Rio de Janeiro / pt 2 – Santa Teresa – Days 62 – 64

27th February – 1st March

The trip back from Ilha Grande to Rio was as expected, a hot, packed mini-bus stuck in traffic which ended up being a 5 hour door to door slog. Whilst not wanting our trip to end, we were hoping our last hotel in the Santa Teresa district of Rio would be something special as it was a generous wedding gift from Charlie’s sister Ali. Arriving at the swanky and aptly named Hotel Santa Teresa we caught the hotel staff off guard as we piled out of the random travellers mini-bus with our well worn and slightly whiffy travelling clothes and big rucksacks and into the contemporary designed air conditioned reception. Having checked in we were led to our room which opened up onto a garden balcony complete with hammock which Charlie soon made the most of.

View from our hotel over Rio

Having devoured our complimentary macaroons and completed a quick tour of the hotel we headed out to explore the neighbourhood and walked in the late afternoon sun to the Parque das Ruinas. The Parque itself is centred around an old mansion which used to be a meeting point for all the artists and intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s. Sadly the mansion is now just a shell but the place still holds plays in its grounds during the year and has a great view of the city below.

Ready for a pre-dinner drink we checked out the hotel bar (more great views!), ordering a Long Island Ice Tea and a Cuba Libre before heading into the small centre of Santa Teresa. We found a restaurant called Espirito Santa where we ate croquettes which were supposed to be picante but in fact were not spicy at all (a common theme of our ‘spicy’ food in South America – we can’t wait for a good curry when we get home!) and our final steaks of the trip before heading back to the hotel to get a nights rest before Carnaval kicked off!

With the Carmelitos bloco party not starting until 3pm we started off our day with breakfast at Cafecito. It overlooked the street and we could sense the anticipation in the air as everyone readied themselves for the party and many were already in fancy dress. Fully fed we headed to the nearby Lapa neighbourhood to see Escadaria Selaron, the result a chilean artists work who lived by the steps until he died last year and who, as the story goes, spent 20 years working on the tiled mosaic with people all over the world sending him pieces to add to his masterpiece on the 215 stairs.

Escadaria Selaron

Back at the hotel by 12 and determined to make the most of our stay at the hotel, we settled by the pool to top up the tan, have a beer and grab lunch before heading out to join the growing masses in the streets below. Stepping out of the gates, the neighbourhood had transformed itself from a sleepy village to a heaving mass of party goers, drinks in hand and ready to have some fun. We joined the crowd and went with the flow and headed to the small square to watch the mayhem unfold. Unlike street parties back home there was no organisation to setting out where to get together just loads of people invading the streets and dancing wherever there was space. Makeshift podiums were provided by the few van and bus drivers who were mad enough to try and drive though the crowds and didn’t appear to mind at all as revellers jumped up and down on top of the vehicles.

Santa Teresa bloco

Luckily we found a good spot and soon got chatting with a British couple, Nic and James who were on their holidays. They pointed out where the nearest street vendor was selling drinks and we fast got into rounds with them so we could all get into the spirit of the party. As every hour past, the scene got more and more crazy and lots of Brazilians tried to talk to us to tell us how proud they were of their city and were happy that people from other countries were there to join them too. Come early evening though, the crowds began to disperse, either with people already partied-out or moving onto other blocos in other neighbourhoods.

So it was in high spirits that we went for our final meal of more fish in Espirito Santa but this time with a DJ (who looked exactly like Billy Ocean) providing more carnival tunes – a great last evening of our awesome awesome trip 🙂

We were woken up at 6am to the sound of samba drums in the street and instantly realising our last day had dawned decided to get up. We had a brief swing in the hammock and wrote this blog (which has usually been written on buses and planes) before our packing up for the final time (didn’t take long, practice makes perfect). Not needing to leave until 6pm for our 10.30 flight, we headed back out into the crazy carnival streets. We had sandwiches and beer again at Cafecito surrounded by throngs of people in fancy dress, many of whom were just resting or topping up from the night before. Being a weekend, everyone was now out in force and after getting today’s fill of carnival feeling, we had to battle our way back to the hotel, past samba-dancing supermen, aliens and Mexican wrestlers.

11am carnival never sleeps

Once back at the pool, the party actually passed under our terrace so our last few hours were spent swaying to the drums followed by an early dinner on the pool side terrace washed down with champagne (courtesy of mum and dad fitzjohn). We toasted the end of great adventures talking already about where to go next – good times!

Finishing in style!

Ilha Grande – Days 56 – 62

21st – 27th February

On Friday, we reluctantly checked out of the Miramar, took some final pictures and were picked up for our transfer to the island at 10.30. Two hours later, having circled Copacabana within a 2 mile radius of our hotel several times over, we finally left town. Our bus was mainly made up of Europeans and we spent a fair bit of the two hour journey to the port chatting to two girls, Milly and Holly, from Clapham who had arrived on holiday the night before and who were getting some rest before Carnaval. Just as well as on the island we pretty much saw them every night! In sweltering heat we were then taken (after our relaxed-to-the-point-of-horizontal escort had picked up his lunch with everyone waiting and sweating with their backpacks in the baking sun) to our boat, the Aquaholic. An hour’s crossing and we we finally arrived on the island of Ilha Grande, surprised to see a bustling beachfront with a queue stretching down its length (not what we’d imagined for our idyllic island stay) but breathed a sigh of relief as we found out it was temporary traffic from a cruise ship anchored nearby for the day. As we learnt, things were a lot quieter after the weekend…

Alighting on the dock and a 100 meter walk later and we were at our beachfront Pousada – Recreio De Praia – and checked in for our six night stay (our longest of the trip!). Unpacked, we did a quick circuit of the small village – Abraao – before settling at a cafe/bar on the beach for Lula (lightly battered shrimps) and beer. The remainder of the afternoon was spent lazing around the pool before we showered and had a dinner of grilled fish (having had enough of steaks for a while) at a place on the beach where we were to become regulars (so much so the waitress chuckled every time she saw us coming).

And from there we settled easily into island life and the days fast merged into a blissful blur with our time on the island consisting of:
– Our daily stroll to the nearby Praia Preta beach for a couple of hours sunbathing and swimming in the cool sea (any more than 2 hours and it just got too hot though one day we did venture for a walk in the forest to see a natural pool and ruins of an old aqueduct.)

– Settling in poolside at the end of day one to grab what we thought would be a couple of hours sun before it set, only to find out it went down fast just after 5pm. In the following days we realised the best way to fill this pre-dinner period was with beer, crisps and books instead
– Listening to the hourly bells from the neighbouring church, except at noon and 6pm when it belted out a classical number

– Jason averaging 4 decent naps a days – it’s very tiring doing nothing. (Pictures available on request)
– Dining out on local dish moqueca (fish stew with rich and porridge). Delicious.

Moqueca

– Nightly entertainment listening to the samba drummer band in the little square, one bar playing a rather bizarre Brazilian version of Rod Stewarts ‘If you think I’m sexy and the wristband seller making the same bad joke every night
– Watching kids and adults gather each night to try and walk the tightrope between the palm trees. You could definitely spot the locals, their balance unaffected by the caipirinhas that everyone else (including us) were drinking

Caipirinhas

– Being followed down the road by a pack of dogs on our first night before they finally settled at our feet as we ate (first having peed against the seat)
– The crepe place being closed every time we’d geared up for having one (even on pancake day!) We felt obliged to squeeze one in on the final night
– Playing our wedding playlist for the first time since we’ve been away, only to realise it was exactly six months to the day since we got married!
– Tottering down the beach to have a rare late night out at the party (I.e. hostel) end of town, only to realise we only had enough cash for one drink each – though luckily the crazy brass band playing pop songs provided great entertainment. The only downside was listening to some very drunks Brits and a GAdventures tour guide talk rubbish
– And finally saying an emotional goodbye to the genuine Roy Bens sun glasses that Charlie had bought back in La Paz that fell apart with just five days to go, plus a lot of other (very smelly) clothes that had served us well on our travels but we had just got fed up of seeing each other in.

So on the final morning it was time to say goodbye to Ilha Grande and board the Aquaholic back to the mainland for the long slog by mini-bus back to Rio for our final few days.

Rio de Janeiro (pt 1 – Copacabana) – Days 53 – 55

18th – 20th February

Brazil at last, bitter sweet as it’s the final country of our South American adventure but what a place to finish!

Arriving in the dark (flight delays), we were greeted at the Miramar Windsor Hotel with champagne (no wonder it’s no. 1 on Trip Advisor) – and offered up a thank you to our wonderful wedding guests because they’re the reason we’ve been able to indulge ourselves these last few days! After a brief stop in our room (small but perfectly formed), we headed up to the 16th floor rooftop pool bar for a drink and a snack. There we caught our first magnificent view of the world famous Copacabana beachfront at night – sitting looking at all the lights and watching the waves crash into the shore felt both exciting and surreal!

Copacabana Beach by night

The following morning was overcast so we set out to familiarise ourselves with the local area and explore downtown Ipanema. We walked past the lake and looked up at the big Christ the Redeemer keeping watch over the city. We then walked along the beach as the clouds began to break. Each section of beach is marked as a ‘posto’ and each attracts different crowds from the athletic, the rich, the young and old and it was fun to see the different sections fill as we headed back to our beach front hotel wondering how we were going to find a spot. Luckily our no 1 hotel came to the rescue as they had a small marquee set up on the sand attended by a ‘beach guardian’ who promptly provided us with a spot complete with chairs, sun umbrellas, beach towels, cold wet towels and a fruit salad. What the hotel couldn’t provide, the beach vendors could, selling everything from sun glasses to jumbo prawns but sadly (and fortunately) no speedos for Jase. This finally felt like a relaxing honeymoon.

So enjoying the sun slightly longer than planned and sunset coming earlier than expected, we missed the opportunity to see any other sights so returned to our room and the very welcome sight of another bottle of champagne – a birthday gift from Charlie’s brother Noddy. We promptly took it up to the roof top bar and drank it, followed by our first cheeky Caipirinha (when in Rio…) before heading out to a recommended bar / restaurant ‘Caffe Felice’ in Ipanema for Thai Curry and sea food linguini washed down with another Caipirinha.

Another champagne treat for Charlie’s b’day courtesy of the Holders.

Rising early and after a hearty breakfast at the hotel we shared a cab with a Dutch couple we met in the queue outside the hotel who were also keen to see Christ the Redeemer. Fortunately the dutch lady turned out to be Portuguese so she quickly quizzed the driver who advised us not to get the tourist tram but to jump on a park bus that would take us right to the top. So, passing people waiting for the train we climbed the hill to see the 38m high gleaming white Cristo Redentor against clear blue skies and giving us awesome views over Rio, the harbour, Copacabana and the Maracana stadium, now ready for the 2014 World Cup.

With the crowds growing we scrummed for position to get the obligatory ‘outstretched’ arms shot before grabbing a drink with the Dutch couple and a taxi back to the hotel before heading straight back to Copacabana beach.

After a couple of hours sun plus a quick shower, we decided to make the most of the ideal sight-seeing weather and jumped into the hotel car to Sugar Loaf mountain to catch the sun set. Having speeded up the two cable cars to reach the summit, we were rewarded with views of Rio getting ready for the night as the sun went down behind Christ the Redeemer high on the other side of the city.

Views from Sugar Loaf Mountain

Returning back to the hotel, it was time for a final brief visit to the rooftop bar before dinner and a bit more people-watching. We were surprised at how much we’d liked Rio during this initial short stay and wondered if it would be the same/different when we returned for our final two days of our trip…and the first day of Carnival 2014! For now though, we’re leaving it to its preparations as we’re headed to the island of Ilha Grande for 5 days relaxing on the beach.

Buenos Aires – Days 48 – 53

13th – 18th February

After arriving back from Uruguay we checked into the Own Hotel in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires (BA) (for 5 nights! We actually unpacked!!!) and had our first welcome night in since starting our trip 45 days ago. Happily ensconced in our ‘apartment-style’ room, we settled back to watch a fairly rubbish Mission Impossible movie and raided the mini-bar for a little bottle of Sauvignon blanc.

On the Friday, we straight away got around to the business of exploring BA. We quickly worked out the pretty simple subway system and jumped on a train downtown to start a 6 hour self-styled tour of the city on foot taking in:
– The Plaza de Mayo and the Piramide de Mayo, the scene of the Madres de Mayo weekly demonstrations for those who disappeared during the 1976-83 dictatorship
– Casa Rosado – the presidential palace where Eva Peron addressed the crowds from the balcony (for anyone thinking of going, it was the one to the left not the middle one)
– Avenida de Mayo which took us to Plaza de Congreso and all the parliament buildings
– Plaza Lavalle and the impressive looking law courts, Palacio de Justicia
– Teatro Colon, the impressive looking opera house
– Obelisco – the iconic 67m tall centrepiece of BA intersecting Corrientes and Avenida 9 de Julio

Needing a rest, we found a table for a light lunch at Coffee Haus which was full of the local Portenos (the name for local people from Buenos Aires). We’d intended to replace roses for rosado wine in a nod to it being valentine’s day, but with none on the menu it was another bottle of sav blanc which then led to our lovely waiter giving us a free flan (creme caramel with dulce de leche) and two spoons!

Feeling suitably refreshed we then headed to the Recoleta area of the city where the rich people live and where Eva Peron is buried. The cemetery was like nothing we had ever seen before, more like a small city with its streets and several hundred large mausoleums.

To top off our day, we did the ‘must do’ BA activity and went to the Casa del Los Angelitos for a steak dinner and a live Tango show which featured 10 dancers, all with arms and legs everywhere and a bit of a blur given the speed at which they moved (Len from Strictly Come Dancing couldn’t have put that better!)

Another early start on Saturday saw us in San Telmo for a city bike tour with tour leader Stephen (backed up by crazy Ray) and a group of 7 Americans. Jumping on our bikes – Bazza and B – we embarked on a 7 hour ride stopping at many destinations, the new places we hadn’t already visited on foot being:
– Parque Lezama and the statue of General Mendoza (plus a dog so big it really could have been a horse!)
– La Bombonera (the chocolate box), the Bocas Juniors’ football stadium – which used to be a shared stadium until it was won by the Bocas after a big showdown with arch rivals River Plate (who now have a bigger stadium to the north of the city)
– The La Boca district which was the original port to the city and Caminato where the original inhabitants procured the paint to decorate this colourful neighbourhood (and where Jase desperately wanted his picture taken with a Maradona lookalike but he charged too much!)
– A monument under a bridge to the lost people who disappeared during the 1970s
– The vast ecological reserve in the middle of the city, created when the river was reclaimed by nature after a landfill project was abandoned
– Riverside street stalls where we had massive lomo and bondiola (pork) sandwiches for lunch
– Puerto Madero, an eerily quiet area of town, upmarket but largely uninhibited and the Puerte de la Mujer (the Woman’s Bridge) where everything on one side is named after women
– The university, the oldest and biggest in the country (as we said before, all for free!)
– Torre Monumental (formerly the English Tower until the 1982 conflict caused the Argentines to fall out with us re. Malvinas)
– Catedral Metropolitana – Papa Francis’s church before he became Pope

Returning to our hotel that evening we had a quick turnaround as we had a table booked at ‘closed door’ restaurant I-Latina (you have to book as they don’t allow people to walk in from the street) to start celebrating Charlie’s birthday 2 days early (no 1 restaurant in BA no less!). We were lucky that we had worked up a monster appetite because the only thing on the menu was a 7 course dinner. Each plate and ingredient was explained to us by the chef’s sister and each came with a wine to perfectly complement the food – delicious! At the end of the evening, there was another little surprise for Charlie as the chef came to our table, signed the menu, wished her happy birthday and introduced her to one of the waiters, Freddy, who proceeded to serenade her (at which point all the other tables stopped their conversations to listen and applaud!) A very lovely unexpected surprise to end the day.

Day 3, a Sunday, in BA and still no time for a rest as we headed out to our second tour of the weekend, a day with the Gauchos at an estancia outside of the city called Don Silvanos, a Christmas present from Noddy, Suzi and the family. Hitting downtown via subway for 9am we ran to the pick up point, only to find it all closed up. After 20 minutes anxiously wondering if we should in fact be at the other address on the itinerary (despite the fact our hotel had called to confirm) Jase headed off to find taxi drivers / hotel concierges who could help us check. 20 minutes later though and just as we were wondering how to break the news to the Holder family we hadn’t actually made it, our guide casually strolled up! We’d never been more relieved to sit in another bus seat.

Having picked up the last of the group, we headed out of town and into the Pampas region. After about an hour we arrived at our destination and were greeted with an empanada (delicious) and a glass of wine (pre midday again but we weren’t complaining). We then had free time to look round the grounds – our favourite sight was some stunted cows! – and to do some activities. We opted for the horse riding. Hoisted safely onto our slightly tired looking steeds, we set off on a 10 minute round route of the ranch…only Charlie’s horse finally decided it was all a bit much and just before the end put its front legs down followed by its back and proceeded to try and roll over! Needed to say, there was a fairly rapid, if slightly inelegant, dismount.

Not long after a bell rang loudly and all the guests (about 150) gathered inside for lunch. We were on a table with a lady from Australia/Canada (she couldn’t make up her mind), a guy from Atlanta, a German couple and two Austrians. This proved interesting during the entertainment as the singer tried to sing a song to represent every nationality in the room (we Brits got ‘Let it Be’ if you’re interested) although in the end he had to hand over the mike to the Indian and Syrian contingent and let them sing their own! Then, while we were being served up blood sausage, chicken and steak, there was singing and dancing from different regions of Argentina as well as more tango. This all culminated in a short tango lesson for selected members of the audience – including Jase!

After dessert (traditional flan and very sweet coffee) and a short-lived attempt to minesweep some wine from the numerous tables who’d left theirs (?), we were herded over to the Horse Show. Sat in the shade by the side of a field, we watched as two gauchos aimed to show off their skills – including how to catch an ostrich, choose a good horse (slalom and race), get your horse to trust you (to the point you can lie on it) and get a kiss from a lady (collect a small hook at speed). Luckily Charlie didn’t have to kiss one of them otherwise Jase, as her husband, would have had to have kissed the horse.

We then had a final pastry and sweet tea before heading back into town on the bus. As it was Sunday, the only day of the week when the famous antiques fair is on, we got dropped off in the San Telmo area. All down Calle Defensa, there was a huge market, the biggest we’ve ever seen, finally opening out into a square with all the antiques stalls. Apparently this is a legacy from when the area was evacuated by the rich that originally lived there because of a yellow fever outbreak; they just upped and moved to Recoleta, leaving all their furniture behind! Our favourite bit though was the little, free tango ‘shows’ that were going on – professional dances interspersed with the locals getting involved. So good to watch and was a great end to another long day.

Our final full day in BA – and Argentina – was Charlie’s birthday. And our real treat was our first proper lie in!! Utter bliss not to have to be up early for travel, a tour or to hotfoot it round a city. We eventually rocked up to breakfast at 11am (very pleased with our choice of hotel that served until midday) and were instantly greeted with rendition of happy birthday from the two staff and presented with a small millionaire shortbread cake and candle alongside our croissants!

After some birthday admin (including the opening of surprise cards that Jase had faithfully carried for the last 7 weeks!) and a minor kurfuffle (over laundry of all things), we set off on a deliberately leisurely day out. We walked down to Plaza Italia and then headed to look round the Japanese Garden before visiting the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). It had lots of really cool modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures in it and we spent a good couple of hours looking round.

To reward ourselves for our cultural efforts, we decided to walk past the Floralis Generica (a newer steel sculpture symbolising Hope) and into Recoleta to treat ourselves to some afternoon wine at THE bar to be seen (read: expensive hence the lack of lunch to go with it). We spent a very pleasant hour there before realising we had some walking to do to get back to the subway and that we were running out of time before dinner. Having dashed across town, we arrived back at our room to find a bottle of fizz awaiting us (courtesy of Daddy Holder!) plus a half bottle of red wine from the hotel to apologise for that morning’s laundry ‘misunderstanding’ (it was worth almost having no clean pants for Rio!) We drank the fizz whilst chatting and getting ready for our evening out – dinner at La Cabrera, our wedding present from Nay and Jimmy Dare!

Proving its immense popularity, the queue for the restaurant snaked all the way down the street – and that was for the people who had already booked! We eventually got seated and were introduced to our waiter – a man with not a word of English and quite a few years on him but who was super friendly and thankfully warned us by waving his arms around that the starters were big enough for two! We started with grilled provolone cheese and ham (broadly speaking Charlie ate the cheese and Jase the ham), followed by two big Ojo de Bife and Papas Fritas which came surrounded with lots of little pots containing garlic, red pepper sauce etc. Of course all accompanied by the obligatory bottle of Malbec. Good job there was a little walk back!

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay – Days 47 – 48

12th – 13th February

Having made our way speedily around the previous 5 cities in Argentina, arriving 2 days early in BA and on the advice of our new Uruguayan friend Juan Pablo de Marco (great name – should be president with a name like that), we booked ourselves on the ferry to Colonia Del Sacramento across the Rio de la Plata. The ferry terminal was super modern and spacious but both country’s passport controls were squashed in the same booth meaning the immigration officials were banging elbows as they went about their official business and the ink was still wet from our Argentinean exit stamp as we were granted entry to Uruguay.

After recent weeks spent mostly in cities, the historic town of Colonia provided a welcome change of gear as we walked in the blazing sun to the old town. It was distinctly sleepy with only a handful of people around amongst the many cafés, craft shops and abandoned vintage cars now turned pieces of art on the cobbled streets.

Leaving our B&B – Le Vrero (the 18th place we have stayed to date) – we took a short walk down the Main Street (stopping briefly for an unintentionally vast Milanesa lunch which, shock horror, we left most of), turned on up through the Plaza Mayor, meandered down side streets and took in the view from the harbour over to Buenos Aries in the distance. We then climbed the stairs of the small lighthouse on the edge of the town as the afternoon drifted by and the sun started to set.

For dinner we choose a cafe that stood out from the rest, not just for its name, El Drugstore, but also for its interior which was brightly decorated with random artwork on the walls (from the gallery just across the road) and an open kitchen. As we waited for our food we got chatting to an Columbian / Canadian couple – Mario and Laura-Lee – and spent the next 2 hours chatting about our respective trips, straining to be heard over one of the most unconvincing singers / guitarists ever (he read the words to each song from his karaoke machine whist occasionally strumming over the backing track). He even had the cheek to try and sell us his CDs which we all politely turned down. However, on the subject of tourists being singled out by locals to be pestered or sold tat, Mario gave us one word of advice when we visit Rio….we need to dress like the locals else we will receive a lot of unwelcome attention from sellers on the beach. So with 4 days to go until we arrive in Rio the big question is will Jason have time to find a suitably fine pair of skimpy speedos??

After a restless night sleep worrying about taking Mario’s advice and feeling the need for some exercise, we set off on a 5 mile round walk to the disused bull ring which was apparently only ever opened for 2 years in the early 1900’s. Upon arrival there was a big wire fence around the perimeter and big signs saying ‘Peligroso’ (Danger!) so of course, we proceeded to walk round it, found a big hole in the fence and followed a few other visitors who were climbing through to take a closer peek.

The abandoned bullring

And then it was back to town for final stroll to say goodbye to Colonia wishing we could have stayed longer and seen more of Uruguay before getting the ferry back to BA.

Buenos Aires (a quick stop over) – Day 46

11th February

We woke on our final morning in Iguazu a little heavy headed. Having had a meal the previous evening we decided to visit the hostel across from our hotel as the loud music had been keeping us awake for the previous 2 evenings. A totally different crowd (young travellers) sat outside nursing their drinks so we finished our stay listening to reggie music until 2am. With it being a hostel the wine list was limited so Charlie accepted a free pint of red served from a box (classy girl), free because the bar man decided it was too nasty (and was possibly too drunk on the stuff himself) to charge for it!

So leaving Iguazu and having enough of long bus journeys we took a flight to Buenos Aires (BA) arriving in disappointingly rainy weather, immediately putting paid to our plans to spend an afternoon enjoying park life. This time it was just a short stopover in the Palermo ‘Hollywood’ district of the city, so called because of the number of media companies in the area. In this respect, and with the maze of (somewhat dirty) streets, it was similar to London’s Soho area with lots of media types eating in the cafés and bars (rather than being at work – yes exactly the same as London). So with time to spare and under the steer of the excellent and informative Eddy at the Be Hollywood hotel where we stayed the night, we spent a few hours exploring the area before settling into a bar for happy hour of 2-for-1 G&Ts and cuba libras.

Now the food bit…

Keen for a change from red wine and steak we asked Eddy where was good to eat nearby as we were spoilt for choice. Eddy had the answer straight away and booked us a table at Osaka restaurant nearby informing us it was the best place for Sushi where we ate a eclectic mix of a spicy Ceviche, Two-Salmon rolls and ‘Evil scollops’ washed down with a surprisingly nice Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc.

All in all, a short taster of BA before we headed to Uruguay for a couple days.

Puerto Iguazú / Iguazú Falls – Days 43 – 45

8th – 10th February

**Spoiler alert – no mention of food in this post!**

The 22hr bus ride from Cordoba to Puerto Iguazú was the best yet, unfortunately no bingo or videos until 2am but seats that fully reclined and essentially turned into beds. So, after a full 10 hr sleep (for Jase) we arrived refreshed at the most north easterly town in Argentina, Puerto Iguazú. This small town serves as a hub to the nearby Iguazú Falls which provides a natural border between Argentina and Brazil (and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world).

Checking into Hotel Saint George we were too late to visit the falls so we spent the afternoon on loungers in the 90 degrees sun – relaxing for the first time by a pool with a beer seeming a long way from those dark nights in wet tents on the Inca Trial. The only downside was the pool side bar music which consisted of various lounge music covers of Queen, Rolling Stones, Madonna, Depeche Mode, The Cure, A-Ha, Bob Marley, Guns n Roses with Radio Ga Ga seemingly on repeat!

Iguazú Falls – Argentinean Side

First the science (from Wikipedia!)

‘Iguazu Falls is located where the Iguazu River tumbles over the edge of the Paraná Plateau, 23 kilometres (14 mi) upriver from the Iguazu’s confluence with the Paraná River. Numerous islands along the 2.7-kilometre-long (1.7 mi) edge divide the falls into numerous separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 to 82 metres (197 to 269 ft) high. The number of these smaller waterfalls fluctuates from 150 to 300, depending on the water level. About half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese). The Devil’s Throat is U-shaped, 82 metres high, 150 m wide, and 700 m long.’

On Sunday, we got a bus to the Argentinean side which allows you to get up close to the falls. We started our trek with 100s of other sightseers in searing heat walking along the Sendero Verde (Green Path), past the Estacion Cateratas and onto the Paseo Superior which takes you to a number of walkways and viewing points above the falls to see the water crashing down below.

Sendero Verde trail

Along the way there were also a number of coatis (raccoon relatives) that were mixing with the visitors but with signs everywhere not to feed or stoke them as they have a nasty bite and scratch. Give us a friendly squirrel anytime!

(Not so friendly) Coatis

After taking in the view from the top of the falls we then dropped to the Paseo Inferior which winds down through the forest to take you to the bottom of the falls and cools you with the mist from the cascading water.

Not cool enough, we jumped onto a boat trip that took us up even closer to the bottom of the falls. Wondering how wet we would get, our question was soon answered as we were given a waterproof ruck sack for all our belongings and the skipper and photographer appeared in head to toe waterproofs. As soon as we were all on board, the speed boat set off at full throttle straight into and under one of the smaller falls and we all got drenched. We then shot round to a larger fall and the captain headed the boat directly into the middle of the falling water, disappearing from view of the spectators on land. We emerged soaked through but in the heat we were almost dry within the hour as we took the Jungle Train and squelched our way across platforms to the Garganta del Diablo for our final spectacular photocall. We then headed back to our hotel in Puerto Iguazú for more sun and late afternoon radio ga ga.

The Devils Throat

Iguazú Falls – Brazilian Side

If Argentina has the up close experience of the falls, then Brazil boasts the panoramic views. So, with passports in hand, we hopped over the border. With buses more irregular, our trip to Brazil was short-lived as we had just 60 minutes to see the sights. Luckily, it was much quieter than on the Argentinian side so we careered round in the soaring heat to take in a widescreen view of the falls we had visited up close the day before – all culminating in another falls-edge moment at the inner edge of the Garganta del Diablo.

With no time to spare we then jumped on the bus and were back in Argentina within 3 hours of leaving (our shortest time in any country ever!) and headed back to our hotel to make the most of the pool… and of course all we heard was radio ga ga….

Cordoba – Days 39 – 42

4th – 7th February

We checked into our hotel after walking past its tiny sign a few times on the shady back street in downtown Cordoba – Argentinas second largest city. After the random place we’d stayed at in Mendoza we were in need of a comfortable hotel with a sane owner and Lucia at the Sacha Mistol Art Hotel didn’t disappoint. The large old building belonged to Lucia’s family and had been empty for sometime before Lucia came up with her master plan and persuaded her family to let her convert the old office building into a boutique hotel. It centred itself around paintings from local artists hanging on the walls and each room had a unique mureal painted directly onto the wall – one of the best places we have stayed on our trip so far.

Sacha Mistol Art Hotel

Our first full day in the city started with the obligatory trip to the main square, Plaza San Martin before moving quickly on to Nueva Cordoba which is situated around a long avenue with many restaurants and bars. However, being far too early for a drink we set out on a cultural tour of the area visiting the Iglesia de Los Capuchinos and spending a couple of hours in the art gallery – Museo Superior Bella Artes Evita which was equally both interesting and disturbing.

Leaving the gallery and into the soaring mid day heat we soon decided to stop for lunch finding ourselves a table inside a small cafe near the park (and, as we learned, law buildings). We had just sat down when the man on the next table on his lunch break heard our accents and asked where we were from. We said London and found out he had stayed in Finsbury Park in his teens and used to drink in the Prospect of Whitby – a pub near Jason’s office – and had visited Britain several times since on Rugby tours and with his family.

A couple of hours later, having discussed our trip and armed with recommendations of places to eat and visit we were saying our goodbyes when he unexpectedly invited us to dinner at his home the next day and gave us all his contact details. We left with a promise to email him to confirm details but while Alejandro seemed really lovely and genuine we couldn’t help but worry we were nuts to even think about going to a relative strangers home in a strange country! So, for the rest of the now rainy afternoon (we’re talking so much thunder and lightening we had to take refuge – along with a lot of the rest of the city – in the cathedral) we spent going back and forth as to whether to wimp out or go for it.

We thought that one way to help decide was to go to the restaurant he had recommended for dinner which was a short taxi ride from our hotel (we can always find a good excuse for good food!). Arriving at the San Honorito we were immediately impressed and sat down to order Salmon Ravioli (Charlie) and Beef with truffles (Jason adhering to his strict beef diet) before being invited into the downstairs cellar for a wine tasting whilst dinner was prepared. After a delicious meal, we decided to email Alejandro and confirm the dinner date…

The next day and before our evening date with destiny we had already planned a day trip in the nearby Punilla Valley. It was cheap compared to the other one day excursions we had done and we soon found out why. The lowlights as pointed out by our guide (who was actually pretty nice and who had to say everything twice as we were the only non Spanish speakers on the bus) included:
– a photo opportunity in a car park with various flag poles (apparently this spot is the centre of Argentina) followed by another photo opp next to a closed outdoor theatre
– A holiday camp for trade unionists
– A bridge that went to a town that had an Anglican Church
– Sheep
– Various mountains that apparently have great panoramic views (great if you went there but not much use when you are in the bus)
– a look through a hedge at a house where a man collects vintage cars (seriously!)

The worst road trip ever

Punilla Valley – a welcome vista

The highlights of the day were a speedy trip on a chairlift in Los Cocos and stopping for lunch. There was nothing great about the food but we shared a table with Juan Pablo, a journalist from Uruguay and Guada from Argentina, a history teacher obsessed by Henry VIII. Over lunch we had a lively conversation about the differences between our countries, the World Cup, the royal family and different ways to drink ‘Mate’. We’d been made particularly aware of Mate that morning when many of the people on our bus brought on giant flasks and a cup (or mate) and proceeded to continually pour hot water over herbs before drinking through a metal straw to sieve out the herbs. Unlike tea and coffee Mate drinkers can, and did, drink it pretty much non-stop both on and off the coach taking the flask and cup with them everywhere – this stuff must obviously taste great.

Travel companions from Argentina and Uruguay – don´t ask about the best way to serve mate

Returning back to our hotel we had one hour to get ready to go who knows where and we were admittedly a little nervous as we waited for Alejandro to pick up us. Thankfully we needn’t have worried at all. Jumping into his car we were soon heading out of town getting the locals commentary of the city (so much better than the previous 10 hours!!!) including a drive through a nice area called Barrio Cerra de las Rosas (where he grew up) and a stop at his friend the butchers to pick up some cheese and salami. We pulled up outside his house 30 minutes later to be welcomed with lots of kisses from his wife, 4 children, sister-in law and mother-in-law – all very sane and very, very friendly. Phew! What followed was a wonderful evening with plentiful wine, chorizo, black pudding, goats cheese and spare ribs (all cooked over a very impressive BBQ…well more of a complete outdoor kitchen with an open oven), gathered round an enormous family table outdoors. Everyone shared stories about their travels, meeting new people, what to do in Buenos Aires, family and how their children (all super talented and incredibly polite) were doing academically, musically and on the sports field. We learnt more about Cordoba and its free education system (La Cuidad de la Universidad) and the amazing charity work they are involved in. Plus, we even got to try, and importantly share, the perfect mate – hot water (never boiled), with a froth and a little sugar Argentina style.

Charlie with her mate

After a final tour round their rugby bar (Noddy you’d love them!), a big round of goodbyes and even clutching farewell gifts and avocados for our next day bus, Alejandro refused to let us get a taxi and drove us back into town, topping it off with an insiders tour of the city by night. We stumbled back into our hostel around 2am, totally overwhelmed by our impromptu evening and much to the relief of Lucia who was keeping an eye out for our return!

We feel incredibly lucky that from a random stop in a cafe we ended up spending time with some amazing people and experiencing real Argentinean family hospitality. We were sad to say goodbye to our new friends but hope we’ll get to repay the favour sometime soon!

Charlie & Maria Jose

Jason & Alejo

Bariloche > Mendoza – Days 34 – 38

30th January – 3rd February

We haven’t written the blog in a few days, mainly because not a huge amount of note has happened! However, there have been a few key milestones and observations which we’ve summarised and shared below:

1) The beard is gone.

Fans of Jason’s facial growth (it seems there were many who were following its progress) will be gutted to hear of its demise. It took almost an hour to remove the brown/ginger/grey mass. Charlie is happy to have her smoother, younger-looking husband back. Jason is working on even-ing out his tan.

2) Bariloche in summer is a fair weather town.

We had one final day there following our trip to El Calafate and before heading to Mendoza and it was a bit of a washout. Our grand plan was an early bus out to Cerro Catedral to do a trek / cable car up the mountain for what was supposed to be magnificent views. We made it there in good time, briefly surveyed the ski-resort-with-no-snow scenery (one big giant car park), queued for the cable car…only to find it had just closed because of wind! With the rain starting and clouds looking increasingly ominous, we decided against a 4 hr (each way) trek in ponchos and promptly took the bus back into town for some sandwich/beer/steak therapy.

Denied our trip to the top of Cerro Catedral

Bariloche on a stormy day

3) Andesmar is a party bus service.

Boarding at lunchtime and arriving in Mendoza early the next day we settled into our seats expecting the regular eat, siesta, read, eat, sleep pattern. But we were in for a whole new experience. It started with The Shawshank Redemption blaring above our heads (odd choice we thought for a family bus), swiftly followed by lunch and a chick flick. After that it was time for bingo! Winner got a bottle of wine (we like to think we lucked out rather than that we missed half the numbers being read in Spanish at breakneck speed). Then at 11pm, just as we were kicking back for a sleep, the lights went on, dinner was served and the Hangover Part 2 was aired until 1am!!

Bus Bingo – Casa!

4) Mendoza (city) lives for a late night.

We arrived at 8am and knackered on Saturday morning, walked to our hostel where we met the completely bonkers Alicia who managed the hostel and whose past time was trying to have long rambling English-Spanish chats at every opportunity we showed our faces. We had a quick shower then set straight out into the sunshine to explore. We should perhaps have heeded Alicia’s gun-to-the-head description of what there was to do in Mendoza during the day. We found several pretty-ish plazas (Independencia, Espana, Italian and more…), went for a walk round the lake in closest part of the massive Parque de San Martin and passed some time with a big, late Milanesa lunch.

Plaza Independencia

Parque de San Martin

But during the day everything was closed and it was a ghost city with few people about. However, fast forward several hours to 10pm and we were sitting in a street side bar having a drink and a calamari snack (lunch had taken its toll) and things began to wake up on the busy Avenida Villanueva where the young and trendy Mendozians had come out of their slumber to party. So much so we broke our (non-bus-related) bedtime record staying out until 2.30am!!! The night for many was only just beginning…

Mendoza night life

5) Don’t go for the long walk in the Parque General San Martin.

On Sunday, following a quick visit to the bus station to get tickets to our next city, we thought we’d spend the day in true Spanish style at the park. Our first stop was to check out the ‘best views of the city’ from the Monumento al Ejercito Liberatador viewpoint at its far end. From the map and guide books it sounded like a pleasant stroll through green spaces. To cut a long story short, the next two hours and probably about 4 miles was spent walking through wasteland (flip flops weren’t the best choice of footwear) and past 6ft fences of what could easily have been animal/nuclear testing plants. So much so, we didn’t even bother walking up the scrubland hill for the view at the end of it…

To make up for our park error, after a brief lakeside bench rest of the legs, we did what we should have given into from the beginning and had a long lunch accompanied by a bottle (and a bit) of Malbec. Reaching our hostel around 6pm, an impromptu chat about our lack of any major evening plans with Alicia saw her booking us a table (without asking!) at Anna Bistro. It was lovely. Al fresco dining on a very pretty, plant-filled patio, another bottle of Malbec and a duo of steaks, all topped off by a cheeky Cuba libre meant we headed back at 1.30am fat and happy.

3rd steak this week 🙂

5) Be nice…

…you never know when you’ll bump into someone again. On one late night walk back, Jase stopped to say hi to an unexpected familiar face. It was Cyril, the French host of our Bariloche hostel. We were surprised to see him out having beers in Mendoza. Not least because his wife had told us he was in Santiago! Ha ha!

6) Mendoza wineries are definitely worth the wait.

It’s probably a good job our ill-timed weekend arrival (when many vineyards are closed) meant we couldn’t visit more. But we spent a very wonderful Monday making the most of the day we had! On the recommendation of The Dares (thanks guys!), we were picked up at 8.45am for our Trout & Wine tour. After meeting our slightly mad young guide called Lorena and the rest of group (Thomas, Chris and Hannah from Manchester, Doug and Janet from Austin, Texas and Catherine and Bill from Colorado) we headed 30 mins out to the Lujan de Cuyo region and stopped for a liquid breakfast at a tiny, old winery called Mendel.

Mendel Vineyard

The in-house guide there was brilliant, describing how the previous owners had hit hard times and just upped and left so they were trying to bring the old vines and place back to life. She showed us the large VATs, crammed us into the tiny store hole of barrels (French oak but with it costing over a $1000 per barrel and in short supply they need to increasingly look to other sources) and finally the tasting room. We tried three (healthy portions) of Malbec, all before 10.30am. All delicious. Sadly due to small production we can’t buy any in the UK…

Just after 11am we arrived at stop number 2, the Renacer winery. After a tour of the vines, the concrete tanks and an explanation of the different soils of each of the three main Mendoza wine regions, we headed to the tasting room to not only compare a wine from each place but to also try creating our own blend! Unfortunately the only place you can due these wines in the UK is in Liberty so I don’t think we will be stocking up anytime soon.

Lunch was at La Tapiz. A little removed from its vineyards, it’s a restaurant and lodge owned by a very wealthy family, evident from the chandelier adorned tapestry room where we had an olive oil tasting.

We then headed up to our private dining room overlooking the vineyards where we indulged in a delicious four course feast (gazpacho, salad, steak and crunchy fruit dessert), each course accompanied by a different wine. It’s a very, very tough life.

Our final visit of the day (as if we needed one) was to Luigi Bosco, a medium sized winery. After a visit to their art gallery (each wine-related piece inspired by the bible) and a look at their impressive barrel rooms (where we were also told how they were experimenting with Chinese and Russian oak – not successful to date – and acacia on their chardonnay to better results), we hopped up to the bar.

We tried 3 of their premium wines (Reisling, Pinot noir and Malbec) and a dessert wine. Then reluctantly but full to the brim, we dropped off our new friends (we have an open invitation to Doug the jazz musicians condo in Texas anytime we like – he might regret that) and piled into our hostel for a nap. After all that, our goodbyes to Mendoza took the somewhat shorter form of a light dinner and beer and a early (midnight) finish…

El Calafate, Patagonia – Days 31 – 33

27th – 29th January

Looking forward to our return trip to El Calafate, we bundled our clothes into one rucksack and left one to safe-keeping by Cyril. On arrival by taxi at the modern Bariloche airport it looked so deadly quiet we questioned if it was closed but two minutes later, we had checked in and already taken a turn around the airport. Following another sugar rush of coke and cakes on the 1.45hr flight, we took a collectivo to our hostel…the first to be dropped off on a dirt track in what looked like the back of beyond. Luckily, first impressions proved deceptive as we opened the door to family-run Rukehue and were warmly greeted by son Santiago who showed us to our clean, cosy room (though jase had to renege on his vow to always ask for a room with a view) and told us it was just a short walk into town.

Not long later we were walking down the rough track, across the little bridge and onto the single main road through the little tourist town, full of restaurants and souvenir shops. Straight away we hit Hielo y Aventura to book our glacier trip for the next day. No room on the Big Ice Trek, we settled for a Mini-trekking excursion before spending the next 15-20 mins looking for some sights. We found Casablanca resto-bar and settled in for a few hours, sampling the ‘healthiest sandwich in South America’ (turned out to be tomatoes and a tin of tuna on one side and hot spinach, mushrooms and onions on the other…surprisingly tasty…) plus some local Chopin beers (negro for Jase and rubia for Charlie). We then picked up our packed lunch for the next day and had an early (but very disappointing) Patagonian lamb dinner before a breezy walk back up the hill and a chilled out evening with our books and a glass of red in the lounge of the hostel.

Next day, we were picked up for our ice adventure having been stuffed to the brim by our host Ariana’s lovely homemade breakfast of toasts and jams, croissants and cake (yes, we’re fully aware this blog talks a lot about food but it’s very important while travelling!). The bus took us along the magnificent stretch of lake before we got our first sight of the world’s third largest ice field (Antarctica being first, Greenland second) called Perito Moreno in the Los Glaciares National Park. We had a couple of hours to freely roam the numerous balconies which overlooked one edge (not a bad spot for our empanada lunch), listen to the creaks and crashes of the glacier and take a million pictures of the picture postcard view before heading down to the boat where we were to get a lot closer.

Donning our crampons, our group of around 15, led by Gisele, set off on our mini trek on the glacier itself. For the next hour and a half we walked up, down and over crevices, learning all the while about how it was formed and moves (yet remains the most stable) and Charlie even became group leader for a while!

Tour leader

Whiskey Club

Shortly before the end, we were welcomed to the ‘ice bar’ where they popped glacier into glasses and gave us a shot of whiskey before sending us back to base…though perhaps a moment premature as no sooner had we set off, we heard a crack as the older guy in front of us stumbled and broke his ankle!! After a short stop (and a chat with a Danish guy who sounded so like Eddie Izzard) the injured man was loaded on the ferry on a stretcher and, after all the excitement, most of the group slept the bus ride back to town. Arriving back around 8.30, there was just time for a quick pizza (of course) before retreating back to our hostel.

After more of Ariana’s cakes on our final morning and with 4 hours until we were due to be picked up to go the airport, we set off into town and found ourselves a rather bizarre park amongst the shops which we had missed on our previous visit. Around each corner and hidden by trees were various scenes celebrating the life of a famous Argentine explorer Señor Moreno and one including Charles Darwin. At first it all seemed a bit naff but with nothing else to do we kept walking wondering what eccentric scene we would see next and finally enjoyed the park so much we just had to join in…

A new breed of rabbit is discovered on the HMS Beagle

Negotiations were tough as Jason discusses the sovereignty of the Falklands / Islas Malvinas with his period bearded counterparts

Jason and Charlie – Living the Dream!

A little blog to share with friends whilst we are away