DOUG’S RETIREMENT TRAVEL BLOG

Fri 3rd - There are a lot of murals: Stopped in La Escalade Galeria, in Barrio Puerta, for a coffee: Random walk into the evening: Cafe...

Slept in a bit, still in bed at sunrise 7am. The bedroom window faces east; the sun rises there, but angles south-to-north, as you can see here if you look closely: Failed to mention yesterday, we’re out of cash, and although most places take credit cards, some don’t, plus we brought a shitload of Ben Franklins anticipating needing them in Argentina (more on that later), so I wanted to exchange some for pesos. We walked to the exchange neighborhood yesterday afternoon aroun

Wed Oct 1: Arrived by bus @2PM, taxi ride across town to the Airbnb. Valparaiso has 300k inhabitants, over 1m in the metro area. There’s a flat section by the harbor, with many hills immediately surrounding. Overall after 48 hours, kinda dirty, run-down, rough; but beautiful, bohemian feel. The hills (cerros) - 2 in particular: Alegre and Conceptión, are where the former European upper classes lived, they’re where most (all so far) of the fun spots are. We are on Cerro Ale

Last full day in Santiago. I’m starting to understand how moths must feel - the sun traces an arc across the northern sky, shadows point...

Monday. A bit cooler and overcast this AM. Went back to our favorite cafe in the neighborhood for cinnamon rolls and cappuccini - Cafe...

Sunday. Set out to follow the GPSmyCity Bellavista walk. Passed through Barrio San Borja, a neighborhood adjacent to our Barrio Isidro:...

Next up: South America. A month in Chile, two months in Argentina, including six weeks in a camper through Patagonia, some tbd more time in tbd location. Left Sacramento on a flight scheduled to depart at 7:40AM Friday June 26th (the uber arrived at 5!) but which actually departed at 9:05, just giving us time to make our 10:55 flight from SFO to Panama City. Flew from there to Santiago, arriving 6:00AM on the 27th. Our AirBnB hostess allowed us to move in at 9AM (normally 3

The Playa Planned to go Sunday & return Saturday, but storms kept us from leaving ‘til Monday. Camp Roblandia prep by Robert Anderson &...

Got back to California in time for Hannah Norman’s wedding. Wed July 30: 1st stop LG to rifle through storage for wedding attire &...

Next up: Kate Ferguson, good friend from the ‘80s. First couple days at her CABIN 😉 at Sunday River, in Maine on the New Hampshire...

Visited Denise Wilson-Davis, a good friend of Leslie’s from the early ‘80’s, who we haven’t seen for 17 years. She lives in Essex NY. It was action-packed.. Tue July 15: Poked around Essex in the afternoon: Went to a farm dinner in the eve - one of the local farms puts on a dinner to showcase their harvest: That’s an osprey. Wed July 16: The Elizabethtown (county seat) museum: Afternoon, to Lake Placid (1/2 hour away), and the High Falls Gorge: …and back to Denise’s for a be

Visited Donna W! Fabulous time: From her front porch: Donna has a tight group of friends, all very accomplished at something. One took...

On our last full day, took the subway into Manhattan. Strolled Central Park to Strawberry Fields (experience ruined by bad musicians...

Happy birthday USA. Coney Island for the hot dog eating contest. Watched the women’s competition, got a hat (those are beans): Fireworks...

Today we moved from Manhattan into Adrienne’s flat in Prospect Lefferts Garden, Brooklyn, to watch Corinna’s cat Snugglemuffin (and have...

Strolled Roosevelt Island, views of Manhattan from the East river…but first, a random Bowery scene with mural’d water tower: Roosevelt...

Kicked around lower Manhattan in the morning & afternoon - Grammercy Square, Union Square, Village Library; lunch at Jeffrey’s (5*!): Met...

Checked out of the Brooklyn AirBnB and in to the Chelsea Inn. Not the Chelsea Hotel, thought it seemed too good to be true (more on that...

Took the subway WAY up to 190th, Fort George, and onward to Inwood, to Fort Tryon park. Beautiful hilltop park overlooking the Hudson,...

Stopped for a tool around and a little shopping at Rockefeller Center: …en route to The Bronx for a poetry reading Anne Maloney had...