The Silent "I"

Santiago, Chile: Finding a Happy Place

February 11, 2004

We left Easter Island on February 10 and started back to California via Santiago Chile.  We arrived late in the afternoon, and Alex decided to have the worst temper tantrum of his life in the luggage claim area of the Santiago airport.  He tried to throw himself on the luggage conveyor belt, but we managed to stop him in before he was tagged and sent on his way to Lima, Peru.  Sometimes, traveling with a toddler is not all it's cracked up to be.

Santiago reminded me a lot of Los Angeles, a gigantic urban basin packed with buildings surrounded by mountains.  We checked into the Santiago Marriott, which was conveniently located across the street from a toy store.  It was Sunday, so Alex could do nothing more than gaze longingly out twentieth-floor window. 

Easter Island: Where to Play

 

February 2004

When traveling with kids to any destination, it's always good to know what kid-friendly activities there are for the time when you're not touring interesting landmarks or watching locals run around recreating ancient rituals.  I think our son would be happy anyplace in the world where we could find a playground, a swimming pool, and a soccer field.  It seems as though wherever you are in the world, and wherever you find kids, you can find opportunities to play.  It's also a great way to meet local people and see how kids in other cultures are so much like kids in the US.

Our hotel, the Tahatai, had a small swimming pool, but Alex was entranced with the idea of swimming in the ocean after our day at Anakena Beach, one of the most gorgeous spots on the island.  We forgot his swimsuit that day, but swimming au naturel (for a three year old, at least) was not a problem.

We were able to satisfy his wish by going to a walled-off swimming hole near the hotel, right along the coastline.  There were retaining walls around the area, keeping the waves to a minimum and the water fairly shallow.  Alexander loved splashing around in the cold Pacific waters. Local kids took swimming lessons in this spot, so it definitely had the local stamp of approval for kids.

Easter Island: The Birdmen of Orongo

February 7, 2004

On our third day in Easter Island, Chile, our fabulous tour guide, China picked us up at our hotel for a day exploring another aspect of Rapa Nui Culture: the Birdman competition.  After seeing the modern-day version involving skimpily-clad men running around a lake carrying bundles of banana, we were interested to see some of original sites.

China drove us to Orongo, part of the Rapa Nui National Park.  Orongo was formerly a village set on a cliff with spectacular views of the Ocean, over looking a small island called Moto Nui.  The micro-island was famous as a nesting ground for the sooty tern, a bird whose eggs were prized by the early Rapa Nui people.  In the 17th to 19th centuries, European explorers wrote of a "birdman cult" in which young men would compete in a contest to see who could recover the first sooty tern egg of the season by jumping off the cliff at Orongo, swimming across shark-infested waters, stealing an egg, and then scaling the cliff without breaking the egg.  The first to do so would hold be crowned as Tangata Manu ("bird man") and hold a place in the tribe for the following year.  The Birdman competitions were held long after the moai-building ceased, despite any Hollywood representations to the contrary.

Easter Island: Redefining "Statuesque" for Photo Friday

This is my favorite photo of Alexander from our trip to Easter Island. The perspective makes him appear nearly as big as the moai, which are actually at huge in comparison. Our family has a tradition of standing in front of statues and posing like them.

Easter Island: Moai on the Beach

February 5, 2004

After spending some time at the fallen moai site, our fabulous tour guide China drove us to Ahu Tongariki.  This featured 15 stone moai of varying sizes and in various condition, all facing out to sea. This is one of the largest display of standing Moai on the island, and was quite impressive.  Some of them were being restored, and had scaffolding and blue tarps over them, which made them look like some of them were using porto-potties.  

It was quite amazing to me that somehow the ancient Rapa Nui had carved these multi-ton stone statues, somehow managed to drag them down the mountainside, and place them upright on a platform or Ahu.  This was some feat of engineering and physics to be able to manipulate stone using only primitive tools.  The Ahu also served as the final resting place of various chiefs and tribal nobles, so you can't walk on the ahu, but can get close enough to admire the size of the statues. 

It's thought that the original statues had large top-knots made of a different kind of stone than the bodies, and the eyes were made of white rock with obsidian irises.  None of the original eyes survived, so most of the statues have haunting, eyeless sockets.  I'm not sure if that is something that was added by the restorers, or if it was discovered that way.  The rock that made up the top-knot is much more porous and crumbly than the stone used in the bodies, so it was easily broken.  Even though China told us these head pieces were supposed to be top-knots or hair, we still called them hats.

While we were there, several workers scurried around moving piles of rocks to and from the ahu.  Alexander wanted to help out and move some rocks, but they were too much for him.

A Boy in Buenos Aires for Photo Friday

These are two of my favorite photos of Alex from our trip to Buenos Aires. In the top one, we stopped at a fountain, and he decided to examine the water.  He looks so studious and contemplative in this picture, like a scientist examining a specimen up close.

In the photo below, he ran through a flock of pigeons in front of the Casa Rosada.  The joy of being a little boy in a big world is evident on his face, and in the lightness of his step.

For more joyful and inspiring travel photos, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday this week.

Argentina: Star Quality in Buenos Aires

       

Casa Rosada or The Pink Palace, in Buenos Aires, Argentina

February 3, 2004

After our amazing stay in Iguazu Falls, it was time to explore another part of Argentina.  After an early morning flight from Puerto Iguazu, we checked into the Marriott Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires was a short stop on our itinerary, but we decided to make the most of it.

Buenos Aires is a mix of old-world European charm and Latin intensity. I was struck by how ridiculously good-looking the people were, from the hotel desk clerk who looked like she just stepped off a runway in Milan, to the average Joes (or Juans) reading the newspaper in the park who could have been Antonio Banderas' long lost sibling.  We've been all over the world, and I don't think I've seen this many gorgeous people per capita anywhere else, even Beverly Hills (where the looks tend to be generated by surgeons rather than genetics).  There was something unique and interesting about all of the faces we encountered.

After checking in, we walked to Plaza General San Martin, a nearby park with some ancient metal play structures that Alexander could play on while I nervously looked on.  The equipment looked like the kind of metal structures I remember from when I was a kid in the 60's and 70's, with chipping paint (probably lead), and hard, unforgiving concrete underneath.  This equipment made me appreciate litigious American parents who have pretty much made sure that playground equipment is as safe as possible. 

Luckily, Alexander had fun without managing to kill himself or give his mom a heart attack.  Alexander had a great time playing on the slides, monkey bars, and running around, after spending the morning in airports, planes and taxis.  Sometimes, a boy just needs to run free.

Argentina: Iguazu Falls Farewell

February 2, 2004

After our day in Brazil viewing Iguazu Falls from the other side, we had a relaxing day at the hotel.  It was our last full day at the falls, and unfortunately, I didn't feel that well.  It may have been a combination of the heat, humidity, and different drinking water, or just being exhausted from the travel.  We decided to spend the morning letting Alex splash around at the pool after breakfast.

I mentioned in an earlier post, that the pool was circular and a series of concentric circles getting deeper toward the middle.  The pool was not terribly crowded, and Frank and Alexander happily splashing around the outside, shallow part, and swimming across.  An elderly German man waded in on the opposite side, and evidently didn't realize how deep it got, and slipped under water.  Before I knew what was happening, the lifeguard on duty was out of his chair, dove in, and fished the sputtering, flailing German out from the bottom of the pool. The man didn't lose consciousness and was grateful for the rescue, as he coughed and wheezed on the sidelines.

Brazil: The Toucan & The Toddler

Alexander, age 3, gets checked out by a toucan in Brazil. The Parque das Aves, near Iguassu Falls, is a great place to visit with kids.

For more colorful and fun travel photos, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

Argentina: Three Borders Monument (Tres Fronteras)

This post is part of a retrospective series on our trip to South America in 2004.  In this episode, we drive back from viewing Iguazu Falls from the Brazilian side to our hotel in Argentina.

February 1, 2004

After exiting the Bird Park (through the Gift Shop, of course) and noshing on a traditional Brazilian snack of ice cream and cookies, we hopped in the car with our tour guide, Edson, and drove back across the border to Argentina.  There was no hassle re-entering Argentina, although we had to give the guard a "tip," a common practice at certain borders. And by "tip" I don't mean, "Don't drink the water," but cash, pesos, moolah, dinero, or whatever the currency happens to be.  Anyway, as long as we weren't subjected to body-cavity searches, I  was not too upset by the process.  I'm not sure the customs officials would have cared for what they found in Alexander's pull-up diaper, which came in handy for long car-rides, and was our secret weapon against overly intrusive border crossing guards.

Edson drove us to the town of Puerto Iguazu for a look around.  It was a quiet place, with most shops closed on Sunday.  It felt like a mixture of a German hamlet and a Mexican border town.  The town had some quaint European-style buildings, painted in pastel colors bleached out by the sun.  A few skinny dogs roamed the streets, but otherwise, there was not much happening. The entire town looked like it was taking one long siesta. We drove on through and didn't stop, since there was not much worth stopping for.

Frank wanted to go to the Three Borders Monument or Tres Fronteras, an historic marker with a view of the place where the rivers meet to form the borders of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraquay.  I was completely paranoid about this little stop, because I had read a review on TripAdvisor that said, "DO NOT GO TO THREE BORDERS! This place is a tourist trap full of drug-addicted children who will rob and kill you!"

I didn't stop to think that if this were true, the writer would be both broke and dead, so how would he have had the wherewithal to write his opinion on TripAdvisor? Unless, this were his dying wish, to have this warning placed for all to see.  It was a warning in ALL CAPS, and you just don't get more serious than that, right?

Anyway, I was wary of the place, and didn't quite like the notion of hanging out with drug-addicted children ready to pounce and force Alexander to start downing tequila at age 3, like Drew Barrymore or Mackenzie Phillips.  Edson assured us that it was quite safe during the day, but at night it got a little seedy with teens hanging out with nothing better to do.  Kind of like the neighborhood skate park. Or in our town, Starbucks.

Alex fell asleep in the car, so I decided to stay in the car with him while Frank and Edson went to take pictures of the Monument.  There was a beat-up sedan parked nearby, with a man and three kids inside.  I was looking out the window, eyeballing the sedan and holding Alexander's head in my lap. Suddenly, the door on Alexander's side flew open, startling me.  Standing there was a little girl of about seven, in a raggedy green dress and flip-flops, holding a cardboard box, and asking me questions in Spanish, pointing to the box in her hands.

Oh, my God! I thought. A drug-addled child has come to rob and kill us. With God as my witness, I will never doubt TripAdvisor again!

I threw my body over Alex and slammed the door shut, saying, "No gracias! No No No!"

Alex stirred a little, but didn't wake up. The dejected little girl hung her head, and went back to her car. I looked around the car for a weapon, or an blunt object I could hurl if her gang of street urchins decided to try to tip the car over. If Edson had left the keys in the ignition, I had every intention of laying down some rubber and leaving the two men to fend for themselves, so long as my baby was safe.

A few minutes later, the little girl got out of the car and approached Frank & Edson with her box.  They both shook their heads, Edson shooed her away, and she retreated.  I rolled down the window when the girl was out of sight, and asked Frank what was in the box, fully expecting the answer to be either heroin or hand grenades.

"Cookies," he said.

Cookies? I just slammed the door on a Girl Scout?

"What did you think she was selling?" Frank asked.

"I dunno," I shrugged sheepishly.

As a former Girl Scout, I was certain that I would be stripped of every badge I'd ever earned, except the "Paranoid Tourist" badge. Today, I earned that one.

Photos by Frank, because I would not get out of the car.