Page 14 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 2_2024

TRAVEL

passengers and crew and disembark
from the ship. We had however booked
a few days in Rio and so took a taxi to
our hotel on Copacabana. With two other
passengers from the ship we took a taxi
to the botanical gardens. The 140 hectare
park lies at the foot of the Corcovado
mountain, far below the outstretched
right arm of the giant statue of Christ the
Redeemer. The gardens have over 6000
species of tropical and sub-tropical plants
and trees as well as 140 bird species
including toucans, tanagers, flycatchers
and woodcreepers.

The next day was new year’s eve and the
beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema
were crowded with people enjoying the
sunshine and reserving their places on the
beach for the evening fireworks display.
Moon over the From the top of our hotel we had excellent
Punte del Este views of the beach and the firework barges
moored just offshore. A kilometre inland
jetty and again we were ferried ashore Ballena, the upmarket residential districts from the beach was one of the infamous
in the life boats. Caroline Still, one of the of Beverley Hills and San Rafael, and the favelas or shanty towns that stretched
wildlife lecturers on board, asked Sue and museum of modern art. most of the way up a very steep hillside. On
I if we would like to join her on a birding Azamara has a tradition towards the end of our tour of Rio we had noticed a number
expedition with a local guide, Frederico. of favelas which were always built on very
This we agreed to and once ashore, a cruise of holding a White Night party. This steep ground in both commercial and
is held on the open deck and passengers
Frederico drove us to the local rubbish residential areas of the city.
dump where we sighted the three types dress primarily in white. The buffet is On the stroke of midnight, the fireworks
superb and the resident band plays long
of Caracara, Crested, Striated and White- heralded in the new year; hundreds of
throated. We then hiked up a steep hillside into the night. thousands of people on Copacabana
where we hoped to find the Magellanic Our final destination was Rio de Janeiro celebrated for many hours and even until
Horned Owl. Frederico found it for us and in Brazil. Brown Boobys and Magnificent after dawn on the new day.
we were able to photograph it. We decided Frigatebirds were plentiful in the harbour
not to go to the Tierra del Fuego National area and as we left the ship for a city Cruising on a luxury ship is an ideal way
Park as there were several cruise ships in tour, we could immediately feel the hot to visit far flung lands while enjoying
Ushuaia, so Frederico took us to a forest and rather humid conditions. The first excellent cuisine, accommodation and
with similar vegetation. Here we sighted stop on our tour was the architecturally entertainment, and meeting interesting
the very large Magellanic Woodpecker, unique Cathedral of Saint Sebastian people from all over the world.
White-crested Elaenia, Thorn-tailed which was inspired by the
Rayadito, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Chilean Mayan pyramids of Mexico
Swallow, Elegant Crested Tinamou and and completed in 1979. Anthony and Sue
Southern Lapwing. Shaped in a conical manner, Cavanagh with television
there are rectangular stained- wildlife presenter Nigel
The ship then sailed east along the Beagle glass walls that extend from Marven, centre
channel and into the Atlantic Ocean where the top to the bottom, while
our next port of call was Puerto Madryn natural ventilation maintains a
on the Patagonian coast of Argentina. This consistent temperature for the
town was founded in the 1800s by settlers 20,000 congregation.
from Wales and the Welsh language and
customs are kept alive in the town. Here We then joined the long queue
we took a tour to the Valdez peninsula at the cable car station for our
where there was a colony of elephant seals ride up to the halfway station
and Megallanic penguins. A flock of the on Sugar Loaf Mountain. After
flightless Rhea, similar to the ostrich, were about 40 minutes we boarded
seen on route, as well as the guanaco - a the cable car along with about
type of antelope, and a hairy armadillo. 60 other tourists and took the
90 second ride up to the next
Punte del Este in Uruguay is often called level. A number of restaurants
the ‘Monaco’ of South America, and the catered for the many tourists
dozens of expensive luxury yachts and but after taking a few photos
modern high-rise buildings overlooking the our group joined the queue for
harbour area gave rise to this comparison. the second cable car to the top
We took a tour of the city which included of Sugar Loaf. Once at the top
the sculpture of La Mano (the hand) at La of the 396m granite monolith,
Barra beach showing five fingers emerging one enjoys panoramic views of
from the sand. This “drowning” hand is a the harbour and the city.
warning to swimmers that the waters off
La Barra are rough. Other sites included The next morning we had to
the impressive harbour viewed from Punta say our goodbyes to our fellow

16 DPL issue 1 2024
14 DPL issue 2 2024