Gallivanting Grandma

Sugarloaf and Santa Teresa

September 21st, 2016 . Posted in Brazil | Comments Off

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

The sun was slowly breaking out of the clouds so Linda and I decided to take the cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain to see the amazing panorama of Rio de Janeiro.

The enormous city sprawls out between numerous steep mountains, bays, and the Atlantic Ocean. Rio is spectacular! It is a WOW!

Marmoset monkeys live in the trees and bushes in Rio and climb along street wires like our squirrels at home:

We rode a public bus to the center of the city to the Lapa neighborhood.

We saw the Carioca Aqueduct also known as the Arcos da Lapa which was finished in 1750 to bring fresh drinking water to the residents of Rio de Janeiro.

Today the structure serves as a tram line which transports passengers between the center of Rio and the Santa Teresa neighborhood on top of a hill.

We walked along and turned up a tiny street, Rua Teatonio Regadas whose walls were decorated with amazing colorful murals.

At the end of the street was the Escadaria Selaron:

These are the world-famous steps which was the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selaron. He renovated the dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house using colorful tiles, ceramics, and mirrors.

There are 215 steps which are covered in more than 2,000 tiles collect from over 60 countries. Tourists come from all over the world to see the magnificent stairs.

At the top of the steps is the Santa Teresa neighborhood with more magnificent views of the city.

We returned to our hotel on Copacabana Beach in time for supper and to see the sun set over the mountains.

Linda posing with her Olympic pin trading buddies:

Rio de Janeiro in the Rain

September 20th, 2016 . Posted in Brazil | Comments Off

Monday & Tuesday – September 19 & 20, 2016

We said our goodbyes to Foz do Iguazu, had a good breakfast and checked out of the Taroba Hotel, then we took a free bus to the airport. We changed planes in Sao Paulo and arrived at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio as the sun was setting. We shared a taxi for the 15 minute ride to the Olinda Hotel located on Copacabana Beach.

View of Copacabana Beach at night from our room on the tenth floor:

It was drizzling lightly, but we learned about a night market on the beach so we went out to explore:

It was still raining softly the next morning. But we were actually in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!!! After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, Linda and I went out to walk along Copacabana Beach all the way to Ipanema Beach!

Linda traded Olympic pins with John from Greece, who was one of the international pin traders.

The black and white stone mosaic pavement of the promenades at both Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches were designed by the Brazilian landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx. They are fabulous!!

Olinda Rio Hotel located right on Copacabana Beach:

A lot of wind and rain on Ipanema Beach but it was fun to explore:

It was still raining so we took a taxi to the Rio Sul Shopping Center:

Iguazu National Park, Argentina

September 18th, 2016 . Posted in Argentina, Brazil | Comments Off

Sunday, September 18, 2016

This morning we made arranged to join two other travelers and hired a van to take us across the border to Argentina to see the other side of Iguazu Falls. It turned out to be a good idea because we had to make three stops.

The first stop was to exchange money into Argentinian Pesos. Then we stopped at the border to leave Brazil and another official stop to enter Argentina. The van dropped us off at the National Park ticket office and Linda, our new friend Katie, and I followed several paths through the dense tropical forest.

Yesterday, we had viewed Iguazu Falls from a panoramic distance on the Brazilian side. Here on the Argentinian side, we were closer to the falls because we were above and next to the magnificent crashing waters.

There were many birds in the trees, but difficult to photograph. I took one picture of a large toucan.

Katie and a South American ring-tailed coati, also known as quati in Portuguese:

A friendly young family on vacation from Brasilia, the capital of Brazil stopped to talk to us. They spoke fluent English. They said they loved to travel and this was baby Elena’s first trip away from home.

Paraguay and Iguacu Falls

September 17th, 2016 . Posted in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay | Comments Off

Saturday, September 17, 2016

This morning we rode a public bus to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, the second largest city in the country. It is located on the other side of the Friendship Bridge from Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.

Despite border control booths near the bridge, there were no patrols or officials monitoring vehicles entering or leaving Brazil and Paraguay.

The bus crawled along in heavy traffic and stopped at one point to admit a young man with a guitar. He smiled and shook hands with the driver then turned to the passengers and sang a medley of lively songs in Spanish. Fun entertainment!

Cuidad del Este is known for its shops and malls so all vendors accept local Guarani or any foreign money. The shopkeepers quickly perform currency exchanges, so “buyer beware!”

The main street was lined with malls, shopping centers, and outdoor stalls. There were corridors of little shops and alleyways filled with open-air booths selling anything and everything.

I noticed every vendor had a thermos filled with “yerba mate cimarron,” which they poured into smaller vessels and drank through a metal straw. In one booth, a woman chopped green plants while another woman ground dried plants with a mortar and pestle. They put all the plants in a thermos, then added water while the purchaser waited for his fresh ‘mate.‘

There were pedestrian bridges to cross the very crowded boulevard:

Heavy traffic returning to Brazil:

After we explored the market, we found a bus stop and returned to the bus terminal in Foz do Iguacu. Public transportation is free for all seniors over 60 years of age throughout Brazil, so we took advantage of this service and hopped on another bus from the terminal to Iguazu National Park.

The famous waterfalls, “cataratas” are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and designated as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

There are more than 275 individual cascades on the Iguazu River which created a natural border between Brazil and Argentina. On both sides of the magnificent river, the views were fabulous!

Iguazu Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world! The semicircular cascade is 263 feet high and almost two miles long. The falls were truly magnificent!!

Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

September 16th, 2016 . Posted in Brazil | Comments Off

September 15 & 16, 2016

I left New York City on a bright cloudless 50 degree day for the long trip to Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. I met my travel buddy, Linda, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and we boarded an Azul Airlines plane for the overnight trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil. I highly recommend Azul with its modern beige leather seats, soft blue interior lights, very clean facilities, and pleasant flight attendants.

Foz do Iguacu is a city located in the south-western part of Brazil on the border of Argentina and Paraguay. It was a quick hour plane ride between Sao Paulo and Foz do Iguacu and we arrived in the late afternoon and checked into the Best Western Taroba Hotel.

We went out for a walk to explore the neighborhood and found the ‘Friday Night Market’ across the street from the hotel outside the zoological gardens: