Valparaiso, Chile

Hey all,

We decided to ceck out the costal city where the English settled, Valparaiso.  The place everyone recommend to go for taking photos and looking at street-art. It does have plenty of amazing photo opportunities and I Bet a person with photo skills would have such a great time in this town. Here are a few of my pics. 

So now I would like to tell you how our day really was as it turns out photos can lie. We visited Valparaiso on the 21 st May, and I recommend you NOT to visit on that date! We arrived after 90 minutes bua ride from Santiago.  Several of the streets were closed and armed army forces was at every corner. As we walk towards the meeting point for a walking tour of the city, we see people protesting in the streets. As we work oyr way through closed street we conclude that the tour must be canceled as the meeting point was busy with guards getting ready for a parade. So we walk the streets alone to check it out and found the places we went to be dirty and feeling unsafe. 

I also found the secret to all the pretty photos have chosen to zoom out the dirr, rubbish and electrical cables. 

When we went for lunch we saw the news that the demonstration that was only a short wall away from us had gone wild. A house was set on fire , thwy had broken into stores and one person had died in hospital. Scared we decided to go up the hills again for further photos before heading off earlier than we originally thought. 

Write soon

Xo

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Hey

We are currently in Rio De Janeiro, and we have another day here before we leave to Chile.

We arrived with the group and spent the first few days with them. The first night we had Brazilian barbecue and went out to a nightclub to party. They party very different to us and the place was full of people from 18 years old to just old. 

The first full day we took a half day tour through Intrepid. They took us to a very interesting Favela, with gorgeous views of Rio.

From the Favela, looking at the rest of the Favela. The little mountain top to the left is where the Christ statue is (cant see as well on the photo)

This is taken from the Favela, looking at Rio. 

We found out that this is thw Favela that Michael Jackson came and visited back when no one visited due to the drugs and shootings in the place. Michael Jackson used this Favela along with most of the locals in one of his music videos.  As a thank you and to remember this they have placed a real life statue of him in the Favela, and there is plenty of street art of the Legendary Michael Jackson as well.  

Michael Jackson real life size statue, must have been short. 

After thw Favela tour we visited Christ the Redeemer on top of the hill. 

That night we said goodbye to most of the people from the tour. A very sad night but we got to hang out with the Irish awesomeness that is Wendy on the last day of her trip (the day after everyone left). We decided to go up the Sugar Loaf Mountain via the cable cars. We had no clouds and sun the entire day. Rio looks great on a perfect day like this. 

View from the first stop of the cable car. 

View from the top of the cable cars on Sugar Loaf Mountain.  

Another one from the top.

Wendy, Luke and I then went to a market close to our hotel in Ipanema before we said sad goodbyes to Wendy. It feels quiet with just Luke and I now. We spent that night watching the sunset on Ipanema beach.

Sunset on Ipanema beach

On our last full day here we went on a free walking tour of downtown and Lappa. We took the subway for the first time in Rio and it was easier to figure out than Buenos Aires.  

Lappa

The famous stairs located in Lappa, Rio De Janeiro.  The largest piece of art by one artist in the world. 

We are now on our way to the last stop of the trip, Santiago , Chile. 

Write soon

Xo

Arrial, Brazil

Hi,

We spent three nights in Arrial in Brazil, about a 3.5 hour drive from Rio De Janeiro.  We had a lot of fun with the group here, for sure. We spent a day on a boat trip, visiting two beaches. 

Arrial from the boat

Another picture from the boat

Us on the boat

After we spent almost a full day on the beach and it was so much fun. 

Write soon, 

Xo

Iguazu falls, Argentina & Brazil

Hi folks,

We have spent two days at the Iguazu falls, one in Argentina then another in Brazil. It was perfect moments of my life. I love water falls.

We also saw a Tucan at the falls on the Brazil side. It was so beautiful that it looks unreal. I thought it was made of wood until it moved. 

We also saw a different type of Tucan on the Argentina side. From a but of an awkward angle.  

Pretty cook birds, and NO I am not a bird person but anyway.. 

Write soon. Xo

Ibera Wetlands, Argentina

Hi there, 

After an overnight 10 hour bus, and a 2 hour drive in a van, we arrived at Ibera Wetlands,  Argentina. Tired after only sleeping for 2 hours of the trip, I had a snooze in the morning our first day. In the afternoon we went on a boat trip to see some animals.  

We did see a bunch of birds, but I only took photos of them with my actual camera. I did take this photo of a tree that looks like  bird for you though. 

We also saw a bunch of Caymans and Capybaras. Afterwards we relaxed at the ranch, I spent most of the time in one of the hammocks, with my audio book and colouring app on my phone. 

The second day we went on a bush walk to see some animals. We saw another bunch of Capybaras and some hauler monkey's (no photos as we saw a bunch of them in Peru too). 

Me and one of the many Capybara

"Bush" walk

Me in the wetlands of Ibera. 

At the end of the second night we went for another walk to heat the hauling from the hauler monkeys. I have enjoyed the two days in Ibera Wetlands and the ranch stay has been very comfortable.  We have had 3 course meals for lunch and dinner with cakes as a snack in between.  Well fed indeed. 

Write soon

Xo

Argentina to Brazil Adventure , Intrepid tour company

Hi guys

On our furst day if the tour that will end up in Rio in 10 days, we ended up walking around for hours. I decided we should go back to  El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the most known book store in Buenos Aires. I absolutely love this book store.  It opened as a theatre called Teatro Gran Splendid in May 1919. And  the ecleticist building features ceiling frescoes painted by the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi andcaryatids sculpted by Troiano Troiani. It opened as a book store in 2007. And  what used to be a stage, is now a café.  We had a coffee there and it was very tasty.  

My other camera took great photos of the place but this will do for this blog. 

We met up with our new touur group at night and went for dinner (steak and wine, a must have dinner here). We are now a group of 12 people, mostly women. 2 from New York, 3 from Australia,  2 from UK (one from England and one from Ireland) and a man from Australia, and a guy that did not show up to tje meeting so not sure. 

We have an original walk today (funny because we have been here 5 days). Then an overnight bus (10hrs) to a ranch stay in north Argentina.  

Write soon, xo

Colonia, Uruguay

Hey readers,

We decided to skip Buenos Aires for a day to see Colonia in Uruguay. It took 1 hr with boat to get to Uruguay and it was calm water in the ocean (which was nice as I get motion sickness). 

Flag of Uruguay

Luke and I in front of the old Lighthouse in the historic part of Colonia. 

The historic part of Colonia from the Lighthouse

Ï

My lunch with water view.

The Waterview

The historic part of Colonia

It was a great day trip and we got back pretty tired from all the walking. 

Write soon, xo

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hi dear readers,

The fight to Buenos Aires was gorgeous,  stunning views for the majority of the flight over Bolivia and then mostly farmland over Argentina.  

On our arrival day we walked around the hotel area , Recoleta. It's felt safe to walk around, even at night. Argentina has a very different feel to what we have had so far in South America. It feels like weare somewhere in Europe.  The air has been clear and we have been lucky with the weather.  It's the coldest place we have visited so far, with only 12 degrees during the day on our second day. 

For the second and third day we decided to go on hop on hop off busses around the city. It seems a good way to see it all on such a short time. 

Me on the way to the bus in Recoleta neighborhood.  

Picture from on the bus

Luke and I in La Boca

La Boca neighborhood

Buenos Aires

The bus got stuck between two parked cars as some point of the tour. They went out and moved the car by hand and then the driver was able to get through with only touching the indocator light (they don't use that here anyway) 

I have a funny video of them moving the car but no idea how to upload without using Youtube. 

Recoeta cemetery

Me out having stake im Buenos Aires :)

Write soon, Xo