A high and dry, wild and wet, majestic history medley – RTW 2018

[JohnM]

Yesterday I took a tour over to the Argentina side of the falls, where you get closer to the tumbling water. The tour was definitely the way top go. Picked up fairly early at 0715, then the guide collects all passports at the border and goes inside to get them processed while pax remain on the bus. This didn’t take an excessive amount of time.

Then go to the park entrance and pay your own way in (600 pesos for foreigners - about $30). Until a couple of months ago they only took cash but cards are now accepted. Back on the bus and get dropped off very near the Melia Hotel.

The guide gave us a rundown of the park layout, with its major walking trails but suggested we stick together as a group until after we had been to the highlight of Devil’s Throat. This requires using a light rail train to get out to the (long) walkway out to virtually dangle over a lot of falling water.

I guess they have learned from experience to do it this way to make sure people don’t get bamboozled by the train system and get lost or delayed as we had a specific departure time. All groups seemed to operate the same way. After returning from Devil’s Throat at about lunchtime, the guide pointed us to the lower walk trail and left us to our own devices for the rest of the afternoon.

Leaving around 1700h had me back at my hotel by about 1830h. Again, all the border formalities were handled by the guide. An excellent system and a bargain at about $35 for the organised part of the tour.

It was crowded. It was also cloudy and did rain for a while. I’m certainly glad I did the helicopter and boat ride the previous day when it was sunny. The helos were not operating, although the boats were.



Devil’s Throat.







A secondary fall viewed from the lower path. This was the section visible from the Belmond.

 

[JohnM]

Pea-souper at IGU this morning. Flights delayed and piled up. Total zoo in the small terminal. Aboard about an hour late but I have a long layover in GRU, so all sweet.

 

[JohnM]

Sao Paulo is an almighty spread across the land.

 

[JohnM]

AA lounge T3 GRU. Quite nice but no outside views.

 

[JohnM]

GRU-DFW AA733, 3A (first row of J) in a mini two-row cabin between F and the galley. Ten hour flight.

Seating is quite reasonable, although they could probably do with having an under-blanket like QF to iron out a bit of a bump where the two main seat panels meet when laid flat. But I had no problem getting several hours of sound sleep.

I think we must have been first bird into DFW, arriving about 25 mins early at 0445. Border control was completely empty when I hit the hall, and a breeze on my shiny new B1/B2 visa (no ESTA for me any more, courtesy of travelling to Iran last year.)

The service and meals were pretty abysmal. One FA was abrupt and unfriendly to the point of being surly; the other moderately personable but vague.

The food doesn’t bear photographing or describing. It’s not often that I don’t eat essentially all of a meal. This was that rare occasion.

The last time I flew AA long-haul was about 15 years ago. I clearly ignored my own advice to refrain from doing it again after that experience, but it was the only direct flight.

The wine choice appeared promising (although the fairies-at-the-bottom-of-the-garden buzzwords are pretty much always more of a warning than praise...), but mostly failed to deliver. The Champagne, served in an appealing plastic vessel was quite sweet. Certainly the Granny Smith apple flavour was evident, but it was an ordinary wine IMO, and not helped by the plastic.

Both the Albarino and the Chardonnay I thought were unsuited to tasting at altitude, coming through as flavourless and watery. The Malbec was good and I didn’t try the Merlot.

 

[JohnM]

Just filling in the (hot) day near DFW today. 0900h flight tomorrow DFW-SJO.

Uber driver said that it’s been a hot summer but it looks like it could break soon. There was an indication of brewing thunderstorms for later in the day.

I went to the historic main street of Grapevine for a look around. The street is lined with old 19th century buildings that are nicely renovated, usually with descriptive plaques about their history, and a cluster of small museums (schoolhouse, cotton gin, iceworks) that were quite interesting.

There are quite a few wine stores and a thing is made of it, but there is no indication of any significant local production. From talking to one of the museum folk, it seems that they may be just playing on the name of town being ‘Grapevine’ and it has now become a bit of an institution.

It seems that the town’s (now just a suburb of Dallas) name derived from the native North American species Vitus mustangensis which was common on the plains here. Nothing to do with commercial grape-growing or wine production.

An interesting snippet was that the final cotton crop in the area was produced in 2000 on the plains that partly make up DFW now.

 

[craven morehead]

GRU-DFW AA733, 3A (first row of J) in a mini two-row cabin between F and the galley. Ten hour flight.

Seating is quite reasonable, although they could probably do with having an under-blanket like QF to iron out a bit of a bump where the two main seat panels meet when laid flat. But I had no problem getting several hours of sound sleep.

I think we must have been first bird into DFW, arriving about 25 mins early at 0445. Border control was completely empty when I hit the hall, and a breeze on my shiny new B1/B2 visa (no ESTA for me any more, courtesy of travelling to Iran last year.)

The service and meals were pretty abysmal. One FA was abrupt and unfriendly to the point of being surly; the other moderately personable but vague.

The food doesn’t bear photographing or describing. It’s not often that I don’t eat essentially all of a meal. This was that rare occasion.

The last time I flew AA long-haul was about 15 years ago. I clearly ignored my own advice to refrain from doing it again after that experience, but it was the only direct flight.

The wine choice appeared promising (although the fairies-at-the-bottom-of-the-garden buzzwords are pretty much always more of a warning than praise...), but mostly failed to deliver. The Champagne, served in an appealing plastic vessel was quite sweet. Certainly the Granny Smith apple flavour was evident, but it was an ordinary wine IMO, and not helped by the plastic.

Both the Albarino and the Chardonnay I thought were unsuited to tasting at altitude, coming through as flavourless and watery. The Malbec was good and I didn’t try the Merlot.

View attachment 132593

View attachment 132595

View attachment 132594

Thank goodness for the Malbec !!

 

[JohnM]

I’m staying at one of the, ahem, less expensive hotels in the big hotel precinct north of DFW. No restaurant here, but the Westin nearby has a very acceptable bar and grill that I’ve used before.

Their ‘Ikon burger’ is really very good. They even ask you how you would like it cooked! Last year, on my first experience there, I asked for rare - and, sure enough, it was perfectly rare. Frankly, I was stunned.

Tonight, not quite so perfect. It came out medium-rare, but still exceptionally good.

The other good thing is that because the hotels are so well-separated they seem to have no need for passwords on their WiFi, so I could just jump straight on at the Westin.

On the stroll back, I stopped to watch the AA bird procession into DFW as the sun set.

 

[love_the_life]

Is it not playing a little dangerously to have a burger which is rare/not cooked through thoroughly? I understood that the mincing process means there is a lot more surface area exposed to possible bacteria and it will not heat enough to kill them off during cooking. Rare steak is fine as the middle has not been exposed to the air.
On the other hand the chips like good.

 

[JohnM]

Is it not playing a little dangerously to have a burger which is rare/not cooked through thoroughly? I understood that the mincing process means there is a lot more surface area exposed to possible bacteria and it will not heat enough to kill them off during cooking. Rare steak is fine as the middle has not been exposed to the air.
On the other hand the chips like good.

Menus in LOTFAP are replete with warnings about undercooked meat. I’ll live on the edge .

 

[JohnM]

Admiral’s Club Terminal A, DFW.

 

[JohnM]

Bernard Salt would be pleased. Admiral’s Club at DFW is clearly inside the goat’s cheese curtain .

Beat that QF .

 

[JohnM]

DFW-SJO. Seat 3A (front row - natch - for those unfamiliar with AA’s seat numbering.)

Crossing the coast of the Gulf of Mexico near Houston.



Breakfast was good. The sausages were nice and spicy.



Some views from around here.









Coming into SJO.

 

[JohnM]

A brief stroll around San Jose centro to find an ATM and get a haircut this afternoon.

The place was packed and buzzing.



Old Post Office.





Museum.

 

[JohnM]

I’m impressed with the hotel in San Jose. Very hip. Rooftop bar/resto accessed via a spiral staircase from the hotel lobby - or, more ordinarily, by the lift at the back.

Wandered up there for a look around this afternoon.

 

[JohnM]

Went back for a drink tonight and stayed for dinner. They serve meals as small bites and it was excellent. Poor light and forgetting to use the flash on my phone means no worthwhile pics.

I had a stunningly good ceviche, followed by oxtail on the bone. Unusual, but so modern and groovy in offer and style. I’m very impressed.

Wine list is very brief, but I just had a couple of glasses of acceptable Pinot Grigio and a couple of acceptable Malbec.

The hipsters were pouring in by later in the evening.

A very sharp place.

 

[Daver6]

The hipsters were pouring in by later in the evening.]

So the new haircut fitted the bill?

 

[JohnM]

So the new haircut fitted the bill?

Regrettably, sharpened edges are insufficient to compensate for lack of quantity and lack of blackness . And, of course, the absence of a sculpted beard was most definitely not de rigeur .

Hmmm... - on the other hand, your sharp self would have fitted the bill rather nicely .

 

[JohnM]

On the drive to the sea turtle NP today we saw both a three-toed and two-toed sloth. Off to a flying start! But not close enough to photograph with my phone for current posting.

However, this juvenile armadillo rummaging in the garden at the lodge was easier to capture - but it is hard to get them without their face in the ground.

The only way into the reseve is by boat (our method) or by light aircraft.

 

[juddles]

O... this juvenile armadillo ....

John, I respectfully think you have seen almost as much as anyone could. Amazing travels! I admire this. You inspire me.