Argentina and Brazil - Travel Report by Irene Field from Fine Travel

It has always been a dream of mine to travel to South America, one of the last Continents I had yet to visit.

My itinerary included: Buenos Aires - Iguazu Falls, Argentina – Rio De Janiero – Amazon River – Buzios Brazil

Irene Field – August 2010

It has always been a dream of mine to travel to South America, one of the last Continents I had yet to visit. When the opportunity came up to apply for a spot on this educational, I did not hesitate.

We flew economy class with Lan Chile from Auckland to Santiago, and their economy class is unrivalled, with personal screen entertainment centres. After a short stopover in Santiago, where you can have access to a Business Class lounge if you wish for a fee of $US30, we were then afforded the opportunity of flying Business Class from Santiago to Buenos Aires and had spectacular aerial views of the Andes.
Arriving into Buenos Aires we were met by Sandra, our guide for our time in Buenos Aires, and transferred to our The Melia Buenos Aires Hotel. That night we were met and taken to the wonderful Estilo Campo Restaurant in Puerto Madero for dinner. Argentinean steaks are succulent and large, and vegetarians may have some difficulty eating here. I am not a Vegetarian but do not eat large amounts of red meat, and to the left is my substitute chicken dish. This would have been one extremely large chicken when it was scratching around Mother Earth.
We set off next morning for a guided tour of the city of Buenos Aires. It was Saturday local time, and it was great to see the locals going about their Saturday business, dog walkers with up to 6 dogs (this is a paid job). Buenos Aires is a wonderful city and the tour included a visit to the Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried. This is no normal cemetery, and is similar to a village, with walkways resembling streets, and family crypts lining both sides of the walkway.
Eva Peron is as controversial in death as she was in life, and her crypt is fireproofed, bomb proofed against attack - and yet flowers are still left there on a daily basis by her followers. When we left the cemetery we were taken to the ‘Pink Palace’ with its balconies, where she would stand and address her adoring public. No visit is complete without a visit to La Boca Neighbourhood, where Italian immigrants first settled. The brightly painted houses, and the tango dancers providing footpath demonstrations, are an assault on the visual senses.
A free afternoon was spent shopping in Florida Street, with designer shops, large malls and little gift shops tucked away down quiet alleys. One little tip to remember, is that if you are going to use your Credit Card for shopping, ensure you have a copy of your passport with you as it Is necessary. Shops will take US Dollars, but as we found out, make sure your notes are not written on. Forgeries are a huge problem in Argentina, and US Dollars are scrutinized, and placed under UV lights, and go through rigorous checks before being accepted. Our guide Sandra, introduced us to the delights of Mate Tea, a herbal green tea, said to be good for digestion. It is very unusual to see an overweight Argentinean, despite their love of good food – and large steaks. Sandra stated this was due to the Mate tea being drunk in copious amounts. The tea is made in a small dried out gourd, and then sipped through a stainless straw – with holes, so none of the leaves are digested. Watch this space, and if it is indeed good for digestion, you may see a skinnier Author!! Our last evening was spent at a Tango Show and Dinner at Carlos Gardel. A must do for any visitors to Buenos Aires. The choice of cuisine and wines offered were of an extremely high standard, which is most unusual for a dinner show. And the obvious highlight was the Tango dancers, with their intricate dancing footwork with no mistakes made, it was a fantastic introduction to the tango.
And that was Buenos Aires; our next stop was an early morning flight to Iguaçu Falls, in Argentina. The Falls have two sides, and are a natural border between Argentina and Brazil, and we commenced our tour with a tour of the Argentinean side. The falls are spectacular, and we were afforded views of our hotel across the waters in Brazil. There is a small train, which will take you to the walk to the Devils Throat. The most spectacular of the falls from the Argentinean side – of course you may elect to make the walk which is possible, but it is an 8km walk. Signs warned (but I did not see this in English) of the Coati Mundi – a vicious rabid little fellow/fellowess – the Coati can smell food from 100 paces and there are warning signs not to carry food on the paths as they will attack. A sight we were testament to when this lady, oblivious to the warnings, had a plastic bag snatched from her grasp (obviously there were sandwiches or similar inside), and the Coati attempted to retrieve its free dinner from her bag. Her companion was silly enough to try and take it back (???) and was viciously bitten on his foot. Fortunately he had shoes on. So please.. if making your way to the Falls do NOT carry food, for the Coati there IS, such a thing as a free lunch, and they do have rabies.
We made our way to the Devils Throat and the thunderous roar of the falls could be heard as we approached. There are so many layers of falls, you are looking at falls on the Argentinean side, looking across the river and seeing falls on the Brazil side, and the largest is the Devils Throat, seen here. The noise from the falls and the spray is unbelievable. I did not believe they could be bettered, but I was to be proven wrong when I saw the other perspective from the Brazilian side.
Our accommodation was at the Tropical Hotel das Cataratas. The hotel is the only accommodation actually inside the Brazilian Iguacu National Park, and worth the outlay to stay here. Not only are you afforded a view of the Argentine side of the falls, but as the National Park is not open to the general public until after 9am, you can have a head start for the walk, and enjoy the beauty of the falls virtually unimpeded. The morning is the best time to see these falls, and rainbows abound. At each turn I would see a new perspective of the falls and the beauty of them and would have tears in my eyes. But back to the hotel and all its splendour both man-made and natural. We were told Toucans could be expected in the trees early morning, and whilst we did not enjoy seeing toucans in their natural habitat we were treated to this colourful woodpecker
And another must do. There are helicopter rides where you enjoy excellent aerial views of the falls and which allows you to really grasp just how majestic they are. This was my first time in a helicopter, and a tour I will not regret. How often in one’s lifetime does one get to see this sight
	Nature is spectacular, and the beauty of it all left me speechless. We decided to spend the afternoon visiting the local bird park, and sighted golden coloured parrots, pink herons, the beautiful toucans, and all manner of birds some with bright red or golden plumage, all equally as pretty as each other.
A perfect day was capped off with a perfect sunset. My recommendation would be to try and time your visit to the Brazilian Iguacu Falls during a full moon. There are full moon tours of the falls, and that would be a fantastic sight to see. These book out many months in advance, so need to be pre booked, but would add another awe inspiring dimension to this wonderful part of the world. The next morning it was an early start to depart from Iguassu for our flight to Rio de Janeiro. We had been spoilt with our guide Sandra in Buenos Aires, Arlette in Iguassu and we were not disappointed with our next guide, the lovely Sonia was as vibrant as the city she lives in. We transferred by Coach from Rio de Janiero Airport to our accommodation at the Porto Bay Rio International Hotel right on the famous Copacabana Beach. The drive afforded us the sights of the Favelas, the local shanty towns built precariously on side of hills. Tours will take you into a Favela, but you would not enter them on your own. The favelas are illegally built, however after the residents have occupied their ‘homes’ for 10 years they earn ownership of their property. On our way to Copacabana we could see in the distance Sugarloaf Mountain and the famed Jesus Christ the Redeemer perched high atop Mount Corcovado. This iconic world famous landmark had been closed due to severe rains causing major structural damage. We were fortunate to sight it as it has only recently opened to the public again. It is reached by funicular that provides wonderful views of the city and bays as you make the ascent. Christ the Redeemer was built so he overlooked the city and when you approach you are greeted by him, and can see him from many perspectives within the city. Our accommodation was at the vibrant Copacabana Beach, but we were treated to dinner in the lovely suburb of Santa Teresa, with its cobbled steep streets, many restaurants, and its quaint tramcar climbing the steep streets. Every September, the suburb which abounds with local artists, open their studios to the public, and the streets are full with people admiring local artwork. We had an enjoyable dinner and were introduced to the Caipirinha... a local cocktail made with vodka and limes or other fruits, and this is wonderful alcoholic concoction, which is shaken not stirred and the recipe can be supplied on request!! We had a day free for shopping in Copacabana and stores selling Haviana flip flops, the local jandal which is known worldwide for its comfort and various designs, were proflific. Believe me, I think our NZ group bought more haviana’s between us, (including baby haviana’s and various charms to adorn your haviana’s) the retailers loved our group. Shoe shops were another bonus, and when you have 8 ladies in a group of 10, you can imagine the popularity of these shops. After a day shopping and a wonderful lunch at the famous Copacabana Hotel – with a gallery of photos dedicated to its famous guests from Royalty to Hollywood Celebrities, it was time to head to SugarLoaf Mountain. There is a two stage cable car to reach the top (as seen in the James Bond Movie Moonraker, but I elected to stay within the cable car rather than atop it as James Bond chose to). Once again we were treated to magnificent views of the city, a stunning sunset and views of the city and bays at night (and another Haviana store). And a surprise visitor at the local café as you will see!!
Brazilians are a vibrant people, who love life and love food. Beaches were full of people playing volleyball, exercising, running and even one section of Copacabana Beach had the ‘Muscle Beach’, a raised dais complete with workout equipment. And Ipanema Beach was as beautiful. Soon it was time for our next adventure – the Amazon. Each part of our journey left me in awe and it just seemed to get better and better with each twist and turn. The Amazon was the highlight I was eagerly awaiting. But I ensured I was well stocked up with my Mosquito repellent – Amazon strength and had been diligent taking my anti malaria tablets.
We flew from the local domestic airport in Rio de Janeiro, Santos Dumont, which is a lot more accessible then the international airport, but with a runway you fervently hope the Pilot can negotiate – which he did. We flew into Manaus city, which has the redeeming feature of being where the cruise starts. Before we set sail we were treated to yet another stunning South American sunset aboard the M/V Iberostar Grand Amazon Hotel Ship, which I would rate as 3.5 star. But when you are cruising the Amazon, it is the destination that matters, not the bed!!
Various shore excursions are available – at no extra cost – and the ship actually did not do these shore excursions justice in their descriptions. The ones I partook in was the Meeting of the Rivers and we were treated to river life, inclusive of floating houses and floating petrol stations. The Amazon River and it’s tributaries are the areas highways. Floating houses complete with satellite dishes, as Brazilian’s love their television and their soap operas (but unfortunately had never heard of Coronation Street!!).
The other excursions were Piranha fishing, and whilst piranhas are small, their teeth are extremely sharp. I was extremely appreciative of the fact that the guide on our tender very kindly, baited my hook for me. But when, despairing of ever catching a Piranha, I finally did and shrieked in fright. The guide kindly allowed me to pose for a photo and took the piranha from the said hook.
Another excursion involved visiting a local farmer’s home, where we were met by his wife, who at 47 years of age has had 9 children and was home with her youngest aged 2. The house was simple, but spotless and bedding consisted of ‘conventional’ beds and hammocks – which are the norm in most houses and riverboats, and they had an abundant raised vegetable garden. When we left by tender to return to the ship, we were taken down small tributaries and sighted Caiman alligators basking in the sunshine. Unfortunately their colour was well camouflaged against the mud of the banks and photos were impossible. From the ship we were fortunate to sight the Pink Dolphins, they are a bright vibrant pink and they surface so quickly a photo is also impossible, but their colouring stands out against the colour of the Amazon waters. The final excursion I partook in was simply stated as a cruise and a visit to a local handcraft store on the River. Fortunately we ascertained that for this excursion the handcraft store was an extremely small component, and we sailed down small tributaries and saw monkeys and abundant bird life, including a rare blue heron which our guide was amazed to see. Arriving at the village and taking a walkway down to where there were numerous lily pads, before walking back to the store and being treated to another sunset.
And that was the Amazon. We disembarked next morning, and apparently this may change in the future. We were ashore mid morning after breakfast, and our flight didn’t leave Manaus City until the afternoon. Accommodation within Manaus City itself is not the best, but we found a welcome respite at The Tropical Manaus Resort. It is not recommended that you stay in the central city accommodation and from street frontages I spied, I would class these as less than 2 star. I would not step a toe in them, so do not stay within the city of Manaus itself!!. Alternatively make your way to the airport until your afternoon flight, and wait there. Hopefully one day airline schedules will adjust to meet cruise ship disembarkations.
So it was back to Rio, to the effervescent Sonia waiting to meet our flight and to transfer us to our overnight accommodation at the Sofitel, where we stayed before our bus journey next morning. Our next and final destination was Buzios. Approximately a 2.5 hour bus ride – with a wonderful transport stop on the way, which is not only excellent for a comfort stop, but with some fantastic shops with reasonably priced souvenirs, and local candies to buy. Buzios ‘was’ a small fishing village, and gained notoriety in the 1960s when the famed film actress, Bridget Bardot, fled paparazzi (yes they were a problem even in the 1960s) with her millionaire Brazilian boyfriend and found refuge at the sleepy little fishing village of Buzios. Which is no longer sleepy and now a luxury beach resort destination, but still small enough to have a village atmosphere, with quaint cobbled streets and fishing boats of all sizes dotting the harbour. Our accommodation was at Villa Rasa Marina, luxury boutique accommodation which was beachfront and in a peaceful area of the peninsula.

We were treated to a Trolley Tour of the Bouzios Peninsula which encompasses 12 wonderful beaches, with cacti growing in wild abundance on hill sides, and luxury mansions with their cobbled roofs with sweeping bay views.

The afternoon entailed sailing on a catamaran and cruising through Bouzios clear waters and the odd penguin swimming by.

And that is a summary of what would comprise a trip that easily makes the ‘Bucket List’ fodder.

Of course there are many more photos, but they cannot all be inserted. Would I go back.. a resounding yes to Buenos Aires, a resounding yes to the Iguazu/Iguacu Falls, a resounding yes to Rio Janiero, a resounding yes to the Amazon and last but not least a resounding yes to Buzios.

There is not one part of this trip that I could say was better than the other, they all had their own unique wow factor.

Irene Field - Fine Travel