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:

• Misc. Pics
• Ocho Rios, Jamaica
• Panama Canal 
• Costa Rica
• Trujillo, Peru
• Lima, Peru
• Arica, Chile
• Iquique, Chile
• Coquimbo, Chile
• Santiago, Chile
• Cusco & Sacred Valley, Peru
• Cusco, Peru
• Machu Picchu, Peru
  
• Chicken in Chile & Peru
• Chicken in the Panama Canal, Costa Rica & Jamaica

This should work. Let us know if you continue to have problems.

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

Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:

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

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

Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:
http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

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

Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:
http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

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

Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:

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

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:

Santiago, Chile

 Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:

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

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.

Rocking & Rolling In Santiago

Earthquake aftershocks do not = peaceful nights of sleep. 

Enough said.

Santiago to Lima and on to Cusco, Peru

First off, can we say that Cusco is much bigger of a city than we expected.  I don’t know what we expected, but it wasn’t what we saw when we were landing.  Unofficially, we were told there were about 400,000 people living in Cusco!  And yet even with its size, the city manages to have a smaller village feel.

Cusco is also “the oldest city” in the Americas.  People can’t seem to agree on how old it is, but is certainly is the oldest.  A large part of our hotel was built back in the 1600’s.  It is actually a very cool little hotel and has a great location.  We completely lucked out here.

Also, did we mention that Cusco has an elevation of about 11,000 feet?  This small fact pretty much occupied our first afternoon/evening here.  There are a couple of ways to deal with the altitude changes.  Many people get sick. For us, we opted for getting meds from our doctor before we left.

Thanks Doc, they worked like a charm.

For the first night here it was a little difficult to breathe – it felt like a large weight was on our chest.  On top of that, our hands and feet were continually going numb. When we got up and moved around we became dizzy. Apparently, this is common.

The next morning things were much better. We still had some dizzyness but everything else seemed ok. However, we knew whenever our high altitude meds were wearing off because our hands and feet would start getting “pins and needles.”  By the afternoon, we were feeling pretty good and ended up bumming around the city on our own followed by an organized city highlights tour. The tour included going up another 1000+ feet to see some Inca temples. Yep.   We just got used to 11K and we went to 12K.  Don’t think we didn’t notice!

On our way up the hillsides of Cusco enroute to Saqsayhuaman, our guide told us that the homes on the hills are the least desirable.  In our part of the world, homes with fantastic views (of the city, hills or water) command a premium.  No so here.  All the homes on the hills have a pretty cool view; and while they have electricity, water, cable and internet most do not have roads, driveways.  Access to most of these homes is via long, steep stairways.  Climbing all those steps under normal conditions would be quite a workout but try doing so in a high altitude setting.  Better yet, while carrying your groceries (including a nice and plump roasting Guinea Pig).

Click on the llama below to view pictures from our Cusco experience.

Cusco, Peru

Having trouble viewing this album? Click on this link instead & then select the album of your choice:
http://electricpassport.blogspot.com/2010/04/trouble-viewing-pictures-heres-plan-b.html

South America Here We Come Again - Itinerary & Map

Itinerary & Map

Part One

• Santiago, Chile (if conditions allow)

• April 1st Update
  (yellow dots = aftershocks that week & blue dots = aftershocks on 4/1)

• Cusco, Peru
• Machu Picchu (if conditions allow)
  
• Pisac/Urubamba Valley, Peru
  

Part Two (map below is only for Part Two)

• Santiago, Chile
• Valparaiso, Chile (if conditions allow)
• Coquimbo, Chile
• Iquique, Chile
• Arica, Chile
• Lima & Callao, Peru
• Trujillo & Salaverry, Peru
• Cross The Equator
• Through the Panama Canal
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
• Ocho Rios, Jamaica
• Miami, Florida

Things are Looking Up - At Least the Plane Can Land

Santiago Update - The countdown to Santiago, Chile is on & things are looking up. The shaking down there continues (ugh). However, we just learned that the airport is 80% functioning. Most flights are actually arriving & departing. Word is that the international terminal is a currently a tent set up on the tarmac. We're OK with that! We also learned that our hotel is now operational. 


Machu Picchu Update - The January flooding in the Cusco area of Peru washed out the rail link to Machu Picchu. While most of the rail service won't be restored for months it looks like the link from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu will be restored by the end of March. Without that rail link the only way to get to Machu Picchu was by hiking (in high altitude, no less).


We're so very happy, happy, happy that some things are improving down there!!!

Vegas Just Changed our Odds...There's Still a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On

Uh, the excitement continues...

 
Presidential Inauguration Day in Santiago + 3 Strong Earthquakes (6.9, 6.7 & 6.0 magnitude) Darn Close to There = J&L May Now be Heading into the “Area of Severe Shaking” (see map on previous post).

Maybe it's a sign...The odds are 3:1

So, we've had some interesting travel experiences over the years that have involved natural occurrences such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcano eruptions as well as storms of both the electrical & tropical kind. We have also had some unnatural events such as the G8 Conference in Russia, a World Cup final celebration (riot) in London and the infamous sheep incident on the train to Belgium. So basically, it's not a vacation without a natural disaster occurring, right?

• Back in January, in and around the Machu Picchu area of Peru experienced major flooding. 
• Today, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Central Chile area.

We are going to both these places! In Chile we are only going to the "Very Strong Shaking" areas instead of the "Area of Severe Shaking" (see map below). That's confidence-inducing info, right???

Click on the map to enlarge it.

Usually these kinds of things happen WHEN WE ARE THERE. So, we are closely watching the betting lines in Las Vegas and have seen one that has us a little worried:

Odds 3:1 that a freighter carrying granulated lime Jell-O will collide with a freighter carrying several tons of sponges while transiting the Panama Canal causing the majority of the water in the waterway to be absorbed or turned into a wiggly, lime treat that goes with everything because "... there is always room for Jell-O.

3 to 1 odds? Given our track record, I would take that bet.

Seriously, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been impacted by the recent catastrophic events in both Chile and Peru.

Not Us

Apparently a Norwegian cruise ship hit a glacier in the Antarctic. This was a small ship & was not the NCL ship we are on.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22429821/

Villagers Flee Volcano Eruption in Chile

So, we may have mentioned earlier that it isn't a vacation for us without a natural disaster happening, right? Well, a day or so after we left this part of Chile, the Llaima Volcano erupted.

Details:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/02/naturaldisasters.chile

Once the locals kept trying to explain to "us Americans" that this was just like the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Once we mentioned that we had actually experienced that one we were treated like celebs.

Fortunately,  we were far enough away from the Chilean volcano's eruption so that it did not interrupt our trip.

Bilingual Cruising

Okay… We know that not every one speaks English. But on this cruise, those that speak English natively are a minority. We’re thinking it is because many South Americans are on this cruise (this is sort of like people from the States taking an Alaska cruise).
Bueno… Sabemos que no todo se habla Inglés. Pero en este crucero, los que hablan Inglés nativa son una minoría. Estamos pensando que se debe a que muchos sudamericanos se encuentran en este crucero (esto es como el tipo de personas de los Estados tomar un crucero de Alaska).

Because of this pretty much all of the shipboard announcements are broadcast in English, followed by Spanish, and, if time permits, French and German bring up the rear. This means that all shipboard announcements take forever because they are announced in at least 4 languages.
Debido a esto casi todos a bordo de los anuncios se transmiten en Inglés, seguido por el español, y, si el tiempo lo permite, francés y alemán criar a la parte trasera. Esto significa que todos los anuncios de tener a bordo para siempre, ya que se anuncian en al menos 4 idiomas.

There are dinner menus printed in, at least, English and Spanish. Much of the crew appears to be fluent in both English and Spanish.
Hay menús impresos en la cena, al menos, Inglés y español. Gran parte de la tripulación parece ser fluido en Inglés y Español.

The shore excursions have also been segregated by language to some extent. We almost wandered on to a French version of a tour because they hadn’t announced that the tours would be language specific. I am sure it would have been fine, but we were glad we figured it out before we got loaded into the bus.
La orilla excursiones también se han segregado por idioma, hasta cierto punto. Estamos casi en vagó a una versión en francés de una gira porque no habían anunciado que las visitas serían idioma específico. Estoy seguro de que hubiera sido adecuado, pero nos alegra que pense que fuera antes de que se carga en el autobús.

After 10 days of Spanish immersion, you start to pickup on stuff. Between Bingo and Joel’s stint at the poker table, we have been able to learn how to count to (at least) seventy-five and say “raise,” “call” and “fold.” We also now know how to order Diet Coke and ask how much something costs.
Después de 10 días de inmersión en español, de empezar a recolectar el material. Entre Bingo y Joel del paso por la mesa, hemos sido capaces de aprender a contar hasta (al menos) setenta y cinco y decir "elevar", "la palabra" y "veces." También sabemos ahora la forma de orden Diet Coke y preguntar cómo algo mucho los costos.

We figure that it will take three more cruises to become fluent.

Happy New Year!

Cape Horn

On Monday (Dec. 31st) we cruised around Cape Horn. This is where the Antarctic, Atlantic & Pacific Oceans meet. It was extremely windy & the weather fluctuated from sunny to rainy to hailing in about 10 minutes.

Glaciers Galore in the Beagle Channel

Our ship cruised through the Beagle Channel which is a part of the Strait of Magellan. There were 6 major glaciers and several minor ones. The pics say more than we ever could.



A pod of Orcas also appeared. At home (and on the Alaska cruises), these creatures are considered the highlights. Around here, no so much. The locals do not like them so much because they eat the fish & the penguins. We suppose that if our Orcas ate something cute & cuddly (like kittens) they wouldn't be too loved either.

Our First Penguin Sightings!

Okay... Lori and I (this is Joel posting) are super excited about our stop today in Punta Arenas, Chile. We got our first penguin sightings! We both got some amazing snapshots and had to share them with you.