Week Forty Eight - Great Expectations

The last week of the trip - I've actually forgotten what it is like to live outside South America and to be able to have a conversation in English with people you come across every day!!  Even as I sit here in Miami Airport I would suggest English is not the first language of most the people working here.

This week was all about saving some of the big iconic attractions until the end according to the itinerary that had been put together so expertly by Nicola at Flight Centre.

First stop - Iguacu Falls.  This was definitely the wow moment of luxury on the trip.  Our hotel was the Sheraton in Iguacu National Park itself and the view from the lobby incorporated your first view of the Falls themselves.  They looked fairly impressive but as it turned out that was only a glimpse of the true extent of the experience.  On our first full day we visited the Argentinian side of the Falls (in total the falls cover 2.2km with 2.1km being in Argentina and 0.1km being in Brazil.)

Iguacu Falls National Park is over 182,000 hectares of subtropical rainforest home to over 2000 identified plant species, 400 bird types and many mammals and reptiles.  I spent some time with a lovely Brisbanite Clary who had set himself the goals of seeing four things in South America (Galapagos, Macchu Piccu, Antartica and Iguacu Falls).  We spent quite a bit of time not only marvelling at how the falls just keep coming at you but also discussing the completely separate ecosystems which exist above, in and below the falls themselves - something a friend of Clarys has studied for years and which I've promised to read more about on my return home (as well as watching The Mission which is set at Iguacu and is about the only Robert de Niro film I haven't watched).  

As for the falls themselves their sources come from Rio Iguazu and Rio Panama, two rivers which join at the point at which Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.  Quite interesting to see the three countries only 1km or so apart and two rivers which merge in colour if nothing else - Panama is blue whilst Iguacu is brown.

As Lonely Planet says "people who doubt the theory that negative ions generated by the a Falls make people happier might have to reconsider after visiting.  Moods just seem to improve the closer you get to them until eventually people dissolve into a giggling, shrieking mess.  And this is adults we're talking about.  The power, size and sheer noise of the falls has to be experienced to be believed."

Our trip incorporated seeing the falls up close and personal on a couple of walking circuits (the only disappointment being that storms earlier this year had swept away the walk / viewing platform for the Devils Throat which is the most spectacular) and we also opted to take what was described as the boat tour.  Well it was more than that - a full on thrill ride and if we'd known all involved I certainly wouldn't have worn a tight white tshirt and a pair of shorts I feared may go see through!!

You start up close to one of the tamer falls and get slightly damp before they then take you headlong into two of the more 'active' falls - where you get absolutely drenched - like shoving your face and body into the worlds strongest power shower which completely takes your breath away.  The most horrible feeling was as the torrents of water worked their way down your front and shorts - soggy all over to say the least.  Oh and then we concluded it all with a Rapids ride and whilst still drying off s jungle jeep ride.

Day Two took us to the Brazillian side of the experience.  This meant going through the Argentinian and Brazilian immigration controls so for the sake of one hour at the falls we spent seven hours travelling.  You'll get some sense of how amazing it was when I say it was completely worth it.  

A couple of days ago someone commented rather succinctly that on the Argentinian side you see the Falls whilst on the Brazilian side you feel the falls.  This is pretty accurate but one thing is for sure - the hundreds of photos taken and the whole of the Oxford dictionary would still not convey they full impact of this, deserved, modern wonder of the world.

By contrast, the final stop of our trip, Rio de Janeiro, left me somewhat underwhelmed. Various notions of what to expect were going through my head - party central, home to Christ The Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain both of which are icons of Rio.  The idea we have of Brazilians flaunting their beautiful bodies around Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.  My own ideas that both these beaches would be wall to wall trendy restaurants, bars and shops.  The whole place alive with colour and happy sounds.

The reality is somewhat different.  Gridlock from the airport to our hotel which meant a 10km trip took over an hour albeit it was made more interesting by our guide filling us in on lots of information from a locals perspective - we even drove along the outskirts of one of Rio's shanty towns (flavellas).  The city and the streets around the beaches are pretty grubby and a mix of shops, cafes etc which are more reminiscent of the style we saw in Peru - a developing country.  The beach is big and white as are the avenues which line them but the buildings along the avenue are somewhere between 1950s and 1970s tower blocks.  As for the beach inhabitants - well the stereotypical Brazilian Beach Babes were nowhere to be seen (thank goodness for me) and instead the trend is one that looks as if it's heading towards obesity (something our guide himself had commented on).  Hardly surprising when the endless kiosks serving food and drink which line the beaches sell predominantly fried food and beer!!  All that said the beaches are full of every life form therefore great for people watching and sunset is amazing.

Sugarloaf Mountain does tower majestically over the city (hard to believe it is only one piece of granite).  The views from the top of the cable car ride are amazing across every aspect of the sprawling city. Christ the Redeemer on the other hand does not impose itself over the city as much as I had expected.  From the photos you see of it it feels like it should be huge and tangible from any aspect across the city.  This is true when you go to visit it (an amazing little train ride that climbed ore than 1500m). It is huge and majestic and well worth the visit.

I sound like I'm being hyper critical of Rio.  That wouldn't be fair.  I only had a couple of days in Rio and wish I had had more to explore it further, find its soul and experience its legendary nightlife and carnivale atmosphere however it was not to be.  That said (by virtue of sending some thoughts on what to do in Buenos Aires to Lucy and Oli) I realise how much more BA grabbed me from the moment we arrived.  Maybe next time when the city hosts the 2016 Olympics, Rio will do the same thing (not that I'll be there)!!  

Our guide told us everything which is going on at the moment to get ready for the greatest show on earth - four new roads with tunnels being constructed, two new subway lines, hotels being built all along the dockside, converting the docks into a showpiece.  A massive massive undertaking with a long way to go.  Yes the Football World Cup was here this year however very few of the games were actually hosted in Rio and it would appear the city is well aware of the challenges which lie ahead (indeed the influx of contractors etc to get games ready is what is causing a lot of the gridlock today!!).

So the six week mega trip is coming to an end - as I write this (not post it because Miami Airport has no wifi to speak of) I am one flight down with two more to go (interspersed with a 15 hour layover and a 5 hour layover).  My summary after 41 days, 26 beds, 16 plane journeys, 80 plus bus journeys, 3 trains, 2 cable cars and a tuk tuk?

We have had the most amazing experiences over the last six weeks.  A quite contrasting trip and one that we probably had not anticipated being as full on and full of adventures as it has been.  The Amazon feels like a lifetime ago and was the perfect start to a trip to another continent as it was like nothing we'd experienced before but also gave you that 'pinch me' feeling as you wondered at the fact you were in The Amazon.  Whilst the early starts were a bit much at times, the G Adventures trip through Peru was my highlight.  Travelling with a group of people and a CEO who instantly bonded, experiencing all sorts of transportation to get to some wild and wacky places (you may remember the pics of the cemetery in Nasca) and having the expertise of local guides to take us to places and introduce us to people you would never have come across if you'd tried to do it yourself.  And laterally having time to get an overview of other big attractions like Mendoza, Buenos Aires, and Rio have also been great whistlestop tours.

In the last week of my trip we...

...HUNG OUT WITH...our phrase book.  Just as we're mastering the basics of speaking, hearing and reasonably understanding Spanish, we move onto Brazil where the language is Portuguese.  In my niavity I thought they'd be similar but they're not.  Add to that the insistence that even when they know you don't speak their language, they insist on carrying on at high speed like you're taking it all in.  If I said gracias rather than obrigado one more time I was going to be upset with myself (until I decided to pretend I was merely an ignorant Spanish traveller!!)...

...WINED ON...whilst I enjoyed a bottle of AS3 Cab Sauv one eve, the focus of the trip was based on the premise of "when in Brazil..." And so it was caipirinhas rather than wine that were slipping down pretty well after an initial cheek sucking hit of strong alcohol and lime...

...DINED ON...the one and only big meal out we've had on this trip.  It was at a restaurant well chosen by Claire in the suburb of Leblon in Rio.  Called Zuka it was full of traditional upmarket Brazilian faire and despite my best attempts to fit in the dessert I've wanted the whole trip, it wasn't to be after eating a massive succulent melt in the mouth steak with something resembling Welsh rarebit and salad.

Whilst I've had a blast and would definitely love to explore other areas of South America its time to come home and see everyone, get ready for Christmas and get on with my businesses with a new sense of excitement and a slightly more worldy wise outlook.

Looking forward to catching up - I've missed you all

G