Page 10 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 2_2024

TRAVEL

Copacabana
Beach, Rio

Cruising along the

SOUTH AMERICAN

COAST & ANTARCTICA

e arrived at our hotel in world. Some 17 million people live in B.A. a result. We decided to take a taxi early
Buenos Aires (B.A) at out of a total population of 46 million. to the cruise terminal which was only a
01hr30 after a ten hour Heavy immigration during the 1800s few km from the hotel. After receiving our
flight from Johannesburg from Spain and particularly from Italy has boarding cards, we were taken by bus
Wto Sao Paulo in Brazil, resulted in a population who are almost a short distance to the ship and after
and then a three hour flight to BA. We all of European ancestry. Argentina is no passing through the on-board security, we
were exhausted but as this was the start longer the wealthy country that it was made our way to our cabin, or state room
th
th
of a 25 day holiday to celebrate our 70 in the early 20 century and has more in modern parlance. The total number of
birthdays, we were in good spirits and recently experienced several periods of passengers on the cruise was only 198
looked forward eagerly to the 20 day military rule, unstable civilian governments (maximum around 650) with a crew of
ocean cruise aboard the Azamara Quest and crippling inflation. Consequently, 380, and consequently we got to know
where we’d celebrate our birthdays. After there is much unemployment in B.A. and many of our fellow passengers quite well.
a few hours catching up on some sleep, we were advised not to wander away from
we asked the concierge to book us on a the popular tourist spots. Nevertheless, The ship motored down the very wide
tour of the city with an English-speaking the city is quite vibrant and has many fine Rio de la Plata to Montevideo in Uruguay,
guide and a short while later, we were duly buildings often based on the French style where we had booked a tour of the city.
picked up outside our hotel to commence of architecture, magnificent cathedrals, The previous evening one of the lecturers
the tour. parks, gardens and monuments to its on board gave a presentation on the Battle
heroes. of the River Plate fought in December
Our very informative guide gave us some 1939, which ended in the scuttling
interesting facts about Argentina, which The following day saw the inauguration of off Montevideo of the German pocket
won its independence from Spain in 1816 the newly elected president of Argentina battleship Graf Spee. The anchor from the
and is the eighth largest country in the and many roads were blocked to traffic as Graf Spee is part of the monument

10 DPL issue 2 2024
12 DPL issue 1 2024