Top 10 Experiences of my Trip with New Video!

After being back for a few days, the most common question people have asked me is, "Gosh Enzo, are you really that basic?"  Though for this post, we'll focus on the 2nd most common question, "What was your favorite thing you did on your trip?"  So, in typical Enzo fashion, here's an answer that's quite a bit longer than you care to hear!  I'm also going to cheat and add 4 honorable mentions.  Why? Because it's my blog and I'll do what I want.  I'm also adding some never before seen video footage!  But first, in no particular order, the honorable mentions are:

The views of Sydney Harbor:

The sunset in Rio:

Steak and wine in Buenos Aires:

Bonus footage from Buenos Aires:

The Wellington cable car (so close to making the top 10!):

Without further ado, here's the top 10:

10. Meeting Chirpy in Kuranda, Australia:

TBT to Chirpy <3:

9. The view from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa:

8. The magnitude of Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina:

Iguazu Video!

7. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia:

6. The scenery of Southern New Zealand (Queenstown pictured below):

Bonus footage of Milford Sound, New Zealand:

5. Seeing a roaring lion up close near Kruger National Park, South Africa:

4. International first class flying (Singapore Suites double bed in the sky):

3. Driving the Great Ocean Road in Southern Australia (Bells Beach):

2. Helicopter landing on Fox Glacier, New Zealand:

1. The thrill of bungee jumping off a bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand:

TBT to me screaming like a lunatic:

Someone also asked me what I'd do differently or what my least favorite experience was.  So I thought I'd add some of those.  I wouldn't say these were completely negative experiences, but I wouldn't give them 5 TripAdvisor stars and would encourage others to think twice before committing significant time or money to any of these 5 places/experiences:

1. The town of Port Fairy, Australia
- It was farther from the Great Ocean Road that I'd thought and it was a pretty sleepy town.

2. The TranzAlipine in New Zealand
- The scenery was just ok for the price of the trip.

3. Darling Harbor in Sydney, Australia
- A pretty touristy place.

4. Miracle City at the Sydney Opera House in Australia
- The show was pretty hokey and not that great for what it cost.

5. The train ride to Boulders Beach in Capetown, South Africa
- It took forever and wasn't all that scenic or comfortable.  Boulders Beach itself though was worth it, I'd just take an Uber.

Well,  I think that's a wrap!  For those who followed along, I hope it was entertaining!  As I noted in my prior relfections post, I really enjoyed writing it.  Until next time, this is Enroute with Enzo signing off.  Flight attendants set doors to arrival, crosscheck and all call.  Ladies and gentleman, please use caution when opening the overhead bins as items may have shifted in flight!  Thanks again for flying with us and we hope you have a pleasant stay here in Washington or wherever your travels may take you.

Reflecting on my trip

The first thing that comes to mind when I look back on the trip was how fast it went by.  While I intended to keep this blog to primarily share updates and photos with family, friends, and co-workers, as the trip went on I found it was a really good way to memorialize and take note of what I was experiencing.  I'm really glad I had a place to pause and reflect just a bit.  Who knew I'd like keeping a journal?  During the long plane rides, particularly the most recent leg on the way back to DC, I had some other thoughts that I wanted to put down.

First off, I barely scratched the surface of just 5 amazing countries in a relatively short period of time.  So I realize my observations can't be considered "global" by any stretch of the word and I'm not trying to generalize.  These are just the observations that I had based on the places I chose to visit.  In many of these places English is the primary or secondary language and none of the cities I visited were all that remote. Though, visiting this small slice of the globe, there were a few things that were often top of mind for me.

1.  People don't immediately make negative assumptions about Americans (I assumed that might be the case given recent events.)  I made it a point to try and talk with and meet as many local people as I could.  I had prepared myself to have to talk about the election, gun violence or other stuff I'd assume people think about the United States.  Though I found that very rarely did any of that come up.  Not that I forged deep relationships, but I'd say in each country I visited I had at least a few substantive conversations.  People were more interested in my trip, in my specific experiences, what I thought of their country/city, and in answering the questions I had about where they were from, what they did, etc.  Particularly in Brazil and New Zealand, just about everyone I met couldn't have been more easy to talk to and willing to offer help, suggestions, or just chat.

2.  American news.  During my trip, there were three news stories that I clearly remember hearing about in local media.  The Vegas shooting, the attack in New York and the shooting in Texas.  I realize my ears were probably more open to hearing about US based news, but I can't think of anything else that came up nearly as often as these violent events back home.  So while people constantly told me to be careful abroad and keep my eyes out for pickpockets in Rio and street crime in Cape Town, I couldn't help but compare that to things to really be afraid of back home.  It's sad and frustrating and infuriating.

3.  Everyone loves Madonna, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and even somewhat obscure U.S. 80s and 90s music.   Again, I realize I wasn't in Antarctica or the Middle East, but every single bar, club and even restaurant I went to for the most part played primarily American music.  You'd hear it in Rio, Cape Town, Buenos Aires and really everywhere just walking down the street on a Friday night. It was pretty amazing how much people loved Britney Spears and knew all the words to her songs and plenty of other American tunes.

4.  Food and wine.  While you can pretty much get anything from anywhere in the world in the US, I was a little surprised by how much better steak and wine was in Buenos Aires and how parts of New Zealand and Australian cuisine were more innovative and unique than things you'd easily find back home.  Particularly in South America, I found you could often find quality ingredients or high end cuisine for so much cheaper than what you'd pay for something similar at home.

5.  I'll keep this one short as its sappy, but there were so many moments where I felt awestruck with what I was seeing or the experience I was having.  I was very often reminded how lucky I was to be able to do something like this. 

6.  There were certainly a lot of cultural differences I observed like how late people eat in BA, how relaxed and easygoing most New Zealanders were, and how most places in South America and South Africa don't have nearly as much regard for lines and personal space as we do. Though, by and large, I often found myself thinking, the world really is a small place and people are so very much alike in so many ways. Whether its an obsession with Instagram, Snapchat and selfies, listening to pop music, or enjoying a meal while telling silly jokes or relaying a good story.

7.  I was initially a little worried about how much time I'd have on my own during the first half of the trip.  Having dinners alone, going on tours by myself, that sort of thing.  While I was very happy to have buddies join me about halfway through, I'd say that I very much enjoyed the "me time."  I was free to experience whatever I wanted for as long or as short as I wanted and really think about where I was and what I was doing.  When I got bored, it wasn't too hard to find someone to chat with.  I think a key take away for me is to find more time to just do whatever you really want to do and not worry so much about always having people around you.  Another take away, and this is something I've felt even before this trip, but it was reinforced by this experience, which is, talk to whoever you want and do whatever you want (while of course maintaining common sense and keeping your general safety in mind.)  In most cases it works out just fine and you learn things or get to experience things you'd normally not experience if you were more cautious or kept to yourself.  If the experience isn't great, or the person you're talking to is a nut, its usually not that difficult to just move along.

Ha, alright, I think I'll end my reflections there as I'm starting to get sappy.  Though for my 5-7 :) readers out there, if you find any of my rantings remotely interesting, I'd love to chat more about it.

My next and probably culminating post will be a recap of the top 10 specific sites/experiences of the trip.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires was a great place to celebrate the end of an amazing trip.  It was a beautiful and lively city though I think what I'll remember most about BA is the steak, the wine, and that people don't have dinner until 11pm and bars and clubs don't get busy until 1am.  Seriously!  We thought we were doing well having dinner at 10:30pm and then a family with young kids would show up as we were leaving.  It was certainly something different!  Aside from all the food and drink, there were some sights to see as well.

One of our first stops was the Recoleta Cemetery.  Among the massive grave sites was the resting place of Eva Peron.

It was a beautiful cemetery and some of the grave sites were larger than New York City studio apartments.

Afterwards I stopped by a cafe to catch up with my old friends Brian and Brian. They loved my t-shirt.

Another day we spent some time checking out Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosado (Executive Mansion and office of the President) and the nearby Puente de Mujer (Women's bridge.)  We were lucky to have a stunningly sunny day!

Plaza de Mayo

Buildings adjacent to the Plaza.

Casa Rosada

Puente de Mujer

We also checked out the nearby Teatro Colon, the main opera house in the city and the Washington Monument look a like, Obelisk of Buenos Aires.

Another afternoon we checked out the neighborhood of La Boca.  It was fairly touristy and is known for colorful houses and buildings and tango dancers performing in cafes and on the street.

On Sunday we checked out the massive outdoor market in San Telmo.  It probably stretched for 20 blocks and they sold all sorts of everything.

Though coming back to where I started, some of the most enjoyable parts of the trip were the food and the wine.  We probably tried half a dozen different Malbecs during our stay and they were all excellent and so cheap.  Though I have to credit Deney who was the trip's certified Malbec selector.  At most places there were dozens of local choices to choose from.

I don't have any foodie photos, but as anyone who's been to Buenos Aires can attest, the steaks really are out of this world.  Nothing like I've had at home.

After dinner we always did our best to keep up with the locals as you really couldn't go anywhere and expect anyone to be there until 1am.  We were also in town over Halloween weekend and you could not miss it even 4 days later on November 4th.  They loved their costumes and Halloween decor!   So did I to be honest.

As I sit at the mediocre AA lounge in the Buenos Aires airport finishing up this post I'm already reminded of home.  Sadly, because its a mediocre US style lounge. :)  I am looking forward to coming home, though I'm enjoying as much Malbec as I can before I leave.  Cheers to you Buenos Aires, you were wonderful.

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world and was a great stop in between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.   The falls are located where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.  It's really hard to describe in words or even capture in pictures how massive the falls are.  The number of waterfalls varies between 150 and 300 depending on the weather and some are over 250 feet high.  When reading about the falls I learned that US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" upon seeing the falls.  I'd agree Eleanor.

Getting to Iguazu was a bit of an adventure in and of itself.  I wanted to be sure to see the falls from both the Argentinian and Brazilian side, but also wanted to do it as efficiently as possible and with just one border crossing.  I also didn't want to have to stay in Brazil one night just to pack up and then spend the second night in Argentina.  There were airports nearby in both countries so that helped make this work.  The plan was to land at the airport on the Brazilian side of the falls at around 9:00 in the morning, take a cab or bus to the falls and check our bags there. (I of course researched this to death, and the made sure there were plenty of lockers large enough to hold luggage.)  After seeing the falls from Brazil we'd then take a taxi across the border (yes, that's a thing) and check into a hotel on the Argentinian side.  The next day would be dedicated to the falls from Argentina.  Then the morning of day three we'd be off to Buenos Aires from the airport on the Argentinian side.

All of that went just as planned except for one little hiccup.  Upon landing at Foz de Igauzu in Brazil, a very helpful airport employee explained to us that we could take a bus to the falls so we did that instead of taking a cab.  Getting on the bus with bags was a bit of a challenge.  It is an airport bus so you'd think it'd be designed for this sort of thing.  I got on and tried to pay the driver, but he pointed to a woman behind him with a little cash register and a turnstyle!  So you guessed it, you're expected to lift your suitcase over the turnstyle, while the bus is moving.  Give me a break chicos.  I hope you're picturing this and how at times I can be a little clumsy.  My bag is not even that big so I have no idea how tourists with larger bags would even attempt this.  Anyway, a very helpful Brazilian man on the other side of the turnstyle took pity on me and helped me with my bag which I handed to him over the turnstyle.  I then did the same for my friend Adam.  So, we were on the bus, en route to the falls.  We figured it'd be pretty obvious once the bus arrived at the falls, which again, are the largest waterfall system in the world, and probably one of the biggest tourist attractions in the continent.  Well folks, that assumption would be wrong!  I should also point out it was pouring rain, so much so that the power had flickered at the airport, though maybe that's normal, who knows.  After about 15 minutes the bus makes a stop and just about everyone gets off and the woman manning the turnstyle of death gave Adam and I a nod.  So, we get off, and proceed to get drenched by rain and run for shelter to figure out where we're supposed to go as the bus pulls away.  I see a sign the says something like bird sanctuary.  My first thought was "Is this Chirpy's way of getting back at me for not writing or sending birdseed?"  Perhaps, because we were at a bird sanctuary, and not the falls.  What now?!

I had Google maps of the area on my phone and realized the falls were several miles away.  Oh no!  So it was either wait for the next bus and do the luggage dance again or find a cab.  We went with option two.  Luckily there were cabs right at the bird aviary.  So, getting drenched some more, we made our way to a cab, loaded our bags into the back and asked the driver to take us to the falls.  He responded with, "Foz de Iguazu en Brazil?"  Emphasis on the word, "Brazil."  Our reply was, "Uhh, si."  He laughed at us, though in a playful way, and informed us that they were about 200 meters away.  So basically across the street, we just couldn't see the entrance around the corner from the bird aviary.  When I looked on my phone, the falls were indeed miles away, but the entrance to the park, where there is a shuttle bus that takes you to the various viewpoints, was across the street.  Ha!  So the fare was like 6 Brazilian Reals which is barely 2 dollars.  I gave him a 10 and just ran away.

With that adventure behind us, we still made pretty good time as it was about 11:00 am, so we had most of the day to enjoy the falls.  Luckily, the park on the Brazilian side is pretty simple to navigate.  You take a bus through the park and then are dropped off at the start of the trail that takes you on about a mile walk along the length of the falls.  The majority of the falls are actually in Argentina, so from Brazil you get a striking panoramic view of most of the falls.  The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy, though we had some pretty good views.

At the end of the path you get a great view of the "Devil's Throat" the highest and deepest of the falls.

You can actually walk across this terrifying looking path to get right up close to some of the falls.

Here I am standing at the end of the path from the photos above.

Here we are after getting drenched, not by rain, but by the falls.  We actually bought overpriced ponchos, but did we wear them? No.

After spending some more time at the falls, we grabbed a snack and then set out to get our bags out of the lockers and find a cab to take us to Argentina.  This was actually pretty easy to do, and quite common for cabs to take tourists across the border.  We stopped twice, once when leaving Brazil and again when entering Argentina to have our passports stamped.  After about 45 minutes we arrived at our hotel which had a neat view of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay from the balcony.

The next day, with much better weather, we made our way to the park on the Argentinian side.  Here, instead of one long panoramic trail, there are several smaller trails that get you pretty close to parts of the falls.  The first trail takes you over top of the Devil's Throat.

That last photo shows you these little metal bridges that are the paths that you follow to walk over and around the falls. I have no idea how they built them because as you can see they go right over the waterfall!  Also, if you look at the structure across the water, that is the little restaurant on the Brazilian side of the falls where we had our snack the day before.

After the devil's throat trail we took one of the upper trails.

The number of rainbows we saw was pretty amazing! Here's another shot of the metal trails that take you around the falls.  The current of the water below is pretty fast and these trails are quite long going several hundred feet before passing over land, so I have no idea how they were constructed.

After the upper trail we took a lower trail which again gives you the opportunity to get soaked.  We wore our ponchos this time!

With that, we came to the end of our two day tour of Iguazu Falls.  The magnitude of the falls really was impressive to see up close.   They were so loud too and the intensity of the amount of water flowing all around you really was quite amazing.

Up next, my final city, Buenos Aires!