Sunday, 10/27. Between visits to the two sides of the Iguazu Falls we spent a morning in a Guaraní village. Very primitive and happy to remain that way.
On a separate note, today was election day. Voting is mandatory, though there is no absentee voting allowed. If you’re not at home, you report to the local police office to register your absence. TV reporting is just as irritating here as in the USA.
A typical home.
Shaman
Left, our guide for the visit. Center, a cook showing us some of their foods.
A traditional welcome. Each of us were required to do it individually.
Monday, 10/28. (This is out of order to report the Falls from Brazil and Argentina back-to-back. Sunday’s report will follow.)
There is no way that I can adequately describe today’s wonder. Photos will largely have to do. (Videos might appear in the next week when home.) The morning began with an unforecast rain storm while we took a smallish train to the main falls. The rain nicely stopped just as we arrived. A mile walk to the edge. Walkway has undergone numerous rebuilds through the years due to flooding. Amazing view. Heavy mist at times rising up from far below. Deafening noise.
A stroll along the numerous lessor falls followed. Just incredible views. Ran into host of entertaining animals. A whole family of monkeys who moved so fast I failed to get a good picture.
After lunch we climbed aboard a truck/bus for a long and rough ride to the river’s edge, where we went on a boat ride to the falls. We got soaked. One of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had. Words can’t do it justice. I used a GoPro and the video results were much better than I expected. Everyone enjoyed watching themselves.
As predicted, the Argentina side of the falls is better than Brazil’s.
Saturday, 10/26. Flight to Iguassu, Argentina. Drove across to Brazil. Two separate border checkpoints, one to leave Argentina, another to enter Brazil. With a bus change. Lunch was essentially boysenberry ice cream, due to my not listening too closely to the options.
Saw a toucan in the wild. Looked just like a Disney animatronic. Amazing how nature can reproduce man-made. Lots of other animals appeared.
The Brazilian side is considered the lessor of the two sides, but it was awesome. The main falls (Devil’s Throat) is in the distance, but all the secondary falls are impressive. Big crowd. The walkway into the mist is fun. Martin explained that there are times in the year when there isn’t much water, so construction isn’t that hard.
Hotel is fine, with an excellent terrance bar on top, giving a view of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Dinner was chicken, which was (I think) a first for the trip. Chocolate ice cream on top of fruit cocktail. Didn’t work.
Lots of photos.
Bridge over Iguassu River. Colored barriers identify the precise border between countries.
This is the real bird. Uncanny similarities with Disney’s.
A group playing with a resident. Expressly forbidden. Duh.
From the back of the crowd.
From the front.
Me!
Trip Leader and local guide.
Naturally.
Top Paraguay, right Brazil, bottom Argentina, left Pisco Sour.
Bourbon in a wine glass. Okay.
One of the many people I take a photo of, then print it out for them.
Friday, 10/25. Tour of the city’s primary cemetery. Now it’s the other one in the city. Eva Peron, the most famous (and controversial) woman of Argentina is buried here, though her travels in death was long and cumbersome. Someone wrote a book about it. Her resting place is next to the father who disavowed her, in the part of the city that reviled her. “Rest in Peace” is problematic.
Exited the city to the delta area. Very surprising, as Martin expected. Hundreds of islands connected only by boat. None have cars, though all have electricity. Fascinating. A suburban Venice. Many dismal houses alongside beautiful homes. Schools, churches, resorts. “School boats”. Mail delivered by boat, house by house. A floating hospital. It was all a big surprise, being not 30 minutes from the city.
Those flying home today were impacted by weather situations in the States. All did get out though. I choose to stay in my room this afternoon/evening to cleanse my mind of two weeks with people. Tomorrow there will only be 8 of us. Better. (To be fair, I think this group, though larger than any other tour, was the best of my seven OAT excursions.)
Very big rubber tree.
Statue in place of a post holding up a rubber tree branch.
Martin is also confused by “Tourist Police”.
Entrance to the cemetery. Very exclusive. About 50,000 souls.
This is Eva Peron’s family crypt. “Dad” would be put out. Note the line to take a photo.
Hard to see, but the passenger is holding a shotgun.
Slums. The upper level is equal in height to the elevated highway we’re on. Sad.
Thursday, 10/24. Not much today. Flew back to Buenos Aires. 3 1/2 hour flight. Farewell dinner for the base portion of the trip. Eight of us continue onto Iguazu Falls. I created a partial slideshow and several people agreed to watch. Many compliments. At dinner I selected a special bottle of wine and two other tables ordered the same one. My skill with wine selection is assumed. Excellent tenderloin beef.
Last view of Calafate.
Nice sign, but oddly, we’re at the Domestic Airport.
Fun servers. They have a winery called “Latitude 33”. San diego has a brewery called the same. One’s south, the other is north.
Wednesday, 10/23. Traveled to the P. Moreno Glacier. You’ve got to be there to understand its size, though even that doesn’t tell the true story. There is no way to visually relate. A white wall. The glacier is set on one side of a very narrow gap between peninsula and it, so the walkways are very close. There are years when the glacier blocks the channel, forming an ice dam. When it breaks, it’s apparently really spectacular. Lots of calving. One very large block rose up from beneath the water! I was looking straight at the water and quickly turned on my video. But alas, I didn’t press the button hard enough. It was an incredible sight anyway.
The facility has miles of metal walkways that allow spectators to stroll alongside the glacier. An excellent facility overall. Many different nationalities. Italians, as usual, were very loud. Our guide was extremely knowledgable.
Back in town was had some rare free time, but I didn’t see anything I haven’t seen before.
A freeloading fox.
Kayakers. They kept a very healthy distance from the glacier wall.
Tuesday, 10/22. Drive from Chile to Argentina. In a wonderful moment, bus stopped at a cowboy with his dogs. After Martin went over and asked permission, we streamed out of the bus and had a cool time peppering him with questions. Gave him a few photos. Excellent ad hoc event.
Lunch at the same restaurant/gift shop. Met the owner. Bought a t-shirt.
Border Control is next door. Went through the exit process, drove 6 km to the border, drove another 6 km to Argentina’s border control. Went through the entry process. Intense wind. Passed a sign directing drivers to the town of “28 de Novembre” (my birthday). We went in the other direction. Saw rheas, which are digging out from being endangered. Very like emus. Saw the profile which was the inspiration for Patagonia clothing’s emblem. Guide was amazed that it was visible.
Arrived at Calafate, a jumping off point for nearby glaciers. Dinner of mutton. Had a great glass of Argentine Pinot Noir.
The dog is his alpha. Rope made of leather. Fascinating visit.
Monday, 10/21. A hike that passed a beautiful waterfall and series of rapids. Rainbow mist. I took it easy and didn’t get all the way to the end of the trail. Listened to the mountains (“The Hills are alive”, etc). Listened to a companion who also took it easy. Knew I enjoyed silence, but human nature being what it is, talked. Fun really. Movies, books, etc. Nice morning. Another box lunch that I passed on completely. Had a Powerbar.
Afternoon had a horseback ride. Scary-looking leader with a 12 inch knife behind his back. Rode through swamps and a small creek. Just beautiful surroundings.
Not a busy day, but a very satisfying one.
I’m proud of this photo. The mountain on the left is lit with reflected sunlight off the clouds.
Sunday, 10/20. Departed hotel for a few more hours of driving to Torres del Paine NP. Stopped at a restaurant/souvenir shop for a bathroom break. We’ll return in a few days for shopping and lunch. Continued the drive to the first of two hikes. A little cold, but very windy. Saw Guanacos, some close up. Beautiful animals.
The Park’s main fame is three granite peaks that are very photogenic. Many photos. Walked through the remnants of a large fire that burned for months. Once started, hard to put out. They actively try to put them out because trees prevent wind-induced erosion. (The wind has been fierce and constant for the entire Chilean experience.)
Box lunch at a pretty waterfall with very greenish water. Hard to eat in the wind. Two very large sandwiches that I doubt anyone finished. Second hike was on another side of the three peaks. The hikes were both pretty and restful for me. Others trailed along behind the guide and probably learned a lot about flora and fauna. They also learned a lot about each other. Too much chatter for me. Not a complaint. The majority is always sane.
Hotel is exquisite. Gorgeous view. Not writing about meals much because I’m not eating much. A very good thing.
The boat has the look of a school bus converted by a bunch of hippies.
Restaurant/souvenirs. Owner is a character.
An guanaco. Pronounced “wanaco”.
There have been two or three massive fires in the past two decades. WIth the wind, difficult to put out.
Saturday, 10/19. The title only tells the best of the day. There were other notable events.
We left early to go to Isle de Magdalena, an island of penguins. (And seagulls, though their presence was wholly inconsequential.) The penguins were the main act. Very, very cool. They ignored us completely. Sometimes noisy. Some seemed to pose for us. Extremely windy, which seems to be a theme of the trip.
Departed the ship in Punta Arenas, Chile. Clean and pretty. New accessory tour guide aptly named Maria (“They call the wind Maria”). Large statue of Magellan. After lunch departed north. Lots of birds. Martin is a birder, so we made several stops to see the birds. Very open countryside, without many trees. Cattle and sheep. Maria talked. And talked. A bit too intense for many, but I can’t say it wasn’t pertinent. Arrived in Puerto Natales, a one-night stay. Again, clean and pretty, along a sound that eventually connects to the Pacific, though it’s a complicated path.
In the past two days there has been a lot of unrest in Chile’s capital, Santiago. Its cause is a protest against an increase in metro prices, which has turned violent. There is a call to expand the purpose and scope of the protest as a sign of general dissatisfaction with their elected officials. Maria repeated some quotes that signify their lack of sensitivity to the people’s unrest. There was a protest brewing in Puerto Natales’s main square. The tradition is to bang pots with spoons. Police were patrolling at a discrete distance.
Great view, nice sunset, but the show of the day was the penguins.
Mostly seagulls in this photo.
Note the dog.
The statues rise above a skateboard park, on the coast.
Early protesters. It’s six, the protest is supposed to be at nine.
