Suzette and Jazz do dessert in the Hyatt

Mendoza...again 2009 food, tango, friends, wine

Showcase 2009 South America
17 days, 5 countries, 6 cities, 10 flights, 1 ferry, 1 bus, 100 taxis, days in airport lounges, 10 agent offices, 100 key people met, 80 students interested.
Bums on seats in 2009? 2010? 2011? New agent relationships established?
Knowledge of how to market on the road increased by %?
Friendships forged.
Suzette's Spanish increased 500% and got us the right food, to the right places.
Dodged the dengue fever outbreak in Argentina successfully, didn't upset the gun toting but texting soldiers on corners.

This trip has been almost 100% work but of course you cannot work 24/7 so a few hours of fun slipped in!

It was nice to work and travel with Jazz, my niece. She is only 17 and independent in South America.

Another work blog cos no time to write a more personal one.

We arrived back into Santiago at 1am and had the Hotel Patio pickup arranged. It felt like coming back home! I smiled at the cleaner and housekeeper next day and said "mi casa" with my hand on my heart. They grinned. Having the least changes between hotels on trip is good for the mental health. Even modest places can feel like home if you stay long enough.
We gave each other a break and said meet around midday the next day. I caught up on all of washing, we wrote and slept. You need these days! Some slept until after midday. Brunch/lunch basically got us to the point of grabbing taxi for the New Zealand Residence in Las Condes. Bronwyn Golder was the host, the wife of the ambassador who was in NZ at the time.
All participants in the fair,and agents and principals were invited, plus any known NZers studying in Santiago.
I nominated the Farmlands crew, plus my niece Jazz who is there for a semester as an English aide/Year 13 students. We had a lovely time, sipping wine on the lawn,and making sure we met everyone. A school group of girls were there from Queen Margaret in Wellington. They are on a 5 week exchange with a sister school. I used to teach with the Principal who was with them so she got a shock.
Always assume there is a reception the night before a fair, or check.

BA

Thursday 9th Buenos Aires.

Woke late after such a big day yesterday, and got spruced up for our 12 o'clock appointment with Australia New Zealand Group Silvia Stoker
Paraguay 647 Piso 4 Oficina 17/18, Argentina.
The office is located very close to Florida, the pedestrian way, and therefore close to our apartment.
Well, the doorman tried to convince us that Silvia was not at work, but we did not believe him. We went up the lift and rang the bell and waited. Of course the doorman was right, and Silvia must have thought we were emailing about yesterday. We were somewhat deflated. It is a holiday here on Easter Thursday, but I thought it was clear she had agreed to see us on the Thursday afternoon, and then she was going to go to her station at 4pm.
There was nothing else to do but retreat back to the apartment and wait Easter out.
The timing of the ExpoIngles has caused big problems in timing. .We fly all day Easter Sunday, and work Easter Monday, as it is not a holiday here.

So,with the need to cancel Bucuramanga, and also a late invitation to the New Zealand Ambassador's in Chile on the night before the fair, we decided to change our flights out of Bogota to a day earlier.For me this meant a charge of $700! The others had more flexible ticket options. The only flights a day earlier were via Lima, so always being resourceful, we set up a meeting there in the afternoon. My APEC card had the Peru visa on it for business, while the guys were able to get a visitors visa on arrival. Lima is a city of 10 million (out of Peru's 20 million) and is located on the coast, so at sea level thank goodness after Bogota at 2,600m.
We are still spinning as I write this here in the departure lounge. My God, the pollution in out lungs from just 2 hours driving around the typical 3rd world city!!
We caught a taxi in to our appointment (with an agent who will be in Auckland next week at the agent’s fair), and found Guillermo.
He does not promote to NZ schools (despite it saying he does on ANZA promo), and usually send students to Malta or Ireland for English as it is cheap. He wants to promote NZ in Peru). I gave him the details on student visas and working holiuday visas which they wanted. he still;l did not have his ticket to Auckland for ANZA, despite his arrival was meant to be the same a mine. I had booked schools to see him! The only ticket he could get was too expensive in his book. He also wanted to buy a cheap flight to Invercargill for the FAM tour he had booked with Education Southland, after the agents' fair. We wanted to know why Invercargill for 5 days?? Craig helped him to find cheap flights via either CHch or Queenstown etc.
We talked NZ, schools, who might come, where the rich live etc and then went for lunch to a typical Peruvian food place, but in a ritzy mall set up for tourists. The meal was expensive but nice. I had fish cerviche...raw fish so I hope like hell I don’t get sick. Great corn Peruvian style, chicken dishes with rice etc. Of course started with Pisco sour which they claim is Peruvian but the Chileans claim in Chilean. It was great anyway.
Afterwards we window shopped a little and I found the leather cushion covers I have been hunting while in Sud America.
Guillermo then organised for us to go in a taxi with his friend and see the city through the fumes, and without being run over by the buses. He had originally suggested the bus tour for 3 hours but it was stinking hot and sunny and we did not have hats and would have fried.
It was not very pleasant but a nice thought. The squares are typical Spanish and grand.
Old Spanish buildings and passages were filled with markets and everyone was trying to sell something. It was much as in Bangkok in parts but very run down in others. Apparently the very wealthy are to the South in massive apartments etc. I believe the very wealthy live very well here. I have met a few in my travels. The rich have a history of sending kids abroad too, for a year.
The beach looked not very clean, but the surfers were out. Rubbish floated in the water and the coast looks like it is retreating as it is very crumbly stones.
The airport tax to leave was $31 US so an expensive afternoon, but interesting. My God stepping into the air-con bubble of the departure lounge was like flipping into space.



Hasta leugo mi amigos,,

Bogota, Colombia

Hi all,
Sitting in Bogota, Colombia above one of the busiest intersections in the world!(well it feels like it) No sound proofing, pollution. Bogota is a big challenge becaus eit is 2,600 meters above sea level, so everyone suffers from altitude to soem extent. Craig is breathless, we all woke up groggy, etc. Bloody hard work but we have had some bloody great fun days too, so no matter.
It feels safe in Bogota and medellin, but we have not been wandering around the place. Walked for a quick espresso this morning, around the corner from our hotel and a guy with a massive gun was standing guarding the casino. Guys with guns on many corners on our drive in from airport. Traffic much as in China, 3 lanes equals 5etc.
Definately a developing country profile.
We went for dinner in the T-Zone last night which is all zoned as secure.