Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Overhead Bin Blues

I was thinking about the overhead bin evolution a couple of weeks ago while boarding a flight from the east coast. Some airlines have now restricted carry-on bags to those who are seated in the 1st and 2nd seating calls. So if you flew on points or bought a deeply discounted ticket you are likely at the end of the line when it comes to boarding, and you are now forced to check your bags.

It used to be that overnight business travel caused the most stress. You typically ended up on a full flight and had to fight off the other like-minded travelers who were also trying to squeeze their roll-on bags into the overhead bin.

Then came the flight reductions, causing all flights, no matter what time of day, to be full. So, not only were you fighting off other business travelers, who knew how to pack an overnight bag, you were also fighting Joe Shmo, who travels once in a blue moon and has no idea how to respect the unwritten rule of airline travel. He has two carry-ons that are far to big, and he spends 20 minutes getting settled in, holding up the traffic behind him trying to load on to the airplane.

Then came the toiletry regulations, swinging the pendulum back while Joe Shmo decided it was too much trouble to pack his shaving kit into a zip lock bag. Bags were once again checked to avoid the hassle.

This article from the New York Times points out that the bin creep has once again returned as the general public decides to leave its hair product behind, enticed by the handy little toiletry packet that  hotels provide for a nice markup.

Buyer beware:  several airlines will soon start charging for a second piece of luggage. When will the overhead bin find a natural balance?

On The Road Again

We're back! After 7 frustrating days of waiting on hold with our less-than-stellar hosting company, and taking 2 steps back for every one step of progress thanks to their policy of not allowing technical support to speak with customers... we've finally fixed the issue! As we had expected, Startlogic had upgraded us to a new platform. It turns out platform 2.0 required programmers to do a number of changes to make sure that the files corresponded to the new platform. It would've helped if they'd let us know this before doing the migration. It probably would've also helped if they had copied over all of our files when they did this migration. Bygones... back to travel.

No News is Not Good News

Three days later and still no site... sorry! There does seem to be movement at Startlogic though! After many, many hours on hold with tech support they have identified the issue and recognized that it is their fault. It seems they finally (after at least a year) upgrade us to the new platform they are rolling out without any warning. In  the usual Startlogic way, they also managed to lose half the files when they did the migration! So... it's a work in progress.

In the meantime, Countries throughout Latin America are gearing up for one of the largest events of the year: Holy Week. Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru, provides these updates on the festivities in Cusco:

Cultural and student organizations in Cusco will stage the Passion of Christ in the surrounding areas of Sacsayhuamán this Holy Week. The ceremony will start early on the morning of Friday 21, in the main square of the city and will be taken through every cross in the whereabouts of Sacsayhuamán. 

On Monday, 17 the traditional ‘Lord of Earthquakes’ procession and blessing will take place in the main square. According to devouts, in 1650 a canvas named ‘Christ of the Good Death’ stopped a strong earthquake striking Cusco, when indigenous people and Spaniards started praying together before him.

This celebration is especially interesting for it allows us to appreciate with clarity the fusion between Andean and Christian religions. As a matter of fact, the Cathedral of Cusco itself was built over the base of the ancient temple dedicated to the Inca God Wiracocha.

The image of the Lord of Earthquakes is taken on procession through different streets of the city in the same way mummies of Inca chiefs, priests and high governors were.

Finally, the central element of this celebration is the Ñucchu flower (sage) which was offered in the past to Wiracocha, and is now used to make the crown for the Lord of Earthquakes and is also thrown to the image during the procession.

This is quite an impressive religious celebration, which gathers thousands of people in the Main Square, all waiting for the blessing of this image in absolute silence, deeply touched, for they consider the Lord of Earthquakes their mediator between earth and heaven.

Around 3pm people start gathering in the Main Square, so for a privileged view of this sea of people, try a coffee shop or restaurant with a balcony, such as La Retama (recommended by OTR).

Snafued by Startlogic Again

Every few months it's something new... the folks at Startlogic (our hosting company) have done it again. This time it was during an 'upgrade' which they have been trying to roll out since last summer. It seems our ticket was up today. They appear to have switched us to the new platform, but forgot to transfer the proper files along with it. So... when you go to the site, you will now see the very first version of our website -- in Latin! As per usual it will take 24 hours for them to confirm that they've made the error, and who knows from there how long it will take  to get it back to normal. Stay tuned!

Time Stands Still in Guatemala

Daylight savings is a controversial topic in Guatemala. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Last year it came about out of the blue, with most locals not even realizing it was upon them. This year President Alvaro Colom has decided not to continue with the spotty policy, citing safety reasons. Despite saving approximately 60 megawatts of energy per day, the later sunrise would force many people to begin their walk to work in the dark, further exposing them to the threat of violence.

So -- if you're traveling to Guatemala, be sure to take this into account. Click here for more tips on traveling to Guatemala.

Travel to Brazil With Kids

The New York Times Travel Q&A column recently posted some suggestions for those planning to travel to Brazil with children. Many of the suggestions apply equally to adults: avoid tap water, strong currents and pollution, apply sunscreen liberally, etc. The comments beneath the article provide more substantial suggestions. Read how to spend a rainy day in Rio for recommendations of museums and other fairweather options.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Floods in Peru

The strike's may be calming down in Peru but the weather is definitely acting up!

If you’re travelling to southern Peru (Puno, Cusco or Arequipa) or are looking forward to spending sunny days in the north of Peru, notice that heavy rain is expected in both areas until the month of April.  In the north zone of the country, the city of Tumbes has been severely affected by rivers overflowing causing floods and landslides.

In Cusco, the city of Aguas Calientes is working on the construction of walls along the river to prevent floods which can lead to a disaster similar to the one in 2004, when a landslide covered part of the town, killing 14 people, destroying several houses and buildings.

So far, these rains have left around 1million affected people during this season.

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

Lots to do in Rio This Weekend

Carioca's may pause to take a breath after the Carnival celebrations but Rio de Janeiro hardly shuts down. This weekend is filled with events:

Tonight: Steel Pulse in concert at Vivo Rio. This world-famous British reggae band will be performing it’s politically charged—and yet upbeat-- songs for one night only in Rio.

Bob Dylan is playing at the Rio Arena Avenida Embaixador Abelardo Bueno (a new venue built to host the Pan-American games).

Cuban singer, Omara Portuondo, joins forces with Brazilian Maria Bethania (sister of Caetano Veloso, and fellow Tropicalista) at Caneção.

Orquestra Lunar, the 10-member all-woman band which has been gaining popularity with its quality version of samba, choro and ballads, is playing at Sala Baden Powell.

Casuarina,a group of five young musicians who play traditional samba tunes in an informal “roda” (circle) will be performing at the Teatro Odisseia.

The Maze Inn will be hosting Jazz / Samba /Bossa on the hill.

Fore more information on these and other events taking place in Rio this weekend, check out our calendar of events.

Heli-Cusco flies to Machu Picchu

Travelers are again able to reach Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu, using the services of Heli-Cusco, whose operations started again after the favourable technical opinion of INRENA (Institute of National Resources) and the approval of the Ministry of Transportations and Communications.

The manager of Heli-Cusco, Herman Schwartzmann, said they are not flying over Machu Picchu and the company has carried out several environmental impact studies to assure flights and landing operations have no negative effect on the area.

In addition, he stated that the time flying around the area is no more than 8 minutes and that the resounding waves are not perceptible in the citadel due to the geological structure of the zone and the thick vegetation.

The approximate cost of the flight is US$200 per person and it lasts 30 minutes from Cusco. Read our Guide to Visiting Machu Picchu. 

Heli Cusco
Calle Arica 849 – Miraflores, Lima
www.helicusco.com
[email protected]

Trip Tips for Argentina

The December issue of Budget Travel featured Buenos Aires in its Trip Coach column, providing tips to two sisters who would be visiting the city for the first time. Given it was a first-time trip, the usual suspects came up in the list: Casa Rosada, Evita Museum, the Recoleta Cemetary, and a day trip to Tigre. The article did have a few good suggestions for boutiques (a Buenos Aires specialty... there can never be enough recommendations here), including Divia Shoes and the Design Center.

Click here for more great tips on visiting Buenos Aires and unique things to do.