March 4, 2010

As AJ embarks upon another, well, ‘amazing journey’ a unique and significant occurrence recently played itself out. As travelers with AJ know, every trip is escorted by some combination of Bill and/or Malori-often times with the added leadership of Michele or Stacey or Barry. Behind the scenes are a collection of other players such as marketing personnel, tour companies, airlines and the Jewish Community Center.

The events of last week, most notably the earthquake in Chile, caused a plan of action in our company that has been thankfully unparalleled to date. With the return of our post-Antarctica tour of Easter Island delayed due to the disaster in Chile, Amazing Journeys embarks on a subsequent trip before the previous one officially concluded. With Malori stranded in Easter Island along with 15 travelers (who definitely got more than their money’s worth getting to know this solitary remote island), Bill departs to begin our tour with a new group headed to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. (coincidence that we’re headed back to South America, notwithstanding!). Thankfully, the Islanders and Galapagonians will be airplanes passing through the night as one group has just returned to Miami to finally head home, and the other group heads to Miami to begin their impending tour.

Interesting to say the least, but ultimately goodness, safety and adventure abound for all.

Departing for Ecuador in just a few hours with 23 excited passengers, we look forward to further enhancing Darwin’s theories as we explore giant tortoises, swim with sealions, gawk at strange birds like the blue-footed booby (and red-footed booby), visit natural reserves and animal research facilities…and totally discover a world visited by fewer people on earth than any other locale, save for where we just returned from-Antarctica.

What a world we live in!

Bill and group head to Ecuador sans Malori who is headed home for a well deserved break-in-the action having survived (prospered, even) along with our group, any effects from the Chile earthquake. As a matter of fact Malori and Michele (who staged the rescue mission from our AJ office in Pittsburgh) are quite the heroines. With thousands of people still stranded in Chile, these two single-handedly orchestrated a safe and expeditious (and in many cases, even fun!) way home for everyone.

“M & M” are the best. I am honored to work side-by-side with them and our travelers are blessed to have a team of such dedicated and hard working warriors.

Amazing Indeed!

TUESDAY 3/3/10

Beyond the borders of America life is so different in so many ways. To take an organized tour is a wonderful way to see a glimpse of a destination. But as a tourist, one truly only sees a snapshot of a much larger picture usually not seen. To indulge the culture and lifestyle, however, means you have take a path less traveled in order to see things that most people in the outside world really don’t know about.

Being in the far reaches of southern South America last week for purposes of visiting Antarctica, I took the opportunity on my way home to pay a visit to my friend Eduardo who lives in Montevideo, Uruguay. I’d been to Montevideo on several occasions via cruise ship. A one-day stop each time, we toured the sights and wandered the main city.

Not this time.

Eduardo and I made plans to spend a few days of R& R at his home and at a beautiful resort along the coast called Punta del Este. Sort of where the “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” from South America go.

While this vacation was relaxing and totally pleasant (Eduardo was an exceptional host, making me feel like I was deserving of a lifestyle of the rich & famous), time with my amigo provided an enlightening and sometimes disturbing tutelage on this smallest of South American countries.

Eduardo is a single dad-the idol of two beautiful little boys, age 8 and 10. Fede and Diego call me Uncle Bill even though they don’t know my language and I don’t know theirs. These two boys live in a country where being Jewish and wanting to prosper with a Jewish life means having a future at risk. Uruguay is a hard country with so many daunting challenges, Jewish or not Jewish.

On the lighter side of things I got a kick of the “men in green”. Instead of parking meters, these guys patrol most streets around the country sort of assisting you into your parking spot. A little wave here and a stop there and you are parked safely and conveniently. Tip please. Usually about the equivalent of $.50 is enough to appease these unsanctioned and unpaid but tolerated ‘employees’ of the state. They are everywhere and appear magically every time you pull in and out of a parking spot. Don’t tip them..be wary of spray of water or mean face. Maybe a scratch on your fender.

Interesting to learn, was about the rights of squatters. A vacant apartment can be inhabited by a homeless squatter, but if not reported within 24 hours he has permanent rights to the domain. An expensive lawsuit to remove the vagrant isn’t worth the effort and often times homeless, penniless people can enjoy rent free living just for being there. Eduardo owns a few apartments and thus employs a few “Squatter Resisters”; someone to stake out the vacant domain until Eduardo can rent it again. The few pesos it costs him to keep someone on site is much less cumbersome than the alternative of using the legal system. Another option is a show of force. Forget the law; get a slug to go in and remove the thug.

More disturbing was the news that a new “democratically elected” communist government is about to be put in place. By a narrow 51-49% vote the current socialist left wing government is being supplanted by an even more left wing communist president who has evidently spawned some dangerous international support from the likes of Cuba, Venezuela and the Palestinians. In celebration of the last day of Carnaval, a parade was being marched down the streets of the high-end Punta del Este. Proudly being waved and cheered on were the Palestinian flag draped by the colors of Hamas. Eduardo and I each got chills and decided soon thereafter that it was best to leave.

Back home, Eduardo drives through stop signs on his ways around Montevideo at night. He says the risk of getting a ticket is better than the alternative of what might happen if surrounded by the nighttime thugs who seem to be able to get away with anything they want without serious consequence. Even murderers, Eduardo tells me, are punished with severely reduced sentences thanks partly to a weak enforcement of punishment-fits-the-crime and the ease of using bribes. Bribes go a long way in almost every facet of dodging the law; from paying off the police to avoid a speeding ticket, to a favorable auto inspection…to the re-claiming of Eduardo’s mother’s stolen purse. She got her purse and belongings back, but the cash…what cash??

Its not all bad in Uruguay. Eduardo says Uruguay is the ‘best’ of the South American countries. Hey, he could live in Bolivia., (Bolivia is another even more disturbing story). I had the best beer in Uruguay that I’ve ever tasted. Pelsin beer made in Uruguay is a must for anyone who likes a cold one. Beautiful beaches abound, great food and outstanding weather make this a nice place to visit (…but I wouldn’t want to live here). Eduardo tells me of his plan that is in place to leave Uruguay on a dime if the situation every becomes dire. He has connections and systems in place to make a safe haven in America if this new government buddies up too much to Chavez….or Hamas.

In the meantime, he does his best to make a life for Fede and Diego. I see disappointment in Eduardo’s face. He loves his country, but is deeply ashamed for the direction its headed. Uruguay saved his grandfather from being deported back to Poland during WWII and helped perpetuate his family tree. It’s a place of rich beauty and great potential…and maybe someday soon it will prosper in a better way , as it did a generation ago. For the next 4 years though, the communist party rules in Uruguay and life for Eduardo, his boys and many other Jews and non Jews alike hangs in a cautious state of limbo.

Meanwhile….AJ heads off on yet another Amazing Journey to South America. Departing for Miami tomorrow en route to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with a group of eager Giant Tortoises excited to meet some Americans..and an Aussie, Canadian & Italian too. Watch our AJ facebook pages for updates on the journey…

For more information on other experiences you can be a part of on an Amazing Journey, visit https://amazingjourneys.net/

February 27^th, 2010

As I sit here at the airport in Buenos Aires on my way back home from our amazing Antarctica adventure, I am drawn to reflect on some events from the previous several days. Upon returning to South America from Antarctica about half our group took advantage of a unique opportunity to visit Easter Island off the coast (waaay off the coast) of Chile. This remote island is closer to the western coast of South America than any other mainland on planet earth. The word “close” being used loosely, Easter Island is roughly the same distance away from South America that California is from New York. As I write this, I breathe with relief in discovering just a short while ago that my friends, patrons and comrades are all safe and sound, having escaped any wrath of the devastating earthquake that hit Chile early this morning. Merely an inconvenience as compared to what could have been and what is happening in the mainland, our group of 17 are indeed stranded on the far-away island as their flight to Santiago is in limbo due to damage at the airport. Most importantly, they are safe….and now enjoying an added post-post trip among the famous Moias–ancient statues–that sprinkle the landscape. Nice weather will help, as will the company of some good friends and a hospitable community in Easter Island. Hopefully the employers, dog sitters and fish feeders back home don’t mind a few extra days of absence.

My intent on this particular entry wasn’t to write about my friends in Easter Island, but rather to reflect upon something personal that I opted to do instead of accompanying a group to a solitary island in the middle of the Pacific. Today’s events warrant a small shift in my plan of what to blog, but I’m not the one holed up on an island in the south pacific, so I’ll just deal with it.

Life is full of choices and while I covet the experience of seeing a far away island, I chose another–and unique–path of an extended South American experience. At this moment I yearn to be with the group and assist with getting everyone home, but I am now on my way home by another route, having encountered a different, less inconvenient but still very eye-opening experience. Stay tuned in a few days for another entry, and some reflection on another South American community.

For more information on other experiences you can be a part of on an Amazing Journey, visit https://amazingjourneys.net/

…but as we head due north on our last day aboard our expedition vessel, some thoughts as shared with a friend:

“…being in Antarctica has been life changing. Words and photos alone cannot convey the magnitude and true realization of this continent. This was so very cool in every sense. We had unusually great weather and even as I write this we are sailing in the dreaded Drake Passage which is where the Atlantic and Pacific meet causing notoriously rough waters–some of the roughest in the world. But, today miraculously, we are almost perfectly calm. The whole group is wearing patches and popping Dramamine, but happily we are looking out at calm waters for the moment. Day after tomorrow we’re back in Ushuaia and then one more night in Buenos Aires (and a dinner with Tango Show) before some head off to Easter Island and some head on home back to their “real life”.

Soon this experience will be just a fond memory, but the actuality of being a part of this frozen, barren, remote but wildly interesting continent will live in our lives forever. I wonder how cold I’ll really feel when I come home to traffic, deadlines, rules and pollution…for a life without any of that seems to exert a sense of calling.

Today is our last day amongst the mainland of Antarctica and what a joyously incredible day it has been. I write at mid afternoon, shortly after a stop at Almirante Brown on the mainland in Paradise Harbour of the Antarctic Peninsula and before a visit to Wilhelmina Bay, a feeding ground for several species of whales. While exploring Paradise Harbour (and it truly is a paradise) we witnessed fishing penguins, mommy-chasing baby penguins, a leopard seal resting after a meal, glaciers as tall as skyscrapers and even an avalanche not so far from our small vessel excursion around the peninsula. Amazing!
To commemorate our place among the colonies and colonies (and more colonies) of penguins with whom we shared this amazing journey, today we did our own little ‘march of the penguins’ as you can see from the photo above. Not be outdone by a little humor, the true dazzling continues to come from the unending, uncharted and truly unbelievable landscape that befalls our every waking moment. We are trying our best to share this experience with our loved ones back home by way of Facebook, emails, text messages and blog posts, but the scope of this continent by which we are merely a speck can never accurately be conveyed by pictures and electronic means alone.

Happy Feet indeed! As AJ delves deeper and deeper into the Antarctic we are just ‘kvelling’ over the delving. Penguins who waddle right up to our toes, icebergs as tall as skyscrapers in Manhattan and water as cold as possible without freezing are making for some truly amazing moments. “Stars on ice“ have taken on a whole new meaning here in Antarctica. After passing through the rough waters of the Drake Passage our tour through the icebergs, landscape, wildlife and uncharted territories have dazed and amazed our group of 31 like no experience on earth.

Well, here we are–30 American (and one Italian) Jews sailing on a ship amoungst just 200 people from around the world, having just converged on the MV Fram for Expedition Antarctica. Yesterday we sailed through the infamous Drake Passage, a body of water where the Atlantic and Pacific meet and where we have been warned are the potentially roughest seas on earth.

Donning medicinal patches, pressure point wristbands and seasickness pills, we emerged from “the passage” mostly unscathed…save for just a few queasy uneasies. Truth is, most folks awoke in time for breakfast and then headed back to their cabins for mid morning reprieves in prone positions. As the day wore on and we left rough seas for the calmer waters of the southern ocean, life began to spawn once again. For those up and about, the first day aboard the MV Fram was laden with educational opportunities–a collection of lectures and films to help us understand the land to which we will be visiting and the accompanying wildlife that will share our space. “Interesting” is an understatement, but actual experiences will prevail. Proof in the pudding occurs as I write this; we are sailing amongst the first land masses–a collection of islands–known as the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica,and their accompanying icebergs. One of those monoliths is seen freshly downloaded above.

The rushes of people towards the window has just listed the vessel towards the starboard side. In just a few hours, however, we will embark upon Half Moon Island, our first real footprints on the continent. Anticipation and excitement is mounting. We’re really here!

As the departure date of our amazing adventure to Antarctica has loomed closer and closer, the looks, questions, dazement and amazement from people who love to armchair my travels has taken on new meaning. The questions like , “Antarctica? Why are you going? What will you see?” were more common than I had expected.

To me and our 30 passengers embarking on this truly amazing journey, the idea of traveling to Antarctica is merely the next step on a journey of journeys; a quest to see and do the world like few ever do. We are-at this writing-a mere 12 hours away from embarkation to our Antarctica bound cruise ship. I write this from our “staging” area of Buenos Aires; the arrival of all 31 passengers in tact, save for two pieces of missing luggage ( a miraculous feat given the monster weather we were suffering from in the midwest, northeast and south over the last week) . Over the course of the next 10 days, I will seek and post a collection of pictures and experiences “from the front” as we journey to the bottom of the world. And, I shall answer those questions of why we are going and what we will see. It’ll be amazing…you’ll see.
Stay tuned….

While trying to get up in the air, the two words most feared by air travelers are definitely “Delayed” and “Cancelled”. George Cloony’s wondrous hit movie didn’t hit on this aspect of flying!