South America 2010

Argentina was so much fun,
We`ve written lots...and here`s Part One.

One country down and six to go,
We`ve done Brazil but that you know.
In to the land of steak and Evita,
The home of Tango - Argentina!

We started here in much the same way,
That we ended Brazil, that is to say:
We went to a sight so devine,
Still Igauzu - But Argentine.

We got on a boat and sailed up river,
Excited and nervous and all aquiver,
Eventually the falls emerged.
And pretty soon we were submerged.

Back on dry land, soaking wet,
Sailing in waterfalls, we won`t forget.
Luckily the sun was shinning,
So we pressed on without any whinning.

This side of the falls gives a closer look,
Which explains the amount of photos we took.
The walkways sretched for miles around,
And the water made a mighty sound.

The `Devil`s Throat`, the biggest of all,
A mesmorising waterfall.
We stayed a while to simply stare,
That there were crowds, we didn`t care.

We left that night for the capital city,
We`d heard the weather had been a bit... disapointing.
But the sun shone showing B.A`s potential,
Except for ten minutes when the rain was terrential.

We loved Buenos Airies and it`s many faces,
It`s plazas and buildings, it`s big open spaces,
It`s artists and dancers and football mania,
The food alone made us want to remain here.

One day we went to the Japanese gardens,
On another the market searching for bargains.
We bought candyfloss near Rodin`s Thinker,
The casa Rosada - There`s no building pinker!

We enjoyed some culture, as well as a steak,
We went to the ballet for goodness sake!
There was even a show we managed to catch,
And we loved the buzz at the football match.

There is a kind of city, away from the fumes,
It`s `streets` are lined with house-like tombs,
With several cats, but not one tree,
This was B.A`s first cemetary.

Resting within the labyrinth´s walls,
The most famous families of all.
A maze of presidents and poets.
A way for those with money to show it.

Back now in the world of the living,
This city`s nearly finished giving.
It`s solar panelled flower was a sight,
Opening at day and closing at night.

We really enjoyed our time in B.A.,
But now we`re on the road again,
Heading south to a coastal town,
To where some wildlife abounds...

Those first eight days, they really flew...
We hope that you enjoy Part Two.

Puerto Madryn is a quiet place,
And you might think a waste of space,
But you`d be wrong, `cause form the beach,
Whales are just out of reach!

What`s more is that just down the road,
Are penguins by the big-shed-load.
They flock this way this time of year,
To have thier penguin babies here.

So we got on a boat to watch some whales,
And before long we saw thier tails.
Our curious friends came so near,
Their barnacles were crystal clear!

The following day we drove some way,
To elephant seals in a pretty bay,
But what happened next? We shouldn`t crow:
An Orca family stole the show!

That`s killer whales to you and me,
Just swimming right there in the sea.
There`s a tiny chance that one might spot them,
So it`s not a sight to be forgotten.

Next to where the penguins nest,
Florence was a bit of a mess.
With so many penguins, she might have burst!
Or steal one if worst came to worst.

For they were close and everywhere,
And scared of us? They didn`t care.
They wadled here and sun-bathed there,
And stared right back when we would stare.

We wished our feathered friends farewell,
And although it was hard to tell,
We think they waved us on our way,
To our next stop: El Calafate.

Now down in southern Argentina,
The bit called Patagonia,
There`s pretty things to feast your eyes on,
Like snowy peaks on the horizon.

The biggest of the attractions there,
Is the nearby Moreno Glacier,
So we joined the crowds the following day,
We took a bus and may we say:

The Glacier was a stunning sight,
The way the angles caught the light,
Such a blue you`ve never seen,
`Midst waters still and emerald green.

We first approached the beast by boat,
Passed shrinking icebergs still afloat.
We got quite near and listened closely,
For signs of cracking, but heard mostly:

Moans and creaks - The beast was breathing!
Growing some and then receding.
We hoped to see some fall away,
Such a sight would make our day.

From a new perspective now,
A walkway far above the gorund.
We can see how huge it really is,
The superlatives just don`t exist.

It seemed to go back forever,
For miles and miles, our eyes had never
Seen such a thing before,
And when a piece crashed to the floor;

The noise was thunderously loud,
It echoed off the walls around.
It was quiet for a moment, then
It whinned and creaked and maoned again.

To El Chalten we went next,
A little village where one treks,
The famous Fitz Roy Ranges from,
So for five hours, we were gone.

Apparently pumas roam those hills,
And we were warned could kill at will!
But we say they are rather cuddley,
But we saw none but sceneic, lovely

Mountains, lakes and twisted trees.
We fought more than just a gentle breeze.
We leaned against and got pushed back,
That wind could blow us right off track.

But when the wind gave short reprieve,
We balanced rocks in honour of Steve.
We sat by lakes of rippling grey,
And all-trekked-out, called it a day.

We headed next for south-most-south,
A little challenge for one`s mouth,
Down here there`s nowhere quite as pretty,
As Ushuaia - World`s most southern city.

We spent a few days here and chilled,
The novelty really appealed,
"Antarctica`s across the way"
And you don`t hear that every day.

We sailed upon the Beagle Channel,
The smell of seals was hard to handle.
The most southern lighthouse on the planet,
Was quite a way, We wouldn`t have swam it!

On an Argentinian Island of ages,
We stared at Chilean mountain ranges.
Chile beckoned, the clocks did chime,
We`d miss this place, but it was time.

So Argentina - don`t cry for us,
The truth is we`ve got to catch that bus.
It`s been a wild and mad existence,
Now we need Chile, to get some distance.

It´s been an age since we have blogged,
But all the miles have been logged.
We were still in Rio, last you knew,
...Thanks so much for staying tuned...

On our last day in Rio we opened our eyes,
And went to the beach to see the sun-rise.
Then we drove to a harbour and sailed away,
To an Island called Ilha Grande.

Our room was great, right next to the Ocean,
It made a nice change from the city´s commotion.
We slept that night with a feeling of ease,
To the sound of the waves and the wind in the trees.

The next day we hiked to a distant shore,
We were told two hours; It was more like four.
We trekked through the forest´s steep terrain,
And arrived in time to leave again!

We caught the last boat back to our port,
We sailed for an hour and had this thought:
Walking is nice, but sailing is best,
You get where you want, whilst having a rest.

Later that night, showered and fed,
Before we put ourselves to bed,
We sat ´neath the stars and watched a band play,
With a drink in our hands, at the end of the day.

The morning came, the weather was perfect,
A day on the beach was the obvious verdict.
To powder white sands, by clear blue seas,
We also saw some tiny monkeys!

A perfect day on the beach was had,
We sunned and swam and we were glad.
We returned home and ate our fill,
At the all-you-can-eat BBQ grill.

We left in the morning for Paraty,
A "coastal gem" apparently.
It was delightful with cobbled stone,
This pretty town, our sea-side home.

The next day we went on a Waterfall tour,
In a cool yellow Jeep from ´64.
We were taken to beautiful spots to swim,
And if you were brave, you could jump in.

You could jump from a rock, or swing from a rope,
Or slide your behind down a slippery slope.
When all that was done we were ready to sleep,
So we trundled home in the old yellow Jeep.

We wandered the streets, ´neath a blue sky,
And watched as a horse and carriage passed by.
We browsed the shops, artistic and quaint,
Leaving with memories, nothing can taint.

It was David´s birthday, but he didn´t want fuss,
So we spent the whole next day on a bus.
We headed straight for Sao Paulo,
But once we´d arrived we were ready to go.

Three hours later we were heading west,
Straight for Iguazu, we thought it was best.
We arrived in the morning and with no time to lose,
We went to falls and joined the queues.

We caught our first glimpse of the watery wonder,
With gallons of liquid, crashing like thunder.
We walked the paths for an hour or two,
And every few steps got a different view.

Then came the big finish, so close we could feel it,
We were in awe, we couldn´t believe it!
What a beautiful sight, a spectacular thrill,
And the perfect last day in Brazil.

Many waking hours had passed,
When Rio was in sight at last,
And all the drama we´d endured,
The next few days would surely cure.

So off the plane and on to a bus,
We´re through immigration without any fuss.
We sped toward Rio in fading light,
Then the bus hit a car and we had to alight.

We arrived at our hostel later than planned,
Both very tired, just able to stand.
We were put at the top of three-storey beds,
So we clambered in and rested our heads.

The very next day we headed for sand,
And we sat by the sea with drinks in our hands.
We hired some chairs from a man named Hugo,
We sat in the sun unitl we had to-go.

We thought we´d walk home, just for the thrill,
And we had to walk up a really big hill,
The roads here are wide and the drivers are crazy,
So if you´re hoping to cross, you musn´t be lazy.

The next day we went to Copacabana,
We bought some fruit, but not one banana.
The beach was lovely, the weather sublime,
Then a lady made an offer we had to decline!

Walking is risky, but buses are scarier,
The next day we moved to a different area.
We took the cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain,
Two cars in fact, but hey, who´s counting?

We watched from there as the sun came down,
And the lights came on over the town.
We caught the tram next, to Santa Teresa
An excellent bargain for less then a Reais!

We found some live music later that night,
At an intimate venue, ´neath the moonlight.
The fact that we two made up all of the crowd,
Didn´t stop them playing proud!

We rode motor-bike Taxis through a favela,
Our guide Daniel was a hell-of-a fella!
We whizzed up roads that twisted and curled,
Then walked back down through a different world.

That evening we saw the statue of Christo,
(that´s the big Jesus, if you don´t know)
The view from up there was such a delight,
Stunning by day and gorgeous at night.

We also listened to Samba and walked through a forest,
Drank coconut water and acted like tourists.
So those are the highlights, the best bits from Rio,
What will we do next?
...Just wait and seeo!