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.

Arrived in Colombia...no time to write!

Hi all,
I have not had any time to blog, so hope to right that over the next few days.
We had a 16 hour door to door experience today from BA to medellin in Colombia. We were up at 3.30am to make the flight! I hate those. It was a hot Easter in BA, with thousands of Latin tourists shopping their hearts out plus 3 NZers. Walked bloody miles as usual chasing jackets etc. Sophie is very fussy so I had to get one just right.San telmo was the lively epicentre, as well as the pedestrian streets of Florida and Lavaelle. Our aprtment in Florida was awesome!! 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms etc etc. Much better than being in a 3 hotel rooms.
We got to BA via Montevideo in Uruguay (bus and ferry in same day as appointment and flight from Santiago, another 4am start).
Catch up more later,
Suzette

Bella Vista, Santiago -fantastico

Hola amigos, yes I am fully into the swing of South America and I have only been here for 9 hours! I was not even excited about coming, yet I am reminded how fantastic it is. It is the little things that make me feel at home here in Bella Vista (beautiful view). The trees in the streets, the colours of the lights and the buildings, and the warmth of the people. Chileans are out on the street and chanting as they have just played Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier. The sports' bars were packed, and outside a DISCO WERE A FEW HUNDRED WATCHING THE BIG SCREEN. Sorry hit the caps lock. Musicians still walked the streets playing to suckers like me having dinner, and I found it quite amusing to see so many women enjoying a night out with the girls while the menfolk were watching the game(especially having watched The Women film on the way over.) I have some great cafes up my sleeve for when the boys arrive, so went low key for a salmon and spinach quiche and half a bottle of 2007 Carmenere 35 Sur. So smooth. I had forgotten that lovely fresh bread comes out with pebre which is like a Chilean version of a gazpacho/salsa topping. I took 2 small buns away with me in-case I wake starving in the middle of the night as per the body clock. I read my book and watched the world go by very happily. I bought Sonata for Miriam, Linda Olsson's latest beggar/con men go by as you eat, offering the 'free' magazine for a donation so they can eat (yeah right), or the man who had cat puppets and tried to sucker in tourists with his miaowing routine. Day 1 concludes with Chileans just beginning to go for dinner (it is 9.40 pm)and children going home with parents. The kids cartoons may be finishing. ciao, Suzette

Lucca

Lucca was ok but in fact we have decided there is little point in going back to places you have loved in the past as they will not be the same.
It is a nice size to walk around, and the medieval walls are a good long walk. One of our early favourite Italian restaurants was still good (Leo's Trattoria) with things like farro and bean soup, and hand made ravioli, rabbit etc.I wrote about it on out last trip to Italy.
Women on bikes while on cellphones wa sour special lookout this time.
We also captured a little culture by listening to Puccini Opera excerpts in a lovely old church and listening to a Polish trio play Four Seasons over and over in the main square (busking.)
Our room was divine... a suite in a an antique Lucca house that was begun to be built in 1200's. It was a B and B so we met other travellers over breakfast each morning.
We ha d missed out on the cheaper rooms because we had delayed booking but meant we had space which was nice.

Vino Nobile, Montepulciano (for the wine lovers)

Montepulciano is famous for its Vino Nobile. It was founded in the 6th C by people fleeing barbarian invaders. Poets and others have written about Nobile since around the 1300’s/1400’s. A very famous poem was written about it in the 14thC called “Bacchus in Tuscany”. The Vatican sent people out to search for the best wines and one of them decreed in 1549 that Nobile was the perfect wine for a gentleman!
So you can see there is a long history in people trying and liking it, so we had better be in on the act.
We have tried a 2004 called Apostoli from Ercolani which is just across the road, and under us are the bottles and storage areas. I can hear them working now, moving things up and down the lane. They do tastings of wine, food and oil...must fit it in before we leave. The grape varieties in this are Prugnolo Gentile (a sangiovese) Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo e Colorino (if I can read the Italian correctly). Very nice, great colour. Another day we had the 2003 Reserva called Ercolani...same grapes. Smooth. Today we had a bottle of Contucci 2004 over lunch. Went down easily! A third Nobile wine we have tried is Massimo Carpini. It was a 2005 called Podere Casanova. The colour is great in all of these, and they are nice and smooth and easier to drink than the brunello (don’t tell anyone from Montalcino)
The rosso’s which are cheaper, can be just as nice. We had one over some bruschetta the other night called Lohsa from Azienda Agricola ( 2007) made from a winery called Terre del Poliziano. It was fine.
The bottom price is to order the house red which comes in a jug and you drink it from the same glasses as the water. Ok if thirsty and only having a small amount because you are driving!
We will keep up the research over the next few days and report back.