Animal Towel Art

It has been about 3 weeks since we returned from our South American sabbatical.  This has given us time to reflect on some of the things that we may not have captured in our daily observations.  So here are some of the subtle delights, “oh I didn’t realize” moments and a few things that just popped into our heads.

First, we were genuinely surprised that anyone would follow our blog and that it would be of interest.  Thank those of you who kept up with us and commented – it was fun and rewarding for us to know that you were experiencing along with us.

We failed to mention the towel art encountered in many of our rooms during our trip.  Our first introduction was at the Salcantay Lodge the beginning of our hike to Machu Picchu.  During our hike each lodge  presented us with a different creature every evening.  On the Amazon River, the Aria crew not only dressed our cabin with a new face each day but held a class on how to make the animals ourselves.  We were given a couple of “eye” stickers to get us started on our own creatures.

Fortunately for us and our blog readers, we had wi-fi in almost every corner of our travels.  With the exception of both boats (the Eclipse in the Galapagos and the Aria on the Amazon River), we were connected.  It wasn’t always swift or stable but with enough patience we could pull down periodicals, access Kindle purchases, buy Ipad and Iphone apps, and post content.  It was impossible to count the number of people who were on their cell phones or other devices at Machu Picchu or Iguassu Falls yelling “You won’t believe where I’m at this moment”.

We experienced long days and short nights as we moved south.  Initially, it was rather odd planning a hike at 6 pm and showing up for dinner after 9 pm but that was the nature of the southern hemisphere.  Although it was summer, many of the days reminded us of winter in the bay area of California with temperatures in the 50-60 F and rain.  This was particularly true in the mountains of Peru and later in Patagonia.  Although in Patagonia, we added another weather dimension – nonstop wind.   People warned us that we would have wind but it is hard to imagine until we experienced the howling 24-7.

It was interesting to observe to the adoption of eucalyptus trees, especially in Peru.  While the San Francisco area has battled the removal of these non-indigenous trees, the Peruvian government has subsidized cultivation for timber and reduction of soil erosion.  On the other hand, we saw many familiar plants and flowers grown natively there as well as in our geographical local.  It is amazing how many orchids are grown in the forests of Peru and how dainty they grow which makes them hard to spot without their brilliant colors.

As we moved from north to south, we noted the number of people of European descent in Chile, Argentina and Brazil.  Many of the original ranchers, sheep herders and farmers came from Scotland and northern Europe.  And of course, the Spanish influence is pervasive with the exception of Brazil where many Portuguese settled.

With regard to fellow travelers,  we observed that the East Coast and the West Coast  supplied the greatest number of US travelers to our same destinations.  There was very little representation from the American heartland.  Florida, due to its close proximity, was particularly well represented by those having made multiple trips to South America.   Far south at Estancia Christina, we met English, Scottish, Italians, and Germans.  Ponta Dos Ganchos, the resort along the Brazilian coast, drew from Eastern Europe and Russia.

One of our moments of pure enjoyment was late one evening in the Lima airport lounge, waiting for our overnight connection, where a large juicer was set up for squeezing fresh orange juice.  After throwing in our own fruit, we pushed the button and had one of the best glasses of fresh juice imaginable.

For some reason, our packing for our return trip seemed to require more luggage although we made minimal purchases  along the way.  But we did end up requiring an additional duffel.  Below is the ‘after’ picture of our bags waiting for our ride to the airport for our flight back to the US.  And so, another sabbatical is complete.  Time to share our pictures on our website: www.rizbee.com.

Final Pack

Jan 13 – Fri. Our last day at the beach and our final day of sabbatical. We reenter the real world as we make our way back home flying from Florinopolis to Sao Paulo to Dulles to SFO.

But first we enjoy our breakfast cappacino personally decorated with our initials. We have experienced all types of hearts, “JP hearts Care”, etc this week. Most of the morning is spent taking in the last few hours of sun before we must pack up and head to the airport. We lunch on a final array of local seafood washing it down with Brazilian wine. Before we know it the afternoon rains have appeared on the horizon. Guess its time to take off.

Jan 12 – Thur. This is the day in which we will have picture perfect beach weather. Get out the umbrellas and the fruit drinks since we are parked in our lounge chairs for the entire day. We do manage to tear ourselves away for a lunch BBQ on the deck in sight of the beach. At 5, Jon checks in for his well-deserved massage. Meanwhile, Care takes a stroll into the small fishing village adjacent to the resort. Even in late afternoon, everything is quiet and there are few people on the streets since the sun remains quite high.

Jan 11 – Wed. It’s 10 am and we are starting to think about breakfast. Our day was a potpourri of weather patterns blowing in and out. It was raining and blowing so hard in the morning, one of the umbrellas on the restaurant deck broke. By noon, there was wind but no rain. And we had several hours of sun after 4 pm. Strange day. Meanwhile Jon and I are voraciously reading everything on our Kindles and hoping for one completely sunny, beach day.

Jan 10 – Tues. Here we are at the beach and our touring schedule has taken on a decidedly slower pace, intentionally. Our most active events for the day were walking the short trails on the resort property. Upon completion, we settled down to a morning of reading and coffee then an afternoon of reading and relaxing. The weather is not fully cooperating since we are experiencing squall showers intermittently during the day. Nonetheless we did manage to obtain a bit of color in spite of the rain.

Jan 9 – Mon. Today, we start by making our way across the border from Argentina to Brazil. We arrive in the Brazil national park ready to view the falls from a completely different perspective. Unlike the Argentinean park’s train system, visitors are shuttled around by double-deck buses with the top level open to enjoy the scenery and listen to a narrative about the park and its tour/adventure (repelling, rafting, jungle walks, etc.) offerings. We start our walk across from the pink colonial Brazilian hotel by means of a series of walkways following the river toward the U shaped basin of the Devil’s Throat. Along the way we experience a more comprehensive view of the series of waterfalls on the Argentina side and can appreciate where we rode on our boat ride yesterday. There are a number of coati, mothers and babies, playing along the trail and looking for snacks. The park service is becoming concerned over the health of these creatures since they are starting to show signs of tooth decay and diabetes from too much sugar and human foods.

We wind up on a platform at the base of the Devils’ Throat with the mist and spray from the falls cooling us and the crowds of visitors. To leave the bottom, an elevator tower/observation deck is conveniently located for our egress and view of the main falls from above. While there are lots of other ways to enjoy the falls, we have a plane to catch and leave the park around midday for the nearby Brazilian airport.

After a plane change in Sao Paulo, we arrive in Florianopolis late afternoon. We leave the island in rush hour and head north to Governador Celso Ramos peninsula where we are staying at Ponta Dos Ganchos Resort. This area was originally an early Azorean whaling community but has since turned into a farming bay for scallops and oysters. Along the northern point there are a couple of small hill side towns that are reminiscent of Italy and seem timeless. Our bungalow is complete with a fireplace, jacuzzi on the deck, hammock, sauna, and expresso machine. What more could we want?

We make a cursory exploration of the resort and then enjoy a glass of wine on our deck before a late dinner in the resort restaurant. We are experiencing some rain showers due to an offshore system but hopefully it will clear tomorrow for some beach time.

Jan 8 – Sun. We used the morning to fly up to Iguassu Falls, Argentina. By mid-morning we had checked into the Sheraton which is the only Argentinian hotel located inside the national park. (There is one hotel located in the Brazilian national park as well). Iguassu Falls borders Brazil and Argentina. Each country has its own national park dedicated to the falls and each received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in the late ’80s.

The view from our room faces the falls and they are spectacular. On first assessment one is tempted to make comparisons to Niagara Falls; however the size alone of the set of falls in Iguassu far out number the total mass of the North American waterway. Niagara’s water flow is larger than Iquassu while Victoria Falls has a larger consolidated curtain of water than Iguassu. The origin of the falls is mainly from the Brazil waterways which meet at the San Antonio River. The Spanish first visited the falls in 1541 and named it “Big Water”. There are 275 separate waterfalls and cataracts flowing over the Parana Plateau’s basalt rock from heights ranging from 200 to 269 feet.

It is warm with blue skies and the promise of highs in the 90s. We are now at 25 longitude south as we work our way north in South America. The park uses ‘Disney Animal Kingdom’ type train to transport tourists closer to the falls. We start exploring the falls via a series of catwalks similar to that which we experienced at the Moreno Glacier in El Califate. Since it is Sunday, in addition to the large winter crowds many locals have come to spend the day in the park picnicking and swimming. Our first major vista is above the falls where we view the Devil’s Throat. Although Argentina is home of 80% of the drops, it is very difficult to get a sense of the overall landscape from the top.

After lunch, we take the “Grand Adventure” on a skiff with approximately 2- 200hp motors to propel us up to and under the falls several times until we are completely drenched. We complete our adventure with a “jungle” ride via the back roads of the park. We finish the upper level walks around the falls in the afternoon. By this time our clothes have dried in the hot sun.

Throughout the park, we encounter animals like look like miniature anteaters scavenging for food along the paths. They are known as coati or the Brazilian aardvark and are members of the raccoon family. In other areas they are distinguished by the names: hog-nosed coon, crackdowns, and snookum bears. We also spot a toucan and an iguana sunning himself along the trails. Numerous butterflies pass us along the way.

We close the day planted on the outside deck of the hotel enjoying a view of the falls through sunset.

Our afternoon is spent in Palermo Soho wandering the narrow streets and peeking into the tiny retail shops and design stores. We have lunch and people watch at one of the many sidewalk cafes.

We do some preparation for our trip tomorrow morning and relax the rest of the afternoon. In Recoleta we switch to Italian cuisine for an early,lighter dinner.

Jan 6 – Fri. We survived our beef fest of the previous evening and prepared for a day of touring the city in order to get an overview. So here we go.. While Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world, Buenos Aires is the 10th largest city in the world. Founded in the 1500s by gold prospectors and burned by indigenous tribes, it was eventually rebuilt in 1580 by Juan de Garay. During the 17th Century until May 25 1810, the city was controlled by the Spanish. Then a provisional representative government was formed. The country’s official independence day is July 9, 1816 following General Jose Francisco de San Martin’s revolts and the port of Buenos Aires became the country’s capital. In the 19th Century, the British opened up the country by building railroads and infrastructure. Joining the British were the Italian immigrants as well as eastern europeans, Germans, Polish and Irish.

The city has 48 barrios (neighborhoods) and we explored a few today to form a picture of the city’s culture. We start in Recoleta, the city’s richest area and most representative of French architecture, which originated from those fleeing the 1871 yellow fever epidemic from the swampy river areas. After viewing the Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar Church, we turn our attention to the Cementerio Recoleta in which presidents, generals, and famous family leaders are entombed. The private chapel most known is Eva Peron’s but there are other more ornate and elaborate. Along the Avenida del Libertador, we see the law faculty building which is next to Eduardo Catalan’s Floralis Generica, a giant metallic flower that opens during the day and closes at night. The MALBA modern art gallery is along the way as we view the fashionable residential areas of embassies and famous Argentineans in Palermo. After a stroll in the new rose garden, we see the first of a series of large sports facilities situated in the city: the horse racing track and a set of polo fields.
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Before continuing on to La Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo, we stop for a quick look at the shopping district on Florida Street. When we arrive at the Pink House, the area is blocked off due to a protest march. The palace is the official seat of government although Christina lives in a more secure compound in Olivos. The Casa Rosada is famous for Eva Peron’s balcony appearances as well as the escape of President La Rue during the 2001/2002 economic crash and riots. The Plaza is named after the first council was sworn into office in 1810. The Cabildo building was the nerve center of the square from 1580 – 1821. In order to move out of the area, we take the subway a couple of stations and exist in the Monserrat area along the Avenue 9 de Julio. At the Tortoni Cafe, established in 1858 and a famous hangout for politicians, writers and artists in the Parisian cafe tradition, we stop for some refreshments before continuing our explorations. Here also the Cafe operates a nightly cabaret for tango exhibition.

We drive through the cobble streets of San Telmo and view the antique shops scattered along the way. Seen in the area are crumbling mansions that once housed the city’s elite families before the cholera and yellow fever epidemics revenged the neighborhood in the 19th Century. The area adjacent to the mouth of the river is La Boca. Although a poor area, it houses one of the famous soccer stadiums accommodating 30,000 fans. The charm of the area is seen in the brightly painted buildings that benefited from the excess nautical paints from the nearby docks. The Boca is known for the origin of the tango music and dance; however there are other areas of the city that have taken over showcasing it’s continuing history.

We return to Recoleta by way of Puerto Madero and view the footbridge Puente de la Majar, the Women’s Bridge, completed in 2001 as a cantilever spar cable structure which also swings 90 degrees for water traffic. Many of the streets in this renovated area also carry names of famous Argentinean women. We return to San Telmo for an excellent dinner at La Brigada, a steakhouse with a bit of a rough edge but great steak.

Jan 5 – Thu. We spent the morning at the Eolo Lodge before taking off to the El Calafate airport. We finally are experiencing Patagonia in its summer element: warm with brilliant blue skies and billowy clouds blown across the broad horizon.

By noon we are on our way to Buenos Aires. After a three hour flight, we land at the city’s domestic airport located along the Rio De La Plata, brown river bordering on Uruguay. Our hotel, The Park Hyatt in Recoleta, is about 10 minutes drive. It is warm and sunny. This has been the closest thing to real summer weather that we have had on the entire trip. We settle into our room and then wander down to the outside gardens for a gin and tonic enjoying the late afternoon sun. Dinner is late in the city so we take a cab over to the Puerto Madero area to the Cabana Las Lilas for dinner. The area is very touristy with redeveloped docks facing the river in which the area is mixed use with shops and restaurants lining the first floor and housing above. Typical Argentina steak house with slabs of beef falling off of our plates and that is after we have consumed all we can eat. Here we have moved up to the 34 latitude so it is dark around 8 PM rather than 11. Many people are strolling along the riverfront late into the evening. Fortunately, we do not have an early start in the morning.