April 29, 2010

Trouble Viewing Pictures??? Here's Plan B

Over the past day or so a few of you have mentioned that you have not been able to view some of our embedded photo albums. This seems to be a new issue with Picasa (web program we use to upload pictures to) and it seems to mostly involve those who use Internet Explorer. Things seem to work just fine in Firefox or Safari. After looking at the Picasa tech support boards it seems as though some believe that the current fix involves something between turning around quickly 3 times during a blue moon with your eyes closed or lots of praying to strange idols...um, OK...

The Picasa folks will figure it out. Until then, here's our "fix." If you are having difficulties viewing any of our South American photo albums when you click on them then try clicking on these links instead:
This should work. Let us know if you continue to have problems.

Jamaica, the Sequel

Ok, so for those of you who have either followed our travels for some time or have done a decent job of stalking this blog may already know that Jamaica is not one of our top 10 places to visit (the violence, the locals begging for tips @ every turn, our hurricane experience, etc). Well, the ship stopped in Ocho Rios. We got off the ship & spent some time in port. We survived.

Click on the image below to view pictures from our time in Jamaica:
Jamaica 2010

If you have difficulties viewing the pictures from the album above, click on this link instead: http://picasaweb.google.com/lori.soderberg/Jamaica2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCNm1yuT3htaQyAE&feat=directlink

April 27, 2010

Panama Canal - The Educational Post


We traveled through the Panama Canal last week! We did this back in 2004 from the Caribbean Sea to Pacific Ocean. This time we are going through in the opposite direction (Pacific to Caribbean). It took our ship all day to completely go through the canal. Below is a map of where we were.
Exactly how does the Panama Canal work? Click on the links below to view brief animations of a ship traveling through the canal & of the locks:
 Click on the image below to view pictures from our recent transit through the Panama Canal:

Panama Canal '10
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http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

April 22, 2010

Costa Rica - Time in the Rainforest

Click on the image below to view pictures from our time in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica
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April 20, 2010

Panama Canal Here We Come!


We’re heading through the Panama Canal on Wednesday (April 21st).  It will take all day to pass through the canal. There are cameras throughout. We are on the Norwegian Sun. It is the big white ship with a big yellow sun painted on the hull. Visit the link below to see what is passing through the Panama Canal right now.

April 19, 2010

Trujillo, Peru

This post is short & sweet (we're getting caught up with our posts). Click on the image below to view pictures of our time in Trujillo, Peru:
Trujillo, Peru
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http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

Lima, Peru – We’re not in Chile anymore…


The first thing we noticed about being in Lima, Peru was the security, police and guns…lots and lots of security, police officers and guns all over the place. 
The second thing we noticed about being in Lima was the sheer size of the city.  The last couple of ports had been smaller towns.  Lima is huge!  I think the guide said 7 million people.  Much bigger than anything we expected.
 Click on the image below to view pictures from our recent experience in Lima:
Lima, Peru

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http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

Chicken in Chile & Peru


If you have been reading our postings carefully, you know that the Chicken stopped speaking to us in Cusco.  We missed a chance for a photo op with a young girl and her baby sheep.  Anyway, when we went out to Machu Picchu, we decided we needed to make amends and bought a small souvenir to try and win him back over.
Needless to say, we scored big time and the Chicken has once again been our eager travel companion.
We have taken him around Chile and Peru and soon through the Panama Canal and then on to Costa Rica and Jamaica (small note… the Chicken is not too excited about Jamaica because he keeps on hearing about all the Jerk Chickens that seem so popular there; why can’t they simply be friendly instead of being jerks?)
Anyway, we have assembled several of the best Chicken photo shoots over the past several days.  We invite you to click on the image below to get a small glimpse of the Chicken in Chile and Peru.
Chicken in Chile & Peru

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April 18, 2010

Arica – Welcome to one of the driest places on Earth


Arica, Chile is about 11 miles south of the border with Peru. It receives 0.03 inches of rain a year. Yeah, that makes us thirsty, too. So, what does one do when visiting one of the driest places on Earth??? Spend the day in the Atacama Desert of course.
Squatter communities seemed to be present everywhere. Apparently, some people build “shacks” on some of the more undesirable land & live without electricity or water.  Many of these people have jobs. The goal here is to force the government to develop the area, give them land and provide housing (utilities, etc.). After a certain length of time the squatters can “complain” to the government about their poor living conditions. The squatters are then offered government housing for a total cost (not monthly) of between $50- and $100 US dollars.

Click on the image below to view pictures from our time in Arica:

Arica, Chile
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April 17, 2010

Iquique – Just try to say that 3 times in a row!


Iquique is in Northern Chile & is west of the Atacama Desert. The name translates to “laziness” which sort of fits since this is a beachfront community. Copper mining is king here. Those who work in the mines can make a decent living. Those who do not work in the mining industry tend to make around $250 (in US dollars) a month. This city had much more European/international influences to it than the others we’ve visited so far.
While we were in Iquique Joel was interviewed by CNN Chile – They were doing a story about tourism. Apparently, having a cruise ship visit this city was a huge deal for them (this doesn’t happen much here). Apparently, Joel didn’t look like a local, either.

Click on the image below to view pictures from Iquique:
Iquique, Chile
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April 13, 2010

Coquimbo, Chile – First Stop on the Slow Boat North


Coquimbo is a small fishing town on the Chilean coast. It is north of Santiago. What can we say…it smelled a lot like fish. There were tons of cats & pelicans hanging around the fishing boats hoping to get a snack of fish parts from the fishermen.
The town sits along a hillside. The pathways up the hill do not go straight up. Instead, they zigzag up the hills. They sort of reminded us of Lombard Street in San Francisco. Click on the image below to view a few pictures (& captions) of Coquimbo:
Coquimbo, Chile
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So far, we like the Norwegian Sun. Being on it has been a great way to feel..uh…young. :-)

Valparaiso, Chile – Time to get on the big floating hotel


Part two of our trip began in Valparaiso, Chile where we boarded the Norwegian Sun. From there we will head north, up through the Panama Canal & then end up in Miami.
The last time we went through the Panama Canal the average age of the passenger was 72. This time around, it is obvious that we are again some of the youngest passengers on this ship. Bring on those reminders to, “keep your wheelchairs out of the hallways at night!”

Santiago – You know the drill – Take off your jewelry or they’ll do it for you


Yup, they’re still having aftershocks here. We experienced a few in the high 4 to low 5 magnitude ones. These weren’t enough to cause much damage, just enough to make our hotel sway back & forth & “roll” a bit. As we’ve continued to tour the city we’ve seen more & more pockets of earthquake damage. It’s sad to see piles of rubble where neighborhoods once stood, etc.

Click on the picture below to view some pictures from Santiago:
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Central Market – We love cruising through the open markets when we travel.  It always is one of the more memorable aspects of any of the city experiences we have.  Places like Barcelona and Rome had these wonderful sections right off of a main street or square where stands upon stands of fresh fruit, seafood, meats, etc. are available.  You can eat there, or take the stuff home for later.  Thrown in are a few stands of local merchandise that is unique to the city.  In Italy, it was Lemoncello.  In Barcelona, it was dried/cured hams.  It’s always a wonderful experience. 
Santiago has one of these sections, too.  It’s called the Central Market.  As we prepared to get off the bus to visit it, the bus attendant came to us and started telling us how unsafe it was.  We needed to not take stuff out of our packs.  We should NEVER count out money in the open.  We should be aware of our surroundings at all times.  “I am not saying to not go, but be very careful.”  With that enthusiastic and encouraging pep talk, we stepped off the bus. 
We started walking to the entrance of the market and someone stopped us and asked if we wanted lunch (we had already eaten, so we said “no, thanks anyway”) and then he proceeded to tell me to wear our pack in the front.  Don’t take it off.  Keep one hand on the pack at all times.  “It’s unsafe here. Oh, and no pictures.  They will take your camera.”  With another “thanks” and a quick moment to move the pack to my front, we dove into the market. 
We made it about 3 restaurants deep before I got bumped really hard.  A quick check for the existence of my wallet confirmed it was still there.  Another hard knock about 5 minutes later had me checking again.  And at this point, I basically was walking in this market with one hand in my front pocket on my wallet and one hand clutching the backpack that was slung across my chest.  My resolve to delve deeper was shattered with another bump/knock/shove.
“Can we head out?” Yes, I was probably being a wuss, but if I was too worried about our stuff, I was not going to be able to have any fun. 
On the way our, we asked someone at the Touristic bus counter when the next bus would arrive.  He told us about 15 minutes and as we headed out to wait on the corner, he stopped us and said “no, no, no.  Wait here.  We have air-conditioning and the corner is not safe.”
Wuss or not, we went to the Central Market and managed to escape with all of our belongings and yet another most memorable experiences of Santiago.

April 11, 2010

Rocking & Rolling In Santiago

Earthquake aftershocks do not = peaceful nights of sleep. 

Enough said.

April 9, 2010

Touring the Sacred Valley in Peru

Click on the image below to view pictures from our recent trip through the Sacred Valley tour of the Cusco Region in Peru.

Cusco & Sacred Valley
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April 7, 2010

Machu Picchu - If the Incas were such short people, how come they built such ginourmous stairs throughout the place?

…and how come we felt the need to walk up & down every one of those stairs?

Machu Picchu was spectacular & we lucked out on the weather. We feel so privileged to have been able to experience another one of the wonders of the World. This lost Incan civilization was discovered by an American not too long ago. Here’s more info. to use or lose for more information about Machu Picchu. We spent the night at a wonderful & relaxing resort called The Inkaterra so we could spend more time at Machu Picchu. Click (or double-click) on the picture below to view a web album from the Machu Picchu portion of our trip:
Machu Picchu

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Besides rich architecture, culture & history, Machu Picchu has stairs. Lots & lots of stairs that are not for the faint of heart. So, after walking up & down those stairs all day long (with sore butts from the earlier bus ride) the thing we’re wondering is this: If the Incas were such short people, how come they built such ginourmous stairs throughout Machu Picchu?
Ideas?


Machu Picchu – Getting there deserves its own post


The rail link from Cusco to Machu Picchu was swept away by floods back in January. Only the link from Piscacucho to Machu Picchu has been restored (the rest won’t be done until June) Because of this, we had to get up at O’dark hundred & hop on a 16-person bus to take us on the long drive from Cusco to Piscacucho.  Ok, so we didn’t exactly tell you the truth. Not only was the railway destroyed by the flood but some of the roads were, too. This meant that our little bus got to do some off roading at times. The closer we got to the train station the less the roads actually looked like roads. It sort of felt like being on the Star Tours attraction at one of the Disney parks & sitting in the back row (where you get tossed around much more). Yeah, we ended up with butt bruises & sore necks after that little ride. It was a bit sobering to see parts of the former railroad tracks sticking out in the air with nothing around it (we’d have taken a picture of it for you but we were having too much fun being tossed around the back of the Peruvian bus).
Once we made it to the train station @ Piscacucho we boarded the train & headed to Machu Picchu. This was an extremely slow trip as there construction crews were still repairing the tracks (but was much more logical than having to wait for a flock of sheep to cross the tracks enroute to Belgium or having to deal with crazed football fans on the train while enroute to Scotland – some folks should say “No” to body paint BTW).
The Rail link from Cusco to Machu Picchu was swept away by floods back in January. Only the link from Piscacucho to Machu Picchu has been restored (the rest won’t be done until June) Because of this, we had to get up at O’dark hundred & hop on a 16-person bus to take us on the long drive from Cusco to xyz.  Ok, so we didn’t exactly tell you the truth. Not only was the railway destroyed by the flood but some of the roads were, too. This meant that our little bus got to do some off roading at times. The closer we got to the train station the less the roads actually looked like roads. It sort of felt like being on the Star Tours attraction at one of the Disney parks & sitting in the back row (where you get tossed around much more). Yeah, we ended up with butt bruises & sore necks after that little ride. It was a bit sobering to see parts of the former railroad tracks sticking out in the air with nothing around it (we’d have taken a picture of it for you but we were having too much fun being tossed around the back of the Peruvian bus).
Once we made it to the train station @
Piscacucho
we boarded the train & headed to Machu Picchu. This was an extremely slow trip as there construction crews were still repairing the tracks (but was much more logical than having to wait for a flock of sheep to cross the tracks enroute to Belgium or having to deal with crazed football fans on the train while enroute to Scotland – some folks should say “No” to body paint BTW).