That's right, once again I go to South America...and considering that this will be my fifth trip down there in six years I'd have to admit that I seem to be hooked on the place. As usual, with the surroundings here enveloped in the typical cold and snow of late December, the knowl;edge that summer has just begun in the lands below the equator always seems to drive my desire to return.
But now there is something else that drives me, and that is the accumulated friendships I have made in Chile and Argentina over the course of my previous four adventure journeys. Of course, my arrival will be welcomed as it always has been in the past by my good friend and agent in Santiago, Andres Gabor, who will be putting me up in that great city and will once again supply me with a decent rental vehicle. Then I plan to hit the road - only a short drive this time - to go back out to the coast of the South Pacific to stay once again in Cabaña Numero 5, at Las Siete Cabañas in El Tabo, once again reunited with my friends Diego and Luisa, their two kids Diego Jr. and Connie, and (I suspect) the dogs El Negro and Lorenzo...
Sadly however, the current severe economic recession has eaten into my financial reserves with a vengeance, leaving me with less to travel on, so I have forced myself to limit this trip to a mere two weeks in Chile - eight days on the coast and six days in Santiago. But at least I can "service" my South American obsession to some degree, and hopefully I can plan a more ambitious trip for a year from now.
Speaking of it as an obsession has always made me speculate as to how long it has been a part of me, and I confess that a part of me has always felt a yearning to wander down there and go exploring. I have saved an old photo that my father took of me - which I believe was taken when I was just in the 7th grade. It shows me putting the finishing touches on a rather striking salt-relief map of South America which was a project for my social studies class. I can remember how much care and diligence I put into making that map, and I also recall how much pride I took in the finished project. Here you can take a look at that old picture..
Anyway, I will be flying out of Salt Lake City on Monday, December 29. The first leg of the journey will put me down in Atlanta, where I will change planes and make the overnight non-stop flight to Santiago, Chile. My scheduled arrival will be in the morning of December 30. I will overnight with Andres and then the next day take a rental car, a Fiat, I believe, and drive out to El Tabo and settle in - in time, I figure, to celebrate New Year's with Diego and his family, and watch the fireworks at Midnight over the bay to the south as the residents of the port of San Antonio celebrate the advent of 2009.
Then after enjoying a week's worth of beachcombing, reading and just relaxing, I will drive back into Santiago to hang out with Andres and his family and to take in the sights and the food in the big city before my return flight leaves on the evening of January 13th. The return should get me back to Salt Lake City at about 10:30 a.m. on the 14th - which will give me plenty of time to drive home to Nevada.
So there it is. I encourage you all to visit this blog whenever you wish during my absence as I will again try to post regular updates as to my whereabouts and what I am up to...so you can vicariously come along with me!
