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Capetown to Rio on the Regent Mariner and then onto Iguazu Falls and Paraguay December 2015

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We flew from Alicante to Madrid to London to Capetown - and oh my!, were we glad to get out of our bag in the Westin Hotel!

Click on any photo or map to enlarge


Actually we were let out for a wee play in Madrid airport! . . Whilst at the Westin we had a slap up meal at Signal Restaurant & met Santa there

Really enjoyed the Groog Constancia. Explored the wharf in Cape Town and then a trip up Table Mountain with its wondrous rock formations and views

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By this time we had boarded the Regent Mariner-lots more of our life on that anon- and then we steamed up the African coast to Namibia, stopping off at Luderitz & Walvis Bay


A long walk round a promontory & then a visit to the Hans Goerke house in Luderitz. A visit to a tapestry shop &

then to the museum in Swakopmund & back to Dune 7 one day. Out with the seals in Walvis Bay the next


Never seen an elephant skeleton before !. An admirer on the dunes. & my, those oysters were yummy on the seal trip!

After Walvis Bay we were excited to be heading for St. Helena: but our hopes were dashed when a medical emergency aboard meant we sailed at full steam direct to Rio de Janeiro for the next 6 days. So, we just had to make the most of life aboard. Stateroom 1039 was very comfortable. We received silver badges from Regent, but Somerville lost the magnetic part of his

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Got to know the staff in Signatures where Michel looked after us very well . And other customers also took a shine to us

Then on to Prime7 where we got to know Marion's Pooh- my, he was 77! But most of the time we ate in Setti Mari where Rovie was our biggest admirer

The ship provided us with wondrous Christmas decorations - even a ginger bread house of our own

Plus tea and caviar & champagne breakfasts. Regent Bear joined our 'huddle' - some story of a spat over pater's sandals! And the mater was always in the pool

We thus had 5 nights in Rio - thanks to full steam ahead - 2 on the boat and then 3 in the JW Marriott hotel .

Thus lots of time to see all that Rio had to offer, but somehow we never got up to see Christ the Redeemer, whereas the parents got there twice: we must have been too excited about Christmas and whether Father Christmas would find us!- he didn't.

We left Rio on the morning of Boxing Day and flew to Foz de Iguasu - wow!, what a wondrous sight those Iguasu Falls were.

Then on to Paraguay, renting a Hertz car in Ciudad del Este, proceeded to drive to Bella Vista, then Encarnacion, then San Ignacio, ending up in Asuncion

And just need to add that we travelled home Business Class!!- from Sao Paolo to Madrid to Alicante. Arrived home on January 5th, 2016


A trip in a jeep up to the Tijuca woods and the China temple. What a magnificent statue on Corcovada, reached on a funicular

Lounging up on the roof of the Marriott, Copacabana beach in the background. Then up by cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain


Das Cataratas was a fairy tale hotel with a scrumptious restaurant overlooking the falls and a feel of Christmas inside. Made sure we did not get too wet

Saw the Falls from both the Brazilian & Argentinian sides with our very efficient guide, Mercio


The impressive Jesuit Missions in Trinidad, Jesus, Santiago, San Cosme, Santa Rosa, Santa Maria de Fe & San Ignacio were a lesson in history for us.

We resisted the temptation to sit in the Pope's chair in San Cosme. Also a visit to a Yerba Mate factory from Bella Vista. Wondrous museum in Santa Maria


We stopped 2 nights over New Years Eve in the Milord hotel in Encarnacion. Saw the New Year in with sparklers in a lovely ambiance

After a night in a hotel "to forget" in San Ignacio we then stayed 2 nights in La Mision in Asuncion - pure luxury