Oh, Oh, Oh, Rio

Written By: Dan
















We left Sao Paulo with less than average impressions of Brazil. That changed quickly in Rio. Right from the start you are hit with a beautiful landscape. The plane flies into the city between massive, odd looking Mountains. Then, the whole aircraft banks sharply down and to the left. Until the last minute passengers are left with the impression they are landing on the water. At the last minute, a runway appears. I was able to see plans land from a different angle later in the day; it is a site to see.

After the landscape, you are next hit with the culture. We are staying in Casablanca, a part of Rio on the beach. This is a beach town at its best. People stay in bathing suits until the wee hours of the morning. Cafes line the beach, even a McDonalds! I am sure people come to Rio and never leave the beach.

We did, however, leave the beach. We did site seeing at its best. First, we went to Sugar Loaf. It is one of the odd shaped mountains I spoke about when flying in. To reach the top you had to take two cable cars. For more on my opinion of Cable cars, see the Santorini post from August. Once on top, the view of the city is wonderful. Almost worth taking a cable car ride.
















next we visited Jesus Christo's statue. It is seen quite famous - you may have seen it in many pictures. While the locals say it is one of the 7 wonders of the world, I've found out is is called "a wonder of the world." Anyway, it is wonderful. To get there you need to take a train, hike up a little ways, and cover a lot of ground walking. It is worth it though.

After a long day, we decided to try out a Brazilian BBQ. This is honestly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It is a buffet style meal, except for the meat. While you are eating, they bring a myriad of meats to you on two large sticks. If asked, they will cut a piece of the meat off onto your plate. I ate so many different types of meats: Prime Rib, Filet, ribs, sausage, chicken, pork, etc..... And they keep coming. You eventually have to tell them to leave you alone. My kind of place.

So, all in all, after the disappointment of Sao Paulo, Rio has been a blast. The landscape, culture, and food are top notch. This has been my favorite place on this trip. I hope to come back soon, and bring Annie. Maybe the 2016 Olympics.

Colorado January 21st - 24th

Written by: Annie Hoban

Have I mentioned that I have an amazing husband?

For Christmas Dan cashed in all of his sky miles and purchased a plane ticket for me to go to Boulder, CO to visit my best friend Emily. He has been away for three weeks in South America, so it's only fair that I have my own little get-away. My two best friends are so sneaky and planned the whole thing without ever giving it away any clues.

Emily, her beau Aaron and I had the most amazing trip. The weather in Boulder is phenomenal and skiing in Winter Park was even better. I'll admit riding the chairlift to the top of the mountain was a little intimidating, but the view and the ride down was worth every breath taking gasp. There really is nothing like skiing Colorado pow pow.




The sun continued to shine from the ski slopes on Friday to hiking (part way) up the Flat Iron mountains on Saturday. After our hike, we headed into downtown Boulder where we enjoyed a little shopping, a few margaritas, then a little shopping and a few more margarita, along with some beer tasting at the Avery Brewery. Later in the evening we stumbled our way back into a little section of town where we met the rest of Aaron's family for dinner. I think Em and I resorted to drinking only water by this time. I was just meeting Aaron's entire family....first impressions. It ended up being another perfect night on the town.

Sunday morning Em and Aaron and the family arranged for us to have brunch at the St. Julian Hotel. This was the most amazing brunch I have ever seen. Em and I sipped on mamosa's while eating Alaskan king crab legs, savory waffles, and the most delicious scrambled eggs I have ever tasted. I wish the trip never ended, but in the typical Em and Ann fashion, we raced out of the restaurant and to the Denver airport so I could make it to my gate just as the plane was boarding. Only a few more minutes and I may have missed my flight and never come home from Boulder, CO.

Sao Paulo ~ Just don't

Written By: Dan

Sao Paulo is a huge city. 4th to 7th largest in the word, depending on what source you use. From the top on of our hotel you can see sky rises for miles in every direction. There is no end to this city.

That is about all it seems to have going for it.

It is also the source of much of it's troubles. The city was not built to have 20 million drivers on thier roads. The government has tried to stop this by restricting some cars from driving on certain days, but that didn't work. Everyone just bought more cars. Now the economy is picking up and more and more peolpe are driving. Sao Paulo adds 500 new drivers every day!

Then it rains. Dear god, don't be in Sao Paulo when it rains. It took me 3 minutes to get to my afternoon meeting. It took 3 and a half hours to get back because it rained for an hour at 4:30. We couldn't get a cab, we couldn't walk back, all we could do was watch the caios. We saw three guys standing on a door rafting down a flooded street, using a pole to stear Huck Finn style.

Being unable to find a boyant door, we were forced to wait and watch the devistation on TV. Funny thing, none of the locals cared. They instead watched a guy play beatles covers (no lyrics) on the guitar while thier city crumbled on the TV behind them. I guess it is because this is a common thing for Sao Paulo.

If you have the chance to go to Sao Paulo, just don't. Brazil has a ton to offer, but Sao Paulo is just a big city.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Written By: Dan

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city. It is known for Stake, inventing the Tango, beautiful people, and a very wide street (12-15 lanes). All are true - though the beauty of the people is often overshadowed by the ugly tourists.

We tried our best to tour the city, but it is a large area to cover. We went shopping down Florida street - a crazy bazaar. It is a cobblestone road (no cars) lined with shops. Of the road are alleys with tons of Malls! Not a shop or two, but entire malls - Tons of them! Florida street ends at a park, and a quick walk later we were back at the hotel (Sofitel - a great hotel). We also found time to tour a monument that looked like the Washington Monument, and the balcony that is famous for the Eva Perone speech (or really, the Madona song from Evita). I did some research on Evita - it is not what most people think - but a great story.

We left this morning for Brazil. That marks the end of our Spanish speaking South America, and the beginning of a week in Brazil. Buenos Aires was quite different from any other city we have visited so far. Larger, generally safer, and it offers more to do than a tourist can handle in one trip.

Santiago Chili

Written By Dan:

We Arrived in Chile Tuesday, and were pleasently suprised by Santiago. We had been told Santiago was a big, dirty, city; but that is not the impression the city left with us. Santiago is a large city, and does have some of the drawbacks of over population, but it does not appear to be extremely dirty. It has a complex highway system built under the city (much like Boston), well kept high rises, and a good social scene. We all found it to be more inviting than Lima, Bogota, or Panama City. I am told the polution is a large problem since the city is surrounded by Mountains. However this is more previlant in the Winter.

We did not have much time in Chile, but we made the most of it. After our meetings yesterday we rented a guided taxi tour which took us to two vineyeards in Casablanca. Casablanca is a valley located between Santiago and Valiparsio. It is known around the world as producing some of the best white wines. I could talk for hours about the wines, but I'll concentrate quickly on the winery tours. The two wineries were quite different. The first, Emilana is an organic vineyard. Totally organic. Llamas cut the grass, chickens eat the worms from the ground, they use only organic fertalizer. It was a small production, and kind of reminded me of the farm.

the second vineyeard was called Indomita. It was a stark contrast from the first. It's large, expansive fields produced millions of bottles of wine each year, and containted a huge production facility. One neat part is the guided tour went through the entire process (the vine, the tanks, the storage, the drinking.....). We sampled a few bottles before, during, and after the tour.

On our trip back I felt like I was missing much of Chile. Kevin spent months in the country, and I was only afforded a few hours. While I think I did my best to see as much as possible in one day, I would like to return to see and do more. Chile offers every type of climate and activity - and can easily be a vacation onto it self. I hope to return one day to see and do more.

Inca Ruins - and the beach

written by: Dan

3 of us spent the day touring Peru beyond Lima. We rented a taxi (and driver) for the day for $80, and he took us anywhere we wanted to go. Great deal. We started off by going to Inca runs outside of Lima, called the Pachacamac runis. It was great. The ruins were over 1,000 years old. The highlight was the top of a mountain where there was a temple for the Sun gods. Great views. Because the ruins are in the desert they remained mostly intact.

After visiting the ruins, we ate at a local restaraunt. We sampled Peru's national dish. Can't remember the name, but it consisted of raw fish soaked in lemo juice. Believe it or not, it wasn't bad. I wouldn't eat it every day, but I am glad I tried it.

We ended the day at the beach. The beach, named Il Silencio, wasn't the best place I have visited, but I'm still glad I did it. The day was overcast, the water cold, and the beach vendors abundant, so I didn't get the ideal expirence. Still it was a good way to end the day.

After all was said and done, we were tired and craving american food. We got a pizza down the street and headed back the room early. Tomorrow is a quick business meeting and then on to Chili.

Lima Peru

Written by: Dan

We left Bogota last night. Great experience, but we were ready to leave. Lima was a just a 3 hour flight away. Peru provided a breath of fresh air. Lima has much more of a tourist industry than Bogota, and English is more prevalent. Our hotel is located just outside the Merifloras district. Merifloras is a tourist area consisting of a small beach, shops, restaurants, and malls. The main mall is located on the side of a cliff over the ocean. Great views. The mall is decent, but very westernized. Many of the same shops in Lima are also at summerset mall in Troy, Mi.

On the way back we found some local shops and picked up some handmade trinkets. Tonight we are going to search out a more local establishment for dinner. Maybe we can stay out a little late and sleep in (seems to be the tradition in South America). It's the weekend, so no business until Monday.

Top: our view of Lima and the ocean.

Bottom: the Mall at Merifloras, built on the side of a cliff.

Arriving to Bogota Columbia

Written By: Dan

We left Panama City today at noon. An hour flight landed us in Bogota Columbia. Bogota is different from Panama. During our drive to the hotel we noticed most buildings were not over 2 to 3 stories tall, and there is not much construction. This is in stark contrast from Panama city where 20-30 story buildings are common, and construction is everywhere.





After checking in to our hotel we headed to a downtown area for dinner and drinks. Columbia offers a much more commercialized "downtown" area, with a mall and many bars in an open area for tourists. We went to the Bogota Beer Company for dinner, and the Beer lounge for afer dinner drinks. It was a good time. Armed police with dogs were stationed at every block. Which made us feel both at ease, and a little uneasy. Either way, it was a memorable time.





We got back to the hotel before dark, hooked the plasma in our room to our PC to watch movies. Purchased booze from the local store (which was a trip), and retired for the night. More to come over our 2 day stay.














Downtown Bogota Commerce area. Lights, Bars, and a mall

Panama City, the old city

Written By: Dan

We started our day out today with a tour of Costoviejo. From my days of high school spanish, I believe that means "the old Costco."



The city was nice. Older, with a caribean flavor, and a hint of European style. We spent the day walking the city, shopping, and getting lost. Panama is known for thier hand woven baskets. These baskets are woven so tighlty they hold water. The are also quite expensive. A large basket like the ones in the picture sell for $500-$1,000. I tried to see if I could buy a mini one, but even baskets no larger than my fist costs $40. I'll wait until I get to another country and see if I can buy a knock-off.





We ended our tour by visiting the new portion of town (which I called CostcoNuevo). This is where Trump is building a tour to mimic the one in Dubai. This area also has a Venetian and Belagio, so I am guessing this area will be Casio rich soon.



I am back at the hotel now, finishing up work emails. I am hoping to hit the pool area before dinner. The temp is high here, and humidity thick - a lot like Santorini in the summer. They say we are in the begining of summer - however because Panama is surrounded by water, the temperature does not change much. Still, I'll take this over Michigan Januarys any day.

Arriving in Panama City

Written by: Dan



I left home today at 2am (thanks to my beautiful bride for the early morning ride), to catch a 5:50 flight. After some worries about making my connection due to frozen water lines on the plane I landed safe and sound in Panama City, Panama at around 2pm. Usually my goal on a plane is to sleep, but Panama offers one of those landings with an interesting view looking out the window. As you approach you see many undeveloped islands, green forests, and vast ocean. Then, as you approace closer you see a whole slew of tankers waiting for thier turn to enter the canal. Even as you land not much habitation is seen. Not until you arrive to the actual city do you discover a booming metropolis. many new developments, boom crains, and construction break the skyline.



My first worry (or the worry of family and friends) was safety. Many people hear about kidnappings in South America. This issue was quickly put to rest. Taxis are heavily monitored. When I got in my taxi the drive had to talk to security to explain where I was from, and where I was headed. Along the way, the driver had to scan a badge at different tolls along the way. Once I arrived at my hotel (a Sheridan), I found the area to be warm, secure, and very inviting. I am sure, like anywhere else in the world, there are unsafe parts of Panama, but the fears of many Americans are largly unfounded.



I asked my taxi driver in broken spanish where to go in Panama, what to see. Of the 10 minute speach he gave me afterwards, I understood little beyond the word "Canal" 500 times. This made my site seeing decision quite easy. After checking in 3 of us got in a taxi with an english speaking driver and went to the canal. Actually, we went to the Mirafloras Locks. The canal is a 100 mile long monster streatching from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It consists of 3 areas. Locks near each ocean, and a large lake. We did the first locks, museum, movie, etc.... It was a good time.

We've since headed back to the hotel to do a little work and get ready for dinner. All in all, I've found Panama to be very exciting. Much more developed than I expected. However, I expected thier grasp on English to be much futher along than it actually is. Sure, some people speak fluent english - but many speak little to no English at all. I found english more widely spoken in most of Europe, and even into Tureky. It suprises me because of the long political history this country has with the United States. They still use our currency. I would have though english would be more integrated into thier culture.

Happy New Years

Danny and Annie had quite the memorable new years eve party. The night started off with a great dinner, champaign toast, noise makers, ballon drop and count down with about 200 people. The unique thing was about 170 of the 200 people were under 12 and the "Happy New Year" balloon drop part ended at 7:45. Rain Forest Cafe asked everyone to leave before 9pm.

It worked out well for the newlyweds though, allowing time to walk the mall and go see Avatar in 3D at the IMAX. It was amazing, and another blog could be dedicated to how all movies should be in 3d, but we digress. It was a great New Years Eve, we celebrated again last night about 3am all three of us (Annie, Dan, Hobee), and went to bed spent.