So it has definitely been a wild adventure since our last blog. We camped on a delta north of Buenos Aires called Tigre and were pretty much eaten alive by mosquitos. The place was pretty interesting in that it was a series of hundreds of islands only accessible by boat. To move people to and from the mainland, they use boat-buses that make their routes at each place picking people up. That was fun and unique, but sort of a pain in the ass because there are docks on the rivers´ edges at the foot of the different properties where people wait to be picked up...imagine a bus stop every 25 yards...it gets old.
We also left our campsite (on one of the islands) and headed into the mainland town for the afternoon to run errands and do the tourist thing. We left with clear blue skies and arrived in the town of Tigre 20 minutes later with one of the heaviest downpours we had ever seen. Sure it doesn´t sound like a big deal, but we left our tent open to air it out and had our sleeping bags and other clothes hanging on branches outside. We returned to find everything drenched. Then of course, who loves the hours after rain more than mosquitos.
It sure was a lot of ¨fun.¨ We returned to Buenos Aires and really just took the intimidating big city in strides. We left the downtown center area and headed out to a different barrio (neighborhood) called Palermo and stayed there for two days and enjoyed the more relaxed scene of the city. We ended up walking about 12 miles that afternoon covering a lot of ground. We then had to move back to the downtown area and stayed in a fun little hostel about five blocks away from the Marriot where my parents were headed and just waited for them for a few days. As soon as Hillary and I hit the huge comfortable bed at the Marriot, we felt like we could have slept for days...but with only ten days with Roger and Cindy, we left hardly any downtime.
After receiving our requested peanut butter and girl scout cookies, we headed out to a ¨local¨ arts and crafts fair about 40 blocks away. It was a little late and things were closing down so we left to get some pizza and beer. We ate and traded stories and had fun, and then we received the bill which charged us 15 pesos for serviettes and the bread and butter basket the waiter so kindly left on our table...because obviously we were supposed to assume that the bread the server brings you while you wait for your food costs extra - no need to inform us.
The next day, we took the local bus to La Boca, another barrio just outside the downtown area. There we saw live tango shows, looked at more arts and crafts, saw the famous Boca soccer stadium and of course got a Boca Jrs. soccer jersey. We then walked for the next few hours to another street fair that stretched as far as the eye could see. There was a sea of people all making their way along the busy street shopping for antiques and art - defintely quite a sight. The following days we took a flight up to Iquazú to marvel at the beautiful waterfalls there. We arrived at the hotel within the park and the first sight we saw as we walked through the lobby was a tropical green background with thunderous waterfalls in the background and looking left over to Brazil.
As soon as we arrived, we went straight out to look at some of the close falls as we did not have enough time to go and explore everything else. Although the rain was coming down rather thick, it certainly did not deter us from checking out the falls. Aside from one other visitor (a Ryrerson grad oddly enough) we were pretty much the only tourists walking around the falls area because it was so late and rainy out. We ended up taking another local bus out of the park and into the town of Iguazú and walked around the quiet little pueblo. We got some bread and veggies from the market and of course loaded up on fresh cold beers for the night. The next day we were up early and prepared for yet another long day of walking. Actually, it wasn´t that bad. We sat in the back of a open truck for a jungle tour, and then rode around on insane speedboats that ram right into the falls. This was by far one of the most exciting things Hillary and I had done on our trip so far. The boat takes a quick cruise up the river towards the falls, slows down for some photos, lets all the local pushy Argentinians do their thing, and then charges full-speed into rapids and waterfalls.
Thank God we had Hillary´s waterproof camera because we were up to our knees in water. Simply put - one of the most adrenaline rushing experiences. Later that evening we enjoyed a bottle of wine from the bar while playing cards, Dad decided to take the empty bottle from the table, run upstairs and pour the wine from our room into THAT bottle, and enjoy our second round while the unhelpful staff scratched their heads as to how four people could be sharing one bottle of wine for that long haha. We arrived back in Buenos Aires the next day later in the afternoon and just puttered around town and walked around Puerto Madero where we enjoyed some chips and beer and some delicious empanadas later for dinner.
After that, we made a day trip out of the city to a fair-sized town of La Plata. It didn´t have too much to offer, but there was an impressive neo-gothic church on hand. We were able to put down some ¨Super Panchos¨(hot dogs) for lunch and walked through the confusing streets of intersections containing six to eight different streets webbing from them. We returned back to Buenos Aires exhausted and prepared for the long day to follow. The following morning we left early on the ferry to Uruguay - a country my parents can still not accurately pronounce :) Yet another day of walking for miles upon miles. Once across the river, we walked into the historical district and straight for the Yacht club. There we met two of the friendliest and hospitable gentlemen. They truly were excited that Americans came all the way from California to see their yacht club.
After walking around a bit more and checking out the local artisan fair, we were beginning to lag and needed some food and beers to refuel. We decided on a local hamburger stand for some street food and local beers. The burgers were the size of our heads and came complete with beef, slices of ham, and of course the fried egg...delicious! Then, being the true backpackers my parents are, we took another local bus up town to some gorgeous white sand beaches along the river. That´s where we found ¨Washington¨a stray dog that followed us for the better part of what seemed like 2 hours along the beach. Once we got back to town, we lost him. However, as the sun was setting and we were on a patio quenching our thirst with some beers, we saw him again, trotting around the grass. After a fantastic sunset, we headed back to the ferry and set sail for Bs As. The next day, as if Dad didn´t get enough yacht clubs, we went on a mission to find Yacht Club Olivos. It was a bit of a search, but we found it and exchanged birgies. After lunch, we took the local train back into town and settled down for a little afternoon ¨siesta.¨
The week had begun to take its toll on our bodies and we all crashed, except for Dad of course. We woke up and headed out for one of Buenos Aires´ world famous ¨Parilla´s¨ or BBQ place. We found the restaurant that we were looking for rather easily, although we weren´t really prepared for the two hour wait for our table. They did however, keep our nerves on ease with free endless refills of champagne while we waited. Once at our table, salivating for a delicious steak dinner, we were able to relax and enjoy the restaurant. The dinner was nothing short of perfection and the steak seemed to melt in our mouths like butter. We got the check and left at 2:30AM. We were glad to hear that the buses were still running and shocked to see it packed with young people getting ready to go out for the night. We were even more shocked when we found out we were on the wrong bus and got lost. All went well however and we made it home safe and sound. The final day together, we sort of woke up slow and enjoyed the morning ritual inclusive breakfast upstairs. Then, after doing some research and homework, we found out that a ¨local¨ Buenos Aires soccer team was playing that day and that we could go no problem, just for the sake that it was completely across town and off any map that we had. Taking a 45 minute bus across every street in the city, we arrived in Velez Sarsfield and purchased our tickets - half price for women by the way.
This was half of the mission. Every single person told us wrong information about where to buy tickets. We thought we would grab a bite to eat before the game started so we walked down the street a few blocks and found some hotdogs. We wanted some beers as well, but unfortunately the owner couldn´t serve us...seeing as it was game day and all and things get a little rowdy. The game was typical....a scoreless zero-zero tie with some pretty sloppy playing, but it was still fun to see. As to why the riot police were keeping us locked in the stadium and not permitting anyone to leave was beyond us...seemed like a better way to START a riot rather than prevent one. After the one and a half hour local bus ride home from the stadium, zig-zagging every street possible, we got dropped off literally right in front of the hotel.
For our last dinner together, we decided on the classic pizzas and beer and just enjoyed ourselves. The past week was certainly a highlight of our trip and I got to see another side of my parents that I hadn´t really known about them. I know it´s been said a hundred times, but thank you again for making the trip all the way down to the bottom of the world and giving us such a memorable few days together!
We are now in Sucre, Bolivia. The last 4 days have been spent in the gorgeous countryside of Southwest Bolivia. We went with a tour agency and meet some really great people- in fact we all traveled to Sucre together. The tour inculded a jeep with driver/tour guide and a cook, 3 meals a day with snacks, places to sleep out in the middle of no where, and a lot of fun with amazing scenery! .
We ate llama tamales while lunching with the llamas, got blown away by incredible winds, explored towns that you'd think are abandoned, froze at night in 0 degree Celcius weather, woke up way too early to see amazing sunrises, drove up to crazy heights of about 15,000 feet (can you say altitude sickness?), drank some good local Bolivian beer, visited actual live volcanoes, saw 3 species of flamingos living in the random clear blue lagoons, warmed up in natural hot springs, kept far away from boiling hot geysers, explored crazy rock formations from some now inactive volcanoes, ate very very very well (thanks Nilda!), slept in a salt hotel (yes the walls, beds, chairs, tables, floors, etc. are all made of salt!), visited a great arts and crafts market, and saw the highest, largest salt flat in the world-- what you might think is snow in the pictures is all SALT!
Yes, the first 5 days in Bolivia have been amazing and we're excited for the next week and a half. Until next time... :)
Also, I have too many pictures and they are taking forever to upload on these slow computers. I will post them ASAP.
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