Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Cusco Loses APEC

Yesterday, Peru’s Minister of Defense announced that Cusco will no longer host any of the APEC meetings scheduled for this year. He stated that this decision was not made by the Government but by the ‘cusqueño people’ whom, with their violent actions and protests, made it clear they were not willing nor ready to receive visitors anytime soon.

‘These violent acts are a clear sign that Cusco doesn’t want members of the APEC to hold their meetings in this city. Some with their violence and others with their accomplice silence have decided on this.’

‘They ask the whole country to vote for

Machu Picchu

to be one of the seven wonders and once they win, they don’t want anybody to visit this jewel; they don’t want to treat their visitors politely. It is a shame for the country and it harms all of us.’

As soon as this statement was given, the President of the Cusco Region, declared there was no reason for this decision and considered it an insult to Cusqueños and their ‘hospitality’. At the same time, he announced protests will continue throughout March and issued a strike call for Holy Week (March 17-23). It is also expected that radical groups protest today and the following days against this decision.

It is yet not known where these meetings will take place, though

Lima

is still main host to this event.

This article was posted by Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru.

Naomi Campbell's Secret Surgery?

Some news from the tabloids... it seems that former supermodel Naomi Campbell is one of the many who has discovered that Salvador de Bahia, the heart of afro-brazilian culture, is THE place to be for Carnival. She may also have figured out that Brazil is also one of the top destinations for plastic surgery tourism. Insider's seem awfully secretive about her apparent 'cyst removal', but it seems a bit odd that she would fly all the way to Brazil for this kind of procedure!

The Strikes Go On...

An update from Andrea Tello, our editor in Cusco.

Things are pretty much the same here...Cusco's radicals threaten with one more strike (72 hours this time) starting next week, which will leave the town without flights and buses and trains, etc.  Last Sunday there was this very interesting report on national TV, showing links between these strikes and Ollanta Humala (main opposition to the government, responsible for the killing of 4 police officers 2 years ago).  And they also showed a connection to Hugo Chavez, something that we already knew but didn't want to accept!

Peru is currently host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), but if protests continue in Cusco, this city will be excluded for safety reasons, as the preparation meetings of APEC 2008, the Meeting of Tourism Working Group (April 5th to 7th) and the Tourism Ministerial Meeting (April 9th to 11th) were supposed to be held in Cusco.

The Minister of Tourism, Mercedes Aráoz, said that the protests are now nonsense since Congress has already approved some modifications to the law in question, giving the regional governments the power to decide if they will license the areas close to the monuments considered cultural heritage.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Jorge Amado's Salvador de Bahia

Anyone who has read one of Jorge Amado's classic novels will recognize his enchantment with Salvador de Bahia, Brazil's center of Afro-Brazilian culture. It was during his high school years, which he spent in this former Brazilian capital, that Amado began his writing career, publishing his first novel at the age of 18.

Last weekend's New York Times published an article featuring what today might be Jorge Amado's highlights, from the Mercado Modelo to the cobblestoned streets of Pelourinho. 

Lee Weingast, our editor in Brazil, recently visited Salvador and wrote about Ribeira, the beachside neighborhood in Salvador's Lower City (Cidade Baixa). Lee's guide walks you through this former upper-class neighborhood, which today is a local weekend hangout. It's a great way to see how Soteropolitanos (natives of Salvador, Bahia) enjoy a day at the beach. Be sure to save up your appetite -- she's got food recommendations too!

Ribeira, Bahia, Brazil

Where the dazzling world of the Patagonia Begins

The February 2008 edition of Travel and Leisure Magazine has a wonderful feature on Bariloche. I can't seem to find the article online, so I thought I would reference it before it leaves the magazine stands. The article chronicles a road trip through Argentina's outstanding Lake District, exploring the beautiful towns and parks along the way. The town of Bariloche (the starting point for discovering the region) has become an all-season resort with plenty to do in both the warm summer months as well as the cooler, snow-filled winters.

Bariloche itself is fairly small and can be covered on foot. However, we highly recommend renting a car for at least one day to explore the surrounding area. This will allow you to plan your own schedule and spend as much time as you'd like admiring the views from the surrounding areas. Click here for more information on driving the regions 'Long Circuit' through Villa Traful, Villa Angostura, the quaint town on the northwestern shore of Lake Nahual Huapi, and ending in San Martin de Los Andes, the stunning village set off the banks of Lago Lacar, the last of the lakes on the 7 lakes route. If this scene isn't laid back enough for you, continue on to El Bolson, Patagonia's Hippie Headquarters.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Fly In to a Modern Guatemala

Returning visitors to Guatemala might experience a bit of shock. Gone is the nostalgically old-fashioned and dimly lit airport that once welcomed tourists, in its place visitors will find a completely modernized and expanded version of what was once one few remaining Category 2 airports in Central America. 

After almost three years of renovations and expansions, the FAA finally certified Guatemala’s International airport “La Aurora” as Category I in June 2007. On December 11th, 2007 the north wing and first part of the new installations was inaugurated and is expected to receive more airlines and tourists in addition to decreasing airfares by up to 40%.

Work on the second phase of La Aurora International Airport was set to start sometime this year but irregularities with the budget recently surfaced and a US$40 Million debt could postpone the inauguration of the future South Wing.

The Santa Elena airport in Peten “Mundo Maya” was renovated as well and a new international airport in Puerto San Jose was inaugurated in January of this year, the latter will now serve as an alternative in case of flight diversions (due to bad weather or other circumstances) instead of diverting flights to El Salvador as was previously the case.

Modernization plans for Guatemala’s airports began with Oscar Berger’s presidency and will be continued with Alvaro Colom’s government. The plan is to renovate all national airports and elevate some to an international category.

Public opinion on the modernization efforts is split, those opposed to the initiatives consider that there are much more pressing needs in Guatemala, like health and education, while supporters claim that the modernized airports will encourage tourism and consequently aid community development.

This article was posted by Yvonne Faass, our editor in Guatemala.

The Magic of Miró

If you're planning to be in Buenos Aires in the next few weeks, be sure to check out this exhibit. Over 60 works of art are on display at the Centro Cultural Borges reflecting the wide career of Catalan artist Joan Miro. There are over 35 drawings and 28 etchings in addition to a collection of paintings.

The Centro Cultural Borges is located inside Gallerias Pacificas - one of the best and most beautiful shopping centres in Buenos Aires. Historial buildings, boutique stores and lots of shiny surfaces - well worth a visit.

For more information on this and other events in Buenos Aires, check out our Calendar of Events

Buenos Aires: A Fashionista's Dream

Argentina is known for its high-quality, internationally renowned designers – whether it is fashion or home décor -- whose creations can be obtained at reasonable prices. Next month's Travel and Leisure Magazine has a great article on shopping in Buenos Aires, giving you a neighborhood by neighborhood breakdown of the Argentine capital's best venues. 

You don't need to travel all the way to Argentina to find some of these great buys (although that's half the fun). I recently purchased one of my favorite bags ever from Palermo's QARA store, directly online.

Click here to see some of OTR's favorite shops and boutiques, and find more articles about Buenos Aires.

Follow Up on Cusco's Strike Situation

An update from Andrea Tello, our editor in Cusco:

It's so difficult to follow up on this strike!  They change their mind every 5 minutes!  Not much happened on Friday, though the airport is being secured by 300 policemen since that day. Saturday and Sunday everything was OK (strikers don't work weekends) and we were all expecting chaos for today and the rest of the week.

Only last night at 10pm there was an announcement...apparently, a big sector of the unions finally understood (finally read the law, I guess) that it is up to them if/where private investors can build close to archaeological patrimony.  If the regional government decides they don't want private investment there or anywhere, then that's final!  So only at 10pm they decided that airlines could fly in, trains could run, etc.

Less than 200 people were marching around Cusco today, followed by 10 policemen and everything seemed just fine...airport was operating normally and so was ground transportation...until 10am when the railroad was blocked from Poroy until a bit after Chinchero, so trains couldn't run from that hour, though some trains were able to run from Ollantaytambo with police security...I talked to my contacts in Perurail and apparently no trains are running tomorrow (again, it's not definite)...

This strike started today with the Agriculture Union and the Union of workers in Cusco, tomorrow the Transportation Union and the teachers are expected to march on Wednesday...

More to come... or maybe not.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Travel Warning for Cusco

The president of the Regional Workers of Cusco and Regional Assembly, Efraín Yepes, who is considered a part of the extreme opposition, announced an indefinite strike in the region. The strike is in protest of a law allowing private investment around archaeological sites. This law has been criticized by several unions and social organizations in Cusco, who feel it would endanger properties declared patrimony of the nation. 

The strike is scheduled to start tomorrow (Thursday), in what has been called ‘a strike with violent actions’ by Efraín Yepes. “We plan to take Machu Picchu, the airport and the main square of Cusco”. For this reason, most airlines that fly in from Lima have suspended their flights to Cusco and Perurail will announce the cancellation of its services this afternoon.

However, it is said that this strike will likely be postponed until Friday, due to an important soccer match at Cusco’s stadium on Thursday. The visiting team is due to fly in from Lima tomorrow.

Travelers should take extra precautions while traveling in the area and recognize that it may be difficult to leave Cusco if the airport is shut down.

This article was posted by Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru.