It's only the beginning that the fantastic idea of a trip is proven to be genuinely feasible. Whether the trip actually happens depends on a number of other factors - when to go, how expensive it is, whom to go with, what the itinerary should be, etc., etc. Different people also have very different constraints and preferences. All the details will have to be worked out. My blueprint for a cross-country drive from coast to coast has been collecting dust for a few years by now becasue of my failure to find driving partners and free time. To many, this planning stage is a pain in the neck. They'd rather pay a tour operator or travel agent to do it for them. To me, it's a great pleasure. I find trip planning to be at least half of the fun of any trip.
I spoke to some travel agents in September 95. One of the major constraints I had was time. I could be absent only during Christmas vacation, but tickets to South America around Christmas were already pretty much sold out by late September. Besides, it was also hard to sell the idea to the two friends who went with me to Yucatán, so short a time after we got back from that trip. The plan for South America was temporarily shelved, and the target date got postponed to December 96.
As it turned out, by April it was becoming clear that for different reasons neither of the two would be going. But I was having fun spending a bit of time here and there thinking about the itinerary, getting information, and narrowing down my options. The following is an email I sent to the four friends who were interested in the trip. Eventually, only Ed and I went on the trip. It's a pity that it doesn't take much more effort to plan for four or five than to plan for two.
Hi, gang.I dropped by yesterday at Council Travel to ask about Eurail passes. Talked to Lisa, who is about the only knowledgeable person at Council. Since from a previous inquiry I knew that she lived in Buenos Aires at one time and since I got her on this unbusy Monday, (Council's like a zoo on an average day.) I decided to ask her about South America again. She gladly keyed up the airfare information for me. The fare to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires are both the same at about $1380 for a Dec. 27 departure. I asked how early I needed to book the tickets as Christmas tickets were all gone by September when I asked last year. "About now," she replied. This was a little surprising to me. After all, Dec. 27 is still eight and half months away. The reason is that Council has student fares only on United. Once the student fare seats are gone, they are gone. She said that I might get a good deal at a ticket consolidator too. This part I already know. My feeling is that June or July would not be too late to book tickets at an agent that specializes in South America. Of course, the earlier the better.
I was happy enough that Lisa knew places like Rio, Buenos Aires, or Montevideo, and that her response to a question like, "How much would it be to fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia?" isn't "What? How do you spell that?" but "$184 on Aerolíneas Argentinas." Her husband had traveled to those parts, I was told. What do you know? Just then, Larry, her husband, walked in. I was introduced, and we got right into a discussion. He took a five-day bus ride from Buenos Aires to Río Gallegos (pronounced Gazegos, ll sounds like z in Argentinean Spanish, I later learned from my Lonely Planet guidebook), and went down to Ushuaia (Usuaia, silent h). There is nothing to see in Río Gallegos, but Larry really loved Ushuaia. Punta Arenas is okay. "It has a statue of Magellan, since the town is right on ...," Larry said something in Spanish. "Strait," Lisa helped out. I mentioned that I planned on going to the Moreno Glacier. Larry thought it was a good place to visit, and there is a national park on the Chilean side not too far that he really liked. He couldn't remember the name. "Is it something Paine?" "Yeah, I think it has a P in it." (Digression: It's probably Parque Nacional Torres del Paine near Puerto Natales. No, it's not your average American national park where you can drive in and drive out if you want. It's a UNESCO preservation site. The circuit trail takes at least five days to complete, with several dangerous stretches, says LP SA. You are forbidden to travel alone and you must leave your passport at the rangers station so that they know who the hell went in and never got out. Not your weekend hiking trip site. The LP SA guide has only a pretty sketchy description. If we are half serious, we must get LP's Patagonia trekking guide and start physical training.) I asked Larry where he went on his trip. He took a boat trip from Punta Arenas up along the Chilean coast, (Looking at the map, it reminded me of the Norwegian coast. They have a name for it, the fjords.) and then went on on land to Peru, Bolivia, etc. and back to Buenos. It took forty days. "I got something like twenty postcards," Lisa cut in.
Oh, did I forget to mention that Lisa is of Japanese ancestry (from the spelling of her last name)? So is her husband, most likely. Part of travel is about finding out the unique background and the amazing experiences of fellow travelers. It's comforting to know that there are nuts like me out there. Some are even nuttier. I'm getting a Spanish phrase book and tapes.
Later,
Terrence