Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil

For the first time I was travelling with Lufthansa via Frankfurt because I was flying from Birmingham.  It was a nightmare; late in the evening; no people around to ask.  I didn’t realise I had to get on a train to get to another terminal.  I was running down empty corridors with 20 minutes to go before boarding my connecting flight.  On the flight, the first meal was lukewarm and there are so many announcements in different languages, they go on forever.  The return journey did not increase my confidence.  The flight was cancelled from Frankfurt and they suggested rerouting from London – Brussels – Birmingham.  In the end I settled for London.  This time at Frankfurt airport the train was not running so I had to collect my luggage, go through customs, out to a bus, take the bus to another terminal and then go through customs again.  The facilities at the airport were nice though in daylight hours.

My first impressions of Buenos Aires were high rise flats built from concrete, lots of trees and pampas grass.  I joined the Intrepid tour and the first afternoon we had a guided tour around the city and went to a restaurant where I ate tenderloin steak which was delicious.  I was in the home of the best beef after all.

The next day we caught the ferry across the river mouth to Colonia, Uruguay and spent the afternoon wandering around the old town and drinking wine.  One of our group left early the next day.  This was the first time it has happened to me on an Intrepid trip.  Sometimes you have people who do a lot of their own thing, but generally they stay the course.  I don’t know why.  He was drinking heavily so there may have been other factors.  I was concerned whether we had been inclusive enough, but we ranged in age from 26-70 and were the most overtly neuro diverse group I have ever been with.

It took a day of coach travel and three changes to get to the ranch.  Uruguay is very green with apparently lots of plots of land being bought up by the Chinese.  And it goes on for miles and miles – like the Yorkshire dales on steroids.

Panagea Ranch is 39 miles from Tacuarembo and then 10 miles up a dirt track.  The experience is everything lauded about on Tripadvisor and then some.  For me, I got on a horse for the first time since my horse I had for 26 years died and it is very probably the last time I will ride a horse, so it was lovely to do it in such a beautiful environment.  We did herd sheep and cattle.  The food is excellent.  I probably tasted the nicest bacon there I will ever taste in my life.

The only thing I would say is that they don’t tie the horses up when they tack them.  Juan did warn us about this, but I got a nasty bite on my upper arm, which luckily didn’t puncture the skin considering how far away a tetanus jab would have been.  I was being careful.  I wasn’t anywhere near tightening the girth.  It did upset me.

On another day, our youngest group member took a nasty tumble when the girth slipped.  They were very cautious about tightening girths every time we stopped so I couldn’t fault them here.

The time to go is now.  Apparently, Juan’s wife suggested he take in paying guests 20 years ago.  He and his only helper Bilinga are 64 years old and his daughters are young teenagers.  I felt very privileged to have stayed there at this time.  We even saw a Gaucho festival in Tacuarembo.

 

After a 3-night stay, we were driven up to the border at Salto – no traffic, no litter – where we took an overnight bus to Puerto Iguazu which was the most comfortable I have ever been on, with reclining, padded seats.

We visited the Brazilian side of the falls first, which was quite touristy and busy after the emptiness of Uruguay.  The bird sanctuary is worth a visit.  The hotel at Foz Iguazu had a nice pool area and I had a lovely massage, again the first time in many years.  The next day we visited the Argentinian side which I liked better.  You walk through the rain forest and it is more natural and beautiful.  We also went on a boat under the falls which is a bit gimmicky, but fun.  You do get thoroughly soaked.  In the evening, we went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant which is also quite a unique experience.

 

The next day we flew from the falls to Rio, had a little orientation walk around the hotel and then lunch on the beach.  In the evening, we went to a local semi-final of two Rio teams at the Maracana stadium.  It had the atmosphere of Wembley and the passion of Millwall games I went to when the children were small.  Again, I will probably never attend a big football game again, so it was a lovely thing to do.

The next day should have been the end of the tour, but we had all booked an extra night, so took advantage of a tour in Rio.  We went up Sugar Loaf Mountain which was beautiful and deserted and offers half price for seniors and then to the statue of Christ the Redeemer which was packed with people taking selfies before visiting the colourful Selaron Steps by the Chilean artist, Jorge Selaron.  Brazilian butts are very evident, natural or otherwise.

I had one last lunch with two of my co-travellers on Copacabana beach.  Afterwards I went to swim in the hotel pool on the roof and alone for the first time, got hit on.  My brother asked me if I wasn’t a bit flattered?  I was scared.  He was bigger and younger than me and we were alone.  It emphasises the safety of group travel.

The next day I was 65.  The trip had been an amazing way to celebrate.