South America - 2015
I took a trip to South America in February 2015, that included Machu Picchu, a cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Iguazu Falls. The highlight of this trip was undoubtedly, Machu Picchu.
I flew to Lima, and on to Cusco. As soon as I got off the plane in Cusco which is at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, the high altitude was apparent, and I felt I was out of breath all the time. Everyone was walking really slowly. I had arranged to be picked up, and the taxi dropped me off at my hotel. The hotel had free tea made from coca leaves, which is supposed to help with altitude sickness. I drank some of that tea, every time I passed through the lobby, and I didn't have any problems with altitude sickness. After checking in, I promptly took a nap. The hotel was walking distance from the main plaza, so, after the nap, I strolled into town, had lunch and did some sightseeing. Cusco is a very charming town, with a lot of old buildings. I felt very safe walking around, even late night. The cathedral is especially beautiful. The main plaza is very vibrant and has a lot of places to eat. It also has a lot of benches where you can just sit and relax. The next day, I took a half day tour of the ruins around Cusco. I was the only person in the tour, so I suppose I got a private tour. We went to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Quenko. It's really incredible to see how well the stones of the buildings fit together so closely, without any mortar. In the afternoon, I again walked around Cusco, sightseeing. The next day, I took a full day tour of the Sacred Valley. This tour went to the ruins of Pisac, Pisac market, the ruins of Ollantaytambo and a church in Chinchero. Ollantaytambo has a lot of steps, but it is totally worth it. I only wish we could have skipped Pisac market and spent more time at Ollantaytambo. We had a buffet lunch at a lovely restaurant in Urubamba, called Tunupa. A lot of the buildings in Urubamba have figures of animals at the top of the roof. These are supposed to bring good luck. The tour dropped some people off at the train station in Ollantaytambo, so they could take the evening train up to Machu Picchu. If I were to do this again, I think I would do that, so I would get more time at Machu Picchu.
The next day, I took a very early morning train to Machu Picchu. I left most of my luggage at the hotel, and only took a small carry-on with me. Part of the train tracks were under repair, so there were buses that took us from the Cusco train station, to another train station, from where the train took us to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. The train ride is beautiful. The train has large picture windows and I had a window seat. After arriving at Aguas Calientes, I walked to the hotel. All the hotels are walking distance from the train station. After checking in and grabbing a quick lunch, I took the bus to Machu Picchu. You can either take the bus or hike up. The rest of the day was spent exploring Machu Picchu. It was a beautiful day. Machu Picchu has a huge number of steps. The steps are made of rock. and are steep, uneven and really high. Combined with the high altitude, of over 9000 feet, the climb can get very tiring. I was soon huffing and puffing, but I kept on and the views very just incredible. Machu Picchu is truly a wonder that must be seen. The next day, I went back to Machu Picchu. I had planned on hiking up Wayna Picchu, but it was raining heavily, and the trails were slippery. The trail to Wayna PIcchu is steep, narrow and has long drop offs, with no guard rails. I did not feel comfortable doing that hike in the rain, so I skipped that and instead went on a hike to the Sun Gate. The view from the trail was great, but would have been better if it hadn't been raining. I took the evening train back to Cusco, and left for Lima early next morning.
My flight got into Lima around mid-morning, and my flight to Santiago was not till midnight, so I left my luggage at the airport, and took a taxi into Miraflores. I had lunch, then took a city sightseeing tour of Lima. After the tour, I had dinner, a Pisco Sour, and then took a taxi back to the airport.
At Santiago, I had booked the cruise ship transfer to the port of Valparaiso. I was tired, and slept during the bus ride. At Valparaiso, I boarded the Golden Princess, which would be my home for the next 14 days. The cruise went from Santaigo to Beunos Aires, rounding Cape Horn. We had good weather, but most of the cruise was really cold. The first stop was Puerto Montt, Chile. I took an local tour in this port We made a brief stop at the main plaza, on our way to Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Falls. On our way back, we stopped at Laguna Verde. We also stopped for a brief look at some of the animals of South America. Leaving Puerto Montt, we cruised passed Amalia Glacier. It was really cold and windy up on deck, as I braved the weather, trying to take pictures. The next stop was at Punta Arenas, Chile. This is a really small town. I walked into town from the pier, and walked around looking at the buildings. I saw the monument to Hernando de Magallanes in the main plaza. I walked past the cathedral and the Sara Braun Palace. I walked to the top of a hill, where I got a great view of the city, with our ship, the Golden Princess at anchor. Next we stopped at Ushuaia, Argentina. This is the kick-off point to Antarctica. I visited Tierro del Fuego National Park with it's rugged breathtaking beauty. I stopped for photographs at the southernmost point of the world, appropriately called 'End of the World'. since only Antarctica is further south. Leaving Ushuaia, we rounded Cape Horn. Again, it was cold and windy up on deck, as everyone took pictures of the rock formations at the Cape. Next stop, Falkland Islands. We were asked to avoid wearing clothes that say 'Argentina', as the locals are still a little sensitive to the invasion by Argentina. The locals overwhelmingly seemed to want to be a part of Britain. There were a lot of signs saying 'our island, our choice'. The ship anchored at Port Stanley, which is a fairly small town, and most of the town can be seen by just walking around. It was interesting to go inside Christ Church Cathedral, which has a huge arch outside, made of whale bone. I took the ship's excursion to Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery. This was probably the highlight of the entire cruise. We started in a van, then switched to an off-road vehicle and went off the road. We were able to walk around and get really close to hundreds of penguins. Most of them were Gentoo penguins, but there were quite a few King penguins (the ones with yellow around their necks). In order to avoid disturbing the penguins, we were asked to stay outside the roped off sections, but the penguins ignored the rope and walked out to where we were standing. There was a little cafe, with the most delicious cakes and cookies, all free. Along the way, we passed Boot Hill, with a lot of shoes and boots. Falklands still has unexploded landmines and other reminders of the conflict between Britain and Argentina. Next stop was Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Here I took a local tour to Punta Loma where I saw sea lions basking in the sun. The street right outside the pier has a park with tree trunks carved into various shapes. Next stop was Montevideo, Uruguay. I again took a local tour that took us to all the main sights of the city, including one of the beaches, the Monumento la Carreta and the Legislative Palace. After they dropped us back at the pier, I walked to the Plaza Constitucion and the Plaza Independencia. I walked around inside the Catedral Metropolitana. I saw the Puerta de la Ciudadela (gate of the original fort) and the Teatro Solis.
The cruise ended in Buenos Aires, and the ship had an overnight at Buenos Aires. The first day, I took a free shuttle into the downtown area. I saw the British Clock Tower, also known as the Big Ben of Buenos Aires. I wandered through Calle Florida, saw the Obelisk and Teatro Colon. I took a tour of the interior of Teatro Colon, which was rather ornate. I then walked to the Casa Rosada, the Presidential Palace. Buenos Aires has a lot of grand stately buildings. It looks a little like Paris. The next day, I took the ship's excursion to the colorful La Boca district and the famous Recoleta Cemetery. Along the way we passed by a huge steel flower, with petals that can be opened and closed. We also went by the Russian Orthodox church, with onion spires that reminded me of Moscow's St Basil's. After the sightseeing, we were dropped off at the airport, along with our luggage. I took an evening flight to Rio de Janeiro.
When I landed in Rio, it was rather late, and I had to take a taxi to my hotel, in Copacabana. I was a little nervous about travelling alone at night, in Rio, but I arrived without any problems. The next day, I walked along Copacabana beach and saw the grand Copacabana Palace Hotel. I took a local bus to Corcovado, to see the Christ the Redeemer statue. The bus dropped me off opposite the cog railway station that has trains running up to the top of the mountain, through the Tijuca Rain Forest. It was a nice train ride. The train tickets are for specific times. I should have bought the train tickets online, because when I got there, the next available tickets were for a train that was 2 hours later. But, it was worth the wait. The statue was immense!. Everyone was trying to get photos and you had to literally lie down, in order to get a photo of yourself and the entire statue. There were great panoramic views of Rio. I had lunch there, then went to Ipanema Beach, watched the sun set, and enjoyed listening to the bands on the beach. I walked back to Copacabana and had dinner at one of the restaurants on the beach. The next day, I took a bus to Sugar Loaf Mountain. I took the cable car to the top of the mountain, and enjoyed the panoramic views from there, including the view of Copacabana. In the afternoon, I took the subway to downtown. There are some nice buildings downtown. The next day, I flew to Iguazu Falls.
Iguazu has two airports, one in Brazil and one in Argentina. Since I was flying in from Rio, it was cheaper to fly to the airport in Brazil. I had heard that it was better to stay in Puerto Iguazu, in Argentina, so I had booked my hotel there. There is a bus from the Brazil airport, to Puerto Iguazu, but as luck would have it, the day I landed, the bus was not running, so I had to take a fairly expensive taxi ride to Puerto Iguazu. I think I could have taken a bus to the Brazil entrance to Iguazu Falls, which is really close to the airport, and then taken a bus to Puerto Iguazu, but I did not know that, then. I had lunch at Puerto Iguazu, and then just hung out at the hotel. The bus station was across the street from my hotel, so the next day, I took a bus to the Argentine entrance of Iguazu Falls. It takes an entire day to see the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. In Argentina, you can get up close to the falls, at various points. You also get wet from the spray, and you camera gets wet too. The falls are huge and way more spectacular than Niagara Falls. I had not expected it to be so huge. I took the boat ride to the falls, and got completely drenched, even though I was wearing a rain poncho. They provided us with wet bags for our gear, so my wallet and camera stayed dry. That night, I had dinner at a pretty restaurant called COLOR, in Puerto Iguazu. The next day, I checked out and took the bus to the Brazil entrance of Iguazu Falls. I left my luggage in The lockers. In Brazil, there is a path that you walk along, and you get a panoramic view of the falls. It only takes about 2 hours to see the falls from the Brazil side. That evening, I took the bus to the airport and flew back to Rio. I had booked a hotel near the airport, where I spent the night, before flying back home the next morning.
Click on the picture below and you can view the photos.
Peru
South America Cruise
Buenos Aires
Rio de Janeiro
Iguazu Falls
