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Friday, July 10, 2015

South America - Trienta y cuarenta - the tour of never say never! - the final

South America
29 March - 05 July 2015

It's a wrap
As has become standard for me when I've ended a trip I've taken to doing a last summary or a 'greatest hits' review whenever I managed to complete the final entry on the 'how, why, when and whatever else may have been alcohol related' blog series of my most recent escapades. Sticking with tradition and therefore adopting the same template that I've used in the past, see also;
I therefore bring you the close out of our South American experience which now continues within the new life of my blog, known by the name, Life in a Year Full of Saturdays. The South American tour was a while in the making, going from the original Europe-Morocco-South America adventure of 2010, there was still A LOT left unfinished and a lot left to see.

In previous tour there had always been one perspective, but now, and moving forward, there's going to be a whole lot more room for two. So lets commence!


South America - 'The Final'

Favourite place
All the usual questions here are going to be in two versions, Inga & Henry. So lets go.

Henry's favourite places

1. Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - It's probably not even fair to compare anymore, Buenos Aires is going to come out on top in any list that I put together. A home away from home that always feels special to me. It's not a stretch to say that this place has changed my life.


Buenos Aires - Argentina

2. El Chalten - Ruta 40 - Torres del Paine (Argentina / Chile) - This area is special. Vast, expansive, stunning scenery, it has an abundance of natural beauty that simply cannot be overstated. I often sit back and think of places like Mont Fitzroy, Torres del Paine and the surrounding areas, both desolate and engaging. Simply stunning.



El Calafate - Argentina

Mont FitzRoy - El Chalten - Argentina

Ruta 40 - Argentina


Torres del Paine - Chile

3.  Cartagena - (Colombia) - 'The queen of the Caribbean', old colonial architecture, cobble stone alleyways, terraces filled with bougainvillea. Warm, sultry evenings, the sounds of the Caribbean filling the night as you sit atop the city walls, drinking your favourite cocktail. There's not too much bad about that.



Cartagena - Colombia

Cartagena - Colombia

4. Havana - (Cuba) - The Malecon, old American muscle cars, cigars, rum and salsa. Havana is not just a place but a feel, and you definitely feel it when you're here.



Havana - Cuba

Havana - Cuba

5. Brazilian beach life - This is a tough one because there are so many places, from Rio de Janeiro, to Jericoacoara, to Paraty. The beach lifestyle, the culture and the mood just encapsulates you.



Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Inga's favourite places


1. Rio de Janeiro - (Brasil) - Sun, sand, golden beaches, caipirinhas, fitness bunnies and the mighty Copacabana. On a beautiful sunny day there's no place quite like it.


Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

2. The beaches of Brasil - It's hard to pick out just one from a raft of potentials, from Paraty to Jericoacoara, Ilha Grande, Ipanema - the coastal lifestyle is a pure joy, and its different to Australia. There's much more of a vibe, much more of an orientation to beach lifestyle and culture that makes it unique and special.



Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil



3. El Chalten - (Argentina) - The mountains surrounding this little town are beautiful, especially in those transition months. The smoking mountains of Mont Fitzroy are is rugged, spectacular and dramatic as any. To me, and I think to Inga, they are more impressive than those of Torres del Paine. It's a close run thing between the two, but if there had to be a winner then Mont Fitzroy wins, just.



 Torres del Paine - Chile
El Calafate - Argentina

4. Havana - (Cuba) - Havana Club, siete anos, the warm Caribbean sea, the music and the cigars. Again, this is a place that has a presence, you can feel it when you're here - its much more than a destination



Havana - Cuba

Havana - Cuba

5. Buenos Aires - San Telmo - (Argentina) - It was the first stop on our journey, the first part of Buenos Aires that Inga saw, and a place where I think I may have had a little influence over in terms of my own excitement and love for this part of the world.



Buenos Aires - Argentina


Most Surprising


1.  Elqui Domos - Pisco-Elqui - (Chile) - The valley itself is beautiful but you don't really come here for that, its the lack of humidity and 'dry air' that delivers such an incredibly rich and magnificent night sky that leaves you in awe. Along with that there's also https://milodge.com/en/#  - here  'astronomical domes' have been created on the hillside of the valley that allows you to lay in your bed and stare out into the universe. Inga and I spent a couple of nights here, laid out on the roof of our building, surrounded by the mysteries of the universe above our head. Definitely the most surprising stop.



Elqui Domos - Elqui Valley - Chile

Pisco-Elqui - Elqui Valley - Chile

Elqui Valley - Chile

Elqui Valley - Chile




The coolest place for a night out


1.   Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - There's an abundance of everything,places to eat, bars, things to do, etc. What makes it so special however is that this is not a state where Grandma's rule the roost, if you want to grab a meal at 2am then of course you can do it. The frustration I always encountered in Australia is that come 11pm on a Saturday you encounter the inevitable 'Oh sorry, kitchen is closed, but hey, there's a Macca's nearby". Seriously, protect your night economy by actually having an economy. BA has that covered.


2. Rio de Janeiro - (Brazil) - Lapa, Ipanema, Copacabana, the party keeps rolling on way after the sun has gone down. It won't take too long to find a place to get a drink, something to eat and party on until the early hours.


3. Havana - (Cuba) - Music, great vibes, fun people. What this place doesn't have in terms of the 'newest' or 'latest and greatest', it makes up for in passion, spirit and energy. There's always a party, just pick up a bottle of rum and let the party find you.


Best drinks 


Henry's favourites


1. Malbec - Argentina - Red wine is synonymous with Argentina, more so its the Malbec that is the red wine of choice. Robust tannins, an inky dark red colour, full bodied, it just pairs so well with meat (beef specifically), it's a match made in culinary heaven. The wines out of Mendoza are glorious and that just places a full stop on the need to benchmark any more than that.





2. Pina Colada - Malecon - Havana (Cuba) - Hotel Terral - Without question, the best pina colada I've had anywhere. Sweet, rich, cold, delicious. Every single time, as great as the last one, and can I add, not only on this occasion. I have been their subsequent to this occasion and they were just dynamite!


3.  Sakeirinha - Ilha Grande - (Brazil) - any of the beach front bars - This is your Brazilian-Japanese fusion style drink and it is glorious. It's a simple drink, lime pieces muddles with sugar, add ice and then your choice of sake until it floats. It's that simply. Unique, smooth, delicious and a great slant on the traditional caipirinha


4. Caipirinha - Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - (Brazil) - there are so many beach bars and so many beach peddlers that you are almost forced to drink them. Literally like rocket fuel, they pack a mean punch, just lime, sugar and cachaca its all it takes to set you free.


5. Negroni - Tortoni's - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This drink feels like home. The Negroni is not native to Buenos Aires, although it is Italian and there are enough Italians in Buenos Aires for it to be an honorary city of that country. Tortoni Cafe is an institution in Buenos Aires, literally the most famous cafe in the city. Most people come in for ia cafe cortado and medias lunas, but out drink of choice is simple but delectable, gin, campari and vermouth rosso in equal parts, serve chilled with a twist of orange peel....yum!




Inga's favourites


1.  Negroni - Tortoni's - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - There are drinks that just remind you of places, no matter where you are, that drink will take you back to that one spot, at that time and be in that moment.  No matter where we have Negroni's in future it will always be this place that she thinks of.


2.  Caipirinha - Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - (Brazil) - This drink goes hand in hand with beach life and culture. I know how Inga feels about Rio and I know that the caipirinha is ubiquitous with the Carioca lifestyle.


3.  Havana rum 7 years - Havana (Cuba) - this drink is a real 'drinkers drink', which is probably why I didtn't get into it as much as Inga. I tread on the feminine side of alcohol while she takes the male side. Quite often in bars we take great pleasure in ordering drinks and watching the bartender hand them to us whilst we instantaneously swap them over in front of their eyes, always makes for a laugh.





4. Daiquiri - El Floridita - Havana (Cuba) - The daiquiri's here are mass produced and therefore you'd expect the quality to be average but somehow they're not. Not only that but when the music is playing, you have a cigar in one hand and a daiquiri in the other, everything feels pretty damn good.





5.  Malbec - Argentina - Again, a drink that typifies Argentina and this varietal is just Buenos Aires distilled in a drink for us.


Can you believe it moments?


1. Urban Rush - La Paz - (Bolivia) - When you're standing at the top of a 16 storey building, perpendicular to the wall, having just empty space in front of you and a burgeoning city like La Paz, well, your reality take a might shift. 








2. Machu Picchu - (Peru) - the first time we laid eyes on this majestic place it felt altogether unworldly. The sun was still on its way up, the clouds were still re-arranging themselves around the moment, but in the moment we found that break we very quickly recognised why this place has moved into the elite list of the new 7WorldWonders





3.  Salar de Uyuni - (Bolivia) - Speaking of unworldly, this place is exactly that. I wasn't quite sure why the tour operators wanted to be on the flats for dawn but when we got there it all made sense. With the sun rising and the moon setting, the large cracked plates of the salt flats spread out in all directions. The silence that held this view was just beauty on a completely different scale. 






4. Torres del Paine - (Chile) - The whole region around Torres del Paine is so incredibly beautiful. Each place unique in what it can offer, its diversity of vistas, both dramatic and glorious. A part of the world that still doesn't quite get the attention that it deserves.








5. Flying over Rio de Janeiro - (Brasil) - Witnessing the spectacular Rio from the air is a whole other experience. Not many people get to fly around Cristo, I've been lucky enough to have done it twice now, and when that helicopter moves behind the statue, around its outstretched arms, the whole glorious city is unfurled right in front of you, the beaches, the bay, Sugarloaf, seriously breathtaking - that's not an overstatement.







Best Accommodation


1. Pan Americano - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I've always wanted to stay here, so it was a hell of a way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Occupying pride of place on Avenida 9 de Julio, the views from our room across the heart of Buenos Aires was absolutely priceless. The hotel itself was very good but nothing can take away from having a sweet room with the right view to match.


2. Elqui Domos - Pisco-Elqui Valley - (Chile) - A fabulous location that allows you to take in full wonders of the universe that surrounds you. We didn't stay in the domes themselves but did have a platform above our apartment/building where we could lay out our mattresses and sleep under the stars. I've not slept under the stars too many times and certainly not in an environment where I can see the universe so clearly. 


3. Casa Canabal Hotel Boutique - Cartagena - (Colombia) - There's something Moroccan in terms of the architecture here, terrace on the rooftop, open courtyard in the centre of the building, not so surprising when you think about it. There's a long Spanish history here and I'm sure the Spanish brought with them Moorish elements in terms of architecture and design. The environment is of course perfect for these style of buildings and this hotel was exquisite.


Most random but still cool moments


1. Inga arriving at Ezeiza Airport - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - On a trip that had many, many awesome moments, the very start, when Inga walked through the arrival doors was pretty darn cool. It has been 6 months since we had seen each other, and now, meeting again on the other side of the world after months of planning was the best

2. Out in the fields - La Paz (Bolivia) - we opted for a bus from Uyuni up to La Paz. Coming into the city we encountered a protest which blocked the main roads in, so our bus driver took to the potato fields in order to find a covert way into the city. Travelling across random farm land I recall stopping alongside a random farmer and the driver asking if there was anyway he knew of how we could get into La Paz. From every perspective I'd imagine the situation would have looked a little bizarre.


3. Joining a random cross-fit group - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - We were walking through Puerto Madero one evening and stumbled across a sizeable cross-fit group going through their paces. We stood a few metres away, essentially copying the moves and exercises that the group was going through, that was until the trainer asked us 'gringo's' to join in...so we did.

4.  200 yr old ice with your whiskey - Perito Moreno - El Calafate - (Argentina) - After climbing all over Perito Moreno our group stopped on the glacier and were treated to glasses of whiskey with ice carved right out of the glacier. The ice may not have been 200 yrs old...but...there's no-one to say that its not wither


5. Cigars, daquiries and bailando, El Floridita - Havana - (Cuba) - There we were, sitting in El Floridita, cigars in hand, daquiries on the table and the local band launches into Bailando. I'm not sure what it was but everything seemed to be right, everyone in the joint appeared to be in a great mood and at the end of the song the applause was totally unexpected - so much so that you could visibly see the look of amazement on the faces of the band.

Un-coolest moment


1.  Rio Galeao Tom Jobim airport - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil - Inga and I were just about to jump on a flight to Buenos Aires, and we were sitting in the departure lounge, it was there that I discovered that my credit card had been severely compromised. In the last week my card had been fraudulently utilised to the tune of $12,000! Oh yeah! It's a completely sickening feeling, even more so when in that exactly moment there's nothing that you can do to resolve the matter. I flew to Buenos Aires with what felt like a brick in my stomach. On the 'up' side, b
ecause there is an upside to the story, when I contacted my bank back in Australia they managed to work through the issue with me and ended up refunding all monies lost...PHEW

Top 5 Photos

1. Puerto Natales  - (Chile) - I'm sure there's been a lot of photos taken of these old posts in Puerto Natales. Inga took this shot and I just love the way it draws you out into the water and to the mountains beyond.


2. Torres del Paine - (Chile) - An extraordinarily beautiful natural environment, dramatic, imposing and beautiful. Again, a very difficult place to take a bad photo, this one is our favourite from a bunch of very good ones.



3. Salar de Uyuni - (Bolivia) - it's otherworldly. Standing out on the salt plains before sunrise was like nothing else I've experienced. It's the closest feeling I'll ever have to standing on another planet. Aside being bitterly cold, which the photo doesn't capture, it does capture the large plates of cracked salt sailing off into the distance and the beautiful colours of the morning sky with the moonlight being extraordinarily reflected off the plains.



4. Iguazu Falls - Iguazu - (Brasil / Argentina) - Powerful, energising & mesmerising, the falls are an incredible sight and not one photo does them justice. Still, there's something about rainbows and water that just works, right!?



5. View from Sugarloaf - Rio de Janeiro - (Brasil) - Sugarloaf has got to be one of the greatest vantage points in Rio. The way that the urban sprawl flows like water through the weakest points of the mountains is impressive. Standing up there, waiting for the lights of the city to flick on is an experience and this photos captures the state of transition from day to night.





Travel breakdown

Total number of flights

Henry: 22
Inga: 19

Total flying hours

Henry: 72
Inga: 68

Total time spent in airports - 'Enough to know that in Brasil there needs to be more access to caipirinhas to prevent people from losing their minds'


Total distance flown

Henry: 51,406 kms
Inga:  48,518 kms

Total number of bus rides - 12

Average number of cocktails per day - 7.2

And there we have it, the wrap of an almighty tour whose genesis really came in the instant when I realised that my wallet had disappeared back in La Paz in 2010. There was a lot left to do and so much that I missed that I knew I'd return, it just mattered on timing and a little bit of luck.

So where to know? Well, life had changed for me in the last few months, quite dramatically. I was about to move to Belgrade to start a new life. What I didn't know was coming was the amount of travel that we'd be undertaking in the next 3 years, it almost became ridiculous...but the experiences we were to have, well, there's no price you could ever place on those.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Buenos Aires (ARGENTINA) - melancholy and the infinite sadness

Buenos Aires (Argentina)
01 JULY - 05 JULY 2015



...And here we now were, back where we started 3 months earlier. 

Below I've included an email that I wrote to Inga on the evening of 18 NOV 2014. It was just an idea at the point, formulating slowly, but when I look back at what I wrote I can see that what we framed in our minds pretty much came to fruition, and not just in terms of things eventuated but in terms of the plan, the way we moved, even the timings of where we thought we'd be and how long we would stay.

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Ok, so this is my 'rough' idea of how we should attack South America. In my thinking process I've considered what we both would like to see, the ever changing weather and the time we need. I think we're going to have to take a few flights internally but that's ok, I'll organise that, so no need to worry there......so here goes.



Arrive Buenos Aires 28/29 March - stay 5 nights, including a very important birthday!!


I think from there its best to head south. If we want to do some hikes around Torres del Paine or Monte Fitzroy then its would be best to do that early, in April where we're still ahead of the Southern Winter. So, for travelling south I have two options;



Option 1 -  Fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate - take some time to see Torres del Paine, Monte Fitzroy and Perito Moreno. After that, a bus up to San Carlos de Bariloche (which is a beautiful town on lake Nahuel Huapi), then up to Mendoza (wine growing country, great vineyards and red wine, especially Malbec). From there take a bus across into Chile and see Santiago and the coastal town of Valparaiso.


Option 2 - Bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, stay there for a few days (red wine hangovers), bus across the Andes to Santiago and then Valparaiso. Come back to Santiago and then fly down to Punta Arenas where we can base ourselves to see Torres del Paine, Monte Fitzroy and Perito Moreno. After that, bus up to Bariloche and then continue north

I anticipate this first part in Argentina and Chile will be close to three weeks - up to nearly the third week of April.
 
Heading North
After this initial section I was thinking of heading north either through Salta in Argentina or San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. From there we would aim to go for Uyuni (Bolivia) and see the Salar de Uyuni, then perhaps go to Sucre if we are ok for time, if not, then straight to La Paz where we'll be able to ride the Death Road and maybe do a hike or two. From there go to lake Titicaca and walk across the Isla del Sol. From there we could head up to Puno (Peru) and see the famous floating Uros reed islands. From there we would head up to Cusco, which is where we can base ourselves before heading up to Macchu Picchu. After that we could head to Ica, perhaps see the Nazca lines and then make our way up the coast to Lima.
I'm guessing that this part may take us to up to almost the middle of May.
For me personally, I'd like to head north and see Colombia for a few weeks. So I would probably buy us a couple of return flights from Lima (Peru) to Bogota (Colombia). I'd like to spend about two weeks in Colombia - specifically I'd like to see Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, and some of the beaches up to Santa Marta. Depending on how we're doing for time, perhaps also Medellin and Cali.
I'm guess a couple of weeks in Colombia would take us to the end of May. I'd prefer seeing only Bogota, Cartagena and some of the Caribbean beaches than running around too much.
Heading South
Right at the end of May we could fly back to Lima and then fly from Lima to Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil. This I think would be the start of June. After 2-3 days seeing the falls we could go either to Curitiba ..or Sao Paulo, or preferably along the Costa Verde,  perhaps seeing either Paraty or Ihla Grande before getting to Rio on the 11th of June. As you know we have about 8 nights in Rio, but that can be a shorter time if we don't feel we need to stay there that long. From there I think we could head back down the coast, see Paraty if we haven't already, Florianopolis, 'maybe' Porto Allegre and then head down to Uruguay. I personally don't think we need to spend a lot of time in Uruguay, I'd like to see Cabo de Polonio, which a kind of bohemian/hippie commune, then perhaps head to Montevideo, Colonia de Sacramento and maybe even Carmelo.
I would imagine getting back to Buenos Aires in early July, either the  3rd/4th or 5th. Stay a couple of days and then get ready to fly home on the 7th.
As you know, I've had a trip like this in my head for a while, so this was the 'sort' of plan that I had. It's rough, it doesn't need to have any fixed dates. I think we can travel how we want, stay where we want etc. If we like a place we stay, if not,we move on, and I know very well that plans change and things come up. Also, if you don't like any of my ideas then please tell me, or if you don't like parts of what I've added, or if you think I'm missed something, then just tell me :)
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We arrived in Buenos Aires on the 1st of July, one day in advance of my 40th birthday, which was the next day. Checking into the Pan Americano on Aveninda 9 de Julio, somehow felt like an achievement. Additionally, Buenos Aires to me feels like a home, and it felt like I had returned home. I understand that saying that out aloud seems odd. Sydney has always been my home having grown up there, and Belgrade is a sort of home as a lot of my family reside there but there's no attachment or connection to Buenos Aires other than the experiences I've had. I can't even say why but I've adopted this city in a way and relate to it in a way that can't be compared to other places I've only visited. Some places are special for reasons that you can't define, so, that's the way Buenos Aires is for me.



View from the PanAmericano - Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Happy 40th birthday! PanAmericano - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Aveninda 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - Argentina

The view from the PanAmericano - Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Our final days were somewhat poignant, filled with plenty of time to reminisce, to reflect and to also enjoy the last few days that we had left. Of course we returned to Plaza Dorrego and stayed in a great place across the way. We investigated new areas in Palermo and even made it to a few tango shows, which by the way, were fantastic! The two that we went to on this occasion, and that I would recommend for different reasons, were Querandi and La Ventana.

Querandi was more for those really wanting to experience the different elements of Tango. It give you a historical journey of tango and provides an insight into its development, changes and impact on BA society. La Ventana on the other hand is a show, in that tango supports various additional elements of the entire performance. The show at La Ventana is entertaining, humorous and also quite powerful. At one juncture they had images of Evita Peron being displayed on the screen, and then all of a sudden the entire audience was surrounded by flag bearers waving large Argentinian flags with fervor whilst the anthem played and was overlayed with audio of Eva delivering a speech to the masses. I'm not sure what exactly caught me, whether it was the power of the imagery, or the meaning encapsulated in what was happening, or the fact that it was just our last night but I started to tear up...who really knows why...and Inga admitted to me a little later that the same thing happened to her.



Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
I love this place




Bar Federal - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Aveninda Defensa - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Querandi Tango - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

For our last drinks we headed to Todo Mundo bar, a place right on the edge of Plaza Dorrego. A cool joint, full on weekends, but quite empty at the time we wondered in. We ordered up a few Negroni's and washed it down with a healthy dose of melancholy, because there we were, reality had returned to meet us. We didn't have months, or weeks, or even days left, we only had hours. In the morning I was only a flight back to Australia and a day later Inga was on her way back to Riga


Evita on Avenida 9 de Julio


Don Ernesto parilla - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
We've been back since then...and we'll be back again

 Todo Mundo bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

 I've taken my photo in this mirror a few times - it resides just outside of the La Ventana tango show - I like to think that a little part of us stays here every time we stand here.



San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina


San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Hanging out with Mafalda and friends - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina


Only Negroni's - Bar Seddon - another San Telmo favourite - Buenos Aires - Argentina

When the morning broke it was all there for us absorb. I don't remember how we got to the Tienda Leon bus station, maybe we walked, perhaps we took the Subte to Retiro, that I can't say, all I know is that there's a strange sort of anticipation that comes before you say your final goodbyes. It's kind of like going to a rock concert. There's excitement and noise all around you but when the band leaves the stage and the crowds exit, there you are, in an empty space, with your own thoughts and in silence. To me that's what it felt like. Saying goodbye and having the bus roll out of the bus station after spending literally every single moment with a person for three months....well...that sucked. We knew it was going to happen but preparing for it doesn't make it easier.


Lima airport - Peru

The last ride home - Santiago airport - Chile

As the bus made its way down Eduardo Madero and onto Autopista 25 de Mayo, my head was full of thoughts. These months since my father has passed away had been monumental. Huge decisions had been made, life changing ones, and not just for me but for people around me. I was now going back to that, but also, I was leaving something behind. I didn't want that something left to be a permanent goodbye, but for right now it had to be left. My next steps, wherever I was going to be taking them now had to be about how I could bring all that I wanted back together. 


Monday, June 22, 2015

Paraty (BRASIL) - beneath the southern cross

Paraty (Brasil)
22 JUNE - 26 JUNE 2015


The Costa Verde is about as spectacular as you'd imagine this part of the world to be. Lush emerald green jungle that cascades from mountains into an island studded bay, whose waters also shimmer emerald green. Where the jungle meets the sea is basically where Paraty is situated. A small colonial town whose beauty has also been very well preserved, the pedestrian streets of the town are lined with whitewashed buildings, one or two storeys in heights, colourful and brightly painted doors and a feel of boutique elegance. It's a Brazilian style of cool, interesting and chic, and yet still preserving its heritage.

Inga and I stayed at the Resort Croce de Sud, a beautiful placed perched on top of a hill with  fabulous panoramic views sweeping views of the Baia Carioca and the island Ilha do Aroujo.  Serenity here is at your beck and call. It's so easy to sit in the hammock on the verandah, have the winds sweep over you and drift off with sound track of small fishing boats heading out from the village below.


Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty - Brasil

Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty

Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty - Brasil

I'd been to this place once before, with Janelle and Jet back at the start of 2012. The owner somehow remembered me, although when I started talking to him it wasn't hard to figure out why. First of all he told me that it was a rarity for Australian visitors to stay at his place and secondly, I was the only returning guest that has come back from that far away. He was already prepared for my arrival and even discussed the little kangaroo that I'd brought for his kids on my last journey here.

Down the hill from the resort are two great beaches, Praia Grande & Prainha. Both beaches. The first actually being a little fishing village that has its own bars, restaurants and half decent accommodation, the other being almost completely deserted, except for a cool open bar which at the time of year we were there was unfortunately closed. Not that Winter in this part of the world is bad. If you can handle low 20's for Winter then this is the place to be. I think Inga found it relatively easily to find a place on the beach to occupy and soak in the southern rays. As for me, being brought up in Australia, we're almost fearful of the sun. I don't mind being out in direct light, other than the boredom, its the idea of sun cancers that stick in my head the most. All those now infamous ads over the years are so ingrained in my fabric that I'm sure they've become somewhat of a nuisance to Inga at those moments when she just wants to sunbake (...but not on my watch...).


Praia Grande - Paraty - Brasil

This restaurant had THE BEST selection of hot sauces out of any place I've been - it was incredible...then randomly, just bottles of champagne, ready to go - Paraty - Brasil


We were located around 10kms out of Paraty itself but being on a direct bus line it made things relatively easy in terms of coming and going into town. Not that we spent a lot of time in Paraty, there's plenty of other things outside of the town such as waterfalls, water slides, boat cruises on the bay, etc. Definitely a town worth visiting but also an area worth discovering because of its natural beauty.  Coming to the end of our trip I would say that it ranked in the top five areas that we had encountered in terms of pure natural attributes - putting in the same class as places such as Torres del Paine, El Chalten, Salar de Uyuni and Iguazu Falls. The only thing missing is it doesn't have that stellar attraction, that 'stand out' feature that draws the tourist hoards, which in a way can only be a good thing, because as long as this area remains relatively under the radar is as long as people like me can enjoy it in its current state. Selfish....yes....but sometimes you have to be.


Paraty - Brasil


Paraty - Brasil


Paraty - Brasil

Paraty acted as the last real turning point for us. We'd been travelling for a couple of days short of 3 months at this point but now we were heading back to Rio for just a few more days of sunshine and to catch our penultimate flight to Buenos Aires. Even thought we didn't want to think about it at that point, the flight out of Buenos Aires was going to be the great unknown.  Perhaps it was going to act as the full stop on what inevitably would be a lifetime highlight, or, it was going to be just a comma, a short hiatus that was going to lead us on to a great many other things. Of course, writing from my position now I know exactly what's brought us from then until now, but back then, it was all undecided and was still left to be played out.