Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
hola a todos!
i know it's been awhile since my last update so i'll try to keep this as short as possible. I can't really think of anything worth talking about that happened between my last post and the beginning of wesley and debbie's visit, so we'll start there.
they arrived tuesday june 2nd and i met them in the morning at the apt they had rented for the week. thanks to wesleys great internet/online researching skills they spent the first week in an apt only about a block away from my place. the first few days we visited some of the main tourist attractions in ba. most of these places i've already posted pictures of so i don't have any new ones of places ive already been.
i had them accompany me on one of my volunteering activities and overall it went very well- lack of spanish and slight germophobia taken into account :) we also went to a tango show at the oldest cafe in the city and it was great. we ended up with front row center seats and enjoyed a great show. one day they went to the ranch that i had gone to with eddie and from what they tell it they also enjoyed it quite a bit.
the first saturday they were here we took a day trip to uruguay. there is a historical town righ across the water from BsAs called Colonia that makes an easy day trip. We took the fast ferry that is an hour to get there. because of my "illegal" status i had to pay a fine in order to get my passport restamped, all good now tho. the town is very pretty, old cobblestone streets, lighthouse, etc. we did the main historical area and had a nice lunch. in the afternoon we ended up renting a golf cart and driving the 5 kilometers up to an old bull ring. as it turns out it was a VERY cold day and we were all freezing on the golf cart but it was very fun.
last monday evening we got on an overnight bus to go to Puerto Iguazu to visit the falls (border of argentina, brazil, and paraguay). we splurged on the expensive seats so that we had fully reclinable seats, with meals, drinks, and movies on our 16 hour trip.
puerto iguazu is a small town on the border, very cute, jungly. we stayed at a place called los troncos that wes found online- it had reviews that seemed too good to be true but it wasn't. it was amazing. a beautiful small hostel/hotel where the 3 of us had a large cabin with a loft. the service was outstanding and we had a great time there. there was a kitchen so we cooked both nights and they set up nice tables for us in the main part. there was a huge outdoor argentine parilla or grill that we grilled out on the 2nd night and had a great meal.
back to the main point though: the falls. they are absolutely amazing. beyond description. you can view the falls from both the brazilian and the argentine side, though we only did so from the argentine said as wesley and i aren't allowed into brazil without paying $150 for a visa. the argentine side is the main side anyway. the town of puerto iguazu is about a 30 minute bus ride from iguazu national park. the first afternoon there we went straight to the parkand saw 'la garganta del diablo" or the devil's throat which is the huge waterfall at one end of the whole park. you pay an entrance fee the first day and if you come back the next day only pay 1/2 the admission fee. it was chilly and rainy that first afternoon but the weather cooperated fairly well for us otherwise. the devil's throat is incredibly impressive. you walk on a walkway through jungle and marshy areas until all of a sudden you come out essentially right on top of one side of these HUGE falls. we spent a little while out there taking pictures and then went back into town for the night.
the next day we got up early-ish to partake in an all day exploration of the rest of the falls. the other part of the park consists of an upper and a lower trail to view the multitude of other beautiful falls. we first did the upper trail which is all flat and takes you on top of several falls and gives you beautiful panoramic views of most of the area. after this we did the lower trail which climbs down the cliff giving you lookout points halfway down and at the bottom of several of the falls.
when you reach the bottom you can take a free boat across to an island in the middle of the park. by this point we were exhausted from hiking and had a picnic lunch on the beach of the island. it was sunny out and there were rainbows everywhere. after lunch we hiked the trails on the island itself for a few more amazing views.
so far that day we had seen monkeys, coati, giant ants, leaf-cutter ants, a tarantula, lizards, toucans, among many other birds. oh and what i like to call guinea rats (head looked like a rat but the rest like a guinea pig)
finally, our last part of the day consisted of "el gran adventure". a side trip that we paid for. it was a boat trip close up to the falls and then a truck trip back to the entrance through the jungle. this was very nice beause it meant we didn't have to climb all the way back up :) anyway we attempted to waterproof ourselves as much as possible and got in the boat. let me just preface this by saying this would be completely illegal in the US and i was terrified the entire time. tho i had my waterproof camera with me i was too mostly too cold, wet, and screaming to get many decent pictures. at first they take you semi close so everyone can get some nice aww pictures on both sides of the island. then they tell everyone to put their cameras away because we will be getting very wet. at this point they drive up and manage to get one side of the boat completely under a reasonable sized waterfall. after this i was pretty much soaked and all of my poncho tucking was useless. they did this a few times and then went back over to what i consider a very very large waterfall (keep in mind there is a rock face behind it!) and proceed to step all the way on the gas and drive full speed into the waterfall!! if anyway was still dry before this they weren't anymore. they did this 3 times.....yeah. i was a little pissed at this point but i guess definitely a good experience, just wish it had been warmer! brrrr. we then went through some rapids and continued down the river until we reached the spot to get on the truck. we were in that freezing, really uncomfortable weat pants stage at this point and mainly just wanted to get home to shower and change.
overall it was an incredible day at igazu falls. i was sore the next day from all the hiking but it was well worth it.
the next/ last day in iguazu we only had the morning so the hotel owner suggested and set up a visit at a local animal rescue center for us. we essentially had a private taxi driver all morning to take us to our last stops. the animal place was really cool, we saw more monkeys, more coatis, TONS of cool jungle birds, some anteaters, etc. all of them were rescued or donated to the center and were being prepared to be reintroduced into the wild.
after that we had our driver take us to the 3 point area where the river separates argentina, paraguay, and brazil. we got out and took a few pictures and it was pretty cool seeing both countries just across a small river.
we then settled in for our 16 hr trip back and arrived in ba early the next day. on that day wesley and debbie went out to finish buying some stuff while i napped and then we went out for another steak dinner. their last day here we went to explore the area i live in and do some more markets.
it was a great visit but i have been quite happy to lie around and do nothing pretty much since they left. it was a holiday today but back to work tomorrow which im excited about because i miss my kids!!
lastly a note about food. i think it only took a few days for them to realize that i am not exagerating that there is an extreme lack of choice in food here in argentina. if you want mediocre pizza or a ham and cheese sandwich for everymeal then this is the place for you. this doesnt mean we didnt have some amazing meals here but they were excitd to get home where food was available. we went to a highly recommended steak restaurant the night before leaving for iguazu and it was incredible, even with my chicken ;) the meal came with a plethora of sides and sauces that we barely managed to dent. we're talking mashed potatoes, mashed squash, apple sauce, potato salad, quail eggs, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. anyway it was very good and cost 65 us$ for all 3 of us! then their last night here we went to another steak place, after a long debate about risking a new place or just going back to the other one. and from what they tell me we made the right decision because this last steak was even better.
i promise i have been trying to put pictures up but this site seems to freeze whenever i do now.... ill keep trying for a bit but then ill have to try something else...ill let you know. chau!!
- comments