Our journey up the Amazon has finally come to an end. But not before a few interesting days.
Firstly they upgraded us to a better suite since the crew were having an end of cruise function in the lounge which was a deck directly above.
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So a very nice upgrade.
We did go out exploring a couple more times with varying results. The first time resulted in us encountering a mixture of wildlife including monkeys
some more bird life
and of course the mandatory water lilies
There was another expedition in the morning at 6.00. I decided to stay in bed and let Julie go out with our new found friends. They were back within 90 minutes soaking wet (😆). I was still lying in my warm bed.
And so we bid Venture and the Amazon a fond farewell
The bags are packed ready for an early disembark on Friday. Then a rush to the airport for our 10.45 flight to Rio. We go via Sao Paulo and a 7hr flight.
We got to Rio and headed for Copacabana Beach. The hotel was virtually on the beachfront so not too far to walk along the beach. And we would have except the weather was against us. We woke to a drizzly morning. However it is Copacabana so out we went after breakfast.
We popped into the Copacabana Palace just to see how the 'rich' spent there time. It was Easter
Unfortunately the Palace was right next door to a jewellery shop and Julie couldn't help herself. An hour later (and much poorer) we left ðŸ˜
The next morning we were off to the airport (again) and then on to Iguazu Falls.
The flight was uneventful and we arrived at our 'eco' hotel just outside of the entrance to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. It's very basic but the location was terrific. No TV but at least we had wifi. After all the food and alcohol over the past 3 weeks it's good to cut right back. The beer is very cold. Temperature in the day is around 28 deg so it will be hot walking around the Falls.
Off to the Falls. We were expecting big crowds and a long wait to get in. But not the case. Walked straight up, got the tickets and onto the bus for our first stop. There was a trek down to the boats for a fast ride up to the base of the falls.
A boat trip up the river to the Falls
The driver thought it fun as he took the boat under a couple of the smaller falls. Very exciting. Getting off the boat soaking wet and then onto the bus again for the next part of the trip - the Falls. And it was spectacular.
And we met a friendly furry animal along the way.
And there were more fabulous sights to behold
A great day was had and we returned to the hotel for a cold beer and a rest around the pool.
Because of the location of the hotel (being isolated) and the fact that their 'eatery' was closed over the Easter period, the choice of food was somewhat restricted - i.e. nothing. Which meant for the first night we had a microwaved chicken parma and tonight was a delivered pizza. At least we had cold beer. Breakfast was somewhat ordinary (read - outright horrible) so I settled on bananas and fruit juice (cordial) 😵. But we slept well.
There always had to be some demerit points awarded.
The next day we headed out to see the Bird Park (breakfast was much better). It was a great set up and lots to see.
In all we spent around 3 hrs (including a bite to eat and the compulsory beer).
Great selection of tropical species found in the Brazilian forests, mostly rescued from poachers or found injures.
And then there was the Boa 😲
A very enjoyable day.
Headed back to the hotel (400m away) and to the pool with another cold beer. Dinner was a hamburger and a bottle of the local Malbec (very nice).
And so our journey to Brazil came to and end and onto the next being Buenos Aires.
The flight was a breeze. We were worried about the baggage limits (turned out to be a non-event) and arrived in Buenos Aires early afternoon and a taxi ride to our hotel right in the middle of the city.
We had to change money for some Argentinian pesos. It's really weird, if you get it through a bank the exchange rate for US$ is around 210 for 1 US$. However if you get it on the street (or in our case at the hotel) we got 394 for US$1. They want US because their currency is so volatile.
The only problem was that we got most of it in 100 pesos bills.
All this for US$120. 😕 Need a big wallet to get a coffee!
Buenos Aires was interesting. We stayed in a hotel in the middle of city. Walking distance to a lot of the sites but the main focus was on getting a good steak.
This place had a lot of old world character and, more importantly, great meat. We also enjoyed a really nice bottle of their local Malbec. Yum.
We walked a lot. And saw a lot of shops. Got some good leather goods (Julie topped up the number of shoes she has while I got a new belt). Learnt how to get around on the subway (easy) and went to the Botanic Gardens
That evening we flew to Santiago, spent the night at a hotel near the airport and the next morning we were once again on a plane and heading north.
And our time in South America comes to an end. On 16 April we flew into Miami.
The next day marked our half way point on this journey 😱. Looking back, it has gone quickly. Lots a good memories (along with a couple not so good).
The first day in Miami was spent shopping (something new).Walked a lot (again) but it was good. Bought clothes mainly for the next leg of the journey as we expect the weather to be a colder. It was an early night. But we did slip into a restaurant for a small drink
Next day we went across to South Beach. Should have stayed there. A great spot. Terrific weather and a stroll along the beach
Lunch consisted of nachos and a margarita.
With a local doing a bit of exercise
Last night in Miami. Tomorrow will be the start of the journey across the Atlantic. Bit scary being on a ship for 20 days with nothing to do but eat, drink and be merry 😅
But someone has to do it.
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