Trip to South America
We finally made it to the other America, after an 8+ hour flight from LAX to Guayaquil , Ecuador. We arrived and have been amazed by the beauty of the country and the people – this is the host city of some 24 international Conventions going on worldwide this summer.
We had a great and unforgettable welcome at the airport from our brother and sisters, many signs welcoming us to cheers, made us feel very welcome and a little emotional to the extent of all the work that went into taking care of our every need.
Some impressions that is notable and will be etched in my memory is that Guayaquil is a very large city , my first research was about 2-3 million people live here, but that was the city limits, the metro area is more like 4+ million. A little more research shows that in North America there is over a half billion people and in South America almost a half billion people, so more people than I imagined. Being close to the Equator you have 12 hours of sun light and 12 hours of darkness (no seasons like upper latitude areas)
The climate in this area is like a hydroponic house, very humid and most days are cloudy but you really appreciate the cloud cover after you experience an afternoon when the Sun comes out.
This agriculture zone is great for growing Bananas, Coffee , Cocoa and many other fruits. Guayaquil, Ecuador is a port city and the area exports most of the worlds Bananas, especially to the Pacific ports where nonstop ships from Dole and Del Monte transport this profitable fruit.
Guayaquil has allot of resemblance to Tijuana, Mexico, it has its wealthy area and its poor area , no middle class but the resemblance looks like for a period of years it had no building codes and created a chaotic infrastructure. The current government is changing this to draw tourism , changing this not to be the gateway to the Amazon or the famous Galápagos Islands but an attractable place to stay and have fun.
What I will remember most of the area is the people of this area, they are very humble, and really want to show you hospitality. Cultures such as Westerners, Europeans & Asians can learn allot from how they treat people and make them want to come live here. Words can’t describe all the love and concern the people show especially the brothers and sisters from the country.
The 24 International Conventions going on around the earth is what brought us here and 6-7 months ago I never heard of this city but what we experienced this week our family will never forget the special memories.
What is so amazing is this International Convention is historic. The city has never hosted such a large event and the city leaders doubted that it could be pulled off. The Convention was such a success it will probably want to be copied by commercial corporations and event planers, but will never have the real force that made it happen. Peak attendance was 53000 on Sunday, 702 was baptized, 25 plus countries attended – 200 plus buses navigated the small streets all on different routes that took in effect of very congested hours, hotels where booked to the max, 13000 Brothers and Sisters volunteered from around this small country – A real logistic masterpiece took place.
Off to the country of Peru – more south we go
We flew in to the Capitol city Lima , this large city (10+Mil) on the PacIfic Ocean has a more European vibe than the previous city, we stayed one night, then off to Cusco the gateway to Machu Pechu , Cusco is unique in that it is so high in elevation 11300ft and a very large city with a historical city center that dates back hundreds of years before automobiles where invented so the streets are very small, a European feel. Interestingly the flight and most flights pressurize the cabin at 8k , so when we descended in to Cusco the pressure is raised to 11k to acclimate.
Sacred Valley and Machu Pechu – here we go, this is where it’s gets interesting, the journey requires a taxi, a train ride, a Bus ride and a hike at 9k ft. As you make this trek you understand why its a journey. Sacred valley is more like a gorge, steep cliffs, a beautiful river , your at 10k and the mountains go up to 16-19k feet , as you go to village to village the streets are cobblestone , some are dirt and small , this takes you time, but very interesting and dates you back in time.
So why would anyone go to Machu Pechu , it’s been a mystery how the Inca empire built this city , worship place so high in the Andes , they built it out of mega ton rocks with no modern type of equipment – the car size stones or larger fit perfectly together , some stones moved here from miles away. The vertical cliffs along with the Amazon climate make the a beautiful special place. The mystery wonders on in your head as you try to figure out how they did this some 500 years ago.
Edited with mobile phone
Photos –
All Photos (150) https://brocprice.smugmug.com/Travel/South-America-2019
Wine Making In Paso 🍇
We say “Wine Making”, the better word might be “Wine Tasting” but what ever you call it, all seem to agree that we can enjoy both. One great benefit living in Kern is, the short hour and half drive to some of the best wineries in the world. Paso Robles has been developing over the years into community of agriculture, vintners and consumers of this fine fermented drink. 🍷
We took a day with some good friends and they escorted us to some nicest Winery Estates in the Paso region, we had a chance to drop by Bianchi, Sculpterra, Rava, Midnight , & the Castle like Tooth & Nail winery .
When you decide to make the day trip, find someone that knows the area and love this fine art of making wine, We appreciate the Hoffman’s that showed us much hospitality and shared there partnership (Membership) with these great wineries
The Winery’s that we visited was out of this world in style , uniqueness and distinctive in experience, we cant wait until we get a chance to go again. They report that there is over 300 Winery’s in this region, we knocked out five.
I think we can say we Love Wine tasting and learning about Wine Making. 🍷
Scupterra Augmented Reality Labels
Pacific Ocean Meets Land
For sure there is one thing about living in central California is the close proximity to Mountains and great Beaches . One great beach that is only a few easy driving miles away it’s called Avila beach
One of the great experience is to enjoy the Ocean air and experience the coastal culture which consist of taking hikes to view and smell the Ocean air and enjoy the seafood in the restaurants
One great place we discovered in Avila area was a great boutique Hotel named La Fonda
“Hotel La Fonda Avila Beach”
This small 28 room hotel is a few blocks to the Beach and booking off peak time you get amazing deals on rooms that normally would be out of reach to most families , the room that we was fortunate to book was the Owners suite. This fine room is like a condo but the benefit of being exposed to the boutique experience.
Baylee in the Light “La Fonda Suite”
Experiences of this style of hotel is Hospitality hours throughout the day , you wake up smelling homemade French croissants and hot craft coffee. Complementary to all guest.
“Boutique experience”
Other boutique experiences includes Lunch with Tacos and Beer, At the 5 o’clock hour there is wine and beer by the hotel fireplace. When you want to explore there is a fish market by the Port San Luis pier and great breweries in the area. Two notable breweries 25 miles away in the Famous town of Paso Robles is Firestone and Barrel House.
We had an opportunity to enjoy the very Famous Brewery named Firestone Walker Brewery of Paso Robles , this Brewery that’s been around for some 20 years has had great success. Cool facts about the Brewery is the great grand father of Adam was the owner of Firestone tires in the first part of the century. Firestone has one of the best barrel aging programs in the world. (i.e. BarrelWorks)
The Central Valley is a great place to live, especially if you have a chance to see the mountains or visit the great Pacific area
“Great place to Live”