INTRODUCTION

Late last year (2023) while holidaying in Southern Italy, midway during the tour while on the bus in the morning, the Tour Manager announced that – “today we are visiting one of the highlights of the tour, Mount Etna, an active volcano”. I turned my head to look at my wife who was sitting next to me and asked – “why the #%*@ am I going to an active volcano?”

If I had known that I was going to an active volcano I would not have agreed to go on the Southern Italy tour, hahaha. You see, when my wife asked me if I wanted to go to Southern Italy with my uncle and his wife, I just said okay (since I have been to Rome, Vatican City, Florence and Venice) without knowing the details of the itinerary and it never crossed my mind that I would be going to an active volcano site!

Well, on 15th August 2024, Mount Etna did erupt!!! Go google and you will see some amazing videos.

Anyway, it was also during the above said Southern Italy tour that the Tour Manager asked if I wanted to go to South America and all I heard him say was that it included Machu Picchu and Christ The Redeemer and I immediately said yes and paid the deposit for the tour in 2024 then and there (the tour company sent a payment link to my email and I could then pay wherever I am on earth).

As usual, when I go on a tour, I had no idea of the places we will be visiting (besides Machu Picchu and Christ The Redeemer – I did not even know that both of these said places are 2 of the 7 Man Made Wonders of The World when I booked the tour) until I asked the person I booked the tour with, a month before departure what clothing I should pack and he said winter clothing as I would be going to the Glacier in Argentina! Well with winter clothing and boots means I will have more weight added to my luggage – bummer.

Anyway, I just returned from my trip to South America not too long ago and just found some time to draft this article.

Plaza Premium First at KLIA Review 2024

After getting my Emirates Economy Class Boarding Pass, I proceeded to Plaza Premium First where I have 2 cards which allow me FREE access. My wife also has 2 Supp Cards which also allow her access to Plaza Premium First.

However, I was kind of disappointed that they have reduced the Main Meals which we can order with our smartphone and be served at the table as they are now offering a buffet too.

Below is what I ordered (I was too lazy to get the food myself from the buffet table):

Flight from KLIA to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Since I am going on tour, I am flying Economy (too kedekut to pay for Biz Class) with Emirates from KLIA to Dubai (transit) to Rio de Janeiro. A week before the flight only I checked the duration of the flight from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro and was shocked to learn that it was about 15 hours!!!

Upon finding out the duration of the flight, first thing I did was ask the Tour Manager to add my Emirates Skywards Account to their Group Booking.

Tip No.1 – (1) you should instruct your tour agent to include your Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) Account if they are not willing to allow you to do it yourself OR (2) when you are at the Check-In Counter at the airport, give your FFP Account number before you get your Boarding Pass.

Best you perform action 1 above and settle the matter once and for all because if you can only Check-In via Kiosk then it may be a big hassle, e.g. you still can go to the service counter but if there is a queue you will be wasting time. Worst come to worst you can claim for miles after the flight but the miles will not be credited instantly and you may need to follow up.

For example, if you are flying with Turkish Airways, which is a part of Star Alliance, you can give them your KrisFlyer Account and earn KrisFlyer Miles.

Once my tour agent added my Emirates Skywards Account to their Group Booking, the flight itinerary will appear in my Emirates App and with some work I can even chose my seat (the tour agent would most probably have selected the seats for you) including paying for more leg room BUT I still cannot upgrade to Biz Class! Of course there are ways to upgrade to Biz Class via the App but I better not disclose or else all the tour agencies will be pissed off with me, haha.

Detour a bit – did you know that we only need 141K Skywards to redeem First Class KL to Europe or vice-versa.

In respect to the above paragraph, you tell me, isn’t one a fool to redeem Biz Class with 120K Skywards on Biz Class KL/Europe? Worst – those who redeem First Class KUL/DBX using 118K Skywards when they only need an extra 23K Skywards to fly to Europe on First Class.

So the easiest method (if you cannot upgrade via the App) to upgrade from Economy to Biz Class is when you are checking in. However, most of the time KL/Dubai Emirates flights are kind of full and therefore, there will be no seats for upgrade which was my case. My flight KL to Dubai was on an Airbus A380 and therefore the Economy seat was actually pretty comfortable (maybe because the flight was kind of short only 6 hours).

The moment we landed in Dubai, I proceeded to the Ticketing Counter (just before the Security Check which all Transit Passengers must go through) and asked if there are any seats for upgrade and was told YES! So I upgraded my Economy to Biz Class for myself only as I did not have enough Skywards remaining to upgrade for my wife, haha. However, after I upgraded to Biz Class I found out that I can also pay USD1.5K to upgrade my wife to Biz Class which was what I did as I thought it was a pretty good deal.

FYI, there is no First Class Dubai to Rio de Janeiro on the B777-200 that I was on. Anyway, even if they had First Class I could only upgrade to Biz Class with my Economy Class ticket.

In hindsight, I should have paid USD1.5K for my upgrade to Biz Class too instead of burning 148K Skywards to upgrade my Economy to Biz Class for Rio de Janeiro route!!! You see, as I mentioned earlier, we only need 141K Skywards to redeem a First Class ticket KL to Europe with Emirates!!!

In respect to the above that is why many of My Air Miles Disciples including myself have experienced Emirates First Class KL/Europe as we only need 141K Skywards versus 120K for Biz Class!

As usual when I am flying First Class or Biz Class, I would request certain spirits that are served on board to be brought to me so that I can take a photo. However, the stewardess told me for my flight, they only have miniature bottles!

Below is the Biz Class seats 2-2-2 on B777-200 which are really comfortable:

The food was not too bad and they serve Hennessy XO but to my surprise also the freaking cheap Glenmorangie 10 Years (which to me is easy to drink). I had the Chivas 18 Years with my lunch but found it nothing great and actually preferred the cheap Glenmorangie 10 Years anytime, haha.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Upon landing we were taken for a quick city tour and visited the famous Maracanã Stadium which was build for the World Cup and then Sambadrome.

After the city tour we checked into Hilton Rio de Janeiro which is situated right at the start of the world famous Copacabana Beach and had our dinner in the hotel.

Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana Beach Review

My room was comfortable and had a fantastic view of the Copacabana Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

I could not sleep very well on the first night as the pillow was kind of soft; so my wife and I went to the Beach before sunrise at 6am. FYI, I did request for a firmer pillow and it was given to me; therefore I had a good rest on the second night in Hilton Rio de Janeiro.

Below is a 360 degree video of the Copacabana Beach in front of Hilton

Christ The Redeemer – the first Man Made Wonder of The World that we visited.

After breakfast, first item on the list was to visit one of the seven man made wonders of the world – Christ The Redeemer. Well, we could see it from many parts of Rio de Janeiro but to be right in front of it was spectacular.

And at the top too we can get a bird’s eye view of Rio de Janeiro. Below is just one of the photos I took.

Lunch at Fogo De Chao

After visiting Christ The Redeemer, we went for lunch at a churrascaria restaurant where we were served all kinds of meat until we could no longer eat. Even from the entrance of the restaurant we could see Christ The Redeemer.

Samba Carnival Experience

After lunch we visited Samba City where all the preparations are done for the annual Samba Parade/Challenge. We had a tour of one of the Samba Schools where we had fun as they had some activities including dressing up in Samba Parade Costumes and a beautiful young dancer teaching us to dance Samba.

Below are some photos of the Samba Carnival Experience at one of the Samba Schools. The photos below do not do justice to what we experienced which was informative and fun:

Sugarloft Mountain

After the Samba Carnival Experience we went to Sugarloaf Mountain where we had a spectacular DAY and NIGHT view of Rio de Janeiro.

Below is Sugarloaf Mountain on the left where we need to take a cable car from the mountain on the right which we also had to take a cable car to get there.

Day View at Sugarloaf Mountain where we could even see Copacabana Beach and Hilton.

But the most amazing sight for me was Christ The Redeemer at night – an angel in the sky.

1st Chinese Restaurant we visited during our South America Trip

To my surprise we had Chinese food on the second night in South America. The food was tasty BUT it was only the second day and many of us over ate lunch as there were just too many types of meat plus after a long day, we were too tired to enjoy the Chinese Food.

LIMA, SACRED VALLEY & MACHU PICCHU PERU

The next morning we checked out from Hilton to go to the airport to catch our flight to Lima, Peru.

Because of delay departing from Rio de Janeiro and we had to go through immigration in Peru, we had a quick lunch at Lima Airport so that we could catch the domestic flight to Cusco, Peru.

We arrived at Cusco around 3pm. FYI, Cusco was the former capital of the Incas and is located in the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of 3,399 meters / 11,152 feet above sea level.

We then headed to Sacred Valley which had an altitude of 2800m above sea level. The Tour Manager said in previous tours they had stayed at Cusco on the first night and many people had altitude sickness and therefore this year they will stay in Sacred Valley instead so that we had adequate time to adjust to the high altitude.

FYI, I did not experience any altitude sickness or effect but actually smoked 3 sticks of cigarettes while waiting for the luggage at Cusco Airport before getting on the Tour Bus.

The journey/view from Cusco to Sacred Valley itself was interesting as it was really mountainous and the local tour guide gave many information along the way including the fact that Guinea Pigs are an expensive delicacy there!

Aranwa Resort Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley is an important agricultural area since Inca time where the soil is fertile.

We stayed at Aranwa Resort in Sacred Valley. It is a really beautiful resort and the food (breakfast and dinner) was good too.

By the time we reached Aranwa Resort it was close to 6pm. We checked in to our rooms and had a short rest before having our dinner, where the vegetables and herbs used were grown near the Resort. We had a 3 Course Dinner and to my surprise it tasted good too.

Next morning, before heading to Machu Picchu, we had a nice breakfast and I even had Coca Leaf tea (when in Rome do as the Romans do) which is supposed to help prevent altitude sickness. And if you did not know, cocaine is made from these Coca Leafs. I was very happy with the breakfast as I had eggs (omelet), bacon and croissant with fresh honey.

Machu Picchu Peru – One Of The Seven Man Made Wonders Of The World

After breakfast we started our journey to Machu Picchu. It took more than an hour bus ride from Sacred Valley to the Train Station where we had to take the train for an hour and forty five minutes to Aguas Calientes (a.k.a. Machu Picchu Town) and then another short bus ride to Machu Picchu site.

Sacred Valley To Train Station

The bus ride took more than an hour and on the way we stopped for a photo shot of Sky Lodge where the clients have to climb up a mountain to get to it!

Train Station To Machu Picchu

The quickest way to Machu Picchu is by Train which takes almost two hours to reach Aguas Calientes (a.k.a. Machu Picchu Town).

While on the train we were served snacks and I had Coca Leaf Tea again. We passed by many fertile soil with agriculture to a more tropical forest surrounding before reaching Aguas Calientes.

Aguas Calientes aka Machu Picchu Town

Once we got to Aguas Calientes Train Station, our Local Tour Guide took us across the river passing by many shops and when we were walking along the river I noticed that many people were sitting on the low stone wall which I then found out was the queue to take the bus to Machu Picchu Site!

We waited for about 20 minutes and once the queue started to move we were on the bus within a few minutes which took us up a windy road to Machu Picchu. A windy road is not an issue but it was a dirt road! Worst than the old windy road to Genting Highlands which was at least a tarred road.

Just like the train ride, our Tour Manager gave us the Bus Ticket prior to boarding the bus where the attendant will just scan the QR Code. I tell you, Peru is pretty advanced where they use QR Codes to scan tickets just like in the developed countries.

Lunch at Machu Picchu Entrance

We reached Machu Picchu Entrance at about 12.30pm but our ticket to enter the Heritage Site was for 2pm. So we had lunch at Buffet Restaurant Tinkuy. There are also other places to eat but there was only one gift shop there. After lunch I visited the gift shop and bought myself a cap as a souvenir.

Machu Picchu Peru Review

Here is some history of Machu Picchu told by the guide – to let you understand why the site is as it is today:

Machu Picchu – the ‘lost’ city of the Incas which was never found by the Spanish conquistadors was so called re-discovered by Hiram Bingham a Yale lecturer. Actually he was shown the site by the son of a peasant who was growing crops on the Inca built terraces. Bingham later engaged local farmers to clear the site and they burnt the site to clear the forestation!!!

I was like what, burn the site!? But then again, no surprises, as even today farmers burn the land before they start the process of replanting. However, by burning the site not only did they clear the forest but also other organic matters in the process…. that is why all we see are blocks of granite stones.

Without further ado, I present to you photos of Machu Picchu by yours truly:

My pass to enter Machu Picchu after the attendant scanned the QR Code of my ticket:

Upon entering, the first thing that greeted us was a Llama, haha

We had to climb up a hill first which gave us an bird’s eye view of Machu Picchu:

First view of Machu Picchu midway to the top of the hill:

We then reached a relatively “flat land” (with terraces at the bottom and top) which the peasant mentioned above was growing crops when Bingham was taken to Machu Picchu site by the peasant’s son.

View of Machu Picchu from the above flat land:

From the “flat land” we then made our way down to Machu Picchu. Below is the photo of the “Gate” to enter Machu Picchu from an Inca trail:

Below photo taken from inside Machu Picchu showing granite stone terraces leading to the “flat land” mentioned earlier.

The round shaped building built by granite stones (on the left side of photo below) was where the sun rays shine through the different windows based on the position of the sun relative to planet earth, indicating to the people of Machu Picchu the start of a new season.

Our local guide pointed out to us that all openings (doors and windows) built by the Incas are TRAPEZOIDAL – why? it is more stable then rectangle… makes sense to me as an Engineer as the force is distributed as it goes down which allows a bigger opening at the base.

The Incas were fantastic granite stone craftsmen… photo below – the granite stone on the left was carved to symbolize the natural mountain shape on the right.

Below view from Machu Picchu:

Photo below – evidence of earthquake which caused the blocks to move. And the guide told us that is one of the reasons why the people of Machu Picchu abandoned the site and therefore the Spaniards never found it.

Other photos and videos taken at Machu Picchu:

After spending close to 3 hours visiting Machu Picchu it was almost sunset and we had to leave.

Since it was close to 5.30pm, there was no queue to take the bus down the windy road to Aguas Calientes Train Station. By the time we reached Aranwa Resort in Sacred Valley it was about 9pm and we had our dinner there.

Tip – when visiting Machu Picchu I strongly recommend that you (1) cover your entire body to prevent insect bites OR (2) spray insect repellent on your exposed skin. I tell you, the insect bites last for days (like sand flies in Malaysia beaches) and NEVER EVER wear skirts but long trousers instead.

Cusco City Half Day Tour

Alpaca Farm

The next morning after breakfast, once again we took the tour bus to Cusco for a half day city tour. Before we reached Cusco, we dropped by an Alpaca Sanctuary where they even had Peru’s National Animal which lives in the wild, i.e. Vicuna. The centre is licensed to have a few Vicunas. At the centre we are taught the difference between Alpaca and Vicuna….. Vicuna is the most expensive “wool” in the world and was worn by the Inca King and Queen. Today, vicuña wool can cost between $399 and $600 per kilo, compared to cashmere which is around $80 per kilo.

The farm has many different species of Alpaca and Llama and also 2 Condors! I tell you when the Condor opens its wings, it looks magnificent but too bad I did not manage to get a photo of the Condor with its wings open.

My wife and I bought Alpaca sweaters and scarves at the center as we were told it is better than Merino wool but I was too kedekut to get any Vicuna as it was just too expensive (for my case).

Cusco City – Ancient Capital of the Incas

As I mentioned earlier, Cusco is located 3399m above sea level and therefore many tourist experience some kind on altitude sickness. Below is a photo of Cusco City taken on the way there. The logo on the mountain was the Inca Royal Crest.

First we visited a Church which the Spaniards built on top an Inca Temple. But there are still remnants of the Inca Temple. I did not take many photos of the church which has some interesting Spanish tiles and pictures.

After visiting the Church we walked to the Town Square where the Spanish fought with the Incas for the last time and changed Peru forever. I even had my shoe polished at the Town Square.

We then had a 3 course Peruvian lunch at a restaurant at the Town Square which included raw fish (ceviche) as appetizer and Alpaca meat as main but I can tell you none of us liked the Alpaca meat, haha. And we were also served a Peruvian alcohol called Pisco which was not too bad.

Lima Peru

Dinner at Museo Larco

After lunch we headed to Cusco Airport to catch our flight to Lima. Upon landing at Lima, we were immediately taken to a Museum (which was formerly the residence of a wealthy Peruvian) which had a restaurant inside the museum grounds. The restaurant was really nice and once again we had a 3 course dinner and Pisco Sour again.

JW Marriot Lima Peru and Larcomar Mall Built Into a Cliff

After dinner we checked-in to JW Marriot Lima. I forgot to take photos of the breakfast at JW Marriot despite having breakfast twice there but I can tell you that it was good.

Larcomar Mall is just across the road from JW Marriot. What is interesting is that it is built into a cliff! Freaking impressive engineering if you ask me…..

Lima City Tour

First we visited Parque del Amor, the Most Romantic Spot in Lima. The park features a large sculpture of a kissing couple, called El Beso, or The Kiss.

Then we drove by an ancient ruin which is older than Machu Picchu and is made from clay bricks. The Local Tour Guide told us the reason why this ancient ruin has not eroded is because it never rains in Lima!

We also visited Basilica and Convent of San Francisco which has catacombs and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

All I will say is Lima is like any other city where there are many vehicles on the roads all the time, haha. I will just post some photos taken during the city tour of Lima.

Chinese Restaurant for Lunch

After the city tour we went to a Chinese Restaurant and the food was surprisingly good as it suited my palate. The food tasted just like what we get in KL!!!

After lunch we headed back to JW Marriot and I spent the rest of the day at Larcomar Mall.

Dinner at Ca La Lima Beside The Beach Overlooking Pacific Ocean

We had a nice dinner at a restaurant located on the beach called Ca La. And we had Pisco Sour again 🙂

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and the next day we had to fly to El Calafate Argentina via Buenos Aires.

Lima Peru to Buenos Aires Argentina

While at Lima International Airport, I entered one of the lounges there called Hanaq and it was pretty huge with many food varieties.

Once again we flew with LATAM from Lima to Buenos Aires. I will tell you this, LATAM Economy on A320 is damn freaking cramped, haha.

After we cleared Argentina Immigration and collected our luggage, we headed straight to a Chinese Restaurant and once again the food was freaking good. We were served more than 10 dishes and I was pleasantly surprised that their Peking Duck was good too. Below are some of the dishes we had:

After dinner we checked into Park Hyatt for the night. Actually we stayed at the new wing. The main Park Hyatt building is a Mansion called Palace Duhau which was formerly owned by a Military General and my room had a view of it.

For my night cap I had the Glenmorangie 10 Years which I took from the Emirates Biz Class to Rio de Janeiro.

Breakfast at Gioia Park Hyatt Michelin Guide Restaurant.

I was surprised that we were having breakfast at Gioia Restaurant inside Park Hyatt which is recommended by Michelin Guide… and soon I found out why…. we order the food we want from the menu and it will be delivered to our table! This is amazing as I expected a buffet style breakfast but no this is way better for lazy people like me, hahaha.

So I ordered French Toast and Omelette with EVERTYHING because the waitress said I could, haha. While waiting for my order I had some pastries.

Buenos Aires to El Calafate Argentina

After breakfast we headed to the airport to catch a domestic flight to El Calafate. FYI, we left some luggage at Park Hyatt as we would be returning to the hotel in a few days time after visiting Perito Moreno Glacier and Iguazu Falls.

The Domestic Airport is next to a river – photo below (it is not the ocean but a river which can be about 50km wide!)

We flew to El Calafate with Argentina National Airlines, i.e. Aerolineas Argentinas. We had to check in via a kisok where we can choose English because our Tour Manager could not check us in online to print the boarding pass (this was the only time we had to self check-in as after this our Tour Manager managed to print the boarding passes for us for the remaining domestic flights).

El Calafate Argentina

Upon arrival at El Calafate we passed by downtown and headed straight to the Glaciarium, a centre where there were lots of information on the Glaciers from how they are formed, flow down the mountain to the rivers and end up breaking off and floating in the lakes/rivers until they melt.

Below is a video of the surroundings taken from inside the Glaciarium as it was freaking cold and windy outside the building.

As I said it was freaking cold with the wind chill, El Calafate is even lower than New Zealand or Tasmania and near Antarctica.

There is an ice bar in the Glaciarium – more like a freaking freezer where the temperature was -13 degrees Celsius where they served us a variety of drinks in an ice glass. We were only allowed to stay in there for not more than 20 minutes.

Xelena Hotel El Calafate

After visiting the Glaciarium, we checked in to our hotel called Xelena which had 5 Stars and the Tour Manager said that it was the best hotel since there are no International 5 Star hotels in El Calafate. My room had a view of Argentina Lake, the largest lake, but it has been kind of “dry” season when I was there.

Dinner at La Tablita El Calafate.

After resting for a few hours at the hotel we headed to town for dinner at La Tablita. The appetizer and main meal was okay BUT the Calafate Berries ice-cream for dessert was good.

Perito Moreno Glacier – Glacier Trekking, What I Wonderful Experience

After a simple breakfast at Xelena hotel we headed to the Perito Moreno Glacier which is a glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, 

The scenery from the bus heading towards Perito Moreno Glacier was unique in itself.

The Glacier/ice is blue in colour because of the reflection of light.

Before we even reached Perito Moreno, we saw another smaller glacier (I can’t remember the name) and we were like WOW!

Perito Moreno Glacier – AMAZING!

When we were at the Perito Moreno Glacier viewing platform and saw it for the first time, all of us were like WOW! WOW! WOW! A few couples who have visited Alaska said that Perito Moreno was even more impressive.

The view of Perito Moreno Glacier was even more spectacular as we headed nearer and nearer to it as we walked to the lower viewing platforms.

Trekking Perito Moreno Glacier – A Truly Unforgettable Experience

After visiting the Perito Moreno viewing platforms, we took a boat ride to have a close look at it and later went trekking on top of it!

To tell you the truth, initially I was not keen to go for the glacier trekking due to my poor vision (that’s why there are tons of misspelling or errors in my articles) but my wife wanted to go and since I love my wife so much I was willing to sacrifice my “chiak pa tan si” life for her. Well, I tell you, the glacier trekking was one of the most fantastic experiences I ever had!

Tip – you better go to the Perito Glacier Trekking asap because once you reach the age of 65 they won’t allow you to participate anymore.

After we reached the bottom of the glacier, we celebrated with whisky on the rocks 🙂

After visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier, we return to El Calafate for dinner.

After dinner we returned to the hotel and next morning before we went to the airport we dropped by El Calafate down town for an hour. From El Calafate we flew once again with Aerolineas Argentinas to Buenos Aires and then to Iguazu Falls as there were no direct flight from El Calafate to Iguazu Falls. The aircraft was a B737 and the Economy seats were damn cramp but since it was a domestic flight it was bearable.

Iguazu Falls Argentina & Brazil – One Of The Natural Seven Wonders Of The World

By the time we reached Iguazu Falls airport in was already in the evening and therefore we were taken straight to Loi Suite for dinner where we will be staying for 2 nights.

Below are some photos of Loi Suites Iguazu, Brazil:

Below are photos of the dinner we had on the first night in Iguazu with FREE red wine from the Tour Manager:

Next morning we had breakfast at Loi Suites and the selection was good because it had bacon, hahaha.

After we had breakfast, we headed to Iguazu Falls where we walked on several different routes to different viewing platforms.

After visiting the viewing platforms we had lunch inside the National Park and then headed for the boat ride on the river towards Iguazu Falls. Well, from the boat we had a great view of the falls and also got soaked, haha.

After the boat ride experience we headed back to the hotel for a short rest and then went out for an Argentina Dinning Experience with Wine Pairing too.

After the dinner at Argentine Experience where the service was really good too, we headed back to Loi Suites for the night. The next morning we had breakfast at Loi Suites again.

After breakfast we took the tour bus to Brazil and had to go through Immigration to Iguazu Falls again from another angle, this time from Brazil side. However it was kind of hazy as there was a wild fire in Bolivia/Brazil at the time we were there.

Iguazu Falls Brazil Viewing Platforms

There was suppose to be a helicopter experience over Iguazu Falls but because of the smog from the neighboring wild fires the visibility was low and therefore it was cancelled.

We then headed back to Argentina and visited the two rivers (meeting up to form a single river) which separated Paraguay. Brazil and Argentina. The second photo below is taken from Argentina side.

We then had an early dinner at a nice restaurant and the headed to the airport. Now, we were supposed to once again take the Argentina National Airline Aerolineas Argentinas to Buenos Airies but their pilots and cabin crews were on strike! Therefore the Tour Manager did not tell us but only informed us on that day that he had booked us on another airline to Buenos Aires and the tickets with Aerolineas Argentinas was burned as there only will give credit and not refund. The Tour Manager handled everything to ensure that our trip was smooth and stress free for us.

By the time we reached Buenos Aires it Park Hyatt Hotel (which we had stayed a night before we departed for El Calafate and left some luggage with them) it was close to 11pm and our luggage were already in our room.

Park Hyatt Palace Duhau Buenos Aires

We will have 2 nights in Buenos Aires and therefore we did not need to wake up early as we will be having a city tour the next day.

Below are some photos taken of Park Hyatt Palace Duhau.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is really really is beautiful city with European influence and many parks. It is also relatively new where it was designed in such a way that every each block is 100m apart separated by a road in every direction.

Below is a photo of the widest boulevard in the world – 140m wide with 24 vehicle lanes!

Below are some random photos taken at Buenos Aires which does not do any justice to the beautiful city….. I tell you this is one city you must visit.

There is even a small Chinatown in Buenos Aires.

The food in Buenos Aires was good where we visited the same Chinese restaurant we had dinner before we departed to El Calafate about a 5 days ago.

We also had lunch at El Mirasol beside the Yacht Club facing the waterfront where everyone said the beef was really fantastic.

Below a video of people having a great time in the street in Buenos Aires:

Of course we also must have a Tango experience. Before we were taken to a Tango show, we were first taught how to Tango dance where I also had the opportunity to dance with a gorgeous young Argentinean lady 🙂

Buenos Aires Airport Lounge – Centurion Lounge

We had two full days in Buenos Aires and I must say it was really nice and relaxing.

All good things must come to and end and we were departing South America with Emirates about 9pm to Dubai and then to KL.

First I visited the AMEX Lounge at Buenos Aires International Airport and it was not too bad. As usual we get FREE whisky at AMEX Lounge but this one they were only serving Johnnie Walker Red Label so I took a miss as I can get Hennessy on Emirates, hehe.

After I makan at AMEX Lounge I told my wife we should visit the other lounges where I get FREE access with my credit cards or Priority Pass Membership Card but when I got to the Star Alliance Lounge, I was told I was 60 in the queue so I returned to the AMEX Lounge and had ice-cream plus coffee, hahaha.

Below are some photos of the Centurion Lounge in Buenos Aires airport:

CONCLUSION

Below were the places/locations I visited during my South America Trip 2024 – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro & Iguazu Falls), Peru (Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier & Iguazu Falls).

I am very satisfied with my South America Tour 2024 despite the many domestic flights which was the only way that allowed us to travel to so many cities in a short period of time to experience the many wonders of South America.

The hotels we stayed at were 5 Stars or equivalent. And I was surprised that the Chinese Restaurants we visited during the tour suited my taste (it was like as if I am in a Chinese Restaurant in KL) and when we did not have Chinese Food we were served minimum 3 Courses for Lunch and Dinner. We were also served complimentary alcohol several times during the trip.

And the most important thing is the Tour Manager immediately booked us out of Iguazu with another airline to Buenos Aires when he found out that the National Airlines of Argentina, Aerolineas Argentinas’ Pilots and Cabin Crew would be on strike on the day we were supposed to depart Iguazu, so that we can continue our tour without any disruptions. How many tour companies will do this?

I have also previously gone on vacations with this tour company to Eastern Europe, Finland (where we stayed 2 nights in an Aurora Cabin at Northern Lights Village Saariselkä on Christmas Day where we managed to catch the Northern Lights on both nights and each night cost more than RM3K/night) and Southern Italy. I am very happy with this tour company; so much so I have booked another vacation with them next year to visit another Wonder of The World 🙂