What excursions in south America

[sallyt]

Going on the Millennium in March, Ports include,Arica, Chile,Lima, Peru,and Manta, Ecuador..Any suggestions on any special things to see..

[rjg41]

In Arica the trip up into the mountains is great........but NO ONE should take the trip who has any kind of breathing problem or other condition that would be affected by high altitude/low O2 levels. We are in good shape and were still stressed at the highest point.

 

Im Lima we only went into town---but be very careful. Take no valuables. NO jewelry! We met a gal that had he purse stolen. Theif leaned in through a cab window and snatched her purse which was on the floor between her legs. We were followed and checked from head to foot at several places in town. A drug store we went in had an heavily armed guard at the door. That tell you something. There were some nice things at the town square open air mart.

 

In Manta we did not leave the dock. Don't remember which place it was Manta or Lima but one had a very nice place on the pier to buy things. Good prices and nice people. Super alpacka items. Bargin hard.

 

Other suggestion is stay a few days in Santiago. Very nice place. Went to the park and took the gondola rida and did a city tour. Walked around and never felt at risk. However, one caution even the locals will give is be very careful downtown in the Peruivean(sp?) section. As in Peru, many are very poor people and seek to provide for themselves is less than legal ways.

[Hebe]

Sally

 

You may want to check the port section of the boards - South America. There is a lot of information on what to do in these ports.

[cabo de hornos]

I lifted this from another post I made on a Millie Roll Call Board. Let me also add that if you have the opportunity to stay a day or two in Santiago prior to departure, you will find it most interesting and enjoyable. We've been there twice, first in January '02 for just an afternoon/early evening at the Sheraton Conference Center (very nice room and surroundings) along the main river flowing through the City before heading to the airport. For our second cruise, we stayed two nights at the Sheraton Four Points in La Providencia - the business district, not that far from the Conference Center on the other side of the river. Good 1/2-day tour of the City from X obtained directly at the Four Points hotel, with the obligatory opportunity to shop at a gem store with a good selection of lapis lasuli and other nicely done items. The Presidential Palace and parade ground is quite interesting - see if you can get there for the colorful changing of the guard in mid-morning. The army band may play some American jazz for you. Other tours/shows were also available. Tours of the wine country are reportedly quite nice, although you will see a good bit of it on the bus from Santiago to Valpo. Reminds you of California wine country. Both hotels had good restaurants. I'm told there is a revolving restaurant near the Four Points that served a very affordable and good meal. It's also located next to a trendy section of shops, eateries and discos/bars that jump to life about 9 pm every night. Some are open for a nice lunch al fresco as well. Depending on the smog you will or will strain to see the highest of the Andes surrounding the City. There was much construction along the river in '04 to install a new road tunnel under the river, probably very well along by now....but I digress from your question.

 

----

 

We took this cruise in March '04 on Infinity, and hopped off at Arica for the 3-day X-cursion to Machu Picchu. Well worth the price. Well organized and most informative guides - an X-rep from Infinity accompanied us to make sure all was well. Our guides even arranged an extra after-lunch section of the Lima City tour upon our return mid-morning. We never felt rushed, it's only a 1-hour flight or so each way from Arica to Cuzco and from Cuzco to Lima. The change of terrain is breathtaking. Arica is very desert-like, we did not stop but saw a good bit of the City. Lima is a mix of young and old, very pretty and not so nice. Our bus/walking tour included the Inquisition Museum, plazas, shopping areas and some churches, and a ride over to the beach in Miraflores where there is a Lovers Park with a most interesting statue.

 

Caution if you take the Machu Picchu sidetrip. Unless you are in very good shape, and used to very high altitude (11-12,000 feet above MSL, Machu Picchu is actually "only" at about 8,000 ft) you will need to get on a brief regimen of Diamox or similar oxygen enhancer (inexpensive by prescription, and it is a diurretic) about a day and a half before you reach altitude, and lay low on the alcohol. The guides know what problems can occur (see post above about bus rides at altitude) and you will find that they schedule a rest period on arrival, and lunch, before the short first afternoon tour in Cuzco and environs. It can cool down to the high 40's at night, but mid-day was about 70 in March. Our excellent traveller's health clinic in B'ham at UAB provided sound advice - Diamox and Hep A with a tetanus booster, as it had been some time since I had one. I'm good for 10 years now. Yellow fever shot not necessary at that time - check with the Travel Health sites for updates.

 

Excellent hotel in Cuzco - the Libertador. Nice room, good meals, and a nice floor show/dinner in Town on the evening of our return from Machu Picchu. Early risers have a leg up, as you must catch the 6 am or so train out of Cuzco on Day 2 for the 3-hour ride to Machu Picchu (45 minutes of this is spent on switchbacks leaving Cuzco - on the return our guides arranged for buses at the last stop outside of town so we did not have to waste time doing this before dinner). The train ride includes some nice healthy snacks, and some pleasant surprises I will not divulge. You will also be getting up early for the return flight to Lima.

 

I certainly can appreciate the reasoning behind those who decide to do this separately at a more measured pace. But again, we were most satisfied with our experience.

 

For those who are particularly interested there is a paleohydrological institute based in Colorado that has done much research at Machu Picchu with the Peruvian government. They have guidebooks and more in-depth reports on the site, as well as wonderful annual calendars for purchase - I'm not hawking here, just informing. Our guides had some of their material, but not the new one that I had brought with me - they were most impressed. Our trip occurred just a few days before the landslide in Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of the site) that took the lives of 6 residents. Some of you may have seen a TV program about this on the Travel Channel last year I believe. El Presidente Toledo, who is from the area, happened to be filming a travelogue in the vicinity, and he was seen on a cell phone calling in choppers to begin the evacuation process for the 1,500 tourists who were cut off by the dislodged train tracks.

 

The Canal was a most interesting experience, as well as that moment on board crossing the Equator - don't forget to check your sink drain for the reverse coriolis effect (Remember Michael Palin's "Pole to Pole"?) . Enjoy!!

 

---

 

We did not stop in Manta mainly because of our pod problem (we were given a cabin onboard credit of $150). The newest bridge crossing the Canal should be complete by now, it was under construction as we passed "under" it - the roadway had not been strung across the two towers at that time. You will probably overnight at the west or south end of the Canal before going through the first two sets of locks - so if you want to see the original Bridge of the Americas, get up early. Thanks to all of those who worked and/or gave their lives constructing this incredible passage. We had been to Aruba once before, so we focused on finding some good jewelry buys close to the pier. That was our last port call before FLL. All in all, the trip of a lifetime. That's why we're taking the Millie Cruisetour (Milan-Venice-Barcelona) in November, then we'll come back to SA someday. I also recommend the "'Round the Horn" itinerary, which we actually started on Mercury from Rio instead of BA to Valpo at the time.

 

Cabo

 

Cabo