September 24, 2018

September 24, 2018

We are flying home today but our flight is not until very late. So I couldn't help but try and squeeze in one more World Heritage site. I booked the four of us on a tour to Valparaiso on the Pacific coast seventy miles west of Santiago, Chile.

A van picked us up at our hotel and drove west from Santiago’s central valley through a tunnel under the coastal mountains arriving in Vina del Mar. We mostly got a driving tour of this resort city by the sea. We did make one stop, humorously for us, to see an Easter Island Moai. Outside a museum, it is one of only a handful that have left Rapa Nui.

We then drove to next door Valparaiso, a major port for Chile, Santiago, and even Argentina. A super tunnel under the Andes is in the planning stages to improve traffic and avoid the often closed mountain road. Thousands of shipping containers and several gantry cranes line the port. Lots of Chilean Navy ships are anchored in the bay.

Valparaiso has little flat land. Most of the city rises vertically above the bay. Its houses and narrow streets climb the steep hillsides. The World Heritage Historic Area was preserved when the port city economy was crippled with the opening of the Panama Canal, and the rich fled to tonier Vina del Mar. Today Valparaiso is a hilly labyrinth of narrow alleys, stairways, colorful buildings, and street art. Artistic Graffiti must be in the South American DNA as we saw lots of it also in Rio and the La Boca section of Buenos Aires. Even stairs are painted here. One looks like a giant piano keyboard.

To help the public get around, especially those of us not aging well, Valparaiso has sixteen funicular lifts to move people up and down the hilly city. Most were built over a hundred years ago. The one we rode has a very cool antique turnstile.

Interestingly Valparaiso has a volunteer fire department apparently with each ethnic neighborhood having its own station. We passed a Hebrew fire truck and an English station house.

On the return journey we stopped at a hilltop winery in the Casablanca valley to learn about Chilean wines. Chile is a major wine producer and the fifth largest exporter. The colder, foggier coastal regions are well suited to white wines while the central valley produces reds. In particular Chile is famous for the Carmenere grape, a relative of Cabernet, that became extinct in France during the 1867 Phylloxera plague. Confusion with Merlot and Chile’s geographical isolation allowed it to survive here. Always the doubter, I insisted on tasting it to ensure it is a fine wine.

The tour drops us back at the hotel. We pickup our luggage, head to the airport and begin the long process to return home. We arrive in Tucson early the next morning.

Both Aimee and I liked this trip better than we had imagined. While curious about South America, I had some trepidation, and I wasn't really expecting any great history, interesting culture, or awesome scenery. I was wrong on every count. We Americans knows precious little about our southern neighbors. In this world of information overload, news about South America doesn't often make the cut. We need to visit Argentina's beautiful Patagonia region while the country is on sale.  

September 23, 2018

September 23, 2018

Our time on Easter Island is coming to an end. We see some clear skies so we have breakfast on our friends' patio and then revisit nearby Tahai for a better photo of the only Moai with replaced eyes. We also visit a lone Moai with four hands a mile outside town. Then we settle our cabana bill and get shuttled to the airport for our late afternoon flight back to Santiago. With the distance and time change, it is midnight before we reach our airport hotel.

September 22, 2018

September 22, 2018

We have visited all the major reconstructed sites on Rapa Nui. That is just a fraction of the nearly 1000 Moai that were carved and of which 600 were moved from the quarry. Most remain face down beside their Ahu, untouched for hundreds of years. The product of a ruinous civil war, probably over the limited resources of a small island. In other Polynesian islands, overcrowding was likely solved by sending the unlucky onto the ocean in search of a new homeland. This makes one wonder whether the Moai craze somehow disrupted this pattern.

This morning we followed the southeastern coast road stopping frequently to checkout unrestored Ahus. Most have at least one toppled Moai. The backs look highly eroded from exposure to the elements and from a distance just look like big rocks. The first two Ahu also show Inca-style stone expertise. Humorously many of the cylindrical topknots have rolled far away. The site of Akahanga has an extensive village with the outlines of many boat houses discernible. They were usually reserved for the elites of the village.

Too much coffee and the paucity of bathroom facilities in the National Park forces us to speed ahead to the quarry at Rano Raraku. Here we also have a relaxing lunch. Tongariki is just around the corner; its impressive fifteen Moai are a siren call for our return. We sit and contemplate what drove this society to expend so much energy on their creation.

On the way back to Hanga Roa we stop at Vaihu, the site we sped by earlier. It has an Ahu with eight toppled Moai. With its ocean setting, this would make a nice restoration project. The park has recreated two thatched boat houses here for us to examine and crawl inside.

September 21, 2018

September 21, 2018

The weather has improved so we drove the twelve miles across the center of the island to Anakena on the north shore. This is the only nice sand beach on Easter Island and is where the first Rapa Nui probably landed. It has a picturesque horseshoe inlet. Because the main Ahu was buried in sand, the seven restored Moai are in great condition with most of the Topknots intact. There is another Ahu with a single fat Moai, the first to be raised in 1956 by Thor Heyerdahl of Kon-Tiki fame.

Down the road is Ovahe with its tiny hidden beach surrounded by a volcanic red cliff. Also nearby is Te Pito Kura which has the largest Moai ever erected. Its 30-foot height is hard to imagine since it remains toppled and broken into several pieces. Farther along we stop at the roadside petroglyph field of Papa Vaka. The carvings are mostly of boats, fish, and fishing hooks.

Around volcano Polke on the eastern shore is Ahu Tongariki, the most impressive Ahu on Rapa Nui. It contains fifteen huge Moai on a single platform. There may have been more as there are several heads and body parts behind it. We are awed by the size of one enormous unused Topknot. The setting of Tongariki is dramatic with its position adjacent to the tall sea cliffs of Poike.

On the opposite side sits one of a hundred small volcanoes called Rano Raraku. Almost all the Moai were quarried from this mountain and transported throughout the island. Near the end of the Moai period, there must have been a flurry of production as nearly 400 lay scattered about the periphery in various stages of production. With the onset of the civil war, work stopped suddenly freezing the Moai in place. We walk up and down the steep side of the quarry. There are several Moai at the highest points only half chiseled out of the mountain. One would have been an incredible 65-feet tall.

Many more were separated and moved down the slope ready for the finishing touches. They now lay buried by years of dirt washed down with only the head (or in one case a nose) sticking out. There are more on the flat below, perhaps in transit, or maybe abandoned because they fell and broke.

After exploring the volcano exterior slope, we hiked up into the Crater. It contains a reed-filled lake that was a major water source in Rapa Nui times. Demand for Moai at the end was so intense, there are dozens of Moai on the interior slopes too. These would have been incredibly difficult to move up and out of this bowl.

The clouds are parting giving blue skies, so I return to the exterior quarry for what I hope is my “National Geographic” shot of Easter Island.

It has been a full day so we head straight back to Hanga Roa along the coast road. It is gorgeous forcing us to stop to take pictures of the stunning blue water crashing on the black volcanic coast. Wow!

We tried a third waterfront restaurant for dinner. Another fish dinner with an equally scenic sunset view. We are mesmerized by the pounding surf.

In the late evening we went to the required Polynesian Dance Show for tourists. It was the fun experience of native outfits, banging drums, and Hula Dance. How these women can move their hips so fast is amazing. I was forced to give it a try with the prettiest dancer. None of the performers looked very native. Sadly between their civil war and western disease, the Rapa Nui were virtually wiped out compared to Tahiti and Hawaii.

September 20, 2018

September 20, 2018

The French owner of our Easter Island cabana delivered breakfast to our room. It was the European version of lunch meat, cheese, and fresh bread.

Today our island paradise vanished. It rained most of the night and is still overcast. We decide to stay local and do indoor things. We start at the Post Office to get our passport stamped with the Easter Island entry.

On the way to the museum, we make a quick return to Tahai to explore it during daylight. Tahai is representative of a typical village. It has three Ahu altars with Moais facing inland to the village. The Moai are highly eroded indicating that they are some of the oldest. This site has a well preserved house foundation of basalt slabs. Covered with a thatched roof, they would resemble overturned boats. I guess if your life revolves around the sea, a boat shape is what you know best. Tahai has the only Moai that has been restored with coral eyes. After the Moai were transported and erected, only then were the eye sockets carved and the coral piece added, bringing these revered ancestors to life.

The Rapa Nui Museum while small is very well done and explores some of the many mysteries of this culture. It has interesting artifacts like the only original coral eye, one of the few female Moai, and three examples of the Rapa Nui written language that has yet to be deciphered. It gives more information on the Polynesian diaspora and how they may have navigated the vast distances between islands.

After a lunch of giant empanadas, we visited Vinapu. Unlike Tahai, this site is completely unrestored. All Moai were toppled during the Rapa Nui civil war. This Ahu has several moai laying face down with the heads rolled away. Another interesting feature is the stonework of the Ahu base. The ocean side retaining wall is exquisite and shows skill similar to the Inca suggesting there was contact despite the distance. Maybe this introduction to Inca stonework was the impetus to begin carving the Moai.

Our next stop was Puna Pau. This is a small volcanic crater that was quarry for the red Scoria rock used to make Topknots. Topknots were added to some Moai and are thought to represent the tied-up hair buns Rapa Nui men often wore. I find that theory lacking as the perfect cylinder shape has little resemblance to hair. This windy hilltop quarry has twenty topknots laying around waiting to be transported and married to a Moai.

We continued our local tour going next to Ahu Akivi. This inland location has an Ahu with seven restored Moai facing a farming village;

Back in Hanga Roa, we stopped at the Museum again to use the restrooms. I convinced the receptionist to play the English language movie. It turned out to be a different film and was a History Channel show about Polynesians and evidence that the Diaspora wasn’t accidental. Polynesians may have traveled between islands trading scarce goods.

The sun has returned restoring our island paradise so we ate another delicious fish entree at another open air waterfront restaurant. We dined while watching surfers battle huge waves. Being an isolated island fresh fish is expected. Though we didn’t realize how fresh. On exiting we saw a guy arrive in an SUV and pull out two big Tuna from the trunk. That is fresh!

Back at our cabana, we decided to take a walk to the seashore and stroll Ana Kai Tangata. It turns out to be several parallel lava tube caves emptying into the ocean. Beautiful!

September 19, 2018

September 19, 2018

Outside our hotel in Santiago, Chile is a reproduction of a Moai from Rapa Nui, or more familiarly Easter Island, reminding us that it belongs to Chile. That seems a cool place to visit so we check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for a flight to Easter Island. Incredibly it is a 2200-mile 5.5 hour flight due west into the Pacific, making it the most isolated inhabited spot in the world.

Having been to Hawaii and Tahiti, I have been fascinated by the Polynesians who settled these islands. What drove these Stone Age people to leave their homes, set off in an oversize canoe into the unknown ocean, surviving for weeks and weeks, until they stumble upon an island that would support them. What incredible mariners they must have been. How many of them died before finding a spot to land, and how many died if it happened their new home couldn’t support human habitation? This Polynesian Diaspora makes Columbus’ Voyage of 1492 look like a walk in the park.

Once we got off the plane something came over us. I don't know if it was the warm weather, the ocean, or the palm trees, but we immediately felt relaxed like we were on a vacation from our vacation. Our landlord met us outside the terminal, greeted us with a fresh flower lei, and then gave us the dime tour of Hanga Roa, the one and only town on the island. Most of the rest of the island is part of Rapa Nui National Park.

Easter Island is small, only fourteen miles long, discovered in 1722 on Easter Sunday. Then only visited briefly for another 150 years. The triangular island was formed from three volcanoes. Our room sits at the base of the one named Rano Kau. After getting settled, we drove to the top of the crater rim. The caldera is steep and wide with a mossy lake at the bottom.

At the end of the road on the far rim of the crater is the Orongo ceremonial center. Just off shore are three tiny islands that seagulls used to nest on. At one point, the Rapa Nui determined the Island Chief from a Bird Man competition. When the birds returned to nest, contestants would climb down the volcanic cliff, swim out onto the island and steal an egg. Whoever brought back the first intact egg would become Bird Man and ruler for the year.

The stone houses the contestants lived in have been reconstructed. They look like the passage tombs we saw in Scotland.

Back down in Hanga Roa, we had dinner at a restaurant on the water. We ate a delicious fish stir-fry with curry sauce.

Nearby is Ahu Tahai, a platform with five Moai. As we were getting out of the car, Aimee got a thrill with two Rapa Nui men running by, clad only in tattoos and a tiny thong loincloth. It is too late to investigate the site but just in time to get a nice sunset pic.

We have to be careful staying out too late. Like Arizona, it gets dark quickly and we barely figured out how to return to our cabana before it became pitch dark. Amusingly we followed the shore road behind a guy galloping home on a horse. The biggest danger driving on Rapa Nui is the wild horses running free over the island.

September 18, 2018

September 18, 2018

Yesterday we followed the path of San Martin and his Army of the Andes over the mountains in the liberation of Chile. Today we are celebrating Chile’s Independence. It just happens that today is Fiestas Patrias or Independence Day in Chile. It is a three day holiday and there are government celebrations in Santiago’s main square, Plaza de Armas.

Security is tight and the streets around the square are blocked off, with police everywhere. We wait at one spot nearly an hour before we realize a policewoman keeps directing locals to the opposite side. So we take the hint and circle around to a different corner and find better views of the government buildings. In front are groups of ceremonial troops and military bands representing every branch of the military. They seem ready to start marching any moment. Interestingly one group has helmets that resemble those of German WWII soldiers. Despite watching for two hours, they do little more than stand around. We finally get tired, especially since it tries to rain several times, and decide to leave.

We have a quick lunch at the hotel before joining our group’s afternoon city tour. We start with the Presidential Palace where our local guide relates Chile’s modern history. In the 70’s Allende, a Socialist President was elected, resulting in embargoes by the US. After serving three years a military coup toppled him and installed Pinochet. He turned out to be a dictator, who was eventually voted out of office.

We then returned to the Plaza de Armas, which is now cleared of barriers to learn about the colonial history and establishment of the city. One of the legacies of Spanish colonization was the concentration of wealth and land ownership into the hands of just a few families. This inequity was one of the reasons the Socialist Allende got elected.

We finish in the newer and more modern section of Santiago. The tallest building in South America is here. We stop at Bicentennial Park where several ponds contain some unique local birds including Black-Necked Swans, Chilean Flamingos and a small water-bird with a pistachio-green beak.

In the evening we have our Farewell dinner where we say good-bye to our travelling companions.

September 17, 2018

September 17, 2018

In 1817, San Martin took his army and marched west across the Andes to attack the Spanish stronghold of Santiago. Instead of flying the 100 miles, we are going to follow in his footsteps, albeit in a vehicle and without a lot of military hardware. The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world, second tallest to the Himalayas. It was a clear day so we had great views along the entire journey.

The Andes have three parallel mountain ranges. The two “shorter” ones are in Argentina, so our journey starts gently following the Mendoza River valley. The terrain is rocky and dry without vegetation.

Near the top we take a short break to see a geological curiosity known as the Inca Bridge. It is a natural rock bridge that happens to be near the source of a Thermal Spring, so the slopes are covered with colorful mineral concretions. Surprisingly Charles Darwin visited here in 1835 during his historic voyage on his ship the Beagle.

Despite the almost perfectly clear skies, our view of Mt Aconcagua, the tallest in the Americas at nearly 23,000 feet, is obscured by a lone cloud clinging to its peak.

At the 11,000 foot summit of Los Patos Pass, we encounter the border crossing with Chile. It is a long ordeal. Apparently the two nations aren’t that cooperative. We have to totally unload the bus and pass all our luggage through an X-Ray scanner. Several in our group are chosen for baggage search. One lady gets some of her souvenirs confiscated. A rocky, snowy mountain top makes for an odd Customs Inspection point.

The Chilean side of the Andes is completely different. It is very steep. The first section is an incredible set of 29 switchbacks down a cliff. It makes for a great picture because it looks so cartoonish. The rest of the journey is almost straight downhill for two hours. I hope the brakes don’t overheat!

The Chile side is also greener and it is Spring in the southern hemisphere, so the road is lined with what looks like Mexican Gold Poppies. We also see lots of avocado, peach and nut orchards beginning to flower. Chile is heavily reliant on agriculture, which probably explains their rigorous customs process.

Just north of Santiago, we pass the Battle of Chacabuco Monument where San Martin met and defeated the Spanish liberating Chile. He then sailed his army to Lima to free Peru.

We end our journey in the foggy capital, Santiago. It is Independence Day (Fiestas Patrias) and we see lots of Chilean flags.

After checking into our hotel, we take a walk up Santa Lucia Hill, a small city park. At the top we get a good view of the city. While Buenos Aires resembles Paris, Santiago resembles gritty New York City. The population is also mostly indigenous compared to the heavy Italian of BA.

For dinner we ate vegetarian Lasagna at an Italian restaurant. We toasted San Martin’s victory with a Pisco Sour. Pisco is a brandy made from Chilean grapes.

September 16, 2018

September 16, 2018

Mendoza is a semi-desert, like Tucson. It gets little rain, so an extensive canal system is used to deliver Andes Mountain snow-melt water everywhere. It seems all the downtown sidewalks are lined with baby canals to grow trees. They are a tripping hazard forcing you to really watch where you walk. Larger canals feed the parks and agriculture. In this area, olive trees and vineyards are the major industries.

We went for wine tastings today. Our first was a boutique winery. Mendoza grows lots of varietals but specializes in the Malbec grape. Everybody thought it was a little early to be sipping wine, but even in the morning the Mendoza Malbec is tasty. I learned that aging in wooden casks not only improves the taste, but the tannin addition also extends the shelf life.

Our next stop was Bodega Norton, one of the largest and oldest wineries in Mendoza, established in 1895. In Buenos Aires, we coincidentally had both a white and red "1895" labelled wine from this facility. Norton has a great view of the Andes Mountains. Just past the lower foothills we can see the snow-capped mountains of the second range.

We had a fun wine making contest at Norton. We were challenged to mix Merlot, Cabernet, and Malbec to make a better tasting combination and to design a label for it. Our group came in second. I didn’t participate in the tasting because my big toe was starting to hurt and I am afraid I might be getting Gout, the Royal Disease, from the fine dining we have been doing the last several days. After the contest we got the tour of this large facility. They have large stainless tanks for making high volume inexpensive wine, and wooden casks for the finer varieties.

Near the hotel, we had pizza at a Beatles-inspired bar, before taking an afternoon siesta. Partly because we are tired, but also because siesta is very common in this region. The town pretty much shuts down for the afternoon.

Around seven, we walked around Independence Plaza, the main square in the city. After San Martin liberated Argentina from Spain, he came to Mendoza to organize and train an army to liberate Chile and Peru. Today a craft fair is being held in the park. The only stall that held our interest was a Caricature Artist. It is fascinating to watch how fast he could turn out amazing likenesses, albeit with exaggerated features.

September 15, 2018

September 15, 2018

After breakfast we crossed Buenos Aires' wide July 9 Boulevard to Teatro Colon (Columbus Theater) to buy a ticket for the first English tour at 11AM. We are not Opera fans but this venue is supposed to be one of the best in the world. Our guide gave us an interesting account of its history, function, and social norms. It was built in the early 20th century at the height of Argentine wealth. The building is very ornate made largely from imported Italian marble of several colors with grand staircases.

Our group gathered in the Royal Box. The theater was being prepared for a production of Romeo and Juliet so the main hall was dark except for the stage. Clearly the acoustics are unrivaled as we could easily hear the worker’s comments. No wonder Teatro Colon is the pride of Buenos Aires.

Back at the hotel, we checked out of our room and explored the hotel’s main floor. The Cigar Bar is very cool and would make a great man-cave. Too bad we are leaving so soon. If I had to live in South America, Buenos Aires is my first choice. At 1PM we drove to the municipal airport for our two hour flight due west to Mendoza at the foothills of the Andes Mountains.

Mendoza is the heart of Argentine wine country and is a two-night diversion from our power touring. There are no pressing sites to see, just good wine to taste. We started right after check-in with a taste of a local red and a white.

On the way to our restaurant choice we window-shopped. Downtown Mendoza seems to be one big outdoor mall. Leather is the hot commodity. I bought three belts while Aimee got a purse. Eschewing beef, we had dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant with a nice bottle of Malbec.

September 14, 2018

September 14, 2018

This morning we drove 90 minutes northwest of Buenos Aires into the Pampas region. The Pampas is Argentina’s Ranch country known worldwide for their beef exports. We stopped at Estancia Santa Susana ranch to learn about Gauchos and their lifestyle. Gauchos were the lawless Argentine version of our cowboys.

The Gaucho distinctive dress included wide pants, ponchos, and silver-coined belts. They threw Bolas (a ball on the end of a rope) instead of lariats to corral stray animals. After a welcome drink and Empanada snack, we took a horseback ride around the ranch. Gaucho saddles don't have a horn to hold onto.

We then had lunch with more meat and wine. Argentines eat twice the amount of meat than the average American. We were entertained by Tango dancing, Malambo (Gaucho tap dancing), and a singer/guitarist duo.

Before leaving the ranch, the Gaucho waiters saddled up and gave us a horsemanship demo. Aimee especially liked the Ring Race where a horseman tries to nab a ring at full gallop. Successfully grabbed rings are given with a kiss to the prettiest girls. Aimee got two.

We had another group dinner. I skipped everything but the desert. It feels like in the last few days Aimee and I have eaten more red meat than all of last year. The dinner was at a restaurant in an old warehouse on the re-developed Puerto Madero port district. On the waterfront is a brightly-lit masted Frigate Museum and a very modern rotating cantilevered Footbridge.

September 13, 2018

September 13, 2018

This morning we got our coach tour of the city. Our first stop was in the posh Recoleta neighborhood to see its cemetery. It is small but jam-packed with elaborate mausoleums. The main attraction is the tomb of Evita Peron. She is not buried with the Perons but rather in her father’s Duarte family mausoleum. Eva died young of cervical cancer, and Juan Peron remarried. Evita was an ambitious actress from a humble background who married a future president. She became a spokesperson for women, the poor, and the working class in Argentina.

Our next stop was downtown at the governmental Plaza de Mayo. At one end is Casa Rosada. This Pink Palace is the executive mansion of the Argentine President. The balcony is where Evita used to give her rousing Socialist speeches.

At the other end of the square sits the Metropolitan Cathedral with its Neoclassical Greek Temple facade. Rebuilt many times, the interior is ornate. As Archbishop of BA, Pope Francis used to perform Mass here. The cathedral contains the tomb of San Martin, the George Washington of southern South America. It is guarded by two ceremonial sentries. Outside the church is an eternal flame.

Our next stop is the southern neighborhood of La Boca. Whereas Brazil has a mixed ancestry, Argentina was populated by great waves of Italian immigrants. They mostly settled in BA arriving first in this neighborhood. Today, it is famous for its brightly colored buildings, artisans and souvenir shops.

Near the hotel we had a pizza lunch and then gave ourselves a taxi tour of some of the city sites that make BA so interesting and such a great place to live.

One is the El Ateneo bookstore. It is considered one of the most beautiful in the world because it sits inside an old Opera House. How is that for re-purposing old buildings!

Aimee didn't believe me when I told her I wanted to next go to the Gallerias Pacifico mall. It is an indoor shopping center in an old Beaux Arts building with a beautiful ceiling Fresco. After getting some pictures I had to follow behind while she browsed the stores.

Down the street is San Martin Plaza with a monumental equestrian statue of the Argentine liberator.

As a break from our power tour we stopped at Cafe Tortoni, the oldest coffehouse in BA. After waiting twenty minutes outside for a free table, we had hot chocolate and milkshakes.

We made it back to the hotel in time for our group Tango lesson. The two instructors taught us very slowly the moves and steps of this very intricate dance style. Eventually Aimee and I were able to do a basic dance albeit clumsily. Fortunately they gave us an instruction sheet so we can practice it at home.

Since Portenos (BA residents) eat dinner late, restaurants don't open until 8PM. We taxied to an Argentinian Steak House called Parilla Pena, featured in a 2017 WSJ article. It is a non-descript joint packed with locals. Aimee and I had Rib-eye and mashed potatoes with a bottle of wine. Delicious! We are stuffed so we decide we need to walk back to the hotel.

The bill was outrageously inexpensive because the Argentine Peso has tanked compared to our strong dollar. Like many countries today, Argentina is borrowing too much to maintain overly generous welfare policies.