[Hyacinth Bucket]

Hi Everyone,

I am sitting on the deck in the middle of nowhere and am getting a connection. I do not believe it. The scenery is breathtaking. Reminds me of Alaska, high snow capped mountains, glaciers and more. Here is the first part of the travelogue I am sending my clients.

We are near Patagonia. Seems funny that the further south we travel the colder it is getting.

One of the stewards just walked by and noticed I am not dressed appropriately for the weather. They are going to send up blankets. This is the life. I do not think it can get any better than this.

This is the smallest ship we have ever been on and so far everything has been fantastic.

Travellin' with Sue

CRUISE FROM SANTIAGO TO BUENOS AIRES VIA OCEANIC CRUISE LINE

OUR SHIP INSIGNIA

LEAVE JFK ON JAN 7
ARRIVE IN SANTIAGO 7
EMBARK ON CRUISE SHIP JAN. 10

We left for the airport about midnight and our flight departs at 5:30 a.m., meaning that by the time we left we had been awake for about 24 hours Needless to say, we could not wait to board the plane so that we can could at least relax and hopefully sleep, which in the end we did—for most of the flight to Panama. Our flights were uneventful. We were upgraded to business class from New York to Panama City, Panama, which was lovely and which added to our ability to sleep.

The hotel limo was not awaiting us when we arrived in Santiago; the cost for two colleagues and myself via easily arranged van to the hotel was slightly less than the limo would have been. Though he spoke no English and one of my colleagues translated, the driver was quite knowledgeable and gave us a brief tour of Santiago on the way to the hotel.

We were all very pleased with our hotel rooms. We were on the 20th floor in a corner room suite with fabulous views in two directions. We can see the snow-covered Andes and other mountains from our room. At night we can see the sunset and the setting sun creating wonderful shadows on the high-rise buildings and the Andes and watching the city lights come on. At night the city is ablaze with lights, and there are many red lights that are continually flashing.

Prior to leaving home, we had arranged for a private guide and driver for touring in Santiago. Unsurprisingly, we learned that by sharing arrangements for touring like this with a group of at least four, we have more space in a larger vehicle while sharing the cost of the guide and driver, compared to taking a bus tour. On January 8th we met our tour guide Carlos and driver Johann (whose grandfather was one of countless German settlers in Chile, accounting for his grandson having a German given name). We had arranged for a tour of small villages in the Andes and for one of our colleagues to take a guided hike in the Andes.

One of our first stops was in the little village of San Juan de Miapo. The classic cathedral found most often in the town square of Hispanic towns and cities was small, quite old, and built primarily of wood. Apparently wood structures hold up better in the earthquakes that periodically strike this region. Particularly interesting were two statues in this square—that of Bernardo O’Higgins, who had been the leader of the independence movement in Chile in the early part of the nineteenth century—and that of his father who had been the crown-appointed governor of Chile!

Our hiking colleague was dropped off at a private resort, Cascada Adventura Limitada, San Jose de Maipo, phone 861 13 03. He reported that he had a fantastic time hiking in the Andes. His group consisted of the guide, a family of three from Tennessee, a young couple from Brazil, plus himself. First the guide presented a narrative of the flora and fauna of where they would be hiking. At the same time he was telling them what they would observe, he informed the group which plants were indigenous and which were not, and where possible he showed examples of the plants.

While he was hiking and exploring the Andes, we visited a small family-run winery called Los Nietos (“The Grandchildren”). This winery made wine not only from grapes but from cherries, berries, walnuts and almonds. In the wine tasting area were numerous enormous old oak casks filled with wine. We had not planned to buy anything, but after tasting the wines, we purchased nearly every one that we had tried.

After we picked up our hiking colleague, we had lunch in a local restaurant in the area. There was a musician and dancers providing local entertainment as we ate. All in all we had a very pleasant time.

In the evening we crashed. We were very tired and the beds were unbelievably comfortable. We all agreed that it had been a wonderful day.

On Jan. 9th we took a city tour with Carlos, the same guide. We each had a place we wanted to visit. Our tour guide and driver took us to the city’s main square with its cathedral; the post office, including a vendor with the most extensive assortment of post cards for sale; the presidential palace (which along with adjoining government buildings showed repairs from a military uprising some 35 years earlier); the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (the Chilean Museum of Precolumbian Art) which also had an extensive exhibit of artifacts depicting Moche sex, power, and sacrifice—clearly well designed galleries and exhibits with descriptions and information in English as well, of course, as Spanish; the Mercado Central (Central Market); and a local seafood restaurant that resulted in mixed reviews.

Will send more as soon as I can.