Buenos Aires

Sadly, awake again at 3 a.m. (Ugh!). Wind is up outside & have had to close the shutters of the window. There is music, the sound of drums, the low hum of people talking in the street, a party in progress somewhere. Hopefully Kathryn & Regis are tucked up in bed by now: their plane arrived from Panama about 1 a.m.

Bumpy flight this morning in from Iguazú. We had a lovely leisurely breakfast and spent a wonderful hour walking the circuits of the falls before leaving. It was a lovely morning: sunshine, crisp & clear. We paid a small fortune for this accommodation within the parque nacional but nothing beats the convenience of stepping out the door early & having the circuit walks to the falls on your own (almost) - before the crowds arrive.

Fantastic to see the falls in all conditions. We met up with this little fella, the coati:

I liked the email from a friend (Sandy R.) overnight in which she told me that Eleanor Roosevelt apparently said when she saw the Iguacú Falls: "Poor Niagara !!!" So true.

By the time we reached the airport, the weather had come in dull & it was looking like rain once more. In Buenos Aires, our driver at the airport there told us it had been raining heavily for 3 days. The evidence was there with huge puddles & everything quite drenched but we are very lucky & have arrived in sunshine & it is quite warm - probably mid 20s.

We reached our lovely B&B in the leafy suburb of Palermo. A private home that is an absolute haven away from the noise & the goings-on outside the (locked!) front gate.

Yes, security is an issue here; we have been much warned. Robert our host tells us that Argentina is in economic crisis having been ruled in default of its debt in July and with 40% inflation; many are desperate for a change in leadership at the next elections. There are those without money - and those with (but they don't keep their money here in Argentina!). This is a good read:

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21596582-one-hundred-years-ago-argentina-was-future-what-went-wrong-century-decline

We set off immediately to re-charge our supply of Argentinian pesos on the black market. With the peso in free-fall the 'dolar blue' as it is called can be purchased at nearly double the official rate offered by the banks. With the $US exchanging at 8.5 we obtained it at 13.5; you can probably get better, but hey! who's squabbling??? That takes the cost of a leather handbag down from $125 to $75 roughly.

We found the informal "bank", a plain little office behind a grilled gate. We carefully checked the watermarks & a couple of other markers of counterfeits that we were told about by a young woman also buying currency there & she affirmed that this was a "good" office; we were pleased to avoid the cambio touts on the streets.

From here we walked to the nearby Rosedal: a beautiful rose garden with pergolas & a lake. The roses are out right now & everything looked lovely in the late afternoon sun.

Even though it was by now about 4:30 p.m., fortunately MALBA doesn't close until 8:00 p.m. so a long walk brought us there where we rested our weary legs & fortified ourselves at the chic cafe attached to the museo with a red wine (vino tinto: malbec of course) for me & a cerveza (beer) for My Friend before embarking on the exhibition.

MALBA is the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires with major works by Latin American masters including Xu Solar, Diego Rivera, Antonio Berni, Frida Kahlo and Jorge de la Vega. It currently has a wonderful exhibition of Antonio Berni featuring 2 of his famous characters Juanito & Ramona. Wonderful, especially his style of print-making: xylo-collage-relief. Wow, wow, wow!!!! My Friend took this:

Read more at:
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/173513/berni’s-characters-star-in-malba-show

The permanent collection was good too, 3 standouts being a Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait with Parrot & Monkey" (1942), Fernando Botero's Los Viudos ("The Widowers") 1968)) and Berni's wonderful Manifestación ("Public Demonstration") (1934).

Took a taxi home as we didn't have coin for the bus. Crashed into bed.

Food updated

For a Special Friend reading my blog back in Oz at 5:00 a.m.!!

This is reviro: like a fried cake & is typical of the Argentinean misiones (province) that Iguazú is part of (bounded by Paraquay to the north-west & Brazil to the north). The food on the left is ticuey but I can't find it on Google: it was like minced steak.

 

Iguazú - Day 2

Up early despite not getting to bed until after midnight due to wi-fi dropping in & out whilst I tried to do check-in for Friday's flight to Buenos Aires...

We had a yummy relaxing breakfast at 6:30 a.m. & were out early onto a 7 km walk (return) - the Sendero Macuco - through rainforest to a waterfall, Arroyo Arrechea. The predicted overnight thunderstorm had not eventuated so we had a lovely morning accompanied by monkeys (Cebus nigritus), birds & the most glorious butterflies: the path dappled in sunlight filtered through the tall canopy. We had the place almost to ourselves due to our early start & met crowds of people on the way back out.

We felt quite 'pooped' at the end - possibly the heat. It has since started to rain so we are enjoying our lovely hotel facilities & relaxing until possibly going for a walk to the main falls much later in the day when it is cooler & people have started to leave the park.

Actually, we ended up with a change of plan. The weather seemed to clear (as it turned out, it was only a break between showers) & we decided to ‘take a punt’ & do the circuits to the falls. DEET'd ourselves up against the mozzies, plus water to drink & set off.

It was a good call as, even though it rained on & off, we were well protected by our ponchos & umbrellas; besides, we had the place pretty much to ourselves until a little later and it was cool & refreshing. Afterall, what is a rainforest without rain?

Hey, a selfie!! (No-one else in sight!).

We had a delightful time walking the trails. The falls were amazing & the trails take you up right close & over the top as well. We walked & walked; then took the little train to the main station at the park entrance & returned to our hotel along the Sendero Verde just as another storm moved in. The light was by now quickly fading too even though it was only 4:00 p.m.

All in all, a very good day: 17 kms walking for the day.

Iguazú Falls

Taxi ride through Rio this morning was slow at first: people were busy getting to work. The morning was lovely: clear & cool. All things considered we made it to the airport in good time. There were many, many flights requiring processing so the queue was somewhat slow.

Flight was a re-cap of what we'd seen over the past couple of days as it took off over Rio: the beaches, Sugarloaf.

As we approached close to the Brazilian side of Iguaçu (as it is spelt there), the landscape changed from open countryside to thick rainforest with a huge dirty brown river meandering through it. It was hot & humid. A little time was spent re-negotiating with our driver what had already been negotiated. It seemed to us he just really didn't want to be bothered with the drive out to Itaipu Dam which was what we had arranged. He tried to tell us we couldn't do that AND the Brazilian side of the falls.

But we could; and we did.

The dam is a HUGE hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay; in fact it is the second largest in the world after the Three Gorges dam in China.

The tour was interesting but could have been tighter: less waiting around for people to take their selfies would help.

We returned to our driver who I think was snoozing between assignments - don't blame him: it IS hot (!!) -  & he pushed the boundaries of the speed limits (I think he wanted to get home) to take us to the Brazilian side of the falls. Nevertheless, despite having to put the agenda straight with him initially, Enzo maintained a friendly attitude throughout the day & we had no complaints. He certainly saved us a lot of time & hassle.

The falls were fantastic. No doubt about that. Definitely not disappointed. Getting there mid-afternoon was probably a better time anyway than had we gone there straight from the airport as it was very hot (mid 30s) & humid. So the day was starting to cool a tad (a very small tad). We enjoyed the walk from the last bus station to the main falls, huge lizards sliding out of the way as we went & the famous Devil's Throat Falls at the end thundered down sending drenching spray everywhere which was very refreshing!

Another fast-paced drive brought us firstly to the Brazilian passport control which Enzo went & dealt with for us; a further drive on across the border brought us to the Argentinian side; the queues were long but again, Enzo massaged our way through this too. A final rapid drive brought us to the entry gates for the Iguazú National Park where once more we were processed efficiently because Enzo knew what had to be done: guests staying in the park have tickets that allow them multiple accesses in & out.

We wasted no time on arrival; it was nearly 6 p.m. (1 hour difference from Brazil) & we made haste for the pool for a quick dip & an expensive drink before the light disappeared off the falls for the day.

Nice view from our bedroom window!

Thunderstorms predicted for the next couple of days ....

 

 

Last day in Rio

We had a later start today, caught up on ourselves. Sitting on the balcony watching the sun come up & reading or blogging in the cool of the morning has been a real joy.

After a leisurely breakfast we took the local bus to the Centro area.

Here we happened upon the grand Municipal Theatre in the major square of Cinelândia & which just happened to be offering guided tours; after navigating the ticket system guided by the very helpful staff & in a mixture of English contributions from several of them, we went off to find a famous Colombo cafe & again were assisted by a delightful young man who walked us a city block to ensure we got there.

ThIs is another of those must-do's: the Confeitaria Colombo is a wonderful turn-of-the-(20th) century, belle epoque building that was Rio's pre-eminent café, the site of elaborate balls, afternoon teas for upper-class senhoras, and a centre of political intrigue and gossip. There are enormous mirrors from Belgium, stained glass from France and tiles from Portugal.

We again negotiated the purchasing system & enjoyed a coffee & yummy sweet delights. We managed to nevertheless ‘stuff up’ the order & got only one coffee but I had made a New Friend of a local woman also having a coffee & - in broken English - we all solved the issue: this involved the young man behind the counter relaying to her what the problem was, her translating that to me, my re-ordering said coffee; & my New Friend translating back the solution to the young man - who gave the universal thumbs up!

We returned to the Teatro Municipal for our allotted tour time & spent a delightful hour being shown over the magnificently restored building which is regarded as one of the most important & beautiful theatres in the country. Designed in an eclectic style inspired by the Paris Opera of Charles Garnier, the restoration cost $US40 million & took only a breath-taking 3 years.

Afterwards we wandered around the Centro getting somewhat lost. We found the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian: a monstrously ugly concrete structure some describe as being like an upturned bucket which is perhaps a bit unfair when one finds out that the architecture is based on the Mayan style of pyramids; in fact, the interior is beautiful, spacious & relaxing.

A quick trip by metro took us to Copacabana beach where we relaxed on the sand & watched the antics of some of the local vendors selling beach balls, hammocks, scarves, coconut drinks, beers, etc.; & others lathering themselves in coconut oil & sunbathing; others playing soccer.

Our final port of call was Sugarloaf Mountain (Pào do Açúcar), on every traveller's checklist for Rio. We took the cable car to the top (220 m) & watched the late evening light pass over the city. Great 360 degree views including across Guanabara Bay to the city of Niteroi.

At the bottom we walked a short way to Praia Vermelha (Red Beach), a small & pretty beach especially at the time we were there - in the late afternoon light. Then a bus back to Glória & a longer wait today for the Combi van up to Santa Teresa. We packed for our flight in the morning & returned to Simplesmente for another of their great pizzas. I was almost asleep on my feet having been awake since about 4:00 a.m.

So comes to an end our stay in Rio. We both have said that our enjoyment of this city has been a tribute to the people themselves. We have remarked on their kindness & helpfulness.

We have particularly enjoyed our stay in Santa Teresa - up in this hilltop almost-favela neighbourhood - away from the glitz but so close to everything at the same time. Our proprietor, Olindo, has been like a friend. He was saying to us how the loss of their tram (bonde) in an accident in 2011 has been a setback to all businesses in the district, and also diminished the character of the area. This tram linked this isolated, very Latin American district with the trendier areas like Lapa until the derailment which killed 5 & injured many others. It was supposed to be repaired by 2014 but this looks a long way off judging by the slow progress of work we saw.

We have enjoyed our stay.

Jardim Botânico - Rio

 

 

Fighting the gremlins: first full day in Rio

The IT stuff is enough to do one's head in. A case of when it is good, it is good; but when it is bad it is rotten. Anyway, resolved not to let it interfere with holiday & shelved it until end of the day (mind you, when one is knackered, one is not at one’s best for problem-solving - just great gnashing of teeth & tearing one's hair out).

This is where My Friend comes into his own & I left him to it & went to bed. Between him, Mr Google & Mr Lance from Blogsy we - woops, he - has tackled & appears to have resolved most of it overnight (that is, when I looked at it when I was woken by Mr Mosquito buzzing in my ear at 4.30 a.m. this morning): viz. the Optus non-email, Blogsy photo upload, & Dropbox sync issues.

So I am back online, and have spent the morning backing up Dropbox itinerary file into Calvetica diary just to be sure, to be sure - whilst waiting for my portable kettle to boil (it's taking 1 hour on our Brazilian power adaptor - truly, 1 hour).

It is now 6 a.m. & I am sitting in hammock on verandah overlooking Rio. Yesterday - which is what I am summarising now (late! due to said IT nightmare above) - was a big day & we had a lot of fun.

We were up early (doh! - jetlag ...) & went for an interesting walk checking out our local neighbourhood. The neighbourhood varies from palatial mansions to the down-at-heel. The slum areas are known as favelas.

We are staying in Santa Teresa up in the hills: a bohemian quarter popular with artists & with lots of bars & restaurants.

There are great views over Rio like from our B&B which is a huge old home with a lovely patio where we had breakfast after our walk & looked out over the city.

As we walked along, tiny monkeys chattered overhead, running along the electricity cables & ducking for cover as required into trees. Very cute.

After our early morning explore in the pleasant coolness, we had a nice brekky at our B&B and then set off on foot for the nearby Escadaria Selarón: a set of world-famous steps, the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as "my tribute to the Brazilian people". I had been looking forward to these & they did not disappoint.

We then took a taxi (which saved us time & hassle on public transport) to Corcavado to take the funicular train up to the famous Christ the Redeemer, another ‘must-do’ on the tourist agenda in Rio. We had to wait for 2 trains such was the crowd but I'm told you can wait 3 hours! We only had less than an hour & filled it in happily with a walk to a nearby cafe where we had an expresso & little sweet cake plus My Friend had una cerverza (a beer).

Corcavado is a really steep granite peak 710 m high. The train takes you up through the Tijuca Forest & at the top are views all over Rio including to Sugarloaf & the beaches beyond. The imposing Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue created by French sculptor Paul Landowski & the number of tourists posing with out-stretched arms for selfies was breath-taking in its stupidity. Am I just getting old, or what? What is it with these selfies? I come to take photos of the sites; they come to take photos of themselves! The crowd was extremely pushy onto the train but we were lucky to get good seats both ways - with views.

My Friend took this pikky; very good!

Down below again, we took another taxi for yet another long journey to the Zona Sul area to visit the Jardim Botânico where we enjoyed a lovely few hours looking at lovely plants, flowers, fountains. The gardens were founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal, just three months after the Portuguese court moved to Brazil as Napoleon threatened to invade Portugal.

Oh, and we saw toucans. Wonderful!

Another taxi zipped us across the city to our last port of call: the beaches. I was aiming specifically for Aproador. This is a famous set of rocks or headland between the 2 famous beaches: Ipanema & Copacabana. It is also a popular surfing spot as there are good wave breaks here,

We got our driver to drop us off a bit before & we walked along the promenade amongst other walkers with joggers & cyclists zipping by. We stopped for a drink at one of the many bars but this one wouldn’t make the Caipirinha I wanted - without ice. So we moved to another bar, although My Friend decidedly looked like he did not want to move. (Postcript: Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail).

We continued on further & found another bar on the beach attached to a flash hotel with prices to match but got a REAL Caipirinha. In fact it was such the real deal that it nearly knocked me off my perch & it took a litre of water (drunk, not poured on top of me) to 1) dilute the alcohol coursing through my veins 2) to resync my brain & legs so that we could continue on!

Spent a very pleasant hour watching the world go by in all its shapes, sizes & colours (including one woman my age in a G-string bikini dimples & all: nearly blew our minds away at her self-assured indifference) & the waves crashing on the beach; My Friend says I was 'out to it' for 15 minutes...

We took our shoes off & walked along the beach & in the water to the Aproador & the shadows of the day grew longer. We had a really lovely time looking at the views both ways with Ipanema Beach backdropped by the peaks of Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers) on one side, and Copacabana on the other.

We tackled the Metro system back to the suburb of Glória at the base of the hill of our suburb, Santa Teresa, & noted how strangers stopped to ask if we needed help whenever we looked perplexed. We then had the final excitement of the return journey back to our B&B in the ancient Kombi van in our neighbourhood, Glória, that our Olindo had told us was the best way to get home.

My Friend says we walked 17 kms today. And the taxis were a godsend, saving time & hassle!

 

 

Arrival into Rio de Janeiro

All flights went to plan, thank goodness. Met at airport by driver pre-arranged by our accommodation & had a Formula One ride from one end of the city to the other, along freeways, over bridges, past ports. Rain falling lightly & our driver nattering on. We surrendered ourselves up to his driving skills (?) relieved that we didn't have to deal with the traffic.

The city was lit up with lights - it now being dark - and we had a hairy drive up to our B&B along slippery, cobblestoned streets meeting cars head-on as we rounded the corners. The hills finally defeated our driver - or his car, I'm not sure which - and he beat a retreat all the way back down & tackled it again along another set of what seemed like equally steep & slippery streets.

Anyway, we duly arrived much bemused & were met by the kind Olindo with a large umbrella; fortunately the señors carried our luggage up the stairs. We were given the local run-down by Olindo & we took off down the dark & narrow streets & sets of stairs to find a place to eat. The food was yummy & the atmosphere buzzy at Simplesmente. It was fun to be part of the crowd & soaking up the excitement post the Elections that had been held that day.

Apparently President Dilma Rousseff narrowly won re-election and the papers have headlined: "Brazil stock market, currency down after election".

Crashed into bed.

We are off - at last!!

Sunday 26 October
I am writing this as we are high above the clouds (at 37000 feet) over the Pacific Ocean between Auckland & Santiago (de Chile). We left Melbourne this morning at 8:20 a.m. after our delightfully early arrival there at 5:30 a.m.; and after a last-minute ditching of stuff from my suitcase at Alison's to lighten the load: I have been loaded up with gifts (which has added a few kilos to my load...) for Kathryn who we are planning to meet (with her partner Regis) in Buenos Aires in a week.

We recently joined Qantas Club in deference to us being older travellers requiring some comforts & thoroughly enjoyed the facilities both in Melbourne & Auckland to which we flew first. The Emirates out of Melbourne was a 380 Airbus which was comfortable with indifferent staff - not an inducement to fly long-haul with Emirates. The rather tired-looking 340 LAN flight on the longer 12-hour (!) leg from Auckland to Santiago nevertheless had pleasant, attentive staff.

I watched a movie "Happy Christmas" which is not so very much about Xmas but about a sister coming to live with her brother & his wife & the complications that arise. I chose it as a nod to Regis who hails from Chicago which is where the movie is set. I know nothing about Anna Kendrick - one of the leads - nor the other 3 main actors, but have to say it was very well acted.

So, recapping:
I finally packed on Friday night: too much stuff. We are arriving in Rio into 30 deg C (we have been having a taste of that the past week in Albury!) & in early November we'll be in the far South where the temperatures are 2 to 12 deg C. Hard to believe!

So we have clothes to cover the two extremes plus walking boots for our treks in the national parks. Heavy gear .. Ugh!

Two last-minute "mishap" stories against My Friend: I might as well get started! He was standing next to me at home as I packed my passport & other documents & when I retrieved my Yellow Fever card, I noticed his was still in the safe! THAT would have been interesting! No entry to Brazil: our destination.

And the 2nd one? Just before I walked out the door, I made myself lie on the floor to do the exercises & stretches I'd been promising to do all day & he said he'd wait in the car with the airconditioning on to cool it down, when I spied his money belt (with passport etc - all the essential documents ...!) lying on the lounge ...; if I hadn't stopped to do the stretches, we'd have gone to Melbourne with him thinking he had it with him! (David was almost prescient when he had said earlier: "I've got a feeling you are going to be back...").

It wasn't really a laughing matter but we had an anguished, nervous giggle together - and I thought there but for the grace of ...

Having trouble loading photos into Blogsy - not sure what the problem is yet.... And the IT gremlins seemed to have been busy today, scrambling Dropbox (which we noticed after we'd been scanned through security in Melbourne?? ...). Weird.

We eventually left Albury on Saturday afternoon & had a very pleasant evening with Alison who had a nice quiet & welcoming house for us - & we had an early night (!) for our early start in the morning.

Still Sunday
During the night we crossed the International Date Line somewhere over the Pacific & a new day dawned as we approached South America. Except the new day was Sunday all over again as we have lost a day as we travel east.

As the sun rose, I started to feel a little buzz of excitement: that the long planned trip was about to begin. South America here we come!

We arrived mid-morning into Santiago (the capital of Chile) and only had about an hour and a half to wait before boarding our 3rd and final flight. The city lies to the west of the Andes & we were treated to spectacular scenery as our flight took off over the snow-capped peaks poking through the thick white cotton-wool clouds which cast dark shadows over the deep, dry valleys below. We will return to this scenery - at ground level - towards the end of our trip when we cross the Andes by bus: going the opposite direction - east to west. 

It's a 4-hour flight from Santiago to Rio & it'll be good to get there after so many hours travelling; but it has been quite bearable in ‘sardine-class’ probably due to the journey being broken up into 3 flights.