I was a tiny bit apprehensive about visiting Mexico City. It’s one of the biggest cities in the World and it conjures up preconceived ideas largely delivered to us by Hollywood, let’s be honest. In reality, as a regular tourist, it’s so very different. We only had a couple of days in the Big City and we used that time wisely. The first day we walked over 5 actual miles to get about and see and have a feel for the city. To have gone from all-inclusive, chilling to walking 5 miles literally the next day, well, our little feet hurt the next day. Perfect then, for us to achieve more exploration but this time courtesy of a tour bus allowing us hop on and hop off as we liked.
Viv’s surprise started in my familiar fashion. I did tell her that we were gonna stay along ‘the strip’ but it would be the lowest budget accommodation available - which she’d have been perfectly fine with. In reality, our stay would be in a pretty decent hotel and for a couple of nights! There’s plenty of hotels along to choose from though many much older, but if you know how, where and what to look for, you can find a more modern and ‘boutique’ spot - if that’s your thing.
It appears that Mexico is one of those countries, of which there are many, where the existing taxi community has a problem with modern, helpful-to-the-rest-of-us services such as Uber! Instead of embracing new technology and making the switch, they stick to what they know and choose to resist change. As the detesters exist in their many, they do appear to have largely driven out (excuse the pun) Uber from certain areas of the country and Cancun is seemingly one of them!
So after weeks and weeks of biding our time, exercising patience and scrutinising the never ending changing criteria for different countries, our flight out of Brazil finally happened. Hours prior we picked up the results of our rapid Covid test. If we’d have received a positive result, well, who knows what would happen. Would these random airlines have given us our money back!? I dread to think but it does show how difficult a time it is to travel with so many variables unanswered.
You perhaps didn’t expect to hear from me this week. I didn’t intend to write but then I thought there are a couple of topics that I can provide updates on. Hospitality in the city remains active but with obvious restrictions in place. Swimming pools, gyms, even breakfast/restaurant areas are closed. Breakfast is provided in bags to take to your room. Is that the same for hotels back home? I really can’t remember. Ordered food must be collected in the lobby, then taken to the rooms to be eaten, no exception. Face masks to be worn in the public areas. Other than that, you are as you are.
We arrived in Florianópolis with feelings that I would describe as indifferent. Neither good nor bad. Very unlike me when visiting a new place. Reaching an island like this, an island that many Brazilians themselves would love to visit, should evoke bundles of excitement. Instead weather on arrival and indeed the subsequent forecast suggested it would be pitiful for our stay and it pretty much was. You see, people come to ‘Floripa’ to enjoy the beaches and we ended up visiting ZERO.
The Argentinian side has SIX walkways (circuits) to navigate due to its larger surface area whereas the Brazilian side has just one. Admittedly there was appeal in knowing we would not be able to even consider these 6 circuits due to being able to get into Argentina. I mean, it’s scorching today for starters. 36 degrees! We had only been walking a short while and already our rucksacks were cleverly disguising our sweat-soaked backs. At least with just the one single trek circuit in Brazil, it was accomplishable and supposedly within an easy 30 minutes (of actual walk time). Yes, please.
Several days ago we arrived in the city of Foz do Iguaçu. We came here for one main attraction - Cataratas do Iguaçu (the falls) but we’ve enjoyed so much else that we thought we should split this post into two smaller parts, not one overly large one.
Getting here wasn’t easy. Distance is the biggie ravelling in South America but we knew this and so does everyone who comes to this continent. The Serra Verde in Curitiba and the falls in Foz do Iguaçu both reside within the state of Paraná, yet there’s a distance of up to 12 coach hours between them!
As Vivian alluded to in her previous post, the temperature is much cooler here which suits us perfectly. That said, today we received an unexpected surprise in the form of 32 degrees which we haven’t seen for over 10 days. It came outta nowhere as only the night before we were rain-watching from our apartment window.
So today’s adventure was one of the two sole reasons I thought-up for venturing further south into Brazil. Not that we had a plethora of options available to us in this Covid-ridden existence we are all enduring. And I’m delighted to say it went splendidly.
Hello everyone! Vivian here.
It was with a heavy heart that we had to say goodbye to the city we had spent a whole month in. We had become accustomed to the Rio good-life but it was time for a new destination.