After 27 flights and eight countries in less than three months we decided to return to Canada a little early. We arrived back to Calgary just in time for Alana to write her provincial exams for Grade 6 after being away for three months. She was up for the challenge.
We've now settled in and look forward to the summer in Canada.
Thanks to all you readers out there. We appreciated your comments on the blog and we're glad you enjoyed following us along on our trip.
We would encourage you all to visit South America in the future. Ignore the common misperceptions out there about continent and go and see it for yourselves.
Have a great summer.
Tony, Ruth and Alana
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Let’s do the time warp today….
With apologies to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tony hums the tune as we see our first 1960’s car in Havana, stepping outside the airport. The city is full of them – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – along with the tin boxes on wheels we know affectionately as the Lada, the symbol of the former Soviet empire.
It was explained to us there is a shortage of private cars in Cuba and so these cars are passed down through the generations, held together by what surely must be coat-hangers and glue. Like a family pet you’ve grown old with, deep affections develop for the family automobile, despite the obvious inconveniences like constant breakdowns, terrible fuel efficiency and belching exhaust. I understand from a friend that Canada’s very own David Suzuki has been heard touting the “greenness” of Cuba. Has the man even been there? He must have been sucking on one of these tailpipes or some ganja.
We’ve decided to visit the socialist experiment called Cuba before the hoards of Americans return to the Caribbean island. Obama is signaling some relaxations in travel, starting with allowing more visits back to their home by Cubans living in the U.S.
Our focus is on the beautiful city of Havana, where officially 2-million residents of the 11-million in Cuba live. Unofficially, a guide tells us the number is closer to 4-million, as an economic death-grip on the country prevails since the fall of the Soviet empire in the 1990s, forcing people into the city to survive.
Sadly, the country’s best and brightest often give up on their chosen careers to work in tourism or anything where they may get tips or propinas from foreigners. We heard the story of an aeronautical engineer who now drives taxi, a teacher that now is a Havana guide, a doctor that waits tables in a fashionable local hotel restaurant. By doing so, all saw their family incomes go up by as much as 10x.
We spent most of our time in Old Havana. The place oozes with charm. Most of the buildings are old Colonial, some dating back more than 300 years. Here again lies a problem. After the revolution of 1959, the communists said they would improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba after Castro's abrupt expropriation of all private property and industry under a strong communist model backed by the Soviet Union followed by the U.S. embargo, hit Havana especially hard. As a result, today much of Havana is in a dilapidated state.
There have been recent efforts at restoration and many buildings are in various stages of getting a facelift. As well, the lovely stone streets are generally in good repair.
You don’t have to walk very far to find the Caribbean Sea. Its breezes are welcome in the sweltering heat. There is a popular malecon or boardwalk along the water. And only 30 minutes out of Havana is the Playa del Estes area with white sand beaches.
Nightclubs are abundant and we took in the famous Tropicana show, which lived up to its building. A little unnerving for visitors is how dark the city is at night. Again, our friend says David Suzuki cites the conservation of electricity for the “greenness” of Cuba. I suspect the real reason is Cuba doesn’t have enough power to keep the city lit.
Readers now may be getting tired of the rant against socialism. Just a little more please. Tony’s Blackberry can’t get a data signal (he suspects no Blackberries work here out of government fear they could be used to overthrow the Castro regime). Similarly, Wi-Fi at our hotel is more than CDN $10.00 per hour, whereas hotels run by the same French chain we stayed in South America offered free Wife. Surely, a Communist plot too!!
There are some small signs of improvement for Cubans under Raul Castro. As of this year, they can now step inside and even stay in hotels. Previously, they could only get access for special events like a honeymoon night. Cubans can also now buy a cell phone. I should add both hotels and cell phones are beyond the financial reach of most citizens.
Enough on the politics.
A great attraction to visit is Ernest Hemingway’s Havana home, the hotel room he used to stay in before buying the house, and the three locals bars he frequented. We spent a morning touring all of the above with a guide.
The hotels and bars are smack in the middle of Old Havana. He drank daiquiris at The Floridita, mojitos at Del Mundo and virtually anything in a bottle at La Bodeguita del Medio. Alcohol was an important part in Hemingway’s life.
He was initially dragged by his wife kicking and screaming to the home, on four square kms of land, 20 minutes outside of the city centre, expecting he would be bored. Initially, they rented but then after a year bought the home for $18,000 from the French owners. Hemingway grew to love the extraordinary property.
The man had some idiosyncrasies. He wrote standing up. He had 50 cats and four wives and countless lovers. He loved hunting, fishing, cock fighting and bull fighting. Numerous trophy heads from many safari trips to Africa adorn the home’s walls. He had graves and tombstones on the property for his four dogs, but due to superstitions the graves for the cats were scattered randomly without any markings.
Interestingly, the home is now a museum and it sits almost as you would have found it when he killed himself with a shotgun in 1961, ending four years of suffering from liver disease. After his death, his last wife donated the property to the Cuban government.
Should you still decide to go to Cuba after reading this, do go to Havana and do stay at the NH Parquet Central. It has one of the best rooftop pools you’ll find anywhere with sweeping views of the city and of the Caribbean. A perfect place to sip mojitos and daiquiris.
With apologies to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tony hums the tune as we see our first 1960’s car in Havana, stepping outside the airport. The city is full of them – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – along with the tin boxes on wheels we know affectionately as the Lada, the symbol of the former Soviet empire.
It was explained to us there is a shortage of private cars in Cuba and so these cars are passed down through the generations, held together by what surely must be coat-hangers and glue. Like a family pet you’ve grown old with, deep affections develop for the family automobile, despite the obvious inconveniences like constant breakdowns, terrible fuel efficiency and belching exhaust. I understand from a friend that Canada’s very own David Suzuki has been heard touting the “greenness” of Cuba. Has the man even been there? He must have been sucking on one of these tailpipes or some ganja.
We’ve decided to visit the socialist experiment called Cuba before the hoards of Americans return to the Caribbean island. Obama is signaling some relaxations in travel, starting with allowing more visits back to their home by Cubans living in the U.S.
Our focus is on the beautiful city of Havana, where officially 2-million residents of the 11-million in Cuba live. Unofficially, a guide tells us the number is closer to 4-million, as an economic death-grip on the country prevails since the fall of the Soviet empire in the 1990s, forcing people into the city to survive.
Sadly, the country’s best and brightest often give up on their chosen careers to work in tourism or anything where they may get tips or propinas from foreigners. We heard the story of an aeronautical engineer who now drives taxi, a teacher that now is a Havana guide, a doctor that waits tables in a fashionable local hotel restaurant. By doing so, all saw their family incomes go up by as much as 10x.
We spent most of our time in Old Havana. The place oozes with charm. Most of the buildings are old Colonial, some dating back more than 300 years. Here again lies a problem. After the revolution of 1959, the communists said they would improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba after Castro's abrupt expropriation of all private property and industry under a strong communist model backed by the Soviet Union followed by the U.S. embargo, hit Havana especially hard. As a result, today much of Havana is in a dilapidated state.
There have been recent efforts at restoration and many buildings are in various stages of getting a facelift. As well, the lovely stone streets are generally in good repair.
You don’t have to walk very far to find the Caribbean Sea. Its breezes are welcome in the sweltering heat. There is a popular malecon or boardwalk along the water. And only 30 minutes out of Havana is the Playa del Estes area with white sand beaches.
Nightclubs are abundant and we took in the famous Tropicana show, which lived up to its building. A little unnerving for visitors is how dark the city is at night. Again, our friend says David Suzuki cites the conservation of electricity for the “greenness” of Cuba. I suspect the real reason is Cuba doesn’t have enough power to keep the city lit.
Readers now may be getting tired of the rant against socialism. Just a little more please. Tony’s Blackberry can’t get a data signal (he suspects no Blackberries work here out of government fear they could be used to overthrow the Castro regime). Similarly, Wi-Fi at our hotel is more than CDN $10.00 per hour, whereas hotels run by the same French chain we stayed in South America offered free Wife. Surely, a Communist plot too!!
There are some small signs of improvement for Cubans under Raul Castro. As of this year, they can now step inside and even stay in hotels. Previously, they could only get access for special events like a honeymoon night. Cubans can also now buy a cell phone. I should add both hotels and cell phones are beyond the financial reach of most citizens.
Enough on the politics.
A great attraction to visit is Ernest Hemingway’s Havana home, the hotel room he used to stay in before buying the house, and the three locals bars he frequented. We spent a morning touring all of the above with a guide.
The hotels and bars are smack in the middle of Old Havana. He drank daiquiris at The Floridita, mojitos at Del Mundo and virtually anything in a bottle at La Bodeguita del Medio. Alcohol was an important part in Hemingway’s life.
He was initially dragged by his wife kicking and screaming to the home, on four square kms of land, 20 minutes outside of the city centre, expecting he would be bored. Initially, they rented but then after a year bought the home for $18,000 from the French owners. Hemingway grew to love the extraordinary property.
The man had some idiosyncrasies. He wrote standing up. He had 50 cats and four wives and countless lovers. He loved hunting, fishing, cock fighting and bull fighting. Numerous trophy heads from many safari trips to Africa adorn the home’s walls. He had graves and tombstones on the property for his four dogs, but due to superstitions the graves for the cats were scattered randomly without any markings.
Interestingly, the home is now a museum and it sits almost as you would have found it when he killed himself with a shotgun in 1961, ending four years of suffering from liver disease. After his death, his last wife donated the property to the Cuban government.
Should you still decide to go to Cuba after reading this, do go to Havana and do stay at the NH Parquet Central. It has one of the best rooftop pools you’ll find anywhere with sweeping views of the city and of the Caribbean. A perfect place to sip mojitos and daiquiris.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Our Top 10 Lists from South America
It’s been almost two weeks now since we left South America for Mexico and we’ve had time to digest the last two months. Here are the Top 10 Lists for Tony, Ruth and Alana. Any overlap is coincidental as the lists were prepared independently.
Alana:
1. Galapagos Islands
2. The Bird Park at Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)
3. Rio de Janiero (mostly Copacabana Beach)
4. Seeing how the Natives live in Peru
5. Shopping in Valparaiso, Chile
6. Mendoza wineries
7. Soccer game in Brazil
8. Meeting people who travel too
9. Seeing the Alto City in Bolivia
10. Buenos Aries
Ruth:
1. Having so much time together as a family.…
2. Alana’s company; laughing until we cried
3. Trekking in the Andes; reaching the summit at 15,000 feet
4. Peruvian native culture in action: dress, customs
5. Galapagos zoo without cages; Tony’s sea lion encounter; Marine iguanas
6. Being taken care of after long days on the road; Romina’s kind care and optimism in Buenos Aries
7. Meal time discussions and Hot beverages with David, our guide on the trek
8. Argentinean Beef and Malbec
9. Rio’s Beaches and the View from Sugar Loaf Mountain
10. Cusco and the rooms and courtyard and atmosphere at the Novotel, our hotel there
Tony:
1. Getting up close and personal with the land and marine life in the Galapagos
2. The exhilaration of seeing Machu Picchu
3. The architecture and interior finishings of the many Catholic cathedrals throughout the continent (and I’m not Catholic!)
4. Native culture in the Peruvian Andes
5. Richness of the flora and fauna in the Amazon jungle
6. Vastness of Lake Titicaca
7. The glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
8. Traveling to the End of the World at the tip of South America
9. The energy of Buenos Aries
10. Friendliness of the people throughout South America
Alana:
1. Galapagos Islands
2. The Bird Park at Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)
3. Rio de Janiero (mostly Copacabana Beach)
4. Seeing how the Natives live in Peru
5. Shopping in Valparaiso, Chile
6. Mendoza wineries
7. Soccer game in Brazil
8. Meeting people who travel too
9. Seeing the Alto City in Bolivia
10. Buenos Aries
Ruth:
1. Having so much time together as a family.…
2. Alana’s company; laughing until we cried
3. Trekking in the Andes; reaching the summit at 15,000 feet
4. Peruvian native culture in action: dress, customs
5. Galapagos zoo without cages; Tony’s sea lion encounter; Marine iguanas
6. Being taken care of after long days on the road; Romina’s kind care and optimism in Buenos Aries
7. Meal time discussions and Hot beverages with David, our guide on the trek
8. Argentinean Beef and Malbec
9. Rio’s Beaches and the View from Sugar Loaf Mountain
10. Cusco and the rooms and courtyard and atmosphere at the Novotel, our hotel there
Tony:
1. Getting up close and personal with the land and marine life in the Galapagos
2. The exhilaration of seeing Machu Picchu
3. The architecture and interior finishings of the many Catholic cathedrals throughout the continent (and I’m not Catholic!)
4. Native culture in the Peruvian Andes
5. Richness of the flora and fauna in the Amazon jungle
6. Vastness of Lake Titicaca
7. The glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
8. Traveling to the End of the World at the tip of South America
9. The energy of Buenos Aries
10. Friendliness of the people throughout South America
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 22-27:
We are in waiting areas, cars or airplanes for 21 hours on our trip back to Mexico from Rio, via Sao Paulo and Houston. It’s an overnight flight with little sleep. Normally, the wait in Houston and Cancun immigration can be an hour or more. The swine flu hysteria has clearly grounded travelers’ enthusiasm in North America. The wait is short in Houston and non-existent in Cancun.
In the 17 years we’ve been going to the Mayan Riviera, I’ve never seen the Cancun airport so quiet. We go right through immigration, pick up our bags and have them x-rayed, clear customs and find our driver in 15 minutes. About 45 minutes later we are opening the doors to our condo. We’ve taken as long as three hours to do the same during peak holiday travel. This is the US Memorial Day long weekend and usually very busy.
We experience another scary medical emergency – the second in three days – 30 minutes outside of Cancun. A flight attendant looks to be suffering a serious attack of some sort and she’s lied out on the floor directly beside us while a nurse passenger and a friend is administering oxygen and medical care. Tony tells Alana to look at the Caribbean outside her window as we come in for landing. He fears the worst. Paramedics greet the plane on arrival. The flight attendant returns to consciousness. We are not sure of the outcome.
The first day back is a bit surrealistic with nobody on the beaches or in the restaurants. More than 20,000 are laid off currently. One local hotel offered a week’s stay with all food and booze included for less than $200. Another hotel that has five lobbies and 2000 rooms is down to one lobby. There are signs of desperation for those without any savings. One man was caught be local police with an ATM in the back of his truck, insisting he was taking it home only to do repairs.
The famous and frenetic Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen is empty of shoppers this Sunday afternoon. Some restaurants aren’t even bothering to open.
In our building, where there are 17 condos, ours is the only occupied. A couple from Utah, renting in the building beside us, appeared, relieved to see Alana and I as they’ve seen few people during their three-week holiday. We are offered beverages and a plate of nachos and guacamole. Alana looks baffled as she’s served coke in a Super-sized, one-liter Styrofoam container. Tony is not so lucky with his Corona.
Ruth has temporarily returned to Canada for a family commitment booked in advance of the South American trip. Tony and Alana will be by themselves in Mexico and Havana, Cuba for a few weeks.
Alana has become a good translator during the travels. She is demonstrably more comfortable using her Spanish. Tony hasn’t and usually needs help. Alana comes to the rescue again with the air conditioning technician, fearing Daddy is ordering three new units instead of just getting the Freon recharged.
We learned the US has just lifted a travel advisory for Mexico, and it is as if a light switch was turned on. By Day 3 the beach is showing some life. Then we are awoken Sunday night by an American couple arriving late evening and staying above us. Both Tony and Alana like their peace and quiet so they are a bit annoyed by the noise at night and their music in the morning. We want people to come back to Mexico – just not Quinta Maya in Puerto Aventuras!
The Yucatan Peninsula rivals any place in the world for beauty, culture and heritage. It is home to white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Mayan Ruins dot the landscape throughout the Yucatan, including Chichen Itza, one of the modern wonders of the world. The Mexican people are far more laid back than their counterparts in other parts of the country. It is classified as sub-tropical, like parts of Brazil but it is much drier here. We are in the middle of a very dry spell with almost no rain since leaving in March.
One of the most overlooked features of the Yucatan is its vast networks of underground caves or cenotes. Cenote is a Mayan word for “abyss”. There are an estimated 7000 cenotes in the region, all interconnected by undergrounds streams and the ocean. Think of them as a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. Cenote water is often very transparent, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore there is very little suspended particulate matter. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers since many of them are entrances to underlying flooded cave systems, some of which have been explored for lengths of 100 kilometers or more.”
There can also be layer of heavier, salty water that sits near the bottom. The water levels rise and fall with the tide and with rain fall. Many cenotes feature fantastic stalagmites and stalactites.
We spent a day exploring a park just down the road that features several cenotes, among the best known here due to being featured in BBC’s Planet Earth series and also on Discovery Channel. IMAX also used the location to film Journey into Amazing Caves. As a testament to the clarity of the water, in one scene you don’t know the camera is filming underwater until one of the actors suddenly appears in scuba gear.
The first cenote we visit is called the “Church” due to its cathedral-like formation. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of thousands active stalactites, which grow at the warp-speed pace of one inch every 100 years. A drip of water at the end of the stalactites tells you they are still forming.
We rappelled, then later zip-lined and snorkeled in the larger Tak Be Ha cenote. This cavern is remarkable for its sheer size, along with diversity of its stalagmites and stalactites.
Outside of the caves, the property is unique as it is situation on Mayan land in the middle of the jungle. There are spider monkeys, quatimundi (raccoon-like creatures we also saw in Brazil), reptiles and several species of birds. Jaguars are known to come to the cenotes to drink fresh water at night.
The park has invented a “skycycle” that takes you over the canopy of the jungle and through three cenotes. Yellowstone Park in US is reported to have acquired the technology for its visitors.
We are in waiting areas, cars or airplanes for 21 hours on our trip back to Mexico from Rio, via Sao Paulo and Houston. It’s an overnight flight with little sleep. Normally, the wait in Houston and Cancun immigration can be an hour or more. The swine flu hysteria has clearly grounded travelers’ enthusiasm in North America. The wait is short in Houston and non-existent in Cancun.
In the 17 years we’ve been going to the Mayan Riviera, I’ve never seen the Cancun airport so quiet. We go right through immigration, pick up our bags and have them x-rayed, clear customs and find our driver in 15 minutes. About 45 minutes later we are opening the doors to our condo. We’ve taken as long as three hours to do the same during peak holiday travel. This is the US Memorial Day long weekend and usually very busy.
We experience another scary medical emergency – the second in three days – 30 minutes outside of Cancun. A flight attendant looks to be suffering a serious attack of some sort and she’s lied out on the floor directly beside us while a nurse passenger and a friend is administering oxygen and medical care. Tony tells Alana to look at the Caribbean outside her window as we come in for landing. He fears the worst. Paramedics greet the plane on arrival. The flight attendant returns to consciousness. We are not sure of the outcome.
The first day back is a bit surrealistic with nobody on the beaches or in the restaurants. More than 20,000 are laid off currently. One local hotel offered a week’s stay with all food and booze included for less than $200. Another hotel that has five lobbies and 2000 rooms is down to one lobby. There are signs of desperation for those without any savings. One man was caught be local police with an ATM in the back of his truck, insisting he was taking it home only to do repairs.
The famous and frenetic Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen is empty of shoppers this Sunday afternoon. Some restaurants aren’t even bothering to open.
In our building, where there are 17 condos, ours is the only occupied. A couple from Utah, renting in the building beside us, appeared, relieved to see Alana and I as they’ve seen few people during their three-week holiday. We are offered beverages and a plate of nachos and guacamole. Alana looks baffled as she’s served coke in a Super-sized, one-liter Styrofoam container. Tony is not so lucky with his Corona.
Ruth has temporarily returned to Canada for a family commitment booked in advance of the South American trip. Tony and Alana will be by themselves in Mexico and Havana, Cuba for a few weeks.
Alana has become a good translator during the travels. She is demonstrably more comfortable using her Spanish. Tony hasn’t and usually needs help. Alana comes to the rescue again with the air conditioning technician, fearing Daddy is ordering three new units instead of just getting the Freon recharged.
We learned the US has just lifted a travel advisory for Mexico, and it is as if a light switch was turned on. By Day 3 the beach is showing some life. Then we are awoken Sunday night by an American couple arriving late evening and staying above us. Both Tony and Alana like their peace and quiet so they are a bit annoyed by the noise at night and their music in the morning. We want people to come back to Mexico – just not Quinta Maya in Puerto Aventuras!
The Yucatan Peninsula rivals any place in the world for beauty, culture and heritage. It is home to white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Mayan Ruins dot the landscape throughout the Yucatan, including Chichen Itza, one of the modern wonders of the world. The Mexican people are far more laid back than their counterparts in other parts of the country. It is classified as sub-tropical, like parts of Brazil but it is much drier here. We are in the middle of a very dry spell with almost no rain since leaving in March.
One of the most overlooked features of the Yucatan is its vast networks of underground caves or cenotes. Cenote is a Mayan word for “abyss”. There are an estimated 7000 cenotes in the region, all interconnected by undergrounds streams and the ocean. Think of them as a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. Cenote water is often very transparent, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore there is very little suspended particulate matter. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers since many of them are entrances to underlying flooded cave systems, some of which have been explored for lengths of 100 kilometers or more.”
There can also be layer of heavier, salty water that sits near the bottom. The water levels rise and fall with the tide and with rain fall. Many cenotes feature fantastic stalagmites and stalactites.
We spent a day exploring a park just down the road that features several cenotes, among the best known here due to being featured in BBC’s Planet Earth series and also on Discovery Channel. IMAX also used the location to film Journey into Amazing Caves. As a testament to the clarity of the water, in one scene you don’t know the camera is filming underwater until one of the actors suddenly appears in scuba gear.
The first cenote we visit is called the “Church” due to its cathedral-like formation. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of thousands active stalactites, which grow at the warp-speed pace of one inch every 100 years. A drip of water at the end of the stalactites tells you they are still forming.
We rappelled, then later zip-lined and snorkeled in the larger Tak Be Ha cenote. This cavern is remarkable for its sheer size, along with diversity of its stalagmites and stalactites.
Outside of the caves, the property is unique as it is situation on Mayan land in the middle of the jungle. There are spider monkeys, quatimundi (raccoon-like creatures we also saw in Brazil), reptiles and several species of birds. Jaguars are known to come to the cenotes to drink fresh water at night.
The park has invented a “skycycle” that takes you over the canopy of the jungle and through three cenotes. Yellowstone Park in US is reported to have acquired the technology for its visitors.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 18-21:
Name the most beautiful cities in the world and the top names are always Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro. Tony’s pick has always been Vancouver. Not any longer. Rio now gets the nod.
It’s hard to argue against billing. The city of 5-million people is a series of crescent-shaped bays filled with white-sand beaches, surrounded by mountains. The emerald waters of the Atlantic add even more color to the palate.
Our hotel is looking out on to the famous Copacabana beach. The beach runs about 5 kms long and has the cleanest, whitest sand you’ll find anywhere. It is so perfect we all thought we had stepped onto an artificial beach. The city takes care of its pride and joy with constant care. In the morning, machines and workers rake the sand. During the day the workers return to ensure any garbage dropped is quickly picked up. What is amazing is Copacabana isn’t Rio’s best beach! Locals prefer the beaches of Ipanema and Leblom, a short walk from Copacabana.
There is no better view of the city than the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, reachable by taking two cable cars.
Another outstanding feature of the beaches is the lighting. At dusk giant stadium lights are turned on allowing for a 24-hour playground. There are endless games of soccer, beach volleyball and a strange soccer/volleyball game that features volleyball net and soccer ball but the players can’t touch the ball with their hands. The players are incredible athletes. Tony’s high school friends continue to argue almost 30 years later who was the best athlete in their youths. This game would settle the score.
In Rio you also can find one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. Christ the Redeemer sits atop Corcovado Mountain, surrounded by the Tijuca National Park, looking over the city of. It was completed in 1931 to commemorate 100 years of Brazil’s independence from Portugal. We’ve now seen three of the Seven Wonders: Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Picchu in Peru and The Redeemer. They are all so different to choose a favorite so far. The Redeemer isn’t as grand as the other two but it truly leaves you wondering how they managed to erect at the very top of the mountain the 38 metre Christ with an arm span of 29 metres.
A day later we headed south to the Green Coast. Here are hundreds of tropical islands along a 100 kilometer stretch. The vegetation gives the Atlantic a green hue. We are on a tour boat with a dozen Aussies and Americans. We learn later the Aussies were out all night drinking and had only gotten back to their hotels minutes before the bus arrived. Our first stop is a small bay with a beach where four locals are partying at 11 in the morning. They are already half-cut, and the women are down to their bras. Alana and Tony are first in. Ruth follows with an Aussie gent beside her. Minutes later we hear screaming from the boat. Apparently, Ruth’s Aussie friend seized up on entering the water and was drowning. The two petite American men from St. Louis heard the screams first and by the time the rest of us got in the water from the beach, the Aussie was being pulled ashore, his life saved. The event cast a pall on the rest of the day.
During our last evening we experienced the true religion in Brazil – soccer. Brazil has won more World Cups (5) than any other country in the world and has born some of the most famous players ever – Pele, Romario, Ronaldo.
How important is soccer in Brazil? When the country hosted the World Cup in 1950 in the soccer stadium we visited, more than 200,000 crowded in to watch the final versus Uruguay. In a surprise, Uruguay won the game. Several people suffered heart attacks in the stadium after the defeat and one man even shot himself in the head, not able to face the world or Uruguay fans any longer.
We ditched a scheduled samba show for a Brazilian Cup play-off game between Rio’s Fluminese and archrival Corinthians from Sao Paulo. Ronaldo, in the twilight years of his career, is the striker for the Corinthians. He grew up in the shantytowns of Rio and vowed when in Europe that he would never play for a Sao Paulo team after returning to Brazil. He did the unthinkable.
With the exception of the raw wieners served in the concessions, you haven’t lived until you go to a game in Brazil. The giant stadium now has seats, but you wouldn’t know it. Everybody stood on the seats for the entire game, and the deafening roar continued. Children stood on the armrests. Flares were being lit and giant flags waved. All this is unimaginable at a Flames game.
For some unexplainable reason we ended up being seated with the visiting fans, surrounded on three sides by Rio fans. This turned out to be toxic when the Corinthians beat the home team. At the end of the headed out of the seats and our group gathered at Section 30 to wait for the guide. Suddenly, everybody around us was scattering like a gunman was amongst us. I looked behind the pillar to see burly police officers with three-foot billy clubs wailing on a hooligan who was trying to pick a fight with Corinthian fans. Seconds later, police – clearly jacked up on adrenaline – approached our group yelling in Portuguese for our guide. We were directed back to the stands for our safety. About 15 minutes later we headed again for the exits, boarded our waiting bus and left. Along the way we could see police surrounding the stadium, all carrying billy clubs and some with very large German Shepherds by their side.
Our final day in Brazil and South America was spent on Copacabana beach. Beautiful indeed, but we are use to hassle-free beach time in the Mayan Riviera, free from any peddlers. That is not the case in Copacabana. In four hours, we are approached by some 50 venders, selling everything from bikinis to shrimp on skewers to bags made out of only zippers. Time to head back to Mexico.
Name the most beautiful cities in the world and the top names are always Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro. Tony’s pick has always been Vancouver. Not any longer. Rio now gets the nod.
It’s hard to argue against billing. The city of 5-million people is a series of crescent-shaped bays filled with white-sand beaches, surrounded by mountains. The emerald waters of the Atlantic add even more color to the palate.
Our hotel is looking out on to the famous Copacabana beach. The beach runs about 5 kms long and has the cleanest, whitest sand you’ll find anywhere. It is so perfect we all thought we had stepped onto an artificial beach. The city takes care of its pride and joy with constant care. In the morning, machines and workers rake the sand. During the day the workers return to ensure any garbage dropped is quickly picked up. What is amazing is Copacabana isn’t Rio’s best beach! Locals prefer the beaches of Ipanema and Leblom, a short walk from Copacabana.
There is no better view of the city than the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, reachable by taking two cable cars.
Another outstanding feature of the beaches is the lighting. At dusk giant stadium lights are turned on allowing for a 24-hour playground. There are endless games of soccer, beach volleyball and a strange soccer/volleyball game that features volleyball net and soccer ball but the players can’t touch the ball with their hands. The players are incredible athletes. Tony’s high school friends continue to argue almost 30 years later who was the best athlete in their youths. This game would settle the score.
In Rio you also can find one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. Christ the Redeemer sits atop Corcovado Mountain, surrounded by the Tijuca National Park, looking over the city of. It was completed in 1931 to commemorate 100 years of Brazil’s independence from Portugal. We’ve now seen three of the Seven Wonders: Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Picchu in Peru and The Redeemer. They are all so different to choose a favorite so far. The Redeemer isn’t as grand as the other two but it truly leaves you wondering how they managed to erect at the very top of the mountain the 38 metre Christ with an arm span of 29 metres.
A day later we headed south to the Green Coast. Here are hundreds of tropical islands along a 100 kilometer stretch. The vegetation gives the Atlantic a green hue. We are on a tour boat with a dozen Aussies and Americans. We learn later the Aussies were out all night drinking and had only gotten back to their hotels minutes before the bus arrived. Our first stop is a small bay with a beach where four locals are partying at 11 in the morning. They are already half-cut, and the women are down to their bras. Alana and Tony are first in. Ruth follows with an Aussie gent beside her. Minutes later we hear screaming from the boat. Apparently, Ruth’s Aussie friend seized up on entering the water and was drowning. The two petite American men from St. Louis heard the screams first and by the time the rest of us got in the water from the beach, the Aussie was being pulled ashore, his life saved. The event cast a pall on the rest of the day.
During our last evening we experienced the true religion in Brazil – soccer. Brazil has won more World Cups (5) than any other country in the world and has born some of the most famous players ever – Pele, Romario, Ronaldo.
How important is soccer in Brazil? When the country hosted the World Cup in 1950 in the soccer stadium we visited, more than 200,000 crowded in to watch the final versus Uruguay. In a surprise, Uruguay won the game. Several people suffered heart attacks in the stadium after the defeat and one man even shot himself in the head, not able to face the world or Uruguay fans any longer.
We ditched a scheduled samba show for a Brazilian Cup play-off game between Rio’s Fluminese and archrival Corinthians from Sao Paulo. Ronaldo, in the twilight years of his career, is the striker for the Corinthians. He grew up in the shantytowns of Rio and vowed when in Europe that he would never play for a Sao Paulo team after returning to Brazil. He did the unthinkable.
With the exception of the raw wieners served in the concessions, you haven’t lived until you go to a game in Brazil. The giant stadium now has seats, but you wouldn’t know it. Everybody stood on the seats for the entire game, and the deafening roar continued. Children stood on the armrests. Flares were being lit and giant flags waved. All this is unimaginable at a Flames game.
For some unexplainable reason we ended up being seated with the visiting fans, surrounded on three sides by Rio fans. This turned out to be toxic when the Corinthians beat the home team. At the end of the headed out of the seats and our group gathered at Section 30 to wait for the guide. Suddenly, everybody around us was scattering like a gunman was amongst us. I looked behind the pillar to see burly police officers with three-foot billy clubs wailing on a hooligan who was trying to pick a fight with Corinthian fans. Seconds later, police – clearly jacked up on adrenaline – approached our group yelling in Portuguese for our guide. We were directed back to the stands for our safety. About 15 minutes later we headed again for the exits, boarded our waiting bus and left. Along the way we could see police surrounding the stadium, all carrying billy clubs and some with very large German Shepherds by their side.
Our final day in Brazil and South America was spent on Copacabana beach. Beautiful indeed, but we are use to hassle-free beach time in the Mayan Riviera, free from any peddlers. That is not the case in Copacabana. In four hours, we are approached by some 50 venders, selling everything from bikinis to shrimp on skewers to bags made out of only zippers. Time to head back to Mexico.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
May 14-17:
From ice to flowing water – lots of flowing water. We left the cold and ice of El Calafate in southern Argentina for the warm tropical climate of Iguazu, the incredible falls straddling the Brazil-Argentina border. We are heading back north for the first time on this South American trip, foreshadowing the end is near.
Iguazu is a Guarani Indian name meaning “big waters.” Movie buffs will know the falls from the great epic film “The Mission.” The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers of the Iguazu River. It is considered one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World”.
For Canadians and others who have visited, comparisons with Niagara are inevitable. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara.” Iguazu is taller than Niagara but Niagara has 50 per cent more water flow. Iguazu is much more accessible with a series of footpaths and trains allowing visitors to stand perched right over the edge of the biggest part of the falls – the Devil’s Throat. At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil's Throat has water pouring into it from three sides. As well, Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, so these can be viewed one portion at a time.
There is no Niagara-like Made of the Mist boat that takes you on water near the falls, but for the adventurous there is a speed boat that goes upstream in the whitewater and actually takes you right under one of the falls. We chose this option and got a good soaking. Tony maintains it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done.
Visitors to Niagara often leave disappointed in the town as it is filled with hotel towers and tacky gift shops. Iguazu Falls are in National Parks of both Brazil and Argentina and have little development. A wide variety of birds, mammals and reptiles fill the parks, including the elusive jaguar and several poisonous snakes.
The one blight on the Argentinean side is a Sheraton in the park. Allegedly it got the nod from a former dictator of the country to build in the park when Argentina hosted the soccer World Cup in the 1970s. Our guide suggested a commission was exchanged for the right to build.
We spent a full day on the Argentinean side viewing the falls and another half-day on the Brazilian side. Never bored.
Outside of the falls, the towns supporting the tourists are interesting but not destinations on their own right. We stayed on the Argentinean side, about two blocks from a beautiful park that sits at the junction of two rivers and three countries. To the left you could see Paraguay, and to the right Brazil.
We re-encountered the brilliant red soil, last seen in the Amazon basin in Peru.
From ice to flowing water – lots of flowing water. We left the cold and ice of El Calafate in southern Argentina for the warm tropical climate of Iguazu, the incredible falls straddling the Brazil-Argentina border. We are heading back north for the first time on this South American trip, foreshadowing the end is near.
Iguazu is a Guarani Indian name meaning “big waters.” Movie buffs will know the falls from the great epic film “The Mission.” The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers of the Iguazu River. It is considered one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World”.
For Canadians and others who have visited, comparisons with Niagara are inevitable. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara.” Iguazu is taller than Niagara but Niagara has 50 per cent more water flow. Iguazu is much more accessible with a series of footpaths and trains allowing visitors to stand perched right over the edge of the biggest part of the falls – the Devil’s Throat. At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil's Throat has water pouring into it from three sides. As well, Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, so these can be viewed one portion at a time.
There is no Niagara-like Made of the Mist boat that takes you on water near the falls, but for the adventurous there is a speed boat that goes upstream in the whitewater and actually takes you right under one of the falls. We chose this option and got a good soaking. Tony maintains it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done.
Visitors to Niagara often leave disappointed in the town as it is filled with hotel towers and tacky gift shops. Iguazu Falls are in National Parks of both Brazil and Argentina and have little development. A wide variety of birds, mammals and reptiles fill the parks, including the elusive jaguar and several poisonous snakes.
The one blight on the Argentinean side is a Sheraton in the park. Allegedly it got the nod from a former dictator of the country to build in the park when Argentina hosted the soccer World Cup in the 1970s. Our guide suggested a commission was exchanged for the right to build.
We spent a full day on the Argentinean side viewing the falls and another half-day on the Brazilian side. Never bored.
Outside of the falls, the towns supporting the tourists are interesting but not destinations on their own right. We stayed on the Argentinean side, about two blocks from a beautiful park that sits at the junction of two rivers and three countries. To the left you could see Paraguay, and to the right Brazil.
We re-encountered the brilliant red soil, last seen in the Amazon basin in Peru.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May 11-13:
El Calafate is all about ice. Big pieces of ice. Colorful pieces of ice. Dirty pieces of ice.
Let us explain. The town sits on Lago Argentino, the country’s largest lake, situated near the Andes in the south. Nearby is the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Here is the biggest assortment of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica. Canadians know ice already, so Ruth is wondering why the visit. We don’t know ice like this.
On our first day we depart from the hotel toward the park. The first 60 kilometres presents little evidence of what we are to encounter. It is parched, dry land with eagles sitting on the side of the road picking at rabbit remains. Only the tumbleweeds are missing. A few kilometers more we pass through the park gates and the through some wizardry of nature the landscape suddenly changes. The flora erupts into low alpine forest, mixed with beautiful fall colors – all typical of a Patagonia in late fall.
Another few kilometers and we get our first view of the Perito Moreno Glacier. This is one big piece of ice. At its front it is 4 kms wide and 60 metres above lake level at the front and some 350 metres of depth in the central part. The glacier is some 30 kms wide.
This frozen river causes ice cracks and thunderous bursts that make the glacier a beauty in constant movement. We witness the glacier calving several blocks of ice during our two-hour stay. At the front, the ice is formed in a series of raptors that are deep blue in color and is so grand UNESCO was moved to given it a “World Heritage Site” designation. Some of have called it the 8th Wonder of the World.
What is interesting is Perito Moreno is only the 3rd largest glacier in Argentina. A guide attributes its notoriety to being accessible by car from El Calafate, a three-hour flight from Buenos Aires and an hour from our previous stop in Ushuaia. Two other reasons are its interesting formation and movement.
A funny aside is the glacier is named after Italian Perito Moreno, who explored these parts more than 100 years ago. He found Lago Argentino and came within a short canoe from the glacier but never did see it. Instead, Moreno had seen enough of the lake, turned around and went home. His efforts were enough, however, to have the glacier named after him.
Tony’s interest is sufficient enough that he decides on a second day of ice watching. Ruth and Alana need a little faster pace and choose a five-hour horseback ride into the hills surrounding the lake.
Tony sets his alarm for a very early start the next day. He’s chosen an 11-hour excursion that has him setting off in the dark for a 50 km drive to Puerto Bandera, where he’ll board a catamaran and set sail for the northern arm of Lago Argentino. The gem on this trip is to visit the front wall of Upsala glacier from the water. At more than 1000 square kilometers, Upsala is the biggest glacier in the national park and second largest in the country. It is four times the size of Buenos Aires. To get there you sail through an impressive array of icebergs, formed from ice detached by the glacier.
We are warned when we get on the boat that icebergs can jam the inlet to Upsala, preventing access to the wall, and are offered our money back should we not want the risk. There are no takers.
The boat leaves dock for the 90-minute trip on the lake surrounded by the mountains. As if on cue, the sun breaks over the mountains just as we near the first large iceberg. The day is perfect, not a cloud in the sky with calm winds and relatively warm temperatures. A reader can see by the pictures to the right just how blue the ice is. More giant icebergs dot the horizon and Tony is thinking seeing the Upsala wall is not looking likely.
The boat then arrives at a solid wall of ice and Tony is thinking we are at the wall. The guide announces over the loudspeaker in Spanish a number of interesting facts about the glacier and the surroundings. Then the same in English. Then with some disappointment in her voice, she says it will not be possible to access Upsala and points to some ice several kilometers away and says that is our view of the glacier. Tony is in disbelief as he’s sure we are at the glacier with the ice in front of him. The guide explains that when Upsala calves infrequently, but when it does ice kilometers wide falls into the lake. That is why the icebergs in front of us give the appearance they are still attached to the glacier. Most impressive.
The navigation continues towards Canal Spegazzini to see Seco, Helm Sur and Spegazzini glaciers. The latter being the highest in the park, rising 110 metres above the level of Lago Argentino. Because we don’t get to the Upsala wall, the captain treats us to view of the northern wall of Perito Moreno on our way back to the dock.
El Calafate is all about ice. Big pieces of ice. Colorful pieces of ice. Dirty pieces of ice.
Let us explain. The town sits on Lago Argentino, the country’s largest lake, situated near the Andes in the south. Nearby is the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Here is the biggest assortment of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica. Canadians know ice already, so Ruth is wondering why the visit. We don’t know ice like this.
On our first day we depart from the hotel toward the park. The first 60 kilometres presents little evidence of what we are to encounter. It is parched, dry land with eagles sitting on the side of the road picking at rabbit remains. Only the tumbleweeds are missing. A few kilometers more we pass through the park gates and the through some wizardry of nature the landscape suddenly changes. The flora erupts into low alpine forest, mixed with beautiful fall colors – all typical of a Patagonia in late fall.
Another few kilometers and we get our first view of the Perito Moreno Glacier. This is one big piece of ice. At its front it is 4 kms wide and 60 metres above lake level at the front and some 350 metres of depth in the central part. The glacier is some 30 kms wide.
This frozen river causes ice cracks and thunderous bursts that make the glacier a beauty in constant movement. We witness the glacier calving several blocks of ice during our two-hour stay. At the front, the ice is formed in a series of raptors that are deep blue in color and is so grand UNESCO was moved to given it a “World Heritage Site” designation. Some of have called it the 8th Wonder of the World.
What is interesting is Perito Moreno is only the 3rd largest glacier in Argentina. A guide attributes its notoriety to being accessible by car from El Calafate, a three-hour flight from Buenos Aires and an hour from our previous stop in Ushuaia. Two other reasons are its interesting formation and movement.
A funny aside is the glacier is named after Italian Perito Moreno, who explored these parts more than 100 years ago. He found Lago Argentino and came within a short canoe from the glacier but never did see it. Instead, Moreno had seen enough of the lake, turned around and went home. His efforts were enough, however, to have the glacier named after him.
Tony’s interest is sufficient enough that he decides on a second day of ice watching. Ruth and Alana need a little faster pace and choose a five-hour horseback ride into the hills surrounding the lake.
Tony sets his alarm for a very early start the next day. He’s chosen an 11-hour excursion that has him setting off in the dark for a 50 km drive to Puerto Bandera, where he’ll board a catamaran and set sail for the northern arm of Lago Argentino. The gem on this trip is to visit the front wall of Upsala glacier from the water. At more than 1000 square kilometers, Upsala is the biggest glacier in the national park and second largest in the country. It is four times the size of Buenos Aires. To get there you sail through an impressive array of icebergs, formed from ice detached by the glacier.
We are warned when we get on the boat that icebergs can jam the inlet to Upsala, preventing access to the wall, and are offered our money back should we not want the risk. There are no takers.
The boat leaves dock for the 90-minute trip on the lake surrounded by the mountains. As if on cue, the sun breaks over the mountains just as we near the first large iceberg. The day is perfect, not a cloud in the sky with calm winds and relatively warm temperatures. A reader can see by the pictures to the right just how blue the ice is. More giant icebergs dot the horizon and Tony is thinking seeing the Upsala wall is not looking likely.
The boat then arrives at a solid wall of ice and Tony is thinking we are at the wall. The guide announces over the loudspeaker in Spanish a number of interesting facts about the glacier and the surroundings. Then the same in English. Then with some disappointment in her voice, she says it will not be possible to access Upsala and points to some ice several kilometers away and says that is our view of the glacier. Tony is in disbelief as he’s sure we are at the glacier with the ice in front of him. The guide explains that when Upsala calves infrequently, but when it does ice kilometers wide falls into the lake. That is why the icebergs in front of us give the appearance they are still attached to the glacier. Most impressive.
The navigation continues towards Canal Spegazzini to see Seco, Helm Sur and Spegazzini glaciers. The latter being the highest in the park, rising 110 metres above the level of Lago Argentino. Because we don’t get to the Upsala wall, the captain treats us to view of the northern wall of Perito Moreno on our way back to the dock.
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