South America
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Rio de Janeiro
I flew from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro, about 3 hours north. I added Rio to the trip kind of at the last minute, and I’m so glad I did! New country, new currency, new language, Portuguese instead of Spanish. What I did on my last trip to Rio In 2009, 16 years ago, I went on a trip ending in Rio. There, I went to Christ the Redeemer statue, and to a football game at the Maracana stadium. And, I tried to go hanggliding. Tandem of course! I found Paolo, recommended in my Lonely Planet guidebook back then. We talked on a couple of mornings, but the wind…
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Buenos Aires
We went to the airport in Bariloche for a 2 hour flight north to the capital, Buenos Aires. We landed at the domestic airport, situated next to the Rio de la Plata, widest river in the world. You can cross this river by ferry to reach Uruguay. Buenos Aires is known for its European culture, architecture, food and nightlife. And tango. Recoleta Cemetary We did a city tour, stopping at Recoleta Cemetary. Here, the deceased elite of the country are stored for eternity in mausoleums designed by famous European sculptors. Families own the gravesites, and are responsible for their upkeep. Some sites crumble from neglect, likely since the family has…
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Bariloche and the Lake District
We left Pucon for a long day of buses, borders, and fabulous views, arriving in Bariloche about 10 pm. There seems to be no easy way to get here, so we used a combination of public bus and private van. We passed amazing views of volcanos and gorgeous lakes along the way. We are now in Argentina, in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Estancia The next morning we set off for an estancia, or ranch, outside the town. After breakfast, our host talked to us about mate, the national drink that everyone in Argentina drinks, and its social importance. Everyone has their own mate cups, and shares the straw…
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Pucón
We arrived in Pucón, adventure capital of Chile, shortly after sunrise. Pucón is known for its stunning natural landscape, with volcanos, lakes, waterfalls, and thermal springs. The national park containing it is at the north end of the Patagonia region of southern South America. It’s a ski town in winter. The area is dominated by the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Latin America. My view of it from the bathroom window of my room was the best! National Park tour We hopped in a van for a tour of the area. First stop was at the top of a waterfall, where we had to hike down to…
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Valparaiso
Valparaiso, a major port, is just 100 km or so from Santiago. It should only take an hour or so to get there, right? We went there by public bus. Buses in South America are generally very comfortable, and so was this one, except for one thing – the air conditioning was broken down. The bus driver told our tour leader that it had cooled off a bit, from 40C to now only 33C. We were in the top of the two level bus, and it was suffocating. And we hit a 2 hour traffic jam, caused by a traffic accident, and holidayers from Santiago late in the afternoon on…
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Santiago
Santiago to Buenos Aires I’m finally going on this trip with G Adventures. Check it out at Highlights of Chile & Argentina in Chile, South America – G Adventures. I had it booked for spring 2020, and we all know what happened then. Cancelled due to covid! When rebooking as soon as I could in early 2021, I switched to a trip to Italy. Europe started their covid adventure months before South America, and so came out of it much earlier, and I made the right call. So now it was time to get back to the original plan. The trip starts in Santiago, Chile, and ends in Buenos Aires,…
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Cartagena
Morning flight to Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. Walking off the plane onto the tarmac was something like putting my head in an oven. This city in past centuries was the gateway for exporting gold to Spain. There is an old walled city, and a fortress that was needed to fight off invaders and pirates. It’s now a cruise ship stop, helping to make it the most expensive city in Columbia. Only small vehicles can enter through the gates of the old city where we are staying. It’s touristy here with lots of shops, vendors, horses with carriages, colourful fruit ladies, and working girls at night. Shops are built into…
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Medellin
On to Medellin (pronounced med – e – zheen), through lush landscapes and a winding mountain road to this city of 4 million set in the valley and surrounding hills. In the 80’s and 90’s it was known as the most dangerous city in the world, with 7500 murders a year. In the drug wars with Pablo Escobar leading the way, police, politicians, journalists, and rival cartels were all targets. You wouldn’t guess that today. We stayed in the El Poblado neighbourhood, the best part of the city, with open air restaurants and bars surrounding a square where everyone grabs a drink and hangs out, complete with buskers and hawkers…
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Out in the Country
The next morning we set off for Zipaquiera salt mine and cathedral. There are only two other salt cathedrals in the world, both in Poland. Below ground in the working mine we found that the massive cross is hollowed out of the rock. We ended the day at Villa de Leyva, a preserved old town in the mountains that has become home to the wealthy. Some of us checked out a nearby fossil museum. A huge marine dinosaur skeleton was found here by farmers, and the museum has been built around it. On our return to Bogota, we climbed higher into the green mountains through towns where locals live in…
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Bogota
In the morning while hoping my bag would arrive I visited the Museo del Oro, known as one of the best museums in South America. The highlight of my free guided tour (entry fee was about $1) was a tiny gold raft related to the legend of El Dorado, the lost city of gold. I went to the top of Monseratte, the mountain viewpoint and spiritual retreat within the city. You can hike to the top, although it’s not recommended since you are likely to be mugged according to the guidebooks. It would have been fine during the day with lots of people doing it, but I was winded by…