South America
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My Return to Santiago Post-Earthquake
More Details: My Return to Santiago Post-EarthquakeI left Santiago the Thursday before the incredible events of that Saturday morning in late February 2010. As I woke up that Saturday morning at home, I looked at my Blackberry and I had a news alert about an 8.8 earthquake in Chile. My heart stopped. I had just left there. I have friends and…
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Mendoza Wine Tour
More Details: Mendoza Wine TourAs I said in my previous entry about Mendoza, wines are the other good reason to go to Mendoza – the capital of wine in Argentina. Wine tasting in Mendoza I had Saturday to play around so I opted for a tour of several wineries as I didn’t feel like renting a car and driving…
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A Weekend in Mendoza, Argentina
More Details: A Weekend in Mendoza, ArgentinaMy current business trip to Santiago is for 2 weeks so I had a weekend in between to either: walk around Santiago and re-discover parts of it, opt to go and visit southern Chile (Puerto Montt or Pucón, for example; both of which I had visited in 1991), or go to nearby Mendoza, Argentina (capital…
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Santiago Visit Continues – Lucky Me
More Details: Santiago Visit Continues – Lucky MeSo, I came back to Santiago after 18 yrs. That was 3 weeks ago. I went to the US and then I turned right around to come down to Chile! Crazy? Heck, no. I don’t mind coming to this town and country! I am traveling here for business but seldom is business travel the vehicle to…
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Fast Forward Santiago, Really Fast: from 1991 to 2009
More Details: Fast Forward Santiago, Really Fast: from 1991 to 2009I arrived in Santiago de Chile this morning to a different airport and entrance fees than in 1991. Why charge an entrance fee of $132 is beyond me (yeah, yeah reciprocity; that’s what you call it when you don’t want to admit you are just as capitalistic as everyone else…). And why not have it…
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Back to Chile – What I Hope to Enjoy Again
More Details: Back to Chile – What I Hope to Enjoy AgainIt has been a while since I write on the blog. It has been a busy time as I have been on job search. But, that period is coming to an end and, lo and behold, my next job will start with a business trip to Chile. Lo and behold for many reasons. One, though…
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Roaming Around Panama, Coast to Coast
More Details: Roaming Around Panama, Coast to CoastI visited Panama to see relatives and enjoy a little low-key sightseeing beyond my usual haunts of Panama City and the Pearl archipelago. It started with an unusual stop for a tourist… Witnessing the good work of the Missionaries of Charity One day during my visit, we visited the house of the Missionaries of Charity…
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Ever Changing Panama City, Panama
More Details: Ever Changing Panama City, PanamaLast night, I made it to Panama for my 5th visit. I have relatives here and have always enjoyed coming to see them and enjoy the country. Surprise! This time, I made my trip coincide with my mom also coming over to visit my aunt – but as a surprise to my mom! One of…
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Re-visiting Buenos Aires
More Details: Re-visiting Buenos AiresSo, in 1991, I met BB.AA. Enjoyed exploring it, enjoyed the great food, and enjoyed seeing it with people who lived there. Fast forward to 2000. Company offers me an opportunity to go deliver a training class of 3 days. What to do? Had I ever taught or even attended the training class before? No. …
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Visiting Buenos Aires
More Details: Visiting Buenos AiresI have had the opportunity to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina three times: in 1991, 2000, and 2010 (I don’t like the spacing between visits…). The first time was a weekend trip when I was living in Santiago, Chile and the second sent do co-deliver a training session for my company’s office there. The third visit…
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Traveling in Southern Chile – Pucón
More Details: Traveling in Southern Chile – PucónBack when I lived in Chile in 1991, we made a holiday weekend trip to Pucón. We wanted to explore the south a little further and one of our colleagues’ sister had a house in Pucón so my colleague knew the area well. So 9 of us rented a van and met my colleague and…