Argentina & Brazil 15 – 29 August 2018
South America has never been on top of my list and the reason is, it’s too freaking far away. I remembered going to Bolivia a few year back and it was a b*tch to get there. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time but the flight was more than 25 hours. When I was offered a spot a month prior, I looked at the itinerary and thought to myself, just go and experience this you fool!
Day 1
Got dropped off early at the station and made my way to Sydney airport. Met up with the group and checked in. Our flight was fully booked but still got my aisle seat.
We stopped in Auckland for 2 hours and met up with the rest of the gang then got on to our next 11 hour flight to Santiago. Stopped another 2 hours in Santiago and finally arrived in Buenos Aires after 18 hours in total. The domestic flight was much smaller compared to the long haul one.
LATAM uses Dreamliner aircraft which is less noisy. Touch screen tv with a decent movie selection and a USB input so you can charge your phone or tablet. They also have a power outlet but shared between 2 seats which was a little bit annoying. The seat wasn’t that comfortable so I had little sleep. Food was average and they ran out of wine! How can you run out of wine!!!!!!! My life depends on it ;p
Our guide picked us up from the airport and it was freezing! Our 1st night hotel was at the Eurobuilding hotel. The room was decent and got a view of the city. Some of us decided to go out for a dinner. We wondered around a little bit and found a place where the locals were eating there so we just go ahead with it.
My first dinner had to be steak!!!! Had some wine and they also gave us free small wine to start as well.
Day 2
Woke up at 2am feeling super fresh but went back to bed til 5.30am. Hit the gym for a quick one cus I know that this trip going to be full on and lots of eating!
Breakfast was okay. Not a massive selection. We did the city tour, saw Casa Rosada, visited San Telmo area where there are little markets and shops ( make sure go there on the weekend). Buenos Aires reminds me of Europe so much and their architectures are spectacular!
When we went to La Boca, we stopped by and had some empanadas which was super delish. As soon as when I walked into the street, there was this girl in tango dress that put a hat on me which I declined at first but she forced me anyway. My friend took some pics and the girl ended up asking for 150peso which was about $6. I didn’t want to pay cus I thought it was cheeky of her to do that so I said 50peso but we kept arguing so I just gave her 100peso instead. I really left a bad 1st impression of La Boca but I’m glad it happened as now I can tell my clients don’t fall in the same trap. We walked around for a bit and everything were so colourful.
We then checked out Hotel Madero which the area is up and coming. Very nice area and reminded me of Brooklyn so much. We got the afternoon to rest then headed out to La Ventana for our Tango lesson, dinner and show. The lesson was a lot of fun and I couldn't keep a straight face because I kept laughing. Apparently my tango face is a bit out of date. Then we had dinner which I opted for the empanada, steak and pear in malbec wine with ice cream. Can't really say the meal was amazing but there was free flow wine! The show was amazing and when the lady who sang Don't cry for me Argentina came up, everyone was crying. It was very emotional. I really thought the show was done but it went on for another 30 mins which I thought was a bit too long.
Day 3
We did 2 more hotel inspections, chilled out at La Biela which was meant to be a famous cafe then visited La Recoleta Cemetery where all the rich and important people are buried here. It wasn't spooky and I thought people do really splash out their cash right left and centre to have something amazing there. Around 1pm we checked in at Palo Santo hotel which was so amazing! I wished we stayed here longer :(
I have been eating a lot of meat and wanted to have Japanese or Thai and the hotel happened to do Japanese! If you eat here and get the sushi, make sure to tell the chef not to put the passionfruit sauce. We then head out to the outlet near by which was dog friendly! I walked around for 15 mins and got over it. Walked back to the hotel and got lost for 30 mins. I nearly cry but eventually found it. We had dinner at La Mar which was a nice restaurants, good food with outdoor area and people smoke around you as well.
Tomorrow we are heading to Iguazu fall!
Day 4
We got the free morning so we biked it around the area. If I come back I’d stay around here again. Caught our flight to Iguazu on the Argentina side, checked in to Jardin Del Iguazu hotel and inspected Falls Iguazu hotel. If you are on a budget, Jardin is so so but don’t expect too much.
Funny story - Rosie had to stay in another hotel which it was near the boarder and her phone picked up the signal from Paraguay which they are 1 hour early than Argentina. When we picked her up, she thought she had another hour beforehand! Careful with your timing!
Day 5
Early rise for our Iguazu Fall day trip.
Our guide Ramon picked us up at 9am and only took 10 minutes to the national park. If you do this independently then you'd end up having to wait in the queue to get the tickets where tour guide has access to it straight away.
Once we have gone through the entrance, we saw a few Coati aka raccoon roaming around eating the palm tree's seeds which was pretty cute but they can be aggressive and there were signage everywhere saying not to touch them as they can bite you.
We got to the train station, Ramon picked up the train ticket for us ( first come first served). It was a little chaotic but we all got seats together. The train took 15 mins to the next stop and we walked for another 20-30 mins to the Devil's throat.
Upon arrival, there were like millions of people there and everyone loves to push in for the best pic. I quickly went in, took a few pics and vids and spent 5 minutes just to soak it in. I'm not a big fan of crowd so happy to get out and watch the falls from distance.
I brought my poncho as well but didn't get to use it as it was only sprinkle with mist.
We walked back, stopped for lunch which there were a couple of places to eat. Everywhere was packed with people and hard to find a table. The wait wasn't bad actually, 15 mins max. I had bolognes and a cold beer for lunch.
After lunch, we had a choice of doing both lower and upper circuit but after the Devil's throat, we were tired from the hike and heat so we decided to only do the lower one which was still amazing. I'd personally like the lower one overall as it's less people and you get to see the panoramic view of the falls.
At 4pm, we drove to Iguazu Fall on the Brazil's side and stayed at the Bemond hotel which is the only resort in the National park. Super lux and super cool! If you are going to visit Iguazu falls, do the Argentina side first then Brazil. Stay at the Belmond for 2-3 nights to chill. The experience at the Bemond is unreal. Their staffs really went above and beyond to make our stay memoriable. I'd go back there again! Food were great and you can get cocktail for $10-$15 which is decent for a 5 stars hotel.
