That's A Wrap

I know I left you hanging the other day. We were destined to scramble about the city of Rio de Janeiro all on our own. A scary thought, I know.

As it turned out, we survived, even thrived. After a more than leisurely breakfast we hopped in a cab and headed to the Botanical Garden.  Founded in 1808 it is lush, green and has some of the tallest palm trees I’ve ever seen. It also was very hot and very humid. We strolled around about an hour and decided that something air conditioned was in order.

Another cab was just the ticket but the Lady who reigns over metro Atlanta and the Lady who is in charge of Los Angeles both decreed that they would only ride in a cab with certified cold air blowing from the vents. Lucky for the guy waiting for his next fare, his cab passed the cool test and we were on our way. Bert, our Formula 1 guy, rated our cab drivers skills as top notch and only winced once as we careened our way through the streets of Rio. He declared that if any cab driver deserved a tip, this guy did. The rest of us were just plain terrified.

Next stop: the Museum of Tomorrow, an iconic structure that wants to be the next Sydney Opera House, but in this city it will always be competing with Christ the Redeemer for such honors. The museum was designed by Catalan architect Santiago Calatrava who is said to have been inspired by bromeliads in the very botanical gardens we had just visited.  I think the description penned by Jonathan Watts of the Guardian about the time it opened sums it up nicely, “Rio de Janeiro’s new museum, focusing on ideas rather than objects, ecology more than technology, is a little trippy, a little hippy, very worthy but rarely dull.“

This clever writer managed to lose his dark glasses during the visit but they were rescued and returned by a team of intrepid members of our tour group. I think I’ve found the answer to my penchant for losing things, a team of 32 around me at all times. The Lady who has to help me find these missing items would be delighted.

One small problem looms, though. We encountered what I can only describe as “baby death turtles” in the area surrounding the entrance to the museum. How they grow and travel as far away as Santiago is a mystery to be solved another day. Just watch where you are walking.

Returning to the hotel, we had just enough time to enjoy a bowl of ice cream and watching the people across the street on Copacabana Beach. Then it was time to head to the airport.

The kind people of Rio created a sendoff appropriate for the 21^st Century, at least the way most of us live it. They all piled into their cars, busses, motorbikes, police cars and ambulances to escort us to the airport. The normally 30 to 45-minute trip took a resounding two hours. What a sendoff.

We returned to Atlanta to find it cold and pollen-ey. What happened to warm and inviting Spring? I want to go back to Rio.

One travel note: if you travel out of the country, even once a year, consider signing up for Global Entry. No long lines at customs and immigration. Just a minute at a kiosk and a brisk walk out. You also qualify for domestic Pre-check, which is a bonus.

Thanks again for coming along with us. I’m pleased to tell you that the Lady who plans these things has signed us up for a trip to Japan in March 2017. So, be patient and I will return.

The Last Day and Rio’s Bad Rap

The Lady who sleeps next to me likes to comment sometimes as our tours proceed, “Well you know, this time next week we will be home,” and such as that. I personally avoid thinking about the approaching end because it’s about that time that I am really into to the trip. I’ve learned everyone’s name and how to count seats and find my place on the bus. I finally remember to ask for milk in my coffee since it mostly hides the fact that, if black, it looks like used motor oil.

So, there are many reasons to avoid thinking about the last day, but it eventually shows up. As last days go, this one was a lot of fun. But, more about that later.

First, I would like to deal with the bad rap I think Rio de Janeiro has gotten. I will admit to buying a little bit into the unsafe, crowded, dirty reputation the city seems to have, at least in the U.S., but based on my experience on this trip, that reputation is underserved. The city is beautiful and has an energetic vibe. People are out and about everywhere and the area around Copacabana Beach where we are staying is delightful. Our local tours took us all over the city and the people we encountered were friendly and helpful. Now, I'm sure, like every city in the world, there are places tourists should not venture. But, if you exercise a little common sense, Rio is a wonderful place that you should visit if you have that opportunity.

One cautionary note: this city has some significant challenges in order to be ready to host the Olympics. Our local tour guide commented that most citizens are crossing their fingers that all of the infrastructure projects get completed because if the Olympic deadline passes, the work may never get done.

Our first activity today was a boat ride around the bay with some photo-worthy postcard views of the city and Sugarloaf Mountain. We departed and returned from the venue to be used for Olympic Sailing events. The main venue building seemed almost complete. However the streetcar line serving the area has a ways to go. Also, two subway lines are under construction and what we saw looked incomplete to say the least.

We had lunch in the center city at a genuine Brazilian Steak House. I guess every steak house here is Brazilian but you get the idea. They served every part of the steer except the “Moo” and all the bits were quite tasty. In addition, there were side dishes of French fries, onion rings, fried plantains as well as seafood and chicken options. Dessert was ice cream over a bed of mixed fruit. We do not go hungry.

Returning to the hotel after lunch we had a bit of free time. The Lady, who you should remember does not like to get wet, wanted to at least stick her toes in the sand of Copacabana Beach and so we did. Unfortunately, the Copacabana surf did not fully cooperate and wet the Lady’s feet. She accepted this baptism by feet with grace but moved quickly to dry herself off.

In the late afternoon, we commenced what the Lady likes to call the “Closing Ceremonies.” We traveled to the base of Sugarloaf Mountain and took a succession of cable cars to the top were we looked down on the city we had earlier crisscrossed. We returned to a lower peak and had a cocktail reception complete with a small musical ensemble and samba dancers. The views from there at night are spectacular.

We then joined a host of Rio residents trying to get home in rush hour traffic seen below and made our way once again across town to a lovely restaurant for the traditional farewell dinner.

The photo above was taken outside our hotel with friends Betsy and Bert. Now our attention is focused on getting home. Fortunately, Delta’s schedule gives us the whole day tomorrow on our own since our flight does not depart until 10pm. You know what that means, loyal readers, . . . you will get a bonus installment of the blog recounting our adventures as we explore the city unsupervised,  except by our travel buddies, Betsy and Bert. There is no telling what kind of trouble we might find.

Tune in on Friday to hear all about it.

A day of inspiration, fun and surprises

Today’s schedule was full. Up and out of the hotel at 7:30am, we would not return until after 4pm.

Our first activity was to visit the world famous Christ The Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado that is the iconic symbol of Rio. This required a 20-minute cog railway ride up the mountain and then climbing 252 steps to get to the base of the statue. I wasn’t sure if my gasping for breath was the result of the 252 steps or the breathtaking views of both the statue and the surrounding city.

Completed in 1931 and constructed of soapstone, the width of the arms is almost as much as the height. We were one of the first groups to ascend the mountain, which meant that it was less crowded than usual.  There was plenty of time to look around and enjoy being in a place that you had seen in books, magazines and on TV and realize that you were really there. Clouds floated around and above the statue adding a dramatic effect to the scene.

After this mountaintop experience, we were able to visit another remarkable Christian landmark in Rio, The Cathedral of San Sebastian. This pyramid shaped church was designed to comment critically on the tradition of pouring riches into churches rather than supporting poor parishioners. Its stark beauty is a testament to the power of simple design and construction that can inspire and nurture the soul without taking vast sums of money from those who can least afford it. The soaring vault contains three beautiful stained glass windows that decorate the inside of the structure.

 

After a fun lunch in downtown we headed for the Carnivale district for a visit to the warehouse of one of the city’s many Samba Schools. Samba Schools are the rough equivalent of Mardi Gras krewes in the U.S. and are called ‘Schools’ for tax purposes. The one we visited also supports community outreach programs for children who live in many of Rio’s slums.

We were given the full Carnivale (pronounced Car – ne – vaal) treatment. That included a taped presentation on the history of Carnivale, a tour of the work areas where right now they are in the tear-down phase in preparation for next year’s events. Then the real fun began. We were all offered the opportunity to dress in a Carnivale costume and parade around for photo opportunities. Once again, the Lady who occasionally makes my oatmeal strode out looking like the model for Carnivale success. A second career maybe?

Winding up our Carnivale experience was a blood pumping Carnivale dancing session. I believe I have enough blackmail video of my tour mates to finance our next trip. This was “Dancing Without the Stars.” We gained new respect for people who participate in the Carnivale contests when we found out that they have to wear these heavy costumes and dance for 82 minutes.

It was really a fun afternoon.

We returned to the hotel for a free evening. Betsy, Bert, Denise and I strolled along Copacabana Beach and found a lovely shore-side restaurant where I practiced my total lack of knowledge of Portuguese. Once again, smiling, pointing and waving ones arms resulted in a scrumptious dinner. I just don’t understand all these people who won’t travel because they don’t speak a foreign language. it's just so easy.

And then there were more

We said farewell to Argentina this morning and after a short drive were in Brazil. We arrived there to view the Iguazu Falls from a different country. About 80% of the Falls are in Argentina with 20% in Brazil.

My initial thought was, “well, we’ve seen 80%, what to see of just 20% more?” Color me very mistaken. As you can see from the pictures below, it’s all about perspective, my friends.

From the Brazil side you can see all of the Argentine falls, top to bottom and it was spectacular. Also at the end of the walk you can stand within about 30 feet of these raging waters.

Visiting the Brazil side of the falls was well worth it.

We soon headed to the airport for our 1 hour and 15 minute flight to Rio de Janeiro, which we learned on our trip into town from the Rio Airport means River of January. The discoverers thought that what is really a bay or estuary was a river.

It was dark when we arrived so there was not much to see except Monday afternoon drive time traffic. I’ve come to the conclusion that we members of the human race share a mutual bond: more often than not, we are all stuck in traffic. That should give us a good starting point in all of our international relations.

Tomorrow is a full tour day in Rio. Check this space for details.

Let me tell you, It is HOT here

Someone grab the Thesaurus. I’m going to have trouble finding enough special words to describe today’s activities at Igauzu Falls.

First let me tell you it was hot here today and that was at 7:45 am. Not just hot, I’m talking Hell’s Annex hot. And humid. The humidity must be 283%. I had sweat drops with their own sweat drops. My clothes were a sticky mess. I considered trying to be nekid but decided against it because of the international incident it would have caused.

But even with that level of discomfort, the views of the Falls are almost indescribable, but I will try. The Falls, which here are called cataracts, stretch to the horizon. They are scattered along almost two miles and the amount of water cascading over them is millions of gallons per minute.

The presentation and experience in the park is an engineering masterpiece. You reach the observation points over a series of metal grated bridges, crossing sections of the river that eventually plunge over 240 feet to create the Falls. The first walk, called the upper walk, was about one mile. This walk provided four or five observation decks where you could see eight or ten falls stretching out in the distance.

We then took a train ride to reach an entrance to walkways for an area of the falls called the Devils Throat. It was ¾ mile out to these falls where it was definitely “get wet” time. The Falls create giant sprays which douse you when the wind changes. Although I had a plastic bag for my camera, I had to do strategic retreats from the edge when the spray would head my way. And, of course, the Lady who prefers not to get wet, didn’t, but managed to see all the activity. How she manages that is a mystery to us all.

Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to mention that along most of the walkways were veritable clouds of butterflies. Brown, gold, green and multi-colored gems that would land on your clothes, hands and arms. It was a riotous display of colorful nature.

This foray to the falls lasted until lunchtime and we walked back to the hotel. We were offered at least one additional walk as well as various boat rides after lunch. Not wishing to be subjected to wilting mid-day high temperatures and humidity, we declined these walks but, instead, signed up for a jeep ride through the jungle in the late afternoon.

While we did spot one Toucan and footprints of some jungle cats, the animals were keeping a very low profile. We got out of the jeep and walked into the jungle to see a number of plants including orchids growing in the forked branches of several trees.

We returned to the hotel in time for a reviving shower before retreating to the dining room for much needed sustenance.

Tomorrow we cross into Brazil and after seeing more of the Falls from that side, we head to Rio.

Almost Out of Argentina

I’m writing this evening near the border of Argentina and Brazil. Before we leave Argentina I want share some comments about this interesting country. Fun fact: the name of the country is derived from the Latin word for silver – Argentum.

Argentina shares a lot of similarities with the United States. First and foremost it is a country of immigrants. The Spanish discovered Argentina but their only interest was in using it was to get to the silver in Paraguay. They also deposited a language here that seems to have taken hold.

There are very few indigenous people. The country was actually settled by loads of immigrants from Europe including large communities of British, French, Italian and German. For that reason when you walk around the cities, the people look a lot like those in the U.S. and have names like O’Hanrahan, Kruger, Bianchi and Jones (although they pronounce is ‘ho-ness’.)

Buenos Aires is a big city that has copied elements from all the major European and American cities. We had a chance this morning to ride around and, even though it was raining, you could see that it is a beautiful city with many wide, tree-lined avenues and lovely parks.

We also learned that Buenos Aires is a city of dogs. We saw a number of dog walkers about and at least one was leading 15 dogs. We were told that owners pay about $50 per month per dog and the walkers spend about four hours a day with the dogs.

We flew out this afternoon headed to Iguazu Falls some 800 miles north and a little east of Buenos Aires. The Falls straddle the border between Argentina and Brazil. Tomorrow we will tour the Falls from the Argentine side and then the following day we will see them from the Brazil side. When we landed it was dark so even though we know we are in a tropical rain forest, we couldn’t see a thing as we drove to our hotel. However, when we walked out of the airport to get on the bus, it felt just like Atlanta, very hot and very humid. All of our non-Southern friends were gasping for breath but the Lady and I just rolled on.

We are staying at a Sheraton Hotel in the National Park and, while it’s not quite up to the standards of the Alvear Palace that we just left, it is within a short walking distance to the Falls. The next nearest hotel is some 18 miles away outside the park.

There’s a good chance we will get wet from the spray of the Falls tomorrow so bring along your umbrella and rain jacket.

Of Opera Houses, Cemeteries, Leather Factories and High Tea

This is Day 2 in Buenos Aires which we have found to be a safe, walkable city.

We started the day with a tour of the Teatro Colon, the main opera house in Buenos Aires. A spectacular building in the European tradition it was renovated just a few years ago for a cost of $100 million U.S. And it certainly looks it.

We returned to the hotel and then walked about two blocks to the Recoleta Cemetery, a famous landmark in the city. Established in 1822 it contains over 6,400 statues, sarcophagi, coffins and crypts.

The most famous and a major tourist draw is the resting place of Eva Peron. One note: the Lady who carefully peruses my blog and corrects me when she feels it is necessary had complained that I incorrectly identified the famous Peron as Eva instead of Evita. I calmly explained that while the world mostly knows her as Evita, that name is a diminutive of her real given name, Eva. Interestingly, Eva is resting in a rather simple crypt owned by her father’s family in Recoleta. We learned today that knowing that she was dying, she designed a burial monument in the shape of a peasant worker intended to be larger than the Statue of Liberty with her glass topped coffin on display to the public at the base of the monument. Before these plans could be realized, her husband was deposed and her body began a twenty-year odyssey finally returning to Buenos Aires and the family crypt. If you are interested, there is a detailed history of her post death travels Here.

Next up was a trip to the leather factory where the Lady who would make sack cloth and ashes look extraordinary indicated that she had absolutely no intention of buying anything but it would be fun to just look.

Raise your hand if you think things worked out that way? Ha! A red leather jacket that looks stunning on her stole her heart. I think we went through at least three rounds of  “I’m getting it, I’m not getting it, I’m getting it” --- I think you get the idea. 

We got it.

Most amazingly, we visited the store around 2pm, she was measured, and the completed garment was delivered to the hotel around 7:30 pm. Talk about ‘just in time’ delivery. And it was perfect, much to my relief.

We opted for a late sitting of High Tea in the hotel instead of dinner, and had a wonderful time with Bert, Betsy, and new friends Steve and Cynthia. This was a good decision since South Georgia-like thunderstorms are rolling through the city dumping enormous amounts of rain in the streets. Our companions at Tea were fascinated by the storms since they are all from Southern California and almost never experience precipitation like this. I wonder if there is any money in ‘Thunderstorm Tours of Georgia?”

We are scheduled for a bit more city touring tomorrow morning and in the afternoon head for Iguazu Falls. Please come along.

Blog Extra – The Tango

I’ll admit to major ignorance regarding the tango. Up until yesterday, the tango was just a dance step. Today I am armed with almost way too much knowledge.

Tango developed in Argentina in the mid 19^th century to make brothels more productive. This very sensuous dance was conducted in a way to excite men to the point that the subsequent transaction upstairs happened very fast. Very fast meant more money for the brothel owners.

Fast forward a century and the dance, while still sensuous, became mostly respectable and was exported to Europe and America. It fell out of favor in Argentina with the arrival of Rock and Roll in the 60’s and it was not until the dictatorship following the Peron era that Argentineans brought it back and nourished it as an important part of their heritage.

There are two major types of tango, improv and choreographed. Our lesson the other day was of the former and the show we saw tonight was the latter.

The show we attended was the Esquina Carlos Garde Show in a dinner theater. We had tables in the balcony and after the meal the tables were removed and the chairs moved forward so we all had great views of the stage. Music was provided by a live orchestra with instrumentation including piano, three violins, a double bass, a cello, and most important, two concertinas knows as bandoneóns. The bandoneóns are like an accordion but without the keyboard. In addition to six pairs of dancers there was also a male and female singer. Tango music has a history as complex as the dance, too much to cover here. Suffice it to say it is lively and distinctive.

The show consisted of about 10 numbers featuring individual dance pairs as well as groups of dancers. Each of the singers performed a couple of songs as well. Many of the dances had an almost ballet like quality and at least once sequence include acrobatics worth of the Olympics.

Two of the dancers visited our table and we had a photo opportunity as seen below.

It was a fun evening rich in history and a cultural lesson worth the trip.