We spent our last night in NZ in a small surf town called Raglan, before the next part of our adventure started in Chile, South America.
We had the longest Wednesday 5th Jan ever, after leaving Auckland at 4pm and arriving in Chile at 11am the same day, after an 11hr flight! Very Weird..
We stayed in a nice area of Santiago called Providencia, just outside the centre. The hotel was small but had friendly staff who spoke some english, which was handy seeing as our spanish was pretty crap.
The first night we went to a local restaurant which had been recommended to us called Liguiria, it had loads of atmosphere and was very loud and very smokey.. Again not knowing much spanish we had to guess at the menu and ended up with meat spagetti and tomato gnochi - so not too bad considering.
We spent the next day taking in the city centre, wandering around, going to the cathedral and taking the funicular up to Cerro San Cristobal, along with eating seafood at the fish market in Mercado Central. A nice relaxed day and start to South America, although to be honest there was not a huge amount going on in Santiago.
Our next destination was Buenos Aires where we had booked into a hostel for the night in the San Telmo region. First night in Argentina and well you guessed it we had to eat steak and drink red wine of course! The Argentinian steak/meat houses are called Parrillas, Jay was in his element, pretty much steak steak and more steak.. washed down with lots of nice Malbec. We take in the atmosphere and stop at a local street bar for a couple of drinks on our way back to the hostel.
The next day we moved over to the hotel where we were meeting our tour group that evening. We decided to book onto an afternoon city tour as we had the whole day to ourselves. We wait for the company to collect us and they were late, eventually when they arrive we walk a couple of blocks to another hotel, then stop a number of times to pick up other people and for the driver to smoke, eventually we get to another destination and all get off this bus and are told we need to move to another bus for the tour, by this time we had been going for 1.5hrs and as you can imagine not best pleased so we bail. Have an argument with one of the employees of the tour company who says we still have to pay, eventually we just walk away with no idea where we are!
We find out pretty quickly we are in Recoleta, which is a really nice area and where the famous cemetary is, so we spend the afternoon walking around here through the local markets and around the cemetary, which is an amazing place if not a little weird as well. The main 'attraction' here ( and certainly where all the Argentinian's head to) is the grave of Eva 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' Peron.
That evening we meet up with the rest of the tour group and our tour leader, who is an English chap called Leon. The group was really mixed, both in nationalities and ages, so we were not the old biddies of the group we thought we might be. Leon is really keen to take us all to a steak house, everyone seems happy enough with that and it turned out to be the same one we went to the night before, oh well Jay was happy!
Unfortunately, a couple of the girls had been mugged that day in La Boca after they found themselves outside of the main tourist area and a couple of teenagers pulled a machete on them and grabbed their bags. Not a very nice experience and they had to miss the first night to go to the police station to report it.
We spend the first night getting to know most of the other people on the tour, who we will be spending the following 17 days with. After dinner we head to a bar and the drinking begins with some very large shots, local red bull equivalent and some silly truth or dare games... Nothing really gets going until midnight in Argentina so it turns into a pretty late one.
Next day - Ouch! Get up around midday and head out for some food, then a walk to the Obelisco, Presendential Palace (Evita's bacony) and around Florida ave. That night we head to a tango class and show. The class is packed and it is pretty difficult to start with but we get the hang of it in the end. The instructor tells up to keep swapping partners and J gets picked on to dance with a random women in front of the whole class, which he manages to pull off just!!
Then to the show, which is where you see how it is really done - amazing! J gets picked on again and has to dance with the girls in the show and then they take him off stage and put a hat on him and walk him back in the room dancing - funny to watch!
The following day we were supposed to catch the ferry to Colonia (Uruguay) in the morning but it was cancelled, so we had another day in BA, before leaving that evening for the ferry. We decided to go to La Boca, which is a really cool place (just don't go outside the main area!) Its colourfull, with lots of restuarants and tango being danced and has a really good vibe to it. We spent the afternoon there just wandering around and having some lunch whilst watching the tango dancers.
Next - off to Colonia - when we arrive at the ferry terminal the captain mentions it is quite windy and a bit rough, but we are on the fast boat, which is supposed to take 1 hour. The boat is really small and everyone is crammed in downstairs, no upstairs deck to sit on. To start with its not that bad then pretty quickly gets very rough, but we think oh well its only an hour so we can probably handle it. Oh how wrong we could be! It gets much much worse and then as you would expect the vomitting begins, people are throwing up everywhere, the whole boat stinks and everyone is pale as you like. This goes on for 3hrs until we finally arrive at the destination when everyone breaths a sigh of relief - what a shit journey! Even Leon our tour leader said he had never experienced such a crossing since he has been doing these tours! (he was also pukeing!)
Colonia was a really quick stop with just enough time for a meal that evening and a very quick stoll around the streets in the morning before our bus departed at 9am to Montevideo. That afternoon a few of us hiredbikes and ride along the costal path. We started with the Swedes and then ended up seeing the Kiwi's and Aussie's, so we all have a couple of beers before heading back into town.
The next day we had all agreed on Leon's idea of a beach day in a place called Punta Del Este, which was a couple of hours away, so we got up early and off we went. Its a massive beach resort, a bit like Spain, and is where alot of the wealthy Uruguayan's go for holiday. We stayed on the beach into the evening and got some drinks to play drinking games with cards etc. It ends up being a massive night. On the video you might have noticed an attempt at a human pyramid...that was about 1am in the morning on the beach.
The following morning we are off to Salto via a six hour bus ride. The buses are super comfortable though and the seats are like business class seats on an airplane. The taxi drivers in Uruguay are definately the craziest we've encountered so far! Salto is famous for its hot springs but seeing as the temperature was about 35 degrees no-one took that on and instead plumped for the nearby waterpark, much more appropriate.
A quick dash in taxis to run us across the border back into Argentina and we get a 16 hour nightbus up to the Iguazu falls. The Iguasu falls lie on the border between Argentina and Brazil and you can visit them on both sides. Our bus stopped in Argentina but we then changed to go over the border as we stayed in Foz de Iguazu on the Brazillian side.
That afternoon we go to the Brazil side of the falls and on the way stop at a helicopter tour. Within about 2 minutes of getting out of the van we are airboune and flying towards the falls! The views and ride were fantastic, you get a real sense of the vast flat landscape with nothing but jungle and then this gigantic gauge which looks like it shouldn't be there.
Then into the national park to get a little closer to the falls. We walked along the path to the end of the falls and it was quite simply the most amazing thing we had ever seen. The finale is a catwalk which takes you right out onto the edge of the falls, where you get absolutely soaked - but well needed in 37 degree heat and the humidity. Overall it was sunning, we were both blown away!
That night the Pool Party - Leon organises a party at a friend of his house with a pool and restaurant quality bbq set-up. A couple of other GAP tours are in Iguasu that night and they also come along. It turns into a very messy night with lots of Caiprinha's, we are in Brazil after all!!!, and everyone in the pool! Great night but we pay for it the next day! Jay is a write off and doesn't even make it out for lunch but a few of the others carry on getting through the day with some food and a few beers.
Leon had been promising us that the Argentine side of the falls were even better than the Brazilian side but everyone found this hard to believe, considering what we had seen so far. The day started with a boat ride up the rapids to the base of the falls and actually under a couple of them, the power is immense and needless to say we came away soaked through. The next part was a walk along the falls, which just seemed to get better and better, the falls were just phenomenial. By far Leon had kept the best till last, which was a 1.8km catwalk out to the top of the main falls 'Devils Throat' and it is like nothing we have ever seen before, A....MAZ....ING! Most of the tour group were stunned and none of us could really believe our eyes, you just get mesmorised whilst standing there and I could have stayed there for hours!!
Another hop over the border back into Brazil and we get on the longest journey of the tour - 22hrs to Paraty. The first 16hrs were by night bus followed by a 6 hour minibus ride. All in all it went pretty smoothly, although the bus drivers are mental! By the time we arrive and sort ourselves out a few of us head to the beach bar for a couple of well needed drinks. The food in Brazil is pretty much 'pay by the weight' buffets where ever you go, so we sampled lots of this throughout Brazil, but after a while you get pretty fed up with it and just want to order your own meal and have it served to you.
Paraty is a small town with cobbled streets (so cobbled infact it makes them hard to walk on) and there are still guys trotting round with horse and carts. Leon had another suggestion for a day in Paraty, which was to hire a private boat to take us out to the islands for the day snorkelling, drinking and eating and man did he come up trumps! He sorted out the boat, food and drink, we just had to turn up on the dock at 10am. The day was spent snokelling, diving off the top deck, swimming, eating (great steak and sausages cooked on the onboard bbq) and drinking caiprinha's in the water. By the time we headed back towards the port we were pretty much a floating nightclub! All in all a cracking day, we carried it on into the night on land at the beach bar - Another great day in Paradise!!
Staying on the Brazilian coast we travelled from Paraty to Ilha Grande via a short bus ride and one hour boat ride. Ilha Grande is a popular holiday destination for Brazilans and when we arrived it was a local national day on the island, so lots of people and lots going on. That night we had a great seafood meal on the beach, albeit a bit shakey with the service but nice location, nice food and nice people. There are no cars on the island so the only way to get around is by boat or on foot.
For our first full day we go to a beach called Lopez Mendes on the other side of the island, which is one of the nicest beaches on the Island. Some of us do the 2 1/2 hour hike through rain forest and across beaches to get there which is pretty hard going in the heat but very rewarding. The east side of the island gets a fair bit of swell so there are lots of people surfing and body surfing. One old dude in the sea wouldn't stop shouting everytime he beat everyone bodysurfing, getting furher in every time. Callum and Jay tried but no-one could get near him.
After a full day on the beach and in the sea, we take the boat back rather than do the same hike! Dinner is a pay-by-weight buffet - no surprise, but at least it is a good one with lots of choice and fresh food. Most of us stay out for a quick drink after dinner and soon get caught up in a street party with a band and lots of people dancing the samba, which we all try and after a few Caprinhas it turns into a fun night. The next day was our last full day on the island and we all did different things, a few of us get a local taxi to take us to a beach close by to chill and get some more sun and sea action. That night we manage to change the menu and find a wok stir fry place, where they cook up some mean noodles or as the board said outside 'Nudles'!!
The next day is crazy! We leave Ilha Grande on the 9am boat, catch some of the secnery on top deck and enjoy the trip back, sweat it out waiting for the bus to arrive, get into Rio 3 hours later, straight off the bus and onto the city tour bus which was waiting for us at the hotel (no food!), take in all the main sites then go out for the favela party as our last night on the tour!
The tour was amazing and Rio is a fantastic city, we started with Christ The Redeemer which although was really busy (high season) it is still super cool and another place you have to pinch yourself for being at. We take a short stop in San Telmo for a walk through the old fashioned streets with nice bars and cool art.
Then onto the famous staircase 'Escadaria de Selaron', since 1990 a chilian artist has been covering the 215 steps from Santa Teresa to Lapa with over 2000 tiles from 120 countries in mosaic like fashion. We also get to meet him in his studio and check out his latest art work.
Next the Metropolitan Cathederal which takes 10 or 20 thousand people (depending on which guide you speak to!). A Modern building, which looks quite ugly at first glance but is stunning inside with a geometric shape and huge stain glass windows from top to bottom. Last stop is Sugar Loaf mountain, the classic Rio De Janerio sight. Felt like Roger Moore in Moonraker. It is named after the huge bread made by the European colonists which it resembled - i had wondered where the name came from.
Still to go that day was the favela party, to get down with some moves on the brazilian dance floor. This is in a club in a favela that is controlled by the police. There is another (Or more) that are controlled by the drug gangs which are more dangerous but you can be taken by a local. We start the evening by popping out for a Churascurria meat buffet. There is buffet plus lots of waiters walking round with various meats on skewers and carving them off onto your plate. You get full very quickly! They don't scrimp on the spirit measures either! Quick feed up and then back to the hotel for a drink before we head-off. Then onto the minibus for a crazy ride to the club, with the bus overloaded, the vodka keeps coming and the music blarring!!! A quick petrol station stop to get wristbands for entry into the club, well oiled by this point. At the club we get to jump the queue and then straight in with a body search on the way. We walk through the main dance floor to get to an upstairs area which had been reserved for us. We have a few drinks and watch the crowd for a while, some amazing dancing and guys in the middle having a backflip competition with each other - awesome! We decide to take to the dance floor, so Jay, Hayley, Callum and I all head down through the crowds (get a few funny looks!) and head for the middle area to shake our booties - This seems the Brazilian way as long as you can shake your booty to the music and get as low as you can go you will fit in. After sweating to the max it was more drinking and dancing upstairs. There was one dodgy moment when Jay managed to swing his arm breaking some shapes upstairs and knock a bottle of vodka off the balcony which fell and smashed millimetres away from two bouncers. We both looked over in horror to see these two huge bouncers going mental at us, the next thing they were upstairs in our area going crazy, so both Leon and his colleague Zema had to speak to them in Portugese and calm them down! It looked pretty ugly for a while but we live to tell the tale!! Very drunk and not much memory of the crazy bus ride home!
The next morning was all a bit hazy and we have a tour of one of the favela's. As we have now finished the tour we all say our goodbye's to our fantastic tour leader Leon, who is heading back to Paraty for a couple of well earned days off!!
On the way to the Favela the guide tells us that the first part will be getting dropped off at the bottom of the favela and then taken by a motorbike taxi to the top, where the tour begins as we walk down through the favela back to where we started. This is a great ride, round hairpins & near cares/buses as close as the driver could get - legs in and fingers crossed you arrive in one piece. We walk through little alleys, into artists shops, see a drum show by three local teenagers with a couple of plastic tubs and a metal tin!, and generally get to see how people live in favelas. We then get taken to a local school for young kids, which is all voluntary and some foriegners work here when in Rio. The parents only have to pay, even then it is a really small amount, if they both work, otherwise it does not cost at all. The average number of kids per family is between 6-10, so the favela population is growing very rapidly. The guide tells us about the war between the Police and Drug gangs (The one controlling ours is the ADA, Amigos De Amigos or 'Friends of Friends'). One issue with recent fire-fights is stray bullets, an M16 bullet will travel through several houses before it stops and therefore innocent people are being hurt. There is very little crime inside the favela because the drug gangs do not want it so infact they are relatively safe which is contrary to the stereotypical understanding. If a local invites you into theres, apparently you would have no problem at all. Very interesting tour, changed some preconceptions of what the situation is, very good guide (who all the girls fell for).
After the tour we drop some people off to do the hanggliding and say our goodbyes to some of the tour group. We decide to change our hangliding to another day when we are less hungover! Final goodbyes to some of the others on our tour, the tour is over but what a fantastic trip - Thanks to all who made it such a great tour!!
Our next stop wasn't far, just a short walk to our new hotel on Copacabana Beach - Awesome! We had a great view of the beach and were in a good location, with Hayley/Callum in the same hotel, Nat & Mikala next door, Steph, Julia & Robin and Tess all in Copacabana.
That night we all decide we would like to treat ourselves to something special for dinner, so we head to the Marriot for some amazing Sushi. It is a Sushi Festival, where you just keep ordering more and more fresh Sushi, Sashimi, Rolls - Hot & Cold, Robata meat etc and just pay around 40 US including beer and soft drinks. We all went back to our hotels very full...
The next day we check out the area, and then hit Copacabana beach for some sun and sea action. The beach is great but the waves are crazy, really strong and have to keep your eyes out for them, Nat already got slammed by one. There are loads of hawkers pounding the beach. One of them is selling Caiprinhas so Callum orders one. The dude gets out a rug and starts making it from scratch with fresh limes etc, only 5 reais also and they taste excellent. A few more go down!
That night out to Lapa for the evening, have a nice meal and soak up the atmosphere of the place, with lots of music being played and a general nice feel to the place. Everyone feeling the affects of the last 17 days so no samba club action, just head back to our hotels for some well earned rest.
Next day spend some time sorting out our travel plans for the next week or so and then head to Ipanema beach to meet the others and check out the Havaianas shop. After a couple of purchases, its back to the hotel to get our pick up for the footy match.
Last night in Rio and its Robin's birthday and we luck in with a match between a local club Botafogo and Madureira, unfortunately it is not at the Maracana cos that's being refurbed for the World Cup. It was a really good night, even though the crowd was relatively small in comparison to the weekends, but still a good atmosphere and you get to see how passionate the Brazilians are about fusbal...
The following day we say our goodbye's to Hayley and Callum, who are really looking forward to getting back and seeing Amelia (their daughter), hope to see them in England some day. Then we meet Nat, Mikala, Julia and Robin for a quick lunch and drink before we head off to the airport. Again say our goodbye's and hope to see them all again one day.
Our next destination is Santiago then we are heading up through Chile into the Atacama desert (we have just arrived here today) then into Bolivia and Peru. All I can say is that this desert is very dry and very warm, but a cool place to be right now!
