A herd of cattle heading out to pasture. A string of freight cars chugging along at 2 miles an hour. Two-hundred and fifty people moving slowly through the airport. To me, all of those diverse scenes had one thing in common: They were my nightmare images of group tours. But then I bit the bullet and joined a group for a trip through South America.
Initially, it was depressing to think of all those people-all members of a group package tour-trying to stay together or to picture them when they descended on a market at the same time. The whole scene was sure to reek of
”tourism.” I assumed that the joys of exploring the best-kept secrets-tiny shops and cafes-would be shattered when the tour leader would scream that the bus was leaving in 10 minutes.
Until this trip, several corners of the world had become mine by simply booking a flight in the off season and making my own arrangements when I got there. The spontaneity was delightful. I usually traveled solo, so whether there were friends at the other end to point me in the right direction or if the region was open to my own adventurous nature, I was free to give travel my own definition.
But South America was different. I`d never been there. I knew nothing about it beyond what I`d read. And the geographic distances involved in a tour of such a vast continent were, frankly, daunting.
Then I learned American Express had packaged two-week tours to three South American destinations I was interested in. Plans fell together quickly. Writing checks for everything before I even got on the plane was unlike previous trips, and carrying less cash and fewer traveler`s checks was a relief.
Still, the concept of group travel-subordinating my own needs and desires to the will of the group-was not sitting well with me.
The flight from Miami to Rio arrived at 6:15 a.m. As I would later realize, every city was greeted by a local tour guide. ”No, obrigado, I can carry my own bag,” I found myself saying frequently in Brazil. I was still in the self-sufficient mindset, though the luxury of having someone catering to my needs quickly set in. There was always someone to open the door, carry the luggage, confirm the reservations, pay the airport departure taxes, drive the mini-bus for the city tour, take care of all the little details . . . nice!
All the hotels were prepaid, so check-in and -out was mindless. Most of all, when time is limited, it is not wasted on dead-end journeys because you have the overview of the city that the trip included.
The package tour I took included Rio de Janeiro and Iguacu Falls, Brazil; Buenos Aires; and over to the west coast to Lima and Cuzco (Macchu Pichu), Peru.
The advantage of planning a multi-destination trip is the feeling of going on three different trips. Rio was decidedly different from Buenos Aires, which in turn was in sharp contrast to Lima.
To get a taste of a continent as vast as South America, this buffet-style of travel was an appropriate introduction. I decided that once I`d found a place that I liked, I would return one day to focus on that area. Often, the pace of seeing so much in so little time can be mind-boggling, though it was nothing worse than, ”It`s Tuesday, so it must be Belgium.”
While walking the Champs-Elysees in Paris once I had seen tour buses filled with people staring out the windows like goldfish, never descending the stairs, never becoming part of the scene. Dreading the thought of being sandwiched among 250 bodies moving through the airport en masse, I was pleasantly surprised to find a tiny group of only nine people.
And there were moments when you could break away from the group, destroying another preconceived notion I had about group travel: That you were stuck, 24 hours a day, with the same people, doing only what the majority wanted.
The package was called ”independent” because it was structured loosely. If you wanted to be alone, opportunities were built in. Walking alone along the beach at Ipanema while the sun warmed my shoulders was a lovely way to relax. And it was thrilling to explore Peru`s Inca ruins in solitude as the wind sighed among the ancient stone walls, trying to imagine what life was like in the Andes during the 15th Century. It was so quiet that with a little imagination you could almost hear the ancients whisper to you.
The first night at the Sheraton in Rio, our welcome cocktail, caipirinha, was a delightful way to exchange introductions. By the time we were heading to the barbecue/gaucho party at the end of the week in Argentina-with plenty of great local red wine and delicious grilled meats-we had become good friends. It is truly amazing what a climb through the jungle will do to bring folks together. Even helping each other bargain at the local markets was fun. No one else in the group spoke the languages well enough to really converse. In Brazil, my two semesters of college Portuguese helped, and most of the Brazilians understood my Spanish.
The meals I will remember most were those in Argentina. I am not usually much of a red-meat eater, yet there was such an abundance of grilled sirloin, prime rib and sausages, all fabulously prepared and in such quantity that I could hardly resist. The tour included four breakfast buffets at the start of the trip in Brazil, a nice way to get accustomed to being on vacation.
The lavish display of fresh pomegranate, pineapple, melons and mango was beautiful. The seafood on the Pacific Coast, specifically in Lima at the Rosa Nautica restaurant, included a nicely prepared sea bass meuniere. Ordinarily, when a large group descends on a small restaurant, it gets uncomfortably loud for the other patrons. But since there were only nine of us, it went smoothly. On the streets we found local snacks like empanadas, pastry pockets filled with spicy beef and chopped vegetables, a quick and tasty way to calm hunger without losing touring time.
The International Bar Association was holding its biannual conference in Buenos Aires the same week we were there. Normally, the prospect of 2,000 attorneys descending on a city at the same time would cause most people to flee. On the contrary, the gentlemen that I met were just that-gentlemen. Like good lawyers, their week was incredibly well-organized. I was lucky enough to be a part of their festivities, including a rodeo, and the National Symphony performance of Mozart and Schumann at the recently renovated Teatro Colon. When asked what law school I`d attended, I only smiled. I was ”officially”
invited by the lawyers that I`d met, so it was not a problem to be milling around with everyone.
Our tour also included some optional nightclub shows with dinner. The prices averaged $30. One evening in Rio, there was a folkloric dance, including a typical ”Rio during February`s Carnaval” performance. There was enough glitter and sequins to last the whole year. At Casa Blanca in Buenos Aires, the local dances included some Indian songs by Jaime Torres as well as the unforgettable tango performed by Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves.
The only dancing in Peru was at a local party for the Cuzco travel guides, with a rendition of Buddy Holly`s ”That`ll Be the Day.” It was not uncommon to sit down to dinner around 8:30 p.m. in Peru and be greeted by strolling minstrels. After five songs they would offer a cassette for $3.
The exchange rates in South America fluctuated from one day to the next. Hotels and banks were giving one rate, but if you took a chance on the street, you could get an even better rate. And the street entrepreneurs were eager for our business as they followed us along, waving their calculators all the while. Such exchanges are not illegal, but, we were cautioned, the locals might try to take more money than was due to them.
For scenic splendor, the Andes proved the most spectacular during the train ride from Cuzco to Macchu Pichu. Snow-capped mountains were breath-taking against the intense blue skies. Even the fertile valleys for farming had beautiful rolling green hills. The brightly colored clothing of the Peruvians sparkled against their rosy cheeks and sun-tanned faces. Those faces will never be forgotten. Sadly, too many children had no shoes, even when the temperature dropped to 40 degrees. The bottoms of their feet became the leather of the shoes they did not have.
Reserved seats on the train to the Incan ruins at Macchu Pichu, again thanks to the tour, made the trip easier. Our train picked up 50 high school girls who provided songs, whether we wanted them or not, for the whole ride.
The altitude adjustment when leaving Lima to go to Cuzco, which is 13,000 feet above sea level, took its toll on almost the entire group. The tour guide provided oxygen tanks whenever needed. Precautions were taken: drink tea made from the leaves of the coca plant and take at least a two-hour nap upon arrival to the hotel. Also, walk very slowly, as breathing is more difficult and your heart works much harder than normal.
At one stop along the route to the ruins there was a little Peruvian village where the children wanted us to get off the train. There wasn`t enough time, so I pulled a small bag of hard cinnamon candies from my purse that I`d bought back home, tied a knot in the plastic bag and tossed it to one small girl. She quickly hid it under her sweater as if it was gold and sneaked away for fear that someone might have seen her and force her to share her prize.
Now that I have begun to understand the system and what is involved in getting around in these three countries, I will certainly return. Thanks to this organized tour, I saw more of the special details, and getting there was so much easier.
Next trip, I will return to Argentina, my favorite of the three countries, and venture deeper into it to see Bariloche, a ski resort city in the Andes along the Chilean border; ride horses in Mendoza; or even head far south to Patagonia and see the Malvinas (Falklands) and Tierra del Fuego at the very tip of the continent.
On the other hand, I may book another group tour to still another part of the world. Not a bad way to travel.
