South America Cruise – 20th February to 12th March 2020.
It’s time for another adventure and this time we’re off on a cruise around the tip of South America. We’re going to be travelling with a cruise line we’ve not tried before i.e. Holland America; we looked at similar cruises with a number of other cruise lines including our favourite Silversea but they were all either on Mega ships of 3000+ passengers which just isn’t going to happen for me, or they were way more expensive so we thought it was worth giving them a try, time will tell.
20th February 2020 – Home to Heathrow and beyond.
As our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 22:00 we had a leisurely morning before being picked up by the car service at 15:00. We were a little concerned that this would mean arriving at the M25 in the middle of the rush hour but, as it turned out, we had a fairly easy run down (just over 3 hours).
We presented ourselves at the new check-in desk which is specifically for those in need of assistance and were checked in, had a wheelchair and were through security in no time which was great as we wanted to get something to eat which we did at the in airport Weatherspoons. We still then had plenty of time to have a bit of a rest before making our way to the gate.
We boarded the aircraft with a certain amount of trepidation as the last BA flight we’d taken hadn’t been all that comfortable but, thankfully, this aircraft seemed to have more comfortable seats and good leg room which is just as well as the flight was a full 14 hours. We departed just a little later than planned and once fed and watered we settled down to try to get some sleep.
21st February 2020 – Santiago, Chile.
We arrived in Santiago just before 09:30 local time having had a pleasantly uneventful flight; we even managed to get a little sleep which was great. Once we’d made our way through Immigration and Customs (where all bags had to be scanned again) the young lady pushing Graham’s wheelchair took us out to the main arrivals area and it was total chaos. We were looking for someone displaying our names on a Trailfinders board but couldn’t find anyone anywhere. Eventually, after the young lady “pusher” made a telephone call we met up with the local guide Paula; she apologised profusely for the delay and explained that there had been some confusion as it seems Trailfinders had two couples arriving at the same time both with the surname of Butler. The other Butler’s had arrived shortly before us and inadvertently nabbed our driver the mistake only being recognised when they asked to go to a different hotel!
As it was we weren’t held up for too long and after a drive of 25 minutes or so we were safely checked in to our very nice hotel. Next time we book something like this we really must remember to see what other hotel options there are as I’m sure we didn’t need to be staying somewhere with published room rates of almost $700 US.
After a short rest and a much needed shower we took ourselves out for a walk around the local area and it seems Santiago is very much like any other modern city but perhaps with more eateries than some, every other property seems to house some form of café/restaurant/bar. After a lunch of empanadas (very nice) we walked a little further to check out some of the restaurants Paula had suggested we try this evening as we said we wanted to try some typical Chilean cuisine, it was then back to the hotel’s own café for coffee and cake before heading back to the room for an hour or two of relaxation before we walk out again for dinner, it’s a hard life but somebody has to do it!
22nd February 2020 – Santiago to San Antonio, Chile.
We spent yesterday evening at a local restaurant and enjoyed a very good, if rather large, meal with a glass of wine each before returning to the hotel. A brief drink in the bar followed before we retired to catch up on some sleep.
This morning started with an included breakfast before we were picked up at just after 10:00 for our transfer to the cruise terminal in San Antonio. The journey took around and hour and three quarters and it turned out that there was very little to see along the way.
Once at the terminal we checked in with minimal fuss and were on board and in our cabin by 12:30. We knew when we booked that this wouldn’t be the same standard of cruise that we’ve been used to but we were a little surprised to find that there was nothing in the way of a welcome drink and we were rather disappointed when we discovered that there isn’t even any included water available in the cabins, if you want water you have to pay around $4:50 for a large bottle.
This afternoon has been spent having lunch in the main restaurant and finding our way around the ship. Lunch was very pleasant but nothing to write home about with the service being on the rather quick side, hopefully that will change for this evenings meal; we’ll soon find out as we’ll be heading to the restaurant shortly.
23rd February 2020 – At Sea.
The speed of the food service did indeed change for dinner last night. We enjoyed a very pleasant evening sharing a table with a couple from Saskatchewan and two ladies from Kent, the food was good and the portions generous (we’ve now discovered that we can request ½ portions) and we eventually left the table at around 21:30. From there we strolled along to one of the bars where the resident quartet was playing/singing but we weren’t there too long as the journey from home had started to catch up with us.
This morning dawned very overcast and far too early; we were both woken at around 03:15 when the ship’s fog horn was sounded, unfortunately sleep eluded me after that so I’m feeling pretty tired but we do have a day at sea today so there is nothing we have to do if we don’t want to.
What we chose to do was take a look around some of the on-board shops where they are advertising all manner of “special offers” and “discounts” although many of them don’t seem to be that much of a deal to us! Whilst in one of the stores the assistant mentioned that a chap who was passing was the on-board acupuncturist and that he was shortly to deliver a presentation about the art of acupuncture (as well as trying to sell you sessions of course). As Graham has been having quite a bit of pain from his right shoulder we decided to go along just to see what he had to say and the short version of the story is that we availed ourselves of the free no obligation consultation and have decided we’re going to give it a try, Graham for his shoulder and me for the digestive problems I’ve been having as he seems to think it might help there too. It’s not cheap but we decided it would be worth a try whilst we have free time on board today so we’re back there at 14:00 and we’ll see what happens from there – we’re keeping an open mind.
Having had a very large breakfast this morning we decided to try to keep lunch a bit lighter so had a small bowl of pasta each whilst sat outside by the pool where, despite the cloud cover, it was pleasantly warm as its pretty sheltered. We’ve also been along to guest services to find out who the other Butlers are as we’d like to meet up with them if for no other reason but to try to avoid any issues with the transfers at the end of the cruise (we have a fairly tight timescale to make our internal flight to Iguazu Falls once we disembark). What we plan on doing is leaving a note at their cabin to see if they’d like to meet up at some time over the next week or so so we’ll see what happens.
This evening we have the first of the three Gala Nights on-board, these seem to be less formal than the Formal Nights on some other cruise lines but we still plan on dressing up a bit so that should be nice.
24th February 2020 – Puerto Montt, Chile.
We had another very pleasant evening last evening. As we suspected Holland America doesn’t make as much of their formal nights as some other cruise lines but at least most people smartened themselves up for dinner. We once again joined a table with a number of other guests and it turns out that two of them live not too far from us in Cottingham near Hull, it’s definitely becoming a smaller world. After dinner we went along to the theatre to see the first of the shows which was okay, not great but okay (or are we just being too fussy?).
This morning we woke to cloudy skies again which was a shame as the tour we had booked was based around a scenic drive to the lakes and mountains and, as it was, much of them couldn’t be seen. Initially we drove for around 50 minutes to go and see the Petrohue Falls which was interesting as we had visited the same falls some 13 years ago and it was a lot less developed then; there was also more water in the falls the last time we were here but that was no doubt because we were here at a different time of the year (October/November). From there we were driven up Mount Osorno on a fairly twisty, narrow road which was fine except that once we got to the top there really wasn’t much to see as we were in amongst the cloud. Fortunately there was a small café there which did a roaring trade with its hot chocolate sales.
Lunch was next on the agenda and that really saved the day as we were taken to a very small local restaurant (rather like a private bungalow) where we had a four course lunch (like we really needed it!) which included some of the nicest salmon we’ve had in a very long time. The last stop on our tour was in the town of Puerto Varas where we had around 50 minutes to take a brief look at the lake and have a wander around the souvenir shops before making the journey back to the ship.
We’re now safely back on board and having a rest before yet more food in a couple of hours’ time.
25th February 2020 – Puerto Chacabuco, Chile.
We had another good evening last evening; this time we were joined for dinner by two couples from various parts of the UK. Once dinner was over we went along to the theatre to see what this evening’s entertainment had to offer and it turned out to be better than we had anticipated as when we heard there was a comedienne/vocalist performing we were a little dubious. As it was the humour was relatively clean and wholesome and generally very funny, she was certainly a clever wordsmith. As we were feeling pretty shattered we went straight back to our cabin after the show and had a reasonably early night.
As this morning’s start was somewhat later (we had a tour scheduled to start at 11:00) we decided to try the buffet restaurant for breakfast and there was certainly lots to choose from and the food was all good quality; it still isn’t generally our first choice as the buffets always tend to be busy but it’s certainly an option if we don’t have time to use the main restaurant which invariably take longer.
The ship docked a little earlier than expected this morning so our tour left just a smidge earlier than advertised which was fine by us. As we had been told that there really wasn’t anything at all to see in the local town (it really is very small) we chose to take a tour into the mountains and to the town of Coyhaique which despite its small size is the regional capital. The ride to get there was very pretty with the Andes mountains on both sides, we even had the weather on our side when the sun came out part way across. We didn’t have a great deal of time in the town but we did have a chance for a brief walk around before getting back on the bus and heading for a snack stop at a local Lodge. The snack turned out to be rather better than we had expected when we were provided with a mixture of Empanadas, a small lamb skewer, a small fruit skewer and a free bar serving Pisco Sour (a local cocktail) and red/white wine – can’t be bad.
Our last stop for the day was at a National Park where we had the chance to take a brief walk to see the Simpson River and a small museum of flora and fauna. We were also very fortunate to see a Condor in flight.
Once back on board we had time for a coffee and a rest before getting ourselves smartened up for dinner (although I’m not sure why we bother sometimes as many aren’t making any effort at all which is a shame!).
26th February 2020 – Sailing the Chilean Fjords.
Last night’s evening went pretty much as planned in that we joined a shared table (one American couple and one Canadian couple this time) for dinner and once that was finished we headed to the theatre where a Brazilian guy was singing. We didn’t last long there as although he could sing his repertoire wasn’t really to our taste so we gave it up as a bad job fairly early on.
Unfortunately today has been somewhat marred by the weather. We have spent almost the entire day sailing the Chilean Fjords accompanied by a mix of very low cloud and rain so many of the views which were undoubtedly out there were obscured although the weather did clear a little as we approached the Tempanos Glacier and we were able to get a reasonable view of that.
Graham and I have spent most the day sitting in the observation lounge reading and, where possible, watching the views go by so there really isn’t much to report. Hopefully things will improve tomorrow as we have another day sailing, this time through the Sarmiento Channel.
27th February 2020 – Sailing the Sarmiento Channel.
As previously mentioned, today has been another day sailing without any stops en-route; the weather has been a little better but many of the views have still been obscured by low cloud which is a shame. As a result much of our day has again been spent reading and watching the world go by.
This afternoon we opted to go along for afternoon tea as it was an opportunity to compare it to others we’ve been to and it was okay but nothing special, still it gave us a chance to meet some more new people.
We’re currently sailing through an area called “Summer Pass” which we’re told is one of the shallowest of the Fjords with only around seven feet of water below us so the speed has been slowed considerably to make sure we pass through safely and as the cloud has lifted slightly we’re getting a few more worthwhile views.
Tonight is another Gala nights so another chance to get a bit more dressed up, let’s hope we’re not the only ones who bother!
28th February 2020 – Punta Arenas, Chile.
Last evening’s Gala Dinner saw quite a few people dress for dinner which was nice for a change; the food was good too and we shared a table with seven others which was great except it made it a little difficult to have a conversation with everyone as we were quite a way apart.
After dinner we moved to one of the bars where there was a brief spell of entertainment provided by the resident quartet. As the air conditioning in the bar was rather fierce we didn’t stay long after they’d finished so it was another relatively early night.
The weather has been better today, it’s been pretty chilly as there was a noticeable breeze but at least we’ve seen some sunshine. We chose not to take a tour today as we’ve been to Punta Arenas before (13 years ago) and most of the tours were repeating visits we’d made back then. What we did instead was to take the shuttle bus into the main square and spend a couple of hours walking around the town. It’s unfortunate that many of the otherwise quite attractive buildings have been boarded up and/or covered in graffiti which is a result of the many anti-government protests that have been taking place over here.
Lunch by the pool and a lazy afternoon followed and we’re now just getting ourselves ready for another visit to the Dining Room and maybe one of the bars.
29th February 2020 – Glacier Alley & Ushuaia, Argentina.
Today has been a good day, a long day but a good one. We had a very early start as we were scheduled to sail through Glacier Alley from around 07:30 with a commentary being provided out on the open decks and via the in cabin TVs. We decided to get up at 06:00 and have breakfast delivered to our cabin as we were fortunate enough to have a cabin on the Port side of the ship which is the same side as the glacier views. As a result 07:30 saw us wrapped up in our coats and blankets sat outside on our balcony watching as we passed the glaciers. There were times when it rained but we were protected from that, and there were times where it brightened so we had some great views. We also saw a few dolphins, seals and a whale of some sort.
As we’d had breakfast very early we also had an early lunch before we docked at Ushuaia, the most southerly town in the world. We had pre-booked a tour here as we wanted to visit the most southerly point on the Pan American Highway especially as we have friends who have been here by motorcycle. The trip was fairly busy but did what it was designed to do and we did indeed make the end of the highway as well as visiting other parts of the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Once the tour had finished we opted to be dropped in town as we wanted to see where our friends had been although the town is rather bigger than it would have been when some of them visited. We did a little shopping, found a bank to get some cash and then had a drink in one of the bars before making our way back to the ship.
This evening dinner was taken on another shared table which was very pleasant and from there we visited one of the bars for happy hour (second drink for $2) before making our way to the theatre for 23:00 as we had been asked to support the Philipino crew members who were putting on their own show highlighting some of their traditional songs/dances. The show didn’t last long but was definitely worth seeing and, in our opinion, gave the entertainments team a run for their money.
1st March 2020 – Sailing around Cape Horn and on towards the Falkland Islands.
We had another early start this morning as we cruised around and beyond Cape Horn from 07:00. This time we decided not to have a room service breakfast but went and sat at the side of the swimming pool where we could hear the commentary and see some of the scenery pass by. As it was it was raining again so the views weren’t great but we’ve been there and done that now and the sea has even stayed quite calm which is a bonus!
Most of the rest of our day has been spent in the ‘Crows Nest’ observation lounge with Graham reading whilst I caught up with sorting out our pictures from the last few days. After a grey start the skies cleared and it became bright and sunny, that was until around 16:00 when we hit the fog bank and we’re now sitting looking out at a blanket of fog and listening to the dulcet tones of the ship’s foghorn whilst sipping on a happy hour Cosmopolitan. I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon!
2nd March 2020 – Port Stanley, Falkland Islands.
We had been told to expect choppy seas, rain and windy conditions as we approached the Falklands and we’d even been warned that around 50% of the time it’s too rough for the tenders to take passengers to port but we’ve been very lucky once again. There was a little light rain on and off during the day but also some sunshine, the seas were very calm and we even had temperatures of 19c.
We had elected to take a longer tour to one of the many penguin colonies largely as it gave us a chance to see more of the island. Once we’d taken the 20 minute tender ride to the harbour we were paired up with another couple (from The Netherlands) and our driver Gary. We had been told that the tours were all provided by locals who earn a bit extra by driving tourists to/from the various sights and, as a consequence vehicles and drivers were all quite different and we’d been warned that some drivers weren’t overly communicative. As it was we were extremely lucky to be allocated Gary as our driver; he is an ex-Marine who served here both before and during the Falklands conflict and who settled here in the late 1980’s. He was an excellent guide and provided us with a real insight into Island life; he even gave us a brief tour of Port Stanley by car after we’d returned from our scheduled trip.
The tour we had chosen took us around 70 miles across the main island (East Falkland) using a mix of tarmac and gravel roads with the last 30 minutes or so of our journey being proper off-road driving across a peat bog. We arrived at the property, North Pond, and were provided with a packed lunch which we chose to eat as quickly as possible as we wanted to beat the majority to see the penguins (as it is they limit the numbers here so even once everyone had arrived it wasn’t overly crowded). Our lunch stop did, however, turn into a bit of a battle of wills as there were some very persistent, fairly aggressive sheep who wanted their share!
After our brief stop Gary drove us further across the peat to the bay where the penguins nest and raise their chicks. The nesting area was by now pretty deserted as the chicks are pretty well developed but there were nursery areas where we could get really close to the young birds with seemingly little disturbance to them. In total we spent around an hour visiting the colony which was frequented by mostly Gentoo penguins but there were also quite a number of Megallanic penguins too.
The drive back to Stanley took another 90 minutes or so and once back Gary drove us around on a short tour of the town so we could see where the main sights were before he dropped us at the harbour. As we had plenty of time before we needed to board the ship we took a short walk to the Victory Bar (as recommended by Gary) where Graham had a pint of the local brew (Iron Lady). From there we did the obligatory bit of souvenir shopping and Graham found a seat in a man crèche and waited whilst I went to get some pictures of the Falklands Conflict Memorial further along the waterfront. All in all it was a very good day which was rounded off by another very nice meal in the Dining Room, a visit to the show lounge (not a bad show but….) and a night cap (actually two) in the Ocean Bar before bed.
3rd March 2020 – At Sea.
We are now into the first of two days at sea as we head for Uruguay and we were greeted with the sound of fog horns as we woke. It’s now lunchtime and although it’s still pretty murky the skies are clearing a bit so the seats we have right at the front of the observation lounge are likely to remain our base for much of the rest of the day whilst we try to finish reading the books we brought with us so that we don’t have to take them home.
4th March 2020 – At Sea.
This has been our second straight day at Sea so another lazy day. We know of people who love the sea days but they’re the ones who are into playing on board games and attending demonstrations of towel folding (Yes, really!). As these various activities aren’t for us we again spent most the day sitting in the observation lounge reading with just a fairly brief break for lunch by to pool (it was too noisy to sit there all day particularly as the fog horns were sounding again for much of the day).
We have our last Gala Night tonight so we’ll be getting a bit more dressed up and from there our plan is to go along and listen to the classical pianist for a while before heading for happy hour in the Ocean Bar. We have a fairly early start tomorrow for a wine tasting tour so whatever happens we don’t plan on being too late.
5th March 2020 – Montevideo, Uruguay.
We were up early this morning as our pre-booked tour was scheduled to leave at 08:30. After a quick breakfast in the buffet restaurant we joined our bus and were ready to leave the port on time when one of the numpties on board realised she had left her camera behind and the guide agreed to wait for her to collect it from her cabin. Fortunately it wasn’t too long before we made our way the short distance to the old town where we had a brief stop so that we could take the short walk along the pedestrian street to see the main square. After another brief stop for photographs we were on our way to the Juanico Winery some 70 miles from the port, the distance involved is partly why we booked this trip as it was the only one which provided a look at a bit more of the countryside.
Once at the winery we had a fairly brief tour of the facility and the vines before heading inside for the tasting. We were given tasters of five different wines, one white, three red and one red dessert wine and although perfectly drinkable they weren’t nice enough that we would have bothered to buy any even if we could have got it home safely (the dessert wine was the best, more like a port really). Whilst at the winery we were also provided with what turned out to be a very nice meal and although we were told we could choose a glass of our favourite wine to accompany our meal it seems we could actually have as much of each as we wanted so there were a few squiffed people on the bus on the way back.
After another 90 minute journey back we returned to our cabin to start the packing ready for disembarkation on Saturday. This sounds like it should have been a fairly easy exercise but it’s not quite as simple as it sounds as the luggage allowance (particularly hand baggage) on our next flight isn’t as generous so I’m having to be a bit more creative than usual with what goes where. Had we thought about it we could/should have stayed one night in Buenos Aires before flying to Iguazu, that way we could have left a suitcase at the hotel for pick up on our return – oh well, it’s too late now!
Once the packing was (mostly) done it was time for dinner and we had arranged to meet a very interesting lady (Janet) we’ve shared tables with before. As the restaurant was rather quieter than usual we were in and out fairly quickly so went along to listen to some classical piano music before heading for happy hour in the bar. There was also another crew show tonight but as I was quite literally falling asleep in the bar and the show wasn’t due to start until 23:00 we had to give that one a miss.
6th March 2020 – Buenos Aires, Argentina.
We arrived in Buenos Aires at around 08:00 this morning and as our chosen tour was due to leave at 08:30 again we had another early start. This time we’d chosen to join a Gaucho experience at a farm around 40 miles from the port; we’ve taken similar tours before and they’ve been very good so we had high hopes.
As it was the first part of the tour was a little disappointing in that it was advertised as “driving through the countryside and the pampas”. I can’t deny that there we lots of pampas grasses to be seen along the way but it was hardly countryside as we spent all but the last few miles of the journey on a motorway and the property was right next to a major road. When we first arrived we were provided with a drink and a snack (wine and empanadas) and then shown to a seating area for a display of horsemanship. What we saw was certainly very clever but nowhere near as in depth or varied as shows we’ve seen before so, once again, a little disappointing.
We had the choice if we wanted it to take a carriage ride or horse ride “around the estate” but as they only went around the edge of a field we didn’t bother. On the upside there was quite a bit of bird life in the gardens, we even saw a hummingbird which we hadn’t expected and we spent the next hour or so taking pictures of the birds and watching others take their rides whilst we waited for the included barbeque lunch. Once it arrived lunch was generally pretty good although we were all a little disappointed with the beef we were given as it was pretty tough. As well as the copious amounts of meat there were salads and a dessert and this was accompanied with bottomless wine or beer glasses. As the wine we had on arrival hadn’t proven to be that good we decided to try the local beer and it was very drinkable even for me, it also came in huge litre bottles which just kept coming!
As the meal was finishing we were provided with entertainment in the form of some traditional songs and dances. We were given displays of Tango and Rumba as well as some traditional dances especially for men to perform (can’t remember what they were called) and they were certainly energetic. The last dance we saw was performed by a single man who was dancing with what we think we called bolas (strings with a small hard ball on the end which he tapped on the floor as he danced) and it was extremely good to watch although it also looked pretty dangerous for anyone stood close by.
We didn’t arrive back at the ship until after 17:00 so after a quick drink (non-alcoholic) by the pool it was time to try to sort out some more of our stuff as we have to have the majority of our bags outside our cabin before midnight tonight.
7th March 2020 – Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Argentina.
We had another early start this morning as our airport transfer was scheduled for 08:30 and to get to that we had to take a shuttle bus to the cruise terminal, collect our luggage and then pass through customs. We didn’t quite make it by the arranged time but we weren’t much later and the whole process went off pretty smoothly. Once we’d been dropped at the domestic flight airport we checked in, requested wheelchair assistance and were directed to a separate waiting area which was fine except the waiting area wasn’t staffed so we weren’t exactly sure what we were supposed to do. Shortly after I spotted a young lady with a LATAM airlines jacket on and asked her what we were supposed to do, unfortunately she didn’t speak English and we don’t speak Spanish so it was a little difficult. All I can say is thank goodness for Google translate!
Once we’d worked out how things worked we arranged to be taken straight to the departure gate and once the flight was called we were boarded first and seated in the front row. After an hour and a quarter we were back on the ground and given priority for disembarkation. There was a wheelchair waiting for us and once we had our luggage we were escorted out to where our guide, Marcos, was waiting for us.
The drive to our hotel took around 25 minutes most of it inside the Iguazu National Park and right in the middle of the jungle – excellent. The hotel is very nice and built very sympathetically in the surroundings; we have a small balcony which is effectively in the jungle.
Once we’d settled in we had a very nice if rather large late lunch by which time it was a little late to go very far so we had a walk to the local indigenous peoples village a short distance away. After a bit of a rest and recovery from the sudden heat (it’s very hot and humid here) we returned to the hotel restaurant for a much lighter meal and a drink (can’t remember what it’s called but it’s a very nice Brazilian specialty) before bed.
8th March 2020 –Iguazu Falls, & Brazil.
Our guide Marcos picked us up at 08:30 this morning and we were driven a short distance to the border with Brazil where we had to go through immigration procedures to leave Argentina and then enter Brazil. It was a fairly painless process but it took a little bit of time. We then drove to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls where we visited a number of different viewpoints and it’s fair to say the falls are well worth the visit, it was pretty busy in places but it was still possible to get some great views.
Once we’d had our fill here we returned to the border crossing where we completed the same procedures in reverse before heading for the Argentinian side of the falls where we made a brief stop for something to eat (some very good empanadas). This side is rather more developed and has some great facilities for people like Graham. There was a golf cart service which our guide arranged and which took us to the first viewpoint and from there we boarded a “Jungle train” which took us further into the park. Marcos had explained to us that there was quite a lot of walking involved so Graham had already decided he would sit out some of it but once we were off of the train Marcos spotted a vacant off-road wheelchair which he commandeered, he then proceeded to push Graham all the way out to one of the main viewpoints which was great.
The views from both sides of the falls are really quite different and I can’t say I preferred one to the other as they are so dissimilar. Once we’d returned the wheelchair we took another short train ride to the next area of interest where we deposited Graham before taking another 1.5km walk to the next set of views. By the time we returned I was feeling pretty shattered and very, very hot. We were back at our hotel by around 16:30 and we then made a stop at the poolside bar so that we could try the beer from the local brewery (very nice). What remained of the afternoon was spent relaxing and catching up with uploading our pictures before making our way back to the restaurant for another very pleasant meal.
9th March 2020 – Iguazu to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As we were being collected at 13:00 today for our return flight to Buenos Aires we decided to have a lazy morning so after breakfast we spent a few hours sitting out on the balcony watching the birdlife in the jungle directly outside, very relaxing.
Marcos collected us as arranged at 13:00 and we made the drive to the airport without incident and we arrived rather early so had to wait for the check-in desk to open. Once it did we were whisked through to the departure gates but as the one we were due to leave from still had a previous flight boarding we were deposited close by where we waited for our flight to be called. The flight was just under two hours and was blissfully uneventful.
We arrived in Buenos Aires at around 18:00 and were driven to our hotel in one of the ‘posh’ areas of the city; posh and expensive! As it was fairly late by the time we’d settled in we did nothing more than visit the concierge to book a tour for tomorrow before having a very nice, reasonably priced dinner in the hotel restaurant. As we were both pretty shattered we then retired to our room to watch a bit of TV before bed.
10th March 2020 – Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The tour we had booked for this morning meant a 09:00 pick up so we were up reasonably early so that we could have breakfast before we left and it was as well we allowed ourselves some time as the breakfast room was packed.
There were two other guests from our hotel on the tour and we picked up a total of 6 others before we boarded a boat to take us out onto the Platte River and to the Delta which is home to around 6000 permanent residents and many more weekenders. Once we’d finished our boat tour we were taken to a very nice restaurant for a “light lunch” which turned out to be three empanadas each which was rather more than we needed but very nice. From there we re-joined our minibus for the trip back to the city but with a few stops made along the way. We were originally due back by around 14:00 but we were delayed somewhat by some form of protest which blocked the roads in one neighbourhood. Fortunately it didn’t matter to us as we had no plans until this evening.
When we arrived yesterday we were warned that the weather forecast for today wasn’t looking great so we went out prepared with waterproof jackets etc. but, as it was, we didn’t need them as the sun came out part way through the morning and stayed with us for the rest of the day.
Before we left home we had booked a tour to a Tango show and dinner for this evening and as this wasn’t due to pick us up until 20:00 we figured dinner would be quite late so we walked across the road to the ultra-expensive shopping mall for a snack to keep us going. We went along to the food court which was unlike any we’ve been to before, it did have a McDonald’s and a Starbucks but it also had a French bistro/patisserie where asked for a recommendation for something to share and took the advice but, once again, it turned out that the snack we ordered would have fed four easily!
As a pre-curser to our evening out we were invited to join a tango performance in the hotel foyer which was very good and made even better when we were presented with a glass of sparkling wine each.
We’re now just taking a bit of a break before we get ourselves ready for what seems like it could be a late night.
11th March 2020 – Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It did indeed turn out to be a late night last night and one we could probably have done without. The show was being performed at Café de los Angelitos which is said to be one of the oldest in the city and the café itself was very nice. Behind the main café they have a fairly large restaurant area with a large stage but, unfortunately, the tables were really packed in and all faced side on to the stage.
When we arrived there were already large numbers of people eating so we were seated and our food ordered pretty quickly and the meal was okay but only okay, the wine they served with it wasn’t the best either. Once the meal was over the show started and it was very much a stage show based on Tango rather than a demonstration of Tango which would, in my opinion, have been much better, it just didn’t seem right to me to be watching people trying to dance the Tango in Edwardian style costume, you couldn’t even see their feet! We finally left the café at around 23:30 so it was gone midnight by the time we got back which wasn’t ideal bearing in mind we had a long day ahead of us.
Once we were up, fed and packed we had an hour or so to spare so sat in our room watching the torrential rain that had arrived earlier in the morning. It was still bucketing when we were picked up at 10:45 and for the entirety of the hour long journey to the airport too; visibility really wasn’t very good at all.
We made it to the airport in plenty of time and, once again, the South American airline staff seemed to really look after handicapped people. We had wheelchair in a matter of minutes and were told we would be given priority boarding before we were whisked through security and, as there was another flight still boarding at our departure gate, we were deposited nearby with a promise that they would be back to collect us. They were good to their word and we were boarded first on what turned out to be a half empty aircraft; it’s difficult to say if it has anything to do with the Coronavirus but it has certainly been to topic of conversation everywhere whilst we’ve been away.
The flight took off almost on time and we made ourselves as comfortable as we could for another very long (13 ½ hour) flight.
12th March 2020 – Buenos Aires to Home.
After a long and not particularly comfortable flight on one of BA’s older aircraft we arrived in Heathrow airspace a bit ahead of time so had to wait in a holding pattern, we were still on the ground by our scheduled time though.
For once there was actually a wheelchair waiting for us at Heathrow although we did a have a slight delay as we had to be transferred to a buggy and although that was waiting for us the driver wasn’t. It didn’t take too long before he arrived and we made our way through a very, very quiet Heathrow airport, collected our baggage and went to meet our waiting driver. We have used ETA travel a good many times now and have always had good service, today was no exception and it was sad to hear Dave telling us that ours was the last job they had on their books for eight days now as a number of their clients have been cancelling flights/holidays. Hopefully these problems won’t last too long and we can all get back to travelling normally.
The drive home was also unusually quiet with no hold ups at all, not even on the M25, so we were home by 10:30 in plenty of time to unpack our soggy suitcases.
Addendum:
We have been home for three weeks now and are counting ourselves very lucky indeed; we left the MS Zandaam in Buenos Aires on March 7th and she picked up another group of passengers and set sail back to Santiago. Unfortunately she also picked up an unwanted guest, Coronavirus, and four of the passengers who joined the ship have lost their lives. Many of the remaining passengers have now been transferred to a sister ship the Rotterdam but there are others with symptoms still stranded on board and who knows when any of them, on either ship, will be able to return home. As I said, we’re counting ourselves very, very lucky.