At the Altiplano...and suffering from soroche...

So we've arrived at Tierra de Atacama in San Pedro de Atacama at an elevation of approximately 8000 feet...unfortunately, we don't have a special oxygenated room like that in Cusco so I've really suffered from the lack of oxygen. I have all the major symptoms of nausea, headache, fatigue, and a resting heart rate of 90bpm, suffice it to say I spent the morning trying to acclimate to my very high environment. It dawned on me that if I sit outside I have more access to oxygen so I've spent most of the day on the patio of my little room, fortunately it's been a rather warm and comfortable day. I did have to miss ut on the first of the many excursions planned by the excursion director Max. When I went to tell him that I was not feeling well and couldn't make it, he took one look at me and said "yeah, you don't look good at all." Well, thank you Max! Not only did I feel bad because of my altitude sickness, but apparently I also looked like death! Just what a girl needs to hear! Anyway, the hotel is very lovely, comprised of only a few rooms, and has a capacity of about 70 people. Just my luck, most of that capacity is being filled by Brazilian children on their Winter Break with their parents. Once the sun sets, the Brazilians are bundled up like a deep freeze has set over the region (it's probably about 40 degrees, so it's cold but not layers of scarves and large puffy down jackets cold!), in the afternoon they are running around barefoot and in small bathing suits (72 degrees). I'm trying to avoid them as much as I can, but the seem to be everywhere...I guess I'll just put in my earplugs and find a corner. We actually did attend an evening excursion to the Salt Flats...it was quite a beautiful spectacle to watch the sun set over the volcano and reflect its glowing rays over the white and pink salt. Hopefully, I feel better so I can continue to marvel at the geographical beauty of this region. Hasty luego!

El museo está cerrado, otra vez!?!?!

So now it's day 2 of our Chilean adventure. After spending a thoroughly relaxing day at the Matetic vineyard and inn (or as my parents would have called it, "sleeping to catch up" for the several hours of sleep we missed during our 18 hour plane journey to get here) Christine and I finally made it to the big city of Santiago. This entailed a 1 1/2 hour journey by car with a driver and guide who wanted me to practice my basic Spanish skills.  Between Christine and I, we're almost conversational. Christine understands for the most part, while I can speak. This time around, though, my listening skills improved and I had a better grasp of the language such that Chrisitne was left out of parts of the conversation.  Get this for complexity... "Estaba diciendo a mi hermana que Santiago se parece a la ciudad de Los Angeles."  Two clauses! That's progress for me!

We didn't get to see a whole lot today, but did ride the Santiago metro. I have to say comparing the Santiago subway with the good old Metro Red Line back at home, one would be hard pressed to tell which city was in the most industrialized nation in the world (hint: it's not the one in LA...)  the reason we took the subway was to go see the famed Chilean Precolombian Art Museum. I wanted to see it the last time I was in Chile, but it was Monday, and it was closed.  So this time around I made absolutely certain that the museum was open. I checked and rechecked the guide book and checked with the hotel concierge.  After wandering around the crowded city center for a good 30 minutes, Christine and I finally found it... closed for remodeling until 2013... To quote my cousin Jen I thought that was "pretty f**king s**tty!"

Oh well, I guess I just won't ever see that museum. Christine and I are just resigned to walk around the streets of the Las Condes neighborhood, seeking out other touristy activities before heading out to the Atacama desert.  Perhaps I'll indulge in the local Chilean specialty, an Italiano: basically a hot dog slathered in mayonnaise topped with tomatoes and avocado. Honestly, I think it's as unappetizing as it sounds, but that's just me.

I posted a couple of night shots of the neighborhood near our hotel. I could swear I was back in the states.  Hasta luego.

- Joe

Hola from Chile

After having traveled nearly 27 hours to get to South Africa last year, the 12 hours of travel time to arrive at our current destination seemed a breeze. Hola from Santiago, Chile . . . more specifically, we are an hour from the city at the vineyard in the Valle del Rosario, between the ports of San Antonio and Valparaiso, one of the largest and busiest ports in South America. We have decided to spend our first night at this lovely and secluded vineyard so as to acclimate to the time (a whopping 3 hour time difference!) and more importantly to recover from the red-eye flight that brought us here. Not much to report as of yet, other than we are the only people staying at the hotel, one of the many perks of traveling during off season, and the staff has only us for whom to care. We have the place ALL to ourselves! Yes, it is a bit chilly because it is winter here in Chile but I do enjoy sitting by a warm, toasty fire knitting or reading. Ciao for now, lunch is being served followed by a tour of the winery... --Christine UPDATE: JUST returned from a wonderfully educational and insightful tour of the Organic Winery...what did I learn? I like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir . . . A LOT!

Report from the African bush, first in a series.

So it has now been five days since our last report from the city of Durban (well, actually the beach side suburb of Uhmlanga Rocks, but I digress). Christine and I have now completed our first rotation in the African bush at two separate lodges in two game reserves. It has been exciting. It has been fun filled. It has been rough on my gluteus maximus. All in all, a very good first safari adventure with even more still to come.

So much to describe, so little space, so I'll try to stick with the anecdotes rather than the play by play. First of all, for all you Disney fans, let me make a few comparisons as that is the closest I had gotten to a safari since my arrival in Africa.

#1: You do not say "Jambo!" at the beginning of the safari drive. Anyone familiar with the safari ride at Animal Kingdom will know that's how it starts. So far here, it's generally been good morning or hello.

#2: People with back and neck problems should not board this attraction. Our ranger on the first reserve, Kyle, drove us around in an open topped land cruiser. The guy was a great ranger, and very enthusiastic, but drove like a wild maniac. It was like riding the Indiana Jones Adventure for four hours straight twice a day.

#3: Keep your hands and arms inside the safari vehicle at all times. Related to #2 above, as our ranger offroaded through thorny bush and backed into a couple of trees.

#4: Never, ever leave the vehicle unless directed to do so b the ranger. While at disney, it's done to follow strict protocol, in the bush, the animals will maim and/or eat unsuspecting tourists. Adrian, the ranger on our second reserve, nearly got himself killed trying to locate a black rhino for us when he literally stumbled onto mother rhino and calf. Also the many tales of deadly hippo encounters, and ranger Kyle's belief that crocodiles kill the most people in Africa, more than hippos, because they drag people off into the water and leave no remains.

However, so far the number and quality of sightings have been stunning. We already saw all the big five (rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, and elephants) as well as untold numbers of antelopes. Most impressive were the cheetah, and I got some good Nat Geo type shots of them.

I'm sure Christine will add more details in the coming days, but il leave it at that for now. First report of many to come...

More Pics

Southern Right Whale and her 2 week old calf

Endangered Minke Whale...apparently, several hundred miles from its usual location, so an amazing sight to behold, even our skipper was super excited!

Cheetah Photos

Yes, I'll pay the extra 28 dollars to pet the cheetah.

So, it has been a couple of days since the last blog post, and Christine and I have had quite a few adventures. We're now spending our last night in the Western Cape region, relaxing in the hotel lounge listening to Sarah McLachlan.

Yesterday, Christine and I spent the day in Oudtshoorn, ostrich capital of South Africa, and the world. But instead of doing the usual tourist activity of visiting an ostrich farm and participating in the somewhat strange activity of ostrich riding, we decided to hit up two other town attractions, the Cango Caves and the Cango Wildlife Ranch. The caves were awesome, and it was rather amazing. What was even more entertaining was the absolute fascination South Africans have for visitors with American accents. We talked to several different people on our tour, just on the basis of our unusual accents.

But even better, and more to the point of my post, was the visit to the wildlife ranch. It's a small wildlife rescue with a variety of animals in enclosures, and partipates in repopulating the cheetah in Africa. On the first part of the tour, I was excited to see some pretty basic birds and pygmy hippos. But then came the star attractions, the big cats, three adorable tiger cubs, several cheetah, lions and leopards. And for an additional fee, one could enter the cheetah enclosure to pet the hand raised tame cheetahs. Of course Christine and I couldn't resist, even though it was somewhat dangerous and would never ever be allowed in the prudish US. The rationale was this: funds went to support the cheetah foundation. So danger of being mauled be damned, we went in and pet the big cats. And it was awesome, the cheetah I pet rolled over and wanted me to rub his belly, although I was told explicitly not to do that. Hopefully I can post the video, to prove the cats were not tranquilized and were rather frisky.

Post our Karoo adventures, we drove down to the Garden Route, which is akin to California's PCH. Its a dramatic highway running along the Indian Ocean lined with some very nice little towns. Our big adventure was doing whale watching along the coast, where the Southern Right Whales are doing their annual migration. Got some good shots of a mother and newborn calf swimming around, as well as a very friendly Minke whale. Very cool things indeed.

Next up, heading to the Kwazulu-Natal state for our first safari adventures. It'll be difficult to leave the Western Cape though. Perhaps I'll just settle down, buy a nice ocean view home in the town of Knysna, and kick back in South Africa for a few years. Coastal home prices are downright reasonable here. It's the perfect place for a summer home, if it only weren't a 22 hour flight time away...

- Joe