Today we walked over the tops of the waterfalls and it was a real privilege to see the San Martin fall that was centre stage in the film The Mission. In the film, Jeremy Irons as the Jesuit priest Father Gabriel, was strapped to a crucifix and sent over the falls.
We saw many wonders today despite being in a bit of a conga line of tourists. It was a jaw dropping experience to be on top of the Devils Throat and witness that awesome power plunging into the cauldron below. On top of the falls were rainbows and the butterflies carried on regardless.
Kate gets 5 stars as she managed to get us a change of room from a 'jungle' room out the back ( read car park) to one of the best rooms in the hotel with a magnificent view across the entire falls and across the river to Brazil. Wow!
we are enjoying the Spanglish - today's classic was on the restaurant menu - 'Ask the waiter about the soup's day'- cute - especially as no one is having soup in this 40 degree heat.
Mum loved the harpist playing in the restaurant and of course 'don't cry for me Argentina' was part of his repertoire - both nights- poor fellow!
Tomorrow we have the morning to stroll back for one more waterfall and then it's back to wonderful Buenes Aires.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Saturday, 8 February 2014
The Devil's Throat- Iguazu Falls
We had a great hotel in buenes aires. Our minor complaint (as the thoroughly spoilt always have) is the strange key system they have for their doors. Kate, being in business systems mode asked the concierge why they would use this different system, wondering what the benefit could be. He said without blinking, 'because the owner is a moron.' Love that front-of-desk frankness. We have had a confusing time getting used to the money exchange. You do get a sense that Argentina's money is in chaos. The official rate differs to the unofficial rate - or the 'blue market'- which is offered at restaurants, hotels and shops and then there's the black market where you will be offered even better rates by badly dressed guys on street corners. Rates vary from seller to seller - all you can be sure of is that the banks will rip you off! So it's a touch of home:) So we've been dealing in pesos and US dollars and US dollars all look the same so I am rather upset at giving some $100 tips instead of $1! Ouch - an expensive lesson.
Anyway got up at 3am this morning to catch our flight to Iguazu Falls into 38 degrees (from sleeting on Tuesday). Mums a trooper and keeping up with it all and sometimes we've had to be the disciplinarians and get her to slow down- no easy feat but she is pretty exhausted now and planning a quiet day tomorrow with 2 beautiful small guided tours.
We are staying right in front of the falls. We went for a decent walk today and saw its tremendous power through canopies of rainforest and past cute beaver like coatis - cute and cuddly unless you have food then they'll take a sizeable bite of it and your hand.
Iguassu is not just one waterfall but many strung together and here are a few stats-niagara falls horseshoe drop is 790 metres wide, Victoria falls is 1079 metres (and technically the biggest because of its drop) and iguazu falls are a whopping 2.7 Kms- get your head around that! and they are all pretty spectacular but there is a big band of them at 2 locations-with the most impressive one - in fact described in lonely planet as one of the world's most extraordinary sights- called the devils throat. We have not yet been there but seen it in the distance and it looks truly terrifying and breathtaking.- tomorrow's excursion.
A gentle boat ride this afternoon was really a little unnerving as you are pushed downstream by the current and can see in the distance the lip of the falls as the water gets a little whiter and the guide paddles a little harder and the falls sound a little louder. We saw some of the wildlife and fauna- a baby toucan, some turtles and gorgeous electric blue and pale yellow birds.
I must add here Kate has been brilliant with her Spanish- dredging it up from 30 years ago when she was thrown in the Spanish depend in Costa Rica. She's just been great with taxi drivers and negotiating prices and a whole range of stuff to do with money and exchange rates and so on. What a gal! We recommend her as a travelling companion to anyone!
Anyway got up at 3am this morning to catch our flight to Iguazu Falls into 38 degrees (from sleeting on Tuesday). Mums a trooper and keeping up with it all and sometimes we've had to be the disciplinarians and get her to slow down- no easy feat but she is pretty exhausted now and planning a quiet day tomorrow with 2 beautiful small guided tours.
We are staying right in front of the falls. We went for a decent walk today and saw its tremendous power through canopies of rainforest and past cute beaver like coatis - cute and cuddly unless you have food then they'll take a sizeable bite of it and your hand.
Iguassu is not just one waterfall but many strung together and here are a few stats-niagara falls horseshoe drop is 790 metres wide, Victoria falls is 1079 metres (and technically the biggest because of its drop) and iguazu falls are a whopping 2.7 Kms- get your head around that! and they are all pretty spectacular but there is a big band of them at 2 locations-with the most impressive one - in fact described in lonely planet as one of the world's most extraordinary sights- called the devils throat. We have not yet been there but seen it in the distance and it looks truly terrifying and breathtaking.- tomorrow's excursion.
A gentle boat ride this afternoon was really a little unnerving as you are pushed downstream by the current and can see in the distance the lip of the falls as the water gets a little whiter and the guide paddles a little harder and the falls sound a little louder. We saw some of the wildlife and fauna- a baby toucan, some turtles and gorgeous electric blue and pale yellow birds.
I must add here Kate has been brilliant with her Spanish- dredging it up from 30 years ago when she was thrown in the Spanish depend in Costa Rica. She's just been great with taxi drivers and negotiating prices and a whole range of stuff to do with money and exchange rates and so on. What a gal! We recommend her as a travelling companion to anyone!
Friday, 7 February 2014
Buenes Aires- Paris of South America
Wow what a fascinating city - we only wish we had allowed ourselves a week here at least. Fantastic Parisian style buildings ( all but 2 Spanish ones being pulled down as part of the response to pulling away from Spain in 1810. Also gorgeous Art Deco apartments and we are staying in a lovely area .
Today a highlight was the cemetery of Recoletta- I never thought a cemetery and mausoleums could be so fascinating- you can see the coffins through the glass some of which is broken and full of weeds and cobwebs- so all a bit creepy but also fascinating - the wealthy of buenes aires employed architects to build the mausoleums so some of them are in the French style, some in Art Deco, semi- brutalist etc. - these styles reflected the homes they lived in. Eva person is of course buried here. the.best part are the guardian cats - the locals feed them in the morning and at closing time. We came across a paricularly affectionate one standing next to the statue of the dog. There are streets of these 'homes for the dead' often 2 or 3 stories deep to accommodate up to 20 people.
We visited the museum of Latin American modern art - a history of 20th century art with an argentine perspective - exciting stuff.
Tomorrow we head to Iguassu falls which mum has been very keen to see for a number of years- it is the longest - or widest- falls in the world and of course the main character in the magnificent film The mission - apart from Jeremy Irons of course!
Ciao for now!
Today a highlight was the cemetery of Recoletta- I never thought a cemetery and mausoleums could be so fascinating- you can see the coffins through the glass some of which is broken and full of weeds and cobwebs- so all a bit creepy but also fascinating - the wealthy of buenes aires employed architects to build the mausoleums so some of them are in the French style, some in Art Deco, semi- brutalist etc. - these styles reflected the homes they lived in. Eva person is of course buried here. the.best part are the guardian cats - the locals feed them in the morning and at closing time. We came across a paricularly affectionate one standing next to the statue of the dog. There are streets of these 'homes for the dead' often 2 or 3 stories deep to accommodate up to 20 people.
We visited the museum of Latin American modern art - a history of 20th century art with an argentine perspective - exciting stuff.
Tomorrow we head to Iguassu falls which mum has been very keen to see for a number of years- it is the longest - or widest- falls in the world and of course the main character in the magnificent film The mission - apart from Jeremy Irons of course!
Ciao for now!
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Cape Horn
An entry worth it's own- Cape Horn - we landed on the cape and climbed to the top to see where 10,000 souls lay.
As the sea was a relative millpond for the Horn, we were lucky enough to then go around it- so wonderful for our sailor Kate and mum who's dad went around it in 1899 - as a 14 year old stowaway on a ship from Dunedin to New York. (He thought he was going to Sydney!)
As the sea was a relative millpond for the Horn, we were lucky enough to then go around it- so wonderful for our sailor Kate and mum who's dad went around it in 1899 - as a 14 year old stowaway on a ship from Dunedin to New York. (He thought he was going to Sydney!)
Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia
Hi again folks
We now have some reception - not, apparently, enough to upload photos. A shame as we have been treated to some lovely sights. As we waited to board the cruise we visited the naval museum in Punta arenas and discovered that 62% of chile is in Antarctica! The Chileans were the party that rescued Shackleton and his crew from their near disaster and we also learnt that before the dats of GPS, Kate used the log system that had been in use for hundreds of years as the standard for measuring the distance travelled in a boat- in the old days they literally threw a log over the stern - it was on a rope. Cath threw a metal instrument but it had the same ability by the way it swivelled in the water to indicate distance.
After boarding we settled in our luxury cabins and the next day set off in zodiacs past sea lions and icebergs to look at the amazing variety of flora that flourishes here despite the cold- from hardened lichens to delicate rainforest ecosystems. Unfortunately the Canadian beaver was introduced and with no predators it has decimated the forest in parts (there is a culling program). Having no predators it's skin is less oily from lack of stress so it's fur is no good for using in clothing! To get rid of the beavers they introduced weasels which have no interest in beavers ( I thought that was a uniquely Australian thing to do) and then they introduced minxes- Hayley you have to look up these three animals. (Use Tierra del Fuego and the animal name in your keyword search). We then chugged off to see penguins and cormorants at close hand-amazing to watch them - cormorants - building their nest- the male passing bits stolen from another nest to the female who is sitting in it with the chicks. All were quite happily oblivious to us. The teenage Magellanic penguins (Hayley what is their other name?) have their own beach having been expelled from the nests. They are waiting for the next current that may send them to the pacific or the Atlantic - it's a lucky dip for them.
There were a number of tribes in the area - the most amazing were the Yamana who lived naked- they covered themselves with seal fat. The women dived with their children for sea shells, they owned the canoe and managed the fires. Can't imagine how babies survived a day.
We were lucky enough to see a glacier and heard it 'calving' - bits breaking off - like a tree falling - but didn't see it calving.
We are now in Ushuaia enjoying their fine summer weather - sleeting/ snowing intermittently. We
Went to a divine seafood restaurant - which needs to be transplanted to Sydney - pleasant service, magnificent food and wine.
Head off to buenes aires this afternoon
We now have some reception - not, apparently, enough to upload photos. A shame as we have been treated to some lovely sights. As we waited to board the cruise we visited the naval museum in Punta arenas and discovered that 62% of chile is in Antarctica! The Chileans were the party that rescued Shackleton and his crew from their near disaster and we also learnt that before the dats of GPS, Kate used the log system that had been in use for hundreds of years as the standard for measuring the distance travelled in a boat- in the old days they literally threw a log over the stern - it was on a rope. Cath threw a metal instrument but it had the same ability by the way it swivelled in the water to indicate distance.
After boarding we settled in our luxury cabins and the next day set off in zodiacs past sea lions and icebergs to look at the amazing variety of flora that flourishes here despite the cold- from hardened lichens to delicate rainforest ecosystems. Unfortunately the Canadian beaver was introduced and with no predators it has decimated the forest in parts (there is a culling program). Having no predators it's skin is less oily from lack of stress so it's fur is no good for using in clothing! To get rid of the beavers they introduced weasels which have no interest in beavers ( I thought that was a uniquely Australian thing to do) and then they introduced minxes- Hayley you have to look up these three animals. (Use Tierra del Fuego and the animal name in your keyword search). We then chugged off to see penguins and cormorants at close hand-amazing to watch them - cormorants - building their nest- the male passing bits stolen from another nest to the female who is sitting in it with the chicks. All were quite happily oblivious to us. The teenage Magellanic penguins (Hayley what is their other name?) have their own beach having been expelled from the nests. They are waiting for the next current that may send them to the pacific or the Atlantic - it's a lucky dip for them.
There were a number of tribes in the area - the most amazing were the Yamana who lived naked- they covered themselves with seal fat. The women dived with their children for sea shells, they owned the canoe and managed the fires. Can't imagine how babies survived a day.
We were lucky enough to see a glacier and heard it 'calving' - bits breaking off - like a tree falling - but didn't see it calving.
We are now in Ushuaia enjoying their fine summer weather - sleeting/ snowing intermittently. We
Went to a divine seafood restaurant - which needs to be transplanted to Sydney - pleasant service, magnificent food and wine.
Head off to buenes aires this afternoon
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