"It was 20 Years Ago Today..."

Jan. 11, 1985: We left Vancouver BC airport for Buenos Aires. We flew via Lima, Peru where we had a long delay as another flight from Canada was meeting our plane and then the two flights were consolidating for the remainder of the trip. I had time to buy a tie emblazoned with a llama at the airport gift shop. Next stop, Santiago, Chile, where we had another stop but were not allowed off the plane. We arrived in Argentina in a total haze at some point on the 12th.

We traveled via bus, train and plane throughout Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil for the next 11 weeks. We wandered, went on beaches (carnival in Rio), talked to all sorts of people, ate all sorts of great food and just enjoyed exploring together until April. We learned of the 49ers Super Bowl win while talking to some locals on the beach in Punte del Este, Uruguay. There was no CNN to be found in South America, and English newspapers were near non-existent. We traveled light with no jewelry other than wooden wedding bands and a cheap watch. Given the impoverished conditions in Brazil, we knew it was wise to do what we could to not look like Americans flaunting their goods. We heard stories about muggings, robberies, etc in Rio and Sao Paulo… but they universally were in cases where people stupidly wore their Rolex ® watches on the beaches.

We have a million stories. Today, we’ll think of all of them. We’re now planning our next major dream trip. I can hardly wait.