For our friends Tom and Gretchen and my husband, Jerry, and me, I wanted to hire a private guide in Argentina, but that was cost prohibitive. To design a trip for four of us for October ’12. I ended up contacting Anibal Mazas of Merlin Viajes (Pdte.
Four-day, three-night journeys between Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador, aboard the 54-passenger train Tren Crucero are available from Tren Ecuador (Sincholagua s/n and Av. Maldonado, Quito; phone 593 2 399 2100, ext. 1175).
Always pack an umbrella. Often they’re difficult to find or can be quite expensive. While I was in Miami in April ’13, heavy rain was predicted. Umbrellas at Target cost $14 plus tax! They weren’t worth $2.
Skipping the rough seas of the Drake Passage makes for a more enjoyable (and less expensive) way to see some of the astounding scenery of this ice-covered continent
I would like to comment on the subscriber’s letter titled “Did Not Find Expected Amenities on Easter Island” (June ’13, pg. 24), about a visit he made in July ’12.
My wife, Berdine, and I took an independent trip to Peru, Feb. 21-March 3, 2013. We flew on LAN, nine hours nonstop from San Francisco to Lima on a Boeing 767. Business class had flat beds.
