One striking difference appears to be that there were no cities built of stone or brick in SEA while in South America there are plenty of ruins that have no religious or ritual significance. How true this is I don't really know but these are my impressions so far. I hope the series goes on to look at the mysterious cities of the Amazon mentioned by the Spanish but later dismissed as myth exaggeration, but are now being reassessed in the light of recent discoveries.
On a related topic here is an interesting piece about How the Sweet Potato Crossed the Pacific. Unfortunately you will need some kind of academic access to get it free. Or perhaps you have a friend who can get you a copy.
I'm still trying to get my house straight before I start work but have had a continual headache these last few days and that slows things down.
The Jakarta Floods do not seem to have had much coverage in the news here but they have caused an enormous amount of misery and damage. See Adam's photos on Facebook.
Now I have a house to clean, letters to write, my photos to organise, bills to pay and books to read. Where shall I start?
Last first I think.