Mary & John's BIG Adventure

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4/10/99: We just spent eight wonderful days in paradise...at Morro de Sao Paulo. By the time we left, we knew everyone in town!! Our one big excursion was to the neighboring island of Boipeba. We took a tractor trailer with 22 other tourists across Tinhare, stopping at Garapua, a tiny little village, where we swam and mingled with the other passengers. We had a funny Brazilian named Claudio who kept us entertained and who we of course became friends with!! On the island of Boipeba, we had a delicious Bahian lunch under a palapa. John hung out there and I went out to a reef that was like a natural swimming pool and went snorkeling. There were some pretty fish, but it didn't compare to Roatan or Hawaii or some other places we've been. Still, the water was crystal clear and beautiful. That island is hardly developed at all. Anyway when we realized that we are supposed to leave Brazil on May 5th and we have several other places to visit, we made ourselves get on the boat and go back to the mainland. Actually it was fun to be "on the road again".....We took a boat to Valenca, a bustling town where we did some errands , then took a bus to Utaitaba and then another one to Itacare. The latter bus ride was completely over a dirt road thru the most beautiful countryside!! So now we are in the beautiful little town of Itacare, on the coast with several fabulous beaches. The internet owner has to close now so I will sign off and get back to you in a few days. We love your messages and really look forward to getting them. Thanks so much!!

4/2/99: Well, this trip just keeps getting beter and better!! I think that John is now convinced that Brazil is TOO MUCH FUN!!! We left Iguazu and flew to Salvador (also known as Bahia). Along the way we met several friendly Brazilians. We also met an English musician named Carl on the plane,who was going to the Pelourinho district. I had been there 18 years ago with my good friend Nela. ANyway we ended up sharing a cab with him and staying at the very same hotel that Nela and I stayed at!! Deja Vu. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Pelourinho area...they have rehabilitated the area, which is all old colonial buildings and it is just beautiful. The buildings are all in different shades of pastels and were well worth preserving. Plus this area has becme quite the tourist attraction..in a good way, with really neat little restaurants and shops. Nela and I would really have loved it this way much more..it was really a lot of fun!! We got a couple of locals to give us a city tour, which was really great.. we were shown a lot of places that I hadn't seen before. We also checked out the local beaches. Carl got us tickets to a Gilberto Gil concert, which we were really excited to attend. We got there and they wouldn't let John in because he was wearing shorts!!! So we had to take a taxi back RAPIDO, get long pants, and get back there in 20 minutes!!! We made it and then were disappointed in the concert...it was all percussionists and hardly any Brazilian music. The best part was the dance by these Burundi drummers!!! Oh well!!! We also attended a Brazilian soccor game....Bahia vs. Vitoria!! That was really wild!! But we survived, only by leaving just a bit early and even then it was close!! From Salvador, we took a boat to the Island of Itaparica. We took a chance and went to Club Med..we were able to get in for three days only because it is Easter week and all the Brazians have Thursday thru Sunday off. This was a vacation from our trip!! Club Med had really improved since my last stay there. We had a GREAT room overlooking a lagoon;the food was excellent; they had wonderful entertainment. We really enjoyed the sports..FINALLY played golf as well as tennis and ping pong!! John went windsurfing and sailing and I learned how to sail a laser by myself!! It was really fun!! We met some really nice people there..Brazilians and Argentines. One couple (darling newlyweds named Gabriella and Luis) told us about a place that I had never heard of called Morro de SAo Paulo on the island of Tinare. We decided to go there next. So that's where we are now. We had a great trip getting here in a Mercedes van with about 15 partying Brazilians!! John and I sat up front with the driver and got to enjoy the beautiful green scenery, as well as the laughing and singing of our amigos!! Then we had an hour and a half beautiful boat ride thru mangroves. We were blown away when we arrived at the island..it is magical!! We had to climb up this big hill (luckily Antonio carried ALL of our luggage!!...mine on his head) where we discovered the most darling Brazilian village...like Buzios was 18 years ago. I was instantly in heaven!! THere are at least three cool beaches here that you can stay at. The town is FULL because of the holiday, but we found a cute place,brand new, right on the beach!! Not easy in the cloudburst that erupted as we were looking!! It's always an adventure when we arrive in a new place!! The full moon didn't hurt the scenery either!! Yes we are in paradise and we will probably stay here a while. After all the action at Club Med and the travel time getting here, we spent the day relaxing. John finally got to hang his hammock (after he hung the laundry!) and we spent some time swinging in the shade!! We also did some swimming. The tides here are amazing....easily 7 or 8 feet. There are no cars, only tractors that pull trailers with bench seats that will take you to the far beaches. There are no roads, only sand paths. Shoes are optional. The buildings are small and colorful, lots of palm trees, umbrellas, beach chairs, samba music!! So you know we are going to have a happy Easter and we wish you all the same. Ciao for now!! Thanks for your messages. Please keep in touch. Love, Maria and Joao

3/25/99: WOW!!!A lot has happened since I did the last email. First of all I have just a couple of things to add to the Buenos Aires segment that I forgot last time. One of the really neat things we did was go to the Recoleta, a section of B.A. where there is an unbelieveable mausoleum!! It's like a small city of Greek temples, each one more elaborate than the next!! There we saw the grave of Eva Peron among the many other rich and famous Argentines. Another intersting thing we saw was in Brad and Kathe's neighborhood...instead of a neighborhood watch like many Calif. communities have, they have a "vigilante"...a man who is in a little booth in the neighborhood and watches what's going on!! O.K., from B.A.,we took the BUQUEBUS (really a hydrofoil) to Uruguay. We really didn't know much about this country at all and ended up LOVING it!!! The Buquebus wqas really cool...very fast and smooth. We got to Montevideo in two hours! We decided to go straight to Punta del Este, which was another two hours on a bus. We ended up staying there eight days!! It is a beautiful resort, very upsacale and clean and calm and relaxing. We found a great hotel, inexpensive but nice and clean with a great location and everything we could possibly need. Punta del Este is a peninsula and we had the ocean on one side and a bay on the other. The first few days were overcaste so we spent a lot of time walking around exploring,went to a movie, the casino, various restaurants, the harbor, read and relaxed. Six of the Äround Alone sailboats were in the harbor, which were exciting to see. They are getting ready to take off for the last leg in April. We had been following the race in the news and so it was really cool to see them in person. They are awesome!! We met one of the ground crew for one of the boats and she gave us a lot of information on what ws happening. The sun finally cqame out and Punta del Este really was shining then!! We spent some quality beach time, the beaches are great there...one had waves (good surfing for those of you who care) and the other was like a lake and great for swimming. We were in heaven with our rented beach chairs and umbrella!! We also rented a car and drove around two days. We went to Casapueblo, the fabulous home, hotel and art gallery of Carlos Paez Vilaro, a famous Uruguayan artist. WoW!!!It was spectacular, a lot like Las Hadas, built on the side of the cliff.We had lunch there, and went back again for sunset!! We also explored Piriapolis that day and met a gal who rescues animals...she had rescued a fox when we met her! From there we went to the animal reserve which was like a zoo but in a really neat, natural setting. We also saw the castle of Piri, the guy who founded Piriapolis! The next day we went the other was and drove to La Barra and Jose Ignacio, very cute, quaint, colorful little villages...with outstanding beaches!! We both could have stayed there a lot longer. There are many wealthy Uruguayans and they have some outrageous mansions!! THe shole country is lovely. Lots of woods and farm land. We only spent three hours in Montevideo, but made it to Old town and had lunch at the mercado del puerto, which was a trip! Sp[eaking of food, we had some great meals there. We tried Chivitos,the local sandwhich,seafood paella, great steaks, empanadas, and a Northern Argentine dish called humita,which was sort of a creamed corn and really yummy! The big thing in both Arentina and Uruguay is Dulce de Leche, a sweet carmel-like fudge in many of the desserts! We grew to really love it!! We went back thru Buenos Aires and were fortunate enough to stay with Brad and Kathe.There was a huge thunder storm that night!! We left the next day for Iguacu, which is where we are now! We spent yesterday on the Argentine side, now we are on the Brazilian side!! The falls are unbelieveable...MAGNIFICENT!!!!! You can't imagine how much water is rushing !! We saw gorgeous tucans(John has these killer binoculars!) and thousands of gorgeous butterflies in so many colors and pattersn!!They will land right on you and they are all over the place! No sign of any snakes or pumas yet!! We are staying in our first real luxury (LUXO) place tonight, the Tropical Hotel overlooking the falls from the Brazilian side....we spent some time at the pool and have enjoyed all the luxury!!! Tomorrow we head north for Salvador, Bahia on the coast North of Rio. I am so excited to be in Brazil again...just hearing the music and the language is so great!! Okay, everyone..we will be having more fun and adventures to report, I hope!! Thanks for the latest emails. As always, we look forward to hearing from you!!!

3/24/99: SURPRISE--A PICTURE!  Slim John and Mary as they left Kathe and Brad Page's house this morning in Buenos Aires. They are on their way to Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil.

Webmaster note: This is my (webmaster Vija's) last update as I am leaving on my own round the world trip in a couple of weeks.  My husband and I plan on meeting up with Mary and John in Greece (hopefully).  I'm sure Mary will include that in her dispatches from Greece if it happens.  I've enjoyed bringing you their up-to-the-minute trip dispatches!  My website is: https://members.tripod.com/VijaWilliams.   My website is a little different from Mary in that you can "join" mine for our dispatches.  Webmaster Dar is taking over next week.  I hope you keep following Mary and John in their travels and be sure to keep emailing them--she is constantly emailing me and telling me how much she loves getting news and hearing from you.

3/15/99: Hola Amigos!! We last wrote from Villa Gesell. On our last day there, our friend Romina did a radio show about us! We took another super bus to Buenos Aires. There we stayed in Hotel Mary, which was across the street from Romina and her parentsīhome. In B.A. we looked up`Kathe and Brad Page...Kathe is a long time friend of my friend Nela. We went to Teatro Colon ..the Opera House..with Kathe. What a place! They make EVERYTHING they need there, from shoes to costumes to scenery and sets. It was very interesting! They were pčrforming La Traviata but no seats were available. We didnīt get to see the inside of the theater itself because the airconditioning was out, but itīs supposed to be gorgeous.John and I saw many sights in the city. We went to the museum of art and saw lots of classic works by many of the famous artists. We also went to a historical museum, a beautiful cathedral, and took a tour of the stock exchange!! One of the more lively sights was a trip to San Telmo, an antique loverīs paradise with great antique shops and a big antique fair on Sunday. The best part was seeing all the tango dancers on the street, along with musicians and mimes. Another great place was La Boca, where the poor Italian immigrants live. It is also the birthplace of the Tango. Lots of great art on the street there and wonderful brightly painted buildings!We went to Tigre and rode on a riverboat thru the Delta...it was really fun...saw the homes, boats and lots of action!! We went to the horseraces with Brad and Kathe and had a great time...although we didnīt win! We also had our first Argentine steak dinner with them!This city is beautiful with lots of parks,gardens, plazas and trees, including beautiful flowering trees, and wide boulevards, lots of statues and beautiful buildings. But best of all, the people are very,very friendly!! Could it be that Italian influence...almost everyone is Italian!! I feel right at home!!Today we are taking a hydrofoil to Montevideo, Uruguay. So, thatīs the latest...I would have written more but this is my second attempt..I lost the first version!!! Thanks again for your emails..we love them and you!!!

3/9/99: Our last evening in Mar Del Plata was really fun! First we found a cute little pub. Then we discovered the Rodeo Drive of Mar del Plata!! We ended up at the coolest restaurant....very L.A.!! With the neatest decor...very modern. They had white tents over the tables in one room and a long low fountain. There was a woman singing beautiful Brazilian and French songs. And the pizzas were excellent!! In case I haven't mentioned it before, pizza is the main food in South America...it's EVERYWHERE!!! Luckily I love it!! They also have great chicken here and lots of really good fish. Argentina is known for their grilled meat, but we haven't gotten into that yet..maybe in Buenos Aires!! They are also very big on ice cream, with giant ice cream parlors everywhere. We haven't indulged as much as you might imagine...although we have had our share of Magnums (delicious chocolate covered ice cream bars...we do share them !!!) From Mar del Plata, we took yet another bus to Villa Gesell. It's amazing that we ever got here because we have been totally mispronouncing the name!! In Argentina they pronounce "ll" as "SH" and "V" as "B" so it's pronounced Bisha Hesell!!! Of course we just realized that Pollo (which we have been calling "POYO")is really Posho!! MENTAL!!! We learn a lot every day!! Luckily for us, when we got off the bus in V.G., we headed towards the beach and found a great hotel....this is always an anxious time for us!! This hotel is called Hotel Romina and is just a half block from the beach. The rooms are really cute, with a window overlooking the ocean. And best of all it has a really nice, new bathroom. We have had some rather unusual bathrooms as I may have mentioned. In one of them, we had to climb over the toilet to get in the shower!! But the real bonus of this hotel is the family that owns it ...they are really nice, and their daughter speaks English which is a big help. Also, she owns a newspaper (similar to Good Times) and also works for two radio stations, so we have a lot in common! Small world!! We have explored this town from one end to the other. It is totally different from Mar Del Plata. First of all it's much smaller, with one main steet that runs the length of the town. That is one of few paved roads, the rest are dirt roads. There are really nice brick homes with tile roofs. The beach is one very long stretch. We visited the museum one day. Took a bus to the next town(Pinamar) which is similar to Carmel in that there are lots of pine trees and it's very upscale. And today we had the best adventure...we took an excursion in a Mad Max road warrior vehicle!! We went out to the lighthouse but to get there we went thru a couple of towns that were mostly pine trees and dirt roads and then we drove over the sand dunes to the beach!! We went racing along the water's edge on this huge expanse of beach!! Then we went up to a high dune and the guide had snowboards that we got to ride down the hill!!! It was a blast!!!The only problem was the wind...it was blowing like crazy and we practically got sanded!!! Thank goodness I had corrective eye surgery before I left and wasn't wearing contacts!!! From there we went to the lighthouse and climbed up to the top (276 steps) and talk about wind!!! It was really beautiful out there and the ride back was with the wind, instead of against it, so it was much more pleasant. The vehicle was pretty old and part of the adventure was wondering if it was going to make it back..our guide had to stop several times and add water!!! We finally had a great beach day today (before the adventure) and appreciated it immensely (our other beach days were always just a couple of hours)....so now we are trying to decide whether to stay or head over to Buenos Aires. Thanks again for all your emails. We really like hearing what's going on with you. Besides, there aren't that many people who speak English here and we get starved for good conversation..our Spanish is so limited that we can't get very deep into conversations with anyone!! And of course, we are at the point with each other that we only need a word to have a whole conversation!

3/5/99: We last wrote from Bariloche. What a GREAT place! We really enjoyed it. We spent four days there, exploring. We would have stayed longer but it was cold, which we were surprised about since we had heard it had been HOT there! But since we were in the Andes and in the Southern part of the continent, we were subject to the forces of the Patagonia region. It actually snowed in the mountains while we were there!! Our excursions included a two hour bus trip to El Bolson, which would have been more fun if it hadn't rained!! Apparently, the mountains are gorgeous and if we could have hiked or ridden bikes or horses, it would have been great. Instead we spent the day at various restaurants, staying dry!! This was ironic because it had been so dry here that we passed several forest fires on our way to El Bolson. The highlight of that excursion was meeting a delightful gal named Dorothy from Denver. She was very intersting...a scientist who is decommissioning nuclear power plants!! We had a great dinner with her at Familia Weiss, a restaurant that had been recommended to us by a friend at home. The highlight was the chocolate fondue for dessert!! Did we mention that Bariloche is renowned for its chocolate? In fact, they have many stores that not only specialize in chocolate but are like little "Chocolate Disneylands" with animated characters and little playgrounds, etc....It's big business in Bariloche We also spent an afternoon at the Llao Llao Hotel. This place is no less than Magnificent!!! The views from the terrace where we had tea were absolutely BREATHTAKING!!! Mountains, Lakes, Flowers, Golf Course (no we didn't get to play!), Pool, Grounds, etc. We took our own little side trip on the way back...a trip to Colonia Suizza. That involved a four mile walk thru some gorgeous country, only to find nothing much but a few buildings and campsites. Shades of Algumen!!! That evening we had dinner with Dorothy again. Afterwards, John and I hit the Casino. He played Black Jack and Won!! When we left Bariloche of course the weather was much warmer!! But we had already changed our plane tickets. The flight to Buenos Aires was two hours. We flew over miles and miles of uninhabited land. Most of the Argentine landscape that we saw was quite barren...the opposite of Bariloche, which was like being in Tahoe!! In fact, just on the other side of the city, the terrain changes dramatically to desert!! Buenos Aires looks like a great city. However, we decided not to stay there yet, as we have to return there to catch another flight. Instead we caught another bus to Mar Del Plata, which is the Miami of Argentina! (in our opinion) This was the coolest bus ride EVER!! (We are becoming bus connoisseurs (sp??) It was a double decker with reclining seats,foot rests, t.v.'s (we saw Chevy Chase in Vegas Vacation....we were the only ones who laughed!) a bathroom, and a bar on each floor. They even gave us cookies!! We sat up front on top and had the greatest views(of course most of the time it was dark). After our wonderful place to stay in Bariloche, we were quite let down at having to check into one of the affordable hotels in Mar Del Plata!! However, after checking out five of them at midnight, we discovered that all of the rooms are the same..the only difference is in the condition of the lobby!!! The bathrooms here all have showers that are not enclosed, so the whole bathroom gets soaked after every shower! MENTAL!! Yesterday we explored M.D.P. from one end to the other. We set off on foot and our first stop was a plaza on the beach where we heard Argentine music and found people dancing! The population seems to consist mainly of senior citizens (this is one of the reasons it 's similar to Miami). They were having a blast dancing and watching the dancers. It was a great thing to experience. One of the dances involved flirting with handkerchiefs!! (Thank goodness I brought a few...although we didn't participate!) There were mimes, one all in gold, one all in white. We wallked out onto the beach. It's a very wide beach (like Rio) and they had wooden walk ways to get to the water. The beach was PACKED!! The amazing thing was that about 60% of the people were seniors. We watched two simultaneous rescues. They have an interesting way of rescuing people....the lifesavers are attached to rope which is on a big reel. The people of the beach help by reeling in the victim. Both were saved and everyone clapped and cheered. The interesting part was that the victims were young guys! We continued our walk along the beach for quite a while. They have beaches with cabanas and umbrellas and everything you need! Then we walked along the city streets. This is really a neat city ... it feels a lot like Rio. Lots of interesting people and buildings. The older stone buildings are beautiful...many Tudor style homes as well. We finally got on our suits and went to the beach with the masses!(Looking quite young and thin by comparison, I might add!!! We might as well enjoy it before we get to Rio!!!) By this time it was REALLY windy! That didn't deter the masses so we didn't let it stop us!! Last night ,we strolled along the coast and found the most wonderful, romantic restaurant, built into the side of the cliff. We enjoyed our dinner immensely...the food was excellent, the ambience wonderful (I even took pictures), and the warm ocean breeze was the best!! We set out to find the internet afterwards and found one that we couldn't get to work, so we headed towards the casino!! The casino was huge!! We went to the upstairs room where the tables were (downstairs was all slot machines) and John lost all of his prior winnings!! Oh Well...easy come, easy go!!! At least he didn't blow the works and we are still here!!! So, now we are off to the beach. Tomorrow we will head north to Villa Gessell. We'll update again soon, and we will look forward to hearing from you!!!

2/28/99: Well, obviously we survived the Chilean torture test....thirteen and a half hours in a bus!! It wasnīt easy!! We did get to get out twice. The highlight was a bus-wide bingo game!! No, we didnīt win...it was all in Spanish and I donīt think we were quick enough with the translation. We arrived in Puerto Montt, in Southern Chile, and after checking into a hotel we got on ANOTHER bus!! Hard to belive, but we did!! This was our own little excursion to Calbuco, a little fishing town.Nothing much there to report....just some old boats and fish.The next day we took an excursion to Fruitillar, a darling old German town on a beautiful lake. This is of course the lake region of Chile!! They had some old homes that were made into museums and were very interesting to see. The lake was huge and gorgeous and we enjoyed the afternoon there. When we returned to Puerto Montt, we tried to go to "Algumont".....this was Johnīs interpretation of where we wanted to go....ANYWAY, no one knew what we were talking about but somehow we ended up there...the place was called Angelmo!!! (Of course now I am continually giving John a hard time whenever he wonīt ask for directions..."One Word...Algumont!!" We have had a lot of laughs over this and many other little incidents on our trip!! Back to Angelmo...this is the fishing port area of Puerto Montt, and a very quaint place. Each fisherman has his own little restaurant..just a room with one or two tables in it. Hard to describe..I hope the pictures turn out. Anyway we wernīt hungry so we didnīt eat there, but it would have been an experience, Iīm Sure. The next day we left Puerto Montt on another excursion. Actually we almost didnīt....we missed the bus by two minutes...they donīt wait for anyone (they already had our luggage..we had gone to get some coffee). So we had a taxi follow the bus and got on when it stopped!!! This excursion was fabulous. We stopped in Puerto Varas, another darling town; continued on around the lake which was just beautiful and had some gorgeous , large estates along the shore. We got out of the bus to see some water falls over lava rocks and could see one of the many volcanoes from there. Our next stop was at the next lake (Todos Santos)...which was also breathtaking..the water was a turquoise blue (from the glaciers). We landed in Puella and , while everyone else went back to Chile or on to BAriloche, John and I decided to spend the night there. It was such an ideal spot...quiet, beautiful scenery, good weather. Thereīs a huge Swiss style hotel there. We didnīt stay there..too expensive...we stayed with a local family. But we hung out at the hotel..reading on the deck with a pisco sour, then moving into the bar when it got dark for a glass of port in front of the fire place. It was as romantic as it sounds!! When we were out on the deck,we felt like we were in "Out of Africa". The family we stayed with were really nice, but we pretty much had the house to ourselves. We hung out, did some easy hiking (waterfalls everywhere and lovely vistas).....lots of reading and playing gin.(We need to learn some new card games!!) From ther we got back in the bus at two in the afternoon (Saturday) and continued our journey. This is all part of the excursion and the only way to travel thru this area. The bus took us to immigration into Argentina, before we sailed across Lagos Frias, a pale green lake surrounded by huge mountains and volcanoes. This whole place is a Kodak Moment!! From there, we walked two miles til we reached the next port, Puerto Blest. Then another boat ride on the Lago Nahuel Huappi. Luckily it doesnīt get dark til after nine pm here...so we could enjoy the magnificent scenery. When we arrived, we had no hotel in mind but checked our guide book and Piccolo Paradiso sounded absolutely perfect. The bus let us off where it was supposed to be, and no one there had heard of it. We asked the guys at the local gas station to call the number and a man picked us up and took us there...it was his home and it is the most perfect place....way better than we could have imagined!!! Basically it is a bed and breakfast right on the lake....new, modern, clean,beautiful....I was in heaven!!! And very quiet with a great bed!! (You really appreciate these things when you are travelling!!!) So here we are, in Bariloche, Argentina. Weīre going to go out and explore and weīll let you know what we find...AFTER we do the laundry!!

2/23/99: "On the road Again, " ...thatīs us!! Although right now I am sitting in a communications office on this computer and everyone thinks I work here...until I open my mouth!!! OOOPS!!!! Just happened again!! We are in the town of San Fernando, waiting for a bus to go south to Puerto Montt. This is a seven hour wait, so we were stoked to find an internet so we could make better use of our time. We will get on the bus at 7:30 pm and travel for 13 hours, overnight. Now youīre probably not jealous of our trip at all!!! When I last wrote, we were in Viņa del Mar....a beach town two hours from Santiago. Itīs quite the resort. We walked from one end to the other and then on thru the town of Renaco. We saw every inch of these two towns!! They had lots of potential for fun...but the weather was crummy....overcast.....although the beaches were packed until almost 9pm!!! Renaco was smaller and really nice. It was a teen-agers dream...reminded me of my teen years on Balboa Island!! The next day we went to a tourist office and the girl there told us that the weather wasnīt going to change...she also told us about a little town called Algarobbo. So we jumped on the bus in Valparaiso (this town sounds great but is a big, industrial port) and were on our way to Algarobbo!! This was just what we were looking for....a darling beach town!We stayed two nights...and actually had our first good beach day. The sun shone for two and a half hours and we enjoyed every minute! John swam out to the rocks, impressing everyone on the beach!! We had some great seafood there and enjoyed the Chilean wine and really felt like we were on vacation. We walked from one end of town to the other...the people here start their day late and go on into the evening...whole families are out on the street til midnight. All the restaurants and stores are open and busy. Of course, this is the last week of summer for these people..school starts in March. Monday morning, although we hated to leave, the weather was back to grey, so we headed south to Pichillemu. This is another town on the Pacific Coast and a friend of Johnīs had raved about it. We were a bit disappointed, tho, because although itīs a surferīs paradise,thatīs all it is!!! Great surf but the beach was less than gorgeous......dark grey sand and lots of people watching the surfers. We had a wonderful dinner overlooking the beach....we really like this fish called corvina.....and spent the night in a nice hotel with a great view of the beach. Even tho it was sunny today, we decided to head south and not stay there, since neither one of us brought our boards.. So here we are, waiting to head south!! We will llet you know what happens next!! Thanks again for all of your email....if you donīt have our address itīs : egancitrano@hotmail.com

2/19/99: Hola Amigos!! I am typing this update from an actual Cybercafe!! We have been using internet offices all along and last night we found the first cafe type place in Santiago Chile. Today we are in Vina del Mar...in fact we just got here. John is out scouting for a hotel and I am doing this!! So let me update you....when I last wrote, we were in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We enjoyed the warm weather there, and it was a good thing because as part of their Carnaval celebration the main activity on the street was throwing water balloons and shooting giant water guns!! They even had truckloads of kids riding around tossing balloons out!! We only got hit twice and just barely! John got a nice haircut there (the barber was dying to cut mine too) and we had a nice lunch at a vegetarian restaurant! We also had an interesting experience with the laundry...we asked about it at our hotel and didnīt quite understand what the lady was telling us...anyway we ended up doing it ourselves in their garage! John is quite a good wringer. That evening we got together with Carlos and Anna Aliaga, who had a party at their house. We had a geat time...everyone was so friendly and very interesting, both locals and ex-pats. And I even found a new drink that I like...Singani..itīs a disstilled grape liquor and you mix it with Sprite. The next day we decided to go back to LaPaz. We really wanted to go to Sucre and Potosi, but there were no busses going there (due to a landslide, I think) and we would have to go to La Paz to get the plane. Anyway, we were both maxed out on cold, the altitude, and rain and since this is our vacation, we decided to head for the hopefully warmer weather of Chile. Going back to La Paz was like going home..we already knew the hotel and our way around, so it was a piece of cake!! We had a great dinner at Cafe Ciudad and called it a day! We flew from La Paz to Arica, on the northern coast of Chile..it was a desert and reminded us both of scenes from The English Patient!Next stop was Iquique....another desert town on the ocean. And then, five and a half hours later, we landed in Santiago, Chile. The airpōrt was new and modern....and so was the city. Well, actually it was a blend of old and new. We stayed in a really quaint area reminded me of how I think of London...in fact the street was called London..it was a winding cobblestone street with charming buildings.That night we explored the surrounding area and discovered a huge pedestrian mall with lots of activity...people of all ages, entertainment, vendors on the sidewalk, etc. Everything closed down around ten and we found a little restaurant that had newspaper clippings of Bill Cllinton when he was in Chile a few months ago at this very same restaurant...the San Remo. No signs of Monica. The next day (yesterday) we reallly explored the city. Went to the contemporary art museum, a lovely building. The exhibits were quite bizarre, tho, several of the artists were preoccupied with the male organ, in various media, including textile, sculpture and paint!!I donīt think they will make it in the Capitola Art and Wine Festival this year!! We walked thru a beautiful park, had lunch by the University, went to a Colonial Museum (mostly religious art...the highlight for us was the music...old hymns played in each room...quite a contrast from our prior experience. Our next venture was a trip on the underground. The stations were new and clean and full of fun,bright artwork. We ended up going back and forth a few times til we found the right exit! Then we wandered thru Bella Vista, which we were told was a Bohemian area, up to the Funicular, which we rode to the top. From there we had a spectacular view of the city although Santiago tends to be a bit hazy. Next we rode this gondola (like at a ski resort) down and back up, for a different view. Santiago is a beautiful city...I could see living here and Iīm surprised that I havenīt heard that much about it. We sat at an outdoor cafe in Bella Vista and had a drink, while I whipped John at Gin! Then discoovered a cute little outdoor restaurant...Tacos Oaxaca...look out El Palomar, youīve got competition! On our way back we discovered the internet caafe that I mentioned earlier. We took a bus to Vina del Mar, a beach city, so here we are. Itīs not really a beach day today, but hopefully we will get some nice weather. We canīt believe we have been gone just under three weeks...we have seen and done so much already! John is a new man...he has lost 13 pounds and has grown a beard...looking lean and mean!! Itīs all from trying to keep up with me! Okay, amigos, we hope to hear from you soon and we will update again soon!!

2/15/99: HOLA AMIGOS!! WHEN WE LAST UPDATED OUR WEB PAGE, WE HAD JUST ARRIVED IN LA PAZ. THAT DAY WE HAD A GREAT TIME EXPLORING THE CITY. ITīS A LARGE CITY BUILT INTO A CANYON. WE CHECKED OUT THE LOCAL MERCADO AND ALSO HAPPENED UPON THE ALCITAS, A SPECIAL FAIR THAT HAPPENED TO BE GOING ON. THEY HAD MINIATURES FOR EVERYTHING AND IF YOU BUY ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, A CAR, YOU WILL GET ONE THAT YEAR. WE BOUGHT A MINIATURE JET! WE FOUND A CHILDRENīS PARK ON THE TOP OF A HILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY AND HAD GREAT VIEWS OF THE WHOLE CITY FROM THERE. IN OUR WANDERINGS WE PASSED A THEATRE THAT WAS SHOWING Ļ"YOUīVE GOT MAIL" IN ENGLISH..HOW COULD WE RESIST? THE THEATRE WAS GORGEOUS...VERY MODERN AND THE USHERS WORE THESE REALLY CUTE BLUE OUTFITS. HAD DINNER AT A PLACE CALLED ELIīS....KIND OF A DINER, AND WE MET THE OWNER, HARRY, WHO WAS AN INTERESTING OLDER JEWISH GENTLEMAN. THE NEXT DAY WE TOOK A TAXI OUT TO THE VALLEY OF THE MOON..A VERY TRIPPY PLACE THAT REALLY LOOKED LUNAR!! WE STAYED AT A COOL SWISS CHALET TYPE HOTEL CALLED THE OBERLANDER...BOLIVIAīS ANSWER TO CHAMINADE..THEY HAD FACILITIES FOR CONFERENCES, AN INDOOR POOL, VOLLEYBALL COURT, SAUNA AND SOMETHING THAT WE HAVENīT FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE, A FAMILY OF PET ALPACAS!! WE LOVED THEM AND ARE SERIOUSLY THINKING OF BRINGING ONE HOME. THEY CAN EVEN BE HOUSE TRAINED. WE DECIDED TO CHECK OUT THE LA PAZ GOLF COURSE, AND AFTER SEVERAL MINI BUS RIDES IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, WE FINALLY ENDED UP WALKING ON A COBBLESTONE STREET THRU A LUNAR CANYON TIL WE FOUND IT! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL COURSE, SURROUNDED BY FABULOUS MANSIONS. WE MET TWO GREAT GUYS THERE, AN IRISHMAN NAMED SEAN AND A SCOT NAMED JOHN. WE HUNG OUT WITH THEM AND NEVER PLAYED GOLF BUT HAD A GREAT TIME AND MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS. THAT EVENING WE MET UP WITH THEM AND THEIR FRIENDS AND DISCOVERED SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND BARS AS WELL!! MOST OF THESE PEOPLE WORK IN THE ENGLISH OR AMERICAN EMBASSIES (WHICH IS WHAT I USED TO WANT TO DO) THE NEXT DAY WE WERE TOO TIRED TO MOVE ON SO HUNG OUT AT OUR RESORT HOTEL AND EXPLORED THE LITTLE TOWN OF MALLASSA. WE DISCOVERED A ZOO AND SPENT HOURS THERE...THEY EVEN HAD A COUPLE OF LEOPARDS, BLACK BEARS AND A PUMA, AMONGST ALL THE CREATURES. NEITHER OF US HAD BEEN TO A ZOO IN YEARS AND THIS ONE WAS MORE LIKE A PARK. ON THE WAS BACK TO OUR HOTEL, WE STOPPED FOR LUNCH JUST IN TIME TO AVOID A HUGE DOWNPOUR! IT EVEN HAILED. WE HAVE CERTAINLY EXPERIENCED ENOUGH RAIN! JOHN SLIPPED IN THE MUD AND FELL ON THE WAY,BUT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE! YESTERDAY WE TOOK A SEVEN HOUR BUS RIDE TO COCHABAMBA!! WELL, WE ALMOST DIDNīT! WE WERE ONTHE BUS AND JOHN DECIDED TO USE THE RESTROOM. THE BUS STARTED TO GO AND I TOLD THE BUS DRIVER THAT JOHN WAS IN THE BANO AND HE SAID NO PROBLEM. ANYWAY THE BUS KEPT MOVING AROUND THE TERMINAL AND STILL NO JOHN. AS IT WAS PULLLING ONTO THE STREET, I GOT OUT OF THE BUS AND SAW HIM WA FAR AWAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TERMINAL. SO I YELLED AND HE FINALLY HEARD ME AND STARTED RUNNING. THEN WE BOTH HAD TO RUN TO CATCH THE BUS AND GOT IT JUST BEFORE IT GOT ONTO THE FREEWAY!! WOW, WHAT A RUSH AT FOURTEEN THOUSAND FEET!! THE REST OF THE RIDE WAS ANTICLIMATIC!! WE DID GET TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF TITANIC IN ENGLISH ON THE BUS, WHICH WAS GREAT BECAUSE MOST OF BOLIVIA ALNG THE WAY WAS QUITE BARREN....MONTAINS WITH NOTHING EXCEPT OCCASIONAL HERDS OF SHEEP, LLAMAS, ALPACAS, MULES....A FEW LITTLE VILLAGES OF MUD HUTS AND JUST A FEW PEOPLE. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THESE PEOPLE LEAD SUCH PRIMITIVE EXISTENCES IN THIS DAY AND AGE. OF COURSE THEY ARE MORE CIVILIZED IN THE CITIES. WE FOUND A CUTE LITTLE HOTEL IN COCHABAMBA AND WENT OUT FOR A BITE. ALMOST EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED DUE TO A HOLIDAY BUT WE FOUND A NEAT LITTLE RESTAURANT CALLED METROPOLIS AND HAD A GOOD MEAL AND MET SEVERAL YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE U.S....SOME FROM THE PEACE CORPS AND A COUPLE STUDYING SPANISH. THIS MORNING WE GOT AHOLD OF ANNA (MY FRIEND SHAUNAīS FRIEND WHO LIVES HERE) AND WE HOPE TO SEE HER AND HER HUSBAND CARLOS LATER TODAY. SO NOW WE ARE OFF TO EXPLORE COCHABAMBA. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR E-MAIL MESSAGES AND READ EVERY ONE OVER AND OVER!! SO EVEN THO WE DONīT REPLY INDIVIDUALLY, PLEASE KEEP SENDING THEM. SOONER OR LATER WEīLL TRY TO REPLY!

2/11/99: Hi Everyone..Thanks so much for your e-mail messages...we really look forward to them and enjoy them so much. From Cusco, we took a ten hour train ride to Puno, on Lake Titicaca...and now we know what that means..no,not what you are thinking!! It means grey puma!What a relief! Actually the train ride was great..we really enjoyed it. The scenery was spectacular! We were on the AltaPlano at 13000 feet. We went thru beautiful villages, passed raging rivers, flanked by huge mountains. We originally sat with the locals, which was really interesting. These four women next to us kept buying loaves of bread..competition for Gayleīs Bakery!!! But then the conductor made all of the tourists go to pullman class (at no extra charge) They needed the seats for the locals. We were able to buy food from the vendors on and off the train (thru the window!) And we even bought a pair of alpaca slippers..itīs been cold in these mountains! Puno is a small town on the Lake and we really lucked out because they were having a huge celebraation when we arrived (no ,not for us!). This was in honor of the Virgin Mary. There were between 65 and 100 different bands from all over Peru and Bolivia and each one had its own entourage of dancers..everyone from little kids, to teen-agers, to men in suits, to seniors! It was a trip! Their costumes were fantastic and the music was great..although a little repetitious. Of course, they played for four days and nights! We couldnīt believe it. The first night we were trying to get down the street and ended up dancing behind one of the bands..the locals got a big kick out of it. Next year we are going to bring some of you with us and weīll really show them how to party!! So get some rest because they start at 8am and go til midnight! Now I wish I had a digital camera to show you the costumes. We took a trip out to the islands. First we went to the Uros who live on the floating islands. Really!! They actually built these islands out of reeds and they really live there. (We kind of thought it might have been an attempt at creating a tourist attraction, which of course it is now!! They even built boats out of the reeds..these were very cool but they only last about 8 months.There are about 40 of these islands. Our next stop was the island of Amantani...a beautiful island that looked like one of the Greek islands. We were on a boat with about 18 people and we all got to stay with families. John and I stayed with Adriano and his wife Francisco and their two kids. They had a beautiful farm...potatoes, corn, flowers, cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. We had our own room, where we ate and slept. The food was basic but good. There was no bathroom..just an outhouse and it wasnīt right next to the house, so in the middle of the night we had to use the chamber pot! Hey, at least we had one..others didnīt!! We all got together and our guide, Billy, took us on a hike up to the top of the island. It was really beautiful but hard on the legs and lungs! Weīre glad we didnīt wait til weīre any older to attempt this! We had to hike back in the dark, but I of course had my trusty head lamp so "no Problema"!! The next day we went to another gorgeous island, Taquile (which means Tequila) ...although itīs close to Amantani, the locals wear different costumes and have different traditions. We lucked out once again and had Fabulous weather...the Lake was absolutely dazzling..the colors were every shade of blue. This is the highest navigable lake in the world. By the way we met some great tourists on this trip, which made it even more fun...from Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, & France. The trip back, sitting on the front of the boat in the sun (donīt worry ,we had on sunscreen and hats,Mom) was really great! We really appreciate every good bit of weather because we have had our share of rain (sounds like you have to in Calif.) Yesterday we left Peru and got on a bus to Bolivia. We stopped in Copacabana for lunch but decided not to stay and go to the Island of the Sun as it was raining and we had just done three islands and we have seen enough ruins! We did have an interesting lunch there, though---we were waited on by a 5 year old!! His mother was in the back doing the cooking but he ran the place! He had a little trouble making change! We arrived in LaPaz around 5pm...after crossing the lake by ferry..that is the bus went on one ferry and the passengers went on a boat! Plus they made us show our passports to cross the lake, which was strange as it was all in Bolivia. We almost stopped at the airport for a flight out of La Paz until we found out that this wasnīt La Paz but an area that has grown up around LaPaz! (Pretty dismal). We went down into the canyon that is La Paz and John found us a nice hotel....we had a great dinner at a very interesting restaurant next door (the patrons were quite colorful!) So now we will decide what to do next!

2/5/99: After we last spoke, we spent an interesting day full of culture!! We saw several museums, cathedrals, heard some Peruvian flute music and went to a local festival! The next day our biggest adventure began when we took a trip to Machu Picchu. You may have heard about the Inca Trail...a four day hike over the mountains to get to Machu Picchu, camping at altitudes between ten and twelve thousand feet...over muddy trails and sometimes freezing temperatures, struggling for breath due to lack of oxygen. Weīve never done anything like that before......in fact we still havenīt!!! We heard all about it too and thatīs why we took the helicopter..an AirForce one at that. We had a two hour bus ride thru Gorgeous country, a three hour wait for the helicopter, a fabulous 15minute ride thru the mountains, a short hike, another bus ride up the mountain and voila!!! We were at machu picchu. Patience is definitely a virtue and a must when travellling!! We were overwhelmed with the beauty and history of M.P.!!! We had a guide take us all thru the ruins. We really lucked out to have a gorgeous day..hot and sunny..because it is definitely the rainy season here! We met severall Argentines, a couple of Americans, an Austrailian, etc. a very international group. We stayed at Gringo BillĻs...a cute place in Aguas Calientes...a bizarre little town at the foot of the mountains with a raging river going thru it and train tracks for the main street!!! As I may have mentioned, the train was defunct due to a landslide, so that is the reason for the helicopter. The next day we explored ruins at Ollantaytamba, and the market at Pisac!! A very fun day, too!! Today we are taking it easy, although writing on this computer is the most difficult of all for me!! Tomorrow weīre off to Puno on Lake Titicaca via train!! Weīll keep you posted. Thanks for all the email ..we love it!!!