Lazarus

My Blackberry rose from the ashes and it appears it is alive again. Always a fear when you use an electricity transformer. Remember how we blew out the nebulizer in Amalfi? close call yesterday. When we went to get on bus for a 7 hour trip from Santaigo Chile over the Andes to Mendoza Argentina, they didn't want to let me on because I didn't have a tourist card. Which they never gave me at the airport. Although my passport was stamped, and stapled to it was a receipt for paying $140 entry fee to Chile good for 10 years. They said customs might not let ME out of the country. But the customs guy's girlfriend was from Nebraska, he visited Long Island last Summer. He gave me a break. This town (Mendoza) is magical. All the streets are tunnels covered by trees! House is about 150 years old. Beautiful covered porch- old school. Big single room living room/kitchen, WiFi, bedroom, very old bathroom. Owner is very artistic and window shutters and even the shower door are scavenged antique pieces. After Santiago, the powerful air conditioner is appreciated. But it is Argentina so it took 3 very nice guys about 75 minutes to rent us the car. And although hertz was in the central part of Mendoza, they use the same street name in: the city, and all the surrounding suburbs. So although the cab driver from bus station wasn't trying to rip us off we took a tour and when we get to the address, it's some guys house. My phone battery had died, so we ring the house bell, guy looks over from the rooftop, speaks a little English, calls Hertz sends us on our way. Plus instead of running to Stewarts to get the morning papers and coffee, I go to a shady beautiful outdoor cafe, read the baseball stories on The IPad (NYPost). and since they have better cell coverage, download Daily News and Boston Globe onto Kindle. I brought a well insulated starbucks big coffee cup so although they didn't have cafe cortado a lever I got them to dump 2 cups in there for Kate. I am still thwarted in setting up google blog, once BBerry is charged up I'll try again with Kerry's instructions. PS this is a gated little compound, a remote control opens the driveway door. Only time I worry about security is the moving bus trips. In those cases I have on 2 Nataional Geographic security sox, with little zipper pockets for US dollars, and another $900 in my LLBean money belt. The Argentines want to be paid balance for apaarmetnts/ houses in US$- their inflation rate is 24%. PPS Santiago was great. Beautiful apartment- only drawback was AC only in bedroom and very hot in living room from 1 pm to 5 pm, but after first day, we were never inside in those times. Subways very clean, and cheap. Went to a craft fair in an 16th century Dominican mission, beautiful stuff. Took the funicular to highest point in City, rode up by chance in same car Pope John 23rd took. Statue of Virgin Mary at the summit. Killed them at race track, got to use my translator app three races in a row to say to betting clerk "I'd like to cash this and bet against it". Left with a $68 profit. Went to central market and a pretty funny wine tour at Conch Y Toro. Only tourists to get there via subway then a public bus. This will be redundant if I can get blog set up but I wanted you guys to know what is going on. We leave Saturday via overnight 20 hour bus to Bariloche. Buses are good. Seats recline all the way, they have TV like on a plane and a bar. Adios from us. -- We are traveling in Chile and Argentina 2/3 to 3/16