TravelStream™ news feed for member downtocl on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/downtocl en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:05:59 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171843380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171843380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171843380/tpod.html Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:05:59 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Rio de Janiro, Brazil

17th, I had a leisurely start, having breakfast with Leanne and Gary,
wandering round Flamengo, and then Charuka and I headed up to
Sugar Loaf Mountain. The views were fantastic of the
mountain and views from her sister hill, Urca, were great but when we
reached the top of sugar loaf, again the clouds moved in (can i
recommend visiting either of these in the morning and not in the
afternoon!!) In the early evening we then headed to a football
match between Vasco and Fluminense, we got there very early and saw the
flags and banners being set up by the various fans. The game was
actually quite exciting (more than i was expecting), as Fluminense
scored early and by the end Vasco was coming back to end in a four all
draw. In the evening Charuka and I went out with people from
another truck to a self service by weight restaurant before heading to
bed.

18th, the start of a big day, the day we have our carnival tickets
for...Charuka and I headed down to Copacabana beach, i then had a quiet
late lunch and headed back to the hotel, on the way sorting out some
items for my carnival attire. Well i had to at least make an
effort! The Carnival was fantastic. We left the hotel at
8.30pm and headed to the Sambodrome, a series of concrete tiered seats which
forms a giant permanent parade ground, with us in the last section
where
the processions came to an end. We got there a little after nine, and
saw the fireworks at the start of the first going off as we made our
way to our sector, and it wasn't
long after we'd settled into our
'seats' that we could see the procession arrive. The floats and
the costumes were spectacular. There were vendors coming round
selling beer, water
and food, whilst people were on their feet
getting into the spirit. There were 6 contestents on our night of
the carnival, and each has up to 80minutes to get from the start to the
finish, with
lots of floats and between 2 and 4 thousand
people. Some handed out flags to the crowds, some had very catchy
songs that everyone was joining in. Some people were getting hold
of costumes being thrown by the participants, so everyone was really
getting into the
spirit. I loved every minute of it, many
people in our group left around 3 or 4 am, but i stayed with a
group that made it till the end and we headed out of the stadium after
the final group
finished at about 5.30am (with a costume in my hands
- yea!). We got back to the hotel at 6.30, so went straight for
breakfast before heading to bed about 7am... what a fantastic
experience. So well worth it.

Obviously with a back to front day, i didn't get up until lunch time on the 19th,
and headed down to Urca before meeting the girls for a lovely late
lunch.. I then met up with the group i had spent most of the carnival
with, and we went to Copacabana beach for a walk along the beach and
cocktails at a beach bar. We then went to dinner and didn't get
back until about 11pm. I was so exhausted by that time it was
pretty much straight to bed.



20th saw a more normal day. After my lovely breakfast I met up with
Gary and Leanne and we used a voucher we'd had delivered to our rooms
to take a free shuttle to an exclusive Jewellery workshop at
Ipanema. We got a tour of the process of getting the stones from
their raw state, to the point where they get set... then designing and
setting them as pieces of jewellery. I made a small purchase,
then we left our things in their locker and headed down to Ipanema
beach. We preferred this beach to Copacabana, it was still very
busy, but seemed less mad somehow. The waves were absolutely
huge, so you could stand ankle deep and the waves would wash up to your
waist!! We spent most of the afternoon either on the beach or
walking down the 'promenade' and taking in the sand sculptures and
band.
Back in Flamengo, we caught a part of the street party occurring and
then in the evening i went out with Gary, Leanne and Analie and we met
up with Jamie Boy and Ben for a goodbye meal and drinks in
Copacabana.
That was my goodbye to all of them as they were all leaving in the
morning. It felt strange to be saying goodbye already!


21st was spent mainly packing, trying to get my costume from the
carnival into my bag was no mean feat, along with all my souvenirs, but
finally succeeded, so went for a lovely last lunch and to Flamengo
beach before the taxi took me to the airport to head home...how does 4
months pass quite so quickly.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171818300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171818300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171818300/tpod.html Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:17:09 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Rio de Janiro, Brazil

15th, saw us leave Paraty and head on our final truck drive into
Rio. Some of the Guys had gone ahead earlier in the morning, as
they needed to get to their hostel earlier... so it was a quiet morning
on the truck. The traffic on that final leg was very heavy so it
was early afternoon before we finally arrived at our hotel in
Flamengo. After checking in, i went for a walk around with Jaime
girl and we found the laundrette and a lovely Sushi place, so after a good
grub i headed back to a TV and a comfortable bed... the treats of a
nice hotel!!

16th, saw Charuka and I heading for the Favela's of Rio. The tour was
conducted by Louisa, and was most enlightening and enjoyable. We
took a tour of the Samba school first, which had some stunning costumes
for the carnival, then we hit the streets. We were shown houses how they
were originally constructed with scrap wood and metal, but a lot of
these were destroyed by floods, so it is now mostly a concrete
maze. Small passages connect the various houses, and you could
easily get lost trying to find your way back out again! We saw a
community nursery with lots of cute kids playing, and a workshop where
locals make items from recycled materials. Watching people move a new
sofa in was an eye opener as it had to be cut in several pieces to get
it down the passages into the house. The comunity feel, with our guide
knowing almost everyone she passed, was fantastic, but the open sewers and the
stink
they created were not so pleasant. In some of the streets with open
sewers we were advised not to take photos as the locals don't like it,
anywhere else was fine. However Louisa said she wouldn't live anywhere
else, she loved her community and her home. It was a fantastic tour and
a real eye opener. In the afternoon we went to Corcovado, which
is the hill with the Christ the Redeemer statue on top. When we first
arrived the top of the statue was in clouds, so it was a headless
statue. The mist at the top cleared but then more clouds started
coming across, and within 10 minutes of arriving at the top all we
could see was mist!! We lunched up there to see if it would
clear, but then just took the train back down to the base and headed
back by bus and tube to the hotel. That evening i went out for
dinner with Analie and we had a great giggle with a couple of
drinks! On our return, we headed out to Lapa with the other
girls to a street party going on there. It was great fun,
but i only lasted until about 2am, others returned after breakfast in
the morning!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171416240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171416240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171416240/tpod.html Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:30:14 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Paraty, Brazil

13th February saw as lazy a start as the tent would permit, on this
occasion 8,30. After a leisurely breakfast, I went for a walk
with Anne and Leanne to a money change, orientating myself as to our
location in the process. Later, Charuka and I headed out to
explore the old part of the city, which was very beautiful.
Narrow cobbled streets with old buildings, some with balconies, some
cluttered with a huge array of items, others airy fashionable places,
with the few wares artily placed. There were sparkly banners spanning
some of the streets but in other places, they were digging up the
road and there were huge pools of water. After taking in a lot of
this, we walked to the waterfront port, and had lunch overlooking lots
of boats, and the beautiful sea air, before then heading to the beach
to swim in the beautiful water (except for the odd occasional brown
floating thing that we decided was sediment churned up... we hope). In
the evening we listened to a talk about Rio from another overland
company, which meant we had a late dinner, so we all just sat around
camp until bed.



14th, started quite early again, as we needed to do our final truck
clean. I was part of the first shift of clean out, so when the
second shift went in, we ate breakfast and took a list of shopping
requirements for those still cleaning. With cleaning over,
we headed to the docks and found the boat for our cruise round the
islands. Paraty is famous for it's beautiful Islands, 65
scattered in its vacinity. The boat took us just off islands,
where we could swim off the boat to the islands and also enjoy sailing
the waters. It was beautiful. Lunchtime became a bit
chaotic, as we had a late lunch, so everyone was hungry and they
couldn't bring it out fast enough, but soon everyone was tucking into
fish or chicken and loving the cruise around, as the alcohol was
flowing,
there was also very high spirits. After the boat cruise, we
headed back to the campsite to get ready for a final group meal, which
was very enjoyable, before some went to the other campsite for a party
and some of us went for drinks in town.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171226640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171226640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171226640/tpod.html Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:24:46 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Some truck stop...past a traffic jam!, Brazil

We had a long day driving on the 11th to take us from the border to the coast. It was a two day journey, so the first day with gently undulating countryside, which at times could have been the british countryside rolling past. We drove until late, getting stuck in a traffic jam for a couple of hours as dusk was approaching. As a result we ended up in a truck park for the night (as no idea of an alternative location and too late to find anything else). In the morning we woke to find the truck blocked in by 6other trucks, luckily as we ate and cleared up breakfast they all started waking and moving off, so by the time we moved an hour after waking there was only 1 truck left in our vacinity...lucky!

The drive on the second day saw a stunning sun rise as we departed from the truck stop, and quickly took us to and along the coast, a beautiful drive at one point with blue skys one side and a rainbow the other. After a break for lunch on the beach we continued driving until about 6pm when we arrived in Paraty. There, we shopped for dinner and cooked up a concoction that ended up working...luckily (with the locals practicing their music for carnival next door) and then drank and chatted with some of the other trucks before bed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172189280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172189280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172189280/tpod.html Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:09:13 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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London, United Kingdom

q
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172102760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172102760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1172102760/tpod.html Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:07:52 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Madrid, Spain

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171139640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171139640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1171139640/tpod.html Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:31:28 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Foz Do Iguazu, Brazil

We had a fairly gentle start on the 10th Feb, with a run to town to change money and a cooked breakfast. We finally all headed to the edge of the falls national park at about 11,30. Charuka, Analie, Andy, Gary and I booked in for the helicopter flight, whilst the others went off straight to the falls. The flight was fantastic and gave you a great view of the falls, well worth the money as they are so beautiful and the birds eye perspective is the only one which gives you a true feel of their length and bredth. From there we went to the bird park, which we had been highly recommended to visit, and all really enjoyed it. There were huge aviaries with so many different exotic birds in them and they were quite comfortable with you being round so would come quite close. We spent a good few hours in there, before getting a late lunch there and heading to the Falls National Park. There we walked along paths with some stunning but very different vistas across the falls until we got to the catwalk to take you across the fall so you are standing over part of it looking down to the Devil´s Throat. It was stunning once again. Then for a final view we went to the observation platform before heading back to the campsite and not arriving back until dusk had started to settle in. We then all went out for a meal at an all you can eat restaurant which had great food, before heading back to the campsite.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170965160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170965160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170965160/tpod.html Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:22:30 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Içuazu, Argentina

8th February involved quite a long drive from the Swamp on a bumpy road and then good roads until at lunch time we arrived at a town which was a centre of the Jesuit Mission in Argentina, and there are the ruins of a huge complex there, so after eating lunch on the side of the road i went for a wander round the complex. It was huge, and you could see how important it must have been at the time. We then left there and continued driving until we got to Puerto Içuazu in the early evening. Whilst cook team went to town, Jamie Girl, the boys and I went to the pool to cool off a bit, and had a laugh as they all played shoulder fights to choose the ultimate winner (which proved to be Richard and Marcus!) Then i had a gorgeous shower and headed to the truck, where i sat drinking and chatting with cook team and a lot of the others for the rest of the evening.

9th February started fairly early as we had been advised that you need a fair amount of time at the falls. We caught the bus to the entrance and quickly found the ´tour´company inside and booked on the Jet Boat ride up to and under the falls, so headed for the meeting point for that. Then got a jeep ride through a part of the forest around the falls to the base of the falls. Then raced up the river and around the falls... it was beautiful, awe inspiring, so many separate waterfalls, but also a couple of fairly large ones. We got raced under a couple of the falls, so we were soaking wet, which was so nice based on the heat of the sun. We then got dropped off and walked around some of the area at the base of the falls. Then it was a train ride and a walk along so many catwalks (at one point we could see the old catwalk destroyed by a flood in 1992 where the water rose 4metres above the normal level) until we arrived at the Devils Throat. So called because it is a huge fall, which has worked it´s way back so it is at the end and round a carved out gorge of rock. The spray was immense and the power of the water just immense. I really can´t give it justice with my words, but this place was one of my top items on this trip and it didn´t disappoint. Once we´d got back to the bank, we took a raft ride along the upper river, looking at butterflies flutter around us and looking at the forest and undergrowth before reaching the top circuit and walking along the top of a lot of the other smaller (but they were still immense) falls. Then it was a late lunch, and a train ride back to the entrance of the park, to catch the bus back to the campsite. I got back just as Gary was moving the truck (we arrived about 5-10minutes before departure time) so he gave me a lift to the entrance in the cab of the truck, where everyone loaded on and before i knew it i was headed for my final border crossing and we were in Brazil! We went straight to our campsite in Foz do Iguazu, and whilst cook team went for food we went in the pool and stayed there hours before showering and gathering round the truck. Dinner was ready about 11pm (as we´d lost an hour), so it wasn´t long after that i headed for bed!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170783780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170783780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170783780/tpod.html Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:10:29 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Carlos Pellegrini (Esteros Del Ibera), Argentina

Our drive day on the 5th took us into the swamp area of Esteros Del Ibera to a settlement called Carlos Pellegrini. It is very similar to the Pantenal, just a little smaller in area and a lot less well know. Our entry took us along a rough road and a very shaky bridge, which sounded like the rumble of thunder as we crossed it. The campsite was a lovely green field, by a lake shore. We got in fairly late after a full day´s drive, so just set up our tents and cook team started cooking. A few drinks round the camp that evening and several laughs saw me head to bed. In the morning the sun on my tent sent me scampering out fairly early to a leisurely breakfast whilst we waited for our fishing rods to arrive. When they did we headed down to the lake shore to try our hand at Piranha fishing. I caught a tiny one with a little help from Gary, but got bored of that game fairly quickly so did chores, like my washing and sat around chatting to people whilst they fished. The afternoon passed fairly quickly, but then a light rain started so i went back to my tent to close the fly sheet and a whole storm came across so quickly. A very strong wind and thunder with driving rain. It all lasted about 20minutes, before the sky was bright blue again and other than the puddles and slightly battered tents, you wouldn´t have known anything had just happened!! A group from the campsite were out on a boat trip when the storm hit, so returned like drowned rats... we went out on our boat trip shortly after that and hat a beautiful late evening to see Caimen (little crocodiles), Capybara (large rodent, looks like a rat but the size of a pig), tiny frogs, and lots of birds. Then we headed back across the water as the sun set behind us, it was stunning. On our return, dinner was prepared and we sat round the camp.

7th dawned fairly early as we had been told about a Monkey walk you could take, but were advised it was better in the early morning. Leanne, Charuka, Richard and I set off at about 7am to get to the visitors centre for opening time at 7.30, as we were nearing on the visitors centre (having just crossed the noisy bridge), there was the sound of a vehicle crossing the bridge and then Freddy appeared, having hitched a ride in a pick up truck... well i enjoyed the walk. We then went on the short walk and found the black faced monkeys... they were unfortunately the side of the sun, which didn´t make for great pictures, but we enjoyed watching them play in the trees. We then took a different walk where we were told you sometimes see lots of other animals, and saw 2 birds as we left the track and that was it! We then headed back for breakfast and then i took my book and sat by the Lake, as i sat there, others came along and we ended up sitting there chatting for the rest of the morning, moving for lunch and returning to the spot for most of the afternoon too. Watching Gary and some of the guys intermittently fish, chatting and occasionally reading! Then at about 6pm we went on a horse ride, i got a lovely, but HUGE horse. We rode along laughing and chatting and not seeing much wildlife, but just taking in the swamp and our environs, before watching the sun set and heading back at a trot to the campsite. Charuka and I finished preparing dinner and by the time we´d done that it was already getting late.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170349500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170349500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/downtocl/s.america_06-07/1170349500/tpod.html Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:58:15 -0500 What adventures will the new journey provide... let the story begin!

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

1st February! We departed our bushcamp early with a beautiful sunrise over the neighbouring field and headed into Buenos Aires, with sweltering heat, as the temperature continued to rise and humidity was melting us. We arrived in the early afternoon and after settling into our rooms, we went on a tour of the city. The bus first took us to the Plaza De Mayo, the main square with the Cathedral and Presidents House on its edges. In the centre of the square was the Mothers of the Disappeared marching round the statue, apparently they march every Thursday at 3,30, as they are unhappy with the lack of answers regarding their loved ones that disappeared in the difficult years in Argentinian history. We then went on to drive through San Telmo, the artisan quarter, to the La Boca stadium (Maradona´s old club), and on to the Caminito a lovely area of la Boca, with dancing in the street and houses painted in several bright colours, as they used to paint the ships, and left over paint was used to paint the houses. It was so colourful and bright, beautiful. Then we drove to the posher parts of town, passing several landmarks as we went before heading back to the hotel. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour, but it was enjoyable. In the evening, the girls and I went to a lovely little restaurant, on the main street lining the centre of the city, and after a beautiful piece of fish, we headed back to a nice comfortable bed, in a room with a fan... next best thing to some AC in that heat.

2nd, was the start of my own tour... i took a walk along the main street and then up to the San Martin´s park to look at the Ex-English Tower (coz it looks a bit like Big Ben), then i took a wander down the pedestrianised streets of Florida and Lavelle, (very touristy shopping area) before coming out at the Plaza De Mayo again, and this time visiting the Cathedral, before heading down Avenida De Mayo to the National Congress (which looks like the Capitol Building in the US, but like the President´s house had lots of scaffolding round so i couldn´t see the monument infront of it properly unfortunately. I then headed back to the hotel as i was MELTING, and spent some time on the internet before dinner. For dinner we headed to San Telmo, Analie, Charuka and I. There we found a table on the Plaza Dorrego, and as we finished our meal a Flamengo Band started, along with Flamengo dancers, and so we were treated to some beautiful dancing. Before i headed back to that comfortable bed whilst the girls tried to find some Tango to watch.

3rd, was the continuation of my own tour. This time i headed up past the Theatre Colon (which apparently is worth a tour, but due to work and more scaffolding, it was closed for refurbishing) so i went up to the richer district of Recoleta, where i wandered the streets just taking it in, until i stumbled across a small Mall with a Cinema inside. I decided that i would return for the next showing, so went off through Recoleta, past a market and reached the cemetary, which i wandered round for a while, locating Eva Peron´s Grave, and just taking in the splendor of the Mausoleums. I popped my head into the little church next door, but didn´t stay long as there was a service in progress. Then headed back through other little streets to the Mall, and had a great time watching Will Smith and his kid, it was such a treat as it was something different to do, and was all air conditioned. After that had finished i took a walk to the National Museum of Decorative Art, which was actually a house built around 1915, for a rich family, which was absolutely beautiful inside, and still had a lot of their art and belongings, as well as other pieces that were donated. A short taxi ride, took me to Palermo (an even richer part of the city) to the Evita Museum, which was interesting, but a little lacking in substance. Then it was home on the Underground (Subte) to meet the girls. Analie, Charuka and I went to Palermo for dinner, and sat outside (possibly a mistake in that heat) enjoying a lovely meal and wine, before meeting a friend of Charuka´s and going for a couple of drinks. Analie and I headed back with Charuka and her friend continued their evening in the Palermo clubs!

4th, Charuka was sleeping in late, so although we´d planned a day out together, i had breakfast and left her a note, and headed to Puerto Madero. This is the wharf area, and very much had the feel of Canary Wharf at the weekend (mostly tourists around, building work occuring, couple of old tall ships and fairly quiet in areas). I then walked back past the Post Office and Stock Exchange, beautiful old buildings (but unfortunatly couldn´t go in due to it being Sunday) and headed back to the hotel. Charuka was up and waiting for me, so we set off to walk to San Telmo, for the Sunday Antique market and dancing in the street. We got some food overlooking the square and took in some of the professionals encouraging onlookers to participate in the Tango. There was a mime actor, there was an accordian player, there was a puppet show, a guy on stilts, very much a busy square feel in the UK as i imagine it a century or more ago! I then caught a taxi to La Boca and saw professionals dancing the Tango in the street, beautiful, and wandered the markets, before catching a bus back to the city. I used the phone and shopped for our next group meal, resulting in Charuka and I catching a late dinner (more beautiful fish) and then getting an early-ish night for an early start in the morning on our departure from a fantastic city.
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