Berlin, a few days after  reunification. Parts of the Wall still stand, soon to be chooped up into millions of tiny pieces for sale at $ 10 each.

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Spoils of the Cold War for the Western victors – the symbols of  non-existent East Germany – swept into the Dustbin of History.

The Dresden Cathedral, still blackened and destroyed by American bombing n 1945 – soon to be restored to its’ former glory.

The First Free Election in a United Germany.

The Reichstag – in 1990, still burned inside  -in 2000,  after restoration, was the seat of German power once again.

The River Spree.

The Trabi – a car that ran on a 2 stroke engine ( like that of a lawn mower ) and had a 15 year waiting list

On Saturday ,September 4th , ArcticTropic skied the slopes of Portillo in brilliant sunshine and then departed at mid-Day to cross the Argentine border,then descended the Andes to Mendoza.

ArcticTropic Director at the Cristo Redentor crossing from Chile to Argentina. In early September, at winter’s end , there are normally several meters of snow here. There was none ! While the winter of 2010 was one of the coldest, it was unfortunately one of the driest. The Chilean side had one third of the normal snowfall, which was enough for  great skiing, but in Argentina, heavy snow fell mainly on the flat deserts and pampas, not in the mountains. Some small ski areas never opened. For a more detailed view of the journey across the Andes go to  the ArcticTropic Blog archives for March,2008. In a few weeks the bog will be fully searchable.

The first leaves of Spring.

Best Steaks in The World – Bife de Chorizo at Don Mario’s in Mendoza.

I am now in Mendoza , Argentina. Beautiful Spring Day, sun blazing out of the North , nice cool dry breezes. Off to some vineyards now. Great shots of the Andes to be posted later.

On Saturday morning we drove one of the world’s best highways – Autopista 95 – 368 kilometers from Mexico City to Acapulco. We started from Cuernavaca, about 85 km from the DF. Because of the very high cost – over $55 to drive the whole length – few people can afford to use it , making the Autopista seem like a private highway. From the high cold Metropolis, to tropical Pacific beaches , through mountains,forests and desert – the entire trip takes about 3 .5 hours ( many people drive at well over 160 kph ) as opposed to 8 hours on the free highway. Due to YouTube upload problems, this is a video of a video.

Calatrava style bridges over the arroyos.

An old,but daring standby – the Acapulco Cliff Divers – this man is diving from 155 feet. The divers pray to statues of The Virgin beforehand. Due to YouTube upload problems, this is a video of a video.

Waves smash into sea caves.

A sunset horseback ride on the beach at Pie De La Cuesta, where we stayed at the very excellent Hotel Casa Blanca – whom we hope soon will be an ArcticTropic partner once booking begins in two weeks.

Pictures and video by Nicholas Zuver.

ArcticTropic has many adventure links in Mexico. Click HERE.

On Thursday morning a car was delivered to our hotel in Mexico City. After battling DF traffic for about an hour and a half, we were headed for Puebla on the Cuota – stopping for a late brunch in a high pass where the temperature was in the low 40s.

Puebla is very reminiscent of Spain. We explored the colonial churches and climbed Puebla Cathedral – a 400 year old tower that is 245 feet high. The tower is generally not open to the public – one must ask – it is a steep climb !

Hundreds of slippery steps !

For Mexican Adventure Travel – ArcticTropic offers direct links to destinations and soon – will offer direct booking !

This morning we hired a car to take us out to Teotihuacan – seat of the Aztec Empire. Above is the Templo del Sol. The weather was brisk – 60 at best, with some cold showers – but great viewing.

If you’re out of shape – this climb is not for you!

Teotihuacan Panorama

A Nest of Ferocious Fireants !

In the footsteps of Montezuma and Cortez !

A young Conquistador at the Templo de La Luna.

A steep climb. 45 degree angle.

An Ancient Cat.

New Excavation.

Late in the afternoon we went to the Zocalo to watch the Army lower the giant flag before sunset . It was not to be – Communist agitators had gathered at the front of the Palacio Nacional to block the troops – hoping for a confrontation. Riot police were at the ready. There was no trouble, however – rain dispersed the crowd .

Posing with Indian marchers.

In Mexico’s Geographic Center.

For over 35 Mexico Adventure destinations click HERE.

At Finca La Anita wine is handcrafted the old fashioned way. The Bodega has an excellent ,limited selection of Malbecs.

For over 50 Argentine Adventure destinations on Arctic Tropic click here.

After getting off the flight from Mendoza, I boarded the Santiago Metro to go off to a few meetings before heading back to Miami that night. The subway comes about every 45 seconds – much better than New York.Cost is 350 pesos – about 75 cents.

For over 70 Chilean Adventure destinations on Arctic Tropic click here.

Today was grey and rainy here in Buenos Aires , so I uploaded some pictures from my last trip here in November,2006. Featured: A cattle fair at La Rural – the big expo center on Santa Fe.

Steers patiently await the auction.

A few weeks later on the parilla.

For over 50 Argentine Adventure destinations on Arctic Tropic click here.

Sociedad Rural Library (ABOVE)

Argentina is still on Daylight Savings Time so the sun goes down about 8 O Clock.In fact this week The USA East Coast is three hours behind Buenos Aires time.On Sunday the USA goes one hour ahead for daylight time. Then NY will be only 2 hours behind BA. The following week Argentina turns their clocks back and the US East Coast will be only one hour behind.This shot was taken looking down Calle Lavalle from Avenida Florida at sunset. For over 50 Argentine Adventure destinations on Arctic Tropic click here.