The whirlwind tour of ABC in South America in 2019 Part 1 of 2

 The whirlwind tour of ABC in South America in 2019

Part 1 of 2

(Travel Story Series @ Hon Too Fang 2021) 

Prelude

On 10 March 2019 we departed KL to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil via Amsterdam to catch a glimpse of ABC in South America - Argentina, Brazil and Chile. 25 hours total flying time, one way, excluding transits. Flew with KLM, old airline, old air hostess too, shelf life expired!    

First 2 are huge countries, the 3rd exceptionally slender and long. Needed 5 internal flights to cover just about 10 places. Total of 3 weeks. On a group tour.

Brazil

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America and 5th largest in the World, with an area of 8.5 million sq km, or 25 times bigger than Malaysia. The population is 208 million, the 5th most populous country in the world. The national language is Portuguese, the only one in the Americas. It was a colony of Portugal from 1500 to 1822. The capital is Brasilia (metro population: 4 million) and the most populated city is Sao Paulo (metro, 21 million).

On population, 49% are whites, 44% Pardo (mixed blood of white and indigenous) and 7% black. On religion 65% Catholics, 22% Protestants and 8% no religion.

Brazil is considered an advanced emerging economy. It is classified as an upper middle income economy by the World Bank. The main economic activities are agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services. She is the largest producer of coffee in the World.

The core culture of Brazil is derived from the Portuguese, with the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European, American and African elements. The samba is considered the most representative of the Brazilian music. The most popular sports is of course football. They won the FIFA World Cup a record 5 times.

Our tour of the country is limited to the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Iguazu Falls.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, or simple Rio, is a coastal city to the south east of the country. The population in the city is about 6.5 million and the metro 12 million, being the 2nd largest in the country. It is famous for its beaches, the Rio Carnival, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. A more recent tourist attraction is the tour of the slums. 

Copacabana Beach

This 4-km beach is one of the most famous in the World. It is located in the South Zone of Rio and facing the Atlantic Ocean. The name Copacabana is derived from Virgen de Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. Hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and high-rise residential buildings dot the land side of the main promenade. It plays host to millions of revellers during the yearly New Year’s Eve celebrations and in most years, has been the venue of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Not many at the beach at the time of our visit. The wave pattern of the pavement of the promenade is called the Portuguese Geometric Wave installed in the 1930s and rebuilt in 1970. And colourful merchandise for the tourists.

Fort Copacabana

One end of the beach is marked by Fort Copacabana built between 1908 and 1914. It consists of several cannons and other guns. From the high point here we could have a glimpse of the next famous beach: Ipanema. Ipenama Beach was made famous by the 1963 bossa nova number "The Girl from Ipanema".  There is also a small museum here which we did not visit. The turret in the 1st photo holds a pair of 305 mm cannons.

Rocinha favela

Favela (Portuguese: slum) means a poor urban area in Brazil, first appeared in the late 1800s. The favela is particularly dense in Rio since the capital was moved from Rio to Brasilia in 1960 leaving more poor people in Rio. There are some 600 favelas in Rio and an estimated 20% of the Rio people live in favelas. Basically, 99% of the houses do have electricity, 90% with water and 70% with proper sanitation. Many of these areas are ruled by drug lords and militias.

Slum tourism to visit favelas started in the mid-1990s. The most popular area for a visit is Rocinha, the largest and most developed favela in Rio. Population estimated between 100,000 to 150,000. One must be accompanied by a local tour guide. We spent about 2 hours here.

Shown a general view of Rocinha, the tall buildings at the end are condos at the coast, obviously not within the favela. It is rather strange that the slums are high up on the hills. In Malaysia, the hills are reserved for high-end properties. Also a narrow alley we passed through, a local church and a shot of the main street.

Graffiti are everywhere, those in the 1st two photos a very good portrayal of the area. And at a painted wall. The mango is sold around RM 7 a kg, considered cheap as the cost of living in Brazil is higher than in Malaysia.

Nearly 99% of the houses here have electricity supply. See the entangled electrical wires. Which line is yours? The local guide took us to a dancing school for the local teens. They performed for us and in return we bought some crafts made by them or gave a small cash donation to help support the school.

Christ the Redeemer

The statue of Christ the Redeemer was located at the peak of a 710 m mountain, called Corcovado. It was built between 1922 and 1931. It was a public project funded by donations. The idea came up in 1920 and several designs were proposed. The chosen design is one with Christ extending his arms, a symbol of peace. It was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a world-wide internet poll in 2000. 

The peak is reachable by the Corcovado Railway, about 3.8 km long. The railway was started in 1884, with the current set of trains installed in 1980. The journey took about 25 minutes from the base station at Cosme Velho. Shown the flags hung at the ceiling at the waiting area of the base station, the Malaysian flag on display too. 

(Note in 2021: A set of new and faster trains were installed in late 2019. Travelling time is now 15 minutes)

Shown at the base of the statue with old friend Irene. The height of the statue is 38 m with an 8 m base. The arms are 28 m wide. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. A chapel, named after the patron saint of Brazil, Our Lady of Apparition, was established under the statue in 2006 for Catholics to pray. It is an icon for the city of Rio as well as the country and a symbol of Christianity across the World. The statue do face a lot of maintenance issues, due to frequent lightning and strong winds.

The 1st photo shows the statue and the hill as viewed from another hill, the Sugarloaf Mountain. The 2nd photo shows the view of the city centre of Rio as viewed from the base of the statue.

Sugarloaf Mountain

The Sugarloaf Mountain is a monolithic granite 396 m high, famous as a location for a panoramic view of the city. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the adjoining Urca neighbourhood. It is reachable by cable car. 

Shown the mountain as viewed from the middle station of the cable car, and a snapshot of the cable car.

The panoramic views of the city of Rio from the top of the mountain. The last photo shows a cable car coach used in 1912 on display at the middle cable car station.

Carioca Aqueduct and the Lapa neighbourhood

The Carioca Aqueduct was built in 1723 during colonial times to transport water. It is 270 m long. The aqueduct system was later replaced by normal water pipes. Since 1896 the upper deck is used as the rail line of a local tram service. Great engineering and "recycling" effort. 

This neighbourhood is called Lapa, an old upper class area. The graffiti culture is particularly vibrant here, with large panels of paintings on the walls. The last photo shows one near the famous Selaron Steps with many tourists. The painter (right) would charge the tourist (left) a fee if he wants to take a photo with his World Map as background. The tourist could stand on any of the steps of the ladder and point his fingers at a location of his choice on the map.

Selaron Steps

The Salaron Steps are a short stretch of car-free sloping street decorated with colourful tiles in the Lapa neighbourhood. There are 215 steps measuring 125 m long, covered with over 2000 colourful tiles collected from over 60 countries in the world. The creator is Chilean-born artist Jorge Selaron who claimed it as “his tribute to the Brazilian people”. 

Selaron started renovating steps in front of his house in 1990, in fragments of blue, green and yellow tiles, the colours of the Brazilian flag. In later years most of the tiles were gifts from people all over the World, after the story of his effort became public. Photos and stories of the tiles have appeared in all kinds of media and the location has been used for filming of music videos and advertisements. Selaron was a well-travelled artist before settling down in Rio in 1983. He died in 2013, on the steps. 

The first photo shows the big crowd at the lower end of the steps. The last 2 photos show the black pregnant woman painted by Selaron. This figure is repeatedly painted by Selaron, including simple sketches he sold to tourists to finance his project. He said she was a friend but refused to reveal more.

From Rio to Foz Do Iguacu

From Rio we took an internal flight to Foz do Iguacu, the Brazilian city on the vicinity of Iguacu Falls. It is a 3+ hour flight on Voegol Airline. Voegol Airline? Of course never heard of! Shown 3 planes at the airport with unfamiliar logos.

Iguacu Falls (Brazilian) or Iguazu Falls (Argentinian)

These are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Together they make up the largest water system in the world. The source of the river as well as most part of it is in Brazil but the waterfall is mostly in Argentinian territory.

 

The Iguacu Falls are located where the Iguacu River tumbles over the edge of the Parana Plateau. Numerous breaks along the 2.7 km long semi-circle edge divide the falls into many separate waterfalls, varying from 60 to 82 m in height. The number of the small waterfalls varies from 150 to 300, depending on the water level.

The Iguacu Falls is in fact one of the top 3 waterfalls in the World. The others are Victoria in Africa and Niagara in North America.

Iquacu National Park of Brazil

On the Brazilian side, the Iguacu Falls is inside the Iquacu National Park of Brazil, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited the park on a rainy afternoon. Quite a disaster as it was raining most of the time, sometime very heavily and windy too. We could not go to all the scenic spots. Poor photographic condition due to the rain and mist.

The 1st photo shows the main viewing platform on the Brazilian side. The second photo shows tourists taking their selfies under a covered circular viewing platform.

Foz do Iguacu is home of the Itaipu dam, the world's second largest hydroelectric plant in power generation, after the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Iquazu National Park of Argentina

In the evening we crossed into the town of Puerto Iquazu in the Argentinian territory and the next day we visited the Argentina Iguazu National Park, the main attraction being the Argentinian part of the Iguazu Falls. The park is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.     

We spent about 5 hours in the park, walked along several trails viewing the many falls at different places. Some of the trails are on metal walkways. The train provides the main transport along the main scenic points and terminals of walking trails.

The 3rd photo shows the Mbigua Falls and the 5th the Devil's Throat where a huge amount of water swirl down the deep curved fissure in the rock to create a spectacular series of waterfalls viewed from below. About half of the water from the falls go through this Devil’s Throat.

Fauna we saw include the ring-tailed coati, a type of racoon, which were not shy of human. Also the plush-crested jay and the black capuchin monkey, said to be very intelligent.

Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, has an area of 2.78 million sq km, making it the 8th largest country in the World. The name is derived from Italian, meaning “made of silver” or “silver coloured”. Buenos Aires is the capital. 

The population is 44 million making it the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the World. Of her people, 97% are whites and Mestizo (mixed blood of white and indigenous), and 2% indigenous. 65% of the people have Italian ancestry. On religion 77% Catholics, 9% Protestants and 11% no religion. It has the largest population of Muslims in South and Central Americas.

The Europeans first arrived in 1502 and the first Spanish settlement was established in Buenos Aires in 1536, starting the Spanish colonisation process. It gained independence in 1861 after a long civil war.

Argentina is also a middle emerging economy, with rich natural resources, a highly literate population, a diversified industrial base, and an export-oriented agricultural sector. But high inflation is a weakness for decades, around 24% in 2017. The main contributors of GDP: mining 4%, agriculture 9%, manufacturing 21% and services 60%.

Argentina is a multicultural country with significant European influences. Modern Argentine culture has been largely influenced by the Italian and the Spanish. In music, tango is the signature international symbol of culture in Argentina. The most popular sports is also football. They won the FIFA World Cup twice. 

Puerto Iquazu to Buenos Aires

We took another local flight from the Cataratas Airport at Puerto Iquazu to Buenos Aires, the biggest city and capital of Argentina. The small airport is jam-packed. We were on another unfamiliar airline: Latam.  The flight took about 2 hours.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city in Argentina with a city population of 2.9 million while the metro has 15 million people. The word “buenos aires” could be loosely translated as “good air” or “good wind”. It is a cultural melting pot because of the diverse immigration, one of the most diverse cities in the Americas. Tourism is growing steadily in Buenos Aires. The most popular areas are the historic core of the city and the neighbourhoods of Montserrat and San Telmo. 

La Boca neighbourhood

La Boca is a district in Buenos Aires with mostly Italian migrants. In sports it is the headquarters of the famous Baca Junior Sports Club, in particular the football team which has won the most international club titles in the Americas. Shown the football stadium and an official store of the Sports Club, with statues of their big football stars Diego Maradona (seated) and Carlos Tevez.

Caminito, La Boca

Caminito, literally meaning “little walkway” in Spanish, is a street in the La Boca neighbourhood. It was inhabited by Italian migrants since the late 19th centuries, with shacks covered in corrugated zine sheets. When the local railway was closed, this place was abandoned. It became an eye sore. In the 1950s, a local artist Quinquela Martin started his personal project to beautify the slum by painting the buildings in bright colours. Today it is an open-air museum and the face of postcards in Buenos Aires. Shown first the original tenement shacks, colourfully painted.

The sidewalks are now lined with commercial establishments, like handicraft and souvenir stores, café, etc. The Argentinian Pope Francis is calling you in the 1st photo. If you don’t like religious figure you may look up to the football star Maradona in the 3rd photo, or the former Argentinian first lady Eva Peron.

La Recoleta Cemetery

The La Recoleta Cemetery is the 1st public cemetery in Buenos Aires since 1732. The mausoleums are mostly massive and elaborate. In 2013, CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the World.

The famous ladies buried here include former first lady Eva Peron (remember "Don't cry for me, Argentina"?) in the 1st photo. The 2nd photo shows a tomb designed in the neo-Gothic style, a sharp contrast in style to the others. It is for Liliana Crociati de Szaszak, a 26-year old Argentinian killed in an avalanche accident in 1970.

Plaza de Mayo

This is the main square in the city centre, noted for being the venue of some historic moments in history. Shown the May Pyramid, the oldest national monument in the city dated to 1811 to commemorate the independence of Argentina from Spanish colonial rule. The other is the equestrian monument to General Manuel Belgrano under the flying flag of Argentina. This general is one of the key people which brought independence to Argentina and he designed the Argentinian flag.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires

Fronting the main square is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, a church first built in 1580 and restored many times since. This is the main Catholic church in the city where Pope Francis was the archbishop from 1998 to 2013. It has 3 aisles with many side chapels. 

The facade of the building consists of a tall portico, with twelve columns and a triangular pediment on top. The portico lends the building the appearance of an ancient temple rather than a Catholic church. The relief on the pediment represents a story in the Old Testament: the reunion of Joseph with his brothers and father Jacob in Egypt. The new façade was only completed in 1863. The last 2 photos show the main nave and the main altar piece dated to 1785.

The 1st photo shows a general view of the left aisle. The 2nd photo is the mausoleum of General Jose de San Martin, the main man who fought to bring independence to Argentina. There are many side chapels, shown that of St Joseph and St John the Baptist. And beautiful stained glasses.

Paseo El Rosedal

The Paseo El Rosedal is a sprawling scenic park and rose garden. It has 18,000 rose bushes. Shown 3 shots of roses and a Tiger’s Claw.

With old friend Irene at the lake and a really huge tree. And the colourful Andalusian patio which is a gift from the Spanish city of Seville.

San Telmo

San Telmo is the oldest barrio (neighbourhood) in Buenos Aires. It is a well preserved area characterised by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlours, antique shops line the cobblestone streets, often filled with street dancers and performers. There are also many art galleries especially contemporary art, museums, and churches. We spent a day here. 

Plaza Dorrego

This is the main square in the district and the place to go. Shown street scenes: 2 shots of wall graffiti, a brightly painted colonial house, mannequins as decoration on the shop front, use of bottle caps to decorate a wall, and a feather duster seller.

Street musicians and dancers. This pair of tango dangers attracted many spectators.

Sunday flea market

There is a vibrant Sunday flea market here with over 250 stalls, extending far beyond Plaza Dorrego. That was why we planned our visit on a Sunday. The market was established in 1970. Photography was prohibited at some antique stalls.

Mercado de San Telmo

We also visited their indoor market. A high ceiling structure with metal sculptures at the entrance.

Big crowd at an eatery stall, must be something good, a wall decoration, a typical farm produce stall and lastly the familiar Jacob cream cracker tin on sale at an antique stall. Antique? Forgot to inquire how much the asking price of the tin.

Bar Plaza Dorrego

We had coffee at this iconic cafe called Bar Plaza Dorrego with classic decoration reminiscent of the early years of the 20th century.

Church of San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo
We attended a Sunday mass at the Church of San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo, first built in 1734 and one of the oldest in the city. San Pedro Gonzalez is the patron saint of sailors. The design is classified as neo-colonial with Baroque elements and ornately decorated internally. The bell towers are 40 m high. It is a national historic monument. 

(To be continued in Part 2 of 2)