Friday, March 13, 2020

March 2020

We arrived back from our trip on February 10 with Leanne's Mum, Shirley in tow. She had a great time and spent 17 days with us, which included her 90th birthday.
I have had a lot of gigs lately, including the Grand Opening of our friend Terry's new club - Bodega Madero.
We were looking forward to Nance & Mary arriving today, but unfortunately they were forced to cancel due to the ongoing coronavirus situation. We will have to see how things develop and maybe alter our own plans to return to Canada...
In the meantime, there are worse places to be.

Pre-boarding with a (nearly) 90 year old has its advantages

Tacos del Estadio is our new favourite place. Extremely good, cheap food.

Watch out for low flying stingrays though!

Leanne: "This would make a good photo for the blog"

Shirley makes it into the pool.
 
In times like these, one has to stock up on the essentials (still $5 a bottle)

You never know what you will find in the 'segundas'. Captain Kirk's chair, with a strange caption

We volunteered again for the monthly Mar Libre beach clean up.

The group was augmented by a bunch of school kids this time.

The La Paz big band performing at the new amphitheater on the Malecon

A nice new venue 

The agaves are in full bloom

There was a surprise tennis tournament for our friend Raúl's birthday

First drinks on Thom & Karen's new patio.

Nana's 90th birthday!

We now have a nice bed under the palapa for afternoon naps

The grand opening of Bodega Madero was a sell out

Terry, Willie, Bill and me at the back

No shortage of loo paper here... yet.

The annual Beach Blues Concert at Willie & Carol's house in El Sargento.

We are missing these two a lot.


Sunday, February 16, 2020

January 2020 PART 2

Continuing on from last time, we went Iguazu Falls - a 2 hr flight from Buenos Aires. Then joined the cruise ship on January 20. We saw some amazing things including glaciers, penguins, active volcanoes  - plus great food and drink and met some lovely people. Thank you to our friend Helga for organizing such an unforgettable trip. 


Iguazu Falls on the Brazil side, just before they drove us under a water fall!

Photos cannot capture the awesomeness 

We have been warned

Leanne cools off

On the Argentine side of the falls. 

We got very wet shortly after this picture was taken
 
Fantastic house-concert in Buenos Aires with Maria Volonte 
We also met a reality tv 'star' and a nice couple from Estonia!


Our first port of call - Montevideo

That night, the ship hosted a wonderful concert in the historic local theatre.

Getting the finger in Punta del Este


The Falkland Islands (las Malvinas) - our ship, The Azamara Pursuit, is on the left

Visiting a really authentic museum in Port Stanley
And a real live penguin, heading off in search of food


If you look closely, you can see in-bound and out-bound penguins on the beach

Heading toward the Cape, things got a bit choppy. Lots of albatrosses though! 
We made it to "The End of the World"


Spectacular park, and very windy

In Ushuaia - this had to happen 

Our Captain was a real character 
Getting close to Tempanos glacier


The ship brought back a large piece of glacial ice

and we had to sit on it by the pool!

Leanne, walking off some of the pastries

All geared up for river rafting in Puerto Montt, Chile

Really, really exciting. Probably the highlight of the trip

Except for when Leanne jumped off a cliff into the raging river!

We disembarked and stayed in Cartegena, Chile. Not a place we would rush back to
 
But our bed and breakfast hosts were lovely.
We are going to miss these two little people.