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That’s right. Veto Machu Picchu. South America’s biggest tourist attraction is just that - a tourist attraction. And anywhere you attract tourists, you also attract crooks. No, we weren’t robbed in the classical sense of the word, but we were lied to and taken advantage of. We hope our experience with Machu Picchu will be an eye opener for most of our loyal readers. Furthermore, we hope that some of you will consider alternatives to the Cusco-Machu Picchu trap when planning your South America trip. Not only was Machu Picchu the single most expensive thing we have done on this entire trip, it was also the most expensive. Read on.
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The above was said by our “English” speaking tour guide to the Islas Flotantes (Floating Islands) near Puno, Peru (where we are now). He was referring to the fact that Peru claims 60% of Lake Titicaca and hence Bolivia gets the remaining 40%. These islands are truly floating - they have been constructed with layers of naturally buoyant totora reeds.
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Last night we stayed at a hospedaje (US $2.50 for the room) in the village of Challapampa on the northern end of Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, after watching the sunset over the Roca Sagrada and nearby labyrinth ruins and sacrificial table. This island is said to be the birthplace of the Inca society, whereby the sun and moon both rose from the Roca Sagrada, which has the shape of a reclining Puma that looks in the direction of Cuzco, Peru (where they have another quasi-famous Incan archeological attraction).
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Mom, you always remind me to tell you about my dangerous outings after I’m through with them. Well get ready for another.
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OK get ready for another report of a new experience for us. Last night we took a “bus” from the small town of Uyuni, Bolivia (3,675 m, or 12,057 ft) to La Paz (the capital), Bolivia (3,660m, or 12,007 ft). What follows is such a uniquely uncomfortable story that it warranted its own post.
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We just got done with a 4-day tour of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. It was quite the adventure! Read the rest of this entry »

Hola de la Tierra del Vino, Mendoza, Argentina! We love it here - very chill and tons of cheap but very nice wines abound.

This morning we rode a bus to the south end of town from where we rented bikes to explore the wine country. Read the rest of this entry »

When I was working at the Health Science Center, my boss, Kathleen, told me of a study where they fed mice diets of chocolate accompanied by wine. Poor mice–diets of red wine and chocolate. Anyway, they found that red wine contains an antioxidant called resveratrol that prevents side effects of obesity such as coronary disease, diabetes and even death. I took this study to heart. Read the rest of this entry »

Bariloche is a town at the foothills of the Andes with a beautiful view over the clear waters of Lago Nahuel Huapi. This is still considered Patagonia, but also considered the Lake District. We were able to rent bikes here to explore the countryside and see the views, while dodging traffic due to a nonexistent shoulder on the road. Actually the traffic dodged us most of the time.
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So we are now here in Rio Gallegos, Argentina. We’ve been here before (on our way to El Calafate), but we never thought we’d be back. It is an industrial/business town in the southern tip of mainland Argentina. We finished our trek in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Chile and tried to leave the next morning for Bariloche. Everyone in town told us that the best way to get to Bariloche was to go back through Rio Turbio (Argentine border town), catch an onward bus to Rio Gallegos, then another to Bariloche. Great. So we woke up yesterday morning and they said that no buses were going to Rio Turbio since it was some Argentine holiday so we had to wait for this morning to leave. OK, fine. So we get to the border crossing and that is where the fun began.
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