HIGHLIGHTS OF CHILE & ARGENTINA:  JOURNEY FOR WOMEN ITINERARY:

OCTOBER 7, 2008
Board an overnight flight to Santiago, the capital city of Chile. Set in a ring of spectacular mountain peaks, the city was founded in 1541 by Spanish Captain Pedro de Valdivia and is nestled some 2,000 feet above sea level in Chile's great central valley. With five million inhabitants and a finely developed economy, Santiago offers all the amenities and excitement of any modern capital city but unlike most others, is blessed with a Mediterranean climate.  In flight

OCTOBER 8, 2008  Santiago
Travelers holding US, Canadian, Australian and Mexican passports are charged a "reciprocity fee" upon arrival in Chile. The fee must be paid to Immigration Agents at the reciprocity desk immediately as you enter Customs and Immigration. A voucher is affixed to your passport and is good for as long as your passport remains valid. The current fee is $131 for US nationals and can be paid in cash (US currency or Chilean Pesos) or with one of the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard or American Express. The fee is US $132 for Canadian nationals, US $56 for Australian nationals and US $15 for citizens of Mexico. Fees are subject to change.

Arrive this morning and transfer to your hotel where early check in is guaranteed. This afternoon join your fellow travellers for a comprehensive city tour. Begin with a drive through the main business district of Providencia en route to the city center, where you visit La Moneda, the Presidential Palace. Walk through the impressive building's exterior courtyards. From there it is a short ride to the Plaza de Armas (main square) and Santiago's Cathedral. Built over the course of 200 years and then rebuilt three times due to earthquake damage, the Cathedral is the religious and spiritual heart of the city. Continue to the Fashion Museum, located in the home of Jorgue Yarur, one of the pioneer businessmen of the Chilean textile industry. Pause to sample some of the different varieties of wines from the surrounding valleys of Maipo, Colchagua, Casablanca and Aconcagua during a tasting hosted by Mrs. Magda Saleh, one of the few women sommeliers in Chile. Then stop at San Cristobal Hill for a panoramic view of the city below. You may either return to your hotel or opt for an "after hours" visit to a handicraft market and a lapis lazuli shop. Dine tonight at one of the city's finest restaurants, Puerto Fuy.   Grand Hyatt Santiago (Grand Room) B, D

OCTOBER 9, 2008 Santiago
Participate in a unique hands-on culinary experience with Chilean chef Enrique and his Swedish wife Sophie. Join her for a shopping trip to a typical street market, where you meet Enrique and shop for local ingredients for lunch. Return to their apartment for an aperitif and appetizers, and follow Enrique to the kitchen to help prepare the meal. After lunch, you are given a copy of the recipes that you have helped prepare. Tonight visit one of Santiago's "hot spots" for cocktails and dinner.
Grand Hyatt Santiago (Grand Room) B, L, D

OCTOBER 10, 2008  Santiago/Valparaíso/Santiago
A scenic drive takes you through the coastal mountain range to picturesque Isla Negra to meet Ms. Charo Cofré, one of Chile's most famous folklore musicians and past winner of at the International Festival at Viña del Mar. Charo was close friends of Chile's Nobel Prize award-winning poet Pablo Neruda, and she provides unique insight into his life and legacy. She also invites you to her restaurant, La Candela, for a traditional Pisco Sour and snack as she performs a selection of traditional Chilean folk songs. Continue to Valparaíso, Chile's principal port and a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its historical importance, architectural layout and natural beauty. Observe the city's unique acensores (funiculars) that have been used since 1883 to carry the local people back and forth from the city to their hillside homes. Visit La Sebastiana, the residence of Chile's Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, to see keepsakes from his many travels and his extensive library. Then walk to the Valparaíso Foundation headquarters and meet with its founder, Todd Tempkin, an American poet. His foundation has played a major role in cultural redevelopment programs and in achieving World Heritage Site status for the city. Continue to the interconnecting Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre Hills, with winding roads, staircases and beautifully restored houses. Highlights include the Palacio Baburizza, an elegant art nouveau mansion that houses the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valparaíso and the Fundación Lukas, dedicated to the life, times and works of journalist and cartoonist Renzo Pecchenino, or "Lukas" as he was better known. Pause for lunch at Casa Higueras Hotel, where Mr. Tempkin reads some of Pablo Neruda's poetry. There is time to take in the views from the hotel's location on Cerro Alegre before returning to Santiago by funicular. Grand Hyatt Santiago (Grand Room) B, L

OCTOBER 11, 2008   Santiago/Chilean Lake District
Board a flight to Puerto Montt, the transport hub and access point to the southern Lake District of Chile. Settled by German colonists in the mid-19th century, the city is regarded as one of southern Chile's most important, and is easily identified by its middle-European architecture, with shingles, high-pitched roofs and ornate balconies. A brief city tour highlights the main square, the Angelmó Market, and the Mirador with a view of the Bay. Continue to Puerto Varas, a city that links Chile to Argentina's Patagonia region by means of the Lake Crossing. Architecture is reminiscent of the Black Forest, and its cuisine has German roots. After checking in to your hotel, drive to Frutillar on the edge of Llanquihue Lake. Pause for lunch and then attend a "tea tasting" at the Lavender Tea House in a local German settlement.
Hotel Cabañas del Lago (Superior Room) B, L,D

OCTOBER 12, 2008  Lake District/Bariloche, Argentina
As your bus crosses the Andes, you are rewarded by spectacular mountain scenery at every turn, passing several quaint villages. Stop to clear customs and immigration formalities and stop for lunch in Argentinean Patagonia. Dine in the midst of a beautiful Alpine landscape of snow-capped mountains and dense forest. You have time to browse through the shops and stroll the village streets before boarding a private boat Puerto Pañuelos on Nahuel Huapi Lake. Disembark on the shores of the Quetri-hué Peninsula and wander through the national forest, home of hundred-year-old trees that reach to heights of 65 feet or more. Observe the rare Arrayan tree, with cinnamon-colored bark that is cool to the touch, white leaves and purple fruit. It is said that Walt Disney was inspired by this wonderful place and the small Pudú-Pudú deer that abound here when creating the atmosphere for the movie Bambi. (Please note: The cruise is subject to weather conditions and port authority permission. If sailing is not possible, transfer overland to Puerto Pañuelos.) Continue to Bariloche, a scenic region known as "Little Switzerland," where nature blends rich greens and gentle blues in a myriad of streams and lakes framed by snow-capped peaks and lightly clouded skies. Check in to Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, one of South America's best-known and most unique hotels, located between Lake Moreno and Lake Nahuel Huapi with postcard views in every direction. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort (Lake View Room) B, L, D

OCTOBER 13, 2008  Bariloche
Get out your cameras because the scenery is incredible. Explore Bariloche and visit the Llao Llao peninsula, beautiful Lopez Bay and take a trip on the Cerro Campanario chairlift, offering spectacular views of the valley below. You have the afternoon on your own to continue your explorations or enjoy the resort's amenities, including a complimentary yoga class or spa treatment.
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort (Lake View Room) B, L

OCTOBER 14, 2008  Bariloche/Buenos Aires
Board an afternoon flight to Buenos Aires and transfer to your Art Deco hotel in the charming Retiro neighborhood. With an evening at leisure, you're free to discover the secrets of this vibrant, passionate city's diversity and cultural treasures.
Sofitel Buenos Aires (Deluxe Room) B

OCTOBER 15, 2008  Buenos Aires
This morning embark on a tour of cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. Known as the "Paris of South America," Buenos Aires is a fascinating city that even the most sophisticated European capitals envy. Visit some of the beautiful parks and gardens of Palermo, the old quarters of San Telmo, the colorful La Boca district, the bustling business center and the historical Government House. See some of the landmarks connected to the "Perónismo" legacy and the crucial political movement that helped shape the Argentina of today. Explore the fascinating Recoleta Cemetery where the elite of Buenos Aires have been laid to rest, including Eva Perón. Later, meet with dancers at Café Tortoni, Argentina's oldest café and learn some basic tango steps during a private lesson. This evening attend a tango performance in one of the most elegant venues of the city, in the Abasto neighborhood made famous by Carlos Gardel in tango's golden age.
Sofitel Buenos Aires (Deluxe Room) B, D

OCTOBER 16, 2008  Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a shopper's paradise and this morning, your personal shooper escorts you through the amazing shopping opportunites in Argentina´s capital city. From luxurious malls and boutiques to open air markets, select from traditional handicrafts, quality leather goods and exclusive jewelry, such as the rodocrista, a pink-to-ruby red semi-precious stone found only in Argentina. You're on your own this afternoon to continue exploring the neighborhoods. Stroll along the boulevards to admire the city's beautiful architecture, enjoy a drink at a traditional café or maybe visit the National Museum of Fine Arts or the Isaac Fernandez Blanco Museum of Spanish American Art. Gather with your fellow travellers tonight for cocktails and a farewell dinner.
Sofitel Buenos Aires (Deluxe Room) B, D

OCTOBER 17, 2008  Buenos Aires/USA or Canada
The day is at leisure until it's time to board your international departure flight tonight.
Sofitel Buenos Aires (dayroom) B

OCTOBER 18, 2008  USA or Canada
Arrive in the United States this morning and connect to your homebound flight.

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