Monday, January 15, 2007


Hi Folks!

We are fully packed and have taken the precaution of weighing our luggage at an "official" Publix scale. Barbara and I each have a bag that weighs in at 20 kilos (44 pounds), the maximum permitted by the internal carriers in Ecuador and Peru and by LAN, the international airline that we will fly from Quito to Lima and later from Lima to Santiago. We also have small "overnight bags" that weigh in at six to eight kilos (12 to 16 pounds) that we hope the airline will check. If not, I pray they let us carry them on along with our backpacks. Actually, we're very proud we're taking off with less than 120 pounds of luggage, well below the former/traditional 70-75 pounds per piece (and they allowed two pieces!) of international luggage!

This will be our final post before departing tomorrow morning. Our hope is that we find wireless along the way and do not have to rely on AT&T Global dial-up. If so, we probably will have difficulty posting photos!

As we begin this adventure, we want to thank Erika Navarro of Enjoy Peru, SA (erikan@enjoyperu.com or www.enjoyperu.com) and Susan Smith of Cruise.com (ssmith@cruise.com or www.cruise.com ). Erika (see photo above) did an amazing job of crafting a personalized three-week land tour of Ecuador and Peru, working backwards from our cruise departure date. She also patiently answered about 100 of my emails! Susan (sorry, no photo) got us a great deal on our two-week cruise around Cape Horn and responded to a similar number of emails. The two of them thought of everything - for example, Erika arranged for us to leave luggage at several hotels along the way to lighten our traveling load and Susan thought of reserving our cabin on the port side of the ship to be sure we will have views of the glaciers, fjords and other terrific sights along the way!

4 comments:

Gina said...

Have a fabulous trip! We're looking forward to reading about all of your adventures! This will be much better than waiting around for postcards.

Love ya! Gina

Sharon Smith said...

A small correction to your blog. My name is Sharon Smith, not Susan Stone. Hope all goes well and you have a fabulous time!!

Andy Cohn said...

Barb and Joe, have a great time! We will be following your exploits as you circumnavigate the globe...

Andy

Liz Harbaugh said...

Mommy and Daddy, hope you're having a great time! I'm so excited for you about your sea lions - now make sure to take care of those knees!

I love and miss you lots and can't wait to read your blog!

XOXO and love,
Lizzie