Ultimate South America

October - November 2016
A 38-day adventure by Brad and Mandy Pearce Read more
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  • Antarctica
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  • Day 1

    Hola from Chile

    October 12, 2016 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We arrived safely in Santiago at around 2pm on Monday - only supposedly 6 hours after we left Brisbane - but of course it was much longer than that. As it was a public holiday, the trip to the hotel was quick as there was no traffic. Hotel is nice - we have a room on the 12th floor overlooking the golf course and a nice view of the Andes mountains in the background. That evening we met with the other guests on the tour (there are 29 of us) at a cocktail reception where we tried the national Chilean drink, Pisco Sour. It was quite refreshing but I'm sure it would pack a punch. It is said that after the 2nd drink you understand Spanish and by the 3rd you speak it fluently.

    Relatively early night because a big day on Tuesday. Note to self, make sure you look at the correct time. Woke up, checked the tablet and the time was 5.15am so I got up to perhaps see the sun rise over the Andes. Still dark so decided to have my shower as we were planning to get up around 6am anyway. After my shower I was surprised that the sun still hadn't risen so checked the time again and it was only 4.30am (the time on my tablet was still showing Australian time). Ah well, nevermind.

    Our bus trip today was a sightseeing tour of Santiago then a trip to the port city of Valparaiso which is a world heritage listed city. The tour of Santiago was a bit of a non event as we only drove past some points of interest which were photographed from the bus but Il couldn't tell you much about them. However, the tour of Valparaiso was quite interesting. The bus dropped us at the top and we walked down the steep streets looking at the colourful houses and street murals. At the end we experienced a furnicular (street elevator) which was about 150 years old and still in use.

    Some interesting points i learned about Chile in general:
    Santiago receives very little rain, only about 250mm a year. We will frequently get that in one downfall.
    The Atacama desert in the north of the country is the driest desert in the world.
    Port cities such as Valpariso have bright, colourful houses because it is a sailor's tradition so they could pick out their particular house from sea.
    Valpariso was once the capital of Chile as it was a very busy port. This changed when the Panama Canal opened in 1915 and ships no longer had to sail around the bottom of South America. The population went from 25000 before 1915 to just 5000 soon after.
    Due to the dry climate, Chile has a very successful wine growing region. They are not affected by fungal diseases or insect pests because they do not thrive in dry conditions. That means pesticides and fungicides are not used.
    Tomorrow we travel to Buenos Aires where we stay for 3 nights.
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  • Day 3

    Anyone for Tango

    October 14, 2016 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A little stormy when we arrived in Buenos Aires (BA) however initial impressions of the city are quite favourable. Buenos Aires, which means good air, had a lot of green leafy trees link the avenues and many green spaces for parks etc. It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Hotel Emperador and it is a very nice hotel with large rooms, big beds, large bathrooms and big fluffy towels. Ok, the view from our room is not great as we overlook the rail tracks and a shanty town but you can't have everything... right?

    The next day - Thursday - we did a sightseeing tour of Buenos Aires taking in the make sights such as the pink Casa Rosada (Government House), and the city’s cathedral. The Casa Rosada is made famous as it was the place where Eva Peron (and Madonna who played her in Evita) gave a speech. I have not seen the musical but I am very familiar with the song 'Don't Cry for me Argentina'....... but more about that later. The cathedral housed the tomb of a famous General Redimio el Peru who fought many battles in order for Argentina to gain its independence (not sure of the details here)

    Driving around we saw other sights such as the huge silver opening flower sculpture, and the rather unique pedestrian bridge that can open by pivoting, like a gate. A lot of the architecture in BA is very European influenced and I can see why it is often referred to as the Paris of the South. They even have an Avenue which is the widest in the world and it reminds me of the Champes Elysee (sp?) in Paris. BA residents love their dogs and people are employed as dogwalkers - as many as 12 dogs at a time. We saw them in the parks as we were driving past in the bus and didn't get the camera ready in time.

    The next neighbourhood we visited was La Boca, a very poor, yet very colourful area. It had a very nice atmosphere and while we were constantly asked if we would like to tango or have a photo with Diego Maradona lookalike - a famous Argentinian footballer- a polite no thanks and they did not hassle you like people do in say Mexico.

    Next was a visit to Café Tortoni, a coffee house established in 1880's where we enjoyed wine, cold cuts, cheese and olives, followed by coffee. The rest of the afternoon was free time so we visited Recoleta Cemetery which is unlike any other cemetery I have ever seen before. A real rabbit warren with massive tombs. - could easily get lost in there. We were looking specifically for the tomb of Evita..... took a while as it was tucked away a bit. The tomb would be considered quite ornate in Australia but here it was relatively plain amongst its neighbours.

    Argentina is home of the tango and that evening we attended a dinner and show which was very good which sort of showed the development of Tango over the years. The last girl in particular came out in a very provocative almost nude body suit with strategically placed dark lace. The dance was so energetic that we were all exhausted by the end of it. Brad had to ask if there were any men dancing....tch! Typical! (No photos, sorry)

    The next day we were going to attend a gaucho ranch for an Argentine BBQ and horse display and folk music but we were talked out of it by our guide as it was supposedly a long way so we went to Tigre and cruised the Paraná Delta. I always thought BA was an ocean port but it is actually beside the River Plate, a very wide river, the ocean is actually a couple of hundred kilometres away. So the delta flows into the river and is so high in sediment it makes the water look dirty. Houses built around the delta waterways range from a little as $33K up to $120K USD but still you need to rely on boats to get around and the delta frequently floods. A pleasant day but in hindsight should have still attended the gaucho ranch as the few that did still go said it was really good.

    Fly to Rio today (Saturday), pouring rain this morning in BA but weather supposed to be good in Rio. Looking forward to it.
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  • Day 6

    Spectacular Rio

    October 17, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    We departed Buenos Aires in the pouring rain and flew to Rio de Janeiro arriving at night. Our hotel for the next 3 nights was the Porto Bay Rio International. Our room on the 19th floor had a small balcony that overlooked Copacobana Beach to the left and to the right was the Statue of Christ. Totally amazing location and the biggest king sized bed I've ever seen. The only downside is the hotel only has 2 very small lifts to service 20 floors.

    Our first full day and we did a tour of 2 of the favelas - what in other places are known as slums or ghettos. One of them had an estimated 70,000 - 100,000 people. Sure they are poor, but as our guide explained to us, they are not miserable and they have a great sense of community. They don't pay any taxes or any electricity because they do not officially have an address. They are built one on top of the other like a house of cards. There is only one main street so access to their homes is via narrow stairways.... millions of steps. It must be said though that this Favela - Rochina - has some of the best views in town. The other Favela was quite small, only 3000 people. This one was more on the flat and consisted of a rabbit warren of alleyways more below ground where it was cooler. These ones had street addresses and electricity meters. An unusual way of living but a very interesting tour.

    In the afternoon, Brad wanted a swim in Copacobana Beach so we wandered over. The sand is hot, hot, hot and they have a soaker hose set up with a track from the footpath to close to the waters edge to cool the sand. A really good idea. It appears that it does not matter what size you are you can still wear an itsy-bitsy bikini. Only time for a short swim because we then had a tour on the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain. Great views but a bit hazy. Some good photos though.

    That evening we went to a Brazilian BBQ. We have never seen anything like it. After collecting salads from the salad bar, the waiters then came around with huge skewers of meat - beef, lamb, chicken, some seafood, ribs (from a dinosaur I think), sausage, rib eye etc. that they slice of pieces of and it just kept coming. Not so good if you are vegetarian but the meat was all extremely tasty.

    The next morning we went to Corcovado Mountain and visited the statue of Christ the Redeemer at the peak. Absolutely breathtaking views even though there was some haze in the air. It is easy to access via train, then lifts and escalators to the top, once upon a time you had to walk the whole way. Then we saw the Lapa steps which is one man's project to beautify an area with colourful tiles. The idea took off and now has tiles from all over the world.

    So ends our visit to Rio. Early start in the morning to Iguassu Falls on the Brazilian/ Argentine border.
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  • Day 8

    Niagara Falls...eat your heart out.

    October 19, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Not that I have been to Niagara so I suppose I shouldn't comment, but these falls are magnificent. Located on the border of Brazil and Argentina, we flew from Rio to Iguassu (Brazil) and checked out the falls on the Brazilian side. The water is a bit brown from recent rain but it did not really detract from the overall effect. We saw a toucan in the wild but not really able to get a good photo of it. Managed to get a bit wet on a walkway that went out along the front of one of the falls.

    We then headed to our hotel which happened to be on the Argentinian side and meant a border crossing, first Brazil, then Argentina. Not really a hassle but it is time consuming. Hotel is a Mercure hotel, quite new, nice rooms and attractive pool but I feel it would have been better to have a hotel on the Brazilian side because we went to dinner and a show one night (excellent) but this meant another border crossing, and another to the airport.

    The next day we visited the Argentinian side which was more from the top of the falls looking down. About 1km of walkways led to the Devils Throat which is one of the most spectacular falls. After we opted to go on a boat safari that takes you to the base of the falls. Quite a trek down to the boat and with the warning "You will get wet" we boarded the boat for 20 minute adventure. Was it worth it? You bet it was. Plenty of laughs and squeals as we headed into the base of the falls. Brad had Luke's GoPro so we were able to film it.

    Final day in Iguassu and we went to the Parque de Aves (bird park) which we really enjoyed. The setting was very peaceful and we had the chance to observe toucans and macaws in the huge walk through avaries. After this a trip to the airport for our 6th flight, this time to Lima to begin our Peruvian adventure.
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  • Day 11

    Getting a little high...in elevation.

    October 22, 2016 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Arrived at Cusco, quite a large city at a high elevation where the temperature is crisp and the air is thinner. This city is over 1000 metres higher than the highest point in Australia and as such the altitude certainly did have an effect on most of our group, some worse than others. Brad and I had been taking altitude sickness pills in preparation and while we were feeling a slight tingling in hands and feet (a side effect) and light-headedness, we did not actually feel nauseous or have a headache as some others did. We were not however staying in Cusco yet but heading out to the Sacred Valley which is in the vicinity of Machu Picchu.

    Our local guide Celio, is Incan (or at least Incan blood) and is quite a character but also extremely knowledgeable. Our first stop along the way was to visit a traditional weaving demonstration. Now, I have been to these handcraft type demos before but this was really fascinating. A simple snack type lunch was provided including guinea pig (tried it but won't be trying again). Of course they had jumpers, scarves etc. for sale but the difference was the prices were extremely reasonable. Brad and I both bought a jumper for 70 soles (Peruvian money) which is equivalent to about $28 AUD.

    After winding our way through dramatic mountain scenery we finally arrived at Sacred Valley and our hotel - Aranwa Sacred Valley. What a surprise it was! Without a doubt this is the best hotel we have ever stayed in.... and huge. A couple of photos to show the area.

    The next day we had a walk around the Incan town of Ollantaytambo then drove up into the mountains to visit the children’s project, Munaychay (an orphanage) and where we had lunch cooked in a Peruvian earth oven - bit like the New Zealand Hangi.

    To complete the day we visited Pisac market. More souvenir shopping... same, same, but different. I am not really a good shopper.

    So ends our visit to the Sacred Valley - next stop Machu Picchu.
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  • Day 13

    Macchu Picchu- the lost city of the Inca

    October 24, 2016 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We have been in South America two weeks now and have just visited one of the highlights of our tour - Machu Picchu . Once again the weather has been kind to us with a sunny day. It may also be because a bird pooped on my shoulder and they do say that it is good luck.

    We left our spectacular Sacred Valley accommodation (would have liked to spend a little more time here) with an overnight bag as the rest of our luggage is going to Cusco, and boarded the Vistadome train at Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu town). The 90 minute train ride was very civilised with great views and a snack service as well. The final leg of the journey was a half hour bus ride up the mountain on a dirt road with lots of hairpin bends.
    We have arrived!

    Passports are needed to enter the site (bonus being you get a Machu Picchu stamp) and it is a short walk to get a classic shot. We explored the place for several hours and our guide gave us very detailed information about the history. He grew up in Machu Picchu town and his father was a maintenance worker on the site. Brad climbed to the Sun Temple to get the money shot (the one you see in the brochures) but I chose not to as uneven steps without handrails make me nervous. A couple of the ladies booked to do the Inca Trail (1 day) which took them about 8 or 9 hours. Kudos to them but they did look quite exhausted when they arrived.

    That night we stayed at El MaPi hotel, had the morning to explore the town (more markets, surprise , surprise !) before heading back down on the Vistadome train while being treated to some colourful entertainment and a fashion show, and then a 2 hour bus ride back to Cusco .
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  • Day 15

    We are the anointed ones

    October 26, 2016 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    A strange title I know but I will explain a bit later.

    Arrived in Cusco after our trip to Machu Picchu booked into another amazing hotel - very old - and has been several things including a monastery and a bank. As mentioned before, Cusco is at a very high elevation and we noticed that the simple task of breathing became difficult again. That evening we had a dinner and Peruvian traditional folklore music show which was magic. The pan pipes plus another couple of instruments that I don't know the names of (but look like a ukulele and large recorder) were expertly played, particularly the haunting melody known as The Lonely Shepherd (of you don't know it - Google it). Beautiful! There were also male and female colourful masked dancers (like the one on the Vistadome train) and Brad was asked to go out and dance with one of the girls. A bit of a fish out of water but he actually looked like he knew what he was doing. However, the dance went on for quite a while and as we were not yet acclimatised to the thinner air, he found himself getting exhausted and another minute he reckons he would have passed out.

    The next morning we had a walking tour of the main area of the Old Town of Cusco which included the sacred site of Koricancha (an Incan sun temple) and a Baroque church which was massive, as well as a food market which Brad said would be fined and shut down if it was in Australia. Still, it wasn't as bad as the markets we saw in Vietnam. ... at least these did not have flies all over them.

    The rest of the day was free time so we decided to do a bus tour with 4 other people of our group so we could get some views of Cusco from up in the hills from the Statue of Christ (it seems many South American cities have a Christ statue - just not as big as the one in Rio. What we didn't realise was that it also included a coca leaf ceremony. This is a type of blessing (I think, not real sure ) where a Peruvian Sharman gives you 3 coca leaves (these are the ones that help combat altitude sickness) and chants over them and you while waving a condor feather, then we burn them and he collects the burnt offering and waves the smoke over you. Smells a bit like eucalyptus leaves. Don't really know what it was all about but it was interesting.

    Next day a big drive to Lake Titicaca - the highest navigatable lake in the world - but more about this next blog.
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  • Day 17

    Titicaca- highest navigatable lake

    October 28, 2016 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Starting to get a bit behind in my blog, partly due to poor Internet reception (partly due to laziness )

    Left Cusco for the drive to Puno, a surprisingly large city on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The drive was an all day affair with a couple of stops along the way to visit some Incan ruins and a rather elaborate Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately we also stopped for a buffet lunch at a place that caters for bus groups etc. I say unfortunately because we believe half a dozen of our group contacted food poisoning resulting in vomiting and diahorrea including Brad, some worse than others. It took several days to get that out of their system, so probably this area does not hold particularly fond memories.

    Also along our journey we stopped at the place of the highest elevation we encountered...surprise,surprise , another market.

    Lake Titicaca is set on the border of Peru and Bolivia, and is the highest altitude lake in the world. It is also home to the Uros people who live on man-made floating islands made from reeds. It was an interesting tour after finding out how they made the islands we had a look inside the simple houses. Our local had us dress up in their very colourful attire - a bit of a hoot! Of course, there were handicrafts for sale.

    Interesting place but it was a long way to go to visit. We flew out of Juliana, about an hour from Puno, not a very nice looking place, to Lima (1 night), then Quito (1 night), before embarking on our Amazonian Cruise (next blog)
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  • Day 20

    Into the jungle we go

    October 31, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After a couple of days travelling to Ecuador (via Lima and Quito - more about Quito later), we flew to Coca in the Amazon river basin, travelled an hour and a half in a motorised canoe to board the Anakonda Amazon cruise boat for three days in the Amazon jungle on the Napo river.

    Our first activity was an evening walk through the jungle but did not see anything of great significance - a few bugs and spiders, but not too much else.

    The next day was spent exploring by motorised canoe the Piranha Lake and waterways looking for pink river dolphins (nope), squirrel monkeys (nope) and caiman (nope), but we did see a sloth (which the guide said he could smell) and some macaws, plus weaver birds, the big blue butterflies and several other creatures that the names escape me at the moment. After lunch we tried a spot of piranha fishing and Brad was pleased to catch one.

    Or final full day started early with a visit to a parrot clay lick where it seems like 1000's of parrots gather to lick the mineral rich clay. While there were certainly a lot of parrots around, they were a bit reluctant to land as there must have been a predator nearby. We did however see some red howler monkeys. Later that day we visited a local centre and the women showed us around the gardens ( for food production) and we tried of their local foods etc. Later that afternoon we walked to an observation tower and climbed 40 metres to take us above the forest canopy and views of the river.

    The cruise was nice - boat comfortable with good facilities and meals. Saw some great sunsets and some sights we would never see at home. Did i mention it was hot? Even the local guides thought it was warm. ... and still no rain to spoil our tours.

    Final morning a 2 hour boat ride back to the airport and return flight to Quito.
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  • Day 24

    On the equator

    November 4, 2016 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Arrived in Quito….. and what a surprise! Other places we had been to in South America showed signs of poverty and with no concern for the aesthetic appeal such as gardens and well maintained homes. In fact many houses appeared unfinished mainly due to the fact that they did not have to pay land taxes or rates until the home was finished, therefore houses were never complete. Flew into Quito to a near new airport, beautiful smooth roads into the city, and very attractive city too, set amongst quite steep hills (actually make that volcanos)

    Stayed at the Dan Carlton Hotel (very nice) and after the usual tour around the old town (another church, another market Square, another presidential palace, another statue on the hill – this one of Mary / Madonna, not Christ) we had a free day to do as we pleased. Fortunately we were aware that we were very close to the equator and our guide organised a group tour to the real equator. I say this because there are 2 equator points – one with the big monument etc. that was determined in the 1930’s but it's actually out by about 200m or around 7°. We went to the real equator (as determined by GPS) and it was really interesting. Standing on the equatorial line we saw the corealis effect demonstrated (not sure of the spelling but it is the direction water drains according to which hemisphere you are in). The guide filled a sink with water, placed it over the equator line, pulled the plug, and the water drained straight down. Repeated it just 2m in the northern side and the water drained in an anticlockwise direction, repeated on southern side and drained in a clockwise direction. (I may have mixed them up but you get the idea). Also the wind speed meters were spinning in opposite directions on either side of the equator and yet they were only about 5m apart. It is like one side cancels out the other. It is for this cancelling effect that Ecuador does not have hurricanes or cyclones or tornados (but they do have earthquakes and volcanos). It was all really fascinating and I'm glad we went.

    Nearly at the end of our South American trip… next stop Galapagos Islands.
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