The following entries are from the diary I kept of my South American trip.
Firstly can I point out that I am travelling for the first time by myself and so I have to do all the things like blogging and snapping that Damien usually does. I am neither a professional writer nor a professional photographer so please don´t expect too much.
FROM AUCKLAND TO BUENOS AIRES
At least this trip started gently with a short flight to Auckland , only 3 and a bit hours in the plane and into a country where they speak a language that is not too different from my native tongue.
There´s not much to say about Auckland. It´s a city but not really a "thriving metropolis". On Saturday 8 of us walked around looking for somewhere decent to have breakfast. It´s hard to imaging, coming from a city like Melbourne, having trouble finding a reasonable breakfast bar, but we walked the streets of Auckland , obviously in the wrong direction looking for food. Finally we found some eggs Benedict without lamb and some coffee that was not to die for!!
Then we split up and half went shopping through the few shops that were open while the rest of us hopped on a ferry to a place called Devonport, no not Tasmania.
It´s a beautiful little township in an obviously wealthy area - more BMW's per square foot than Toorak. The residences are either very cute weatherboard ones or stunning new apartments overlooking the bay. I think that they had escaped from Sydney Harbour.
Back to the airport on Saturday pm for a flight to Santiago. So we´d had breakfast in Auckland city, lunch at Auckland airport, dinner on the plane when we crossed the international dateline and started Saturday again - breakfast on the plane, lunch at Santiago Airport and dinner later that day in Santiago city. I was slim and sylphlike before that Saturday but NOW well!!!
SANTIAGO. April 17th
On first impression this place appears to be a charming colonial city with nice, wide, tree lined streets but as we wandered further through the city we found lots of boring glass boxes. We didn’t spend long here but we did the obvious tourist sites of the Presidential Palace and up and down 11th September Ave. Chile’s 9/11 is not the same as the USA’s. It is the anniversary of the Pinochet takeover (1973?) In the palace Square there is a monument to Allende who was ousted by Pinochet.
According to our guide, who seemed to have a bit of a leftist bent, Allende suicided in the palace because he said if he couldn’t lead his people he might as well be dead. The story goes that Pinochet offered him a flight from the country but everyone knew that it would not stay in the air for long. So the choice was kill or be killed.
The scary thing is that there is another right wing president in government at the moment and most of the people are desperate to return the previous incumbent. They can only serve one term so they have to wait until the current term finishes. The president at the moment is one of the owners of Lan Airlines.
Back on the plane, yes Lan airlines, to Rio via Sao Paulo.
RIO DE JANEIRO. April 19th
Thank God we have a few hours rest. Rod (one of our group) rang at 9:15 am to see what we were doing for the day and woke us up.
Before we could do any sight seeing we had to get some money. Here I have this safe travel account kindly provided by the Commonwealth bank; so safe that I can’t get money from any of the regular banks here. One way to curtail your spending!! In the process of finding the ” right bank” we were assisted by a charming guy who had a history like nothing on earth. He had been born in Israel, grown up in Egypt, then moved to Liverpool and finally came to Rio. His skin colour didn’t really back up his story but he was charming and it was entertaining to listen to his scouse accent. All the time I was thinking "why is this guy being so helpful ?" Eventually I found out; he was touting for customers for a jewellery shop. He didn’t have any luck as he didn’t get us to the right bank so we had no money to buy his outrageously priced jewellery. Finally the front desk manager at the hotel directed us to the HSBC and we solved the problem.
In the afternoon we drove through downtown Rio to see all sorts of sights including the new cathedral. It’s quite spectacular, built almost like a cylinder with fantastic stained glass windows panels from floor to ceiling. The interior is very plain with only 5 statues. In front of the statue of St Sebastian there is a white Cinderella coach and a table for donations.
Should we have left a pumpkin and white mice there? Apparently on the feast of St Sebastian the statue goes into the carriage and joins the procession throughout the city. The other statues are of Sts Anne, Francis, and Mark but none of them get an airing in the city at any time.
Talking of processions we went to the area where the Carnivale is held. I guess when the party is on it is very spectacular but when it is not on, the place looks like the undercroft of the MCG. Just plain concrete stands beside a concrete driveway. I found it really hard to imagine all the colour and glamour of Carnivale when I stood amongst the concrete stands. The central area looked like a dried up drain or the path leading to a cattle yard. Yet we were told, at Carnivale time thousands turn out to dance the samba here and be judged by the public.
I have always understood that Carnivale was the celebration before Lent and that it finished prior to Ash Wednesday, but the guide explained that Carnivale now lasts for a week from the Sunday before Lent to the next weekend. I asked about the religious connection but no – there is now no religious significance in the celebration at all. Monday and Tuesday are holidays but people are supposed to go to work on Wednesday. However only a few private businesses operate on the Wednesday. Most government workers take a holiday.
Finally we went to Mt Sugar Loaf. It is so high that it needs two cable car rides to get to the top.
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| Copacabana from Mt Sugarloaf |
There was an option of a helicopter ride but I couldn’t see the point as you could see so far from the top of Mt Sugar Loaf.
Back to the hotel for a short rest and then to dinner organised by the Sth American Travel Bureau. I think it was the best ”free” meal that I ‘ve ever had, The waiters came around to the table with the meat on long skewers and sliced off what you wanted. The service didn’t seem to run out. Another 2 inches to my waist.
Back to the hotel for a short rest and then to dinner organised by the Sth American Travel Bureau. I think it was the best ”free” meal that I ‘ve ever had, The waiters came around to the table with the meat on long skewers and sliced off what you wanted. The service didn’t seem to run out. Another 2 inches to my waist.
The next morning my fellow traveler, Kerry and I made the effort to get up early and walk off last night’s dinner along Copacabana beach and on to Ipanema. We did discover that the girl from Ipenama of the 60’s is no longer tall and tanned and young and lovely. In the intervening years she has become – short and weathered and old and not so lovely!!They still want to show off what the boys wanted to look at 50 years ago. It’s a pity that they don’t realise how much damange can occur to the human body over 50 years.April 20th
According to the itinerary today is the day to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue on Concordia Mt. You can see the statue from most areas of Rio and even though it is under renovation it is clearly visible. The renovations are not a problem as almost every building here is under "reform" because of the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio. However, as you might expect, recent rains have caused a mudslide on the road and we can 't get to the site. As an alternative we go on the Floresta da Tijuca tour into the rain forest . Like all rain forests it is cool, green and very beautiful; similar vegetation to the Daintree.The history of the forest is interesting as the Portuguese rulers realised in the mid 19th century that the removal of the trees had ruined the water supply to the city so they appointed a high ranking army officer to oversee the replanting. It took 13 years and 40,000 trees . One has to ask if they had the foresight to do that 150 years ago why are they ripping out the forests in Brazil today. Many of the Portuguese aristocracy lost their homes in the replanting but there are still some traces of colonial wealth including a chapel originally owned by the Mayring family who were German immigrants, and a large colonial building, now an expensive school run by the Dominican nuns. Possibly the most interesting house in the forest is the one designed and built, and for a long time inhabited by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. He is now 102 and still gives talks about design. There are beautiful beaches all around the coast; Copacabana and Ipanema are only 2 of them. They are the two most popular ones but nowhere near the nicest.
On the way to the forest we saw two of the largest favelas in Rio.
Favelas are slum areas and are usually close to wealthy residential areas because they grew out of a need for the domestic workers to have somewhere to live near their employment. We had been told that we could go into the favelas but when were on our way, the guide said there was no chance of going in. I don’t think the bus would have managed it as there seemed to be only narrow roads. John, our Anglo-Italian, Rio resident guide explained that cars rarely go in there. The main form of transport is the motorbike. The favelas are fairly tightly controlled by the drug barons and until recently the police have kept away. However within the last couple of years they have gone after one of the barons, a 27 year old man. They managed to kill seven of his security guards but not the man himself. It’s believed that he has an underground bunker and the police could not find the entrance to it.
Favelas are slum areas and are usually close to wealthy residential areas because they grew out of a need for the domestic workers to have somewhere to live near their employment. We had been told that we could go into the favelas but when were on our way, the guide said there was no chance of going in. I don’t think the bus would have managed it as there seemed to be only narrow roads. John, our Anglo-Italian, Rio resident guide explained that cars rarely go in there. The main form of transport is the motorbike. The favelas are fairly tightly controlled by the drug barons and until recently the police have kept away. However within the last couple of years they have gone after one of the barons, a 27 year old man. They managed to kill seven of his security guards but not the man himself. It’s believed that he has an underground bunker and the police could not find the entrance to it.The drug lords control the favelas very well so there is no need for a police station there, but now that the government and police are trying to drive out the drug barons, they are setting up police stations in the favelas. The guide stressed that most of the people living in the favelas are hard working good people. There is very little crime associated with the areas as the drug lords do not want the police hanging around so they get rid of anyone who makes trouble. I guess it is not much different anywhere in the world.
Carl Williams, you just didn’t do it right.
IGUASSU FALLS April 21st
These falls would have to be among the world's most magnificent spectacles. They are huge. They are simply awe inspiring. We are told how they were formed after an earthquake which happened 120 million years ago which resulted in a gigantic canyon, through which the falls now plummet. You can view these falls from every angle, both from Argentina and Brazil. The border runs down the middle.
These pictures barely give you an appreciation of the scale of this place and the power of the water cascading downwards.
To get the best views of the falls, you have to cross and recross the Brazil-Argentine border which meant producing your passport several times. These is so much spray in the air, my passport ended up a soggy mass with the pages stuck together. To add to that we took a boat ride to the base of the falls just as the clouds burst overhead, soaking us all to the skin.
IGUASSU FALLS April 21st
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| Iguassu Falls |
These pictures barely give you an appreciation of the scale of this place and the power of the water cascading downwards.
To get the best views of the falls, you have to cross and recross the Brazil-Argentine border which meant producing your passport several times. These is so much spray in the air, my passport ended up a soggy mass with the pages stuck together. To add to that we took a boat ride to the base of the falls just as the clouds burst overhead, soaking us all to the skin.
The name Iguassu means big water and believe me this water is BIG.
In fact there are 275 falls extending across a front of three kilometres
At the end of the day we were all pretty damp but very glad we'd visited these falls. It was simply an unforgettable experience.
Gluttons for punishment, some of us went out that evening for what was supposed to be an experience of South American culture.This was at a sort of restaurant with a floor show organised by the local travel people.
The dinner was buffet style and the show featured acts from various countries,There were dancers from Brazil looking like they had come straight from Carnivale. Others appeared to go for a more Mardi Gras feel, which meant they'd removed most of their clothing. And there was lots of great Latin-American music along with acts from Mexico and Cuba. We shared our table with a an Italian couple; two very attractive parents, three small children and an au pair. We shared a bus ride home too and their hotel was right in the middle of a rainforest. We were staying at the Sheraton which was pretty ordinary compared to "The Cataracts" in the forest.
BUENOS AIRES April 23rd
Back aboard another plane, this time flying to Buenos Aires.
This city has a strong European influence. Much of the architecture is French and there is a strong Italian cultural influence.The women are beautifully groomed and the men - just gorgeous. Of course there is poverty here but middle class life seems pretty good.. Nothing seems to start before 10am and doesn't get into full swing until lunchtime. Dinner time is around 9pm.
We did a tour of the city, especially the charming "old city" We went to the cathedral which is very ornate. They were preparing for Mass and there were young men in black suits carrying white gowns with some sort of blue emblem. They walked in procession down the aisle. I asked the guide if they were Opus Dei and he thought they might be as Opus Dei is very big here. Next we visited the artists' area, Camino, which is very colourful and full of life. There were caricatured models of people sitting on the balconies or hanging from windows. All the artwork is very brightly coloured, even the leatherwork which is highly decorated. There are people dancing the tango in the street, and a guy pretending to be a matador. For a small fee you can be photographed with them.
We visited the Recoleta Cemetery which is full of amazing mausoleums. There were more marble angels and crosses and statues of many and varied Santa Marias.
Some of these mausoleums are well kept and obviously awaiting new residents, others less cared for.
Among the older occupants here is Eva Peron. Apparently Juan Peron had her body embalmed but when he was ousted as President, the body was "lost" until the Peronistas got back into power and they had her buried here with her family.
Tonight is Tango Time
Dinner and a show which is a tribute to a famous tango dancer who was killed in a plane crash.
Apparently tango steps were developed by immigrants who came to this country, mainly from Italy. Because there was a shortage of Italian women, Italian men started dancing with each other, adapting traditional Italian
dances.
Later the prostitutes picked up the style and then it caught on with the middle classes.
This show was a good demonstration of the dance as it is done today. The women wear slinky dresses with a very high slit, to enable the high kicks which are an integral part of the tango.
The venue for this show was built in 2008 but it was very much in the style of the thirties with round upstairs balconies and wall lights.
Dinner was very organised with courses of 7 entrees, 4 mains and 6 desserts, and the plates whipped away as soon as you finished. This was very much a tourist exercise. There were about 400 people there and all bussed it from their hotels.
April 25th
It's Sunday and we have a free day. We started out for a local antiques market, but then Kerry, one of our tour, dropped out. She had a cold and got tired easily. I stayed with her, arranging to meet the others later for lunch.
Kerry and I revisited the Cathedral but it was in the middle of a full on Mass, so we only stayed a while.
Then we headed for Cafe Tortoni for lunch. This a beautiful cafe opened in 1858 and retaining the charm of that time, with marble topped tables, wood paneling and etched glass And it's very friendly, something typical of Buenos Aires.
Lunch over and re-energized with good coffee, we walked to the government area where we visited the Pink Palace. This is where Eva and Juan Peron lived, but now it is only used for Cabinet meetings and the swearing in of new presidents, ministers, and for press conferences.
The guards wear very colourful uniforms and seem to be selected for their handsome and youthful appearance.
After that we went back to the hotel for a siesta, before visiting a church near that cemetery. There we listened to a magnificent choir. All around were altars honoring saints totally unfamiliar to me and lit with candles, their light flickering on a profusion of gold leaf adorning every one.
Dinner that evening featured among other things, roasted antelope.
Tomorrow will be an early start for Lima, Peru.
In fact there are 275 falls extending across a front of three kilometres
At the end of the day we were all pretty damp but very glad we'd visited these falls. It was simply an unforgettable experience.
Gluttons for punishment, some of us went out that evening for what was supposed to be an experience of South American culture.This was at a sort of restaurant with a floor show organised by the local travel people.
The dinner was buffet style and the show featured acts from various countries,There were dancers from Brazil looking like they had come straight from Carnivale. Others appeared to go for a more Mardi Gras feel, which meant they'd removed most of their clothing. And there was lots of great Latin-American music along with acts from Mexico and Cuba. We shared our table with a an Italian couple; two very attractive parents, three small children and an au pair. We shared a bus ride home too and their hotel was right in the middle of a rainforest. We were staying at the Sheraton which was pretty ordinary compared to "The Cataracts" in the forest.
BUENOS AIRES April 23rd
Back aboard another plane, this time flying to Buenos Aires.
This city has a strong European influence. Much of the architecture is French and there is a strong Italian cultural influence.The women are beautifully groomed and the men - just gorgeous. Of course there is poverty here but middle class life seems pretty good.. Nothing seems to start before 10am and doesn't get into full swing until lunchtime. Dinner time is around 9pm.
We did a tour of the city, especially the charming "old city" We went to the cathedral which is very ornate. They were preparing for Mass and there were young men in black suits carrying white gowns with some sort of blue emblem. They walked in procession down the aisle. I asked the guide if they were Opus Dei and he thought they might be as Opus Dei is very big here. Next we visited the artists' area, Camino, which is very colourful and full of life. There were caricatured models of people sitting on the balconies or hanging from windows. All the artwork is very brightly coloured, even the leatherwork which is highly decorated. There are people dancing the tango in the street, and a guy pretending to be a matador. For a small fee you can be photographed with them.We visited the Recoleta Cemetery which is full of amazing mausoleums. There were more marble angels and crosses and statues of many and varied Santa Marias.
Some of these mausoleums are well kept and obviously awaiting new residents, others less cared for.
Among the older occupants here is Eva Peron. Apparently Juan Peron had her body embalmed but when he was ousted as President, the body was "lost" until the Peronistas got back into power and they had her buried here with her family.
Tonight is Tango Time
Dinner and a show which is a tribute to a famous tango dancer who was killed in a plane crash.
Apparently tango steps were developed by immigrants who came to this country, mainly from Italy. Because there was a shortage of Italian women, Italian men started dancing with each other, adapting traditional Italian
dances.
Later the prostitutes picked up the style and then it caught on with the middle classes.
This show was a good demonstration of the dance as it is done today. The women wear slinky dresses with a very high slit, to enable the high kicks which are an integral part of the tango.
The venue for this show was built in 2008 but it was very much in the style of the thirties with round upstairs balconies and wall lights.
Dinner was very organised with courses of 7 entrees, 4 mains and 6 desserts, and the plates whipped away as soon as you finished. This was very much a tourist exercise. There were about 400 people there and all bussed it from their hotels.
April 25th
It's Sunday and we have a free day. We started out for a local antiques market, but then Kerry, one of our tour, dropped out. She had a cold and got tired easily. I stayed with her, arranging to meet the others later for lunch.
Kerry and I revisited the Cathedral but it was in the middle of a full on Mass, so we only stayed a while.
Lunch over and re-energized with good coffee, we walked to the government area where we visited the Pink Palace. This is where Eva and Juan Peron lived, but now it is only used for Cabinet meetings and the swearing in of new presidents, ministers, and for press conferences.
The guards wear very colourful uniforms and seem to be selected for their handsome and youthful appearance.
After that we went back to the hotel for a siesta, before visiting a church near that cemetery. There we listened to a magnificent choir. All around were altars honoring saints totally unfamiliar to me and lit with candles, their light flickering on a profusion of gold leaf adorning every one.
Dinner that evening featured among other things, roasted antelope.
Tomorrow will be an early start for Lima, Peru.
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