http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/ en lsforde@yahoo.com Copyright 2011 2011-01-10T21:15:27+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/Littlepuker/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/Littlepuker/#When:21:15:27Z Day five in Brazil , but day two in Florianopolis and it’s the first sunny day so far . Basically there have been torrential rains, floods and imposing black skies since we arrived . We are in a hospital again but this time with Elka. Yesterday, regardless of the weather the kids were in the pool with about 600 other kids all vying for a pee pee spot while having tons of fun. She must have drunk a lot of pool water as not long after falling asleep she puked all over her end of the single bed she shares with Axel. Another hour later she puked again but this time on me as she, at this stage was in our bed . The rice and fish we had for dinner were coming out thick and oily and while she puked , I was retching behind her . 2011-01-10T21:15:27+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/sao_paulo_brazil/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/sao_paulo_brazil/#When:23:57:09Z Out of the frying pan into the fire. We land in the worlds second most murderous city Sao Paulo Brazil, only beaten by Rio. In 1999 there were 17 murders a day here, a yearly total of 6,360. The authorities have obviously been very busy since then and have managed to get it down to just 4 a day, only 1,399 for the year, that’s not bad, is it? Murder by firearm in Brazil is four times higher than the US, there is one gun for every 11 citizens in circulation with around 50% of them being illegal, so you would imagine we would be very careful about where we stayed in Sao Paulo. I am not sure we were. Believe it or not but it is legal to break red lights at night here, something to do with the number of carjacking’s in the city. 2011-01-08T23:57:09+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/tigre_delta/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/tigre_delta/#When:23:44:08Z After what felt like a bland, boring time in Cordoba we were back to Buenos Aires to do some of the city sights without all the hoards of Christmas shoppers . Our plan was to quickly get to Tigre , 35kms north of the city for some green space and easy living for a couple of days in the delta region . After many unsuccessful hours searching the web for places to stay we decided to head off any way and hoped we would get something on arrival . 2011-01-04T23:44:08+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/christmas_day_sunny_side_up/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/christmas_day_sunny_side_up/#When:22:47:36Z Christmas morning the alarm was set for 8am and boy was it sunny . Not a cloud in the sky . As usual , we had to wake our kids up to let them know Senor Claus had been and not forgotten . Once awake they couldn’t get dressed quickly enough. Both of them were very good in what it was they had asked for. Axel was aware we were traveling and knew he couldn’t ask for anything too big. He got his replacement Nintendo DS, his Star Wars figures and a few other bits and pieces and was genuinely happy, I was happy too knowing this. Elka was delighted with her Barbie and Mermaid and all the other girlie things she had been left, even though she doesn’t like Santa too much, ‘hee scaaawy’, she said when we visited the Chilean version. 2010-12-25T22:47:36+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/the_ghost_of_christmas_past/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/the_ghost_of_christmas_past/#When:21:27:24Z During the night we had an unexpected visitor, a midnight phantom, we weren’t sure at first, maybe it was Mrs Claus, Mama Noelle, come early to impart some important information about our arrangements for the next few days. Had we forgotten something, was he going to bypass the estancia. We were woken up by this little old lady who was shaking Lisa vigorously at about 4 am, speaking in tongues, or what sounded like tongues at that hour of the night. 2010-12-24T21:27:24+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/christmasevegauchostyle/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/christmasevegauchostyle/#When:01:47:54Z Christmas eve morning was a buzz of activity in the house . Angeles and Diego were expecting their extended family for a big meal and the opening of the presents which is traditionally done late on Christmas eve in Argentina . The assembly of the tree was kindly held off until that morning so the kids could put it up . I am not sure if Angeles wanted as much of the shredded tinsel on her tree as she got , but being such a perfect host she just let Elka put as much on as she wanted . The head gaucho Roque prepared a fantastic lunch. He crucified a whole lamb on a metal frame that was stuck in the ground and brought nearer the heat of an open fire with a type of hinge mechanism. Man, was it good. Crucified lamb at Christmas. The remainder of the day was spent horse riding on the ranch, fishing and relaxing by the pool in 33 degrees with a Vodka and Tonic to cool us down 2010-12-24T01:47:54+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/donjoaquinestanciaargentnina_1/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/donjoaquinestanciaargentnina_1/#When:23:38:36Z Well , we cried when we left ( at least I did ) the estancia so that says something about the place . Just fantastic , and we can't even fault the hosts .....how perfect is that ! One of the top places to stay and an experience we will never , ever forget . 2010-12-23T23:38:36+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/donjoaquinestancia/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/donjoaquinestancia/#When:18:18:56Z Have you ever met somebody for the first time and felt like you had known them forever, or better still have you ever met two people and felt like you had known both of them forever and they both of you. This is exactly what happened when we went to spend Christmas on an Estancia (ranch) in Esquina, which is in the Corrientes province in northern Argentina. We were looking for something a little different for the festive season and something that would be a memorable way for us to spend the holiday on our journey, something where there would be something for each of us to enjoy and also a place where we could really chill. Lisa had been working really hard to find something special and came up with the Estancia Don Joaquin , after a few mails our booking was confirmed and we got really excited . 2010-12-23T18:18:56+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/tango_fantastic/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/tango_fantastic/#When:19:14:42Z From coffee with legs in Santiago to beer with tango in Buenas Aires. We are sitting in a small square in the San Telmo district having a drink, watching a display of tango dancing in the late afternoon heat. The beer is cold, both dancers are fit, her legs are long, her dress skimpy and my mind is a blank and the feeling is quite pleasant. It is nice and uncomplicted, however if you are a woman and your name is Lisa the same situation reads as follows.......... 2010-12-16T19:14:42+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/buenos_aires/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/buenos_aires/#When:00:38:14Z Arriving into Buenos Aires was a kick to the senses . Majestic dilapidated buildings rub shoulders with lots of 70's era modern and well cared for original art nouveau . It is bursting with artistic energy but there is not enough government aid to save all of the cities old buildings . Banks have no money and the Argentines survive on a black market strategy which seams to work for the lucky ones . Recoletta is one of the nicer areas and beyond that there is everything in between . Ice cream and fresh pasta is sold in every corner cafe and the waiters still wear bow ties .The language is Spanish but the accent and attitude is Italian. It's a great city and one we look forward to going back to . 2010-12-16T00:38:14+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/wine_country_arm_dealers/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/wine_country_arm_dealers/#When:12:45:54Z There is a museum in Santa Cruz, no sorry, its actually a private collection housed in an old train station and open to the public, like a museum but purpose built to house the incredible collection of one Carlos Cardoen. Senor Cardoen is one of the worlds biggest arms dealers who sold cluster bombs to Sadam during the Iran - Iraq war of the 1980’s and features prominently on the US’s most wanted list with a hefty reward for his capture. Consequently visits to the US and any countries with which it has extradition treaties are off the menu for the forseeable future so he spends his time collecting and pumping his ill gotten millions into making the Colchagua Valley a force to be reckoned with in the world of wine. Unfortunately for him he ended up backing the losing side and now, the worlds biggest arms dealers by far are looking for his head on a plate. And boy can he collect. There were over 7,000 items in the collection, Model T Fords, Bernardo O”Higgins piano, I’m sure that could tell a few tales, ancient fossils, Martin Boorman’s Luger, indian mummies and on and on, really quite amazing. 2010-12-12T12:45:54+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/santa_cruz_chile/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/santa_cruz_chile/#When:00:18:17Z Chile is so long that you really need to fly if you are going any great distance . We decided to stay around central Chile as we wanted to keep things simple with the kids . Patagonia was going to be too cold in December and apart from the Acatama desert up north there is not much more to see . We didn't get to Chiloe or The Lakes District but both of those place came highly recommended by fellow travelers . Santa Cruz was our wine valley stop but with the kids we could only fit in one vineyard . The town itself is shabby but that may have had a lot to do with the amount of earthquakes this area has been hit with in recent years. The most impressive museum / private collection of artifacts is housed here and for that reason alone it is worth the stop . 2010-12-12T00:18:17+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/elqui_valley_stars/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/elqui_valley_stars/#When:21:12:20Z The Elqui valley is famous for its clear sky’s so we organized a night-time visit to the Mamalluca Observatory from their offices in the shadow of the Bauer Tower, built in the northwest corner of the plaza by a mad German mayor of the town in 1905. We headed to the observatory at about 8pm, it was only a few kilometers outside the town and when we got there we caught the tail end of the sunset. For the next three hours looked and listened to a young astronomer with a passion for the sky’s that was contagious, even Elka got in on the act. She now wants a teddyscope for Christmas and every time we pass a yellow fire hydrant she tries to peer into the top and exclaims in a disappointed fashion, ‘why the teddyscope bwokan’. The region sits under some of the clearest atmospheres in the world with little or no light pollution and very little wind or rain. The sky’s are so clear that just with the naked eye you will be viewing the stars at up to a magnitude of eight. We saw the Milky Way and Jupiter as we have never seen them before. We left them all still at it at about 11.30 to get the kids to bed. 2010-12-10T21:12:20+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/vicuna_and_labrocha/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/vicuna_and_labrocha/#When:20:55:01Z This was only the third occasion since January 2010 that I took to the road on wheels. After going through the somewhat byzantine process of hiring a car in La Serena we took to the hills with a somewhat schizophrenic sat nav system that didn’t seem to know where it was supposed to know to go to. I turned it off after a few hours when I found out the road system was pretty rudimentary and well sign posted and if we wanted to get a contrary opinion on where to go we could always turn it on for a few minutes. 2010-12-09T20:55:01+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/Vicuna_chile/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/Vicuna_chile/#When:00:22:27Z The scenery here is stunning . Cacti stud the mountains ( and there are lots of them ) and the valley beds are a rich , dense green . The pretty town of Pisco Elqui is like going back in time and the dusty streets and adobe cafes give a wild west feel to the place . 2010-12-07T00:22:27+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/santiago/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/santiago/#When:16:25:32Z It's a nice city but not somewhere you take out your camera so excuse the lack of snaps ! We have to travel light and with 2 lots of money , an out of date credit card , one for the robbers incase we are held at knife point and the other for spending . So far we have meet only friendly people eager to help when asked for directions . You could be in Valencia or any of the other Spanish cities . It's not cheap here and food options are limited , think of pollo cazuela (chicken stew) , chicken and chips , meat and chips , eggs and chips and you have a good cross section of the food on offer ! They are also a curvey bunch of females ........I wonder why? 2010-12-05T16:25:32+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/coffee_with_legs/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/coffee_with_legs/#When:01:57:26Z There are many quaint institutions here in Chile that are in slow decline, going to mass on a Sunday, military coups, respecting your elders, especially the mother in law, (commonly known as la brocha, the witch), student actimism, U.S. hegemony, but the one I will miss the most is ‘Cafe con Piernas’. Cafe con Piernas directly translated into english is ‘Coffee with Legs’, you might also call it ‘Coffee with a View’. You probably know where I am going with this but I promise you I came across it completely innocently. 2010-12-03T01:57:26+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/valparaiso_bray_on_crack_cocaine_27_11_2010/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/valparaiso_bray_on_crack_cocaine_27_11_2010/#When:23:22:29Z We started off our journey from Santiago to Valparaiso by being robbed by the taxi driver who took us from our apartment to the bus station. It was an opportunistic crime. I had Axel and Lisa followed in a second taxi with a Elka. When we got to the station we unloaded our gear and the taxi drivers helped us out with our bags. It was only when we were in the station that we realized we were a bag short. Luckily and unluckily for the kids it was the toy case. It had been sitting on the front passenger seat of the taxi Lisa and Elka had traveled in. Lisa thought that the guy had driven off without seeing it, I said he was fat, not blind. It was a hard shell camouflage case that you couldn’t miss. 2010-11-28T23:22:29+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/valpariso/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/gallery/images/valpariso/#When:16:37:42Z They say in the travel bible that Valpariso has World Heritage status with it's muti coloured tin houses , antique stairways for the steep and chaotic cerros (hills) but venture into the Barrio El Porto and this unusual city becomes a hub full of sailors , dockworkers and not so pretty prostitutes . It's down and dirty feel is loved by many but for us the smell of urine is something we would rather pass on . One thing that we loved was the graffiti art , it was everywhere and added to the charm . If you are going , stay in the Concepcion rather then the Artilleria barrio . Artilleria is in Barrio El Puerto area which is up and coming but at the moment is still a dingy and dangerous area. 2010-11-26T16:37:42+00:00 http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/beaver_fever_24_11_2010/ http://www.ringsroundtheworld.com/index.php/blog/article/beaver_fever_24_11_2010/#When:23:19:47Z Axel has Beaver Fever. Whoaa there! now hang on a minute before you start jumping to conclusions, he has picked up a parasite somewhere along our travels in Asia called Guardia Lamblia. This little fellow parks himself in your small intestine and infection can occur after drinking contaminated water or food. Apparently it resists most normal treatment of water supplies and is a concern for people camping in the wilderness or swimming in contaminated streams or lakes especially the artificial lakes formed by beaver dams (hence the popular name for giardiasis, "Beaver Fever"). He was off his food and had diarrhea and was losing weight so we brought him in to the hospital in Santiago. 2010-11-25T23:19:47+00:00