South America and Antarctica (2018) Diary

8-1-2018 Monday
We start with  very long journey from Brisbane, up at 5am to catch a taxi at 6am, to board a Qantas flight scheduled for 8.15am for the first leg of 3 hours duration. After a change to Latin American airlines (LATAM) at Auckland (NZ) we continued on the next 11 hour leg to Santiago (capital of Chile) where we stayed at the Providencia Hotel for 1 night. Unfortunately our bags did not arrive on the same flight which was a problem because we had another 2 flights in the morning, out of the country, to Quito in Ecuador! We had kept our transfer driver, Gabriel, waiting over 2 hours while we waited, and waited, and waited for our bags to come through the carousel. We were very happy and surprised that he waited for us, especially as we didn't have mobile phone access and no way to contact him. He took down the details of our missing bags and reported back to Chimu Adventures, the company that did all our bookings.

After a couple chats (with a bit of difficulty due to the language barrier) with the lost baggage staff, a report was filled out and we'll have to chase it up ourselves later. So we only had our cabin bags to rely on for the 2 days it took before our big bags eventually caught up with us. Luckily we had packed a change of clothes and important medication in our cabin bags, however it was still depressing and very inconvenient. In all our years of travel we have been lucky and never experienced our bags not be on our flight, until now - and hope it never happens again. After booking into our hotel Dave went out and bought some toothpaste and brushes to tide us over.

After we settled in we went downstairs to the restaurant where we had a free welcome drink, which was a local alcoholic drink called "pisco sour". I'd read about this drink in several bits of literature to do with Sth America and so was interested to try it. It was 14% alcohol and very sickly sweet, too much for my liking. It seems the 'sour' taste is to do with there being lemon as one of the ingredients. After that we went out for a walk around, down to a nearby bridge over a river with not much water in it, but little there was, was running pretty fast. There were some sculptures near the bridge that were quite interesting. We had a nice and reasonable dinner at a restaurant called Lomit's, with very good natured and helpful staff.

9-1-2018 Tuesday
Next morning we were up at 1am to be ready for our 2am transfer back to Santiago airport, for our next leg to Lima (capital of Peru), and then onward to Quito (capital of Ecuador) and the Hilton Hotel for 1 night. As we checked in for our flight at Santiago we asked the lady to check if there was any progress with our bags and she said they were being sent to Quito but we were a bit unsure about it all. When we were waiting in line for our second flight leg to Quito they made us wait for a very long time, even though the flight had been called to board with only one woman doing the check ins. It ended up being at least 45 mins late, but then we had been told Sth America is notorious for flight problems.

When we arrived at Quito we didn't bother checking the carousel for our bags and went straight out to our next waiting transfer driver, Jorge (pronounced 'Horhay' or 'George', whatever was easier to remember). We told him about our bags problem and, as we were flying out to the Galapagos Islands tomorrow, he said we should chase it up now, and he helped us which was fantastic. We went to the baggage claim area and it ended up that our bags were going to be on a flight arriving at 2.30am next morning and so we should check at the airport before our flight next morning. These 2 days were a long and tiring journey even with the benefit of a gain of 15 hours between Brisbane and Quito.

After settling in at our hotel we got an adaptor from reception so we could at least charge our phones - all our cords and adaptors were in our big bags of course. In the morning we were going to Galapagos for 4 nights so in case we still didn't end up getting our bags, we then went out and bought some things, some socks for the both of us, a pair of shorts for Dave so he didn't have to swim and snorkel naked, and a hair brush for me as I felt 2 days was my limit for not brushing my hair! After that we found a place for an early dinner and went back to the hotel for a 5pm information meeting for the Galapagos trip tomorrow.

10-1-2018 Wednesday Day 1 Galapagos Islands Ecuador
Galapagos
The Galápagos Islands is a volcanic archipaelago in the Pacific Ocean. It's considered one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. A province of Ecuador, it lies about 1,000km off its coast. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos' species later inspired his theory of evolution. It is a National Park and visitation by people and boats is controlled. The islands are forever changing as they are the result of active volcanoes.

We were up at 3.30am(!!) for a 4am breakfast (never had breakfast that early before) at the hotel and then a 4.30am bus transfer to the airport for our 6.50 flight. Our G Adventures guide, Vivianna, booked us all in (4 other people) and then took us to see about our missing bags. After a fair while of checking the lady told us the bags were there but they couldn't get in to the locked room. There was going to be a later afternoon flight to Galapagos and so she would make sure they were on that flight, but while we were waiting in the lounge for our boarding call, I was paged and told our bags would be on the same flight we were on - yay!! Luckily they were. We were going to buy a couple simple hats at the airport to tide us over but they were US$35 so we decided to forget it, luckily. On the 3 hour flight we had a short refueling stop and exchange of some passengers in the town of Guayaquil.

On arrival we had to pay in cash a US$20 each for a transit control fee and US$100 each national park fee.
The National Park charges a visitor fee of US$100, payable on arrival, which funds park maintenance and supervision in the Galápagos as well as ecological study, conservation, and infrastructure development in Ecuador's other National Parks. Entry fees and the funds they generate for the National Park System are among measures taken by the Ecuadorian government to protect its natural heritage.

Our destination on the the Galapagos Islands was a boat, the Xavier III for 4 nights. There were 16 guests (all nice people) on board, from 6 different countries, 7 if we counted the Ecuadorian staff. We landed at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport – Baltra Island airstrip, built by the American soldiers in WWII. After paying our fees we caught a bus down to the ferry, got off the bus and onto the ferry to cross over to Santa Cruz Island, got on another bus (about 30 mins) to the port of Puerto Ayora, where we boarded a Zodiac (inflatable boat) that transported us to our floating hotel, the Xavier III. The water was a beautiful clear blue/green, a lot like we saw in Hawaii. On an adjacent pontoon there were a couple sea lions sunning themselves and we could see a couple small turtles in the water. Some iguanas were sunning themselves on the rocks beside the jetty - we are amongst the marine life already!

Our Naturalist Guide for the 4 days was another Jorge (Horhay or George, whichever one you wanted to call him). He is a marine biologist, who spoke very good English and knew every type of wildlfe on and around the Galapagos islands. Our small room had twin beds and a small bathroom. Having our big bags with us caused more work for the people who had to load them on and off the various transport modes (bus, ferry, zodiac and our boat Xavier III), up the spiral steps to our room and made storage in our room a little more difficult, but it couldn't be avoided. Normally we'd have left our big bags in storage at the hotel and just packed our smaller trundle bags with the necessities for 4 days.

On board the Xavier we had a briefing about safety and the rules of life on the boat and then had a nice lunch. Meals on the boat were great - each meal was a buffet and I don't think we had the same lunch and main meal repeated. After lunch we boarded the Zodiac back to the pontoon to get a bus to visit a giant tortoise ranch in the Santa Cruz's verdant highlands, and get up close and personal with these ancient creatures in their natural environment. It was called El Chato Tortoise Ranch - Jorge told us that 'El Chato' meant 'short person' and the term was used to refer to someone of short stature, and probably not meaning a compliment. We saw lots of giant tortoises wandering around, eating, wallowing in the mud to keep cool, even a couple mating, or trying to mate. The male had a few goes but didn't seem to know which direction was right, as he tried a couple different approaches with the same female, who remained oblivious and unhelpful, and hidden inside her shell - it's just as well they live to about 150 years - sooner or later he'll get it right. It's so exciting to be here and see these majestic creatures firsthand, instead of just on David Attenborough's (the 'bro') TV show.

We saw a couple of lagoons with different types of bird life, gulls, even some flamingoes, which we thought only existed in Africa. We descended down into a lava tube or tunnel, formed long ago when flowing lava has cooled on the outside forming a shell, and leaving a large cylindrical space inside to walk through, once the lava had ceased to flow. We have seen these lava tunnels before, back in Australia and in Hawaii. On the way back to the boat we stopped at and old dormant volcanic crater, covered with vegetation.

The ship travels at night so you wake up in a new destination, ready to explore picturesque views of the Galápagos from the outdoor deck. On our cabin's deck there was a well used space with deck chairs where guest sat to enjoy the scenery and fresh air, whilst relaxing and enjoying their own personal past times. On this first night we were introduced to the Captain and crew (of about 7) with a welcome cocktail and a nice dinner.

11-1-2018 Thursday Day 2 Galapagos Islands Ecuador
Last night we up-anchored about 12-1am and motored to the small Rabida Island. After breakfast we hopped into the zodiacs and motored ashore to Bachas Beach where we had a 'wet' landing i.e. we swing our legs over the side and drop down into a half a metre of water before walking to the beach. We dropped our gear on the beach and went for a walk around the island on volcanic gravel. Our gear was safe as most of the time we didn't see any other boats, only the occasional couple tourist boats, so it felt like we owned the place, all on our own - a wonderful feeling.

We saw many cacti, big and small, many with round buds growing out of the paddle like plant, ready to flower - mostly here we saw yellow ones. Back at the beach everyone went snorkeling, except me - I was happy just to go wading. We saw sea lions frolicking and many small orange and yellow crabs called Sally Light Foot crabs, the baby ones, coloured black, loved by the Herons and other birds. Back to the Xavier for lunch and then we drove around to the north west side of Santa Cruz Island. About mid afternoon we hopped in the zodiac again to hop off on the beautiful white sandy beach (like our Aussie beaches) to see a couple flamingoes, marine iguanas on the rocks, Frigate birds, Pelicans (differently coloured to ours) and the ever present and in large numbers, the orange and yellow Sally Light Food crabs - these crabs will eat anything they can get their claws on!

Jorge showed us the very clear 'drag' tracks in the white sand, up out of the water and back down to the water, made by the Green Turtle as it makes its way to lay its eggs in the sand. The sand is made of decomposed coral, making it soft and white, and a favourite site for the nesting sea turtles. Further along were metal remains (up to half a metre tall) of landing platforms for barges from long ago. Marine iguanas were on the sand, feeding on the mossy rocks and occasionally in the water. The weather has been beautiful. At one place we saw big and small Stingrays as well.

12-1-2018 Friday Day 3 Galapagos Islands Ecuador
Overnight we motored to Floreana Island and the only landing site, Punta Cormorant. After breakfast we boarded the zodiac to the beach and Jorge took us on a guided walk to observe the bird and wildlife and learn about the natural history. Back on the zodiac we saw White Tip Sharks in the water and Blue Footed Boobies on the rocks - they had really pretty light sky blue legs and webbed feet. Apparently there are also Red Footed Boobies and Masked Boobies. Back on board Xavier motored around to Champion Islet for snorkeling, right off the zodiac (not off the beach) so in deeper water. I didn't want to sit in the zodiac or stay in the deep water all the time, so I stayed back on board Xavier during this activity. The deeper water meant they could see more, and different marine life.

After lunch we hiked uphill to Baroness Viewpoint from which we had a great view over the landscape and water. More snorkelling off the beach - Dave didn't want to snorkel this time so we went for a walk along the beautiful beach. We saw some small penguins in the water but not many. We visited Post Office Bay, home to the famous barrel that served as the mailbox for the 18th century whaling ships. English whaling vessels placed a barrel here to be used as a post office - people would post letters in the barrel hoping that they would be picked up by others heading to that destination, and deliver the letter. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off an addressed card/letter and pick up a different unstamped addressed card/letter to their own country, take it home and post it.

This afternoon we saw plenty of green turtles in the water and Dave was really excited when one actually came up quite close to his face for a look, while snorkeling.

13-1-2018 Saturday Day 4 Galapagos Islands Ecuador Last Day
Overnight Xavier drove to Espanola Island, the southernmost island in the Galápagos archipelago. After breakfast we zodiaced to Punta Suarez where there were an abundance of Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, Albatrosses and Masked Boobies with big white fluffy baby chicks like cotton balls. The chicks looked bigger than the adults with their downy feathers fluffed up. The iguanas were so large in number that they sunned themselves on the path that we had to walk, and we had to step over them - they didn't move. It was mating season and the males are a pretty pink and green colour, but they are ugly, and beautiful at the same time (I think like a bull terrier). They actually remind me of the movie Gremlins, made many years ago, where the cute fluffy small creature turns into an ugly nasty looking creature if you feed/water it after a certain time at night.

It was a treat to see the Albatrosses first hand, especially as in a short time from now Jorge told us they would be gone from this place, due to the changing weather and winds, which they need to gain flight off these cliffs. There was a young one, testing its wings, taking a run at the cliff's edge, but stopping short as it wasn't ready yet. We didn't see it fly while we were there but it was very close. We saw a nursery of sea lion pups and we were mesmerised and delighted by their playfulness with each other, and even coming up close to us, full of curiosity.

Back on board we drove to Gardner Bay and after lunch, more snorkeling off the zodiac (not off the beach). Dave and I didn't go. Apparently there are large schools of big tropical fish here, including Yellow-tailed Surgeonfish, King Angelfish, and Bump-head Parrot fish. Back on board, we drove a short distance to where we did a 'wet' landing and walked to the beach. It was a picture post card - white sandy beach, beautiful turquoise water like Hawaii, no buildings, and many sea lions just lazing on the beach, soaking up the sun. There were a couple very small georgeous pups lying close to their Mums. Looking out toward the water we saw only our boat waiting for us and a couple rocky islands in the distance - peaceful bliss!!

We saw a few Mockingbirds, small birds hopping around and very curious, confident to come right up close to you, looking up at you to check you out. Back on board, before dinner, we drove to and anchored near San Cristobal Island, our last stopover to explore tomorrow, before flying back to the mainland.

14-1-2018 Sunday
This morning we packed our bags, had breakfast and ferried by zodiac to San Cristobel Island. We visited the Darwin Interpretation Centre first, where you could learn everything you wanted to know about the Galápagos from the islands' natural history to their ecosystems and flora and fauna. Charles Darwin visited here and was blown away by the extent of bird and marine life. Then we had some free time to walk around, bought some souvenirs and had a drink with a couple of the passengers at a cafe before being bussed to the airport. We arrived back in the late afternoon to a rainy Quito (Ecuador) and the Hilton Colon Hotel for 3 nights.

15-1-2018 Monday
We came back to a rainy Quito yesterday and it was no different this morning when Jorge, our guide, picked us up for our Quito City Tour the largest historical old town in the Americas - and there is the old town and the new town, separated by just one street. Quito is situated in a valley, surrounded by volcanoes, not all of them dormant. We visited the large white statue of Mary (Madonna), high up on a hill, with outstretched arms and her foot on a snake (the devil). You could go up inside and view the beautiful lead light glass windows which were so much more vibrant than the outside view. We went to Independence Square, Calle de las Siete Cruces (Street of the 7 crosses), and the most important churches, the majestic La Compañía de Jesus 1605-1765 (everywhere there was gold leaf adorning all the wall sculptures and decorations), and iconic San Francisco which have stunning multi-ethnic designs and cultural heritage.

Then we went to the Middle of The World - firstly the Equatorial Monument which marks the exact middle of the world - latitude 00 degrees 00"00''. This is where the country Ecuador gets its name - because the equator runs through it (even though the equator runs through other countries also). Just a short distance away, was the Ethnographic Museum, which shows the diversity of Ecuador's native groups. Here we learned how the natives shrunk the heads of their enemies. Today they still carry on the tradition but they use monkeys' heads. At the entrance to the museum were 2 llamas in pens, one appeared to be smaller, and probably the baby of the other. They allowed you to pat them through the fence.

At the museum our guide showed us several tests to show how things behave differently on the equator, the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere eg. how the water goes down the drain clockwise in the southern hemisphere (like in Australia) and anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere (like in the UK). AND - you only had to be over the equator line by a few feet to make the difference - amazing! We could get our passports stamped with this '0' latitude proof.

16-1-2018 Tuesday Cotapaxi National Park
It was still raining this morning but less and less as we got out of Quito. Jorge picked us up at 8am and drove to Cotapaxi National Park to view Cotapaxi volcano (5,943 metres), the highest active volcano in the world. We firstly visited the museum in the national park to get an idea of the volcano and its surrounds. It was a bit cold but not too bad. Driving a bit further to Limpiopungo Lagoon we walked around the lagoon taking us up to about 3800 metres. Over 2461 metres (8000 feet) is the threshold for the beginnings of altitude sickness, brought on because the air doesn't contain as much oxygen as we are used to, and therefore can make us sick if we don't take it easy.

Mountain climbers have to be particularly careful of this as they tend to ascend to a much greater height and at a much faster rate than we do, with our touristy walking. People have died because they have not allowed enough time to get used to the less oxygenated air, and haven't heeded the warning signs and descended when they started getting serious symptoms. We walked slowly and concentrated on increasing our breath depth and frequency. At times we felt a bit funny in the head but we were ok. In the distance we could see Cotapaxi volcano mostly covered with cloud but occasionally we could see the snow caps. Northeast lies Rumiñahui (4,557 m) and between the two mountains the plain and Limpiopungo Lagoon. The surrounding scenery also includes volcanoes like Pasochoa, Ruminahui and Sincholagua.

Despite the altitude, the Park is home to numerous birds and varied plant life. There were many birds out on the lagoon. Jorge showed us the Valerian plant which grows well as this altitude - Valerian is used to help with sleep problems. The plant is also used to make valium when mixed with some other chemicals. We had a nice lunch at a hacienda called Hosteria La Cienesa, with a long driveway, lovely gardens and big white posts out the front that put me in mind of Tara, the house out of the book/movie "Gone With The Wind" with Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh.

On the way back we visited a roses growing business, called Rose Success. There were many greenhouses growing all colours of beautiful roses and we were able to walk through the greenhouse and take photos. They export 30,000 roses per day! many of them to Russia. They didn't seem to have any fragrance at all which was quite disappointing for such a beautiful flower, as I have been used to growing up with beautiful smelling roses that my Mum used to grow in her garden.

We went right through the processing place where they wash, grade, sort by height, length of stem, size of the rose and how open it is before it is packed into boxes of 12. If the rose is too open it is rejected for the export market and kept for the home market - sounds a bit like Australia where the best meat and seafood gets exported and the lesser quality is sold to us. I think my Mum would've loved to wander through this place. As we drove back closer to Quito and our hotel the rain got heavier as it was when we left this morning. Traffic was crazy and they drive quite aggressively, forcing their way into a line/merge. I'm glad I wasn't driving.

17-1-2018 Wednesday
Peru is a country in South America that's home to a section of Amazon rainforest and Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city high in the Andes mountains. The region around Machu Picchu, including the Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and colonial city of Cusco, is rich in archaeological sites. On Peru’s arid Pacific coast is Lima, the capital, with a preserved colonial centre and important collections of pre-Columbian art.

Lima founded in 1535, the capital of Peru, lies on the country's arid Pacific coast. Though its colonial centre is preserved, it's a bustling metropolis and one of South America’s largest cities. It's home to the Museo Larco collection of pre-Columbian art and the Museo de la Nación, tracing the history of Peru’s ancient civilizations. The Plaza de Armas and the 16th-century cathedral are the heart of old Lima Centro. Lima is known as the “gastronomical capital of the Americas”, encompassing specialties from ceviche and traditional coastal cooking to refined global fare. It even boasts several of the top restaurants in the world.

This morning we started our course of the drug Diamox which our Dr prescribed as a precaution against altitude sickness. We are taking it 2 days prior to reaching the city of altitude and taking it for 3 more days after arriving at said place. It is supposed to make the blood slightly acidic which will then encourage the body to breathe more frequently to balance out the oxygen deficiency. We trialled it at home for 2 days before our trip, to see if there were any bad side effects. Luckily we only just felt like we had a bit of a hangover.

We checked out of the Hilton at 12.00, leaving our bags at the hotel storage while we walked around the town of Quito and filled in the time until our transfer to the airport at 4pm. We were very happy with the Hilton and they included bottled water (as we've been told to only drink bottled water in South America). Other hotels since then have all charged extra for the water. I don't like having to guage how much water we'll be using, because I have to buy it and don't want to waste it, and don't want to be caught short. We so much take it for granted at home that we can just turn on the tap whenever we want.

We walked across the road from the hotel to the park. There were market stalls set up with much colourful merchandise. There was a crowd gathered around a group of 3 people who were putting on a comical show - one dressed as a policeman and the other 2 as supposed criminals, all with painted faces. They were speaking Spanish so we couldn't understand but they were making the crowd laugh with what they were saying, seemingly back chatting and making a fool out of the one dressed as a policeman.

Our flight 8pm flight got us into Lima (capital of Peru) at about 10.30pm and our transport was there to take us to the Casa Republica Hotel for 2 nights. The roads were unusually very busy at that time of night as the Pope is arriving tomorrow and some streets have been block off.

18-1-2018 (Thursday)
We had a welcome sleep in after our late arrival last night. After breakfast at the hotel we went for a walk. It is a lovely place, close to the ocean. Our hotel appears to be a renovated old house with high ceilings, and circular wooden stairs to our upper floor - no lift. Our bathroom, with a separate bath to the shower, was as big as our bedroom. Outside our door there is an atrium down through the middle of the floor to reception.

We were really happy about our tour being scheduled for 2pm - Lima City Tour - the Colonial ‘City of Kings’. We visited the Cathedral (not photos allowed), the Presidential Palace, the Plaza de Armas (which was closed off for preparation for a party tonight for the birthday of Lima). We stopped at an archaelogical historic site Huaca Pucllana which we could only see from the outside as restoration work was going on. Men were restoring the outside with mud bricks, laid vertically so they looked like books on shelves - apparently this method made the building more resistant to earthquake damage. This was a sacrificial place - of humans as well as animals.

Our next stop was the San Francisco Convent. We looked through it first and then went down underneath where the Catacombs were located. I was very pleased about this because 6 years ago when we were in France there was a 2 hour waiting time to get in to see their Catacombs, so we didn't go. In colonial times it was normal for the cemetery to be under the church so there are many graves here. We saw some displays of skulls and long bones, and then there were many long bones laid out in long boxes. It was very interesting. Our guide said these have been put here as a display for visitors and he allowed us to take some photos. We walked to a recommended nearby restaurant called Isolinas for nice dinner.

19-1-2018 Friday
Juliaca is a city in the San Román province of southern Peru. A busy transit hub, it's a jumping-off point for Lake Titicaca, the vast Andean lake marked by Inca ruins and floating villages. In the central Plaza Bolognesi, vendors at the Galería Artesanal Las Calceteras market sell handicrafts and wool products. Churches include Templo de la Merced on the plaza and Iglesia Matriz de Santa Catalina to the northwest.

We were up at 5am for 6am breakfast and a 6.30am transport to the airport. Originally our pick up time at the hotel was to be 7.30am but because some of the roads are cut off to the airport and traffic will be hectic due to the Pope's visit, they brought our time forward 1 hour. Traffic close to the airport was crazy - even our driver said so. At one point we saw a driver get out of a car and go over to another car to vent - luckily no blows. This situation should've had policeman directing traffic but there wasn't. The intersections were just all blocked with cars inching forward as best they could to get through. We finally got there on time but I wondered how many didn't. We were only doing a domestic flight from Lima to Juliaca but in Peru you have to be at the airport for domestic flights 3 hours before, and international flights, 4 hours before. I won't complain about our airport pre-flight times again. The plane was 1 hour late taking off so it was a loooong morning!

On arriving at Juliaca (Chile) our guide and transport were there to meet us, Romulo. Our ultimate destination today was Puno, which is about 1 hour away, so we saw some things on the way. Firstly we visited the pre-Inca burial ground of Sillustani. Here we wandered through the remarkable tombs built from volcanic stone. Known as Chullpas, these funerary towers reach heights of up to 12 metres. Overlooking the beautiful Lake Umayo, Sillustani is considered to be one of the most important necropolises in the world. The Chullpas are up a steep path and Juliaca is already at a height of 3825 metres, 1400 metres higher than the level where altitude sickness can start to affect us. We have been taking the Diamox for 2 days so were fairly ok, except for a noticeable need to breath more frequently and just take it easy, going up the path in short bursts.

There are houses dotted around with their animals - llamas, alpacas, sheep, beef, pigs and birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable about this area and the scenery was breathtaking. We then drove about 45 mins to the city of Puno (Peru) and the Casa Andina Hotel for 2 nights. After getting squared away in our room we went for dinner to a place close to the hotel before getting to bed as soon as possible - it'd been a long day and we had another early start tomorrow.

20-1-2018 Saturday
Puno lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca, one of South America's largest lakes and the highest navigable lake in the world. It is the largest city in the Southern Altiplano and an important agricultural and livestock (llamas and alpaca) region. It sits at an altitude of over 3,800 metres and is a picturesque hillside city and a melting pot of the Aymara and Quechua culture. A regional trading hub, the city's also considered Peru's "folkloric capital" owing to its traditional festivals featuring vibrant music and dancing. Landmarks include the Andean baroque-style Puno Cathedral and the Yavari, a 19th-century steamship (now a bed and breakfast).

This morning we got up at 5am to get ready, have breakfast and be ready for our 6.45am pick up ride to the boat harbour. Today we board a speedboat for a comfortable 35 min ride to a remote area of the National Reserve of Lake Titicaca, to visit the Uros floating islands. These are considered to be the last authentic floating islands, less commercial and little visited, although I am a little unconvinced of this because they have laid out on small tables, souvenirs made out wood, decoratively painted, and necklaces, made out of porcelain, ceramic, beads, and shells, ready to sell to tourists. The ladies also do colourful tapestries depicting their way of life, which we really liked so bought one.

We were told that their main way of living was from the sea, fish, etc, but this is a dwindling source due to other reasons such as commercial fishing, so tourism is a natural income alternative. The men and women here wear the traditional clothes, especially the ladies with their colourful outfits and always hats. Some places they wear bowler hats like the English gentleman used to in the 1800/early 1900s. We were told when some visiting Englishmen came to this country that long ago, the trend was adopted by the ladies, not the men, and they still wear them today.

The Uros are descendants of one of the oldest cultures in South America. These people live on floating islands that they have made, using cut reeds that have been growing in the water. They cut big blocks of the material that the reeds grow in under the water - they reminded me of peat that they cut out of the ground in the UK to dry and use as fuel. These blocks have the roots growing all through them which binds them together but they are light, and so float, even with all the living stuff, like houses, people, etc, that are going to be put on top of them eventually. They had 4 of these blocks ready to demonstrate to us how they hammer bits of wood in so they can tie them together, and then they become an island and float. Then they cut the green reeds and layer them over the top of these blocks, criss crossing layers as they go, until they get a floor that can be walked on and built on, without getting wet.

In some places we noticed water was seeping up as we walked on it, but as the cut reeds get older and deteriorate, they just cut more and put them on top. It was like walking on a water bed but we are assured it's very safe. This process actually takes a while, not sure if weeks or months, before the floating island is ready to live on. They build their little houses out of the reed material, and woven fancy parasol type umbrellas sit outside their houses for shade.

They build and weave many things out of the thick green reeds, canoes, and even big sturdy reed boats, the shape of which reminds me of the viking boats, but with two figureheads, mostly shape of cat heads. We went for a ride in one of these. They are big and hold about 6-8 people, and even had an upper deck which we climbed up to (on a rickety, makeshift ladder) to get a better view as two of the guys rowed. Funny - this boat didn't have a motor, just people power, as you'd expect, but we did see one boat that did have a small motor on it (killed the illusion) - oh well, technology has to catch up sooner or later. They also use the reeds as a source of food - they just pick a fresh one up, peel it and eat it - I did try it but it didn't taste like much to me but would probably be very healthy. It wasn't really said if they cook it to eat but probably do.

Next we hopped back into the speed boat and headed to Taquile Island which took about 1 and a half hours. Lake Titicaca is enormous and part of it is inside the border of the country of Bolivia. Disembarking at a secluded part of the island, we explore a scenic and less touristy area of Taquile Island (exclusive). It was a steep walk up on a concrete path with steps, from the boat to a junction. We, and most of the people, had to stop several times, to rest and catch our breath, as we are still in the 3800 metre altitude. Lots of villages on this island grow crops on centuries' old terraces and sheep grazing in areas fenced by rock walls. At the junction those who felt a bit more adventurous, could go with the guide along a pre-Inca trail with spectacular landscapes of the island. Those of us who weren't adventurous, ie. Dave, another lady and myself, made our way along a more level path to our destination.

21-1-2018 (Sunday - Bus: Puno - Cusco

Cusco, set at an altitude of 3,400 metres, in the Peruvian Andes, was once capital of the Inca Empire, and is now known for its Incan remains and Spanish colonial architecture. Plaza de Armas is the central square in the old city, with arcades, carved wooden balconies and Incan wall ruins. The baroque Santo Domingo Convent was built on top of the Incan Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha), and has archaeological remains of Inca stonework. Many of the colonial buildings were built on top of Incan foundations and the stonework is unparalleled in its precision and beauty.

When we were at home, looking at our itinerary and we saw this bus ride that was going to take 10 hours, we were a bit horrified and were dreading it, but it turned out to be quite good. The bus was very comfortable, plenty of empty seats so could spread out and it was also a nice change after having so many flights, most of which involved a lot of waiting around time.

We were up at 5am, breakfast and be ready for our 6.20am pick up and transfer to the bus station for a 10 hour bus ride to Cusco. We didn't have to wait long before boarding our bus. Our guide Enrique, was very good (as all our guides have been so far), very animated and told his stories with interest and energy, and made you eager to hear more.

The spectacular journey from Puno (Peru) to Cusco (Peru) took us across the Altiplano and through sleepy Andean villages and past spectacular snowcapped mountains. The Andes mountains were omnipresent, no matter where or what days we travelled. We travelled through the towns of Pucara and Andahuaylillas and the pre-Inca ruin of Raqchi. We had a nice buffet lunch at Andahuaylillas. In one town we were in time to experience a religious procession with music, come up the street and up the church steps that we just happened to be standing on. About 4-6 men carried some sort of wooden item covered with greenery and flowers, like the chair they carried the Chinese Emperor around in. Enrique said this procession was very unusual as it was a Catholic Church and an Indian (people from India) ceremony combined into one, which you wouldn't see anywhere else.

In Peru alpaca is a common food, but guinea pig is only eaten on special occasions as it's expensive. Driving in the bus through one town, a couple ladies came out to the road to hold up in the air for us to see, and try to sell, their cooked guinea pigs, on a stick, with the head still on! They are found in the wild and also kept domestically for food. These guinea pigs are larger than the ones we have at home for pets.

When we finally arrived in Cusco (Peru) our transfer driver was there to take us to the Casa Andina Plaza Hotel for 2 nights.

22-1-2018 Monday
Slept in til 8.15am which was nice for a change. Had breakfast and went for a walk around the city of Cusco. We noticed that it was clean and felt very safe. We walked to the San Pedro Markets - Wow! what a big place and so interesting. Everything is sold here from souvenirs and clothes, fresh fruit and vegetables, to freshly butchered meat! We were gobsmacked when in the corner of the market, under the same roof as everything else and not far from the eateries, there was basically a butcher shop, not walled off in any way from the rest of the market. At the beginning of the fresh meat row were big striped bags, full to the top with the unsaleable rubbish offcuts, including horns (although I'm sure these would be cleaned, polished and sold off somewhere as souvenirs).

Walking down this aisle we saw on the bench, cow's heads, bowls of offal like liver and kidneys, bowls of particular bone pieces like for soups, intestines (maybe to use the casings for sausages?), pigs trotters, fine lower legs with pinky coloured hooves of what appeared to have belonged probably to llamas or alpacas, even long tails stripped of the hide, and hanging on hooks from a line, whole tongues and other items. We didn't actually see too many trays of just joints for roasts and meat pieces so not sure if they'd already been taken/sold or this was just the odds and ends shop(?) They had to shoo away the stray dogs that'd come in attracted by the raw meat aroma. We did see pork and beef meat for sale in other stalls in the market.

There was a large number of interesting eateries, especially soup dishes - I was sorry we'd already had breakfast. I bought a selection of packets of nuts, pepitas and piqueos (roasted white corn niblets) for those times when we don't need dinner but want something to nibble. This packet corn (piqueos) is crunchy and probably very good fibre, but doesn't really have much taste, even roasted. I've had this white corn freshly cooked - the nibblets are quite large compared to our sweet yellow corn but they're not sweet and don't really have much taste to them. We're told Peru has many varieties of corn including a purple one that is used a lot in making drinks and desserts, but this white one seems to be the most common one we've seen, especially with cooked meals (and not seen the yellow sweet one at all).

We walked to the big square, Plaza de Armas, with a statue and fountain, and lovely arranged flower beds (every town seems to have a Plaza de Armas - so probably just a general name like a city or central square). Had a photo take with a little girl and her baby white llama. In the early afternoon we went on our booked sightseeing bus tour through Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire - the Cusco City Tour with our tour guide Jose. We visited the very ornate La Catedral, built on the ruins of an Inca Palace; Qorikancha Temple of the Sun; and the 12-Angled rock - the stone of the 12 angles (not sure of the significance of this stone) is located in Hatun Rumiyoq St and is part of a wall of the Inka Roka's house (one of the major leaders of the Inca Empire).

The Incas built their walls and buildings with big blocks of stone, putting them together, honing the sides and corners with such precision that they fitted together perfectly like a jigsaw, and without the benefit of mortar or similar substance to help 'glue' them together. How they moved these blocks at all, let alone moving them back and forth several times to shape and smooth them to ensure they fitted together perfectly, is mind boggling. The walls were always on a slant which at first looked like bad workmanship until we were told that this gave strength to the wall, and resistance to earthquakes. Windows and doorways did not have squared corners, they were shorter across the top and longer across the bottom, also giving strength and resistance to earthquakes. When earthquakes occurred in Peru, post-inca buildings fell down but the age old inca walls/buildings did not.

From here we headed to the archaeological remains located around the city, including the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman, with open beautiful green areas, terraced hills and the incan walls with the giant blocks of rocks, again perfectly shaped to fit one another. Q'enqo the giant rock which was inside a dark cave and we used our mobile phone lights to see but as space was limited we didn't get the full picture from the guide as to what this was about. Finally the Water Temple of Tambomachay which was a 10 min walk up some hill to see some view but we'd had enough of climbing hills and steps for one day so didn't do this.

Someone had asked one of the guides why Cusco didn't remain the capital of Peru and he replied that it was due to the altitude. The conquering Spanish weren't used to this altitude and suffered because of it, so Lima was made the capital instead. There was also a similar problem with the crops and cattle which had to be adapted. The Swisse Brown cattle (I think they have a very distinctive, nice look about them) were brought in, assumably from Switzerland, as they were already used to a high altitude.

It was about 6.10pm when we arrived back so we went to Paddy's Irish Pub for dinner. We were surprised to see this establishment in Cusco. Apparently and Irishman met and married a Peruvian lady and they set up this pub. It was small but quaint and full of memorabilia like Singer treddle sewing machines converted to tables and old news items and comical sayings on the walls. A small train set, with beer cans on the carriage, ran around the room on a track set up close to the ceiling.

23-1-2018 Tuesday Sacred Valley Tour & Aguas Calientes
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a region in Peru's Andean highlands. This fertile valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious. Along with the nearby town of Cusco and the ancient city of Machu Picchu, it formed the heart of the Inca Empire. Along the way we visit Spanish colonial villages like Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Pisac is known for its Sunday handicraft market and hilltop Incan citadel.

This morning we were up at 5.30am to pack up, breakfast and ready for a long day. As we were going to Machu Picchu this afternoon for the night, we had to pack our small trundle bags for overnight, check out of our room and put our big bags into the hotel storage for the night. Our trundle bags weren't to be over 5ks as there was limited space on the train. At 7.30am we departed on our bus trip for the Sacred Valley tour.

Our guide for the Sacred Valley today, Pumasonga, told us he speaks Quechua (pronounced 'ketchua') as well as Spanish, English and French (which was handy for one of our group who was French Canadian and didn't have a lot of English). Quechua is the same language used by the Incas, which is why I thought it relevant to include this information in the diary for today (found this info in the Machu Picchu book Dave bought). "It is still spoken in the Andes. Its original name is Runa Simi (language of mankind). Despite the efforts of Andean governments to eradicate this language, fortunately it still survives. Currently there are millions of people who use Quechua. This language is known and spoken in several regions of the Andes and in most of the South American countries."

(A note about our guide Pumasonga - he was a small, lively, likable man who often said "ladies and a gentlemans" to address us. Every time he said it, he reminded us of one of our loveable Australian comedians, Mark Mitchell, who did a regular comic skit in a comedy show each week in the 1980s-90s as Con The (Greek) Fruiteror. As Con, he often prefaced his statements with "now ladies and a gentlemans". So every time Pumasonga said "ladies and a gentlemans" we couldn't stop a smile crossing our faces. I think we really enjoyed our day more because of this actually.)

The first stop is the spectacular Pisac Ruins - a hilltop Inca citadel and fortress with impressive agricultural terracing. This area is an archaelogical site so not used anymore for agricultural purposes. We climbed up these ruins too, steep steps at times, really giving the knees a workout. Our guide told us that some of the terracing there was not used for agriculture, but constructed because the terrain was very steep, to prevent erosion when the severe rains came.

Then we went back to the village of Pisac where Pumasonga took us in to a silver jewellery shop. The lady told us how they combine the silver with another metal to make silver jewellery more workable. Here I was informed (as I asked) that the silver 'sun and moon' earrings I was wearing and bought in the Cusco square were fakes, even though they had the '950' stamp on the back. Apparently silver doesn't go dull and these did. I didn't pay a lot for them really and did like them so wasn't too unhappy. To get them in silver would cost over 4 times what I paid and wasn't going to pay that. Then we went to the local Pisac markets. On market days Pisac comes alive with locals from nearby hillside villages, in traditional dress selling local fruit and vegetables as well as handicrafts.

We had some free time to wander through the colourful market stalls. Dave and I, instead of walking around the markets, walked down to the river and the bridge for photos. We've seen many, many of these little taxis all over South America which are really motorbikes with a built around cabin and 2 wheels at the back (can't remember the name but similar to tuk tuks in Thailand). They don't look comfortable. After that we got back on to the bus and drove to the town of Yucay and a local restaurant for a typical Andean very nice lunch.

Ollantaytambo is a village in the Sacred Valley of south Peru, set on the Urubamba River amid snow-capped mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Major sites within the complex include the huge Sun Temple and the Princess Baths fountain. The village's old town is an Inca-era grid of cobblestone streets and adobe buildings.

After lunch we continued our journey along the River Urubamba, to Ollantaytambo. The town, which is dominated by a giant Inca fortress, is perhaps the best surviving example of Inca town planning and was the scene of a rare Inca victory over the invading Spanish. At the bottom of the climb was a big grassy area and llamas were grazing. A mother and younger one were particularly cute and we were quite close to them. The climb up was mostly big stone steps most of the way, and there were many of them - it was quite daunting. We were encouraged by Pumasonga to take rest breaks, take full breaths, and to continue to the top. We could go off the steps to the side onto the grassed terraces to catch our breath and recover while he talked more to the group. The place was very busy. When we stopped and rested we actually recovered fairly quickly, ready for the next onslaught. He told us Machu Picchu was not as hard as this climb which was encouraging, and that we could do this one without a problem, if we just take it easy.

At the end of this tour the bus stopped at the train station in Ollantaytambo. Some of the group were going back to Cusco today, some were staying at a hotel here and going to Machu Picchu tomorrow, but we were catching the train today to the village of Aguas Calientes for the night. The tour blurb said we travel on a "comfortable and well-appointed Inca Rail train, a superior tourist class train" but we didn't think so, especially when we took the train back the next day, and experienced a much more superior ride. Our ride today didn't seem to have as much leg room, the seats weren't as nice or comfortable, the aisle was smaller, the carriage rocked from side to side constantly, and the driver seemed to sit on the horn quite regularly and it felt like we were in the same carriage as the driver. The snack we got wasn't even as good as the one we got on the train going back. Our train took 1 hr and 40 mins to get to Aguas Calientes (Peru) where we were met and taken to the Casa Andina MAPI (Machu Picchu) Hotel for 1 night.

Our hotel wasn't far away from the train station thankfully, especially as it had been raining. Our room was right beside the rushing and powerful Urubamba River and we could hear it slightly with the window shut. We opened the window and it was quite loud and a fantastic sight to see right outside your hotel window. It had been a very long and tiring day and we were both beat, so we went to bed early.

24-1-2018 Wednesday Machu Picchu Guided Tour
Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. It is located 2,430 metres above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. Built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments and panoramic views. Its exact former use remains a mystery.

It is the most famous of all Inca sites, but it was not until 1911 that it was brought to the world’s attention by the American historian Hiram Bingham. The Incas abandoned the city just prior to Spanish colonisation, the city was never pillaged and as a result the ruins are still in fantastic condition. With its location on a dramatic ridgeline surrounded by sheer cliffs and the Urubamba River on three sides, the city of Machu Picchu is a remarkable place to visit. Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and in 2007 it was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Up at 5.40am, breakfast and met our guide, Wilfredo, at 7.40am. We had packed our small trundle bags and checked out of our room as we'd be catching the train back after our tour. To get up to the Machu Picchu site we had to board a bus and take a 30 min winding, rocky, rough road up the hill from Aguas Calientes. After finally getting in to the site, our very knowledgeable guide Wilfredo, spent about 4 hours taking us, and 2 other nice people from the U.S., around, as well as taking some very good photos for us. After all his tours he knows just the right places and poses for the best photos. He took one of us with the famous and well known site in the background, and you could forgive people for thinking it'd been photo-shopped - I had to look at it twice.

What an honour and pleasure it is to be here, in this remarkable, historic, and wondrous site! It was hard not to keep taking more and more photos, of all different directions and angles, knowing full well you'd have to sort through them later and cull many. I am happy to say that after all the walking and hard climbing we had done in Ollyantambo and other places on this trip, we found Machu Picchu fairly easy. For anyone who hadn't done any of this sort of climbing recently, they may have found it hard. There were a few people we saw who were really perspiring and breathing hard. We were very lucky also with the weather as it is the rainy season here. It was nice and sunny, great for photos but the afternoon tour people weren't going to have such a good view as it clouded over later. Wilfredo said that because the site is up so high, any cloud covers the 'famous picture' and ruins it - we're so glad we had the morning tour.

The names of the ruins and monuments were the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Cemeteries. Here, as in other places we've been (in Peru and Stonehenge in the UK), were important places/temples constructed specifically for the winter solstice alignment. The sun was an important part of the Incas' life - it was their God. Many ceremonies were carried out in the name of 'Pachamama' which means earth mother or mother nature. Sacrificial offerings were made of products of the land such as fruit and vegetables, and also animals. At one time there was even human sacrifice to appease the Gods. These traditions are still carried on today in honour of Pachamama (although probably not humans or animals anymore). They have a symbol for Pachamama, which commonly features in jewellery.

Again we saw the wonder of how the Incas built these places, with such large stones, how they transported and shaped them, to fit perfectly like a jigsaw with others, and without any mortar. It's also still a wonder how they split the rocks as they did not have to necessary tools. A further climb and entry permit is needed for Huayna Picchu (the iconic hill behind the Machu Picchu ruins). To do this one you need to pre-book your permit with at least 3 months in advance - we didn't want to do this as we heard it was quite a bit more difficult and weren't that adventurous. Toward the end of our tour we had the pleasure of being up close to several llamas

After our tour of Machu Picchu, Wilfredo led us back to where we could get our passports stamped with the MP stamp, and the place to catch the bus back down to the town. He waited for his next tour. Back in Aguas Calientes we had some lunch and wandered around the markets to look for souvenirs. Later that afternoon we hopped on the 4.20pm train for a 1 hour 30 min journey on the much more comfortable Vistadome train, to Ollantaytambo.

After we had our snack and drink on the train, stewards put on a fashion show up and down the aisle. They were modeling beautiful clothes made from baby Alpaca wool and they were gorgeous to look at and very soft to touch. The man of the Canadian couple we were sitting with, was wearing a lovely baby alpaca cardigan he'd bought. He said he was told there were 3 types of alpaca garments - adult alpaca, baby alpaca and 'maybe' alpaca! Ha ha! So obviously, of course, fakes are made of these clothes just like the 'silver' jewelry I bought.

At the station we were picked up in a private car and transported for another hour and 30min back to Cusco (Peru) and the same Casa Andina Plaza Hotel for 2 nights. It was about 7.45pm, dark and good to get into our room after such a long day, especially as the driver we had seemed very much in a hurry to get to our destination. The hotel staff were very efficient at getting our big bags out of storage for us so there was, thankfully, no hold up there. We have another early start tomorrow so quickly off to bed.

25-1-2018 Thursday Q'eswachaka: Inca Rope Bridge Tour
Qeshuachaka a rope of twisted dried maguey or ichu, chaka bridge, consisting of ropes made of grass and spanning the Apurimac River near Huinchiri, in Quehue District, Canas Province, Peru, is the last remaining Inca rope bridge.
Even though there is a modern bridge nearby, the residents of the region keep the ancient tradition and skills alive by renewing the bridge annually, in June. Several family groups have each prepared a number of grass-ropes to be formed into cables at the site, others prepare mats for decking, and the reconstruction is a communal effort. In ancient times the effort would have been a form of tax, with participants coerced to perform the rebuilding; nowadays the builders have indicated that effort is performed to honour their ancestors and the Pachamama (Earth Mother).

We were up at 5.30am this morning, had breakfast and ready for our 7am pick up to drive 3 hours to see the Q'eswachaka Inca Rope Bridge (pronounced 'keswachaka'). It was an expensive tour due to the distance and we had a Chimu Adventures employee (Larry) do the driving and a guide called Andy - so it was the expense of 2 people and a car for a full day plus lunch. We had wondered if it was going to be worth it - at the end of the day we agreed that it was. Once we got out of the city it was easy driving and the scenery was nice, quite green land. Some of the roads leave a lot to be desired with big holes and that's something we've noticed regularly when driving all over Peru on our tours.

We stopped at one place, with not much housing or development around, and Andy pointed out this conical shape a few metres off the road in a field, about 8 metres (25 feet) high, which looked like a big cow manure heap. It was an inactive volcano. It also had the appearance to me of Jabba The Hut, the bit slug-like character out of the Star Wars movie. Apparently a long time ago it erupted slowly making the shape typical of a volcano (even though it's quite small in terms of volcanoes), and then just went inactive - strange.

Along the way we mentioned that it'd be nice to have a toilet break but it wasn't urgent yet. Finally we pulled off the road in the middle of nowhere, not much around except a small house in the distance, and it was indicated to go over behind a small rise and do our business. I was quite surprised but then accepted that this was all that was available to us out here. A few metres off the road, Dave held my coat up in front of me to shield me. Luckily I was just finishing and hurriedly rearranging clothes, when I heard the sound of a motorbike driving quite close, and I'm sure there was a smile on the faces of the mature man and lady on the bike as it drove past, knowing what we were doing.

Finally we arrived at the Apurimac river where the Q'eswachaka Inca Rope bridge is located. We drove across the modern bridge that was built to solve the river crossing problem. It was a long way down to the river below. This Inca suspension bridge is made of puna Straw called ichu. It is only a pedestrian bridge although back in Inca times, they took fully laden llamas across it. Every year four comunities come together for the mantenience and renewal of the bridge. Before making the renovation process the local people carry out a ceremony giving thanks and asking permission and giving thanks to the Pachamama (mother earth). Andy told us that women help with this task too, equally doing the work, not doing what's normally expected of women like cooking.

We were very impressed by the whole bridge, and especially the strength, thickness and woven quality of the rope that especially anchors the bridge to the concrete ends on each side - this rope looks like industrial quality and Andy told us it has the strength to pull 3 ton. After quite a few photos and waiting for some other people to cross the bridge, we took it in turns to walk to the middle of the bridge for photos. It was high up and you could get a good sway up if you weren't careful. The bottom of the bridge which you walk on, is lined with sticks not the straw, but the rest of it is woven straw.

After we finished crossing the bridge and taking photos, we sat and had the boxed lunch we brought from the hotel this morning. Dave told Andy about another rope bridge that he'd heard about from someone recently. Andy hadn't heard of it so while we were driving he looked it up on his phone and we drove to it as it wasn't far away. I think it was at a place called Checupa. This one wasn't as big or impressive but it was interesting. You had to pay to walk on this one. Right next to it was an impressive concrete and stone bridge built by the conquering Spaniards.

We arrived back at the hotel by mid afternoon which was good as we have another early start tomorrow.

26 Jan 2018 Friday Travel Day
Another early morning with being picked up at 6.40am and transferred to the airport for our domestic flight to Lima (Peru) and then onward on an international flight to Santiago (Chile) and the Providencia Hotel for 2 nights. This is the first hotel we stayed at in South America, when we were on our way to the Galapagos nearly 4 weeks ago - and, when our big bags didn't turn up after our flight and we were without them for 2 days. We just about held our breath this time, until thankfully, our bags came out on the carousel. As we flew into Chile we noticed how the terrain got dryer and browner, unlike Peru and Ecuador.

We arrived at 3.30pm but Chile has a 2 hour time difference so was 5.30pm here. After being picked up at the airport we had a nice relaxing trip to our hotel with a very amiable driver, who didn't speak much English but we were able to communicate and have a good laugh on the way anyway. After unpacking we had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was good because we didn't really feel like going out. This was the last of our 10 flights before going on our 22 day cruise on Sunday. We are looking forward to no more flights, no packing and unpacking, and going at a bit of a slower pace for a while.

27-1-2018 Saturday
Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, sits in a valley surrounded by the snow-capped Andes and the Chilean Coast Range. Plaza de Armas, the grand heart of the city’s old colonial core, is home to 2 neoclassical landmarks: the 1808 Palacio de la Real Audiencia, housing the National History Museum, and the 18th-century Metropolitan Cathedral. La Chascona is the home-turned-museum of poet Pablo Neruda.

This morning at 9am our guide Gabriel, picked us up for a half day Panoramic City Tour of Santiago with another American couple. We visited the Plaza de Armas (city's central square), the heart of the city's old colonial core; the 18th century Metropolitan Cathedral; the early 19th century Royal Court Palace that house the Natural History Museum and the Central Post Office completed in 1882. We visited a racetrack with and saw some beautiful racehorses being exercised, and then drove up Cerro Santa Lucia, the hill on which Santiago was founded in 1541, now a park with fountains and stairs leading to a fort and panoramic viewpoint across the city.

For a nice dinner we walked down the corner to the restaurant Lomits, where we ate the first time we were here.

28-1-2018 Sunday Embark Antarctic Cruise
This morning we checked out of the hotel at 8am and Gabriel, our driver and tour guide, picked us up to drive us firstly, to the port city of Valparaiso (Chile). Dave had been looking forward to going here, from where our cruise ship was originally going to depart, as the city is known for its steep funiculars - apparently the town has about 15 but only 8 or 9 are working. Unfortunately at the last minute while we were still at home, they changed the departure port to San Antonio so Dave organised a driver to take us to Valparaiso first and then on to San Antonio. We got to ride on one of the funiculars, called the Victoria, a short, steep ride up and then we walked down. During the 19th century, an influx of European immigrants left their mark on the city’s architecture and cultural institutions, many of which congregate around downtown’s Plaza Sotomayor.

The city is also known for its colourful, cliff top homes, hence the funiculars. There are colourful and interesting murals everywhere, on building walls and fences, some quite good, some quite abstract. Gabriel took us for a an interesting walk all over the city. When we first got here the place was very quiet but by the time we did our walk and got back to our departure point, the place had really grown busy, with markets, people, cars and a crowd chanting their local football support mantra. After that we hopped back in the car and Gabriel drove for about 1 hour to San Antonio (Chile), the capital of the San Antonio Province in the Valparaíso Region. It is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena.

We went straight to the boarding area for our cruise and it was the simplest boarding process onto a cruise boat we've ever experienced. It is only a small one with about 1400 passengers (not counting crew). The Antarctic cruise is with the Holland America Line and the ship is Zaandam for 22 nights. (Dave says it must be the Jean Claude Zaandam!) We were finished boarding about 1.30-2pm and so went to the dining room and had lunch. We walked around the boat to familiarise ourselves with everything and look forward to having a bit more of a relaxed 3 weeks than the last 3, and hopefully will catch up on our photos and diary.

29-1-2018 Monday At Sea
We slept well, especially as we didn't have to get up early. We went to a late breakfast about 9.30. I caught up on some washing in the self laundry room and Dave caught up on some photos on the computer. About 3.15pm we went to line up to get tickets for the tender boats for tomorrow, to go ashore for an excursion. We were there early enough but still only got a time block of 10-10.20am. That's because the people, who booked an excursion with the cruise boat, get preference.

At 4pm it was Happy Hour and so for an hour you can buy 2 drinks (of the same type) with the second one costing only USD2, which is roughly 2 thirds off the normal price.

30-1-2018 Tuesday
This morning we didn't get ashore until about 11am for our Puerto Montt (Chile) tour. We were told if we waited in the atrium early, about 8am, we might get ashore earlier but that didn't happen. We stood around for over 2 and a half hours in line with others, doing the same excursion as us, and we ended up actually leaving later than even the time block we were given! (once burned, twice shy, won't do that again) To get the full value from our excursion it would've been better if we could've got there by 9.30 instead of 11am.

Puerto Montt is a port and industrial city in southern Chile’s Lake District, known as a gateway to the Andes mountains and the Patagonian fjords. This city is also known as the "northern door to Patagonia", because many trips through the south of Chile and to Patagonia start here. The first settlers came to Puerto Montt and neighbouring areas from Germany more than 150 years ago and their influence is still seen strongly here. In the schools here Spanish, German and English are taught. Carlos stopped at this bakery so we could buy empanadas for lunch, and they were great. I'd had a couple in the last 3 weeks and didn't think much of them, but they were nothing like these.

We (17 of us) went in a small bus with our young guide, Carlos, and visited Vicente Perez Rosales National Park and saw the cascades or falls of the Petrohue River formed by a volcanic eruption; Laguna Verde (Green Lake); beautiful Emerald Lake; the majestic snow capped Orsorno Volcano in the distance - a typical volcano shape 2652 metres high and last eruption in 1869; Calbuco, a snow capped, but active, volcano also in the distance. We stopped for photos at a shop where about 9 llamas were in a pen beside the shop - a great tourist attraction to bring in business to the shop. After that we drove to the most popular tourist destination in southern Chile - Puerto Varas - the town situated on the shore of picturesque Lake Llanquihue, which was also founded by German settlers. We strolled around this lovely town before driving back to the boat at about 4pm.

31-1-2018 Wednesday
Chiloe Island, also known as Isla Grande de Chiloé, is one of 30 islands that make up the Chiloe archipelago in the Lakes Region of southern Chile. It is the first island you see when you cross the Chacao Channel by ferry. The island is well known for its palafitos, which are colorful wooden houses on stilts along the water's edge. There are also more than 150 iconic wooden churches from the 18th and 19th centuries, and 16 of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites. 
The Chiloe archipelago remained isolated from the rest of Chile until nearby Puerto Montt was founded in the mid-19th century. As a result, the area has a distinct culture that includes mythology based on witchcraft. You'll also find unique cuisine on the islands that is different from other parts of the country. 
Aside from learning about the culture, visitors also come to Chiloe Island to explore the landscape. The island has rolling hills and farmland to the north and dense forest in the south. Animal sightings are a popular attraction as well. Visitors sometimes see Chilote foxes, humpback whales, and hundreds of species of birds.

This morning we went ashore at 10.45 and just did our own self walking tour for a couple hours at Castro on the Island of Chiloe (Chile). Chiloe is pronounced 'Chilo-ay'. It was pleasantly cool at first and then warmed up as we walked around. We firstly headed for the palafitos (colourful houses on stilts) which were quite an attraction for everyone. These houses are built on stilts right in, and at, the water's edge (at the mouth of the river) so when the tide comes in there is water under the houses. We pondered on why they'd build their houses this way as there seemed to be vacant land nearby. One theory we had was that they could just throw a line or crab pot in off their verandahs for food(?) There were people sketching and painting this interesting and colourful scene from the opposite side of the Rio Gamboa (river) where we were standing.

In the river here we also saw all white swans but with black heads and necks - never seen this type before. The area was quite steep in places, especially walking up from the water and back down to the pier to catch the boat back. The town was busy with people and cars and there were two men playing songs in the park. At the traffic lights, when the cars were at a stop light, performers hopped onto the road and juggled or danced or did slight of hand tricks - interesting. We passed a big yellow church called Church of San Francisco built in 1906 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (it seems most places have a church called San Francisco, I think after St Francis of Assissi).

The Chiloe archipaelago became a major whaling centre in the 19th century, which allowed European settlers to build up small townships on the islands. Modern-day life on the islands still very much revolves around the water, and regional food specialties consist largely of seafood dishes. We passed a seafood market place which had small containers for sale of mussels, prawns, octopus and another type of small chopped white pieces with which I'm not familiar.

1-2-2018 Thursday
This morning at 8.45 we went ashore at Puerto Chacabuco (Chile) for our pre-booked excursion. There isn't anything much here at Chacabuco. After everyone arrived ashore off the tenders and at the bus, we drove for a little while and then made a bathroom stop in nearby Puerto Aysen, as there wouldn't be another opportunity before we got to our lunch destination. Our guide had to get the lady to unlock the bathroom (banos) as people here don't often start their day until after 10am (sounds like my kind of place). Here we saw the longest suspension bridge in Chile, painted orange and similar looking to, but a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco USA. We saw the main dock where fisherman bring in their boats from the fjords - the boats were all snuggled up next to each other which is possible as they're not in deep water and there's not wind enough to bash them together.

We drove through the Simpson River Valley, one of the most scenic drives in the region. We experienced some of the natural beauty as well as the culture of Northern Patagonia.  As we followed the river through the valley, we passed through lush farmland and dramatic rugged green mountains. We saw some waterfalls but not any spectacular ones - maybe there hasn't been enough rain. There were rustic old homesteads and an explosion of wildflowers. Everywhere was very green and the cattle and sheep looked happy, healthy and well fed. Apparently it rains frequently. It would be lovely to live out here, in the country.

We visited the National Simpson River Reserve Education Centre where they had a taxidermied small armadillo on the front desk as we walked in (not sure that I'd seen a real one before, albeit dead). The centre is named after the Chilean born explorer Enrique Simpson (English father). There was also a taxidermied menacing looking black Condor (bird of prey) suspended from the ceiling. We didn't stay too long in here as the information boards were in Spanish and had to connect to a wifi system to get English, and we didn't have a long time here. We stopped at a 3 ton limit old wooden bridge and walked over it for photos. A small car drove along it while we were there. We took a 10-15 min walk over a different wooden suspension bridge (and you could feel it move up and down) and on to a 'campo' or farm for lunch.

Don Carlos and Señora Juani have a picturesque farm which they call Predio Aguelarre.  Here, we saw how this family steers clear of the supermarket by raising their own vegetables and meat.  We saw the igloo shaped greenhouses outside (but only had lettuce and boiled potato with our lunch). They have a typical quincho or wooden barbecue house, built to roast meat and have get-togethers.  On the way in to the quincho we were give a traditional drink, pisco sour, and a fried battered type bread, and chopped tomato, onion and coriander mix on the tables to go with it. Two sides of lamb, spread-eagled on vertical metal frames were sizzling at the far end of the room in front of an open fire, put on at 7am (our mouths started to water as we walked in). This is called 'Asado al palo' - a Patagon tradition. (At home we'd call it a 'spit roast' - with the meat skewered horizontally on a metal bar and rotated continuously over an open fire.)

Lunch also included a bottle of nice Chilean red wine - cabernet sauvignon which we had to ourselves as we were on a table by ourselves. Before lunch, and after lunch, we were treated to traditional music and a Cueca - the Chilean national dance, a staple of any Chilean party or celebration. The female dancer also danced with a young boy about 5 yrs old, who was dressed up in the traditional black outfit, and looked very  cute. The male and female dancers then got two of the customers up to dance and Dave was one of them, both dancing with a traditional white large handkerchief.

We saw a few snow capped mountains on the way home. Sailing this evening further south toward the bottom of Chile, at the moment it's 9pm, and it's still daylight outside.

2-2-2018 Friday Chilean Fjords Scenic Cruising Only
The southern coast of Chile presents a large number of fjords and fjord-like channels from the latitudes of Cape Horn to Reloncaví Estuary. Some fjords and channels are important navigable channels providing access to ports like Punta Arenas, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Natales.
 
We have, today and tomorrow, as scenic cruising only days so we don't dock at all so we could sleep in and go to breakfast at our leisure. This was most welcome after 3 days of going ashore. We walked around the promenade deck which is on deck 3 and saw many people obviously doing their exercise, as they were walking quickly with a purpose, not like us. Deck chairs are set out here too for those who wish to brave the cool weather and enjoy the passing lovely scenery of the fjords.

At 1.30pm we passed the Messier Shipwreck, a rusted trading boat that had run aground in 1963, never to sail again. At 3.30pm we came upon the Tempanos Glacier - an impressive site with part of the ice quite dark blue, and small bits of ice floating along in the sea past our boat, after having broken free. One piece of ice was the size of, and actually looked like, a baby grand piano.

3-2-2018 Saturday Canal Sarmiento Scenic Cruising Only
Today we travel through the Sarmiento Channel, which is a principal Patagonia channel that extends in a north-south direction. The weather has been overcast and rainy most of the day so we were glad it wasn't a docking at a port day. Enjoyed an easy day.

Two glaciers were mentioned in the cruise itinerary, El Brujo and Amalia Glaciers, but no mention was made about them so don't know what happened there - possibly weather may've prevented the boat from getting in to see them.

4-2-2018 Sunday
The Strait of Magellan, also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. Positioned along the southern edges of the South American continent, this once-vital passageway is named for the Portuguese adventurer, Ferdinand Magellan, the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe.
His chosen route around the continent in 1520 though dangerous at times, proved to be the fastest and safest connection between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for sea-going commerce and exploration.
Sheltered by mainland South America and the islands of the Tierra Del Fuego archipelago, this route was considered much safer than the Drake Passage, a more violent stretch of chaotic water between Antarctica and South America, one frequented by icebergs and plagued by gale-force winds.
Located on the Strait of Magellan, Chile's Punta Arenas was once one of the most important supply stops for mariners of the day, until the Panama Canal opened in 1914. It is a city near the tip of Chile's southernmost Patagonia region. It's often used as base for excursions to the surrounding wilderness and Antarctica.

We sailed into the Straits of Magellan this morning and docked at Punta Arenas (Chile) at 6am. It was a rainy, overcast and miserable day. We had breakfast and waited for a while in the hope that it might clear but didn't. We didn't have a tour booked here so it didn't matter. We hopped on the boat's shuttle bus around 11am and rode the 10-15 min ride into the town's centre. Being Sunday there wasn't much open. On enquiring at the tourist info centre at the main square, we were told we could get free wifi at the Mercado (markets) about 4 blocks away but we were unable to connect. We avoid the boat's internet as it's so expensive. Not far from the markets is a statue of Bernardo O'Higgins successful Irish businessman. He married Sara Braun, Russian born who moved here as a child. He built a fancy palace for her, Sara Braun Palace, which is open for tourists but we didn't visit it. We had a pleasant walk around the town and it's certainly a clean and tidy place.

In the centre of the nice Plaza de Armas (main square) sits an imposing statue of Ferdinand Magellan, looking towards the strait that bears his name. At the base of the monument sits a figure of a Patagonian native. Legend holds that if you kiss the toe of the statue, you will be immune to seasickness, you will travel calm waters, and you will return to Punta Arenas. The bottom half of this foot was shiny brass with all the people touching it. The weather wasn't letting up albeit only raining lightly but we decided to catch the shuttle back to the boat, get warm and have a late lunch.

The Cockburn Channel and The Beagle Channel are mentioned on our itinerary for after we leave Punta Arenas. The Cockburn Channel is a channel that separates the Brecknock Peninsula, which is the westernmost projection of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, from Clarence Island, Capitán Aracena Island and other minor islands in Chile. The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

We are supposed to be rounding Cape Horn and travelling Drake Passage in a couple days and are told the Passage can be very rough! (not looking forward to that)

5-2-2018 Monday
Ushuaia is a resort town in Argentina. It's located on the Tierra del Fuego archipaelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the “End of the World.” The windswept town, perched on a steep hill, is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel. It's the gateway to Antarctica cruises and tours to nearby Isla Yécapasela, known as “Penguin Island” for its penguin colonies.

This morning about 6.30am the boat sailed through Glacier Alley, where plenty glaciers could be viewed on either side of the boat. The day looked like it was shaping up to be a fine sunny one which is good because we had booked a small plane flight today. We docked in the town of Ushuaia (Argentina) (pronounced Youshw-eye-a) around midday. Behind the town was a backdrop of mountains with craggy peaks and snow and small glaciers on them - a pretty sight but I'm not sure I'd want to be here in the winter. There were 2 other big cruise boats docked at the same pier. After lunch we went ashore and walked 3kms around to the Aero Club Ushuaia, a small plane business located right next door to the commercial airport. On the way we saw a large white statue of what appeared to be a Condor (bird), on the ground, shaping its wings around in a protective semi-circle, around native people. We have heard the Condor features high up in the folklore in South America. We haven't seen one yet but they are still supposed to be around. For being so close to the Antarctic I was surprised it wasn't a lot colder, even though it is summer here.

By mid afternoon we departed on our 1 hour flight in a small 4 seater plane (additonal to the pilot). We were glad we were the only 2 passengers. Another flight had 4 (bit smaller than us) passengers and it would've been a bit squeezy - getting in and out of the plane was a bit more difficult than other small planes we've been in. I sat in the front seat for a change and you walked on the wing to get to the door. Getting from the wing down into the seat was a long way (further than others we've been in). Another staff person was on hand to help us in and out if needed. Bending my right leg up to squeeze it in through the door, and back out again at the end, was probably the hardest part. Getting out, I had to swing both my legs out first and then the guy outside on the wing, pulled me up which is good as I couldn't have done it on my own. Dave practised his contortion skills getting in and out of the back seat. I remember the 2 flights we had in Australia in the last couple years, I could get in and out myself, even though it took a little effort.

Apparently yesterday here, it was overcast with low cloud, the same as it was where we were in Punta Arenas, so we are lucky that today we have been able to go up and see the landscape. It was good but we were a bit disappointed that it was too turbulent to fly over the iconic Andes mountains, which was our main reason for doing the flight. We could only see their jagged topped profile in the distance - you could see some glaciers trapped up there as well, in between the peaks. We flew over one island that is famous its penguin colony but we could only see a heap of black dots on the beach. A couple tourist boats (more easily discernible, bigger white rectangles) were sitting at the water's edge viewing the penguins.

We had a young lady pilot, who was quite a small lady and would've had more trouble seeing over the dashboard than I did - most of my photos had to be out the side window unless we were going downwards. Luckily she flies with her instrument and guages most of the time. She flew us up and down the Beagle Channel, littered with many beautiful looking islands, bordered by white sand, that are part of the Tierra del Fuego Archipaelago. As we were flying she pointed out what was in the 4 different directions around us - the Antarctic to the south, Chile to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and The Atlantic Ocean to the east.

She also pointed out a particular craggy part of the Andes ranges that she said was famous for adventurous mountain climbers coming to tackle them. We flew over a ranch that used to run cattle and sheep but when they all perished in bad weather, the ranch turned to the penguin tourism business as there was a big colony on one of the islands they own - the one we just flew over. When we touched down there were biggish birds on the runway, that looked like Cape Barron Geese on the top half of their bodies especially their heads, but not so much on the lower half. Beagle Channel is named after the boat, The Beagle, sailed in by the famous evolution theorist, Charles Darwin.

On the walk to the small airport today we saw a sight that we'd never seen before - a professional dog walker who was walking 13 dogs, abreast, on the footpath, and they weren't little dogs. They were mostly the size of a Labrador, and he seemed to have them attached to a long rigid type frame as well as having normal leads on each dog. This frame seemed to keep the dogs in some order without getting all tangled up in the leads. He seemed to be handling it quite well. His small truck type vehicle had big black boxes (with small wire mesh windows) on the back in which he obviously transports the dogs in, to wherever he's going to walk them. We hoped he had plenty of doggy 'doodoo' bags with him. The little we saw of the town we noticed it was quite clean and tidy.

After the flight we didn't feel like exploring the town so we shared a taxi back to the port with another couple from our boat. This couple were from Mt Tamborine in Queensland. We'd got in touch with them before we left home, to liaise about an excursion that we were all going on in the first couple days of our voyage. This couple had left about a half hour earlier than us on their flight and had flown over the Andes, but said it was very bumpy and he said he took more photos of the plane roof and his feet than anything else. Ha ha!

This is the last town now as we head off tonight at about 8pm toward the Antarctic.

15-2-2018 Thursday Puerto Madryn Argentina
Puerto Madryn is an Argentine city on the coast of northern Patagonia. Its sandy beaches and restaurant-lined promenade face Golfo Nuevo bay, where southern right whales breed from May to December. Ecocentro is a clifftop museum with exhibits on Patagonian nature, and a lighthouse-style tower for ocean views. Across the bay, rocky Valdes Peninsula is home to penguins and elephant seals, which are preyed on by orcas.

We docked this morning about 8am at the port of the town Madryn (Argentina). It had been forecast for 35 degrees C but this morning we were told it was only about 30 degrees C so was a nice sunny day without being too hot. The town is right at the end of the pier and looked fairly well built up with a few multi storey buildings. Across the road was the beach with plenty umbrellas set up and people sunbaking but Dave thought the water was probably too cold for a swim. From the pier the sand appeared to be quite greyish although it was probably ground shells (pounded by the waves over a very long time) as the following blurb on one of the information boards describes:-

"Ten million years ago Peninsula Valdes and a big portion of continental Argentina was under seas. Puerto Madryn, Rawson, Comodoro Rivadavia and other Patagonian cities were part of the seafloor where a great deal of crustaceans, molluscs and fish lived. With the ocean withdraw (when the ocean receded) the seafloor was exposed to sunlight creating the very large amount of invertebrate fossils which dominate Patagonian grounds."

The sites we visited today had signs with warnings not to take any of the fossils lying around. You could see the shells were halves, oyster or clam shells and it was interesting that these were millions of years old. At home we find these shells regularly on the beaches and rock areas but they are only of recent times, with living creatures in them not long ago.

We didn't have a tour booked this morning so when we walked off the boat this morning we checked the tours that are always offered at the ports when a cruise boat comes in. None near the gangway suited us so we walked to the end of the pier to see what others were available. Luckily there was a Dutch couple next to us (around our age and ended up very nice) doing the same thing, and who had already checked out what a taxi driver could offer. It was a much better price if four of us went and split the cost so we agreed to go. They spoke Spanish and English and so translated for us as the driver only spoke Spanish, so we feel we ended up with a good deal, and it ended up being a good day, especially considering we were together for over 5 hours.

We drove to the Valdes Peninsula which is where some of the tourist buses go and a lot of the drive was on unsealed roads, but they were wide and very well maintained. It is a national park with an area of 3625 square kilometres and in 1999 was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is at the end of an isthmus of about 40 kms and is bordered by 3 Gulfs (the New, San Jose and Matias), the Argentine Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped at the Interpretive Visitor Centre at the entrance to the park where there was a Southern Right Whale skeleton and the skull of a 7 yr old juvenile male Orca Whale on display.

The land was fairly flat with low bushes, no trees, and we saw sheep, cattle, Guanacos and Choique (the Lesser Rhea) birds. The light brown and white Guanacos are related to camels and are the wild ancestors of the domestic llama. They are apparently social animals and we saw them often in the company of sheep. I wondered if they were protectors of the sheep like the alpacas in OZ(?) The Rheas looked a bit like our emus but with the flowing fine wing feathers.

We finally ended up seeing some Magellanic Penguins and fairly close (but behind a fenced area), which was great as we didn't get to see them the other day. This was the only penguin site we visited. They had burrows dug into rocky/sandy hills that was a steep climb up from the ocean. They are a very different looking penguin to the Gentoos and their chicks are mostly all black, although we didn't see any. I saw what I assumed were some courting activities (appeared like bullying), with the male pushing the female down into the burrow, with him then just laying down, outside, on top of the burrow! Maybe she was late cooking his lunchl! It didn't help that the Magellanic Penguin is quite maniacal looking. It has a red area around the top of its eye and a thin white line running around under its beak, extending from one eye to the other eye - making it look like it's making an evil grin.

We went to a few different locations to see Sea Lions, Elephant Seals and different types of birdlife such as cormorants and gulls. We saw a male Sea Lion on the beach and it really did seem to have a big mane around its head. With a couple of these sites the animals were quite a long way away for photos but the scenery was beautiful, especially with the surrounding aqua coloured water. The best site, where we were closer to them for photos, was Punta (Point) Piramide. Our viewing platform was above them and we were looking down on them, many of them, making a lot of noise and sometimes you could smell them (a disadvantage of being close). There were many black pups barking and playing in a pool of water on the rocks, like a nursery.

There was an information board about Orcas (as they are predators of these animals) but we didn't see any. Orcas are called killer whales because they are considered Super predators, due to the their wide range of prey and their lack of natural enemies (except for man). Their prey includes penguins, fish, dolphins, sharks, sea lions, seals, and whales, but an information board advised they are not actually whales. Apparently the Orca is the largest of the dolphin family. I suppose that explains why they look cuter than whales, a stark contrast to their predatory, aggressive nature.

By the time we returned we didn't have time to walk around the town to explore, and we were tired anyway after a long drive, much of it on gravel roads.

16-2-2018 Friday At Sea
Another day at sea with no land in sight, and time to start thinking about packing our bags as we will be disembarking the boat on Monday morning. 4pm Happy Hour helps pass the time pleasantly.

17-2-2018 Saturday Montevideo Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, is a major city along Montevideo Bay. It revolves around the Plaza de la Independencia, once home to a Spanish citadel. This plaza leads to Ciudad Vieja (the old town), with art deco buildings, colonial homes and landmarks including the towering Palacio Salvo and neoclassical performance hall Solís Theatre. Mercado del Puerto is an old port market filled with many steakhouses. Placed like a tiny buffer between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is one of the smallest countries of South America. Its geographical size is slightly larger than England and Wales combined, but it has a sparse population of just over 3 million people.

We docked at Montevideo (capital of Uruguay) around 9am. A very big Celebrity's cruise boat was also docked here, where it appears all the shipping for the city is also carried out. There were many cranes and shipping containers sharing the same dock, not far from where our boat was docked. It was forecast to be about 27 degrees C today and it probably was, plus we had the bonus of a lovely sunny day. On getting off the boat a little after 9am we took up a City Tours morning tour of the main city's sites. We were in one of those new minibuses with about 12 other people, which was a good size.

As we drove around we noticed that the city was quite well maintained and clean, a pleasure to visit. There were many trees and plants throughout. We visited the Plaza de la Independencia, a prominent plaza with a statue at its centre of General Artigas on his horse, considered to be the father of Uruguay. Other sites were the Palacio Legislative - the impressive parliament building which was inaugurated in 1925 and is a national historic monument. We saw several interesting street markets and an impressive statue of a team of 6 bullocks pulling a cart with a broken wheel, and a man on a horse beside them. There were many buildings with elegant colonial architecture.

We drove along the esplanade to where there is a MONTEVIDEO Statue in 2 metre high lettering, celebrating their upcoming 2018 Carnavale - sounds like they (South American countries) all seem to have a Carnavale. Someone we know was going to the one in Rio Brazil this month. This big lettering of the city name reminded me of the one we have at Southbank in South Brisbane - BRISBANE in 2 metre high lettering also. A lot of people (I presume tourists, just like us) was standing next to it, behind it and climbed up on top of it to have their photo taken. It was located on the esplanade which, in the distance, curved around into a semi-circular white sandy beach with many colourful umbrellas and many people on the beach. Across the road from the beach five to eight storey buildings lined the esplanade as far as the eye could see - a lovely place for a holiday. As we drove the tour guide pointed out the city's golf course, which also was located across the road from the beach, and we were surprised that it was basically in the middle of the capital instead of further out in the suburbs.

At the end of our 3 hour tour we got off at the Mercado del Puerto, the old port market that is filled with many restaurants and lots of steakhouses. The beautiful iron and glass port building has been restored to house 14 restaurants and stalls. Even though there were other shops inside, the eateries were dominant, and the place was certainly being well patronised, very popular with the locals so obviously a good place to eat. From outside you could smell the meat cooking. When you went in, there were stacks of meat being barbecued on a big grill over and open fire, and this was repeated many times in this place. It put us in mind of when we were in Spain in 2011, and there were similar barbecues but they were outdoors. The aroma of lots of meat frying certainly made our mouths water but we decided to just have a beer and go back to the boat for lunch. The port was just across the road from the market.

18-2-2018 Sunday Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Buenos Aires, Argentina’s elegant, historic and cosmopolitan capital, is known as the “Paris of the South” due to its European atmosphere with glamorous avenues lined with fashionable shops and Parisian-style restaurants and cafes. Located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires has many fascinating neighbourhoods including the colourful and lively La Boca, home to art galleries and tango shows; San Telmo with its restored mansions and antique stores and Recoleta, the city’s most exclusive area.

We arrived in Buenos Aires (capital of Argentina) this morning around 7am but we don't disembark today - we're not sure why. Anyway it gives us the chance to explore a bit without doing the bag packing and transfer stuff until tonight and tomorrow morning. We share the same docks as the shipping activities, with shipping containers stacked up high and just a few metres away from our window (similar to Montevideo yesterday). We had breakfast and and went ashore but here, you couldn't walk along the pier to the town, as it wasn't allowed. You had to get a shuttle bus (free) through and around all the rows and rows of shipping containers. At the terminal there was another free shuttle bus into the main part of the city.

It was a lovely sunny day, quite warm, but there was a nice cool breeze, especially if you were in the shade. Our first impression was that it was a clean and tidy city, and gave a safe feel, although we were warned by the cruise line about there being recent cases of pick pocketing/mugging/scams in the city. It was Sunday so the traffic is not so busy and it's a lot quieter and more pleasant walking around (so hopefully the bad guys are having the day off too..). We saw plenty normal buses and taxis. We were going to get a Hop-On-Hop-Off red bus but they were too expensive, considering we have a prebooked and prepaid half day city tour tomorrow (plus they were yellow anyway..). So we just explored ourselves for a couple hours.

We walked a couple blocks down the road to the lovely Plaza San Martin/San Martin Square, well maintained and plenty of trees. Nearby is the Calle Florida/Florida St, an elegant pedestrian shopping street. Nearby is the Torres de los Ingleses/Tower of the English, a tall thin brick building, a clock tower. It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810. Apparently after the Falklands War in 1982, the tower was renamed Torre Monumental, though some still call it Torre de los Ingleses and that was the name on the tourist map. It was Sunday and the entry gate was locked, even though we saw an official looking guy standing in the open doorway. We saw quite a few nice old buildings on our short walk, the long distance train station being one of them. Inside it had very high curved and ornate ceilings, and fancy balconies and brickwork. The local train station was in a similar old impressive building right next door.

We walked a bit further past the train station where the area started to look a little less desirable. An older male worker (of the street) pointed to Dave's camera (slung over his shoulder) and pointed to his eyes, to say be careful, of thieves. As we started walking it got a bit smelly and there seemed to be some stalls with goods being sold but there also seemed to be some makeshift shelters (like homelessness). We looked down an alley which seemed to have more shopping areas, but it was dirty and rubbishy and not all that enticing or feel-safe. So we changed direction. We walked through another market that was much better, stalls that were separate and lockable, had lots of clothes and other merchandise - much safer.

After that we felt we'd seen enough so made our way back to the shuttle bus location and back to the boat. We got back about 11.30. We're getting off the boat tomorrow so we have to pack our big bags and leave them outside our door by midnight. They'll be collected and waiting for us (we hope) at the terminal tomorrow morning for collection.

This morning we saw that the cruise ship, MSC Poesia, was docked nearby. In 2008, 10 years ago, we went on a Mediterranean cruise on this boat and Andrew was with us, on its maiden voyage, its first ever cruise - a bit of nostalgia.

19-2-2018 Monday Disembark Cruise Ship
We took our time this morning as our disembarking time was around 9.30. We weren't in a hurry as we were being picked up and taken to our hotel. We got the shuttle to the terminal where we picked up our bags that'd been taken for us last night. Our pick up driver was outside waiting for us and it took about 15 mins to go to the Dazzler Recoleta Hotel at the area of Recoleta (Buenos Aires Argentina) for 3 nights.

We just took the rest of the day to settle in, and had an early dinner of nice pizza around the middle of the afternoon.

20-2-2018 Tuesday
This morning we had breakfast in the hotel at at 9am we were picked up for a Beunos Aires Highlights Tour which took a bit over 3 hours. We were on a bus with 9 others from England, Ireland, USA and one other Aussie couple. Our stops included; the Plaza de Mayo Square, the site of Argentina’s most important historical events; Catedral Primada de Buenos Aires which didn't have the usual look of a church on the outside, it looked more like a Roman building, the A shape with the big round columns out the front like the Pantheon in Rome; and La Boca,a neighbourhood built by Italian immigrants, full of brightly painted houses, painted with left over paint given to them by the ships that docked a hundred years ago. This tradition has been carried on, with lots more colours being used now than would've been used by ships back then. We walked along Caminito Street where there were lots of eateries, souvenir shops, ladies dressed up in Tango dresses for a (paid) photo with tourists, statues and wall murals, a lively and enjoyable place although we didn't stay long.

As we walked through the busy city there were many, many amazing old beautiful buildings, with little balconies, iron wrought railings and decoratively carved figures, and they seemed to outnumber the modern buildings, which was nice. The traffic was apparently particularly bad today our tour guide said. We drove down May Avenue, named in honor of the May Revolution of 1810 (the event that led to Argentine Independence), and down the city's widest Boulevard called 9 July, its name honours Argentina's Independence Day, July 9 1816. We passed by the Colon Theatre, one of the world's best-known opera houses, San Telmo, the oldest residential neighborhood in Buenos Aires, and the Boca Juniors soccer stadium, the exterior brightly painted in their team colours blue and yellow.

We drove past an area called Puerto Madero, an old port area and its exclusive docks, that have been modernized, now full of excellent restaurants, large offices and a huge Hilton hotel. We passed by Palermo and its most exclusive residential area before finally arriving at Recoleta, where our hotel is located and considered an up market area. Not far down the road is Recoleta Cemetery - the final resting place of notable Argentinians such as former presidents and, famously, Argentinian President Juan Peron's wife, Eva Peron. This cemetery was jaw-dropping. Someone said there is a similar one in Paris but we hadn't seen it when we were there. One couple on our tour were in a hotel looking over the cemetery and wondered what it was. They said it looked like a little town/village for little people, and walking through it was like walking through a little town/village. What they were seeing were mausoleums, over 4,500 of them, so it was a little town in a way, a town for the very rich, dearly departed. You could easily get lost in there if you didn't have a tour guide or a map.

The following is some information about Recoleta cemetery and Eva Peron.

1. Recoleta Cemetery
Set in 5.5 hectares (14 acres), the site contains 4691 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments by the Argentine government and are protected by the state. The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Doric columns. The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic. Most materials used between 1880 and 1930 in the construction of tombs were imported from Paris and Milan.

The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums. These mausoleums are still being used by rich families in Argentina that have their own vault and keep their deceased there. While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair. Several can be found with broken glass and littered with rubbish. Among many memorials are works by notable Argentine sculptors, Lola Mora and Luis Perlotti for instance. The tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak, due to its unusual design, is of special interest.

2. Eva Perón
Eva Perón, wife of Argentine president Juan Peron, was the first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. As first lady, Eva Perón, fondly called “Evita” by many, played a major role in her husband's administration. She is widely remembered for her efforts to help the poor and for her role in getting women the vote. Although Eva Perón was adored by the masses, some Argentines intensely disliked her, believing Eva's actions were driven by a ruthless ambition to succeed at all costs. Eva Perón's life was cut short when she died of cancer at the age of 33.

Her secrecy contributed to her legacy: the "white myth" and the "black myth" of Eva Perón. In the white myth, Eva was a saint-like, compassionate woman who helped the poor and disadvantaged. In the black myth, the Eva Perón with the questionable past (being illegitimate and of a poor family) was depicted as ruthless and ambitious, willing to do anything to advance her husband's career. It was also suspected that her lavish clothes and jewellery were paid for by the donations made to her Foundation for the poor, donations from businesses that were persuaded to donate with the threat of penalty or jail time if they didn't.

Evita is a biographical musical of the life of Eva Peron by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The famous song, Don't cry for me Argentina, came from this musical.
--------------------------------------------------

This evening we were picked up at 8pm for a pre-booked dinner and intimate & passionate tango show, housed in a cosy wood-panelled 19th century building in the heart of Buenos Aires's historic centre. The building has a colourful history as it was once a meeting point for poets and students. After being abandoned in the late 1970s, the bar was beautifully restored and reopened in July 1992 as El Querandí Tango Hall. Apparently the popular and sensuous tango is often referred to as 'a vertical expression of a horizontal desire' - perfect description.

By the time we picked up all the people from different hotels, drove to the Tango hall and started dinner, it was 9.15pm! We never would eat dinner this late but apparently we've been told this is quite common in Buenos Aires - with one tour guide telling us she doesn't eat dinner until about 11pm! Night clubs here don't open until 3am and finish about 7am. Normal restaurants don't open until about 8pm for business. Outside the city things are bit more what we'd expect.

Dinner was very good (empanadas for entree, the most tender steak for main and tiramisu dessert, wine and beer included) and the one hour long show started as we finished dinner. There were two house singers, six dancers and four musicians and were all very good. The incredibly flexible dancers were terrific, doing dance positions that'd put us into traction! I can imagine that they would always sleep well after that good work out. The show charts the history of Argentina's most authentic artistic expression from its origins to the modern day - the different eras were El Arrabal ...1910, El Cabaret 1905-1926, La Milonga 1932-1955, and El Modernismo 1955...

We got back to the hotel after midnight and hurried to bed as we have another tour in the morning.

Tango history
The words "tango" and "tambo" around the La Plata River basin in Argentina, were initially used to refer to musical gatherings of slaves.

A short description
The Tango, often called 'The Argentine Tango', is Argentina's contribution to the world of dance. The Tango came from the brothels and low cafes of Buenos Aires in the late 1800's and early 1900s. However, at it's very beginning, it was a ballet-like dance between two men, which, just a little later, became the obscene dance of the brothels where both men and women had the opportunity to rub their bodies together. Over the years, the Tango has changed becoming an elegant and stylish dance evoking a picture of high society, with women in sleek glittering evening gowns and men in tuxedos and tails.

A longer description
In the late 1800's and early 1900s, Argentina and Uruguay attracted men who braved the frontier seeking their fortunes. They had come from all over the old world - Spain, Portugal, Italy, some of northen Europe, and even Africa to work the docks and ranches. These were workers who left families, or criminals seeking a better life, perhaps teens who didn't fit in, or for whatever reason found the new opportunities in South America more attractive than home.

The lore -- which has been shaped and embellished by popular culture -- is that these men were lonely and seeking entertainment after a hard day's work, and would visit the brothels near the docks to unwind.  Except there were too few courtesans.  The Tango arose as a way for the dock workers to gain the favor of selective courtesans.  Poor dancers and less experienced ones stayed lonely for the night.  Elements of the harsh environment made way into the dance, such as knife-fights on the dock, underworld rivalries, rejection and positioning for favor, and great sensuality.  The workers brought influences from their homeland, such as African rhythms, Italian machismo and pride, French and Spanish sensuality, and a variety of musical influences such as bandoneon (carnival accordion), singing solo violins, and strong beats.  There is an overarching sense of yearning in the music and a deep nostalgia for other times and places.

The first dance forms that evolved were an early precursor to the milonga form of Tango, which is a modern stomping form of the dance.  Milonga is also the modern catch-all name for a tango dance party used around the world.  Looking at silent movies from around the turn of the century, the dance was actually fairly simple at the time, and only over the decades has evolved into its current complex form after evolving from multiple generations of new cultural inputs. 

In the decades since, Tango has been revitalized multiple times and received new inputs and influences due to war, economic recession, political unrest, and waves of popularity.  Now it includes modern musical elements and has seen worldwide adoption with new cultural styles unique to regions where it's practiced.  It's vibrant, deep, drama-filled, and an exhilarating and beautiful art form.

21-2-2018 Wednesday
The Population of Buenos Aires is 15 million - more than half Australia's whole population of 24 million. Country of Argentina's population is 43 million so roughly one third of the population lives in the capital.

We were picked up this morning for our Tigre Delta Tour. After a few other pick ups we drove to Puerto Madero to board a catamaran and drive 1 and a half hours up the Rio de la Plata (River Plate) to the Tigre Delta. It was interesting to view the city skyline from the river, a totally different view. Paseo Victoria is the neighbourhood here, comprised of thousands of islands that have been formed by the continuous sediment of the Parana River, which gives the river and estuary a peculiar brownish red colour. The houses are built high up because when there are floods the shallow built up islands are very easily flooded.

Our tour guide told us the people who live here were hippies from the1970s and so of course, now are not young. However they still live here and pass their time making things out of wood, and other goods to sell at the markets. There are no services on these islands like supermarkets, hospitals, etc but there are boats apparently, that do drive by selling products. Each house has its own jetty and boat and we can understand why this would be attractive to some people. We got off the boat and walked to a restaurant where we had a simple lunch. Then we boarded a small bus and drove to Puerto Frutos markets where the 'hippies' sell their products. The port name was given because originally fruit was the main product sold here but no longer. We had a look and walk around but being a week day, only about 20 percent of the stalls were open and we saw nothing that we were interest in.

From there we drove to San Isidro and the San Isidro Cathedral, another big impressively built cathedral. We then drove back to Buenos Aires in the bus. We didn't feel like too much for dinner so just had some cheese and crackers.

22-2-2018 Thursday Iguazu Argentina
This morning after breakfast we were picked up at the hotel at 10am for our transfer to the domestic airport, and 1pm flight to Iguazu (Argentina) and the Jardin del Iguazu Hotel for 2 nights. On arrival we were met by our driver who took us and 3 others to our hotels and he explained all that'd be happening tomorrow.

After sorting all the details out we put our bags in our room and immediately went out for an early dinner as none of us had eaten since breakfast and it was after mid afternoon. We teamed up with another Aussie couple (from Brisbane) next door to us in the hotel and who were on the cruise and also at the last hotel, and walked a few blocks up the road to find a place that hopefully was open for dinner. We found one that was quite nice and had a nice time with them before going back to the hotel at a bit after 7pm. Got to go to bed early as early start in the morning to see the falls.

23-2-2018 Friday Iguazu Falls - Argentinean Side
We were picked up at 7.25am and driven to the magnificent Iguazu Falls, viewing from the Argentinean Side. We rode the Rainforest Ecological train, a small open sided train, for about half an hour to its destination. We got off and walked along a metal grated walkway to the Devils Throat Falls - where we were quite close to the mega amounts of water that just rushed down over the edge, into what looked like a giant hole, from where we were standing at the time. It was really awesome!

Back waiting for the train, a lot of animals called coati's (furry with long snouts) came down from the trees and were strolling around the people, looking for food. Some monkeys were sighted too by some people but we didn't see them. We were told not to feed them, or to have any food in our bags or eat in front of them as they would search your bag and try to take the food from you. They weren't aggressive unless you tried to touch them or take something back from them, and there were information boards that showed some injuries they'd inflicted on people who'd dared to touch them. I saw one couple kicking at one of them and then the lady chased it so it must've stolen something from them but I didn't see what. They will come right up to you if they think you have something they want. Of course the babies were very cute.

We rode the train back and those who had prebooked and prepaid (as we did) were taken in a truck with open seating on the back (about 30 people), and driven 6kms. There we continued to walk down many steps to the water where we donned our ponchos and a life jacket and hopped in an inflatable boat so we could drive right through the Iguazu Waterfalls! It was quite exciting and we managed not to get too wet except for our pants as the water came down on us and of course, our seats.

At the jetty where we got on the boat, there was a small alligator in the water, chomping on some food that the workers had thrown to him/her - I hoped that we didn't end up getting turned over in the boat and into the water as there would be more of them out there. Luckily this did not happen. I think the whole truckload of 30 people were on the boat and we drove through the falls a couple times, all squealing and laughing (crazy people). They gave us waterproof bags to put the things in that we didn't want to get wet like shoes, phones, cameras, etc - the bags were too small for our bodies.... There were a couple other inflatable boats out there doing the same thing, so it's good that we weren't the only crazies out there. There were plenty of rocks in the water that the driver had to be careful to avoid. We didn't enjoy walking back up all those steps on the way back but that's the price you pay for adventure and excitement.

The spectacular Iguazu Falls that straddle the Argentine-Brazil border, are made up of 275 individual waterfalls lining a 2.7km wide horseshoe-shaped gorge. The Falls are located where the Iguazu River cascades over the edge of the Paraná Plateau. The Falls can be viewed from both the Argentinian and the Brazilian sides, the Brazilian side offering a broader, panoramic view, with the Argentinian side offering a series of catwalks that allow you to experience the Falls from close range.

That evening we walked up the road and had a nice dinner with the same Aussie couple as last night.

24-2-2018 Saturday Iguazu Falls - Brazilian Side
This morning we had to pack our bags and take with them with us today as we fly out later this evening. We were picked up in a bus at 7.35am and had to cross the border into Brazil. Our tour guide collected all our passports and went in on his own with them to process and we just stayed in the bus - amazing, that this process of crossing into another country was so simple and without inspection at all of people or bags, the opposite of if we'd flown in. We were told today that just down the road was a point where the borders of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil met.

So today we see the falls from the Brazilian side. We went to the visitor centre first for a short time and then went on the bus to the walkways for views of the Floriana Falls, the Devil’s Gorge Canyon and the Iguazu River are which were spectacular. There were so many viewing points and there were many, many people with cameras in hand - thank God for digitisation, and not having to pay to process photos anymore. At one point we were so close to the falls you could hardly hear for the sound of the rushing water. We walked out along a walkway where we got quite a lot of spray.

After that our tour was finished and we were driven to the Bird Park - Parques Das Aves where we collected our bags off the bus and had them stored at the Bird Park, while we went inside. It was a great place to spend some time before we were to be transported to the airport for our flight. It was a wonderful park - flamingoes, toucans, macaws, and many other birds. The macaws had a large aviary all to themselves and they were deafening, especially as it was feeding time when we went in there. They are big birds, many colours and quite magnificent - I think we probably spent a lot longer time in there than anywhere else in the park.

The park brochure says that half the birds we come across during our visit, were rescued from mistreatment or animal trafficking. On arrival at the park, these animals are rehabilitated and receive hospital care when necessary. When possible, they are released back into the wild, and when this is not possible, they get a home here in the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest.

We had some lunch there and at 2pm we were picked up and driven to the airport for our 6pm flight to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and then transported to the Mirasol Copacabana Hotel for 3 nights.

A few things about the hotel
Most hotels have a couple things you may not like (except for the Hilton in Quito which was fabulous) but this hotel had a lot of things. We were a bit disappointed with this hotel for a number of reasons. The room was quite big, with a good king and a single bed, but it was a poor design. There was no chair and table or bench to set the computer up on, and no foldable structure specifically to put your big bag on so we had to use the floor or the single bed. The shower head was terrible and the bathroom ceiling was made of a wooden grid instead of a sealed ceiling, presumably for easy access to the pipes of the unit above if needed. This meant you could hear the water running in these pipes and you could hear the noises from the unit next door - notably a toddler throwing a tantrum at 10 o'clock at night and a parent chastising him/her (it seems people, including children, stay up late at night in South America).

There were also dust/cobwebs hanging from this wooden grid which didn't make us feel that we were protected from cockroach or other insect infestation - you felt like something could drop down on you at anytime while you were in there. The air conditioning unit was quite old and noisy and the building seemed quite old too. There were renovations going on in the reception area, so no air conditioning there. When we were down there with our bags waiting for our transport on the day we left, it was quite hot - it was cooler outside. The one big positive thing we do have to say about the hotel is that they had a wonderful buffet breakfast that was included (with beautiful fresh fruit including mango and plenty of breakfast choices).

25-2-2018 Sunday Corcovado and Sugarloaf Hill
Known as the "Cidade Maravihosa", or Marvelous City, Rio never fails to amaze with its sandy beaches, carefree lifestyle and unparalleled natural beauty. As the capital of Brazil until 1960, Rio is today one of the most culturally and economically prominent cities in the country, receiving more tourists than any other part of Brazil. In 2012 Rio De Janeiro was the first city in the world to be awarded the title of World Heritage Site of Cultural Landscapes by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

This morning we were picked up at 7.15 in a small bus with about 9 other people for our city tour. It was a good day to do this tour being Sunday, as it was a much easier day for traffic. First we drove up the 4 kms winding Corcovado Hill, through the world's largest urban Tijuca Forest National Park, to arrive at the statue of Christ the Redeemer. It was completed in 1931 and stands 98 feet (30 metres) tall, its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28 metres). The statue, clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular soapstone tiles, sits on a square stone pedestal base about 26 feet (8 metres) high. The statue is the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world and is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most recognizable landmarks. We were early and it was still busy with many people up here taking photos. Of course the views were fabulous up there.

Next we drove to where we caught 2 cable cars up to Sugarloaf Hill, again for some wonderful panoramic views of the city. Behind cable car station at the bottom was bare faced rock and we could see a number of people climbing it - of course they were just little coloured dots in the distance. Kathy our tour guide said it gets its name from an item called a 'sugarloaf'- this was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top (the shape of a bullet) was the end-product of a process in which the dark molasses-rich raw sugar was refined into white sugar. (We thought it was because it looked like a sugarloaf cabbage) The shape of it from a distance reminded me of Machu Picchu's shaped hill. After taking in the panoramic views we caught the cable cars back down the hill to see Monserrate Church, very simple looking on the outside, but very ornate with lots of gold leaf covered structures on the inside.

We made a quick stop at the very popular Maracana Stadium (Estadio Mario Filho), once the place of the most important classics of Brazilian soccer, stage of the 2014 World Cup finals. Next was the Catholic Catedral Metropolitana, another church that on the outside, looks nothing like a church. Its cone-shaped building is 75 metres high, and it looks just like a Dalek out of the tv series Dr Who. It was inaugurated in 1979 and has a room capacity of 20,000 people. It had 3 stained glassed windows that went from floor to ceiling and joined up at the ceiling with a cross made up of white lights. Our guide says it's nicknamed the Bermuda Triangle because all the money disappears there...... Outside was a statue of Mother Teresa, or Saint Teresa actually, the world famous nun from India who devoted her life to serving and helping the poor. We passed by the bohemian neighbourhood of Lapa and its famous arches, and a viaduct that carries street cars (trams).

We drove through and along the beaches of the neighbourhoods of Copacabana (keep hearing Barry Manilow's song in my head) and Ipanema (and keep hearing the Ipanema Girls song in my head too). Our guide pointed out the bar where the song, Ipanema Girls, was created after seeing the obvious - beautiful tanned girls walking by. The beaches are of beautiful white sand and there were plenty of people and umbrellas on them. One strange thing we learned today was that on Sundays and holidays one side of this road (esplanade) next to the beach is closed to traffic so cyclists and pedestrians have exclusive use of it. The other side of this road is open but the traffic direction is reversed, so you're driving along the road and the white arrows on the road are going against you - it's very disconcerting! We're not sure if these rules are just along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches or everywhere.

We stopped at Praça Mauá (square) which houses two cultural institutions - the Rio Art Museum (MAR) and the Museum of Tomorrow that seems to raise up from the sea like a wave of knowledge and culture. We also passed the Olympic Cauldron and Candelaria Church.

Our guide pointed out the many colourful Favelas around Rio. Favelas are slums that've sprung up by the poor people over the years as they couldn't afford other housing. They seem to be a tourism point of interest in brochures and word of mouth by tourists. (More information on favelas at the end of this day's diary) For lunch we had a Brazilian BBQ which was in a fancy restaurant where you have a buffet salad and waiters come around with different types of meat on big long skewers and cut some off for you right at the table. It was very nice but there was way too much meat to try to savour in a one hour lunch time - pity we didn't have more time.

When we got dropped off at our hotel after 4pm we went across the road and bought 6 cans of beer (473ml) and a bottle of sprite (600ml) at a cost of Brazilian Real $30 - about AUD$13! Dave wants to move here!

Favelas are located most often on the periphery of large cities. Some of the best-known favelas are those that cling to steep hillsides in Rio de Janeiro. Favela housing generally begins with makeshift structures fashioned from wood scraps and daub. Over time more-durable materials such as brick, cinder blocks, and sheet metal are incorporated. The lack of infrastructure gives rise to improvised and jerry-rigged plumbing and electrical wiring. Often water must be ported great distances, and rudimentary methods of waste disposal pose health hazards. As a result of the crowding, unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, and pollution, disease is rampant in the poorer favelas, and infant mortality rates are high.

A favela, Brazilian Portuguese for slum, is a low-income historically informal urban area in Brazil. The first favela, now known as Providencia in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, appeared in the late 19th century, built by soldiers who had nowhere to live following the Canudos War. Some of the first settlements were called bairros africanos (African neighborhoods). Over the years, many former enslaved Africans moved in. Even before the first favela came into being, poor citizens were pushed away from the city and forced to live in the far suburbs. However, most modern favelas appeared in the 1970s due to rural exodus, when many people left rural areas of Brazil and moved to cities. Unable to find places to live, many people found themselves in favelas. Census data released in December 2011 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) showed that in 2010, about 6 percent of the Brazilian population lived in slums.

26-2-2018 Monday
Today we had a free day with nothing booked - yay! So we had an easy start, leaving some time after 9am, catching the subway 3 stations and walked barefoot in the water along Praia de Ipanema (Ipanema beach). Of course there were people on the beach but not as many as yesterday, Sunday. Then we walked from the beach up along the canal that leads to the lagoon, Rodrigo de Freitas, where the rowing events took place in the 2016 Olympics (the water that our competitors complained was very polluted). On the way we walked through a fresh meat, fruit and vege market which was wonderful. They had avocadoes that were twice the size of our Shepherd ones, more like the size of our big Reid avocadoes that I see occasionally in our supermarkets.

We walked for a little way along the lagoon, and hoped we would be able to see some Favelas (colourful houses/slums) up close, but we couldn't find out way there. So we caught the train back to our station, did a quick walk down to Praia de Copacabana (Copacabana Beach), bought some early dinner and drinks and went to our air conditioned room.

27-2-2018 Tuesday HOME
This morning we were picked up at 9.30am and transferred to the airport for our final flights and journey home. We fly from Rio to Santiago (4hrs 40 m), then to Auckland (12hrs 40m) and then to Brisbane (3hrs 40m), getting home about Wed 7.15am (losing a day). We had a 6 hour wait in Santiago so we went into a member's lounge with food and drinks, which was a pleasant way of waiting.