At last I have got down to starting the diary of my trip to South America - another great adventure, I hope!
Just to give you a brief synopsis of my plan - it all began because I have a number of places on my agenda that I want to see before I leave this world for good. South America is one of those items on the agenda so I am tackling it in two stages - the first stage being a tiny bit of Brazil, quite a lot of Argentina, some of Chile and the same in Columbia. I then have a break in Florida until 1st May. The second stage takes in Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru, Amazon jungle and Bolivia before heading back home on 11th June - for a rest!!
So, let's go! I started my journey with my daughter Catherine taking me to Heathrow for my flight with BA to Sao Paulo in Brazil. It was a nice start having a chaffeur as it took all the hassle out of getting to the airport. Oh, I forgot to mention - I decided to do Business Class again on my flights as it was such a great comfort on my last RTW trip - I am now hooked! It is fantastic value for money - that is my justification. It proved very useful as my flight to Brazil was two hours late leaving - the airport lounge made it bearable - at least there was lots to read, eat and drink if one wanted to do so. We finally left at 11 pm and after dinner on the flight I slept all the way (11 hours to Sao Paulo) and just woke up as breakfast was being served. What I managed to see of Sao Paulo was covered in smog - full of skyscrapers and high-rise blocks of flats. I had to change planes for my flight to Foz de Iguassu, and was in transit for four hours. I had to re-check in and there were really long queues - what a pain, as it was very hot and humid. It was a plane like Easyjet, but you got snacks and drinks included and the crew were really nice. When I landed at Foz a driver was there to meet me. He took me to the B&B where I was staying - this was on the Argentinian side, so we had to go through immigration controls again.
The B&B called The Secret Garden definitely lived up to the Trip Advisor reports - it is excellent - three beautiful guest rooms - all ensuite - with lovely gardens and decking - an oasis - the humming birds flit from flower to flower and they are beautiful colours. John (the owner) has a customary 7.30 - 9 pm pre-dinner drinks and canapes so guests can meet and swap experiences and advice - a brilliant idea. I had my first glass of mate (it tastes like green tea) which is an acquired taste - I like it. We then had an Argentinian aperitif called Caipirrinha - very pleasant.
Any preconception I had of being lonely was soon squashed! I met three very friendly 32-year old US girls from LA and San Diego and a couple from Herts who were also very sociable. They had all been in Buenos Aires (BA) my next stop - and gave it glowing reports. I went out for dinner after "Happy Hour" with the UK folks. If you do not eat beef in AR you are in a spot of bother! It is their pride and joy - us wimps who do not are treated with a mixture of contempt and curiosity!! They are big into BBQ slabs of cow - I am told it is excellent. I settled for the salad bar and got home at 12.30 am - that's another thing - people here seem to have dinner from 10 pm onwards! I crashed out when I got back and it was not from the Malbec as I did not have any!!
10th January 08 - Iguassu and Iguazu Falls - the first one is in Brazil and the other in Argentina - the Falls straddle the border of both countries.
The US girls and I booked a taxi and driver for the day - am we did the Brazil side which gets you closer to the Falls and pm did the Argentinian side - more panoramic views. We all had lunch together - they went back to B&B to pack and flew to LA via BA - at least that was the idea but their plane (Aeroleanas) to BA was cancelled so they missed the connecting flight. This airline is always having problems - at the moment they are on strike - nothing new there but, I won't go into that. In the morning the rainbows over the Falls were fantastic - I did not realise that there are lots of Falls, not just one big one. What a fantastic day! I have seen waterfalls in different parts of the world but this is the "Big Daddy" of them all. As the Americans say "they are awesome". The AR side gets you up close and personal if you take the boat ride into the "Devil's Throat" which, of course, I did! A bit of advice here - (I did not do it) wear swimwear - bring a small towel and change of clothes in backpack - as you are guaranteed to get drenched from head to toe - no escape wherever you sit in the boat!! It is quite an experience - you cannot believe the thunderous noise, force and power of the water as the boat takes you right into the Falls.
The National Park - where the Falls are - is enormous. You are taken on a train from the entrance and you can get off at whatever stop you wish - lots of declines and inclines to the walkways in order to get varying views of the Falls - all in 35 degree heat! Best time? Early am for Brazil side (sun is at your back) pm for Argentinian side. It is an unforgettable sight and yes, I would thoroughly recommend a visit.
11th Jan 08 - Falls again!!
I had intended to go back and do a few more walks but a terrific tropical downpour put a stop to that! Instead I visited an eco centre in the morning before the rain really set in. It was a place where everything was made out of huge trees - very interesting - there was also craft works for sale which were made by local people. The driver took me back to the B&B and I spent the afternoon making notes for my blog and reading. Had lunch while I waited for the storm to blow over but, it set in for the day. That evening a couple arrived from Melbourne so new experiences were aired.
12th Jan 08 - I visited the town of Puerto de Iguazu - not very exciting - most people who come to this place are here to visit the Falls and only use the town as a base. After lunch the taxi took me to the airport for my flight for which the flight number or time did not exist!! However, I was put on some flight to BA and got there two hours later than expected.
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