Bariloche, Argentina-The Switzerland of the South

Bariloche, the ski area in Southern Argentina, started out with a cheese fondue by a roaring fire to a walk around knitted trees and a downtown filled with the
famous chocolate shops, ski shops and craft shops.

Even though it rained and was extremely cold, they outfitted us with heavy raincoats and we took the cable car to the top of Cerro Campanario.  Even with the rain and mist, it was a beautiful view of the lakes.  Just imagine on a clear day.

On to Hotel Llao Llao, the most impressive hotel in the region with an amazing view of the lakes and a fantastic lunch.  Ate one of the best sandwiches in our trip.

Hotel Las Acacias in the Puerto Manzana section of Villa la Angostura, a small family run hotel, was fun to find as it was off various dirt roads.  Just wish they served dinner because the town had one restaurant opened when we arrived and their antipasto consisted of hotdogs, meatballs, cheese, tomatoes, bread and french fries, quite different from what we expected.

   What is Mate and why is everyone drinking it?  We took a boat ride to the Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes and everyone was drinking mate.  It was cool but sunny.  Our first sunny day in Bariloche which was nice as it made the boat trip through Lake Nahuel Huapi very pleasurable.

Lunch at Loncomilla of cabaza soup and onion soup and empanadas was delicious.  They were grilling meat outside and the biggest dogs that I ever seen were milling around enjoying the aromas.

Argentina-Plan your 2 week vacation

The first step is to ascertain what you want to experience.  For me and my traveling daughter we like nature, food, art, and some activity like hiking, scuba diving, skiing etc.  When we decided on Argentina for her school break in June, we had to plan it around their winter season which stopped us from going to Ushuaia and Patagonia.  Another time, another season.

2nd- Get books from the library to map out the main areas that you want to see.  Once these are mapped out, work your transportation plan.  Is it best to drive, fly, or take buses or the train.  In Argentina as it's a vast country, we chose flying to and from the main areas and renting a car when we arrived.  I prefer Kayak as my search engine to determine prices and times. Mapquest is a great way to determine driving distances and directions.  If you have internet while you're on the road then you can just access Google maps or mapquest (however Roaming can be very expensive) or to be on the safe side, print it out before you leave.

3rd.  After you have mapped out your general route, start planning your activities and the time you need to comfortably accomplish them. Reading and asking questions on Fodors forums, reviewing Trip Advisor, and general internet searches helps in deciding your hotels,car rentals, and staying within your budget. 

4th  Once you have your main outline, book your transportation, then your car rentals, and finally your hotels.  You can start filling in the details now- activities, restaurants.  Keep things open but have your general ideas in your mind. I always like to ask at our hotel, the car rental agency and local information for their advice.  Nothing beats just taking a walk and exploring.  Sometimes you find a real gem and other times a real bomb but it's all new experience and a great laugh.  For example, the fondue in Bariloche was something we fell into and it was so amazing to sit by the fire in June and have hot dogs, potato puffs, and bread in this cheesy fondue with some cold beers.  Or stopping at Llao Llao hotel for lunch and doing your own tour of this magnificient hotel.

5th-Plan your luggage-Just a carry on is all you need- good walking shoes, boots ( in the winter), some tees (long sleeve), some tanks for layering, some scarves, fleece in winter, hat, gloves, toiletries.  I found the zippered containers are convenient and really don't take any more room, just a great way to stay organized. 

6th- Enjoy, take pictures, speak the language and meet the locals. 

Buenos Dias Buenos Aires

Another trip with my daughter, Rachel, this time to Argentina.  La Boca Section of Buenos Aires is colorful, lively, with the smell of meat barbequing on the side of the street and tango dancers in the street.  This is my favorite part of Buenos Aires, the most alive and vibrant, although we were advised to only visit during the daytime

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Interesting and fun grafitti add to this colorful area.

 

Really wished I would have tried this meat as the aroma was enticing.

 

The cementary of Recoleta had beautiful sculptures, interesting stories as well as abandoned tombs.  Eva Peron's tomb was not the most elaborate which was surprising.

We enjoyed the open air markets through out the city with crafts and roasted nuts

 

As well as this huge gum tree in Recoleta

 

and finally the churros by the Teatro Colon.

The tour at the newly renovated Teatro Colon was a study in architecture, art and beauty.

From Quito to the Equator and the Cloud Forest

Take the cable car to the top of Quito for a panoramic view as well as beautiful gardens and shops.

 

Cool mountain air, lots of orchids, hummingbirds and a nice hike with a guide to find tropical birds in the cloud forest.  Although we heard a lot more birds than we saw, it was a beautiful hike

 

What a view! We loved this view!

 

Standing at the equator, you get to stand in both hemispheres at the same time.  Such fun! We loved all of Ecuador and hope to return to see all that we missed.  Great food, beautiful nature, and cool even in the summer.

Galapagos-Island living and hopping

Staying on Santa Cruz Island down the road from the Darwin Center gave us a feel for the entire island, its people and their lifestyle.  My husband was amazed at the small boats and the huge loads of fish they hauled in daily.  You walk to the dock and you have a glimpse into their life as well as seeing the blue webbed foot boobies, and sea and land iguanas.  Our cute hotel was across the street from the World Wildlife Center which seemed appropriate for an island with the most amazing creatures from this giant tortoise to the boobies.

 

This is the World Wildlife Center that had a wonderful gift shop and interesting information.

This was our cruising boat to the different islands in the Galapagos to explore volcanic islands, sea lion islands, red crabs, penquins.  As we traveled to the islands, the staff trolled and we had the most amazing fresh fish luncheons.  Also watching the large birds following us was a treat.

 

 

Waiting at the dock for us was our favorite sea lion. 

My daughter, Rachel, climbed up the top of this volcanic island.

To add the final touch, dive with Scuba Iguana and swim with the hammerhead sharks.  Now, I passed on that but my daughter had an amazing time. 

 

Enjoy the beach on the island with the Galapagos iguanas. Aqua clear waters, soft white sand, and iguanas-what more could you want!

 

 

Heard Museum-Phoenix-So many Indians so little time

With a few hours to kill before our flight we visited the exquisite Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix.  We could have spent the day here between the different displays, movies, cafe and gift shop.

This is just of sampling of the pottery on display as well as jewelry, weavings, papooses, paintings, and sculptures.

 

More pottery and

Sculptures and

Blown glass cactus

 

To learn about all the different Indian tribes and cultures in such a serene and beautiful setting is a beautiful tribute to our Native Americans.  Thank you Heard Museum

Grand Canyon from the air and ground

You don't even need to hike to see the beautiful views of the Grand Canyon.  Use the shuttle, stop and walk a bit and there you go.

 

The sunsets are beautiful even with a cloud cover.  The reds and orange layers are nicely highlighted.

The view from the air was impressive and my family enjoyed all the panoramic views.  Not for the weak of heart as the plane is small and there is a smell of gas. 

One of the various views from the air.  You really get perspective of the immensity of the Canyon.  The pictures of the Colorado River in all its shades of blues was delightful.

The Colorado River was instrumental in carving out the Canyon and without this flight we wouldn't been able to see it.  Next time we need more time so we can do a rafting trip

Sedona is magical, beautiful and cool in May

Jump for joy at the beauty of Sedona- Bell Rock.  Hiking at Bell Rock is even easy for an asthmatic and the views are magnificient.  With cool weather, great company and beautiful scenery, this is truly paradise.

Family Vacation in Arizona

Sedona is a magical place of magnificient red rock formations but also various shades of red, grey, pink, blooming cactus, twisted trees and agave.  Taking the Pink Jeep Tour was a way to get up close and personal to areas only accessible by hiking.  Finally being with my family for a magical trip like this was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to be together.

 

We all enjoyed the panoramic views from the Pink Jeep Tour.  Each view was a "wow" and the weather in May was perfect- just a light sweater was all that was needed.