Christmas in Buenos Aires

Happy Holidays from Buenos Aires, Argentina! Fred and I were lucky to have his father and Holly visit us in Buenos Aires over Christmas. They arrived early in the morning on the 24th. We spent the day settling into our apartment and exploring our neighborhood. We decided to head out for lunch. We found a great place with outside seating, next to the famed Recoletta Cemetery. (Evita is buried there.) After some drinks and pizza we walked around the cemetery. We wandered around for a while before asking where to find Evita's tomb. As we had read, her tomb is very non-discript, in an area for her family with black granite and her family name Peron. After a few pictures and a few minutes eavesdropping on an English tour, we headed back to the apartment. We spent a few hours chatting and relaxing before we went to our Christmas Eve dinner. We had a wonderful dinner at a closed door restaurant called Casa Saltshaker. Our meal was themed around '7 Fishes.' Each of the five courses was paired with wine and each were delicious. After a memorable meal and conversation with the other guests we walked back to our apartment and watched fireworks over the city. It was a great night and a fantastic way to spend the holiday even though we were away from home.









Evita's tomb





We woke up on Christmas Day and made a great breakfast. After our feast and some mimosas we opened presents. We spent the afternoon walking around the city. We all enjoyed seeing the sites without the usual masses of people. The streets were all deserted and we were able to walk all around the city. We saw all of the main tourist sites and enjoyed the warm weather. We spent the early evening with wine and cheese before making a great dinner. We had steaks, mashed potatoes, salad and dessert. After a few Skype calls to Minnesota we all headed to bed. It was interesting to experience Christmas in BA. We all had a hard time adjusting to the warm weather. It was a change for people from Minnesota and Maine. We don't have 90 degree weather in December! We also expected the streets to be decorated however we saw very few festive themed displays. Although it was different than what we are used to, our Christmas in Buenos Aires was very memorable!



Christmas morning breakfast



Walking around Buenos Aires


A typical flower stall


On Monday we woke up and had breakfast at a cafe. We then walked to another neighborhood in BA, Palermo. This neighborhood was very different from the others. It was trendy and full of young people. There was tons of shopping and sidewalk restaurants. We spent a few hours walking around before we headed to a wine tasting. We went to a wine tasting in a local hotel. We were able to taste five different wines and each was paired with a small food item. Each of the wines was local and delicious. After ordering a few bottles we headed back to our apartment. That evening we went to a great restaurant, Oviendo. Fred, Kevin and Holly all had steaks and I had salmon. Each of our plates were clean at the end of the night. The meal and decor were great.








The pink palace: where Eva Peron gave numerous speeches

Tuesday was our last day in Buenos Aires. We decided to take Kevin and Holly to San Telmo, the neighborhood that Fred and I stayed in before they arrived. San Telmo is famous for cobble stone streets and a lively tango scene. After walking around and browsing a few shops, we sat at on outdoor cafe for coffee and water. We were able to enjoy a small street side tango show. It was nice to see a little of this dance without having to pay for an expensive show. For our last dinner in BA we sat outside near our apartment and enjoyed pasta and steak. The evening was gorgeous and it was a wonderful way to cap off our time in Buenos Aires.



A local street side band





Our last dinner in Buenos Aires



On Wednesday we headed off to Montevideo, Uruguay!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Iguazu Falls

Fred and I arrived in Buenos Aires after a very exhausting overnight bus from Cordoba. A massive storm passes over Cordoba as everyone was trying to board the bus. This caused a huge wave of chaos with wet and crabby passengers. The bus was similar to ones that we have taken in the past but there was no service. This means that we didn't get food, drinks, pillows or blankets. After a few hours we were able to fall asleep. A lady from the upper level was unhappy about how cold the bus was and decided to make a scene around 2:30am. She then came down to our level and fought with the drivers. We thought that she would settle in once she occupied the vacant seat ahead of us but she continue to cry and rush around all night. This made for a long night! The saving grace was that our bus arrived in Buenos Aires 90 minutes early! The bus was suppose to stop along the way but no passengers had bought tickets. What luck!

We arrived to a bustling city even though it was only 6:30am. We quickly jumped on the subway and went searching for our hostel. After exiting at our station, finding the main road and walking the wrong way for 20 minutes we arrived at Puerto Limon. We were not able to check in right away, as excepted due to our early arrival, so we headed out for coffee. We found a great local spot that served a nice breakfast set. For about $3.00 we each got coffee with milk and three croissants. We then walked back to the hostel and we able to check into our room. After a long nap we headed out to explore. We had just a day and a half before our flight to Puerto Iguazu. We decided that it was easiest and cheapest to take a round trip flight from Buenos Aires. We spent the next day preparing to head to the falls!

On Wednesday we woke up, left some of our luggage at the hostel and headed to the airport. We booked our tickets out of the domestic terminal so we only had a 20 minute journey from the hostel. We checked in and waited to take off! The flight went smoothly with only a few minor turbulent moments. Once we landed to bought tickets on a shuttle bus to the city. We were dropped off right at our hostel, Stop Hostel. We arrived at the hostel around 6:30pm and spent the night walking around the small city. We expected the area to have more poverty and be smaller and we were right. The streets were lined with tourist shops and clothing stores but there were children everywhere with no shoes and begging for food and money. This was something that we have not experiences since we left Thailand. It was hard to sit outside and eat a pizza with children begging for food. After our first night, we decided not to sit outside again. We then walked to a market to buy lunch supplies for our day in the nation park.

Thursday morning came quickly and we were ready to see Iguazu Falls. We shared a taxi with a girl from Japan and entered the park when it opened at 8:00am. We quickly jumped on the train that goes around the park and headed to Devil's Throat. This is the main attraction in the park. It is a huge area where numerous falls meet and plummet into the river. This is also the point where you can see Brazil. It is very common for people to travel to both the Argentina and Brazil sides of the falls but it is difficult for Americans to get a Brazil visa. We spent the day only on Argentina's side. To get to Devil's Throat you have to walk on this metal bridge structure for 1900 meters on top of the water. I am very afraid of bridges so this was a long walk for me! Once we arrived at the area it was magical! You cannot image how large the falls truly are. You could see, feel and hear the water rushing all around you! Fred took some videos so I will post them on the blog. After exploring the area we went off on the Grand Adventure. This consisted of a ride in a large jeep along a trail in the jungle. We were able to see some parrots, lizards and other small wildlife. We were hoping to see some of the wild jaguars but we knew the chances would be slim to none. After exiting the jeep we took a small trail to the edge of the river. We then boarded a large boat for our river section of the exploration. We cruised along the river and saw dozens of waterfalls. After we went over the rapids, and Fred took a HUGE wave in the face, we were told to put our cameras away. We were all provided with industrial size and strength plastic bags. Once everything was secured we headed under the falls! We went under at least three different waterfalls and we were soaked to the bone. It was so fun to be under the falls even though we couldn't see anything. The water was so powerful that you had to keep your head down or it would get pushed down. After about 20 minutes we were back on dry land. We then walked around and ate our sandwiches as we tried to dry off. We spent the afternoon walking along the tops of the waterfalls. We were able to see at least 15 different falls from above as well as Devil's Throat in the distance. We even spotted a double rainbow at one of the last falls. We then headed back to our hostel. Originally we were unsure if we wanted to spend the money to get to Iguazu Falls. We are now so thankful that we did. The falls are something that you have to see to be able to fully experience. Iguazu Falls has been a highlight of our trip!



Devil's Throat


Devils's Throat











The boat for the Grand Adventure





Rapids








After the Grand Adventure: soaking wet


Above the falls


Above the falls


We spent Friday relaxing at the hostel and buying a few gifts in the city. On Saturday we flew back to Buenos Aires. We are now patiently awaiting Christmas and our visitors!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Cordoba

After a few days in Mendoza it was time for us to continue exploring Argentina. We decided that our next stop would be Cordoba, Argentina's second largest city. We left Mendoza at 10:00pm on a night bus and arrived in Cordoba around 6:00am. We walked from the bus station to our hostel. After a little wait, we were able to check into our room. Based on our early arrival, we were shocked that we could check in ahead of time! We then relaxed and explored the city. We spent the afternoon walking along a small river and trying to escape the heat (it was 90+ each day). In the evening we ate at our hostel. The owners were leaving for vacation so they celebrated with a pig roast. We were told that we would eat around 10:00pm but we didn't eat until after 11:30pm. After our fill of pork, corn, salad and Fernet (Argentinas local drink), we headed to bed. We were so tired after our night bus and the long day. From there, things went downhill. We discovered that our hostel was the worst one that we have stayed in on our entire trip! The hostel slept around 30 people but there was only one bathroom! Lucky for us we didn't have to wait often as most people slept until midday.









On our second day Fred did some work for law school. After some hours on the computer and running to the post office, we went out for sushi. We have been craving Asian food, mostly Korean, for weeks and sushi helped satisfy that craving. We arrived at the restaurant around 8:50pm and caught the staff off guard as they were still setting the room. We knew that people eat dinner late here but we were surprised when most people didn't arrive until after 9:30pm. We then walked back to the hostel, scared of what we would find! We found most of the hostel guests drinking right outside of our room. They stayed there until 2:30am when they headed to the bars. It is very common for people to head out around 2am. Finally we were able to sleep!

The next day Fred spent working on essays. We ventured out for coffee and an afternoon walk to a park. For dinner we went to a steak house near the hostel. It was the day before a holiday, Immaculate Conception, so the city was full of people. It was fun to sit outside and watch everyone rush around.

On Thursday we headed to the main square. We decided to change hostels so we thought it would be helpful to find our new one. In the afternoon we stopped at an outdoor cafe for cards and coffee. We both had delicious cinnamon cappuccinos. We then went back to our hostel and packed our bags. For dinner we had sandwiches and beers at a cafe next to the main round-about in the city. We then headed to bed but could not sleep because a guest and a hostel WORKER sat outside our room drinking all night!








When we checked out at 10:00am the next morning they had yet to go to bed. To say the least, we were ready to change hostels. We checked into our new room and relaxed after a sleepless night. We then spent the last two days walking around the city and preparing to head to Buenos Aires. We booked a night bus for Sunday night and headed off to the big city!









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cordoba, Argentina

Argentina's Wine Country: Mendoza

On Wednesday we left Chile and headed for Argentina. We took a bus from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina. The bus was very comfortable as we splurged on first class tickets. The ride took us up into the Andes Mountains and through beautiful areas. We saw snow covered mountains with streams running down right in front of desert-like landscape. Half-way into the ride we arrived at the border crossing. We had to exit the bus and wait in line behind another bus load of passengers. We got our passports stamped out of Chile and then moved to the Argentina immigration window. The process was very easy, however it took about an hour. After our bags were scanned, we made our way to Mendoza. We checked into our hostel and headed out for dinner. Fred was excited because we found an outside cafe with a steak special. The steak was huge! Fred had been waiting for steak in Argentina and this one surpassed his expectations. After dinner we relaxed at the hostel.

On Thursday we woke up, headed to the grocery store and then explored the city. After walking around, we headed to the cities largest park. We sat near a lake and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We then stopped for ice cream and made dinner in the hostel.









Our hostel ran a promotion, if you stayed for three or more nights you got a free bike tour through the wineries region. We decided to take advantage of this on Friday. We woke up, ate and headed to the bus stop. We knew that we needed coins only for the bus and this was a problem. We tried to break bills and get one peso coins by buying gum and granola bars. However each store gave us change in bills only. After buying two granola bars and three packs of gum without any luck we decided to head to a bank. After a fifteen minute hike we arrived at a bank. The teller would only exchange two bills into two peso coins!! Luckily we already had two pesos so our bus ride was covered. Taking buses in Argentina is going to cause a big headache! After a 40 minute ride, we arrived at Mr. Hugo's bike rental. We were greeted with huge glasses of wine. After an overview of the area, the wineries and the specials we were ready with map-in-hand and we set off. We first headed to a brewery for beers and empanadas. Then we went to our first winery in Argentina, Tempus Alba. We toured the facilities and then enjoyed a glass of Malbec overlooking the vineyard. We then headed to Familia di Tommaso winery. We took a short tour and had a four wine wine tasting. After the tasting we enjoyed a fantastic platter of food for two. We had goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, fresh green and black olives, two kinds of salami, two kinds of prosciutto, bread and olive oil. It was one of the best meals we have had in South America. We then headed back to Mr. Hugo's, returned our bikes and headed back to Mendoza city. In the evening we relaxed in our room and planned out our next destination.


























Today we went out for lunch and booked our bus tickets out of Mendoza. Tomorrow evening we are going to take a 10 hour night bus to Cordoba, Argentina. Even though we just arrived in Argentina, we have really enjoyed it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Mendoza, Argentina