Monday, October 31, 2005
South America Trip - Day 13 - Angra and Rio de Janeiro
We woke up to rain so all hopped into the car to go back to Barra de Tijuca in Rio. There John´s father was having a birthday lunch so we met all of John´s family and had another delicious meal. I´ve never kissed so many cheeks in my life. It is traditional here to kiss people on both cheeks when you meet and there were a lot of family members to meet! We tried some sweet wine from Portugal (John´s parents are Portugese and split their time between Rio and Lisbon). The house was a mansion and had a nice pool and bbq area out the back. Bruno´s old house was next door and is for sale so he showed us around. It had a pond for fish, aviary, pool and bbq area (Bruno said this was very good for parties with his friends!).
In 2007 Bruno and his family will move into a penthouse of a new development that his step dad´s company is building. We checked out the two show apartments and they were very impressive. Very modern design with your everything you could ever want catered for including a touch screen that you can use to control the lighting, air con etc.
Barra Shopping was our next stop. This is the largest shopping mall in South America! We only wandered around a small section and I got some new sunnies (my other ones are broken...honest!)
Servia (Luiz´s mum) was waiting for us at Bruno´s apartment and after saying our goodbyes she drove us to Jose´s country house. It was such a pleasure for us to visit this house as it has been a labour of love for Jose for 20 years. He has build it and developed the land around it in stages over that period first building a tennis court, then a pool, then a bbq area and finally the house. It will be fully complete in maybe a week or two. Jose took great pride in showing us photos of the progress over the years and fair enough too.
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In 2007 Bruno and his family will move into a penthouse of a new development that his step dad´s company is building. We checked out the two show apartments and they were very impressive. Very modern design with your everything you could ever want catered for including a touch screen that you can use to control the lighting, air con etc.
Barra Shopping was our next stop. This is the largest shopping mall in South America! We only wandered around a small section and I got some new sunnies (my other ones are broken...honest!)
Servia (Luiz´s mum) was waiting for us at Bruno´s apartment and after saying our goodbyes she drove us to Jose´s country house. It was such a pleasure for us to visit this house as it has been a labour of love for Jose for 20 years. He has build it and developed the land around it in stages over that period first building a tennis court, then a pool, then a bbq area and finally the house. It will be fully complete in maybe a week or two. Jose took great pride in showing us photos of the progress over the years and fair enough too.
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South America Trip - Day 12 - Angra
Angra has many small beautiful islands (ihla´s). We travelled on a borrowed jet boat (John´s new boat was not ready in time) to a small beach on the Ihla Grande and swam in the warm water. I enjoyed sitting on the deck of the boat and feeling the force of the wind when the speed increased. Normally the water is a clear blue but it was murky due to last nights rain. Joseph tried skim boarding and got the hang of it quickly. You wait for a wave to just go out then you throw the board onto the wet sand, run to catch up with it, jump on and ride on it for as long as you can. Joy, Elizabeth and I all tried but with not much success :) at least we had a go. We played a bat and ball game which involved constant volleying. Your reactions had to be fast.
After enjoying the beach we visited a town where there are little brightly coloured buildings with B & B´s and cute tourist shop´s. There was a Club Med resort close by so we saw a few tourists around. Apparently the town only got electricity two years ago. We had a delicious lunch of Marqueca. This is a traditional seafood stew. Delicious or should I say Gostoso (tasty in Portugese) . Outside one shop were a couple of bird feeders where a lot of little hummingbirds gathered. Very sweet!
After lunch and some t shirt purchases we went to fuel up the boat. On the way Joseph and I got to drive the boat for a while. Not too difficult as we just held the steering wheel steady and slowly turned now and then. At the petrol station we saw a large shed that stored jet boats on many levels. Joseph was impressed with the large fork lift that was used to load the boats onto the shelves.
Once back at the beach house we all played beach volley ball which was great fun but a little tough on our forearms (I still have some bruises!). A visit to the pool and steam room was a nice way to relax after the game and the traditional dinner (rice, beans, seafood stew, crumbly bready stuff) and dessert (mousse flavoured with a fruit that tasted like passionfruit and something slightly firmer than jelly which was flavoured with another delicious fruit from Brazil called Goiabada that is purple...we have tried a lot of new fruits over here) made the day complete.
After dinner Bruno drove us into the town centre of Angra and we looked around the town´s shopping mall (it was raining outside).
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After enjoying the beach we visited a town where there are little brightly coloured buildings with B & B´s and cute tourist shop´s. There was a Club Med resort close by so we saw a few tourists around. Apparently the town only got electricity two years ago. We had a delicious lunch of Marqueca. This is a traditional seafood stew. Delicious or should I say Gostoso (tasty in Portugese) . Outside one shop were a couple of bird feeders where a lot of little hummingbirds gathered. Very sweet!
After lunch and some t shirt purchases we went to fuel up the boat. On the way Joseph and I got to drive the boat for a while. Not too difficult as we just held the steering wheel steady and slowly turned now and then. At the petrol station we saw a large shed that stored jet boats on many levels. Joseph was impressed with the large fork lift that was used to load the boats onto the shelves.
Once back at the beach house we all played beach volley ball which was great fun but a little tough on our forearms (I still have some bruises!). A visit to the pool and steam room was a nice way to relax after the game and the traditional dinner (rice, beans, seafood stew, crumbly bready stuff) and dessert (mousse flavoured with a fruit that tasted like passionfruit and something slightly firmer than jelly which was flavoured with another delicious fruit from Brazil called Goiabada that is purple...we have tried a lot of new fruits over here) made the day complete.
After dinner Bruno drove us into the town centre of Angra and we looked around the town´s shopping mall (it was raining outside).
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South America Trip - Day 11 - Rio de Janeiro and Angra
It was very hot today. We went to the local Hipermarket in Tijuca (the district of Rio we are staying in) and bought some pairs of a popular brand of jandels. They are so comfy. Apparently they are very trendy in Europe and sell for around 30 Euros. Here they are only around 15 Reais (5.5 euros!).
We drove out again to Barra de Tijuca to meet Bruno´s (another student who stayed with Joy) mother Elizabeth. Bruno invited us to their beach house in Angra (about 2 hours out of Rio). We meet up with them, had a quick tour of their apartment (very tastefully decorated by Elizabeth who has just finished an interior decorating course) and headed off. Earlier in the evening we witnessed a dramatic thunder and lightening show. This turned into a tropical downpour and Bruno had to drive us in terrible conditions with a high risk of aquaplaning. Bruno considered turning back but the rain eased so we carried on. There was flooding the previous Monday but this was much heavier. Later we saw on the news that Sao Paulo was seriously affected and at the Iguazu Falls water was rushing over the catwalks we had walked along a week before.
Along with Elizabeth, Bruno´s stepfather (a successful property developer) John, two young brothers Thiago and Gabriel and girlfriend Monique came with us. When we finally arrived at Angra a yummy meal was waiting for us. The house is wonderfully situated right by the sea wih a pool and steam room nearby, space for beach volley ball and pier for jet boats.
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We drove out again to Barra de Tijuca to meet Bruno´s (another student who stayed with Joy) mother Elizabeth. Bruno invited us to their beach house in Angra (about 2 hours out of Rio). We meet up with them, had a quick tour of their apartment (very tastefully decorated by Elizabeth who has just finished an interior decorating course) and headed off. Earlier in the evening we witnessed a dramatic thunder and lightening show. This turned into a tropical downpour and Bruno had to drive us in terrible conditions with a high risk of aquaplaning. Bruno considered turning back but the rain eased so we carried on. There was flooding the previous Monday but this was much heavier. Later we saw on the news that Sao Paulo was seriously affected and at the Iguazu Falls water was rushing over the catwalks we had walked along a week before.
Along with Elizabeth, Bruno´s stepfather (a successful property developer) John, two young brothers Thiago and Gabriel and girlfriend Monique came with us. When we finally arrived at Angra a yummy meal was waiting for us. The house is wonderfully situated right by the sea wih a pool and steam room nearby, space for beach volley ball and pier for jet boats.
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South America Trip - Day 10 - Rio de Janeiro
Today we went into downtown Rio with Jose and Luiz. Jose pointed out the older buildings with the most interesting architecture. A lot of these were in the French style. There is a plaza where there are a number of beautiful old civic buildings. I think they were the fine arts museum, the congress for Rio de Janero state, the former Justice building and the Theatre. Close by there was a nice park with a fountain (all that remains of the Governors palace that used to stand there), a big statue of Gandhi and Cinelandia (an area where there are many cinemas).
We went home to rest and then headed out to Rio Scenarium a popular Samba bar. It was on three floors, with a central open section that spanned each level. A live band was playing on the ground floor and in front of it was a space for dancing (although people where dancing at their tables and on other levels). It has a lively atmosphere. The bar is eclectically decorated with Brazilian antiques/curiosities and carnival costumes. There is even a very old dentist´s chair which was interesting for Elizabeth (Luiz´s sister) who is studying to be a dentist. We ate snacks, drank beer and danced the night away. Great fun! At the end of the night the band played the popular songs fans sing at the football. Luiz translated the words for us and enjoyed singing along as he is a fan of a Rio team called Vasco. I think it would be hard to find a Brazilian who is not football mad! And it´s understandable as the Brazilian´s have such flair for the game. The Pan American cup will be held in Rio next year.
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We went home to rest and then headed out to Rio Scenarium a popular Samba bar. It was on three floors, with a central open section that spanned each level. A live band was playing on the ground floor and in front of it was a space for dancing (although people where dancing at their tables and on other levels). It has a lively atmosphere. The bar is eclectically decorated with Brazilian antiques/curiosities and carnival costumes. There is even a very old dentist´s chair which was interesting for Elizabeth (Luiz´s sister) who is studying to be a dentist. We ate snacks, drank beer and danced the night away. Great fun! At the end of the night the band played the popular songs fans sing at the football. Luiz translated the words for us and enjoyed singing along as he is a fan of a Rio team called Vasco. I think it would be hard to find a Brazilian who is not football mad! And it´s understandable as the Brazilian´s have such flair for the game. The Pan American cup will be held in Rio next year.
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Thursday, October 27, 2005
South America Trip - Day 8 and 9 - Rio de Janeiro
First of all, thanks to all those that sent their birthday wishes through comments on the last blog post. Second we have uploaded our first batch of photos (sorry they are in alphabetical order by caption).
Day 8:
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
This is a lagoon that is popular in the weekend for almost all recreational activities including running, football, basketball, volleyball and pedal boats. What people don´t do is swim because the lagoon is polluted. On weekdays it seems to be populated with topless men working out and showing off their bodies.
Copacabana
Copacabana is the most famous beach in Rio. All along the shore front there are large hotels and appartment buildings. There is a bit of surf which put off Joy and Lou from swimming for a while but Lou went out into the waves with me and had a good time. When sitting on the beach you are constantly approached but people selling water, snacks, sun glasses, sarongs, deck chairs and umbrellas. They are not too bad and will move on once they realise you are there with locals.
Shopping mall
At the food court we introduced Servia to Mexican food. She had tacos and seemed to like them (although I am not sure if she was just being polite). Luiz enjoyed his burrito. It is interesting that Brazil is much closer to Mexico than NZ but they have not tried Mexican food before.
Pao de Açucar (Sugar loaf)
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the Sugar loaf and there was some cloud cover so it was not a good time to go up. We checked the prices for the gondola to the top. Instead we took a seat on the wall beside Praia Vermelha (Red beach) and enjoyed watching the locals fishing and looking at the view. Although Rio is a large city there are many hills and rocks around. When sitting on the beach you could imagine you are not sitting in a city at all.
Day 9:
Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens)
The garden has a large selection of tress from around the world including South America, Asia and Africa. It is quiet and pleasant to walk around but today it was 32 degrees and humid. In the past the gardens were the site of a gun powder factory (before the inevitable explosion).
Pao de Açucar gondola
The weather was clearer today so we took the gondola up to the Sugar Loaf. The gondola is in two stages. From the base station to the middle station then from the middle station to the top. The top is 390m high and aforeds a beautiful view of the South part (Zona Sul) of Rio. You can also see the other side of the harbor to Nicteroy.
Barra de Tijuca
In the evening we headed down to Barra de Tijuca. This is the most popular baech in Rio now. It is a new part of the city so the buildings are all flash and new. The beach is about as long as Copacabana but the waves are much bigger. Strolling along the beach side we stopped at a cafe and had coconut juice. These are not like the coconuts we get in NZ. They are young coconuts and so have more juice and less flesh. They have a subtle taste and a very refreshing. After you have finished the milk they are cut open and you eat the think filmy layer of flesh inside. A complete meal.
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Day 8:
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
This is a lagoon that is popular in the weekend for almost all recreational activities including running, football, basketball, volleyball and pedal boats. What people don´t do is swim because the lagoon is polluted. On weekdays it seems to be populated with topless men working out and showing off their bodies.
Copacabana
Copacabana is the most famous beach in Rio. All along the shore front there are large hotels and appartment buildings. There is a bit of surf which put off Joy and Lou from swimming for a while but Lou went out into the waves with me and had a good time. When sitting on the beach you are constantly approached but people selling water, snacks, sun glasses, sarongs, deck chairs and umbrellas. They are not too bad and will move on once they realise you are there with locals.
Shopping mall
At the food court we introduced Servia to Mexican food. She had tacos and seemed to like them (although I am not sure if she was just being polite). Luiz enjoyed his burrito. It is interesting that Brazil is much closer to Mexico than NZ but they have not tried Mexican food before.
Pao de Açucar (Sugar loaf)
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the Sugar loaf and there was some cloud cover so it was not a good time to go up. We checked the prices for the gondola to the top. Instead we took a seat on the wall beside Praia Vermelha (Red beach) and enjoyed watching the locals fishing and looking at the view. Although Rio is a large city there are many hills and rocks around. When sitting on the beach you could imagine you are not sitting in a city at all.
Day 9:
Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens)
The garden has a large selection of tress from around the world including South America, Asia and Africa. It is quiet and pleasant to walk around but today it was 32 degrees and humid. In the past the gardens were the site of a gun powder factory (before the inevitable explosion).
Pao de Açucar gondola
The weather was clearer today so we took the gondola up to the Sugar Loaf. The gondola is in two stages. From the base station to the middle station then from the middle station to the top. The top is 390m high and aforeds a beautiful view of the South part (Zona Sul) of Rio. You can also see the other side of the harbor to Nicteroy.
Barra de Tijuca
In the evening we headed down to Barra de Tijuca. This is the most popular baech in Rio now. It is a new part of the city so the buildings are all flash and new. The beach is about as long as Copacabana but the waves are much bigger. Strolling along the beach side we stopped at a cafe and had coconut juice. These are not like the coconuts we get in NZ. They are young coconuts and so have more juice and less flesh. They have a subtle taste and a very refreshing. After you have finished the milk they are cut open and you eat the think filmy layer of flesh inside. A complete meal.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
South America Trip - Day 7 - Foz do Iguaçu to Rio de Janeiro
Our flight to Rio was in the afternoon so we spent a relaxed morning at the hotel lounging around and reading. Mum and I went for a walk around the hotel. The hotel is located in the suburbs of Foz do Iguacu so the area was residential. There was a mix of houses some were qutie run down and others were immaculate, all had high fences for security. It seems that each house is responsible for the footpath outside their property. Some had old, broken concrete some had shiny ceramic tiles and most had no path outside at all. The road was also a patchwork, some sealed some large cobble stones and some dirt. Some houses had baskets up on stands outside their houses to put their rubbish in. This is to prevent the local rodents from ripping open the bags.
Luiz and his father, Jose, met us at the airport in Rio. They have a lovely apartment in the northern part of the city. Luiz has kindly given up his room for us to sleep in. For dinner we went to a restaurant on the harbour called Pocasco (or something) which means fat pig. It was a buffet restaurant but they had the most delicous sushi and sashimi I have ever had. There was a wide seafood selection which we were thankful for. Being my birthday I had Hoia de Dia "It's your day" ballons. I suspected they may bring out a cake or something but I was not prepared when the waiters snuck up behind me, placed a cake in front of me and burst into a rousing chorus of happy birthday right behind me! As suddenly as they arrived they grabbed the cake and were off it surprise another person across the room. I was too full for dessert anyway.
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Luiz and his father, Jose, met us at the airport in Rio. They have a lovely apartment in the northern part of the city. Luiz has kindly given up his room for us to sleep in. For dinner we went to a restaurant on the harbour called Pocasco (or something) which means fat pig. It was a buffet restaurant but they had the most delicous sushi and sashimi I have ever had. There was a wide seafood selection which we were thankful for. Being my birthday I had Hoia de Dia "It's your day" ballons. I suspected they may bring out a cake or something but I was not prepared when the waiters snuck up behind me, placed a cake in front of me and burst into a rousing chorus of happy birthday right behind me! As suddenly as they arrived they grabbed the cake and were off it surprise another person across the room. I was too full for dessert anyway.
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Monday, October 24, 2005
South America Trip - Days 4 to 6 - Iguazu Falls
Day 4:
We said goodbye to Buenos Aires this morning. We were sad to leave the great hostel but weren´t sad to leave the traffic noise and intense heat. It was hotter than usual for the time of the month.
Our plane to Iguazu was delayed by 1 1/2 hours. We were wondering if we would ever get there! When we finally arrived we got a taxi to the Sheraton Hotel. This was our splurge for the trip. The Sheraton is right in the middle of the national park and our room had a view of the falls. Amazing! (warning many superlatives will be used in this posting when describing the falls). Once we were settled into our room we went out for our first (of many) close up glimpse of the falls.
The Iguazu falls are on the border of Argentina and Brazil. You see a overview of the whole stretch of falls on the Brazilian side and on the Argentinian side you get in amongst them. On both sides you are guaranteed to get very wet! When you get close you really feel and hear the full power of nature. It´s like being on the prow of a boat in a storm. Breathtaking! (I did warn you :) )
We returned to the hotel (only a short walk) and went for a swim, sauna, played ping pong and mucked around in the small gym. It´s a hard life but someone has to do it (he he). For dinner we opted for the buffet. The Lum´s would have been disappointed in us as we didn´t do it justice.
Day 5:
We encountered more buffet in the morning and did the old smuggle food out for lunch trick. Today we went to the upper part of the falls and enjoyed stunning views of the falls from different look outs. It was very hot so we welcomed getting close to the water. We then caught the free train to the Devils Throat. During the train journey we saw many groups of beautiful butterflies. The Devils Throat is where some of the falls plunge down into one spot creating a dramatic effect. Mesmerising! The park and it´s facilities are the best maintained that I´ve ever seen. The toilets are clean and the walkways take you to spots that would be impossible to get to by other means. It left us wondering how they built them in the first place. An amazing feat of engineering.
The highlight of the day was the speed boat trip where you get blessed by the falls by going as close as you dare. As you can imagine this is when you get really wet! Great fun. I was whooping´all the way. After a break for lunch, when we saw some lizards and coati (furry cat/anteater/possum type animal), we went for a walk along the hiking track hopíng to see some more wildlife. Unfortunately we had to turn back after half an hour as we had to cross the border over to the Brazilian side. Guess what the dinner option was when we got to our hotel in Brazil...yep that´s right...buffet. It´s hard not to over eat when you are on holiday!
Day 6:
Today we enjoyed the overview of the long stretch of falls (the longest in the world) on the Brazilian side. It´s just incredible and a treat to see the rainbows across them. Many photos later we hopped back on the taxi to go to the Parque des Aves (Bird park). Here we saw the most colourful and beautiful birds the continent has to offer e.g. endangered parrots, toucans, flamingos, hummingbirds etc. I have never seen birds so beautiful. There were also some reptiles, including caiman (similar to a crocodile but smaller), iquanas, anacondas and turtles. Butterflies were abundant as well.
We also visited a huge tourist shop with the usual tacky souveniers but also some huge quartz cross sections which are exported all over the world. I seem to remember seeing one like them in a hippy/new age store in Cuba Mall.
After the days activities we headed back to the hotel and pool. You are really greatful for a pool when it´s so hot!
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We said goodbye to Buenos Aires this morning. We were sad to leave the great hostel but weren´t sad to leave the traffic noise and intense heat. It was hotter than usual for the time of the month.
Our plane to Iguazu was delayed by 1 1/2 hours. We were wondering if we would ever get there! When we finally arrived we got a taxi to the Sheraton Hotel. This was our splurge for the trip. The Sheraton is right in the middle of the national park and our room had a view of the falls. Amazing! (warning many superlatives will be used in this posting when describing the falls). Once we were settled into our room we went out for our first (of many) close up glimpse of the falls.
The Iguazu falls are on the border of Argentina and Brazil. You see a overview of the whole stretch of falls on the Brazilian side and on the Argentinian side you get in amongst them. On both sides you are guaranteed to get very wet! When you get close you really feel and hear the full power of nature. It´s like being on the prow of a boat in a storm. Breathtaking! (I did warn you :) )
We returned to the hotel (only a short walk) and went for a swim, sauna, played ping pong and mucked around in the small gym. It´s a hard life but someone has to do it (he he). For dinner we opted for the buffet. The Lum´s would have been disappointed in us as we didn´t do it justice.
Day 5:
We encountered more buffet in the morning and did the old smuggle food out for lunch trick. Today we went to the upper part of the falls and enjoyed stunning views of the falls from different look outs. It was very hot so we welcomed getting close to the water. We then caught the free train to the Devils Throat. During the train journey we saw many groups of beautiful butterflies. The Devils Throat is where some of the falls plunge down into one spot creating a dramatic effect. Mesmerising! The park and it´s facilities are the best maintained that I´ve ever seen. The toilets are clean and the walkways take you to spots that would be impossible to get to by other means. It left us wondering how they built them in the first place. An amazing feat of engineering.
The highlight of the day was the speed boat trip where you get blessed by the falls by going as close as you dare. As you can imagine this is when you get really wet! Great fun. I was whooping´all the way. After a break for lunch, when we saw some lizards and coati (furry cat/anteater/possum type animal), we went for a walk along the hiking track hopíng to see some more wildlife. Unfortunately we had to turn back after half an hour as we had to cross the border over to the Brazilian side. Guess what the dinner option was when we got to our hotel in Brazil...yep that´s right...buffet. It´s hard not to over eat when you are on holiday!
Day 6:
Today we enjoyed the overview of the long stretch of falls (the longest in the world) on the Brazilian side. It´s just incredible and a treat to see the rainbows across them. Many photos later we hopped back on the taxi to go to the Parque des Aves (Bird park). Here we saw the most colourful and beautiful birds the continent has to offer e.g. endangered parrots, toucans, flamingos, hummingbirds etc. I have never seen birds so beautiful. There were also some reptiles, including caiman (similar to a crocodile but smaller), iquanas, anacondas and turtles. Butterflies were abundant as well.
We also visited a huge tourist shop with the usual tacky souveniers but also some huge quartz cross sections which are exported all over the world. I seem to remember seeing one like them in a hippy/new age store in Cuba Mall.
After the days activities we headed back to the hotel and pool. You are really greatful for a pool when it´s so hot!
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Friday, October 21, 2005
South America Trip - Day 3 Buenos Aires
Had a pretty relaxing day today.
At 11 we had a tour of Theatre de Colon, the state opera house. It is european in style having been designed by an Italian and most materials coming from France. We were lucky to see the Buenos Aires philharmonic orchestra rehersing for a performance tonight. Below the theatre the behind the scenes work is done. We saw the dress makers, tailors, coblers, set makers, props makers and dance studios. These are all located below the theater and nearby street in 4 basement levels.
For lunch we headed for the waterfront. This is the site of regeneration where the old docks are beging converted or replaced with modern office blocks in the same vane as Canary warf in London or the Viaduct basin in Auckland.
We have had a relaxing afternoon as the heat is draining. At the hostel we tried some mate. This is very strong, bitter tea served in a spherical cup with a long metal straw. The bowl of the cup is filled with tea leaves and boiling water is pured in. The straw has filters the drink to prevent leaves from being sucked up. I think it would be more paletable with less leaves and more water.
Early tomorrow we leave for Iguazu Falls.
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At 11 we had a tour of Theatre de Colon, the state opera house. It is european in style having been designed by an Italian and most materials coming from France. We were lucky to see the Buenos Aires philharmonic orchestra rehersing for a performance tonight. Below the theatre the behind the scenes work is done. We saw the dress makers, tailors, coblers, set makers, props makers and dance studios. These are all located below the theater and nearby street in 4 basement levels.
For lunch we headed for the waterfront. This is the site of regeneration where the old docks are beging converted or replaced with modern office blocks in the same vane as Canary warf in London or the Viaduct basin in Auckland.
We have had a relaxing afternoon as the heat is draining. At the hostel we tried some mate. This is very strong, bitter tea served in a spherical cup with a long metal straw. The bowl of the cup is filled with tea leaves and boiling water is pured in. The straw has filters the drink to prevent leaves from being sucked up. I think it would be more paletable with less leaves and more water.
Early tomorrow we leave for Iguazu Falls.
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Thursday, October 20, 2005
South America Trip - Day 2 Buenos Aires
Breakfast is provided at the hostel so we popped down at 9 to have some breads and fruits. The dining area is lovely as you can look up past the other floors to the sky light above, there is artwork on the walls and hanging plants on each floor.
There is a free walking tour, with a dude called Nacho, provided by the hostel so we took advantage. We started by taking a bus (go figure) to La Boca. This is a more blue collar area. There were tango dancers in the street having their photos taken with tourists. They would have also launched into some dancing but we weren´t around for that. There were also market stalls with pictures of tango dancers and other crafts related to tango. The buildings with bright and colourfully painted corrugated iron walls and there is also a football (a big passion for the Argentinians) stadium. The hostel also provides free Spanish and tango lessons, visits to see a football match, and other events in the evening. It has a great atmosphere and is maintained with lovely small touches. The dorms surround a central open section with a sky light at the top and there is a great bar and open top/balcony area on the top floor floor.
After walking around La Boca we walked to San Telmo. This area seems to be the main antiques district. I think it also has many tango bars and great steak restaurants. Well as they say "When in Rome". We have been told that the steaks in Argentina are the best in the world so we went to a restaurant that Nacho recommended. The steak was juicy but didn´t induce me to want to go back to eating meat. The best cut cost 12 pesos which is about 6 NZ dollars! After lunch we went on a tour of a building that was excavated for commercial purpose but became an archealogical site as evidence of the founding of Buenos Aires was found underneath. This was evidence of the original creeks that ran through the original city carrying disease and general filth around it. It was very interesting to learn more about the history of the area. There were settlers mostly from Spain, Italy and France. In fact Buenous Aires is called the Paris of South America (Joseph may have mentioned this before). The buildings are very beautiful as they are decorated with intricate designs similar to those found on the buildings in Europe. Apparently in the past the Argentinians thought they were a cut above the other South Americans. After the tour we walked to the main square where the Congress and other major government buildings are. An election is on in the weekend so there were many rallies.
In the evening we waited for a wine tasting however it did not go ahead as we needed to book into it. We went instead to have some pizza and beer. The restaurant was right by the busiest road so it was very noisy. The traffic is very dense here which causes a lot of noise pollution. There are a few main streest which are very wide (around seven lanes either way!) but the other roads are quite narrow.
The main event of the evening was our visit to Cafe Tortoni. This is a famous restaurant where the rich and famous used to go in the old days. It indeed was a reminder of the lavish old days when Argentina was a thriving country. We saw some wonderful musicians, singers and of course tango dancers. It was kind of like a music hall performance. The performers where very professional however the real passion of tango didn´t quite show through. Apparently you can go to places where the locals all get up and dance and you get a real feel of a 1920´s dance hall. Unfortunately we won´t have time to visit these places as they are a little further out, carry on late into the night and we have to get up early to catch our flight to Iguazu. I´m happy with the little taste we got. Joy was lucky enough to attend a tango lesson at the hostel.
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There is a free walking tour, with a dude called Nacho, provided by the hostel so we took advantage. We started by taking a bus (go figure) to La Boca. This is a more blue collar area. There were tango dancers in the street having their photos taken with tourists. They would have also launched into some dancing but we weren´t around for that. There were also market stalls with pictures of tango dancers and other crafts related to tango. The buildings with bright and colourfully painted corrugated iron walls and there is also a football (a big passion for the Argentinians) stadium. The hostel also provides free Spanish and tango lessons, visits to see a football match, and other events in the evening. It has a great atmosphere and is maintained with lovely small touches. The dorms surround a central open section with a sky light at the top and there is a great bar and open top/balcony area on the top floor floor.
After walking around La Boca we walked to San Telmo. This area seems to be the main antiques district. I think it also has many tango bars and great steak restaurants. Well as they say "When in Rome". We have been told that the steaks in Argentina are the best in the world so we went to a restaurant that Nacho recommended. The steak was juicy but didn´t induce me to want to go back to eating meat. The best cut cost 12 pesos which is about 6 NZ dollars! After lunch we went on a tour of a building that was excavated for commercial purpose but became an archealogical site as evidence of the founding of Buenos Aires was found underneath. This was evidence of the original creeks that ran through the original city carrying disease and general filth around it. It was very interesting to learn more about the history of the area. There were settlers mostly from Spain, Italy and France. In fact Buenous Aires is called the Paris of South America (Joseph may have mentioned this before). The buildings are very beautiful as they are decorated with intricate designs similar to those found on the buildings in Europe. Apparently in the past the Argentinians thought they were a cut above the other South Americans. After the tour we walked to the main square where the Congress and other major government buildings are. An election is on in the weekend so there were many rallies.
In the evening we waited for a wine tasting however it did not go ahead as we needed to book into it. We went instead to have some pizza and beer. The restaurant was right by the busiest road so it was very noisy. The traffic is very dense here which causes a lot of noise pollution. There are a few main streest which are very wide (around seven lanes either way!) but the other roads are quite narrow.
The main event of the evening was our visit to Cafe Tortoni. This is a famous restaurant where the rich and famous used to go in the old days. It indeed was a reminder of the lavish old days when Argentina was a thriving country. We saw some wonderful musicians, singers and of course tango dancers. It was kind of like a music hall performance. The performers where very professional however the real passion of tango didn´t quite show through. Apparently you can go to places where the locals all get up and dance and you get a real feel of a 1920´s dance hall. Unfortunately we won´t have time to visit these places as they are a little further out, carry on late into the night and we have to get up early to catch our flight to Iguazu. I´m happy with the little taste we got. Joy was lucky enough to attend a tango lesson at the hostel.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
South America Trip - Day 1 Buenos Aires
Sorry if this is a bit garbled, I am tired and the ramblings are from memory.
We landed at 9:30 am, 16 hours after leaving London, and met mum at the hostel.
Following a refreshing shower we headed out to explore. Although it is Spring here it is hot so first stop was to get some water.
Wandering around B.A. you get a feeling of faded elegance. The buildings are Spanish and Italian in style but the colours are sun bleached and the paint is peeling. We stumbled into the wealthy part of town and saw how beautiful the city would be with a fresh coat of paint.
We explored the Recoleta, a city of family mausoleams for the rich and famous. Every person was looking for the Eva Peron tomb. She is actually placed in the Duarte family mausoleam and gets a plaque on the outside the same size as the others in the family.
Time for some sleep.
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We landed at 9:30 am, 16 hours after leaving London, and met mum at the hostel.
Following a refreshing shower we headed out to explore. Although it is Spring here it is hot so first stop was to get some water.
Wandering around B.A. you get a feeling of faded elegance. The buildings are Spanish and Italian in style but the colours are sun bleached and the paint is peeling. We stumbled into the wealthy part of town and saw how beautiful the city would be with a fresh coat of paint.
We explored the Recoleta, a city of family mausoleams for the rich and famous. Every person was looking for the Eva Peron tomb. She is actually placed in the Duarte family mausoleam and gets a plaque on the outside the same size as the others in the family.
Time for some sleep.
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