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South America Part 2
  • Don and Lee McLoughlin
okt. 2019 – sep. 2025

South America Part 2

South America . For part 2 of our trip, it was just Lee and Don. The highlights of this part were Rio de Janiero, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires and the 18 day Chilean Fjord cruise from Buenos Aires, around Cape Horn and back up to Santiago Les mer
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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Delicious and creative breakfast.
    Moray archaelogical site map.Terrases designed to find best altitudes for various crops.s.Picking some kind of berries off shrubs.Steps were supposed to help people climb from one level to the nextHeading to the Museum.Entrance to Museo Inkariy.

    Maras, Peru

    15. november 2019, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Sacred Valley. Casa Killaunu (House), Moray Archeological Site, Museo Inkariy

    We woke to the sounds of drizzling rain but more comforting, to the sounds of the chef and helper starting to cook breakfast. What a feast – hot chocolate quinoa porridge, scrambled eggs cooked with herbs, fried potatoes of course, (did we mention there are 3000 varieties of potatoes in Peru), and fried plantain. After we stuffed ourselves, we were picked up about 10:00 am in a sparkling white van by our driver, Gabriel, to take us to Moray a 30 km trip from the house and 7 km west of Maras.

    We drove to Urubamba and then turned off to climb uphill for about half an hour. We came to the town of Maras a typical Peruvian village where we saw the normal Peruvian dress worn by both men and women. We continued on uphill through beautiful agricultural fields. We saw many tourist buses and also ATVs ridden by tourists over very muddy terrain. When we stepped out of the lovely white van the sides were coated in red mud.

    Moray is an archaeological site in Peru approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Cuzco on a high plateau at about 3,500 metres and just west of the village of Maras. This area was discovered in 1932 and contains unusual Inca ruins, mostly consisting of several terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is approximately 30 m deep. As with many other Inca sites, it also has an irrigation system. During the rainy season, we would expect the site to turn into a giant pond but because of the terraces, how they were built, and the materials within them, the terraces never get flooded.

    The purpose of these depressions is uncertain, but their depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C between the top and the bottom. This landmark site was likely used for farming and soil samples have shown that soils were brought in from different regions to be used in helping grow crops at the different levels of the terraces. The circular shape enabled a lot of testing for crop culture as well: if the crops were facing north, south, east or west, the amount of sunshine they received varied considerably. Therefore, the Incas could experiment and study what crops grew better in what conditions and get fundamental knowledge that they could apply to their large-scale crop cultivations elsewhere. It is said that with a structure such as Moray, the Incas were able to reproduce the various climates found across their empire, from sea level to high altitude.

    We spent about an hour and a half touring the site. The terraces wound around and in the walls were embedded steps reaching about 8 feet high to allow the Incas to move from one terrace to another. We definitely could feel the changes of temperature as we went down into the center. We don’t know, but maybe thousands of years ago the crater may have been formed by a meteorite, all speculation on our part as even Archeologists have not figured out much about the site.

    There were many tourist buses that had come from Ollantaytambo and Cusco and the people were spending very little time there as they were trying to fit 3 or 4 Inca sites into a one day excursion, We are glad we have taken a few days to take our time exploring this fascinating area. We drove back down into the Sacred Valley to Urubamba, stopped at the Scotiabank ATM to stock up with Soles and then continued on to see a museum.

    Museo Inkariy is a giant of a project that took thirteen years from first planning its creation to finally opening its doors in 2015. It’s unique in that it is the first private-run Peruvian museum in the Cusco region and is more like a cinematic experience than a traditional museum visit. The museum is divided into nine different pavilions each showcasing one of the most important pre-Hispanic Peruvian cultures, over 5000 years of civilizations including Caral, Chavín, Paracas, Moche, Nazca, Wari, Lambayeque, Chimu and Inca. The descriptions and artifacts and lifelike displays were amazing and as we went through the rooms it brought together much of what we have learned throughout our trip.

    Each culture is showcased in two parts. First, elements of each culture including dress, customs, beliefs and art are explained in an ‘ante-room’. You then move to the second part of each pavilion, where an iconic scene is recreated from each culture. The Paracas room recreates a typical burial scene, while the Wari Pavilion showcases a warrior making weapons. Statues and sculptures are very realistic with extreme attention to detail including wrinkles, tattoos and perfectly styled hair! Even the body types of each character were meticulously researched to represent for example the body type and facial structure of a Wari warrior or an Inca ruler. This museum surpasses all expectations and is well worth a 2-hour visit.

    We returned to our house to have a late lunch sitting on the patio. Don went for a "lie down" and Lee spent time writing our Blog.

    Tonight, we are using up the leftovers from the 2 sensational dinners that our chef cooked for us. I hear very animated conversation downstairs, so this is the end of my typing.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    On the way to the Pisac Inca site.
    The only Puma we saw.It was a long way up.Mike and Don looking quite pleased with themselves.The usual vendors.Hairless peruvian dog relates back to Inca times.

    Pisac, Peru. In the Sacred Valley

    16. november 2019, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Sacred Valley. House:Casa Killaunu. Pisac Inca Site and town of Pisac

    We had breakfast around 7:30, eggs, fruit and granola. Kevin came and picked us up around 9:00 and we headed through Calca to Pisac another Inca site. We didn’t have much information before we left so we’re unsure of what the hike would be like. We drove to the top of where the buses could go, negotiating switchbacks and very bumpy roads. When we reached the parking area, we experienced the usual number of sellers with all their wares on display. We proceeded along the path to look at a map that seemed very complicated. Our goal was to visit the archeological sites located at the top of the mountain and then work our way down the mountain into the village below. We realized that because of the large number of people there and the vastness of the area, we would have to move at a bit of a pace to meet our driver in the village at 3:00.

    The Pisac ruins are among Peru’s most intact ancient sites, and a perfect example of ingenious Inca architecture. They are built on top of a mountain that towers over the small town of Pisac; the views of the countryside are spectacular, and the ruins were remarkable. The exact date of construction is unknown, but the ruins are believed to be either a gift to Inca nobility, or a defense against the invasion of Cusco. What is certain is that the site served more than one function. With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site served at least three purposes and was able to support a whole community, even a small city, of Incas. The sweeping terraces are stunning to look at and are trademark of Inca agriculture that you find all over the Andean countryside. The Incas would grow their crops on the terraces to sustain their mountain-perched city. We decided not to use a guide and set off climbing upwards. It was fairly tough going as the steps were quite high and because it was Saturday there were lots of people going both up and down. We reached the summit of one area and then Gary, Karina and Don went up higher to try and figure out where we could pick up the trail that was supposed to take us back down. They decided we must have gone the wrong way, so we headed back down the way we had come up. Gary and Karina suggested that they really didn’t know where to go so we said we would head back to the parking lot and they would carry on trying to find the trail. We slowly walked back to the parking area and negotiated a price with a taxi driver to take us back down to the Pisac Market in the main square. This is where skilled artisans craft ceramics, textiles, and silver jewelry with Andean motifs, and where indigenous people from surrounding communities come to barter for goods in the local language, Quechua. They say that Sunday is the best time to see the market, but it was certainly interesting even on Saturday. We spent a couple of hours browsing the very large market and finally heard from Gary that they were almost back down off the mountain. As it turned out we made the right decision not to do the hike down. Gary and Karina were exhausted and said it was probably the toughest hike they had done. We found a small restaurant and ordered milkshakes, 3 Mango and 3 Chocolate. Lee took Karina and Judy to buy Christmas tree ornaments and then we wandered back through the market to find Kevin, our driver. The ride back was quiet as everyone was tired.

    We spent the afternoon transferring Gary and Karina’s pictures onto backup memory sticks using Lee’s MacBook computer. Then Gary set up on the large TV so we could see their pictures of our hike from the 104 km on the Inca Trail as well as our tour of Machu Picchu and the 2 hikes in the valley..
    Dinner tonight was cooked by 2 girls, the one who had helped Julian, our chef and another girl. We had a delicious tomato a soup, a beef dinner with rice, potatoes and everything was so good. They also gave us a big pitcher of warm pear juice. We have so much leftover we will have a great breakfast.

    Having our dinners cooked for us has been wonderful and they have all been traditional Peruvian meals. The dishes were all washed for us and we have felt totally spoiled.

    Tonight, we packed our cases as we will leave to go back to Cusco tomorrow morning. It seems a shame we can’t stay a few more days in this beautiful valley and very comfortable house.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Scene on Lee's early walk.
    Lee's early walk to the cemetery.Bicycle driven "tuk tuk"Scenes driving back to CuscoStressed out and tired in Lima airport.

    Cusco back to Toronto, Collingwood

    17. november 2019, Canada ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Sacred Valley to Cusco. Hotel: Anany Quinta San Blas.
    Cusco to Lima to Toronto to Collingwood

    Breakfast this morning consisted of some leftover fruit and juices and a significant amount of leftover dinner from last night. Our final dinner at the house was sensational with beef and rice and potatoes. Before we got on the bus, Gary threatened us with death if any of us needed to have a pee during the hour and a half drive to Cusco so we joked we were in danger of being so dehydrated that we would probably pass out. Our pickup time was 10 o’clock which gave us a chance to finish packing and for Lee to go for a walk down the very bumpy road we have travelled in and out on, to visit a cemetery and take some interesting pictures. The bus we hired holds 15 passengers, so it would be more comfortable than some of the taxi/vans we have been in and we could spread out for more personal space.

    Of interest, all of us have downloaded an app which translates English to Spanish and Spanish to English. We can even use it when we are not connected to Wi-Fi. It proved to be very beneficial to all of us. One of our drivers used it on his own phone and would often dictate to it in Spanish and show us the English translation of what he was trying to tell us. Along the way the vendors were selling everything from souvenirs to food and slices of a barbequed full side of pork. They also sell corn and those that do, madly wave a handful of corn leaves at the traffic, signalling that you could stop and buy the corn there.

    The speed signs both in town and in the rural districts are largely ignored. It was particularly noticeable in the cities where the drivers we’ve had, do at least double the speed limit of 35 km an hour. In both the cities and the towns, they have huge speed bumps to help control the speed and it’s necessary to come almost to a complete stop to negotiate these and that does help somewhat. Our route took us into a huge park which is part of the park around Sacsayhuaman, the Inca fortress in Cusco. Just as we were arriving in Cusco our driver advised us that he could not get closer than seven blocks to our hotel because of his license restrictions. With all our luggage, the extremely narrow streets and the fact it was seven blocks uphill, there wasn’t a chance we could’ve made it to the hotel. Fortunately, Gary went into a nearby hotel where the attendant happily called two taxis. When they arrived, we threw in the luggage and Karina jumped into one to tell them where to go and Gary in the other. The two cars drove right up to the hotel and we followed by walking up behind. By the time we arrived Gary had already unloaded all the luggage and paid the taxis.

    At about 2:00 pm, as we were sitting in lovely sunshine in the courtyard waiting for our rooms to be ready, I noticed that there was a message on my phone from David asking us to call as soon as possible. We learned the terrible news that Lee’s girlfriend, Peggy Shaw, had died suddenly the day before. Total shock followed by many tears. We discussed all the choices and with the help of Gary and Karina and the support of Mike and Judy, decided that we wanted to fly back home. For about two hours Gary and Karina and Lee were searching online for available flights and by 4 o’clock after Gary spent over an hour holding for Air Canada, he was able to book one going out the same night. The front desk called a taxi for us and at 5:30pm we headed to the airport for our 8:00 pm flight to Lima. The only way we could get to Lima for the first leg of the trip was to fly business class with Avianca which we did happily, and we were very pleased to have the extra comfort when we were so tired and upset. We had a 5-hour layover in Lima and then back to Toronto on a 7 ½ hour flight that left Lima at 3:15am and arrived in Toronto at about 10:00am. Thankfully, an Air Canada attendant in Lima gave us a complimentary upgrade to Premium economy which made that leg slightly more comfortable. David graciously picked us up and drove us home.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Rare remains of 2 story Inca building.
    Doing laundry and washing cars in the river.Guinea pigs at the hotel.Arriving at Isla Los Suma Chaulla.Green reids used to build houses, boats and islands.Two boats tied together so they can carry more people. Like a pontoon boat.A Tequile Island farmStone corral to maintain sheep.

    Puno, Peru. Lake Titicaca

    20. november 2019, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    As a result of our return to Toronto, we missed several planned days in the middle of our trip before we resumed our trip on November 25 in Rio de Janeiro. Mike, Judy and Gary and Karina continued on to Puno and Lake Titicaca.

    The pictures of Titicaca were taken by Gary, Karina, Mike and Judy, and the notes are Judy's.

    As we drive from Cusco to Puno, we pass agricultural land and wind our way up and down the mountains. There are many small towns, lakes, fields of corn, and cows grazing. Most farming is done by hand - both hoeing and sowing.

    We stopped at Raqchi, at 3460 metres, to see the remains of the Temple of Veracocha, which is one of the only remaining examples of a 2 storey Incan building. Only isolated sections remain. At 15 metres high and 90 metres long, this was the largest roofed building ever constructed by the Incans.

    When we drove through Juliaca, we were surprised to see many people doing their laundry and washing their cars in the river. There was a lot of road construction - all done by hand. The old concrete is broken up with a sledgehammer and then shovelled into trucks. Many men took turns.

    Our hotel in Puno, the Sonesta Hotel Posadas del Inca, is on the shore of Lake Titicaca. There are beautiful grounds and hundreds of guinea pigs running around. They are very playful and amusing to watch.

    Lake Titicaca is a large, deep lake straddling the border of Peru (53%) and Bolivia (47%) in the Andes Mountains. It is the world’s highest navigable body of water at 3,812 metres (12,500 feet). It is thought to be 3 million years old, covers 3200 square miles, is 120 miles long and 50 miles wide. The bright warm sunny days contrast with bitterly cold nights.

    Our tour of Lake Titicaca began with a half hour boat ride to the Uros Islands. These floating islands were established in 1800 BC as an escape for the Uru, an indigenous people, from the Incans. There are over 100 islands housing about 2000 people. Depending on the size of the island, there are 2 - 10 families per island. The islands have shared solar panels to run appliances like TV and radio and to heat water tanks perched atop buildings. Kindergarten and elementary schooling are available on the islands but students have to go to mainland for high school and university. The houses are made of reeds and the roofs have to be replaced every year. The islands are added to every month. They use thick green reeds for longer life.

    We landed at Isla Los Uros Suma Chaulla. The island feels very spongy underfoot and moves. It took a few moments to get our balance. The natives are all in bare feet. We had a demonstration of island, house and boat building. Then we were taken into a house where Gary and I were dressed in traditional outfits.

    Travel to mainland is done in small motorized aluminum boats through a 4 metre deep channel that has to be periodically dredged. They travel between the islands in tortora reed boats.

    The main source of income is fishing, farming and hunting. Some of the men travel to the city to work in construction or drive TukTuks. The schools are government subsidized. The women embroider bought fabric and make jewellery to sell to tourists.

    We then went to Taquile Island, an hour away. We are now 45 Km from Puno. This island is 5.5 km long and 1.6 km wide. It houses about 2200 people in an area of 5.72 sq kms. The highest point is 4,050 m (13,287 ft) and the main village is at 3,950 m. Their society is based on community collectivism and moral code - do not steal, lie or be lazy. The island is divided into 6 sections for crop rotation purposes. The economy is based on fishing, terraced farming, potato cultivation and tourism. They have sheep, cows, chickens and guinea pigs. They use solar panels to generate energy.

    We climbed up a flagstone walk to the top of the island and saw the backbreaking work of farming. The men till the soil with a hoe and the women break up the clumps, all on a steep incline.

    They also produce fine handwoven textiles. The men all knit the hats worn by all. Plain hats are for males and coloured hats for females. They start learning at age 7. The women spin the wool and use vegetables and minerals to dye it. The women also weave the wide belts worn by everyone.

    Following a song and dance routine we were served a delicious lunch of vegetable soup, trout with rice and a tomato and onion salad. The atmosphere on this island is very calm and peaceful and the views are spectacular.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Example of irrigation system.
    Driving through the countryside.Mendoza is notable for its many beautiful Plazas.One of them.Beautiful dining on a middle walkway in one of the plazas.Example of the wide walkways in the plazas.Roughness of the Andes.Highest mountain in the Americas, 22,841 feet.My niece, Karen, climed most of that!Boarder crossing to Chile.

    Mendoza

    21. november 2019, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    November 21-26. Mendoza, Argentina. Gary and Karina left after Puno to go back to their sailboat in Valdivia, 850km south of Santiago.

    Mike and Judy carried on to Mendoza, Argentina as the four of us had planned. This is their report.

    Mendoza is an oasis created in the desert that stretches from the Andes mountains to the coast of Chile on the Pacific Ocean. Two million trees have been planted, all imported. There are no indigenous trees. They are watered by an irrigation system, established 2 civilizations before the Incan. This involves diverting water from the Mendoza River, which originates in the Andes. Agriculture uses 80% of the available water and people 20%.

    In 1861 there was a large earthquake which flattened the city. When the city was rebuilt it was decided that everyone should be able to escape into an open area. The design is large squares with a park on every corner. The streets are wide as are the sidewalks. A unique feature is the exposed stone ditches, essentially small canals, running along each side of the road to water the trees.

    As there is no grass for cows and sheep to graze on, they only raise goats and chickens.

    Wine is the largest source of income, especially Malbec, followed by olives, walnuts and various fruits and vegetables. There are many wineries and the type of grape varies with the elevation of the vineyard. Oil and uranium are also exported.

    A trip into the mountains reveals the desert and only very low scrub type vegetation. Enroute we stopped at the Puente del Inca, Incan Bridge. The Cuevas River has bored through the mountain forming a natural bridge. We also viewed Mt Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas at 6,962 metres (22,841’). Our niece, Karen, (Don and Lee’s Daughter) climbed this mountain up to 18,000 ft. between Dec 2000 and Jan 2001. An unfortunate set of circumstances, having nothing to do with her, required the team to quickly head back to the bottom, making further ascent impossible.

    We drove as far as the Chilean border where the village of Las Cuevas has been built in a European style at 3200 metres (10,498’). As we had no passport for entry into Chile, we returned back to Mendoza.

    Due to the political unrest in Santiago at the time, they decided not to stay for any tours in Santiago. They had a quick overnight stay near the airport and then returned home to Radium.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2

    Collingwood to Toronto to Rio de Janeiro

    25. november 2019, Canada ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Collingwood-Toronto -Houston, Texas- Rio de Janeiro

    Alarm at 5:50 am, up, shower, breakfast and final pack. Seems very strange to be starting out again.

    David picked us up at 8:00 am and we arrived at the airport around 10:00 am. There was nobody at the airport and we sailed through to the gate. We departed at 12:40 pm.
    Smooth flight to Houston via United, arriving at 3:30 pm Our wait in Houston was 6 hours. We found a quiet area with Wi-Fi and passed the time fairly easily. We had a lovely supper in a restaurant at the airport called Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen. Our waiter was very pleasant and with a glass of wine we passed the rest of the waiting hours just fine. We boarded at 9:50 PM for a 9 hour overnight to Rio. Once on the runway, our flight was delayed an hour because of paperwork, and so we sat. The pilot hoped to make up some of the time and he did by ½ hour. Supper was vegetarian lasagna and lemon sorbet. Lee had her usual very restless night and was so happy to get off the plane. No pictures for today.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Soaker hoses provide cooler walkways to the water
    Distinct patern walkway for Copacabana beach.Busy street between our hotel and the beach.Why bother!Looking one way.Looking the other. It is very long and very wide.Some views from our roof top bar.Lee enjoying a nice sour LeblondoClose up of Leblondo.

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    26. november 2019, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Rio de Janeiro First Day. Hotel: Arena Copacabana

    When we came out from the baggage area, we expected to see a driver, holding a sign with our name, waiting for us. There was no one. We called the number and found out that they had somehow missed the message that we were coming in a day early. Everything sorted itself out and we were soon picked up and delivered to the hotel. On the way to the hotel we saw Sugarloaf Mountain, the Cristo Blanco and the sensational beaches.

    We were checked in fairly quickly. The clerk came from Iceland and we were his first customer. We settled into our room and then quickly headed out to walk the Copacabana beach. It was a lovely afternoon and we just relaxed and strolled along. Lots of very buff fellows and mostly bikini clad girls (although not all should have been wearing them). We returned to the hotel and had a refreshing regional drink called Leblon, on the rooftop overlooking the Copacabana beach. Down for a shower and an hour snooze. We decided to have dinner in the hotel- a very bland Caesar salad full of unexpected chicken. Don had Crab croquettes and Lee had Pappardelle with shrimp. Portions very large so we didn’t do justice to the meal. After dinner, we took a brief walk along the Avenida Atlantica, which separated the hotel from Copacabana beach and saw many groups on the beach playing various forms of volleyball and football. We returned to the hotel and prepared for bed.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Train ride up Corcovado Hill , through the rain forest and to the Statue.
    Famous Guanabara Bay right below us. Deepest natural bay in the world.Statue is BIG. It is 99 feet high.Sugar Loaf Mountain and to the right Guanabara BayGetting ready to go back down.Ipanema beach and Copacabana Beach further alongWe received a warm welcome..... and so did she.Carving meat from a sword.Sugar Loaf Mountain

    First full day of touring Rio de Janeiro

    27. november 2019, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Rio de Janeiro. Hotel:Arena Copacabana
    Guide: Rodrigo Quintello

    What a wonderful day we had! We rose with the alarm at 7:00am after a really good sleep, had a very filling breakfast and were ready when Rodrigo met us in the lobby at 10:00. We liked him right off the bat and decided we would ask him if he would be our guide for the next day. Unfortunately, he had a tour for the next 4 days, but he got in touch with the office to try and find someone else for us.

    Our first tour was to take a train up Corcovado Hill 2,300 ft. above sea level, to see the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Hill. The train took about half an hour rising from the base to a halfway point and then continued up the hill through the Tijuca Rain Forest National Park, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. On arrival, we walked up the 240 steps to the base of the statue and were pleased that we could do this without breathing problems. A breathtaking view from all sides! Lots of people were standing with their arms wide open, copying the form of the statue, to have their pictures taken. Lots more lying on the ground looking up so they could get the entire statue in their viewfinder because of its height. We were so lucky because it was a clear blue sky, and everything below was very easy to see.

    The statue of Christ is done in art Deco style, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Hector da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot, Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida fashioned the face in France. It is made of reinforced concrete clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular, white, soapstone tiles. Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres high, with a base 8-metres. The arms stretch 28 metres wide. The statue weighs 635 metric tons. A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil and is listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
    Rodrigo took us around to all sides of the Corcovado Hill and talked about all the points of view we could see of the city. The number of beaches is amazing. Flamengo Beach, Botafogo Beach, Leme Beach, Copacabana Beach, Diablo Beach, Aproador Beach, Ipanema Beach, Leblon Beach. We could see the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, the racetrack, and Sugarloaf Mountain. It was spectacular!
    On the way back down, we saw lots of Jackfruit trees bearing a sweet tasting custardy type of fruit that can weigh up to 100 lbs. One tree can bear up to 200 fruit in a year. It is used as a dessert or for making custards and in baking.
    We returned to the car and drove along the coastline and stopped at Leblon beach right at the end of the series of beaches. We got out and walked along looking back at Ipanema beach. We then continued along to Ipanema and stopped for lunch at a Barbeque restaurant called Carretao. This was a typical Brazilian barbeque lunch. The whole “event” is orchestrated by two head waiters who relay directions to the servers, all wearing earbuds, as to which customers are ready for additional meat. We were given coasters the said Yes -green and Red - No. When we turned the coaster to green a server came around with a meat skewered sword and a significant knife to carve off some meat. The first sword was chicken so a whole breast was served to each of us! Yikes, it is going to be a long lunch! The meat was delicious, crispy skin and tender moist meat inside. We quickly turned our coasters to No and enjoyed our chicken. The next meat served was beef, and then lamb and then steak and then pork. We also had side dishes of fried bananas, garlic bread, fried polenta, and other items, we were not sure what they were but very tasty. We never did get to the salad bar as there was way too much food. What an experience. When we said we had had enough they still brought a dish of the best vanilla ice cream. We were stuffed. Collingwood, this would be a great restaurant!

    From the restaurant we drove back to the Urca district home of a military site, to board the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain. The cable car went up in two stages. We got off at the first stop and wandered around and even saw a helipad for people wanting to take even more spectacular sightseeing rides. We saw the very first cable car and the man who started it Mr. Augusto Ferreiro Ramos. Started in 1912 it ran until 1972 when the cars were retired, and new ones were put in place. The area was very relaxed so we could take our time and lots of pictures and enjoy the beautiful weather. From Urca Hill, we continued in a second cable-car to the top of Sugarloaf which rises 395 meters above sea level and offers a 360-degree view of the entire city including Botafogo and Copacabana Beaches, the Christ Statue on Corcovado Mountain, and downtown Rio de Janeiro. Here Rodrigo suggested that we take our time and walk around on our own for about an hour. We walked down about 5 or 6 levels and found a lookout to a Fort below on Guanabara Bay. The size of Guanabara Bay makes it the second largest in Brazil, but the depth of the bay, by sheer volume, makes it not only the deepest natural bay in Brazil, but the deepest in the world!

    The name Rio de Janeiro was given to the city in 1565.It comes from when Portuguese navigators who arrived on January 1, 1502 mistook the entrance of the Guanabara Bay for the mouth of a river (rio is the Portuguese word for “river” and janeiro the word for “January

    We then walked back up almost to the top where we sat at an outdoor café and enjoyed some lemonade. The temperature was about 32 degrees C.

    We descended by the 2 cable cars back to the parking lot and headed back to our hotel. On the way Rodrigo wanted us to see the residential area of Urca. We drove up and down several streets. There were many houses up for sale. Rodrigo explained that the houses were historical and on very valuable land. The owners wanted their money out, but no one could afford to buy them and fix them up. There is a sea wall that runs along the shoreline of Guanabara Bay and the residents of the area congregate there to visit and watch life go by. In the bay was a statue of Sao Pedro do Mar the patron saint of boaters. He showed us a lovely small church in the area and then we returned to the hotel.

    We had an hour-long rest and then headed out to a famous bar/ restaurant in the Ipanema area called, Vinícius Piano Bar, a restaurant and a show bar for those who really like Bossa Nova. It was opened in 1977 and in 1989 it was opened with a show by Carlos Lira. It was then that the bar became known as the Bossa Nova Temple. We had a wonderful dinner sitting out on the restaurant’s verandah.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Pattern on the walkway at Ipanema Beach.
    Many hotels along the beaches.The tiled steps by Chilean artist Jorge SelaronTiles sent to Seleron from all around the worldFound British ColumbiaAnd even one depicting Toronto.Tile for Selaron himself.Even a tile for Iguazu Falls.

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    28. november 2019, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Rio de Janeiro. Hotel Arena Copacabana.. Guide: Rayol

    Weather today is about 26° with the possibility of rain in the afternoon. Yesterday the temperature got up to 30°.
    We started the day with a lovely breakfast in the hotel. We were picked up at 9:00am by Rayol, our guide for today. Rayol is pronounced Hayol because the Portuguese pronounce the letter R as H (eg. “hestaurant”).

    We drove downtown to the district of Santa Teresa to see the famous Selarón tiled steps. In 1990 he began renovating dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house. At first, neighbours mocked him for his choice of colours as he covered the steps in fragments of blue, green and yellow tiles – the colours of the Brazilian flag. It started out as a side-project to his main passion, painting, but soon became an obsession. He found he was constantly out of money, so Selarón sold paintings to fund his work. It was long and exhausting work, but he continued and eventually covered the entire set of steps in tiles, ceramics and mirrors. Originally, tiles for the work were scavenged from various construction sites and piles of urban waste found on the Rio streets. There are 215 steps measuring 125 metres long which are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. No sooner than one section of the steps were 'finished', Selarón started work on another section, constantly changing it so that it was an ever evolving piece of art. Selarón considered the work as "never complete" and claimed that "This crazy and unique dream will only end on the day of my death", He died January 10, 2013, at the age of 65.
    Rayol made it a lot of fun by giving us a challenge over a bottle of water. If we could find a tile for Toronto or even Canada, he would give us a bottle of water and if we couldn’t find one, we would give him one. Well we found about 15 from Canada and even one from Toronto so we won. He was quite surprised about the one from Toronto as he didn’t know it was there. Funny, I don’t remember getting our bottle of water!

    Next stop was a visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral. The Cathedral was designed by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca in a modern style based on the Mayan architectural style of pyramids and built between 1964 and 1979.The New Cathedral, as it is sometimes called, is in the center of the city. It is conical in shape with an internal width of 96 metres (315 ft) and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft). Inside, the area measures 8,000 square meters, which gives it a seating capacity of 5000 seats and standing room for 20,000 people. The cathedral's four gorgeous rectangular stained-glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling. It looks like it’s made of concrete in a cone shape and every little cell is a ventilation cell.

    From there we walked to the Santa Theresa Tram station and at 20 Real per person, (approximately $4.00 USD). We got onto a replica of a 32-person tram. It started off going across an old aqueduct called The Arches of Lapa, a series of 42 Roman style arches built in the 18th century to improve water distribution. Today it serves to connect two transit stations. That was the smooth part. From there it continues, jolting side to side with many sudden stops on rails set in cobblestones all uphill for about 6 km. And then it turns around and comes back! It was a bit like a one-hour bumper car experience but very interesting. The route travelled along the side of steep cliffs lined with expensive houses many of them sadly blemished with graffiti. There were many stops along the way to let passengers on and off.

    Once back at the starting point, we walked between the Petrobras building (a petroleum company) and a bank, and Rayol said that the best place to meet a husband or wife was on the bridge that went between the two buildings. He said all you had to do is go there during lunch time and just smile.

    We walked around through a market selling clothing and some souvenirs. Then we continued through the downtown shopping area where the streets are closed to traffic.

    We stopped for lunch at the Confeitaria Columbo which was founded in 1894 by Portuguese immigrants Joaquim Borges de Meireles and Manuel José Lebrão. Its architecture, inspired by the European cafes, was representative of Rio de Janeiro's belle époque. Between 1912 and 1918, the interior halls were renovated with an Art Nouveau flair, with large crystal mirrors brought from Antwerp, framed by rosewood trim friezes. The interior wooden furniture was carved at the same time by the artisan Antonio Borsoi. In 1922, its facilities were expanded with the construction of a second floor with a tearoom. An opening in the ceiling of the ground floor allows you to see through to the skylight of the tearoom, decorated with stained glass. It is reputed to be one of the 10 most beautiful cafés in the world. Currently, the second floor houses the restaurant Cristóvão. We ate on the main floor in the cafeteria area surrounded by floor to ceiling mirrors. It was gorgeous in the extreme and packed with people.

    From there we continued walking through busy narrow streets and more open streets lined with majestic old buildings in both good and bad condition. We walked by the very modern looking Museum of Tomorrow after which we wandered along a wide promenade by the ocean and admired some spectacular mural art by an artist named Kobra. A long hustle back to the car still parked at the Cathedral where we started our tour. It started to rain as we returned to our hotel. Good timing.

    After our tour with Rayol, we put our feet up and had a brief snooze and both then worked on our respective days of tours. Rodrigo picked us up at 7:30 pm and took us to another Churrasco restaurant There was an extensive buffet of appetizers, salads, cheeses, sushi, and fish. As we were just settling in, the waiters started coming around with their swords of meat. They were all encouraging us to try their specialty. We met an American family, who were stationed in Rio with the armed services, who were out celebrating their Thanksgiving. We also met 3 young fellows from the British Royal Navy that had just come in from the Falkland Islands.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Uber food delivery by bicycle.
    Parque Manuel Antonio de Almeida, a writer. Art museum of Rio behind.Museum of Tomorrow.Magnificent art murals by painter "Kobra"Our hotel, Arena CopacabanaSidewalk outside our hotel.Another Churrasco dinner.Beef ribs anyone!

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    28. november 2019, Brasil ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    After dinner we were taken to Teatro Lebron for what turned out to be a spectacular show called Ginga Tropical, described as “A multicultural show that combines a variety of Brazilian dances developed from African rhythms via the slave trade and from the natives that lived in Brazil before colonization.” It was very energetic and colourful and lasted 2 hours. After the show, Rodrigo picked us up at 11.30 pm and drove us back to our hotel. He will be back early tomorrow to take us to the airport.Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Waiting for Rodrigo to take us to the airport
    Brazillian Hotel at Iguazzu Falls.Starting point for our walk out to "The Devils Throat" fallsZodiac boat headed for trip under falls.Coati scrounging for food.First of many pictures of the falls.

    Rio to Iguazu Falls, Brazil

    29. november 2019, Brasil ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    . Rio to Iguazu Falls Brazilian Side. Guide Israel Hotel Amerian Portal del Iguazu,Argentina

    The alarm went off at 4:15am, neither of us got much sleep. Up and packed and down waiting for Rodrigo by 5:15am. This morning he brought his wife with him and she drove. Don told her she was a much better driver than Rodrigo and we all had a good laugh. Not much traffic so we made it there in half an hour. We said our fond goodbyes; he was so good to us. We checked in, paid for our luggage and had time to have a fruit salad cup. Our plane departed at 7:05am and we were only served cookies and a drink enroute.

    We landed at 9:20 at the Foz do Iguazu airport where we met our guide, Israel, and his driver. We loaded our luggage and headed off for a drive through the Iguazu National Park. Vehicles are not allowed to go faster than 45 Km per hour to protect the animals from being hit. We drove for about an hour before we reached the location where we would enter the trail that would take us on a mile-long hike above the lower Iguazu River to see the series of 275 individual cascading falls on the Argentina side, that ended at the Devil’s Throat.

    Iguazu Falls are on the Iguazu River, on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall in the world. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the heart of the city of Curitiba in one of the southern provinces of Brazil, Parana. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil; however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil. The name "Iguazú" comes from the Guarani or Tupi words "y" meaning "water", and "ûasú "[waˈsu], meaning "big". [Legend has it that a deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.
    In Argentina Jose Gregorio Lezama was the first owner of this land and, considering them of barely no value, sold them at a public auction using a sign that read “rainforest area surrounded by many waterfalls”.

    The following owner, Domingo Ayarragaray, developed it a bit further by building a hotel and roads so that visitors could see the waterfalls, and he also exploited local wood resources until President Hipólito Yrigoyen's Argentinian Government acquired the land and declared it a national park. With one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, the Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side was the second Brazilian National Park to be created in 1939. This part of the largest remaining Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil, protects a rich biodiversity, consisting of representative species of the Brazilian fauna and flora, some of which are threatened with extinction, such as jaguar, puma, broad-snouted caiman, purple parrot, harpy eagle as well as many other species of great value and scientific interest. The park protects the entire basin of Floriano river, an affluent of the Iguaçu River.
    The total area of the park is over 1000 hectares, around 300 kilometres are natural borders by rivers and falls between Brazil and Argentina and comprise a total of 600 hectares of protected areas. Both countries maintain this equally. The rest of the park is 400 hectares of primeval forests.

    The Iguazu Falls in Brazil extend a semicircular front of 2,700 meters long. The view is amazing. 800 meters are on the Brazilian side and 1,900 meters on the Argentine side. They are composed of a variable number of falls ranging between 150 and 270 meters. The falls have names like Floriano, Deodoro, Benjamin Constant, but the most famous is the Devil’s Throat Falls. The Devil's Throat canyon is 90 m wide and 80 m deep. Right of this canyon, another part of the river forms 160-200 individual falls, which merge into a single front during flood stage. The width of the total falls is 2.7 kilometers.
    A comparison of the three largest falls in the world:
    Iguazu Falls - 82 metres high and 2700 metres wide,
    Victoria Falls Africa - 108 metres high and 1708 metres wide,
    Niagara Falls - 51 metres high and 1203 metres wide.
    In terms of flow rate, Iguazu is 62,000 cu ft/second. (The Amazon is 7,400,000cu ft/second)

    Israel lead us along the path and right from the start we could see walls of falls pouring over the cliffs. As we walked along, we began to get an idea of just how vast the area was. There were lots of colourful butterflies among the rainforest trees and some even came and landed on us. About halfway along the path there was a snack bar and we bought enough to keep us going for the afternoon. We saw several Coatis near the snack bar looking for handouts or crumbs dropped. They are very much like our raccoons and are scroungers around people. Because I was taking so many pictures, we took quite a long time to reach the Devil’s Throat Falls at the end. We stood on the jut out areas marvelling at the pounding of the water right in front of us, getting well dampened by the mist. We took our time taking in all the impact of the water pouring over and then took an elevator to an observation deck for a spectacular panoramic view of the falls. We walked back up to where our car and driver were waiting, to take us on the rest of our journey.

    We crossed the border from Brazil to Argentina and made our way to our hotel. We checked in and went down to see if we could find something for a late lunch. We were shown out to a patio and ordered a light lunch with lemonade. It was lovely to sit in the shade and talk about all we had seen at the falls. We found out that there was a tour group staying at the hotel and would be taking over most of the dining room for dinner. We decided to find out where else we could eat and were given the name of a restaurant, Boca Mora, that we could walk to very easily. The weather was perfect for a dinner outside overlooking the Iguazu river. We ordered a fish dish that was very good. Near the end of our meal a band set up in a park just across the water and we just sat and enjoyed our wine and music. A pleasant stroll back along the quiet streets and right to bed.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Showing the upper and lower trail routes above the falls. Dotted line for boat.
    On the Eco train towards the falls.Looks fairly calm so far so what's the big deal.Bridge to one of the lookout points.Butterflies gather on top of wet ground.Colour cordinated in front of one of many falls.

    Iguazu Falls, Argentina

    30. november 2019, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian Side Guide: Israel Hotel; Amerian Portal del Iguazu, Argentina

    Today we took what was called the Great Adventure Tour. Israel met us at the hotel with his driver and we headed to the National Iguazu Park on the Argentinian side. He suggested that we walk to the second train stop so we didn’t have to stand in line at the first station. When we were walking, Israel pointed out many different trees and plants and we realized that he was a very knowledgeable guide. Not far along we saw one very stupid lady with young children, who was feeding a Coati (like a raccoon) and petting it. Israel told her she should not do that but she continued anyways. We visited the Interpretation Center to learn about the biodiversity of the jungle and the culture and history of the surrounding area. We boarded the Ecological Forest Tram to the Garganta del Diable (Devil’s Throat) Station and then the Cataratas Station, which took us to the hiking trails at the top of the falls. The tram train ride from start to finish was 3 km.

    On our walk to the Devils Throat Falls there was a sign that warned us that on this hike, we would get very wet and we certainly did. As far as wildlife along the way is concerned, we only saw a few birds such as Egrets and Kingfishers. We also saw sucker fish and tilapia in the rivers.

    Each bridge that we walked over crossed a different part of just one of the many rivers that continued on to be its own waterfall. Just as we were starting our walk, I saw a poster showing all the different kinds of fish in the area. The ugliest one, a Dorado, was the one that I had last night for dinner which tasted delicious, but good thing I didn’t see it before.

    The bridge that we walked out on was one and a half kilometers, one way. When we got to the end we went out on a platform and got totally drenched but it was worth it to get so close to the falls. On the way back we saw a great big turtle, perhaps about 2 feet across. Unfortunately, it was underneath the bridge so we couldn’t get a picture. Further along the trails we came to another part of the falls that they had, believe it or not, named Cormorant Falls. There are two walkways, the Upper and the Lower. The upper trail is a kilometer and a half long and then we continued on to do the Lower trail which was 1.4 km one way.

    Israel told us that his father was a guide in the national Park and his mother did some guiding as well, but they were now retired. In Argentina the women retire at age 60 and the men retire at age 65.

    We saw a big spider and the web is so strong that it captures things like dragonflies and sometimes even small birds. In some countries they use the web of those spiders to build bullet proof vests and our guide Israel thought that it might be in, you guessed it, Israel. The walk back on the lower route was essentially walking through the jungle maybe 15 feet above ground level and along the way, Israel was pointing out all kinds of flowers, trees and fruits. On a busy day they can get up to 6000 people to the park in one day.

    After the morning hikes we had time for a quick lunch of empanadas and Don was so tired that he had a Coke to get some sugar. We then got on an open truck that took us to the next part of our adventure namely, a speedboat to the bottom of the falls. I think there were 20 people per boat. The trip up to the falls was exciting enough but once we actually got there, we knew it was going to get even more exciting. The driver played with us a little bit by getting closer and closer to the falls and then turned around and went back to a fairly calm area. We thought that was great and we would then head back. Not so, he then turned the boat around and into the falls we went, literally into the falls. The water was pounding down everywhere knocking off people’s glasses and hats. Everybody was yelling and screaming, cheering and laughing and you couldn’t see a thing because there was so much water. We were all as wet as if you jumped in a lake fully clothed, even though most of us were wearing rain gear.

    Fortunately, before we got on the boat, they gave us a dry bag to put store backpacks and any valuables and they worked quite well. Lee, as well as many others, took a change of clothing so she could change into something dry before our trip back home. I didn’t and was quite cool on the way home. We re-boarded the truck and headed back to the starting point. The narrator on the truck said this was a very poor time to see any wildlife but that the previous truck had seen a Toucan, but I suspect it was just to keep our attention.

    We arrived back at the pickup spot, met Israel and headed back to the hotel. Lee tried to get some money out of a banking machine at the park entrance but, it turned out that the machine was out of money which Israel said happens quite frequently. We continued back towards our hotel and found another machine that did have money.

    Once back at the hotel we were pretty tired. I changed into my bathing suit and headed down to the pool to get a drink for both of us. While I was waiting for Lee, I met up with the tour group from the United States and we had a lot of fun and conversation. By the time Lee arrived, it had started to lightning and thunder with very light rain, so we moved under cover.

    We decided not to waste any opportunities by sitting around so we went to another fabulous restaurant noted for its steak. They had fun Argentinean entertainment of singing and dancing. And one way or another, the owner gave us a complementary bottle of wine to take with us. The restaurant’s name was El Quincho.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Arriving in Buenos Aires.
    Some very colourful buildings.One of the stalls at the flea market.Church in the market, San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo, 1806..Ship tied up on canal boardwalk.Obelisk in Plaza de Mayo, the oldest Plaza in the city 1884.Still looking for the Opera House.Dinner at La Ventana..... with a little bit of wine.

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

    1. desember 2019, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires. Hotel: Loisuites Recoleta

    We were picked up at about 6:45am for a half hour drive to the airport. The plane left from Iguazu at 8:45am. It was a relatively easy check in and a short two-hour flight to get to Buenos Aires. Once again, we were met at the baggage claim area by our new guide, Florence. She was totally delightful, very animated and gave us so much information. She could not have been more helpful. Even when we got back to the hotel, she sat down with us and gave us more information about things we could do, where we could go, where we shouldn’t go and gave us a list of important phone numbers in case something went wrong. Florence told us that there are over 23,000 cabs in Buenos Aires, and they are ridiculously cheap. I think the most we paid to get into the downtown areas of the city, a 15- or 20-minute ride was the equivalent of six dollars.

    We were finally able to check in to our junior suite in the LOI suites hotel. It was a very spacious room with a mini kitchen. Before setting out we decided to book a five-hour boat tour the next day that started at 1:30pm. However, we had a tour booked for the full morning and we’re wondering whether we would have time to make it for the boat tour. With some difficulty we finally reached our next morning guide, Hector and he said that he could drop us off where the afternoon tour began. In good time.

    We headed out by a cab to a Sunday flea market and it’s a good thing we decided to take a cab because it was much further away than we thought. It started off a bit slow because we were in the wrong spot, but we finally found the market which was quite large. It was a gigantic flea market arranged by different categories like art, crafts, antiques, jewelry, glass etc. We decided to keep walking for what seemed like forever, down to the river canal boardwalk. We walked along to see a ship tied up in the canal and then started to make our way back to visit the opera house and have a tour. It was a bit confusing as we got our landmark Obelisks mixed up. We wandered around Plaza de Mayo with the "May Monument" in the centre, we learned later that this was not considered an obelisk. We wanted The Obelisco de Buenos Aires, a national historic monument, located in the Plaza de la República which was several blocks further on. Finally, we arrived quite tired only to find that out the Teatre Colon tour closed at 5 o’clock and we were 20 minutes late.

    We took a cab back to the hotel had a snooze to get ready for an 8 o’clock pick up to take us to a special dinner and tango show downtown at a venue called La Ventana in the San Telmo area. It was a glorious old building decked out very lavishly. For dinner we had a choice of two appetizers, four main courses and three or four desserts. Lee and I both opted for the steak and it was outrageously large, and we could not possibly eat all of it, but it was perfectly cooked and well presented. We also were given a complimentary bottle of red wine. The show started at 10 o’clock, it was one of the most amazing shows we’ve ever seen. The physicality, the dancing, the costumes and the music were fantastic. The tables were close together and right beside us was a couple from Innsbruck Austria and we struck up very pleasant conversation, their English was excellent. Our driver picked us up right on schedule at 12 o’clock and drove us back to the hotel. Not long to bed.    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Hector is our guide for today.
    Pictures of the Recoleta CemeteryTomb of Eva Duarte de Peron. (Evita)The tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak and her dog.Lots of Jacaranda trees in all the parks.The Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by banks. Some even have money. The economy here is very volatileItalian mosaic floor in the Cathedral de la Cuidad at Plaza de MayoDesign of white scarf worn by mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

    2. desember 2019, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Buenos Aires City Tour. Hotel Loisuites Recoleta. Guide: Hector

    Hector picked us up and we walked three blocks to the Recoleta Cemetery. Considered to be one of the most unusual cemeteries in the world, the site was declared the city’s first official public burial place in 1822. It is completely unlike a normal cemetery because the majority of the people are not buried in the ground, but in above ground in mausoleums. The tradition is to bury additional family members on top of the last body buried, normally 6 per unit.

    Occupying 4 city blocks, or about 14 acres, it is located on a hill in the lovely neighborhood of Recoleta You almost need a map at the entrance because the cemetery contains no less than 6,400 mausoleums. Each one is unique, constructed in a wide assortment of architectural styles –there is everything from Greek temples to miniature Baroque cathedrals. We even saw one monument that had both a cross and a menorah. It is a showcase of the times when important and wealthy families built incredible “monuments “, in various styles depending on their religious beliefs or lifestyle. And one of the most famous Argentinians is, of course, Evita (Eva Peron). We took a picture of her monument.

    After the cemetery tour we drove downtown, and Hector showed us the Plaza del Mayo. We needed some more Pesos, so Hector took us to a big bank, Santander, but once again, the machines were out of money, so we had to go to a different bank across the Plaza.

    We visited the Cathedral de la Cuidad de Buenos Aires located overlooking the Plaza de Mayo. Built in 1580 the Cathedral has been destroyed, rebuilt and modified many times, the latest renovation being the Italian mosaic floor completed in 2010.

    Inside the Cathedral, we saw a Mausoleum containing the remains of General José de San Martín which were brought from France in 1880. The black sarcophagus is guarded by three life-size female figures that represent Argentina, Chile and Peru, three of the regions freed by the General. The mausoleum also has the remains of Generals Juan Gregorio de las Heras and Tomás Guido, as well as those of the Unknown Soldier of the Independence. It was guarded by two military guards that remain on duty for two hours each. Just as we were leaving, we saw the actual changing of the guards. We then went to see the lovely pink Presidential Palace, Casa Rosada, at the end of the Plaza, built in 1882. It was from the balcony here that Juan and Eva Perón addressed their supporters through the years of 1940’s to 50’s. It was in 1951 that Eva famously addressed the throngs of impassioned supporters, packed into Plaza de Mayo, who wanted her to become their president.

    Hector pointed out the white scarves painted on the Plaza walkway. He told us about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a movement of Argentine mothers who campaigned for their children who had "disappeared" during the military dictatorship. They have been pursuing the government for answers since 1977. Every Thursday a group of women wearing white scarves parade around the Plaza.

    Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with wide, tree lined streets. The population is 3mil. but including the surrounding areas it mushrooms to 16mil.The buildings are massive, mostly built in the Spanish colonial style. Many of the glorious old homes have become residences for various embassies. Argentina has free education including university plus free medical services.

    The main street is named 9 de Julio Avenue, named after the date of Argentina’s independence July 9th, 1815. It is reputed to be the widest street in the world, at 110 metres wide with up to seven lanes in each direction. They stagger work hours each day to help with traffic.

    After our city tour, Hector suggested we take about a 45-minute break where we could have lunch or take our own tour of La Boca, a neighbourhood known for its artists, colourful houses and bars. We grabbed some empanadas to save for later and chose to walk around the area. Lots of people posing for money to do the tango or pose with you for a photo opportunity. Some of the women were quite seductive and persistent. Lee saw some jewelry made from the national pink stone of Argentina, called Rhodochrosite, and bought two necklaces for Lilah and Callie.

    We then headed for the starting point for our bus and boat tour of the Tigre Delta but realised that we had completely mixed up our starting point. Fortunately, the solution was a six-dollar taxicab ride back to the Hotel. It gave us plenty of time to be picked up to start our next tour. It was a very bumpy ride to where we would board the river boat. We stopped in the city of Martinez at the river where there were lots of people fishing. The next stop was in the City of Isidro, a very affluent suburb of Buenos Aires, at The Cathedral Isidro built in 1898.

    Our guide said that the Tigre river was the widest in the world, but that depends on definitions. The Amazon is generally considered the widest. She also told us that the official National sport of Argentina was not football(soccer) as might be expected but rather Pato. It is a rather bizarre game as outlined below.

    Pato is Spanish for “duck”, as early games used a live duck inside a basket. The playing field would often stretch the distance between neighboring estancias (ranches). The first team to reach its own casco (ranch house) with the duck would be declared the winner. It became a very violent game both for the duck and because of knife fights. In the 1930’s new rules were formed and in 1953 Juan Peron declared it Argentina’s national sport. Modern day Pato is played with two four-member teams riding on horses, they fight for possession of a ball which has six conveniently sized handles, and score by throwing the ball through a vertically positioned ring located atop 7.9 ft high pole. A closed net holds the ball after a goal is scored. The winner is the team with most goals scored after regulation time (six 8-minute "periods").    Les mer

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  • Don and Lee McLoughlinDon and Lee McLoughlinSouth America Part 2
    Changing of the guard.
    Casa Rosada, Presidential Palace. Guide Hector.Famous Eva Peron ( Evita) balconyLots of action at the barrio called La BocaLa Boca district or barrio had lots of colourful buildings.Colourful, seductive and persuasive.Lovely restaurantsFishing along the Tigre river

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

    2. desember 2019, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The boat ride was quite delightful following an inland water route back to Buenos Aires. Along both sides there were beautiful, well-maintained homes with expansive lawns and gardens. It made for a relaxing trip. We passed a house totally enclosed in glass. It was the former residence, from 1855 until his death in 1888, of Domingo Sarmiento, the 7th President of Argentina. It is now a National Historic Monument. This area is used by families for weekends, vacations and retirement from the city.
    The skyline of Buenos Aires was impressive as we approached our landing spot. Once at the dock, to our surprise, our arranged guide was nowhere to be found. After several attempts to reach him, we finally just got a cab back to the hotel.
    The concierge at our hotel, recommended a lovely restaurant for dinner just a short walk away. It was called Fervor and was a great recommendation!    Les mer

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