the color was over the top. Then we stayed at Mt Washington, hiked in the local hills and took a train to the top of the Mountain. Lovely all the way.

Near the end of the remodel, we went on another vacation. This time to Tahiti for 10 days. We had a super time enjoying water sports and relaxing. Actually finished reading a few books.

Now we are ready to travel again. We have selected South America as our first destination. Beginning on February 2, 2023 we plan to visit Torres del Paine in Chili and Moreno Glacier Park in Argentina, two Patagonian Parks for several days each. (Look for the green stars on the map below.) We will fly to Buenos Aires for a couple of days, then on to Uruguay for several days in that country. We fly home from Montevideo, Uruguay on February 20, 2023. Hopefully, I can still document and post our travels. I’ve developed macular degeneration in both eyes and had my left knee replaced. Will I manage the rigors of hiking in Patagonia? We shall see.

January 13, 2023 – 11:59 am Categories: 2023 February: Chili/Argentina/Uruguay | Comments (19)

Coming Home

October 9, 2019

Our 26th anniversary. Today will probably be our longest anniversary ever, since we will get back the 12 hours we lost on the clock and experience a 36 hour October 9th. Sure did not plan ahead for the occasion. A hug and a kiss and we are on our way….home.

As I review the 46 days just passed, I think about all the scenery we experienced, especially the snow-capped mountains of Tibet and Pakistan and the green forests and meadows in Bandhavgarh Park; the narrow, cliff hanging roads in the north and the noisy, overcrowded roads in the cities; the temples, forts, monasteries and palaces everywhere, from ancient and falling apart, to solid gold plated. Mostly, I think of the people we met along the way. All were friendly, colorful and interesting and all had a story to tell us. Some, especially the Pakistanis, were so warm-hearted and shared so much of themselves that we have come to care for and about them and wonder how they are carrying on in their lives. We correspond with some of them, especially our Pakistan and Indian guides, Shifa and Ashim. Sadly, we seem unable to communicate with our Uygher guide, whose story we felt so deeply and whose life may be at risk. As we return home to our regular activities, we hope we do not forget them or the lessons they taught us about life in other places and the many history lessons they shared with us.

About 10 days ago, I was feeling tired and wanting to go home. Then, a new surge of energy came over me, especially in Bandhavgarh Park, and I did not want to leave. However, it is time. Mark insists 7 weeks is too long and does not want to be gone longer than a month in the future. We shall see. I am hoping he will be OK with a compromise of 5 weeks. The blog took about as much time and energy as other trips, except we had better WiFi on this trip, even in places I expected to find none. That helped allow me to insert more images into the posts and even tell some of the story through a series of photos.

Here are some words that Mother Teresa spoke that touched me and will, I hope, touch you too. Of all the different religions we experienced during this adventure, the most powerful words and lessons come from this little woman filled with love.

Love and blessings to you all,

Julia and Mark

“So you and I, let us begin with that tender love and care in our own home. For this is what we have been created for. This is what Jesus came to teach us, to love one another as He loves each one of us. We have many poor people around the world, but I find that the poverty of loneliness, the poverty of being unwanted, unloved, uncared, just left, a throwaway of society, is a very difficult and very, very burdensome poverty, very difficult to remove.

I have picked up from the streets hungry people, and by giving them to eat, by giving them a bed to sleep, I have removed the suffering, but for the lonely, the shut-ins, the unwanted, it’s not so easy. And so there you and I must come forward, and share the joy of loving, but we cannot give what we don’t have. That’s why we need to pray. And prayer will give us a clean heart, and a clean heart will allow us to see God in each other. And if we see God in each other, we will be able to live in peace, and if we live in peace, we will be able to share the joy of loving with each other and God will be with us.

God bless you,

Mother Teresa”

October 10, 2019 – 11:12 am Categories: 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (5)

Bandhavgarh National Park

October 4, 2019

The entrance gate to our Bandhavgarh Resort

Mark’s opened our comments for this part of our adventure: “Our wake up was at 4:30 in order to drive away from camp by 5:15. We have a park permit that allowed us entry at 5:45, 15 minutes before the other cars are allowed in at 6am. We arrive around 5:35 and drive to the front of the line of cars, just in time for our driver/guide to fill out the required paperwork. Our park spotter has joined us and we are off on our epic tiger hunting adventure.”

Harsh, our driver/guide in Bandhavgarh National park

Our driver/guide was a tall, good looking man named Harsh, which means Happy in Hindi. The previous evening, he gave us an orientation about the park and what to expect. The core of the park is 700 square km and the buffer zone that surrounds the park is 820 square km. However, only 175 square km are open to the public. We are confined to 25% of the park. There are 60 adult tigers living in the park along with about 40 cubs.

The entrance sign at the park boundary.

Harsh going through the check in procedure. We repeated it every morning.

Spotting free tiger paw marks.

Because of our special permit, the park is open to us from 5:45 and we can go on any roads in the 25%. All other vehicles must wait until 6am to get into the park and are assigned specific roads they can travel. We had paid dearly for this permit and were glad to have a chance to see tigers before a crowd appeared. Today, only 20 vehicles are allowed into the park each day. The last time we were here, 2011, there was no limit on the number of vehicles and we remembered never seeing a tiger because we could not get through the crowd.

Scratching himself

Giving us a look

Having a poo.

The crowd arrives.

I hated the early rise, but was glad when we actually spotted our first tiger on the first morning. We were alone with the adult male when he stepped out of the undergrowth and onto the road. He was glorious to us, having traveled so far to see him. And on our first game drive at that. Harsh, our driver/guide had heard the warning calls of the monkeys and stopped our vehicle where he thought the tiger might be. He was right on. Casually, the tiger walked out of the undergrowth and by a tree, stopped and slowly marked it. Then he proceeded across the road and pooped in the grass. Having finished his business, he walked into the brush and out of sight. Other vehicles joined us, but we had the best view point.

Harsh thought the tiger would walk through the forest to the road on the other side of the woods, so we headed there, followed by a number of other vehicles. Sure enough, we heard the warning calls again and the same tiger emerged where Harsh expected. He did not hang around this time, but walked directly across the road again and out of sight. My fear of not seeing a tiger on this trip evaporated. We were both happy campers. With several more game drives ahead, we relaxed and enjoyed the rest of what the park had to offer.

A male Spotted Deer

Crested Hawk Eagle

White-breasted Kingfisher.

Serpant Eagle sitting on a bridge post.

A Spotted deer, or Chital paused to look at us.

We saw this Indian elephant and his mahout passing by. The elephant herd in the park is off limits to tourists. Lucky to see this one.

A wild boar.

A Golden Jaeckel

We saw many Rhesus/Macaque and Gray Langur monkeys. Rhesus are tan with fat faces and short tails; used in lab experiments and not very good looking. Langur monkeys are whitish with black faces and very long tails and much more appealing to watch.

Rhesus monkey

A Common. Langur monkeys

A Common Langur monkey. Mark caught his hard-to-see face.

There were also many herds of spotted deer, who were very skittish and shy and hard to photograph. Otherwise there was the occasional wild boar, water buffalo, Golden Jaeckel, Ruddy mongooses, an Indian Muntjac barking deer, and an Indian elephant with its mahout. Lots and lots of peacocks. They have all lost their tail feathers due to the monsoon rains, which just ended. Gradually new feathers will grow back. Some of the birds we got a good look at included: Serpent Eagles, Indian Rollers, White-throated Kingfishers and a Crested Hawk Eagle.

Tiger staring at us from a small watering hole. See how tough it is to spot these animals.

This image does not do the view I had justice. But it was the only shot we got.

On our afternoon game drive, which started at 2pm and went until 6, we were lucky enough to spot another tiger. This time we were all alone with him for over half an hour, as the other vehicle are not allowed into the park until 3pm. He was laying down in the shade in a small water course. Our spotter, Manjeet, saw him first. We would not have seen him at all, due to the dense foliage. As it was we had a full view of his face for some of the time and he starred directly at us for quite awhile. I was thrilled. Eventually other cars arrived and gradually the tiger pulled back and out of view. We finally drove way and left the other vehicles to try to find him, but he had melted into the forest.

That evening we were served dinner under a huge, old Mauha Kothi tree, for which the resort named. It was a pleasant setting. So far, the weather has been pleasant in the morning and evening and hot and sticky in the sun in the middle of the day. The game drives were ok as long as we parked in the shade or were moving. Our house/bungalow was causing us some problems as we could not get the hot water to work and the AC was intermittent. The camp was nearly full, so we decided to manage. The staff was very attentive in helping us solve our problem. We moved accommodations after two days. The second bungalow was identical, but further away from the main lodge building.

October 5, 2019

Getting to and from our lodging and the park was like running a gauntlet. In the morning cows and dogs lounged all over the road as the surface was warm.

In the afternoon, children play in the road and adults carry bundles on their heads as walking is easier on the paved surface. There are no sidewalks anywhere in India that we have seen, except in the big cities. All vehicle drivers, including ours, honk their horns incessantly to make an opening for themselves. After awhile, one becomes immune to the honking and it is not as effective as it would be if drivers were more judicious about it. Harsh told us the driving age is 18, but there is no test and people ignore the law. Kids drive as soon as they can. Some looked to be in their young teens. Cows are no longer allowed in the large cities, thankfully, but there are no animal laws for the countryside or villages.

Back in the park at 5:45am, Harsh and Manjeet told us more, as we drove along, about the tigers we had seen the day before. The first tiger we saw twice in the morning was named Bamera’s Son. He was born in 2011 and is in his prime. The tiger we saw in the afternoon was named Mahaman and was born in 2012. All the tigers have been named and dated as to their birth and death, when known.

A large spider in its web. I could get close enough with the iPhone. Something to do while waiting for tigers to appear.

I began to notice the forest more, now that we have seen a couple of tigers, and learned that many small trees are satinwood, which have acacia-like leaves and grow to about 30 feet. There are millions of bamboo trees that block out much of our view of animals, and Sal trees, which are tall and dominate the park. There are also ebony and crocodile bark trees, which are less frequent. As this is the end of the monsoon season, the forest is still very green and dense. In the summer months, the bamboo and grasses brown out and viewing is much improved. However, the temperature becomes exceedingly hot, humid and unbearable. As you look at the various photos, notice the vegetation. There are open meadows as well as forested areas.

: The tiger walks through the water course.

: Step 2

: Step 3

: Step 4

: Step 5

: Step 6

: Step 7

: Pause to smell the bushes

: Step 8

: Step 9

: Step 10

: Step 11

: Last shot before entering the forrest.

Shortly after our breakfast break, which we took at a required group location with other vehicles, we departed ahead of the other vehicles planning to quit and go home. However, almost immediately, we came upon a tiger just getting up from a water hole. We had a wonderful view of him, with no other vehicles, for several minutes as he ambled around near our vehicle and finally walked up the road and into the bush. This was our best sighting yet and our third in three game drives. Here is a selection of shots in order. It is the best I could do with my i-phone and no video. Such good luck for us. We headed back to camp to enjoy the resort before going out again in the late afternoon. On the way, we saw more of the same animals and birds as the day before.

After lunch we went swimming in the resort’s pleasant pool and chatted with other Indian guests. Aside from a German couple and several Indian families, we were the only foreigners.

That afternoon’s game drive was our only bust. Harsh shared with us that the park came into existence in 1968 when the government took the property from the Maharaja, whose family had used it at their private game reserve for centuries. In 1994, the park became a tiger reserve. No animals have been imported except bison, which are in a part of the park off limits to tourists.

We tried very hard to get good photos of spotted deer, but were not very successful. Mark’s long camera lens had broken after our first game drive and my i-phone was virtually useless for anything more than a few feet away. The spotted deer are know as Chital in India. It is a Sanskrit word from which the name Cheetah is also derived.

Harsh gave us his opinion about Modi. He thinks he is too pro Hindi in his approach to governance. He prefers that the country remain secular and accommodate all religions. He is also not happy to have his tax money paying for the Indian army to be fighting an unnecessary war in Kashmir. He thinks Kashmir-Jammu should new divided between Pakistan and India, fighting should stop and peace should reign. Here Here!!!!

Dinner that night was under another tree deep into the woods. Every meal has been good. The chef is very attentive in finding out our preferences in food and serving what we request. And why he prepares is quite good.

October 6, 2019

At 8am we were at a tiger cub sighting. Three 1 1/5 year old cubs had been seen in this spot the day before so we arrived ahead of the pack and waited. We finally saw two of them asleep under dense bamboo. They were very hard to see, unfortunately. We sat with them a couple of hours waiting for them to move.

Early morning sunrise.

Shortly after sunrise.

Meadows and forest

A drive through the forest on a road used only by permitted vehicles.

Harsh and Mark share breakfast on the hood.

Gave up and went to a nearby designated breakfast location. Ate quickly and returned to the cub sighting. While gone, the cubs had move a few hundred feet and parked under more bamboo. All the other vehicles had moved off for their breakfast and we were able to get into a reasonable position about 45 feet from one of the cubs, who was sound asleep. We watched him for about three hours, how patient is that?

This is what Harsh was able to get with his camera. It is about what I saw with my binoculars.

With the binoculars, I saw him twitch his tail, wriggle his ears, lift his head and swat bugs, but never get up. Finally, we gave up at 1:30 and drove back to camp. Along the way we spotted a Grey Hornbill in a tree and a Sambar deer, partially hidden behind a tree.

The shifting crowd….

……of vehicles.

We did not go back in the afternoon. Dinner was at the swimming pool that evening. Fun to change locations each evening.

October 7, 2019

Departure day. We do not have the special permit, but Mark decided to go out anyway, while I decided to work on the blog. Mark made the correct choice. He had the best sighting of the week.

This gives you an idea how hard it is to spot a tiger in the brush.

Mark’s best photo

And got some really nice images as the tiger was close to the vehicle. So, like you, I could only look at the photos. Shortly after the sighting Mark returned about 10:30, we had lunch, packed up and departed at 1:30 for the Jabalpur airport. Using Mark’s count, he had seen a tiger 5 out of 6 game drives. That was an excellent ratio, considering we had experienced 0 for 4 in 2011 and other complained about not seeing any either.

: The only parrot.

: Finally, some good close ups of Spotted deer.

: One last deer stands still.

A surprising image Mark took that I had not even known existed was of this 35 foot sandstone carving of Lord Vishnu reclining on the seven-hooded serpent Sheshnaag. It was made from a single piece of stone in the 10th century AD and is a classic example of the unique monuments of Bandhavgarh, a for that existed many centuries before there was a park.

A sandstone carving of Lord Vishnu resting on a serpent. Part of the ancient fort that belonged to a maharaja of long ago.

The 3 hour drive to the airport was uneventful, if you don’t count the cows, kids and people we encountered on the road and the two villages markets we drove through. Only stopped to catch one last Durga Puja in a small village. Otherwise, I would have loved to walk through the two markets we passed, if there had been time. They were both feasts for the eyes.

People enjoying the food at the puja celebration. This was the 9th and final day before drowning the statues.

The local Durga statue. Simple

Locals eating the feast and praying to Durga.

At the airport, a mother sat next to us to feed her 3 month old baby. She asked me to help her open the formula, so I asked her about bottle vs breast feeding. She said most Indian mothers breast feet for the first year. She had to stop after 45 days because she has a full time job in Dubai. She and her husband were flying back to work there, after having spent some time with their families in Jabalpur.

The flight to Kolkata was only a couple of hours and after a short drive we were at our airport accommodations, Swissotel, and in bed by 10:30.

October 8, 2019

We have the whole day at the Swissotel. We work on our last post—my writing and Mark’s photos and go for a walk in the neighborhood shopping mall. It is the final day of the Durga Puja—the day the statues are carried to the river and ceremoniously drowned in the water, hopefully to melt there and float away. Unfortunately, there is too much paint, fabric and jewelry for everything to melt. The river must be a mess.

Went for a walk around the block and, of course, ran into a cow, almost literally. Nice way to end our trip. We are homeward bound. Tonight we fly from Kolkata to Singapore and then on to SFO. Closing thoughts will come when I can put them together. It has been an incredible experience. One we will not soon forget.

Many blessings to all of our followers,

Julia and Mark

A passing cow rubs my leg.

And sniffs my camera.

October 8, 2019 – 3:24 am Categories: 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (7)

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