Found South America Most Fascinating On His Travels

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30602, 19 November 1964, Page 22

Found South America Most Fascinating On His Travels

During the last four months and a half a young Christchurch man has been to every major land mass except Africa, but the only place he wants to revisit is South America. He is Mr Chris Arnesen, who works with the Government Tourist Bureau in Christchurch.

“South America is by far the most fascinating part of the world. I can’t understand why more New Zealanders don’t go there. They would find it more rewarding than Europe,” he said. He spent a little time in the Brazilian jungle and saw the vicious man-eating fish, the piranha in action. “They shot a small alligator and threw it into a pool of piranhas. Within a couple of minutes only the bones were left,” said Mr Arnesen. ,He said when cattle were moved from one ranch to another and it was necessary to cross a pool inhabited by the piranhas, a cow was cut out of the herd and sent into the water. The fish disposed of the cow in about 90 seconds but the rest of the herd get across safely. City Of Incas

While in Peru, Mr Arnesen was able to see Machupicchu, the lost city of the Incas. He flew there early one morning. Breakfast served on the aircraft had to be eaten quickly as the DC4 —an unpressurised plane—flew up to 25,000 feet to cross the Andes. Passengers sat with oxygen tubes in their mouths.

The plane landed in Cuzco.' The day was Sunday and market day. After the market a religious procession was held. Mr Arnesen said he was horrified to see beggars lining the route. They even entered the church during a wedding and begged among the guests. Machupicchu was about 80 miles from Cuzco and the distance was covered by a railcar which kept breaking down. Once the men had to get out and push it, he said. A feature of his trip was 10 days in Russia, spent mainly in Moscow. “I had no trouble going to Russia alone, although most people go there in groups. There were no restrictions apart from not being allowed to photograph Moscow airport which is used by the Air Force, and no-one wanted to know what I was doing,” he said. At the airport, Mr Arnesen was surprised to see women servicing the aircraft. He also met two students —an Armenian and a Pole—who were working as interpreters during their summer vacation. They showed him all over Moscow which had weather in the eighties while he was there. Expensive in U.S.S.R.

Visiting Russia was expensive, said Mr Arnesen. He had to allow himself about £l2 a day. Tourists employing a guide and a driver would find it dearer. “Intourist, the Government travel service was very efficient, but very dictatorial. I wanted to see Leningrad and was told I would have to have a car and a guide. However, a friend of a friend was driving a truck there and he gave us a ride. Coming back, we just went to the station and bought a ticket for a train without any trouble,” he said.

Mr Arnesen went to a collective farm which to him seemed primitive. “The husband, wife and children, as well as both sets of in-laws lived in the one house. Most slept in the one room. They were very hospitable people,” he said.

Consumer goods were expensive. Mr Arnesen said he was often approached by Russians asking if he had anything from the West to sell. However, he thought it wiser not to trade. “Queues are everywhere, even in front of street refrigerating machines dispensing beer,” he said.

However, culture was not expensive compared with London and New York. The best seats occupied by party leaders for the ballet were about 255, and circle seats were about 12s. “I went to the ballet almost every night,” he said. Mr Arnesen found the Russians very interested in the West but very proud of their country and its achievements. “They all seemed staunch Communists,” he said.

England was a disappointment. Mr Arnesen found that conditions were crowded and often dirty. New Zealand was fast loosing the good reputation it enjoyed because of the conduct of its young people. “Too many are going over there without enough money and are encroaching on hospitality and just bludging,” he said. Thick Steaks Speaking on the food he tried, Mr Arnesen said the best meat dishes he had were the thick steaks in Argentina. South American coffee was superb. The United States and Scandinavia supplied the best food, English food was most uninteresting while in Moscow the food was badly cooked and the variety was poor. Mr Arnesen is not enthusiastic about dog’s meat. “While I was in India I went to a cafe and ordered an Indian dish. The meat in it was so putrid that I asked what it was. I was told it was dog’s meat.” He ate roasted beetles in Brazil and found them “horrid." Hot goat’s milk in Peru was served with lumps of fat floating in it and was “nasty.”