Day 25 - Mendoza to Santiago de Chile

We wake very early on our last day in Mendoza to catch the first bus to Santiago. Packing our bags and happily saying goodbye to this hostel, we emerge into the dimly lit streets and head to the bus terminal. The streets are barren save a few early risers heading to work. After about a half hour walk – our big packs on our back – we reach the terminal, filled with bleary eyed travellers and, appropriately, coffee vendors.

The bus arrives and we grab our large, comfy seats. The ride from Mendoza to Santiago is a beautiful one, traipsing through the winding roads of the Argentinian Andes. Rising gently from lush green valleys into the snow-capped peaks, we reach the Argentina – Chile border, notorious for very, very slow service. We were fortunate it only took us an hour and a half, though the snow did start to surround us as we waited out the security checks. We were told the crossing often takes 6+ hours and we were indeed fortunate to cross at all, as the border was shut the day before due to heavy snow fall.

We make it through security with little difficulty and enjoy the ride as we pass now through the Chilean Andes, down into similar scenes – brown, desert like hills, then finally into lush green valleys.

Santiago is a very large city and like many large cities in South America, the outskirts are home to the ‘favela’-like houses, that is – homes made from scrap metal and other found objects, housing the poorest of the city. As we drive further in to Santiago we’re met with more development, high-rises and skyscrapers lining the streets. The bus terminal is in a very ‘local’ part of the city – and the apartment we’d rented was about an hour walk into the heart of downtown. We saddle up and begin our walk. The streets in this area are filled with street vendors and sellers of various bits and bobs, barbecued foods, and empanadas. As we walk through the vendors, we begin to become teary eyed. The air burned our lungs. Suddenly we’re concerned we booked a week’s stay in a heavily polluted city! Tears rolling down our cheeks, our lips burning – we walk faster to get away, if we could, from the mysterious noxious substance. It wasn’t until the following day that we learned there was a protest near the bus terminal that got out of hand and the police spread tear gas onto the populace. We just happened to be collateral damage!

As we wandered away from the invisible antagonist our eyes eventually became clear and our tongues stopped burning. A short, more enjoyable, walk later and we arrive into the ‘Bellas Artes’ area of downtown Santiago. This was much nicer. Cafes and restaurants littered the beautiful streets, surrounding parks, churches, and museums. Feeling relieved that this area had no poison air – we arrived to our apartment. A massive 20 story building standing firmly in the centre of the area, towering over the surrounding shops and bars. We hesitantly get into the elevator – dubious after our Rio free fall, and head to the 7^th floor. We arrive with no incidents (phew!) and open our door to find the apartment was a beautiful 3 bed mezzanine with more space than we possibly needed. Dropping our bags off, we head out the door and begin to explore our local area. We decide on an Indian restaurant for dinner – our first real non-South American food since we arrived – and it was amazing. Capping the night off with a local craft brew (Quimera Imperial Stout – very nice), we head to our room and call it a night.

Day 24 - Mendoza to the highest mountain in South America, Aconcagua

Day 4 in Mendoza – we arise early for a full day trip through the Argentinian side of the Andes. We board a bus (last) and discover we are once again the only English speakers...

 Our guide, a wizened old woman with a funny sense of humour, leads us through the valleys and mountains of the surrounding Andean range. We sat next to a lovely couple who offered us the traditional, social, drink of ‘mate’ (pronounced mah-tay), which is essentially a large clay pot of very strong tea. I’d been wanting to try it for ages, but as restaurants don’t sell it, you must wait for a local to offer it to you. Finally! It was nice and strong, like a pot of green tea that had been steeping for ages.

Anyway, our tour of the Andes was beautiful and the video below will do a far better job of describing the journey. Driving up the winding roads we see small grey, then tall white snow-capped peaks. We stop off at a famous bridge (San Martin crossed it?), view Condors flying gracefully thousands of metres high in the air, pass by an archaic iron-rich British owned mineral spa, drive by a ski resort (only just out of season), and finish in a small town high up in the mountains.

We grabbed a hot lunch, had a little explore of the snowy landscape, and then headed back to town.

All in all a very picturesque and worthwhile venture into the longest mountain range in the world.

Day 23 - Mendoza, Horse riding through the wine valleys

Our third day in Mendoza. At this point, we’re fed up of the hostel. Little flying ants would randomly appear here and there – the room would remain damp after using their tiny shower – and at one point I had to dispose of a cockroach. Blegh.

Anyway, day 3 brings us on our first excursion – a tour of the valleys surrounding Mendoza, by horse, finishing at a local vineyard. We are picked up by a well-spoken, well-travelled Argentinian named Carlos, who would be our guide for the day. We drive for maybe 40 minutes into the countryside and arrive at the Bodega.

Carlos shows us to the horses, beautiful large creatures, strapped with traditional Spanish riding saddles. We climb aboard our steeds and head out into the warm, beautiful valleys – trotting at a comfortable speed amongst the thorny cacti and craggy rocks. We ride for around 2 hours, just relaxing and taking in the beautiful views. We ride through, across, up, and down many winding trails, eventually finishing at a small vineyard (small being a few hundred thousand bottles a year). We have a short tour through the winery – having explanations of how they generate their various vintages – and end up in the cellar where we’re given three lovely wines to taste.

After getting sufficiently inebriated (not actually), we jump back on to our horses (Rach with a little less finesse than before) and head back to the Bodega. Awaiting us back in the home is an Argentinian asado, or barbeque, with of course, more wine. Having a lovely late lunch with Carlos – discussing the state of Argentina and various political agendas throughout South America, we call it a day and head back to Mendoza.

After having such a large lunch, we take it easy in the parks of Mendoza, enjoying the people watching, and eventually grab a small dinner and call it a night.

Day 22 - Mendoza, Free Walking Tour

Our first night in Mendoza was a peaceful one – that is, until the morning light poured through our tissue thin curtains. Waking early, we grab a bite at the paltry breakfast offering. Not the finest hostel thus far.

We begin our day by having another stroll through Mendoza – this time heading toward the newer end of town. Mendoza was much larger than we thought, and even after an hour of walking it seems like we barely touched the new town. After taking a quick peak into the local casino (mostly slots, not my style) we headed back into the old town.

We head toward a small plaza, where we meet up with a ‘Mendoza free walking tour’ guide. Just Rach, myself, and a Danish traveller were on the tour today. The guide took us around the many plazas and squares of the town – explaining the historical significance of this and that (much of what he articulated overlapped with the Buenos Aires tours, but it was still enjoyable). After about 2 hours (our shortest walking tour yet) – we still had itchy feet, so continued to explore Mendoza.

Eventually stumbling upon a beautiful restaurant laden street – we choose an upmarket establishment for a nice meal out. We ended up having the traditional Argentinian barbecue – which included various cuts of steak, liver, kidney, intestine, and even a testicle of some animal. It was… an experience. Fortunately – we had an excellent bottle of Mendoza’s finest to wash the various flavours down.

After the gargantuan meal we slowly crawl our way back to the hostel. Interestingly, in South America – dogs are omnipresent. Literally everywhere. Fortunately they are mostly clean(relative), and friendly and will follow you around happily just for a bit of attention. We were chaperoned back to our door by a beautiful black dog, who would even wait at road crossings for us. It was an endearing finish to a peaceful night.

Day 21 - Arriving from Buenos Aires to Mendoza

Our first experience travelling on an overnight bus wasn’t too bad. Slightly chilly, slightly cramped, slightly noisy – but overall not a bad experience. Fortunately these busses also have toilets so midnight pit stops were possible.

The bus arrives to a small town at around 6am, where we’re offered complementary medialunas (small, sweet croissants) and coffee. After about a half hour break we’re back on the bus for the last short jaunt to Mendoza.

The bus pulls into Mendoza terminal and it’s a manic grab for the bags (unless you tip the baggage handler – in which case you get your bag first). We get our packs and head straight to a bus operator office to buy our tickets into Santiago, Chile. This time we buy an early morning bus, as the Argentina – Chile border crossing is notoriously lethargic. After purchasing the tickets – we suit up and walk into Mendoza proper. 

During the 30 minute walk to our hostel ‘Wine Aparts’ – we notice a distinct lack of people. There was no one. Admittedly it was a Sunday, which means your life will be more difficult in South America – but Mendoza was literally a ghost town. Wandering through the beautiful, wide, tree covered streets of Mendoza we were immediately attracted to the serenity of the place. Finally arriving at the hostel we drop our bags off and head into town.

If you can picture a horror movie where an entire town’s population has mysteriously disappeared – this was it. We walked around the plazas and squares for an hour or so and came across maybe 5 people. Eventually, we stumble across where the majority of people seemed to have been hiding (in plain sight), at a protest. There was a new politician or something being inaugurated, so naturally people were happy/angry and were being vocal about it! 

At around late afternoon, restaurants and cafes began to open and Mendoza sprang into life. We stop at a warm patio restaurant and have a nice relaxed meal, of course with some famous Mendoza Malbec.

Finishing our meal, we were determined to find a tour operator that was also open – fortunately we found one and booked a trip into the Argentinian Andes later that week. Having completed our mission – and having literally nothing else to do in town – we head back to our hostel and call it a night!

Day 20 - Buenos Aires, Zoo - then night bus to Mendoza

Our last day in Buenos Aires. We have booked a 9 o’clock bus that travels overnight to the Argentinian town of Mendoza – about an 11 hour bus ride. In the meantime, we pack our bags, grab some breakfast and head out for our last wander through our favourite South American city thus far.

We immediately head to the bus station, about 40 minutes away – and attempt to store our bags in the lockers. Ridiculously, the locker system has no signage (Spanish or English) that we could find – and it was operated by unique bus coins (not cash) that, eventually after half an hour, we figured out we had to buy from an obscure candy vendor in the middle of the terminal… More inane South American inefficiencies…

Anyway, having already completed two brilliant walking tours of the city, we decided to do something different and visit the Buenos Aires Zoo! About an hours walk through neighbourhoods and parks we hadn’t visited before – it was a lovely morning, strolling through the glorious sunshine. Arriving at the zoo, we’re immediately faced with the reason why the venue got such mixed reviews online, firstly, it was expensive (about £10 each) – and it looked old. By old, I don’t mean antiquated, I mean dilapidated.

Upon entering the zoo we’re met with rusty bars, brown walls, and most unfortunate, small enclosures. It’s difficult to appreciate a zoo when the aim appears to be more on exploitation than preservation. Moral dilemmas aside, the zoo actually had a very wide range of animals, from all the usual reptiles, birds, small mammals – to the more exotic big cats (lions, tigers, and jaguars), elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinos, condors, etc… All in all, it passed the time well – and it was still lovely seeing these beautiful creatures up close.

Exiting the zoo in the early afternoon, we wander back through the parks we’d passed earlier. Having a little play on the outdoor gyms (that are so prevalent in South America) – we pass even more time revelling in our final few hours. 

Arriving back at the bus terminal, we proceeded to our bus company. It’s important to note that in South America – there are hundreds of bus operators in the terminals offering their individual (and equal) services – rather than one central office selling tickets (which would be so much more efficient…). We show our bus cubicle man our ‘e-ticket’, however, in Buenos Aires (and potentially other terminals) they have print shops below all the tour operators – forcing you to pay more money to have a physical ticket. Having sorted the ‘real ticket’ out, we board our first overnight bus. We paid a few extra pounds for ‘cama’ service – which is essentially a wider, more reclining seat than the regular (semi-cama – which are also very comfortable). We snuggle into our cushy seats, wrap up in the included blanket – and take off into the night.

Day 19 - Buenos Aires Ferry Crossing to Colonia, Uruguay

We have an early start today – grabbing a quick breakfast and coffee before heading toward the Buquebus ferry terminal on foot. Arriving in the large terminal – we go through security (felt up again!!) and grab a seat in the large departure hall. The hundreds of passengers slowly matriculate on to the boat – grabbing seats on either the upper or lower decks. We grab two of the cushy seats next to the window, and watch as the ferry slowly churns its way into the open water. From gate to gate, the crossing took about an hour and a half – as the unloading and passing through the lax security added a little extra time. We proceed to the information desk to inquire about our tour bus of the city and we were informed the tour left in 1 hour.

This meant we had time for a slow stroll around the small, colonial town of – Colonia. Primarily subsisting on tourism, Colonia is a small, cute town consisting of an old ruined fort, cobbled streets, a beautiful sea-side view, and dozens of restaurants lining the main roads. We head for our tour bus at the allotted time – and are met with, an empty bus. It turns out the main tourists are Argentinian and they don’t get many English speaking tourists. With the two of us, the driver, and a tour guide with a very thick Spanish accent – we head around Colonia. It was a very slow, somewhat informative, tour of the town – highlighting the old bull ring, now derelict, as well as informing us of various historical facts.

We finish our private tour with the information that our 19:30 ferry had been cancelled and had been changed to 20:30. It was now 17:00 and we’d seen most of what there was to see already. We headed into the small colonial church, very stark in construction – which was actually a nice change from the opulence of most churches we visit.

Heading down to the seaside – we enter a restaurant with a view of the port. Eating a surprisingly delicious dinner (not just salt for a change!) with a few relaxing drinks – we absorb the last of the sun’s rays and watch the beautiful sunset over the water. It was now time to catch our ferry - where we had a nice gentle crossing back in to Argentina, having an excellent final night in Buenos Aires.

Day 18 - Buenos Aires, Catedral Municipal

There isn’t much to write about today. We went to a 'laundromat' in the morning, visited the beautiful cathedral of Plaza de Mayo, Catedral Metropolitana, bought our tickets for our ferry ride to Uruguay - and then had a migraine which essentially wiped out the rest of the day in soul-blackening, eye bursting, unending torment. 

The end.

Day 17 - Buenos Aires, Galeria Pacifico & Teatro Colon

Today’s adventures were much slower in pace. Having a very relaxed start to our day – we spent the early afternoon wandering the streets, soaking in more of the thriving Buenos Aires atmosphere. We made a brief stop to the elegant Galeria Pacifico – which housed some of the top names in fashion in a building suitable to match – with high ceilings, painted with beautiful murals, held aloft by columns of marble, it was definitely a high class establishment. Though speaking of high class establishments, after a quick meal in a typical Argentinian restaurant (meat…), we headed for the highest of class – the Theatre Colon. 

Dressed in our finest wicking tops and wind-resistant trousers – we stood out like sore thumbs! Never the less, amongst the beautifully dressed and dinner suit clad citizens of Buenos Aires – the true beauty was the ornate theatre itself. Gilt in gold leaf, with marble everything, beautiful paintings, and chandeliers hanging from every ceiling – the theatre was absolutely gorgeous. Naturally, we bought a bottle of champagne to try and blend in before our ballet performance of Don Quixote.

The ballet – divided into three intense acts – was stunning. The stage production to the costumes were all intricately designed and equally ornate – and the dancing – I’m no expert in ballet, but it seemed flawless, with male and female counterparts gracefully prancing and flying through the stage with ease.

If ever in Buenos Aires and you have a mind for these things – this was an unmissable stop and an evening to remember.

Day 16 - Buenos Aires, 'Recoleta' Free Walking Tour, Bellas Artes Art Gallery, & Tango!

Our third day in Buenos Aires and we begin to get a good feel for the city. Local restaurants, cafes, and shops become familiar as we wander the streets with savoir faire. Today we join another walking tour, exploring the other ‘down town’ areas of BA. Fernando is our tour guide, a lawyer, who provides a more light-hearted, jovial tour than the previous night (which was very historical and rather morose). Both were excellent tours providing insights on to different facets of this beautiful city. Fernando, much like Martin, points out architectural oddities, the juxtaposition of western and eastern influences, famous statues, and unique districts along the way. Interestingly, Buenos Aires has the 4^th largest community of Jewish peoples in the world, the second religion of the city behind Christianity.

We wander through lush parks, learning of this historical person or that – often with a theme surrounding the shaping of Argentina. Famous throughout Argentina (Chile, Bolivia, and Peru as well) is the figure of San Martin – a military leader who helped defeat the Spanish and grant autonomy to Argentina. Often depicted on horseback, pointing to the West – toward the Andes – mimicking his valiant crossing of the Andes with 5,000 men - in only 16 days, defeating the Spanish overlords from these 4 respective countries. In anyone one of these countries (and each city within) you will undoubtedly find a road San martin, a plaza San Martin, a San Martin shopping centre etc…

Our tour ends in the famous Recoleta Cemetery, which is renowned for it’s large, opulent mausoleums of the aristocracy from Argentina – all built in jagged streets, imitating a small unique city of the dead. Saying goodbye to Fernando, we headed to the National Art Museum – which housed numerous painting from many of the greats – Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Pollock… A true pleasure to visit.

After a quick dinner with a bottle of local vino – we head to our evening Tango show. Located in the famous Café Tortoni – we’re seated in a dusky subterranean, brick theatre – imitating the streets of yester-Buenos Aires. Sipping on champagne – we’re enthralled by the rhythmic gyrating bodies entwined on stage, dancing to slow-then fast-then slow tango songs. A lone performer took the stage – swinging long ropes with wooden balls on the ends. The dancer spun and smacked the instruments on the ground – choreographing a song and tap dance to his fast paced twirling. The show ended with a lone singer on stage – belting out some powerful melody that was completely lost on us verbally – but was none the less a beautiful performance. We highly enjoyed our show – and walked back to our hotel thoroughly satisfied in today’s adventures.

Day 15 - Buenos Aires, Evening Free Walking Tour

What is with cities in South America? Our room, on the 5^th floor, felt very secluded and quiet. That was until cars entered and/or exited the parking garage across from the hotel – triggering a flashing light (luckily we couldn’t see it) and a loud siren – presumably to warn other cars and passengers about the emerging vehicle. A good theory, in principle, however, this garage (and seemingly all of them throughout the city) was constantly busy – meaning that darn siren was going off every 10 minutes every hour of the day and night. Eventually your mind drowns it out, getting used to the shrill cry – however, the first night we weren’t sure whether to evacuate the building or what to do, as it sounded exactly like a fire alarm.

Anyway. 

We awake to a small continental breakfast – with terrible, burnt coffee – and make our way to the meeting point for our walking tour. The tour, Buenos Aires Free Walking Tours, was led by a well-informed, well-spoken sociologist named Martin. The tour began at the Congresso Nacional and meandered through the city – highlighting key elements from Buenos Aires’s rise and fall from grace. A very beautiful city, Buenos Aires is an eclectic conglomeration of European architecture – a result of the aristocracy trying to mimic the grand cities of Europe – Paris, Florence, etc… Buenos Aires has many parks, statues, and importantly to portenos' (locals), wide avenues. We toured around parks, observing and learning the importance of many of them – including one of the (16?) Rodin’s Thinker statues. We observed many sights including a high rise inspired by Dante, a giant homage to Eva Peron, as well as the central obelisk – commemorating the independence of Argentina from the Spanish.

As we walked through the city, Martin describes in detail the rise of Argentina – with wealth overflowing among the aristocracy, each trying to outdo one another by building the next grandest building. Buenos Aires was the most important port-  as such the wealthy became immensely wealthier. However, the stability of the economy in Argentina was never very solid – leading to many recessions throughout the decades, slowly reducing the influence of its finest city, Buenos Aires.

Many dictatorships occurred throughout the 20^th century – including one military coup, which resulted in the, reportedly, 30,000 disappearances of dissidents within Argentina. Argentina has never recovered from corrupt governments, leading to its current economic crisis – with around 35% inflation – reducing the buying power of the locals’ currency immensely.

We finished our tour at the Pink Building, or the office of the politicians. In Plaza de Mayo – the building is surrounded by iron gates and a constant police presence – often including a riot water cannon. Buenos Aires has seen many protests (rightly so), and these measures surrounding the presidential office are a constant reminder to the people – do not disobey.

The Plaza de Mayo, excluding the militant feel, is very beautiful – with many historical buildings brilliantly lit at night. The cathedral – fashioned in Roman style – faces one of the only remaining colonial buildings (the Argentinians destroyed most of them to erase their Spanish past), which is a Museum of Colonial history.

With our informative tour now over, we wandered through the lively streets of Buenos Aires – enjoying the animated atmosphere – before grabbing a pizza and calling it a night.

Day 14 - Foz do Iguacu (Brazil) to Buenos Aires

An early start today – grabbing a quick bite at the 7am breakfast, ready to catch a taxi into Argentina (pre-arranged). Crossing the border into Argentina was once again a breeze, with barely a look into the car. We arrive at the small airport (IGR) with plenty of time before the flight – in fact, we couldn't check in our luggage until an hour before, and we weren't allowed through ‘security’ until 30 minutes before the departure time. Of course, after my obligatory pat down, we arrive in the departure lounge as our plane is called – very efficient. We board the plane – thankfully more leg room than the previous – and we’re on our way to Buenos Aires!

Arriving in Buenos Aires around 2 hours later – we exit the plane into a modern, large, clean airport. This time – we’re determined not to take a taxi to our hotel. Local transport all the way. That didn't quite work out however. It seems in the few years since Rach’s guide book was published and our arrival – the buses have had an overhaul, becoming entirely cashless. We board bus ‘45’ which should head down town. The bus was empty and the driver didn't speak any English. Waving around bills, saying Cuanto? 5, 10, 20? And hearing only – No..no.. He just waves us to the back of the bus. Oh that’s nice of him we think to ourselves. Little did we know he goes a few stops then motions This is the last stop. Oh right… We exit the bus then check our maps – ah, the ‘45’ is on a circular and we happened to catch it on the wrong side of the street, whoops. We wait 20 minutes for another ‘45’ to arrive – still not quite sure how to pay. We hop on and the bus is completely empty – and again, the driver speaks no English. Cuanto? I ask. No no we receive again. Why don’t they want our money?! After a few more waving of bills and spouting of random amounts, once again, we’re waved to the back of the bus – clearly not bothered about a couple of ignorant Gringos. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when other passengers started filing on to the bus, we noticed the card reader and people swiping in. Oops. Feeling guilty, though satisfied in our free ride – we drive for 40 minutes before reaching our stop. Muchos gracias senor! we shout to the bus driver before swiftly exiting the vehicle.

Ahhh, Buenos Aires. Clean, modern, and a breath of fresh air (maybe not literally). Our hotel was in the down town area – which was filled with lots of restaurants, bars, and cafes – exactly what we’d been looking for and missing in Sao Paulo (still good) and Rio (not quite as good), in terms of selection. We unload our bags into our surprisingly spacious room and head out into the city. Tonight we just enjoyed a long stroll through – well, wherever our feet took us. We ended up at a lovely Italian restaurant where we finally enjoyed a meat free meal that wasn't laden with salt.

After our meal, we strolled along the well-lit avenues, including Ave. de Julho – the widest avenue in the world (they’re very proud of that fact), as well as Florida street (pedestrian only road – famous for the blue market Cambio money changers), and Plaza de Mayo. Our first experience of Buenos Aires was a pleasant one – and we went to bed eagerly looking forward to the next day’s walking tour.

Day 13 - Foz do Iguacu, Iguazu Falls Argentinian side

Our second day in Foz do Iguacu brings our second jaunt to Iguacu Falls – this time on the Argentinian side. We enjoyed the Brazilian side so much it was hard to imagine how the Argentinian side could top it. 

We walked to a hostel around the corner from ours, early in the morning – taking a private car to Argentina - as it takes less than half the time if done privately, and costs only R$10 (£2) more. Unfortunately, on the way to our transport – the Brazilian side walk betrayed me, sticking its many broken bricks in to the air, suitably splitting open my toe on a particularly jagged stone. We taped up the wound and hope it doesn't interfere with our day of walking!

Taking the private car with us was a lovely couple from Vancouver (originally Ghana and Japan), who we would end up spending the day with. Arriving in Argentina after a brief stop at the border, to get our passports stamped, we’re now faced with the Argentinian Iguacu National Park. Unlike Brazil, this side has many paths and tours of the falls one can take – which we fully took advantage of, split toe or no. Starting on the lower, shorter course, we wandered through flora and fauna (coati) and eventually arrived to the smaller sets of waterfalls, seen from afar from Brazil, now up close and personal.

Walking further along the metal board walk we come across more and more waterfalls of increasing sizes. From the short course we could view the ‘Devil’s Throat’ from afar – which was still very impressive. Taking the obligatory selfies here and rainbow shots there – we move further on down the gangway until we reached the boat launch. We’re handed thick waterproof bags for our goods, and fat orange life jackets for our bodies. They were ominously soaked. We hobble on to the speed boat – maybe a 60 seater – and proceed to blast off across the water. 

Unlike the slow ‘Maid of the Mist’ in Niagara, this boat shoots through the water at speed – diving you straight under the waterfalls. First we entered a smaller waterfall – only getting briefly moist – however, the boat then rocketed toward the largest accessible falls. Diving straight under the torrential white spray, eyes unable to even open against the lashing water – we got spectacularly soaked. After two epic drenching sessions we returned to shore – squidging and squelching along the tracks. Fortunately it was a glorious, sunny day – and it wasn't too long before we were suitably dry.

After a quick lunch, dodging the voracious coati, we headed for the long course. This upper, longer course took you along the rest of the falls that we’d seen the previous day, winding along the aquatic-jungle path on a metal platform floating over the water. It’s easy to see why most people seem to enjoy the Argentinian side more – as there’s simply more to do and see. 

Finishing the upper course – we decided to race the pedestrian train to the last stop – the Devil’s Throat. The 2 km walk was warm, sunny, and full of butterflies and even a couple of monkeys – and we just barely missed beating the train to the station. However, as we now only had 1 hour before we were supposed to board our van back to Brazil – we really had to run. Literally diving and weaving through the crowds on what seemed like the never-ending platform – we finally emerged in the mouth of it: the Devil’s Throat. 

It’s simple to see why it got the name, as the falls was a horseshoe shape like the Niagara Falls (throat like?) – but was 10 times as torrential, with huge white plumes of water rocketing in to the sky. The noise and atmosphere was electric – hearing the roar of the falls at your fingertips. After soaking in the view (literally) we had to run back along the extensive platform and catch the train back to the entrance. All in all it was an incredible experience, probably more fulfilling than the Brazilian side – though both were amazing. Arriving back in Brazil with no troubles – we call it a night, ready for our early flight to Buenos Aires in the morning.

Day 12 - Sao Paulo to Foz do Iguacu, Brazilian Iguacu Falls

We awake fresh faced and ready for our morning flight. Opting once again for a taxi (this time as a time saver – rather than convenience) we arrive nice and early to Congonhas Sao Paulo Airport – a fairly small airport full of excited locals going on their holidays. Interestingly, the pre-checked-in line was about 5 times as long as the in-airport check-in line. The airport usher tried to show us to some check-in machines to join the long queue, but logic prevailed and we didn't move from the short queue. After going through the lax security, I was still, once again, man-handled (I'm sure the metal machine didn't even beep!).

We board the fully packed plane and have a short, cramped, hour-long flight to Foz do Iguacu – the eponymous city of the famous Iguacu Falls. Our hostel had arranged transport for us and we arrived at the accommodation swiftly, where the excellent concierge informed us of all the tourist and travel information we needed. We drop off our large packs and immediately head out to the bus stop to get to the Brazilian side of Iguacu Falls. A bus journey of around 1 hour brings us to the National Park of Iguacu Falls. We buy our tickets (just under £40 for the two) and jump on to the tourist bus that takes you to the falls. 

Exiting the bus, we were immediately surrounded by little fox-raccoon-ant eater things, which we later learned were coati, which were very friendly, fuzzy things – that unfortunately could get overzealous when surrounded or near to human food. Though we had many warnings, we had no incidents. Rach wouldn't let me keep one.

Leaving the bus stop – you’re immediately met with the sound of rushing water. Emerging through a wall of trees, suddenly the falls loom out in front of you. Iguacu Falls contains 275 individual water falls – which the Brazilian side shows off in all their immaculate glory. Walking along a single designated path, you’re in constant view of ever increasing numbers of waterfalls – eventually coming to a head on a floating platform in the middle of ‘the Devil’s Throat’ – the largest and most tempestuous waterfall of them all. It really is difficult to describe the sensation of being surrounded by such devastatingly beautiful nature. I have to admit that Iguacu Falls, if there were to be a competition, beats our beloved Niagara Falls. There I said it. Moving on.

After getting mildly wet from the spray of ‘Devil’s Throat’ – we take an elevator up to a panoramic platform offering even more stunning views of the falls. Calling it a day after a couple hours at the Brazilian side, we head home. We had a short wander through the town, grabbed a quick cafeteria style dinner in Foz, and called it a night, ready to begin the second leg of the falls the following morning.

Day 11 - Sao Paulo, Free Walking Tour 'Paulista Ave'

Our 4^th day in Sao Paulo begins and ends much like the last – we start our day with a Sao Paulo with a Free Walking tour and end on Augusta; however, this time we begin in the business district along Paulista Avenue. 

We grab a quick bite to eat before our tour – weird fried pastry things, mine a ‘Japa’ – filled with Japanese mushrooms, and Rachel’s a ‘Ruso’- filled with beef stroganoff!

 Once again we meet Rocco the tour guide, though this time we aren't amidst a thousand enraged teens beating drums and chanting war cries. We have a peaceful walk through Paulista and surrounding areas – taking in the mix of scenery – verdant parks juxtaposed against tall metallic skyscrapers. Once again Rocco provided an informative and entertaining tour of Sao Paulo – this time highlighting how modern and affluent Sao Paulo is and has become.  

Concluding the tour amongst the, now beautifully lit, skyscrapers at night – we wander the surprisingly busy (it was a week night) streets of Paulista, taking in ‘the scene’. This district seemingly housed the subcultures of Sao Paulo – skateboarders, rockers, hipsters – all hanging around in-vogue food trucks and ‘craft’ shops. We stopped for a craft lemonade from ‘the Lemonator’ – which was scrummy. 

We wandered along Paulista until we hit Augusta again, this time heading North for a change of scene from the previous night. After quickly walking away from – what I can only assume was – a heroine dosed rent boy who wouldn't leave us alone – we stopped at a big Brazilian restaurant, hoping that we may encounter some vegetables at some point on our trip. Fortunately they had a great selection to choose from – Rach had a vegetarian moussaka and I had fillet de parmigiano and grilled vegetables – and praise be, both came with a salad!

After that thoroughly satisfying, and exotic, meal – we headed back to the hotel and had our last great night’s sleep in the mega city that was Sao Paulo.

Day 10 - Sao Paulo, Free Walking tour (Old Town), Mercado Municipal, & Solomon's Temple

Our third day in Sao Paulo brought us on our first walking tour. This ‘Sao Paulo Free Walking Tour’ took us to the ‘old town’ – where the foundations and origins of the city could be found. Before the tour could begin however, we had to wait for a protest to move along. Hundreds of high school students were protesting the corrupt government – which had apparently stolen 85% of the money meant for free dinners within the school system. After the impassioned youth (rightly so) had moved on down the street, Rocco the tour guide began telling us the history of Sao Paulo.

As we wandered through the streets – learning the history of this building or that tower - we observed the progression of Sao Paulo society through the ages [Tallest buildings, first library, tenement blocks, first public school, main cathedral etc…]. It was an informative tour and Rocco did a great job of keeping everyone interested.

The tour finished in the early afternoon, and as we were already in the down town area – we decided to take in the famous Mercado Municipal, their grand indoor food market. Similar to St. Lawrence market in Toronto – all the best fruits, cheeses, and meats are sold here – albeit in a much older, more impressive building. We grabbed a delicious fruit salad and headed to our next stop of the day – the recently erected ‘Solomon’s Temple’ – a replica of the famous temple in Jerusalem. This creation however, was significantly larger – boasting that it was even taller than Rio’s Christo Redentor. The building was, indeed, massive – bringing about memories of the temples we’d visited in Egypt (specifically the impressive Edfu temple). Unfortunately the temple didn't open until the evening hours – so we did not get to lay eyes on the golden Ark of the Covenant held within.

Catching a bus back to the Jardins area, we wandered Augusta street, a very popular road filled with shops and restaurants, and decided to eat at a Churascaria. Famously known as ‘Brazilian Barbecue’, the Churascaria was exactly that – being superbly waited on by dozens of servers who would slice and shave the finest grilled meats on to your plate [sirloin, fillet minion, prime rib...] until our bellies were uncomfortably full. Slowly rolling home, we noticed that our feet had literally turned black from the dirt of the streets. After a thorough wash, we flopped our tired, full bodies on to the bed and drifted off in to another quiet slumber.

Day 9 - Sao Paulo, Ibirapuera Park & Sala Sao Paulo

Finally. A peaceful nights rest. 

Our first night in Sao Paulo was much quieter than Rio, and even quieter than the little town of Paraty. Fresh and alert – our first day in Sao Paulo we decide to take in their famous Ibirapuera Park, as we’d planned 2 walking tours for the following 2 days. A short walk from our hotel, we arrive at Ibirapuera amidst the glorious sunshine. 

Surprisingly, Sao Paulo was even hotter than Rio, reaching temperatures of 37°C, with little wind. Ibirapuera was a lovely large, lush park, which I found to resemble Hyde Park in London. Within the gated grounds we found a planetarium (closed), a Latin America History Museum (seemingly in all Portuguese), and a large adventure playground (we couldn't resist). With a small river running through the park – we watched all the water fowl swimming in the shallows, including the native ‘Rio’s, which were crane-like birds.

Exiting the park, we headed toward the affluent neighbourhood of Jardins Europa and Paulistano – a complete change from the neighbourhoods of Rio. Here there were large, detached houses, with long front drives and gated surroundings. Grand, overhanging trees and verdant bushes lined the side walks, creating a quiet, unpolluted atmosphere – far removed from the dusty brown, broken streets of Rio. Strolling through Jardins we came across ritzy car dealerships – Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin – before we discovered a massive, boat shaped building – which only later were we told, was the ‘Unique Hotel’, proffering some of the best views of down town Sao Paulo. Oh well. 

We walked further and further through the somewhat winding somewhat structured streets – discovering more oddities like the omnipresent ‘street art’ found ubiquitously throughout Sao Paulo - as well as the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Brasil church – which was apparently the most sought after wedding venue in Sao Paulo – with bookings required 2 years in advance.

With the day-light waning, we decided to visit the famous Sala Sao Paulo – a symphony hall renowned for some of the best acoustics in the world. We took a bus for 30 minutes and arrived at Sala – which evidently is a diamond in the rough – as the neighbourhood surrounding the venue was filled with closed down buildings, rough looking shops, and many homeless. The symphony hall used to be a grand train station in its glory years – and is today still impressive in its size and stature. We were fortunate to get tickets to see Paul Lewis that night – where he serenaded us to the dulcet tones of Schumann and Liszt. After a blissful hour-and-a-half piano concerto, and getting our tickets signed by the man himself, we grabbed a taxi home and called it a night, ready for our full day of tourism tomorrow.

Day 8 - Paraty to Sao Paulo

We arise the next morning – this time fresh faced and awake from a quiet nights rest. We enjoy the small continental breakfast at our hotel, pack our bags, and then head for the bus terminal. Arriving in the small terminal – we’re shocked at how crowded it is. It seems buses really are the way to travel in South America. We wait. And wait. And wait some more. Looking around anxiously, checking to see if our bus had arrived around the corner – or thinking, did we miss it? Surely not, as the woman behind the counter told us – no English spoken – the bus will be in one of the 4 lanes in front of you.

Sure enough, the bus arrives an hour and a half late and we board our charter. Frustratingly, the bus driver pulls out of Paraty, and about 15 minutes down the road, pulls into a truck stop for a 30 minute break. At least it gave us a chance to use the restrooms – as we’d been at the bus terminal for 3 hours and didn’t dare use the toilets lest we miss our tardy bus! Hopping back into the coach, we had a smooth 3 hour drive to Caraguatatuba – our layover on the way to Sao Paulo – where we reveled in the sunshine and glorious coastal roads.

Arriving in Caraguatatuba hours later than our booked tickets, we had to get our bus tickets changed at the counter. Once again, no English spoken, we had to speak in broken Portuguese/Spanish and nod a lot – eventually getting the message across that our bus was late. The ticket lady seemed to understand (maybe she’s accustomed to late buses) and booked us on to the next bus to Sao Paulo for no charge. We grabbed a quick bite to eat (hamburger again – seemingly their national dish) and board our coach to Sao Paulo – a further 3 hour drive.

Arriving much later than planned, we catch a taxi to our hotel – taking in the city sites as we roll. Sao Paulo, compared to Rio, appeared to be far more developed and in better condition, with many tall buildings/skyscrapers scattered along our journey. We checked in to our room, then immediately left for a night time stroll. Sao Paulo – in the jardins district – was very clean, and gave a safer impression than Rio. We strolled through many green blocks, past chiq pizza restaurants and mini marts. Neither of us were particularly hungry, so Rach grabbed a pudding (no surprise) as I grabbed a beer (also standard), and we headed back to our hotel. On the walk back we came across a very friendly (rabid?) bat – which made me question whether we had or had not received our rabies shots. We took the elevator up to the 8^th floor and called it a night – in our blissfully quiet room. Finally.

Day 7 - Paraty, Jeep Tour & Waterfalls

Alas, a quiet sleep it was not. We thought we had escaped the noise of Rio – but it turns out even small little towns accrue their own fair share of nightly clamor. That said – it was still quieter than Rio – there’s something more peaceful to the roars of car engines than the racket of jackhammers. We awake to a small continental breakfast – and thankfully – strong, dark coffee. 

We pack our bags, ready for a day of swimming – and head to the tourist office. Outside the building was a large, raised, green jeep – and inside was a group of clearly (pale white) English speaking people. We attempted to board, however, were told This one isn’t for you. Hmm. A second jeep arrived a few minutes later and we were told this one was for us. Inside were two couples – both Portuguese and non-English speakers. Joining our crew was a guide – also non-English speaking - and the driver. Rach and I looked at each other as if there’d been a mistake, but we’re told – this is your jeep. In the end, there was no real difference as both groups joined together after the 30 minute ride. After driving round winding and dusty roads – we arrived at our first stop. We exit the jeep and start a trek through some jungle (we’d already put on our DEET spray!) until a few minutes later – we emerge on to a small pathway up a cliff. Hanging from some low hanging branches in front of us was a small group of wild marmosets – the guide produced a banana from her pocket and attracted one toward us – kawaii! We begin walking again and exit up the cliff and find ourselves staring out on to a group of beautiful, small waterfalls. We spend an hour here, swimming around the small natural pool and playing under the falls. This was my first chance at playing with my new waterproof GoPro – which seemed to work great!

We dry off in the sun, taking in the beautiful surroundings before heading back down the path – but, there was a guardian of the path we’d under estimated – a large, angry, brown spider. Standing directly in front of us with its fore-legs in the air in an aggressive attack position – I heroically attempted to shoo it from our way. The spider hissed and jumped toward me – narrowly missing my jugular with its fangs*. We ran forward, away from the vicious guardian – safe to live another day. We board the jeeps again and carry on to our next destination... *Some elements may be exaggerated.

The jeeps take us to a local sugar cane plantation which produces the Brazilian Cachaca liquor – as well as molasses and other sugary goodness. We are taught how the cachaca is produced (Sugar cane is ground, purified, distilled, then barreled in different woods – depending on the type of liquor), then are given samples of each type of cachaca they produce – cinnamon & clove, molasses-caramel, coffee liqueurs…etc. After the gently inebriating tour we are taken to a local restaurant to eat local food (re: salty meats and beans).

After a brief lunch – where we sat with a Canadian girl from the other jeep, who had been touring Brazil for three months – we headed to waterfalls 2 and 3. Waterfall 2 was a tall, slippery, boulder-like falls, with water smoothly covering all surfaces. This created a very slippery rock surface – which the locals used as a kind of water slide. Our guide told us it was too dangerous to attempt and took us away to waterfalls #3. Of course, I snuck back and went down the falls anyway! It wasn’t dangerous, but it was fun.

At waterfalls 3, there was another small pool we could swim in – as well as a cliff jumping spot. Once again we were told not to attempt this, as the water was not very deep. As I could see the bottom from where I was standing – I heeded her warning this time. There was however, more excitement to be had – beside the falls was a very worn, rickety wooden bridge. Swaying under the mere thought of crossing it, the bridge had clearly seen better days. Rach and I strapped on our adventure shoes and slowly climbed aboard the derelict bridge. As we crossed the water the bridge swayed and creaked – boards lifted and fell as we tread – with planks broken from their fastenings. Again, we emerged wholly undamaged, satisfied in crossing our first rope bridge.

We finished our tour with a second cachaca distillery (a bit tired of it at this point) and headed back home. We arrive in town to a raucous of noise – a woman's voice shouting over a loudspeaker. I jokingly say to Rachel – That sounds like Portuguese bingo. Lo, I was right – there were around 1,000 people in the town square, all playing bingo – stamping their little paper cards with each proclaimed letter and number. It was an odd sight to say the least – as we watched old men, women, children, and even the shop keepers taking part.

To cap the day off in the last remaining rays of light, we walked along the beach in low tide, squelching and squishing along the sodden sand. As the sun finally sets we had our dinner once again in the old town – enjoying our last night in the beautiful historic atmosphere. We saunter back to our room and await the oncoming dawn for our next bus – to Sao Paulo.

Day 6 - Rio to Paraty

Today we say Goodbye to Rio and make a journey along the Southern Brazilian coast to the small colonial town of Paraty. Taking a taxi to Novo Rio – the bus terminal – we buy our tickets for the next available bus to Paraty. We’d researched the buses online – and seen that they departed every hour – however, Tip - pre-booking buses online (or going to the station) at least the night before will ensure your seats, as the buses are surprisingly very busy. We board our bus – with assigned seating – and someone is sitting in our seats. It’s always awkward telling people to move – even more so when you don’t speak the language and they’re convinced it’s their seat! We eventually get seated, and revel in the deep, soft, well cushioned seats. The buses here put Greyhound and Megabus to shame!

Our ride is around 6 hours (with stops and traffic) to Paraty. Arriving in the early afternoon, we saunter around the old cobbled streets and search for our accommodation. We have a quaint hostel (more like 2* hotel) located 2 minutes from the bus station and about 30 seconds from the old quarter. In our room was a brochure for a local tour operator, offering city tours that night. We hop on over (it’s a small town) and book our tickets for the evening, as well as a jeep jungle tour for tomorrow. As the jungle tour takes you to waterfalls to swim under – it was time for me to find a bathing suit. Intriguingly all the shops sold swim trunks with no mesh lining! It wasn’t until I realised the shorts are essentially male sarongs (modesty converings) and I’d have to take the plunge and buy some swimming booty shorts. To be quite honest – I look rad in my new trunks.

With new swimming gear in hand, it was time to do the city tour. We arrive back at the tourist shop and are greeted by an elderly man who informs us the tour will take place in both English and Portuguese. We begin our tour of the old quarter with 3 Portuguese tourists – and as we wander the labyrinthine streets, certain spots are pointed out in English then in Portuguese – with seemingly more conversation in the latter than the former. It was an enjoyable tour – highlighting the origins of the town [Paraty was a port town founded on the gold and diamond trades, controlled by wealthy ‘Masons’ and was heavily stratified by class and race. Thousands of slaves passed through the town – and lived in certain districts away from the rich and whites]. Overall it was an informative tour and Paraty turned out to be a lovely, quirky little town. We finish our tour tasting some local cachaca (sugar cane liquor) – which an overly jubilant Portuguese man spilled over my leg in excitement at showing off a local delicacy. We end our night at a beautiful, candle-lit restaurant in old town and conclude with a lovely, warm walk back to our room for a nice, quiet, relaxing sleep. Or so we thought. 

Day 5 - Rio, Copacabana, Ipanema, & Jardim Botanico

Good morning Rio! What shall we do today? Well, it’s been a very busy few days – so why not have a more relaxing day – wandering through Rio’s botanical gardens. We begin our trek down the lengthy Copacabana beach – crossing over to Ipanema beach, a thinner but oddly busier beach. Gently strolling down the soft sands and warm sidewalks we decided to ‘take our first coconut’. For the small sum of R$5 (about £1 at time of writing), the vendor chops open a fresh, green, coconut with a machete, sticking in a straw for your oral enjoyment. Very refreshing, and oddly satisfying – green coconut water/juice is gently flavoured and about half as sweet as a soft drink. Lolling along the sandy causeway, sipping on coconut, you couldn’t help but feel at peace. Rio is a very clean (very little litter) but very dirty (soot/sand/?) city – I often found myself rubbing mystery particles out of my eyes – so the gentle breeze, hot sun, and clean coconut combination, alongside the crystal clear water, was a nice change.

Passing by Ipanema beach on to Leblon beach (much quieter), we grew closer to the gardens. The botanical gardens (about 8km from where we started) was immediately a place of solace from the bustle of the Rio streets. Lush, green plants from all over the world encapsulate quite a large park – playing host to hundreds of flower and bird species. We enjoyed a walk through an Orchid nursery – as well as an area flaunting dozens of cactus species of every shape and size. The highlight of the gardens was watching tiny little humming birds darting around, presumably looking for their next meal.

We finished our walk in the gardens through a section on worldly medicinal plants (all signs in Portuguese unfortunately) and began our long trek home. Stopping for dinner in a little local pub(?) eating our last Rio meal – refreshing our weary feet – we reflect on our days in Rio. We both thoroughly enjoyed Rio – though – we both expected more colour. It’s a very grey city – which just didn’t gel with our preconceptions of what Rio (and our first taste of Latin America) would be like. We must have gone in expecting 24/7 Carnivale – and although we didn’t get it, still enjoyed the city. Next on the docket – is the small colonial town of Paraty (pronounced Pa-ra-chee). Stay tuned!

Day 4 - Rio, Christ the Redeemer & Sugar Loaf Mountains

Rio day 3. After another night of semi-disquietude, we embarked on our journey to the 2 most famous landmarks in Rio – Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) and the Sugar Loaf Mountains. We plan our journey to Corcovado (meaning Humpback Mountain, upon which Christo can be found) first, as we were told it can get very busy and hot in the afternoon – and that Sugar Loaf boasts an epic sunset not to be missed. The internets told us there was a bus company that would drive you up Corcovado for a very reasonable price – sounds great right? We arrive at the designated spot and lo-and-behold, there’s a salesman selling tickets for tours. In broken conversation – he tells us that for Corcovado, it is R$26 (reais, Brazilian dollars – pronounced ‘ray-uh’ or ‘hey-eye’ depending on who says it, and pluralisation). Of course we get on his bus, and immediately after driving down the road, the driver asks for R$80 each. Fortunately, when we declined, he let us out without hassle (phew) – and we hopped into a taxi to Cosme velho ($R70), the tourist train station where you take a small train up Corcovado. Traveller tip – there is also a metro station a few minutes walk from Cosme velho as well as a regular bus (more time), so it’s worth taking public transport!

Taking the tourist train (R$52 each, including admission [R$26]) we had a slow but enjoyable 20 minute journey through the jungle on Corcovado. Emerging from the lush jungle we arrive atop Corcovado, with the omnipresent Jesus looming overhead. Surrounding the foot of the statue was perhaps 100 people – crowded, but not off putting – all taking pictures and of course, Jesus-selfies. The statue itself was recently renovated (within 20 years) making it look immaculate and ominous. Even on a non-believer the presence of such a large, powerful symbol is not lost. A modern wonder definitely not to be missed if journeying to Rio. Statue aside, Corcovado also offers stunning views of Rio and the surrounding bays and is well worth taking in the beautiful vista.

After our striking stint with Jesus, we took the bus back to Copacabana and decided to walk to the Sugar loaf. The walk was enjoyable (maybe 30-60 minutes), strolling through various streets and neighborhoods of Rio. Arriving at Sugar loaf at around 4pm, we were there in perfect time to take in the sunset at around 5:30pm. Riding the cable cars up the 2 small mountains offers more stunning views of Rio – admittedly in very hot, cramped quarters. Arriving on the first of the two mountains, you are surrounded by food and drink shops, as well as benches and lounge chairs to relax and take in the views. Journeying to the second (taller) mountain, gives you the opportunity to wander through some native Rio flora in their ‘nature park’. We were lucky to spot some lizards crawling around rocks before we came across what everyone wants to see – wild marmosets! The cute little creatures were swinging and jumping around trees, having a great time – until the crowds started to gather around us, clearly interested in what I was filming! After the encounter with the little primates – we observed, the best we could, the famous sunset. Unfortunately much of the tall sugar loaf mountain was under construction (surprise) so we could not capture the best shots.

We headed back down the mountains and decided once again to walk back to Copacabana. At this point we have an hour long journey through the darkening streets of Rio – and we felt completely safe. Most anecdotal stories everyone seems to hear about muggings are just that – anecdotes. Rio has for many years been a safe place to travel, and as long as you’re not flaunting cash from your open front pockets, you’ll be alright. We arrived in Copacabana – and suddenly decided, even though exhausted, to go to Lapa. Lapa is a very famous district for food and frivolity. We take the metro north toward Carioca and emerge from the underground into live music and drunken revelry. We choose a restaurant with live music and grab some drinks – chilling out to the sweet, sharp sounds of the band. In front of the band were couples swinging, twirling, and dancing around, having a gay old time. We decided – it’s in our best interest to leave the dancing to these seemingly professional dancers. We eventually call it a night as our eyelids began to droop, after a long fulfilling day, and hike back up those darn 10 flights of stairs. 

Day 3 - Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Bom dia a todos! As we pull our groggy, jet lagged bodies down 10 flights of stairs – we emerge into the noisy, hot streets of Rio. What guidebooks – and people – never told us, is that Rio is in a constant state of repair. The buildings, the roads, the sidewalks, random blocks of concrete – all broken and being mended in a continuous cycle of noise. Needless to say, wherever we went in Rio, there was always noise. Beach noise, construction noise, people shouting (Agua de doiche! Agua de doiche! or something to that effect), and cars honking. Be prepared. 

We exited our apartment and picked up some local baked goods that were ubiquitous in all the shops – cheesy, breaded meats and seafood. Cheap, satisfying, and salty. We hop on the metro – which consists of 2 lines – and head North to Carioca station. There, I grab a coffee (very nice – strong), and meet up with other travelers going on the Rio free walking tour (Rio - Free walker tours) [Which we highly recommend!]

Our tour was led by a well spoken Carioca (Rio local), who guided us along many of Rio’s most famous locations. The walk was a gentle 3 hours and was very informative. We walked through old cobbled streets, observing historical buildings – each told with their unique histories. One building was a restaurant for the aristocracy and presidents. Another, the palace of the first King of Brazil. Next, the home of famous entertainer Carmen Miranda. The House of Justice, the Municipal building for politicians, and the National Theatre. The aqueduct – now tourist train – and the Principal Cathedral. Finally, we finish on Rio’s famous steps – created from tiles donated from over 60 countries.

The group – consisting of German, Swiss, Austrian, Canadian, and British tourists, all stop for lunch together after the tour – dining in a local restaurant, eating typical meat and bean dishes. The group says their goodbyes and we stick with a Swiss couple, and a German tourist, all of whom have been touring South America for the past few months. We visit the large Cathedral – which was very pretty inside in a stark, unusual way. The building was designed in a way as to draw everyone together – looking up to the heavens.

We jump on to the little tourist train and ride up into Santa Theresa – which supposedly boasts a stunning 360° view. We couldn’t find this place. We did however, find a lookout point which proffered a beautiful view over the surrounding bay.

After a trek down from Santa Theresa (the train stops at 4pm) – we decided to watch the famous sunset of Ipanema and Leblon beaches at Arpoador. A gentle climb atop some well-worn rocks, on a small peninsula off Ipanema, we relax and watch as the sun strikingly sets before us.

We say Goodbye to our German traveler friend (his 2^nd last day of travels) and grab some nightcaps on Copacabana. The famous Rio drink – Caipirinha (lime, cachaça [sugar cane liquor], ice, and sugar) soothes our weary feet and we say goodnight to Rio once more.

Day 2 - Rio, in the beggining

Rio. After 10-and-a-half groggy hours on the red-eye from YYZ to XX, we arrive. Slowly awaking from the long haul, we step off the plane in to glorious sunshine. Rio. Hot, and already humid – the 10am Sun is unforgiving. We pass through security with nary a glance at our documents – two quick stamps and we’re in. The airport is modern and clean, however, as soon as we step through the gate – ‘taxi drivers’ and other men of unknown intent approach and offer their services. We politely ignore them and move through the crowd toward HSBC. Travellers tip – HSBC, so far, has been the only bank that does not charge fees for withdrawing money.

There are a few options to get into downtown (we stayed in Copacabana) – local bus, tour bus, or taxi. We chose taxi as we were exhausted, disorientated, and well – it’s easy. At the airport you go to the certified taxi counters as they give you a price before you depart and then you’re away with no hassle. We ride for maybe 40 minutes into town, weaving and dodging through traffic as if there were no designated lanes. This is normal. Traffic is – as it is in much of the world – very fluid. Where there is room to move – like water flowing through cracks – a car will find its way.

We pass through green hills, grey concrete tower blocks, and by the notorious ‘favelas’ – or slums of Rio. Men work topless – doing unknown jobs on broken slabs of concrete. A boy rides by on an emaciated, brown horse, cantering through the dusty passages. Colourful aluminium sheets cover shacks made of patchwork cements. We keep driving – past the poverty and into the downtown sector of Rio. The ‘Sugar Loaf’ mountains rise up on our left as we pass through a brightly lit tunnel and Copacabana sprawls out before us. Our quaint studio apartment was on the 10^th floor on Av. Prado Junior, guarded 24/7 by security – though we never felt it warranted. Rio, from our brief encounter, felt very safe. Most streets were well lit, with life flowing through at all hours. 

Our apartment, 1 block from Copacabana beach, was in a great location surrounded by small markets and restaurants. As we took the elevator from our 10^th floor for the first time, excited to explore the city, our first travelling disaster struck. 

The elevator lights flickered ominously on the 9^th floor, until complete darkness enveloped our metal cage. The elevator, devoid of electricity, drops unhindered for what felt like 20 feet. In reality it was probably 20 inches. The emergency brakes screeched into life and we stop – trapped, alone, in the dark, in a building where no one spoke English. My Wife, terrified at the realisation of her worst nightmare, grabs my arm as I fumble for my phone – our only source of illumination. My light flashes into life – highlighting our desolate situation. “Hello?” I scream. “Ola? Hello? Is there anyone there?” Nothing could be heard but the creaks of the metal cables – our only lifeline. I decide to slide open the elevator doors to assess our situation. Luckily, we’d fallen about 3 feet shy of the 8^th floor. “Ola? Can anyone help us?” No reply. Bang, Bang, Bang, as I rap my hand on the outer security door. 10 minutes go by as we stand in the scorching, gloomy cage. “Well, we were told not to freak out when things went wrong” I said to reassure my Wife in vain. “Ola!” a voice cried on the other side of the metal. “Ola… followed by long, incomprehensible sentences of Portuguese”. “Um.. There’s 2 of us trapped in here… Can you open the door?”. BANG. BANG. The man was apparently trying to open the door with brute force. Eventually, the door released its hateful entrapment with a rusted sounding groan. All we had to do was pull ourselves up 3 feet and we were free. I’d seen enough horror movies to be slightly apprehensive of - if, and when, the elevator car would free fall again – slicing my recently liberated body in half. Of course, this didn’t happen and we were both whole and entirely undamaged. We walked up those 10 flights thereafter.

After ‘the event’, our day and night was relaxing. We had a very warm, tranquil walk along Copacabana beach – watching the children play in the small, calm waves, and the adults play ‘foot volleyball’ in the sand. We stopped for dinner in one of the many beach restaurants where I enjoyed a burger in the local fashion (mixed meats, loads of cheese, and a ‘homemade’ garlic mayonnaise), and Rach had a local-styled hotdog. Those, mixed with a Pina Colada and a few beers made for a sleepy evening walk home, and a deep, blissful sleep. Sonhos doces todos!

Day 1 - Heathrow to Toronto

The day is finally here! I’ve completed my PhD, and my Wife has left her job. We’ve sold the house, cars, and given most of our possessions to charity. The only things weighing us down now are our packs!

We begin our journey in the North of England, travelling for 3 hours down the motorways toward London, and our destination, Heathrow Airport. Arriving at Heathrow with little difficulty, we say our Goodbyes and head toward Departures. We separate our packs and check the larger, luggage portion, and use the day packs for ‘carry-on’ – containing all the usuals: tablet, phone, headphone splitter…

After a pleasant coffee in the spotless terminal, our gate is finally called and we head through security – a zone of angst and stress, even though no one has anything to hide. Luckily, and for a change, I was not pulled out of line and man-handled – I went smoothly through the barriers without a second glance. Finally. As we move through the terminal toward our boarding area, we notice how quiet and empty the airport seems. Indeed, our plane, once loaded, could not have been at even one third of capacity. This meant we had a nice, empty seat between us – giving that little bit of extra room for the 7-and-a-half hour flight to Toronto.

The flight was, for the most part, smooth. However, for around 10 minutes, we hit significant turbulence, bouncing up and down in our seats like a carnival ride. My wife, who is not a fan of flying, was not amused. In the end, of course, we landed safe and sound and were greeted jubilantly by my Parents, who had not seen my Wife for a year-and-a-half. We had a 26-hour stopover, which meant we could have a nice catch-up with my Parents, and my Brother and his Girlfriend. Of course we had the obligatory Tim Horton’s fix, and before we knew it – we were back at the airport.

Finally – as we board our 10-and-a-half hour flight to Rio, it hits us. We’re on our adventure.

Preparations. Backpacking South America

And so it begins. Travelling for 4 months through almost every known climate – how does one begin to pack for such an adventure?

Our journey will begin in scorching hot Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (36°C) – where we’ll enjoy the sun, sand, and sights. As we move across the continent, South-West through Argentina over to Santiago, Chile – we’ll transition through warm, wet, and eventually into cooler climes. With several trips planned along the Andean range, we can expect cooler temperatures, though we’ll be able to relax in the warm, rich climate of the Argentinean wine valleys. As we move North from Santiago, we’ll travel through the driest place on the planet – the Atacama Desert.

Travelling North through Lauca National Park, Chile, Eastward into Bolivia – we’ll enter the highest capital city in the world, La Paz. As such, we expect much cooler (to cold) temperatures. Heading further North into Peru, we’ll be staying at altitude again, in Cuzco – and trekking the Aztec trail to Macchu Pichu. Shortly after we fly into Iquitos – the Peruvian Amazon – where we can assuredly expect warm and wet weather.

Flying further North, into Ecuador, we can expect a range of temperatures – though hopefully have warm, sunny days for our week in the Galapagos Islands. Oppositely, our 2-day trek on the Andes, up Mount Cayambe – the highest volcano on the equator - we can expect cold weather atop the snow-covered peak.

Finally, flying North-East into Colombia, we can expect warm, and hot, weather in Medellin, Cartagena, and Santa Marta, respectively. Concluding our South American adventure, we have a 5-day warm and wet trek through the Northern Colombian Jungle – to Ciudad Perdida, ‘the Lost City’.

Capping off our backpacking adventure is a week in Hawaii – where we’ll hopefully be met with clear blue skies.

To pack for such diverse changes in weather – we’ve set ourselves a challenge of limiting our gear to 45L (Osprey Farpoint 2-in-1 backpacks) and around 25lbs (11kg) each.

For the highest amount of adaptability (and weight efficiency) – we’ve purchased primarily technical clothing. Light, adaptable, breathable, anti-microbial clothing covers all of our needs. We are bringing the following with us:

·       5x Uniqlo Airism T-shirt

·       1x Stretch (zip pocket) shorts

·       1x Cotton shorts

·       2x Ankle socks

·       5x Hiking socks

·       5x Underwear

·       4x Long sleeve tops (1 heat compression, 1 cold compression, 1 breathable, 1 thermal)

·       1x Waterproof softshell jacket

·       2x Technical trousers (1 stretch, water repellent, 1 fleece lined)

·       1x Microsoft Surface Pro 4 computer

·       1x Battery Pack (optional)

·       1x Mirrorless Camera (+accessories)

·       1x Action Videocamera (+waterproof case)

·       1x MiFit fitness tracker

·       2x Sunglasses

·       1x Hat

·       1x UV water purifier (+batteries)

·       1x Cell phone

·       1x Hiking Shoes

·       1x Flipflops

·       1x Microfiber towel

·       1x Sleeping bag liner

·       1x Lock

·       Various toiletries (Shampoo/Bodywash 2in1, Bug spray, Sun cream, First aid kit, etc…)

·       2x Passport photocopies (+various reservations)

The above items (plus a few more bits and bobs) add to 25lbs, which in the Osprey backpacks is a very manageable amount. Furthermore, the detachable day pack allows you to travel around with only the essentials on your back (in a secure container). As I’m writing this (1-week into travels), I definitely don’t feel without. Most places have laundry facilities, and you can always pick up essentials on your way – so less, is definitely more! Of course - pre-planning a rough route is a great idea to get your head around where, how, and what you might see. Just remember, things can, and will, go wrong - so just keep your cool and enjoy the moment! Lastly, make sure you look into health related issues for each and every country/area you'll be visiting - some countries require vaccinations + certificates, but above all - it's not worth taking the risk! We had yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A, and a tetanus booster for these travels - as well as malaria tablets for our time spent in jungles.

Stay tuned for the beginning of our adventure - it's going to be great!