I forgot to include in yesterday's blog our swim at Copacabana Beach. As today is a long traveling day from Rio to Buenos Aires and on to El Calafate in Patagonia, I will include yesterday's swim to begin today with. We decided it was time to venture onto the sands of Copacabana and brave the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was another very warm day and after the 5 minute walk to the sand we were ready for whatever was in store for us. Even at mid morning the b...

The cultural show last night was a great mix of color, sound and spectacle. Colorful costumes; singing and drumming, and the beauty of Brazilian culture. A good nights entertainment. Towards the end they got the audience involved with a karaoke segment. The audience was asked where they came from and a few nationals were invited on stage to sing their national song. What would YOU sing as a national song for Australia? The finale was a Carnival item with the w...

Today was not supposed to be as busy, more of a rest day! We were originally planning to visit museums but they are closed on Monday. So instead a walk along Copacabana Beach as far as Ipanema Beach and then to catch a bus back towards the hotel. We walked for a few blocks along the beach admiring the seascape and the whole beach strip. It was very warm and we sought shelter on some chairs and under an umbrella and bought a coconut to drink. The vendor used a ...

Nearly 11pm and just got back from the Sambadrome seeing 2 samba schools practice their routines in front of about 30,000 people. More about that later. The day begun with a huge buffet breakfast in the hotel. Our full day tour started just after 9am and first stop was Corcovado Mountain and "Christ The Redeemer" statue with arms outstretched looking over the city of Rio, the magnificent harbour and of course looking over the people. A cog railway climbs steep...

Well the big question for the day is which is better; the Argentinian side or the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls? We were picked up at 7.45 and after the usual delays and waiting for other people at their hotels we arrived at the border crossing of Argentina and Brazil. Our guide asked for our patience as it could take a while depending on how the various country's immigration officers woke up - were they to be in a good mood or not! It took nearly an hour but w...