Independent South American travel by land and air can be an intimidating
experience, and with the exception of perhaps Argentina and Chile, a cruise
or organized tour may be the best route. But be sure to plan a healthy budget
for shore excursions.
Ship travel, for example, is the best way to explore the Amazon basin and see
the scenic Strait of Magellan and Chilean fjords. Cities such as Buenos
Aires, Montevideo, Salvador de Bahia and Lima (Callao), are easily accessible
from the sea, and Rio de Janeiro's dramatic setting is a must-see from the
deck of an incoming ship. But inland sights - Iguassu Falls and Ecuador's
high-altitude capital of Quito - require flying, and Machu Picchu is
reachable only after an air, rail and bus odyssey.
Having cruised South America's East Coast, Patagonia, and Chile's fjords, I
wondered what it would be like to sail the less traveled West Coast to
explore northern Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama. Several lines
offered such cruises, and in the end, I picked Orient Lines' 848-passenger
Marco Polo sailing north from Valparaiso through the Panama Canal into the
Caribbean, rhythmically alternating between port calls and days at sea.
On a previous Marco Polo sailing from Singapore to Bombay, I noticed the
passenger list included serious travelers from all over the English-speaking
world - Australia, South Africa, Britain, Canada and the U.S. Originally
built in 1965 as the Aleksandr Pushkin and rebuilt in 1992/93 with more
modern accommodations, the mid-size Marco Polo looks and acts like a real
ship, not a top-heavy floating resort grafted to a hull. Give me a good book
and a wooden deck chair on a broad teak promenade, and I am a contented soul.
(In fact, I ended up reading three.)
Orient Lines often begins its cruises with a hotel stay, in this case in
Chile's sophisticated capital of Santiago. The stylish, high-rise Hyatt
Regency, located in a quiet residential district, was happily within 10
minutes' walk of the French-designed Metro that took us to the
pedestrian-friendly central business district, attractive urban parks,
sprawling produce markets, and two great restaurant neighborhoods. At one of
them, I enjoyed barnacles the size of a man's fist, swimming in a butter and
cream sauce, followed by grilled eel in a mushroom and shrimp sauce--typical
Chilean fare.
Two hours by road from Santiago, the port of Valparaiso, seemingly frozen in
the nineteenth century, is surrounded by hillside residential districts
accessed by rickety, aging incline railways. But creaky rides up two
funiculars rewarded us with terrific views, including one of the very
handsome ship we were soon to join.
More than half of Marco Polo's passengers had embarked two weeks earlier in
Buenos Aires and called at Montevideo, the Falklands and ports in Patagonia,
then passed close to Cape Horn and nudged up to calving glaciers in the
Chilean fjords. Continuing northward, the new complement numbered three
British passengers for every American, plus some Australians and other
English-speakers.
The cold, northerly flowing Humboldt Current and southerly trade winds gave
most pleasant conditions over the open decks right up to the Equator. Coastal
temperatures ashore became increasingly hot and humid, but dropped at high
inland elevations.
In the main dining room, the appetizing menus were never repeated, and with
lively table conversation, mealtimes were happy occasions. Raffles, the Lido
indoor/outdoor restaurant, served a set Oriental dinner one night ($15
surcharge included tip and wine) and buffet meals at other times. For most
breakfasts and lunches, we chose to eat out by the pool.
Our cabin, of moderate size, had two large windows and plenty of storage
space. Its only drawback was poor soundproofing, but happily the neighbors
did not switch on the TV early or late in the day.
The ship's public rooms are pleasantly decorated in sea and sky colors,
offering an English tea in the Palm Court, good piano entertainment before
dinner in the Polo Lounge and a small dance band after 9 p.m. in the
Charleston Club. Apart from a show lounge evening devoted to music and
dancing from the Cotton Club era, the entertainment was thoroughly routine.
Two excellent lecturers, one a political expert and the other a geographer,
provided much-needed insight into the complexities of a poorly understood
continent.
We received a hard lesson in personal safety when at the first port of
call--Coquimbo in Chile--I was jumped by two men in broad daylight on steps
leading up to the town's Millennium monument, as several residents looked on
from their balconies. We struggled on the pavement until one began kicking
and the other produced a nasty looking foot-long dagger. I quickly gave up
and let them run off with my camera and wallet.
The ship's doctor patched me up; the ship's agent provided a phone to cancel
credit cards; and the police filled out a report for insurance purposes. The
police took us back to the crime scene and interviewed the onlookers, but as
they were apparently fearful of these two well-known local drug addicts, they
hesitated to intervene. We put it down to a completely random incident in a
country where violent crime is not the norm; hence, there had been no
warnings.
We took the ship's excursions elsewhere, and on walking tours in Lima, Quito
and Cartagena, the groups had reassuring police escorts. In some ports, free
shuttles were provided to beaches and shopping centers for those who didn't
want an organized tour.
The call at Arica in northern Chile provided a spectacular three-hour
mountain and moonscape drive through the Atacama Desert--known as the driest
place on earth--to a small village with historic trading connections,
overlooked by pre-Inca terraced fields and nestled at the foot of the 18,000-
to 19,000-foot High Andes ($95). More than 200 satisfied passengers who
pre-booked a two-night tour flew from Arica to Peru to visit Cuzco and Machu
Picchu, returning to the ship at Callao ($1,298).
At Callao, I toured nearby Lima, Peru's capital, with its fine Spanish
colonial architecture fronting on the main squares; a mansion occupied by the
same Aliaga family since the first part of the 16th century; and the city's
diplomatic and beach resort districts ($45). At the same time, my companion
flew via 12-passenger Cessna for aerial and on-site views of the mysterious
pre-Inca Nazca Lines, animal and geometric drawings in the desert ($495).
After we docked at the Ecuadoran coastal resort of Salinas, a chartered 727
took 95 passengers on a 75-minute flight to the country's high-altitude
capital of Quito for a walk through the city's Spanish colonial squares. They
also climbed to a scenic overlook, took a side trip to a monument straddling
the Equator, and enjoyed a very good lunch on the rim of a volcano ($358).
Panama has recently become a more frequent shore destination for cruise ships
in addition to the ever-popular canal transit. The Marco Polo docked at the
Pacific port of Balboa, and our excursion drove inland along dirt roads to
the fast-flowing Chagres River for a motorized dugout ride upstream to a
stilted Indian village. Here we could see the remote rain forest way of life,
buy locally-made crafts and watch some unexciting dance routines ($75).
Others visited early Spanish fortifications in nearby Panama City ($28), took
a launch cruise on Gatun Lake ($58) or toured the canal operations at the
Miraflores Locks ($25).
The passage through the Panama Canal lasted an usually long 10-1/2 hours
because of delays entering the Gatun Locks, but we had a most welcome
diversion by going through in tandem with the motor sailing ship Wind Song.
At Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, some passengers went on an animal and bird
watching trip along the Tortuguero Canal ($75); we drove into the hills to
visit a research station where we spotted a howler monkey, a spider monkey
and a few birds deep in the cloud forest ($75).
Cartagena, a popular port in Colombia, offered a trip by high-speed launch to
17th-century Spanish fortifications at the harbor entrance, a close-up view
of an island fishing village, and a colonial district walking tour that
included a good restaurant lunch ($55). With the company's running mate, the
Crown Odyssey, in port, the two ships hosted festive open houses for
passengers and crew.
After we disembarked in Aruba, the Marco Polo went on to Barbados and
continued transatlantic to begin the European season. The west coast of South
America is not an especially easy place to make port calls and inland visits,
but given a generous budget, the destinations are most rewarding for their
highly varied scenery as well as their Indian and Spanish colonial heritage.
Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia, and the upper part of Chile are not
countries recommended for independent travel, but Costa Rica and southern
Chile can be visited safely without a tour.
