Arrival in Buenos Aires

Today was mostly a travel day. We flew out of Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport in the city of Puerto Iguazú. It was a small, new and very clean airport. The flight was from there to the Jorge Newbery Airfield. It is an international airport very close to downtown Buenos Aires. We started the day at our hotel near Iguazu Falls. It has beautiful grounds and a lovely swimming pool. 

After settling into our hotel in Buenos Aires our tour leader, Aline, took us on a walk around the area by the hotel. Jo Ellen and I skipped out from the group when we arrived at an Italian gelato shop. It reminded me of  Italy. Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America due to cultural influence from 19th and early 20th century immigration. Our hotel is in the Recoleta neighborhood which features French-style buildings. The city's cafe culture, and fashion are heavily inspired by Paris, Madrid, and Italy. 

Overseas Adventure Travel arranges dinners in the homes of local residents. Nine of our group were hosted by Maria, a kindergarten teacher, and her mother who is also named Maria. We had a delicious meal in their home. The goal is to learn about life where they live. We had an interesting discussion about health care, education, inflation and national politics in Argentina. 

Here are a picture of the dining table and one of Maria and her mother. 

Day two at Iguazu Falls

 

 

 

Once again we had an early start to the day. The goal was to beat the heat and the crowds.  Yesterday we hiked on the Brazil side of the falls and today we hiked on the Argentina side. Both are spectacular but you get much closer to the falls on the Argentina side. There are series of raised walkways and you can walk to the top of the main falls. The mist from the falls got me nice and wet.

 

After lunch most of the tour group went on a boat ride, some went back to our hotel, and I wanted to hike the lower trail on the Argentina side. Since I was the only person doing this I had the local tour guide all to myself. It was 96 degrees but there was enough shade that it didn't seem unbearable. the views were wonderful and it was truly a "picture perfect" day. 

We were in the rain forest and we saw a Coati, a lizard, monkeys, a large fish, and a large bird, and other birds. I needed my grandson, Eli along since he is becoming an avid bird watcher. 

My bucket list to see Iguazu Falls has been fulfilled. Seeing the falls brought me great joy. 

 

Iguazu Falls is spectacular!

Visiting Iguazu Falls has been on my bucket list of places I wanted to see for a long time. Getting here today was a bit of a travel hassle. Our flight from Rio de Janeiro left early and we arrived in Sao Paulo in plenty of time to board our next flight to Iguazu. We boarded a bus to take us to the plane and then we were told to get off because the flight would be delayed for an hour.  We departed about 90 minutes later than scheduled and the flight was going well. We were approaching to land and the pilot made an announcement in Portuguese. I didn't know what he said but then we started circling so it was evident that there was some problem. I think we circled for about 20 minutes and then we had a very fine landing. Many passengers on the plane clapped when we landed. We learned later that the pilot had attempted a landing but there was a storm and high winds so the air traffic controller had him abort the landing. Then the pilot had to be cleared to land after the some time had passed. All of this meant that our planned activities were delayed. We finally arrived at the National Park and hiked a trail that was about 1.5 miles along the rim of the falls. The first view is breathtaking. There is so much water and the sound is a low roar. The pictures below don't do the sights justice. I posted one video in order to share a bit more of the experience. 

 

 

 

       It was raining pretty hard on the first part of our hike.  

 

Sugarloaf Mountain

Our final outing in Rio de Janeiro was to Sugarloaf Mountain. It is known worldwide for its cable car and panoramic views of the city and beyond. The original cable car line was built in 1912, rebuilt around 1972–73, and rebuilt again in 2008. The name comes from the sugar trade that Portuguese started in the 16th century. Blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of clay to be transported on ships. The form of the peak reminded the traders that the peak had the same shape as the sugar molds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the top of Sugarloaf Mountain one gets an idea of how large the city is. We got to enjoy a sunset and the city lights.  

 

Learning about Carnival

Carnival in Brazil is a huge business. It starts in about 10 days. Today we toured a huge complex where the floats are made. We learned about how each team's entry into the Carnival festival is judged. We had the opportunity to make fools of ourselves by donning a Carnival costume. 

Each team's entry for Carnival costs about 5 million US dollars. We had no choice about what costumes we were given to wear.

Samba dancers tried to teach us some very basic steps and the drummers taught use some basic rhythms.  

 

On our tour we saw many items that had been on  previous Carnival floats. 

Looking up-close you can see that the work can be very intricate. Carnival is a very important part of Brazilian Culture. Plans for the event go on all year around. It is watched on TV and tickets to attend in person rival the price os Superbowl tickets although there are cheap seat for $15 to $30 US dollars because the event location is huge. 

 

 

 

Highlights of Rio De Janeiro

We had an early start today to go to see the Christ the Redeemer statue. There is a train, then an elevator, and then an escalator for those like me who do not want to hike 2 and a half hours and then climb 220 steps up to the base of the statue. Our guide said the we needed to get there early to beat the crowds but it seemed to me that the crowds were already there when we arrived. The statue is very impressive and the views were clear on one side and foggy on the other side at the top. 

Next stop was the Escadaria Selarón. In 1990, Jorge Selarón began renovating dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house. There are 215 steps measuring 125 metres (135 yards) long, which are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. 

 

^{There were so many people that is didn't seem like a very fun experience to me. Although if you looked closely some of the tiles were quite nice.}

 

Our final stop prior to lunch was at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro. It opened in 1976. With architecture inspired by the Mayan pyramids of Mexico, the conical shape is believed to give proximity to God. Four stained glass windows run from floor to ceiling forming a cross at the top. 

We had lunch at a local restaurant and had a traditional black bean dish called Feijoada that was served over rice. 

Late afternoon we learned about the favelas (slums) from a young Brazilian man who grew up in one and still lives in a favela with his wife. There are many favelas located throughout cities in all over Brazil About 6 percent of the Brazilian population lives in favelas. Our guest speaker shared how each favela is run by a different cartel. The topic of favelas is one of the major controversial topics in Brazil.

 

The day ended by listening to a Bossa Nova group at a small cafe not far from our hotel.

 

Just in case anyone thinks that I slacking on exercise the pedometer on my phone registered that I walked 6.7 miles today. I also realize I need to think more about traveling to hot humid places since the weather is definitely not my favorite.  

 

 

 

Official Start Day for the Tour

Four pm today was the official start for our tour. We met our tour guide, Aline, who graduated from Dickenson College in Carlisle, PA. This is important because that is where my grandson Micah attends. Aline is Brazilian and fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. I really admire anyone who is fluent in 2 or more languages. After a delicious buffet breakfast and catching up on sleep Jo Elllen and I walked to the Forte de Copacabana. It is one of six forts that guarded the Bay of Guanabara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not an old fort and is considered a bunker fort. Most of it is underground. The fort was inaugurated in 1914. The view across the bay is Sugar Loaf Mountain. My guess is that during the World Cup this summer you will see lots of the Brazilian flag.

There were several sidewalk cafes on the grounds. By the time we walked back to our hotel the heat and humidity had made me feel like I was in a sauna so I headed to the very small hotel swimming pool. Very short laps still provided the opportunity for much needed exercise. There was also an excellent view.

We ended the formal part of our day eating at a restaurant where the main course traditional bar-b-que and lots of beef was served.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting facts about Brazil - It is the world's 5th largest country both by geographical area and by population. Explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed the area for Portugal in 1500. Its independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil but it became a presidential republic in 1889. However, the bicameral legislature, now called congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824.