And now the rest of the Caribbean islands on our cruise. We walked round all of them in the overpowering heat but it was worth it and cruise ship cabins are air conditioned.
South America
Caribbean Heat
It seems as though the cruise industry is pretty much destroyed at the moment. I really hope it can recover – there are so many places suited to a cruise. The most obvious is the Caribbean.
Mexico’s Mayan Sites
For us Mexico wasn’t all tequila and spicy food. We made it to several of the most famous ancient Mayan sites.
Lots of Fun in Mexico
Mexico , even if you were allowed to go at the moment, is still closed to all tourists.
But a few years ago we had a great holiday there.
And Now for the Gauchos
There are 150,00 gauchos in Argentina who hunt and herd cattle. Their romanticised lifestyle has turned them into folklore heroes like the American cowboys. To find a real life gaucho you have to visit an estancias or ranch.
Argentina, Land of Tango and Gauchos
Argentina is a huge country so a couple of days hardly scratches the surface. Its the eight largest country in the world and second only to Brazil in South America.
The capital Buenos Aires has three million inhabitants.
Famous for the Tango Argentina is also known to us for Eva Peron mostly thanks to Evita the musical. The Falkland Island dispute which I remember well even though in was in 1982 is something else you think of.
The Beautiful Brazilian Coast
Buzios
Sailing along the coast from Rio you arrive at Buzios. a stunning archipelago with twenty three beaches, it is the holiday playground of the rich Brazilians.
We took a tour round some of these beaches and and each was was better than the one before with soft sand and wonderful views.
The Other Side of Life – in a Rio Favela
Its been in the news this week that a British woman was shot in her car after accidentally entering a favela . We always walk around on our own in any city that we visit but we did feel the need to be more cautious in Rio than many other places. We deliberately steered clear of any areas we thought looked a bit seedy especially at night.
But there is an essential sight to see in Rio despite it being in a tough area – a favela.
A Beach Day, or Maybe Not!
Today was to be a relaxing day on one of Rios famous beaches. We tried, we really did, but beaches just aren’t our thing.
Roaming Round Rio
The Jardim Botanico
I do love a botanical garden. JP has been frogmarched escorted round gardens all over the world. He is even beginning to know the names of some of the specimens.