Heathrow and Home

Breakfast was served on the plane about 10:00 UK time, since the hour change meant that Brazil was only two hours behind GMT.. We arrived half an hour early at Heathrow, were quickly through immigration (once the e-passport gates decided to work), luggage arrived promptly and we got to the arrivals lounge for a welcome shower by 13:30.  We were hoping to spend some time relaxing there before the next stage of our journey, but discovered that it closed at !4:00 - just as well our flight landed early.
We bought our coach tickets and arrived at Gatwick at 15:30 and checked if we could get on an earlier flight.  We had just missed the 16:30, but there were seats available at 18:10, so Pete queued at the customer service desk and 25 minutes later after a few technical hitches managed to get replacement tickets.
No particular photo opportunities for this leg of the journey.
It was great for Adrian to meet us at the airport and take us home to a reality check of two washing machines to fill!
817 photos and over 200 video clips were uploaded onto the main computer - there will be some serious editing to do over the dark winter months ahead.
Many thanks to all (especially the folks at Audley) for organizing such a memorable trip to Latin America.  We feel we should have spent longer there, and that is always the best way to feel!

Iguacu and homeward

Up as usual and went down for breakfast, which Alison thought was very good, but Pete said was not quite up to yesterday's standard.
Finished packing and sorted out money for paying the bill. We used up all our remaining Pesos and then paid the balance in dollars - a very good rate of 14 pesos to the dollar!
Sylvano arrived and loaded up the car and off we went to the airport to check-in and print our boarding card.  Just as well Sylvano was with us as all the dialogue was in Portuguese!
We went through the Argentinian border control very smoothly and onto the equally slick Brazilian control.
Once done, we drove about 10 minutes to the national park entrance where Alison made the most of the souvenir shop while Sylvano parked the car.  We passed through the entry gates and then drove about 9km to the entrance to the viewing trail.  Sylvano explained the map and showed us where to start and then told us where he would meet us after he had parked at the far end.  We had 15 minutes to ourselves to admire the outstanding panorama of the Argentine falls.

It was Alison's turn to be gobsmacked at the 2.7 km of the over 200 individual waterfalls and to have her photos taken before them.  Whilst yesterday Pete had walked over the Argentinian falls, today we could see them in all their splendour.

We met with Sylvano as planned and then took the path towards Devils throat.  There was a lower level walkway right across the face of the falls  where we could see swifts darting in and out of their nests and rainbows in the mist, plus the opportunity to get soaked!
Afterwards, we took the elevator up to the exit area, where Sylvano ushered us to the restaurant which was on the banks of the river.

After an excellent lunch we were off into the car to the airport where again Sylvano eased us through the crowds to check in our bags.  We had a 20-minute sit down and then straight onto the TAM plane which left on time and arrived in Rio a little early.
It was cloudy when we landed perhaps we will see the lights of Rio when we take off.
Our luggage came on the correct belt and we then went up the lift to floor 3 and commenced  the long walk to terminal 1, reaching the British Airways check-in desks by about 18:00.   Unfortunately they didn't open until 20:00,so we found a coffee shop for a light snack.
We checked in and proceeded through security and then another very long walk through a long corridor of empty shops until we reached the lounge - which was probably the worst club lounge we had ever seen - no showers and not very comfortable seats either.  It seems that Terminal 1 may be due for refurbishment before the Olympic Games!
Pete discovered (a) that the Netbook was flat and (b) the charger was in the suitcases which had been checked in.  Fortunately we borrowed an adapter from  fellow passengers so that the photos could be uploaded to the Netbook, which gave them  the chance to see our photos of Iguacu, and to be given an Audley card!
Pete was still in the process of putting on his flight socks when we were called early for boarding.
The calming glass of bubbly helped us get settled into the superior BA seats (by comparison with Iberia). We were seated in the middle of a 2-3-2 system with Pete facing backwards, so we were able to gaze into each others eyes, when they were open, that is.
Despite the late hour we managed a starter and main course, plus glass of Chardonnay, but once again skipped the dessert.  It was soon time for bed and we both slept well (helped by a cup of hot chocolate during the night for Alison).
The lights went on with 2 hours left to go and it was time for breakfast.

Iguazu

We had a good night's sleep, but Alison woke up to discover it was not her day.
Four trips to the loo later she realised that a half or full day trip was not on the cards!
She persuaded Pete to go alone and he went to breakfast (the best buffet table so far) and returned with a slice of toast.
 Then he got sorted for Sylvano arriving at 09:30.  He needed to get his wallet out of the safe, so quickly put in the code to lock it and off he went.
Alison gave him suggestions for shopping and reminded him to get some water.
Anyway Alison got showered and dress and managed to sit in the shade by the pool by about 11:00.
The butterflies sitting on the decking and things that are three time the size of ants are crawling around, some with huge leaves on their backs.  The birds are chirping away, but remain hidden.
Alison managed about an hour and a half by the pool and then went back to the cool of the veranda, where she could study the wildlife in the forest outside.
Meanwhile Pete and Sylvano were treading the boardwalks around and above the countless small but high (60m) waterfalls that abound on the Argentine side of the falls, which extend for 2.7 km.

Pete was juggling the video and still cameras, but Sylvano helped out by taking photos of Pete at various points.  Obviously tomorrow he will be pressed into service to take some photos of Alison on the Brazilian side. Because of the winter floods, the walkway to Devil's throat was closed, but fortunately we will get a good view of that tomorrow.  The tour concluded with lunch at the falls and they set off back at about 13:30.

Just about 14:00 Pete arrived back with his stories of his amazing trip to the falls. He also confirmed that tomorrow start is at 09:00, because that is 10:00 Brazil time.
He put the photos on the Netbook whilst we both had a cup of Earl Grey.  He suggested that Alison should have chilled out on the hammock, but then realised she would probably have tipped over the balustrade  and fallen 6 feet into the jungle!  We went down to the pool and had a cooling swim when it had cleared of youngsters.  back to the room for another spa bath and then to watch some more  video, Pete finishing off last night's bottle of Malbec and Alison staying on the water.
En route to the restaurant tonight we must try to check-in for the flights tomorrow in the Internet cabin. Can't believe its that time already, but the bible says it is, so it must be true.
So to check-in we expect we will need our passport details yet again, so Pete went to retrieve them from the safe./  He entered the code,but the door refused to open, so he put it in again and the door stayed firmly closed. It must have been that in his sleepy stupor this morning he entered a different code to close it.
So off to reception with tail between legs ;
"Ah the safe for Anahi - that is upstairs, so we will get it tomorrow"
"But we leave at 09:00 tomorrow!"
"We will see what we can do"
Meanwhile we located a photocopy of our passports so proceeded to check-in at the (Portuguese) TAM website. Check-in on-line not possible (At least that's what we thought the Portuguese said.)
So it will have to be at the airport after all.
We both had a fairly light dinner ; Catfish Alison was thinking of her little catfish in the aquarium, but it seems this one was bigger.  Once again no room for desserts.
As we returned to our room we were met by a kind staff member who unlocked the safe - which will stay unlocked!  Panic over for tonight.

Iguazu here we come!

Up and about early this morning and we went into the courtyard to find our individually laid table with our own breakfast selection. Pete managed to navigate the LAN check-in site (in Portuguese this time) and the receptionist printed out our boarding cards.  All packed we finished up the blog from the previous two days while we waited for Marcello (who arrived arrived early) to take us back to the airport, his luxurious car such bliss for the boneshaker roads of |Buenos Aires.  We saw a train, Ferrovia train but the camera was in the boot!  (Sorry P&M).
There was a long but fast-moving queue at checkin, but we were able to go upstairs in a short time to departures.  Alison's book in her backpack caught the security guard's eye, so needed to be examined.
There was a Hard Rock shop by gate 15, but the cafe was under construction, this was the first one Alison had seen in South America, so a  pin for her cap was duly bought.
The flight was called and once again it was a bus for the plane; for the first time we had to give in our boarding passes at the gate so needed the copies that LAN say you have to take.
The usual box of biscuits plus soft drinks on offer and the view was hazy and not photogenic, but would look impressive in the right lighting conditions.
Luggage appeared promptly and on the right belt (there was only one operating!) and Sylvano was there to meet us in a comfortable car.  As he is from Brazil, he will be our guide and driver throughout.
On leaving the airport we saw a large lizard crossed the road in front of us and we were surrounded by yellow butterflies all the way to the Lodge.
Road  signs warned of tapirs and raccoons (fodder for the Pumas),
Sylvano saw us into the Lodge and that we were checked in properly.  We will see him tomorrow for our excursion to the Argentine side of the falls. We were upgraded to a suite with two double beds, a separate lounge area, a spa bath and a hammock on the veranda.
A porter led us through the forest paths to our cabin Anahi in the Guarani.  Anahi is a Guarani name which means beautiful as the ceibo flower.  it symbolises courage and strength in the face of suffering (no doubt a reference to horse riding in Torres el Paine).

We read the Lodge information  booklet and then cooled down in the three tier pool in the evening sun.  It was still around 30 degrees.  We enjoyed a melon fruit juice served at the pool side and then back to the room for a spa bath to warm us up again!

We will be sampling what is on offer in the restaurant tonight, but unfortunately as it is low season there will be no folk music.

Back to Buenos Aires for a Tango show.

Alison awoke with a start to to Pete wondering why his phone said 09:15 when the alarm had been set for 08:00 and had not gone off!  She put on her glasses and replied 8:15!
It transpired that for some reason the phone had decided to set Uruguay time at 7.30 there by missing the alarm for 8!
Up to the 4th floor for a very light breakfast - no tables were set, so it was a free for all where we sat.
The view was fantastic, but the windows did not open so the tables by the windows were very hot, so we chose one where we could see the view in comfort.
We left our room and sat outside in the shade waiting for Debs in temperatures approaching 70F.
Back to Debs' place and the children were bouncing around ready for showers, lunch (empaladas again) .  Ann & Bob's bedroom had been flooded from the pet shop next door but not seriously.  After a reviving milky coffee and water it was time to head off to the coach station.  Debs tried to get us upgraded to Cama without success, so it was back upstairs for the view but less comfort!
Off on the bus to a family send off at 12:30.

Pete attempted to sleep and Alison on her Kindle.  The "lunch pack "was delivered at Concepcion, but it was just biscuits again, so the apples that we could not find on the outward journey and a very delicious banana from Debs provided a welcome alternative.
Back to the bus station bang on time 17:50 and met by the driver, who had some problems finding his car!
Back at the hotel by 18:30 and we had been upgraded to room 7 Ocampo, which had a canopy over the bed.  Orange juice arrived shortly after; quick shower and ready for our 20:30 pickup for the tango show.  We were the first to be picked up so we were treated to a bumpy ride around the streets of Palermo, picking up a party from Puerto Rico and couples from Boston and Brazil.
We shared a table with the couple from Boston.  Pete was still a little delicate from his BBQ overload the night before, so chose a light meal of soup and pasta, but Alison managed the mozzarella and ham roll, followed by a rather large steak, which she didn't quite finish!
The Tango show was very professional and skillful with some gymnastic feats of brilliance; it finished shortly before midnight and we were back at the hotel after another bumpy ride by 12:15.
There was a note in our room advising us that breakfast the following day could be in our room or the courtyard; we chose the courtyard.

Our bus trip to see Debs and family.

Pete woke at 04:15 before the alarm went off and we showered and did the last of our packing just in time for the arrival of our welcome breakfast tray at 05:00.
Alison was sniffling most of the night and seems to have caught Pete's cold.
 We left our packed suitcases in the room and just took our backpacks with us into reception.  Our car arrived on the dot at 05:30 and whisked us into the central coach station, where we arrived at 06:00, before much of it was open!  We reckon we could have had another half hour in bed, but better early than late, as they say.
We soon found the waiting area in Zone E and our coach was shown on the screens at 06:45 and arrived 5 minutes later.  The driver studied our tickets in great detail and even wanted to see the return tickets as well as the outward ones and both passports, before letting us on.
We had been allocated seats one and two on the top deck and right at the front, giving a superb view and opportunities for some video photography en route.
It was fine so long as you didn't look down as it seemed every time the bus turned a corner it was going to crash into both sides of the road!
We drove past the Puerto Wilson and containers stacked high on either side of the road, and then onto a main autopista out of the city.
We were going nicely and then left the main road to our first stop, where we were given our lunch box (which contained four different varieties of biscuit).  After a short time the urbanscape was transformed into lush green, especially once we had crossed over the river bridge into Entre Rios.
Every now and then there was a toll stop or a slow down at a Police checkpoint.  At one of these the bus was pulled over and the police entered and started examining ID's and passports.  After much rummaging, Alison found these and had them ready, but the policeman ignored the front row and so we could put them away again and were soon on our way.  There was water on tap, which was needed, as the sun was streaming in through the windscreen, but we didn't want to close the blinds; we could see buzzard eagles, who had built their nests in the electricity pylons lining our route.
After about 4 hours we saw the first sign to Colon and then we turned off to Concepcion del Uraguay, a large town, where we spent some time navigating the streets before finding the coach station.  Back out on a different road and we sailed past the turning to Colon, only to find ourselves driving down unpaved tracks in San Jose, arriving there at about 12 noon, the time we were due in Colon.
However Colon was only 10 km back down a different road and we soon arrived at the coach station to be met by Ann & Bob who walked us back the short distance to Debs' and Hugo's house.
The girls were a little shy and were getting ready for school, but hunger overtook shyness as we all tucked into empaladas before Hugo took them to their afternoon session.  Debs then drove us the short distance to our hotel, which is pleasantly situated near the banks of the river, but sufficiently far away and high enough to have avoided the recent floods.
A brief chill-out before Debs arrived again to pick us up and take us back home for a celebration BBQ.

Debs picked us up at 18:00 and took us back to their house; Olivia and Mia had lost their shyness and great fun was had by all.  Hugo gfot his barbecue going and what an excellent meal that was - pork and beef ribs and oh I forgot sausage to start off.  Some salad to accompany the meat.  Paulo, Hugo's business partner,  arrived bearing ice cream which we had for dessert.  We all ate far too much and drank not a little red wine, finished off with a shot of whisky!  it was past midnight, we could not keep our eyes open any more, Debs took us back and we crashed out on the bed!

Walking around Buenos Aires.

Up as usual, shower and breakfast at 08:00 and out of the Hotel by 08:45 for the short walk (8 blocks to the right, then a further 2 blocks right along Avenue Santa Fe until we reached the green Subeo sign for Palermo station.  Bought two tickets (@ 5 pesos  each) from the ticket office and went down to the platform.  The first train came in was completely full but lots more people crammed in while we waited  for the next one right opposite where the door had closed.  The next train arrived in a few minutes and we let the crowd push us into the carriage.  We were concertinaed until the 8th stop when Alison was offered a seat.  At the 10th and last stop we disembarked and went up the escalator straight onto the street. We found our bearings and walked to the meeting point by the monument.
Claudio met us at 09:45 and after discussing our preferences, we started our walk at the Presidential Palace which is permanently protected by anti-demonstration barricades as there is usually a demonstration each day in the morning against government policy, followed by one in the afternoon in favour!  Police vehicles, including water cannons, were deployed, with engines running  at all times as violence could flare up without warning.
We went inside the opulent interior of the national bank (photography not allowed) and then to the cathedral, which from the outside looked like a museum.  Pope Francis was a Cardinal here.  A special Mass was being celebrated in remembrance of the patron saint of the municipal police
This cathedral houses the mausoleum of repatriated remains of  Jose de San Martin, who died in exile in France.

We then saw a white building designed by Blanci (a Jesuit) the colonial town hall, which was previously a prison.
On the way to San Telmo we called in at the Iglesia de San Ignacio, which houses the mausoleum of General Belgrano and commemorates the successful fight against the British invasion of 1806-07.  One of its towers bears the marks of cannon fired as the British force took refuge in the church.
On to San Telmo, whose graffitti-lined streets demonstrate that it is an area on the up aiming to match the bohemian district of Palermo.

We moved onto the canal area of Puerto Madero with its mothballed failed tram system, and the Catholic university, with its striking new bridge (ladies bridge according to Debs) and the masts of the former sail training vessel to be seen.
Then we caught the number 64 bus back to Place Mayo, where we took our leave of Claudio and enjoyed a welcome sit down and lunch at cafe Tortoni, the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires, and whose colonial decor was reminiscent of La Cigale in Nantes.  A delicious salad, glass of wine and ice cream dessert were what we needed after our morning stroll.
We left the cafe and headed towards the Avenue 9 de Julio, the widest street in Buenos Aires, and one of the widest in the world, with 11 traffic lanes in each direction.  On past the obelisk and to the Teatre Colon, which is the superb Opera House. Unfortunately, all the English tours were sold out, so we were unable to see it.  Some more strolling around and then it was a cab back to the hotel, to rest up and then write up today's activities.
back at the Hotel, the evening porter suggested that, if we would like some pasta, Il Grand Carouso, just a few blocks away, would be a good choice.  We duly found it, but having looked at the extensive menu, chose antipasti to share for starters followed by chicken for Alison and veal for Pete.  once again we were too full for dessert, so asked for cafe solo;  this was served, not with sparkling water, but sparkling wine!  When we complemented them on their wine, we were surpirsed to be offered another glass just as we were leaving, served outside whilst we watched the world go by!
We did not quite have enough pesos for the bill, and surprisingly they did not accept dollars, so this was our first credit card transaction (apart from the hire car deposit).

Then a short walk back to the Hotel ready for our early start  tomorrow!