Traveling

Photography / Traveling — No Comments
28
Feb 10

Thinking of Chile

I’m writing this post for those of you that are seeing images of Chile, in the wake of their 8.8 earthquake, and are getting the impression that Chile is some sort of broken down, ramshackle Latin American slum. Take a look at my photos of Chile on Flickr. You’ll get a different impression.

The Chilean city of Tongoy at sunset. Click this image to see more photos from my time in this beautiful country.

Chile is a gorgeous, very modern country with one of the most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere. Their police officers, or carabineros, are apparently the only ones in all of South America you can’t bribe. Chile is the home of amazing wine and phenomenal art and literature. They produce more copper than any other country on Earth.

Chile is physically gorgeous, a place of wonder for outdoorsy types. It contains a varied landscape, ranging from the driest desert in the world to the Andes (which you have to see to believe). The glaciers, lakes, islands, and the windswept plains of Patagonia are some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve seen.

I know Chile pretty well. Fresh out of college, I journeyed to Santiago for a once-in-a-lifetime photojournalism internship. I lived in the capital for seven months, worked alongside Chileans, and had the kind of access to high-level people and events only a member of the press can enjoy. I traveled from Puerto Williams, the southernmost settlement in the world, up to the Atacama desert in the north.

When I heard about the earthquake, that it was 250 times more powerful than the recent Haitian disaster yet with less than 1,000 deaths (so far), I was not surprised. It’s a testament to how much the Chileans have their shit together. I wasn’t surprised about the strength of the earthquake, since I had heard about the 9.0 record setter in 1960, and had experienced a minor quake myself. That particular tremor was small by Chilean standards – only a 5.4.

I’m hoping that in the aftermath of this disaster, the U.S. can repair its image in Latin America. In one of the darker corners of American history, the CIA helped overthrow the government of democratically elected Salvadore Allende. The result was the ascension of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which was replete with typical dictator things, like mass murder, torture, disappearances, and death camps. A lot of folks still were pretty peeved at the U.S. when I was there in 1997. I heard earful after earful of heated diatribes on U.S. foreign policy, as if I were in the foreign service or the official U.S. spokesperson.

So here’s a chance to hopefully make things right, or at least take some of the sting away for what America did to Chile nearly 40 years ago. Para mis amigos Chilenos, quiero que sepan que estamos pensando en Uds. Todo el mundo en los EEUU esta prestando atención a lo que pasó alla con este terremoto horrible. Estamos rezando por Uds. y les ofrecemos nuestra ayuda y apoyo en este momento difícil. Uds. No están solos, sus hermanos Yanquís estan preparado con manos abiertos.

Parenting / Traveling — 6 Comments
18
Feb 10

Advice on Doing Disney World with Small Kids from Someone Who’s Done It Dozens of Times

We live in Florida and are two and a half hours away from Disney World. We have seasonal passes that allow us to come and go as we please, and over the past couple of years have figured the park out cold. So we’re sharing what works and what doesn’t with small children, where to eat a good meal, and how to maximize time in the park without dealing with crowds.

Here’s the advice my wife gave to a friend in a recent email:

As far as Disney is concerned, here’s my input (based on about 15 trips in the last few years):

Staying at the Contemporary is key. It’s so easy to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom. I’d book a breakfast at the Crystal Palace one morning. It’s in the park, decent food, and it includes characters like Winnie the Pooh. The key is to get to the rides as early as possible. So if the park opens at 9am, I’d book an 8am breakfast so you can be among the first people to hit the rides. If you don’t choose to eat at the Crystal Palace, I’d still make a reservation there 30 minutes before the park opens. That way you can get into the park early and you can basically just wait for the rides to open.

Definitely go to Fantasy Land first. That’s where you’ll spend most of your time (Peter Pan, It’s a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, carousel, Dumbo, other kid-friendly rides.) Try to get on as many rides as possible as early as possible. By 1030 or 11am, it starts getting crowded.

Your kid will probably love the Buzz Lightyear ride in Tomorrowland. And, I kid you not, he might love the PeopleMover (also in Tomorrowland.) There is never a wait, but my kids love the people mover for some reason. There’s also the Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland and the Monsters Inc. show.

Oh, and the Pirates of the Caribbean is GREAT if he’s into pirates. It’s not too long of a line, and it’s a beautiful, long ride.

For lunch, we usually make a reservation at Tony’s Town Square. It’s decent Italian food right by the front entrance to the park. Tony’s is decent for dinner, too.

At 3pm is the Dreams parade, which is basically a 10 minute parade that includes all of the characters from Disney. We usually find a good place to watch it in Liberty Square.

Other options for food: In Tomorrowland, there’s a place called the Starlight something or other. It has Bay 1 (chicken dishes), Bay 2 (burgers), and Bay 3 (veggie options). It’s fast food (no reservations, just walk up to a counter), but very good. They have chicken fingers, hamburgers, and a really good veggie wrap. Chicken soup was great.

In the Contemporary Hotel, there’s Chef Mickeys. Terrible food, but the kids love it because Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc. all dance around while you eat. We’d book breakfast there early enough so that we’d still get to the park by the time it opens. I’ve never had lunch or dinner there, but it’s an option for both I think.

California Grill in the Contemporary is excellent, but very nice. Probably not what you’re looking for, but if you’re desperate for a good meal it’s worth checking out. (All restaurants, even the nice ones, have good kids menus).

1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian has a Mary Poppins breakfast and (I think) dinner if you need a change of pace.

Other than that, you’ll looking at mostly fast food in the park. The places get PACKED from 1130-230, so I’d eat early or late if possible.

Call 1-407-WDW-DINE to make dining reservations. And call me or email me if you have any other questions. I can tell you about Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM if need be, too.