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We had originally planned to drive from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in our Volkswagen camper. That was until we found out that the Isthmus of Panama kind of prevented us from doing that (no roads, swamps and other nasty things). Then it was things like revolutions, The Shinning Path, drug wars and political instability. In early 2001 the situation seemed fairly stable, so we decided that the time was right. And we wouldn't do just a few of the countries that make up the continent, we would do all 13. Our frequent flyer mileage would get us as far as Caracas so that's where we started. Of course we had no idea a few terrorists would upset the whole world in between the time we bought our tickets and our departure date. It was a close call, but on September 27 we were able to depart. Arriving in Caracas we found it was busy, noisy, hot and humid. Having reservations for a cruise of the Galapagos Islands in two weeks time we opted to head west and explore Venezuela at the end of our journey. Colombia was the one country we were concerned about. We carefully set our itinerary so that we saw the historic city of Cartegena, our first real stop. We liked the city and visited many of the historic sites. Al thinks the city has more pretty girls than any place he can remember. A few smaller towns in Columbia were used as overnight stops on our way to Ecuador.

Once in Ecuador we bought alpaca sweaters for our later Andean adventures at the market village of Otovalo, which dates from pre-Inca times. We then arrived in Quito in time to join in the party celebrating Ecuador's qualification for the football World Cup. Quito is a modern city with a sophisticated tram service allowing us a Sunday morning tour of the old town, folk music and dancing to fill out our weekend.

Banos, famous for it's thermal baths, is probably the most popular town for young tourists and a great place for a bicycle ride. So how could we resist a spin in the countryside followed by a soothing soak in the communal baths?

The Riobamba train ride is considered a must activity for the adventurous tourist. The train follows a torturous route through the mountains to a rock formation called the "Devil's Nose." This is the obvious reason for going; however, the real come-on is riding on the roof of the train -- all the soot and smoke you can absorb. I guess Al is getting old, he opted to ride in the seat he had paid for. Louie was given a chance to ride in the cab and steer the train so neither of us rode on top. Half way through we got out and rode on a flatbed and were joined with some of the roof dwellers. They weren't thrilled with their perch and didn't see the big advantage.

It seemed like a good idea to save a few dollars and catch our flight to the Galapagos from Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. It wasn't. The town was squalid, filthy port with few redeeming qualities, and Louie got a bad tummy from a rice dish she ate. She was barely well enough to take the flight and suffered during the first day of our voyage.

Our ship, the Pelikano, took us to many of the volcanic islands that make up the group. On each one we encountered different species of birds, lizards and sea creatures. The most obvious were the sea lions, not only in their number but in their voices as well. But the most amazing thing with them, as well as all the other animals, was that they accepted us as just another species. We had to walk around and over sea lions -- many of them just babies! When we snorkeled and admired uncountable numbers of fish, the sea lions went along for the swim. Other stars of the show were iguanas, both marine and land varieties. They are not good looking guys, but very interesting to say the least. Of course, we had to see the blue-footed boobies. Their nests were right in the middle of the path and all they did was give us a quizzical look as we went by. The other big bird attraction was the frigate birds. The males sat on their nests with their bright red inflatable pouches extended over their chests like balloons to show off and attract females. Among many other birds and reptiles the giant tortoises are, of course, the islands' trade mark. Galapagos is the Spanish word for saddle, which comes from one of the 11 species of tortoise there, the saddleback tortoise. They are what gave Darwin the idea for his theory on the origin of species. Although the islands are small, each one had a different species of tortoise.

Needless to say, we enjoyed the trip. It exceeded all our expectations. On a note of more personal interest, one event of our Galapagos trip went unreported. We visited an island containing a sailors' mailbox, actually a barrel where seaman would leave letters hoping ships going in the opposite direction would retrieve them and take them home. The mail started in 1772 and is still operating. Some pondered leaving letters while on the beach the crew of the Pelikano, our ship, staged a football (soccer) match against the crew of another ship, the San Juan. Al was the goalie in an 8-3 victory and is considering a new career...

I had decided a long time ago that this section would be called "The Inca Trail," but once again circumstances have changed my mind. Our first Inca stop was in Ecuador at a reported site named Ingapirca. We soon learned that the Inca rule had been very short here historically (35 years); the Canari people had been here for a thousand years before the Inca arrival. The Inca Empire in South America lasted just around a hundred years and was in disarray when the Spanish arrived. Two princes were fighting for control and the result was an easy victory for a handful of Spanish against a huge army of Incas.

Most of our Inca visits were in Peru. At Sipan we visited a great museum containing burial artifacts of the Moche people, who lived there from 100 to 700 AD. The most spectacular exhibit was the "Lord of Sipan." This was a figure completely dressed in recreated gold regalia (the original is also in the museum). He was motorized and occasionally moved his arms or torso. Al did not realize this and was shocked the first time he moved.

At Chan Chan we visited a mud-brick city with marvelous designs on the walls (sea otters, pelicans, fish, and more). The complex was built by the Chimu around 1300 AD and contained 10,000 dwellings right on the beach.

The Paracas people, near Pisco, had two very strange customs. One, they squeezed their babies' heads in a crib designed to give them long, almost pointed heads, ala Saturday Night Lives Cone-heads (they also never cut their hair). Two, they buried their dead in the fetal position, wrapped in textile bundles after removing the organs and drying the bodies in an oven.

Next was Nazca. You've probably heard of this place where the people drew huge pictures in the desert that could only be seen from an airplane. The designs were created between 300 BC and 780 AD, but not recognized until 1929 when somebody flew over. They are the source of many theories, one of which is that the pointed heads of the people of Paracas came from interbreeding with spacemen. We flew over a large part of the area and were thrilled to actually see the designs from this perspective ourselves. Al's favorite was the Spider, but Louie liked the Hummingbird. Point of interest: each of the figures was drawn using one continuous line.

Taking a break from dead cultures we went high into the mountains to see two of Peru's special creatures: the vicuña, the smallest of the camelids, and the Andean condor, largest of the birds. The condors were by far the most thrilling; one soared over Al's head so close that he could hear the wind passing over its wings.

Now it was finally time to discover the Incas. Cusco, meaning navel or center of the empire, is also the launching point to view many of the ruins. We spent a morning visiting a sacred bath, the water still continues to flow at a constant rate, from an unknown source; a red fort, called so because of the iron in the rocks; a temple called the Zigzag due to an angular narrow groove cut in an altar, used during ceremonies either to carry beer or blood. The last site we visited that morning was huge and, in true Inca fashion, made of giant boulders shaped by hand to fit together perfectly. The Incas believed that Cusco was shaped like a puma and these zigzag walls were its teeth.

But all this was just a prelude to the big event -- Machu Picchu. The Peruvians have done a good job of hyping this place as the number one place in South America and are running a campaign to have it named the number one place in the world. Well, it's really big and it's high, around 9,000 ft. The surrounding mountains are awesome, reaching high into the mists. The setting is more spectacular than the ruins, which are substantial and in good condition. You must remember that the Incas were still living here only 500 years ago, and, if not for the Spanish priests, the sanctuary might still be intact. It was worth a visit, but doesn't get our number one vote. Many of the visitor's walk the Inca Trail (4 days) to get to Machu Picchu, climbing passes over 14,000 ft. and camping in the rain and cold. They all think it's worthwhile. What else could they say?

As we approached the Bolivian border we encountered a unique living culture, the Uros people, who literally live on Lake Titicaca. They create their own islands using the totora reeds that grow in the lake shallows. Their whole existence revolves around the reeds. They use them to build houses, boats and the islands themselves, which are replenished monthly by simply spreading a fresh layer of reeds over the existing 5-foot thickness. The reeds are also eaten. Birds, eggs, frogs and fish that they gather complete their diet. Tourism will insure the survival of this floating society.

Nearby are the tombs of the Collas, who built 30 foot high drinking glass shaped tombs for their nobles to rest in before reincarnation. The Spanish looted these, too.

The most significant archeological site in Bolivia is Tiwanaku. The people who lived here held sway from 600 BC to 1200 AD and left behind beautiful cities and stone statues. They even had a sewage system. Their knowledge and skills were not enough to maintain their culture, so after 1200 AD they faded away. By the time the Incas arrived their existence was erased, even though some of their influence was visible throughout the Inca Empire.

Our odyssey of the Incas and the pre-Inca cultures ended fittingly enough at the reported birthplace of the first Inca and his sister wife, on the Isla del Sol, located on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. It was also thought to be the place where a white-skinned bearded god first appeared. This legend would prove to be the downfall of the Inca, since they believed Pizarro to be the reincarnation of this god. (Well, that's the end of the history lesson. Hope I didn't bore too many readers.)

We used La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, as our base to visit other places of interest. Sorata was at the end of an incredible winding road and from there we took a 14km walk into the mountains to reach Gruta San Pedro a cave. Along the way we were joined by two pretty little girls on their way to school and engaged them in a halted conversation. As we passed by the school we noticed the rest of the students were lined up outside the school raising the flag. Our two little friends were late... Finally, at the Gruta, we found no one there. And the cave was dark; finally the ranger with ticket book in hand showed up sold us our tickets and started the generator. It would run for 20 minutes when we encountered a large pool of water we stopped and returned to the surface 12 minutes later. On our return trip we met an Irish couple and learned the big deal is to take a swim in the pool. Oh well another adventure missed. The views of the mountains were well worth the walk. Back at our hotel, which is set around a beautiful garden, we noticed two enormous Anaconda skins nailed to the wall. We learned they had been there since 1930 and the longest was seven meters.

From the cool of the highlands we descended to the hot muggy plains of Santa Cruz. We found a great hotel with a welcoming swimming pool and enjoyed luxury for a few days. It was mainly an R & R break, which we quickly paid for. Several kilometers north near the town of Buena Vista is a national park, which can be reached by 4x4. We booked an overnight trip into this jungle. As our driver continued to say, it was a real adventure. First the land cruiser got stuck and the driver and the guide had to dig us out of the mud. Then before reaching the campsite we encountered a broken-down truck blocking the road and had to walk a few kilometers to the camp. This didn't bother us, we're always ready for exercise. The afternoon went well with a walk to some waterfall pools for a swim and seeing some interesting trees. Overnight it began to rain and continued into the next morning. The footing had been treacherous the night before, now we figured it would be even worse after the rain. So we told the guide we wished to return to Buena Vista. O.K., except for the fact that during the night the driver had moved the jeep to the other side of a river, so as not to be trapped by the rising water. So off we tramped slipping and sliding as we went. One and a half-hours later we reached a hut with a radio and our jeep and driver. Oops! the four wheel drive in the jeep was broken and the driver feared it wouldn't make the trip. A radio message back to town resulted in us trying it anyway. The driver proved right. After an hour of sliding off the road and getting the vehicle dug out we were back where we started. More radio messages. We would have to walk a few more kilometers in another direction to a waiting taxi. This part of the walk wasn't too bad and we saw some toucans and other birds as well as being given stolen mangos. But then we stood on the bank of a swift flowing very wide river. The guide and driver stripped to underwear and tied their clothes in a bundle. Luckily we were wearing our swimming outfits and had our sandals. Using poles provided by the guide we gingerly and slowly made our way across hip-deep in water, using the poles to stay upright and prevent us being swept down stream. It was probably one of the most dangerous things we ever had to do. It seemed to take forever and there was still no taxi. Maybe an hour later on the bank of another river we found the taxi and were soon back with gear to follow. The guide seemed to expect a tip and even gave us his card. We just said "adios" and caught the bus for Yapacani.

Our room there had the added attraction of having chunks of blood-dripping meat hanging outside our room. When we caught the 10:00 bus at 11:30 the next day we had no idea we were starting an odyssey. The plan was to get to Cochabamba, spend the night and proceed to Oruro the following morning. Got to Cochabamba o.k. But then learned there would be a bus strike the next day so got back on a bus which got us Oruro at 04:30. A cab driver drove us all over ringing doorbells until we finally got a room. The train to Tupiza didn't leave for another day so we spent time wandering around town. The train was very nice except we arrived in the middle of the night. Tupiza is a starting point for trips to the salt lakes and high lands, so there was no problem finding a room. We took a self-guided tour into the country side one day seeing interesting rock formations, which is what this area is famous for. Then we joined a jeep tour into Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid territory. We also booked a three-day trip to the highlands. Most of the trip was over 4,000 meters, with thin air, cold winds and dust. Sleep was difficult, so Al joined a nighttime procession through San Pablo celebrating the town's anniversary, Louie curled in bed. We did see different colored lakes and hot springs spending the second night at Laguna Verde (Green Lake). There was no electricity or heat either night, so we were happy the next day to descend from 4500 meters to 2300 meters as we left Bolivia and entered the Atacama Desert of Chile.

It was real nice to be warm and be able to sleep. But of course this couldn't last. We got up at 03:30 to catch a van back into the highlands to visit Tatio Geysers, a pretty neat place and we learned that the geysers were only active in the early morning. The difference in the cold overnight temperatures causing the hot water to erupt and steam to rise into the early morning darkness, creating a very satanic scene. But as soon as the sun warms things up they settle down to nice little pots of boiling water in which the guides boil eggs and heat the milk for coffee con leche.

The town of Antofagasta isn't much to look at, but we made one of our best side trips from there. Despite bad information and a deceiving cab driver we finally caught a minibus to a road junction north of town and then walked a few kilometers to the sea, where we found a beautiful natural arch called "La Portada." The portal sits just off the shore and is truly magnificent. We almost blew it by sitting at the viewing area thinking that was all there was. However we decided to see what was around the corner and discovered smaller arches right on the beach you could wall through and all kinds of wild life: colorful Sally Light-foot crabs, brown boobies, pelicans, terns and many more birds.

Our stop to see the Pan de Azucar, a white sandy beach near a loaf-shaped island, was a real disaster. The tour bus from Chanaral was expensive and when we got to the national park we discovered the park rangers were on strike and none of the tour boats were operating. The driver knew this, but wasn't about to tell us ahead of time. He just shrugged when we confronted him about it.

La Serena is one of the more popular stops in Chile. It is a pretty town with lots of colonial architecture. We spent several days there visiting nearby sites and enjoying the amenities. The only bad thing was election day -- everything shut down and our plans for a bike ride were torpedoed when the shop failed to open.

Ovalle was a slightly better stop than Chanaral. Once again the tour bus (taxi) was expensive but the petroglyphs were pretty good and the guide did a great job.

Vina del Mar is a real resort town right on the ocean and for a while we thought of returning there for a longer stay. Nice beaches, a casino, and pretty gardens. Some guys tried to rob us by throwing yogurt on us and then offering to clean it off while they lifted our wallets. But we out smarted them and one guy got a shower of soft drink for his trouble.

Finally, Santiago. The next seven weeks of our trip were scheduled to be by overland truck, camping our way from here to Rio. We really were tired of buses and looked forward to somebody else worrying about our transport. The International Youth Hostel was the meeting point and we arrived a day early as planned. We did some shopping for our truck journey, having carried our sleeping bags all this way we would finally get to use them. We thought we were in good shape when an overland truck pulled in the next day; however, it was a different company. Eventually, another truck appeared, but it too was not ours. We were really wondering what was going on when we finally found Debbie, our tour guide. The reason we couldn't see our truck was that it was back near Chanaral with a blown engine. So for the foreseeable future we would be traveling by bus, aaagh! And we would be spending three more days in Santiago and be skipping our first camping spot in the Andes by a waterfall.

From Santiago we went to a site of natural beauty: Villarrica Volcano (with its smoke and snowy collar). Most of the group climbed to the top. But Al, having stuck his foot through a toilet bowl, couldn't go. I'll let you think about that one. We spent Christmas there and managed to have a pretty good time staying in a rented house (where we started our group cooking and so forth) with a big BBQ at the campground on Christmas Eve. We discovered that some of our eight companions were heavy drinkers and night owls.

We had just about given up on the truck when we were told that a replacement had been leased and would arrive on the 29th. We were finally on the road -- no more buses. Our first stop would be in Argentina for New Years Eve. Arriving at the border Debbie told us to get our passports and report to immigrations. Suddenly Louie got this incredible look on her face. Al looked at her and said "No! You didn't!!". "Yes, I did. They're under the pillow back in Villarrica." We couldn't ask the truck to turn back, so taking the bare essentials we hitched 60 kilometers back to town. When we arrived, the landlady stood there with our passports and all our cash wrapped in a sealed plastic bag shaking her head. We grabbed the bag gave her a quick "gracias," and headed for the bus terminal. We had 15 minutes to catch the only bus for three days. We did and caught up with the group after three bus rides and a night in a very expensive condo. Just in time for the New Year's party.

The following few weeks were full of great sightseeing including: Moreno Glacier, where we spent 3 hours watching icebergs being born (who would have thought you could have fun watching ice melt!); a pool near Pucon where four waterfalls converge from different directions; and Torres del Paine National Park with its incredible spires reaching into the heavens. These and sightings of guanacos, penguins, foxes and ibis.

Our southward progress was halted. We had reached Tierra del Fuego, the southern most point of South America, or as the local's say, "The End of the World." So far the weather had been kind to us with only a taste of the high winds Patagonia is famous for. However, our arrival in the Land of Fire changed all that with a steady Antarctic breeze, keeping us bundled up seeking shelter. The weather changed and we were able to take a cruise on the Beagle Channel. It was really great, just being in that special place where the Atlantic and Pacific meet. In addition, we saw lots of wildlife including the biggest bull sea lion in the world (at least he looked that way to us.) And the fresh-caught crab lunch was a real treat. We all wanted to be there, but when our four-day stay was completed, we were happy to head North to warmer climes.

From the bottom of the world we flew to Buenos Aires, a bargain airfare and the devaluation of the Argentinean peso made it an offer we could not refuse, giving us time to visit Uruguay. After a weekend visiting the cities of Colonia and Montevideo we recrossed the River Plate and rejoined our fellow truck passengers who had spent four long days riding on the truck. BA is always a lively Latin city. Add to this the protests caused by the financial crisis and the city was really hopping. A favored pastime was standing on a street corner beating on a pot or pan.

The border between Argentina and Brazil is Iguasu falls: biggest in the world. We visited the falls on both sides and were truly impressed by all that water. (See photo album)

From the Brazilian side a bridge allows you to enter Paraguay, so we took a bus trip to do some duty free shopping and get a beer can for Al's one-can-from-each-country collection.

Then it was off to Rio, the end of our 7-week truck trip and the beginning of "Carnaval." When we originally booked this trip Carnival was not an important part of it. But since we were there, we made the most of it by participating in three different carnivals: Rio, the most famous; Salvador, the biggest; Olinda, claimed by many to be the best. They were all very different. Rio was highly organized and what we didn't realize was that the parade we always had seen is held inside the Sambadromo, which is a special built stadium requiring a ticket to enter to see the performance. Each group consisting of up to 1000 members is given an allotted amount of time to strut their stuff while being judged. There are also balls and street parties, called "blocos." No prize for guessing which one of those we attended. Salvador, a very long bus ride from Rio, is totally different. It is even called "Carnavafrica" and has a very strong African theme. All day and night huge mobile sound stages cruised the city blasting out local music being performed atop the vehicles and followed by hundreds of supporters. The crush of people is amazing and a large police presence is required. We just caught the end of the Olinda carnival. It was Wednesday, but a few groups and partygoers didn't want carnival to stop. No mobile stages, just bands playing as they marched through the streets, some with giant paper mache figures in their midst.

Our adventures in northern Brazil included losing Louie's credit card in an ATM, talk about stress... But we did have time for some other pleasures including the Amazon BrewPub, located at the mouth of the river (see beer report). From Belem we could no longer travel North by road, so we took to the skies.

Our island hopping started in the Guianas, which aren't technically islands, but since they can only be reached by air or boat and they are politically and culturally separated from the rest of South America we'll consider them islands. First was Guyane (French Guiana) which is actually a department of France and part of the E.U. with, of course, French as the language. While there we did visit a real island, the infamous penal colony of Devil's Island. It is now a very peaceful place and only the abandoned cells attest to its history (see Devil's Island story).

Next was Surinam (Dutch Guiana). We reached it by motorized canoe. Many of the buildings are made of wood and it looks like a strong earthquake would demolish the whole place. They, of course, speak Dutch and strangely drive on the left side of the road. The most exciting thing to do there is watch the Sunday morning bird singing competition -- zzzzz.

A wild minibus and ferry ride brought us to Guyana (British Guiana), of course, they speak English. Remember Jim Jones and the poisoned Kool-Aid? The important thing for us was that it completed our circuit of South America. We managed to visit every one of the 13 countries.

It was time for a vacation, so we hopped to Barbados. There isn't much to do there and that's what we did, very little. St. Vincent had some nice snorkeling, a small waterfall and some petroglyphs. Bequia is a quiet place where the same people return every year; we probably won't. Union is at the bottom of the Grenadines and provides access to Tobago Cays, a great place for snorkeling even in the rain. Carriacou is really off the tourist path. We reached it via an old wooden sailboat, our seats being on top of the cabin next to the boom. Thankfully, it was a smooth crossing. Grenada was back in tourist country and you could see the mental hospital that was accidentally bombed by the U.S. during its invasion of 1983. Tobago provided more great snorkeling and a visit to a bird sanctuary. Trinidad was our last stop before returning to Caracas.

We did promise to see Venezuela on the way back and we sure did. Taking a flight into the jungle to see Angel Falls, the world's tallest. It was a great trip. We took a river cruise and saw several other waterfalls and wildlife.

The last island we hopped to is the best, Gabriola, our island. We're happy to be home again especially since our cabin was spared any damage during a terrible storm back in December, 2001. All we got out of it was some firewood since our neighbor's tree fell on our side of the property line.