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 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.

Hiroshima - a Sombre and Beautiful City

After visiting the small island of Itsukushima (Miyajima) in Hiroshima Bay, it was time to visit the namesake city – Hiroshima.

Hiroshima is known most notably for being the first city targeted and destroyed by a nuclear weapon. However, Hiroshima is a longstanding settlement dating back to 1589 CE.

We stayed in a very central location, overlooking a beautiful park surrounding Hiroshima Castle. The ‘sights’ in Hiroshima are all centrally situated and within walking distance of each other.

Starting our tour at Hiroshima Castle, founded in 1593 CE, we observe a small Castle (compared to Himeji Castle) that was a reconstruction of the original, rebuilt in 1958. The original castle was destroyed in the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. A beautiful wooden castle that holds a ‘Hiroshima museum’ within – it offered great insights into the foundation of the city and the aftermath of the War. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed photographs inside, but I’d recommend everyone to visit this site to gain a greater insight into the history of Hiroshima.

Our next stop is the famous Hiroshima Peace Memorial – Genbaku Dome – or the Atomic Bomb Dome. The structure is a remnant – and reminder – of the destruction of the atomic bomb, which killed 70,000 people instantly and another 70,000 through radioactive fallout.

Across the river from the Dome is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which houses several structures dedicated to the victims of the attack. Within the park is the Hall of Remembrance, the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Memorial Cenotaph, the Peace Flame, and many more monuments in honour of the deceased.

Hiroshima Cenotaph

The Children’s Memorial honours the children who were affected by the radiation. In honour of Sadako Sasaki – a two year old who was affected by the atomic bomb ‘Little Boy’ who later spent her time in hospital folding paper cranes – and all the children affected by the bomb, this memorial really showed the true impact such an act of aggression causes. The Japanese legend states anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted a wish – Sadako managed to fold 1,400 cranes, presumably wishing that such an act of atrocity will never happen again. She died in 1955, at the age of 12.

Hiroshima today is a thriving city of over 1,000,000 inhabitants, with a rich, bustling down town sector just blocks away from this stark reminder of the devastation of 1945. A truly dynamic city with a history that will forever act to remind us that war is never the answer.