| Experience South America |
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March 28-April 11, 2008
 Leaders: Edgar Stoesz and Wilmer Martin Our 2008 tour in South America includes the countries of Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. Some tour highlights include the spectacular Iguazu Falls in Brazil, visiting Mennonite colonies in the Paraguayan Chaco, experiencing Machu Picchu and the incredible rainforest in Peru with its exotic flowers and birds. Join Edgar Stoesz, former MCC South American director, and Wilmer Martin from TourMagination on this unique tour. Friday & Saturday, March 28 & 29 The group will gather in Miami on Friday evening for a late evening departure for Curitiba, Brazil. We will transfer planes in Sao Paulo on Saturday morning and continue on to Curitiba, a city of eclectic culture strongly influenced by Italian, German, Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. There should be some time to see a bit of the city before we arrive at our hotel where we will stay for two nights.  Iguazu Falls In Curitiba, we will attend a worship service and become acquainted with the people, churches and institutions of this thriving Mennonite community that had its origins in Russia. On Monday we will fly from Curitiba to Iguazu Falls situated between the countries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Tuesday & Wednesday, April 1 & 2 This morning we will have a guided tour of the spectacular Iguazu Falls. You will have some time to explore before we travel on to Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay. En route, we will stop at the leprosy hospital at Kilometer 81 where we will have our evening meal. Wednesday morning we will travel to Filadelfia in the Fernheim Colony of the Chaco where we will stay for three nights. We will have an afternoon tour of Filadelfia to learn about this colony and see how they live.  Learning about the Neuland Colony Today we will visit the Neuland and Menno colonies to learn about their church life, businesses, museums, schools, hospitals/retirement community, etc. After touring these colonies and having our noon meal at Neuland and evening meal at the Menno Colony, we will return to Filadelfia. On Friday we will go to Yalve Sanga where we will learn about the Indian culture and how they and the Mennonites relate together. After our visit, we will travel back to Asuncion. Saturday-Monday, April 5-7 We will have a city tour of Asuncion today, seeing Mennonite churches, businesses, schools and mission projects and learning about Paraguay’s capital city and its sites. Then on Sunday, we will fly to Santa Cruz and on to La Paz, Bolivia, where we will overnight. Monday morning we will have a flight to Cuzco, Peru. In the afternoon, we will have a city tour of Cuzco and tour Mennonite villages and farms to interact with Peruvian Mennonites.  Machu Picchu Today we will take a three and one-half hour scenic and relaxing train ride to Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.” You will enjoy seeing this ancient wonder of the world with a local English speaking guide. Before we take the train back to Cuzco on Wednesday afternoon, you will have time to explore the beautiful rainforest area surrounding our hotel in Machu Picchu. Do you want to go bird watching or take a walk in the forest to see the exotic flowers and orchids? Another option would be to explore the town of Machu Picchu with excellent shopping opportunities in Peruvian markets. Thursday & Friday, April 10 & 11 Today we will fly from Cuzco to Lima, Peru where we will transfer to our overnight flight back to Miami. Friday morning we will say our goodbyes and “God be with you till we meet again” and catch our connecting flights to our homes. Your Tour Leaders: Edgar Stoesz has rich first-hand knowledge of the Paraguayan Chaco from his dozen visits to the Chaco and has co-authored a book called Garden in the Wilderness on the Mennonite communities in the Paraguayan Chaco. He and Wilmer Martin, president and managing partner of TourMagination, will lead this tour to the fascinating countries of Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. They hope you will join them on this fourth tour they are leading together. For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . We would be happy to be of assistance. |
