Rainy Rio

So much for sunny Rio! Two days in the most beautiful city in South America and it has been grey and overcast the whole time. Rubbish!

So what have I been up to in Rio. My first night in town was spent watching some Brazilian football at one of the municipal stadiums. Botafogo vs. Fluminense. We were supporting Botafogo who were the underdogs. 1:1 final score. Not a classic, but it was great to see some proper Brazilian football in Brazil. The fans are certainly passionate and very loud, with drums and horns going off the entire match.

Yesterday was spent touring the city, with a favela tour in the morning and a city tour in the afternoon. The favela tour was really good and very interesting. Sad to see some of the conditions they are forced to live in, but everyone was very friendly and open to visitors. You would not believe some of the construction considering the steepness of the slopes, but it does all seem to just about stay up. Interesting to see what happens where there is absolutely no building or planning control.

The city tour in the afternoon was interesting, but rather spoilt by the weather, where it was wet and overcast all afternoon. I went up to both Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain and Sugar Loaf Mountain, but both were covered in mist with zero visibility. The big JC is a very impressive monument, but unfortunately as the photos shows we could only see his feet!

If I am being honest I think that Rio is a bit overhyped. Very interesting city, but not as pretty as it is made out to be in my opinion and there is a really dark undercurrent to the city with a huge number of homeless people, prostitution, crime and no go areas. It will be interesting to see how they cope with the Olympics in 2016, as Brazilians are very good at partying, but not so hot on organisation. I imagine it will look very good on the TV, but after visiting Rio I am not sure I would want to experience it first hand.     

Anthony

Paraty

Two days in Paraty, which is one of Brazil’s prettiest colonial towns, with the historic centre being declared a national historic monument in its entirety. My first day in town was spent ambling around the historic centre and then catching some of the free live music in the main square in the evening. A super, super hot day, so not one for doing too much. The humidity was something else and you are simply drenched in sweat after 5 minutes in the open air.

The second day on the coast was spent on a very enjoyable boat ride around the islands and sandy beaches close to the town. I can certainly see why they call it the emerald coast, where some of the beaches were stunning. Lots of opportunities for swimming off the boat which was great fun. The only thing trying to conspire again us was the weather where it rained all afternoon. Still very warm, but very, very wet. Not much fun when you are camping!

Anthony

Southern Pantanal

Apologies for the delay in updating the blog, but I have either been without internet access, or very busy over the past week or so.

                                       

Two days staying in the Santa Clara eco lodge and campsite in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil. As well as being able to enjoy wonderful traditional Brazilian cooking, I have been horse riding, on a jeep and boat safari and piranha fishing (I caught 3, two Yellow Piranha & one Purple Piranha). Great fun even if the heat (35-40 degrees) and humidity do take it out of you.

The piranha fishing was especially good fun and was a bit like crab fishing, but with bamboo rods. Everyone managed to catch something and we were able to enjoy some very tasty deep fried piranha for lunch (tastes like cod, very nice).

I enjoyed the horse riding more than I thought, with my horse, Teniko being a very well behaved mare. Not a huge amount to see during our 1 ½ ride, but we did manage to find some impressive Jaguar prints and some more of the local birds. No sight of Jaguars during our stay, but as the photos show we managed to see quite a lot of the local wildlife. Next stop Paraty and the coast after some very long driving days.

Anthony

Bonito

Greetings from Bonito, Southern Brazil. Bonito is a small town surrounded by beautiful cerrado forest and has become Brazil’s foremost ecotourism destination. We have had two very enjoyable days here relaxing by the numerous rivers.  

The main attraction is the crystal clear river water where you can swim with the fishes. No water proof camera so no photos unfortunately, but you can get amazingly close to the fish and it is much more pleasant snorkelling in fresh water than sea water. Also a great way to cool off when it is 33 degrees with 90% humidity.  

You can also go tubing down one of the rivers, which basically involves floating down the river in a big rubber ring. Good fun if a bit hairy going down the bigger waterfalls. Today we also visited a local snake project, which was interesting and you had the opportunity to hold a Boa Constrictor. Back on the road tomorrow, with lots more wildlife to see.

Anthony

Paraguay

Day trip to Paraguay today. Land locked country about the size of California bordering Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. If I am honest I only really visited to get the stamp in the passport and say that I have been to Paraguay.

The boarder town we went to Ciudad del Este is an interesting place and has been described as the largest shopping mall in South America. Paraguay does not have a huge amount going for it, so to encourage visitors and trade they have created a huge duty free zone around the town. Think airport duty free shopping, but with an interesting mix of authentic and fake goods. You can visit the very fancy department store and buy a nice new Rolex, or you can visit the shack round the corned and buy a fake one for about $10. My favourite was the guy wandering around selling tazers and Viagra?

This being South America, everything was priced in USD. Probably because to quote from the guidebook ‘Get rid of all your Guaranies (local currency) before leaving Paraguay, there is no market for them elsewhere.’ Another stable South American economy then! I did not actually make any purchases myself, but it was interesting window shopping for the day.

Thoughts on Argentina

After spending over 6 weeks travelling around Argentina I thought I would sum up some of my thoughts on the country.

Good things about Argentina (in no particular order)

1)      Cheap wine – OK the wine is not the best in the world, but you can get a very nice bottle of red for about £3. One of the reasons why so little work gets done!

2)      Mouth watering steaks – Argentinean food is all about red meat, the more the better. I had some amazing steaks in Argentina even if they do tend to over cook them.

3)      Natural wonders – glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, Argentina has it all in spades. My personal highlight was the Iguazu Falls, but the glaciers in Southern Patagonia were also amazing.

4)      Transport – Surprisingly good roads, which is a bonus considering the mileage we covered. The long distance coaches are also very comfy.

5)      Nightlife – If there is one thing Argentineans enjoy, it is a good night out.

Not so good things about Argentina

1)      Collapsing economy – Rampant inflation has made the country stupidly expensive. More expensive than the UK for a lot of things, which is crazy considering the poor quality of most things on offer.  

2)      Work ethic – I think it must be the Southern European culture, but generally speaking Argentineans are allergic to work.

3)      Siester time – Between 1 & 4 everything is shut. One hour for lunch, OK, but clearly Argentineans need 3-4 hours to enjoy their lunch. I know you get use to a 24 hour culture in the UK, but Argentinean opening hours take the piss.

4)      Customer service – in Argentina the customer is always wrong!

5)      Why work when you can protest – we had students, truck drivers, public officials and god knows who else protesting and/or going on strike. Argentineans do like a good protest.      

6)      Weather – boiling hot in the North and freezing cold in the south. If there is a happy medium we did not find it. The wind in Patagonia also has to be experienced to be believed. And you though North Norfolk was windy!

7)      Don’t mention you are British – There is not much love for the UK, although it does not stop them from enjoying the Premier League and I even managed to find a few old Rover cars.

8)      Meal times – Eating your evening meal at 11:00 at night is just plain wrong. Want to eat at a restaurant before 21:00, forget it!

Summary – Argentina reminds me of China and India in many ways. Interesting country to visit, but very hard work at times. Post 2013 not a country I will be rushing back to visit if I am honest.

Roll on Brazil!

Anthony    

Iguazu Falls

Hello from the mighty Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. 275 falls over a frontage of 2470 metres and the Devil’s Throat, a 74m precipice that is simply a gigantic hole of water. Today was spent exploring the falls and the surrounding national park on the Argentinean side and tomorrow we cross over into Brazil to explore from the Brazilian side (the Rio Iguazu Superior that feeds the falls forms the boarder between Argentina and Brazil). Rather than attempt to describe the falls, I have uploaded some photos that hopefully do it justice. Certainly worth a visit if you ever come to this part of the world.  

Anthony

Esteros del Ibera National Park Photos

Black Caiman, Capybara (world’s largest rodent) & Pampas Cavy (wild guinea pigs).

Anthony

Esteros del Ibera National Park

Hello from Santa Ana, Argentina, home to an abandoned Jesuit missions colony and not much else. But at least the campsite has a pool and a nice bar. Apologies for the delay between updates, but we have either been on the road or in the sticks with no internet coverage.  

Unfortunately we have mainly been driving for the past few days, but we did manage to spend a free day at Esteros del Ibera National Park in North East Argentina, close to the boarder with Brazil. This is an extensive wetland national park containing over 60 lakes. We were staying at a nice, if basic campsite on the shores of Laguna Ibera, close to the small town of Carlos Pellegrini. The lake would have been lovely to swim in, were it not for the 6 foot black caiman lurking under the water. Think alligators, but slightly smaller. The park is however a heaven for wildlife and during our time there I was able to see caiman, marsh deer, capybara and pampas cavy. Capybara are the world’s largest rodent and look a bit like giant guinea pigs and pampas cavy are basically wild guinea pigs. Long lost cousins of George and Mr Brown Ears! I will upload some photos when I have a faster internet connection.

Not much else to report I am afraid. Tomorrow we are off to Iguaza Falls on the boarder of Argentina and Brazil. Apparently the falls are amazing and well worth the couple of days we have to explore. The other bonus is that we finally get to leave Argentina, horary! Not a country I have warmed to and not one I plan to return to post 2013. So much potential, but if you every want to see how not to run a country, come to Argentina. It does however have a President called Cristina. Hopefully Brazil will be a lot better, even if I know absolutely zero Portuguese (could be interesting).

Anthony

Argentina vs. Chile Wine Off

It is official, Chilean wine is nicer. Good day wine tasting in Mendoza, although I am still to be convenienced of the merits of sweet desert wine.

Anthony  

Mendoza

Greetings from Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina. After sampling all there is to offer of Chilean wines, it is across the border to see what the Argentinean’s can do.

Although it is only about 200 km between Santiago and Mendoza, it took all day to travel between the two cities due to a very spectacular drive over the Andes and some very inept boarder officials. 4 hours to cross the boarder into Argentina, thanks to some proper South American work ethics. Unfortunately the local population seems to accept the terrible service provide by their state officials, so nothing will ever be done about it. During the drive we also went past Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America at close to 7k metres. Not a particularly impressive mountain if I am honest, but big none the less (highest mountain outside of the Himalayas).

We have a couple of days in Mendoza, to explore the city and surrounding countryside. Really Mendoza is all about the wine and Argentineans are very proud of this area and the wine it produces. Most of the wineries are closed on Sunday, so we are due to go on a tour of a few wineries Monday afternoon. If the blog update on Monday evening does not make a huge amount of sense, you know why!

The other thing Mendoza is famous for is its nightlife, which I was lucky enough to fully sample last night. Argentineans certainly know how to party, which is possibly why so little work gets done. To be fair it was surprisingly easy to get a taxi at 5:30 in the morning and you can get a very good Mojito at the local drag show.

Nice to see Norwich winning again even if it is against Peterborough and that the Sun is again doing its bit for Ango-Argentinean relations. Please let me leave the country before we really piss them off!

Anthony

Santiago

Greetings from Santiago, the capital of Chile. This is our last few days in Chile and it will be a shame to leave the country to return to Argentina. I have really enjoyed my time here and recommend a visit if you ever come to South America. Everything is that bit more organised and you can certainly see why Chile is growing much faster than its larger neighbour.

Yesterday we spend a great day visiting some of the wineries in Chile’s central valley. First stop was the relatively small family owned Balduzzi winery. Founded by Italian immigrants, the winery produces about 11 million of bottles each year and specialises in high-end red wines for export. After a quick tour we got down to the serious business of tasting their reserve range, the Merlot being my personal favourite. $8 USD a bottle, bargain! It was interesting to note that their largest market is now China, where they export the bulk of their most expensive wines. High-end wines are a real status of wealth in China and this export market has exploded over the past decade. Unfortunately Balduzzi are a bit too small to export to the UK, so we are missing out on some cracking new world wines.

After a spot of lunch (no cheese and biscuits unfortunately), it was off to the San Pedro winery, one of the largest in Chile. It was interesting to go from a small family owned winery to one owned by the largest brewery company in Chile as San Pedro produces wine on an industrial scale and had a world leading bottling and production plant. More huge steel vats, than French oak barrels. Although much of the San Pedro wine was nice, it was not up to the same standard as Balduzzi and I think this is probably a reflection of the industrial vs. the artesian approach. San Predro do export to the UK and I can recommend the 35 South Cabernet Sauvignon if you see it in the supermarket. 

Luckily we have some more wine tasting ahead in Mendoza and it will be interesting to see how the wines compare. A telling statistic is that Chile exports about 70% of all wine produced, whereas Argentina exports only 30%. Whether this is a reflection of the quality of the wine or drinking habits of the two populations is open to debate.

Today I have been looking around Santiago. The city is in a beautiful setting, with the Andes in full view (apart from today due to the smog), but with nearly 40% of Chileans living in and around the city it has turned into a modern industrial city full of skyscrapers, noise and pollution. We only have one day here which is probably enough. As well as walking around the old colonial quarter, I also visited a few museums and galleries, the highlight being the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes which houses a wonderful collection of Chilean art. Well worth a visit.

Goodbye Chile, silly geography (2,880 miles long, but only 265 miles wide?), but a lovely country.

Anthony 

Goodbye 2012

Greetings from Pucon, Chile. Pucon is a lovely little town amongst lakes, mountains and volcanoes in Central Chile. Yesterday most of our group went off today to climb Volcan Villarrica, a near 3k metre active volcano nearby that is covered in snow and ice all year round. I did think about joining them, but it was quite expensive and I am not a huge fan of climbing a mountain (or in this case a volcano) for the sake of climbing a mountain. 5+ hours of walking uphill does not really appeal. With this in mind I went zip lining instead, which involves zipping down steel cables in a harness. Surprisingly good fun and you got some great views above the tree tops. I was a bit concerned about my camera hitting a passing tree, so no photos I am afraid.

As there were many tired climbers, New Years Eve celebrations were quite tame, with a big barbeque and drinks in the campsite in town we are staying in. Most people were in bed by 01:00, although to be fair we had all got up at 06:00. I fancied a night off the red wine, so found some local stout in the supermarket. Not quite Guinness, but very drinkable. 

Today I have been back on the bike completing a 60 km round trip to Lake Caburgua. This is the only lake in the area with golden sands and is supposed to be the warmest around. Still not warm enough for a swim (think North Sea in the Summer), but I had a very pleasant paddle. The beach was busy with local families enjoying the warm weather and sunshine on New Years Day and it really is an incredible setting, with mountains all around. A combination of last night’s celebrations and a slow hire bike made the going hard work, but a nice ride none the less.

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and gave 2012 a fitting send off. London Olympics, first British winner of the Tour de France and a Brit finally winning a grand slam. All in all an excellent sporting year, although the less said about the weather the better!  

Anthony