No end of the world in Foz do Iguaçu!

Well, dear readers, it would seem the world hasn't ended after all, much like we knew it wouldn't after having visited all the Mayan ruins in central America.   We've spent the last two days in Foz do Iguaçu, the town on the Brazilian side of the beautiful Iguaçu/Iguazu/Iguassu Falls that border Brasil, Argentina, and Paraguay.  The place is HOT with a subtropical climate, meaning VERY humid (yes, the caps are necessary!).  Yesterday, we crossed to the Argentinian side (yay, more passport stamps!  That's 8 stamps from Argentina for those of you counting at home, 6 from Chile, 4 from Honduras, and just 2 from everywhere else, except only 1 from Nicaragua and El Salvador which has zero... not to mention several commemorative stamps), where you get a very upclose look at the waterfalls.  We started by taking the train up to La Garganta del Diabo, the Devil's Throat, which is a large horseshoe shaped collection of incredible waterfalls with about an 80 meter drop.  They have built some impressive bridges so you can walk over the river to see the falls. This is normally where I would put in some pictures, however, Matt decided to shoot in RAW format, so they are too big to upload from the ipad!  If we are able to find a locutorio, we will try to upload them from there. We then hiked the upper and lower circuits, which were more bridges that allowed us to see several falls from the bottom and top, respecitvely.  It was quite hot and we worked up quite a sweat, so the spray from the falls felt nice!  We had wanted to take a ferry over to San Martin Island for some more hikes and up close views, but unfortunately, the island was closed yesterday for an unknown reason.  We decided instead to do the allegedly challenging Macuco Trail to see another falls.  We walked about 3 kilometers and saw a lot of great wild life on the way, including coatis (racoon like animals with long snouts), capuchin monkeys, tiger ants (they are about an inch long and emit a sort of smelly acid), and some very large lizards, that may have been tigus or monitors, we are not sure.  So after walking about 45 minutes on a relatively flat trail, we got to the spot where you shiuld descend to see the falls, however, the bridge had been washed out and the trail was closed!  We were so bummed and had to walk the whole way back without having been refreshed from the water.  We then walked back to the visitor center and checked out the small museum before heading back.  All in all, I reckon we walked about 12 kilometers, about 7.5 miles.  We were quite lucky with the weather, because it started thundering as we exited the park, but the rain didn't hit until we were already in the van.  It rained off and on all night, cooling the air to a much more pleasant temperature. This morning, we headed to the Parque das Aves, the Bird Park, where we saw an incredible number of beautiful and exotic birds.  There were several walk-through aviaries where there was nothing between us and some very large-beaked toucans, pheasants, cassows (not sure on the spelling), macaws, and other birds.  They was also a butterfly and humming bird walk-through and a reptile portion of the zoo; they don't let you into the Anaconda pool though, I wonder why?  We also a Carrowary, a bird I am pretty sure is the direct descendant of the Velociraptor; it's like a raptor and an ostrich had a baby that mated with the baby of a hen and a peacock.  (Definitely need to post a picture of that one!). We ended by getting to have a Macaw perch on our arms for a photo. Around noon we headed to the Brazilian side of the falls, where you can really see the entire set of falls at once.  It's truly breath-taking!  We then followed a path to a bridge which takes you right out into the falls near the Devil's throat - water protecttion necessary!  There is a strong wind from the falls and the water that gets pushed up gets everyone wet!  Just as we were finished walking along the path, which is much shkrter than the Argentinian side, it began to rain again, so we caught the bus back to the entrance of the park and then another bus back into town.   Tomorrow, we catch a bus to Rio de Janeiro, a 22 hour trip, and arrive there on Sunday.  We've rented an apartment in Copacabana which we'll share with my brother, Jeremy and our friend/his girlfriend Justine, who arrive a few days later.  Rio will be our last city in South America, and it is so hard to believe our trip is nearly at an end!  

Uruguay by the Numbers and another Oi from Florianópolis!

Oi again from Florianopolis. As you might imagine we have been very busy on the beach here studying Portuguese. Here are the numbers from Uruguay. We entered the country on November 15th, and left December 2nd. For some reason they didn't have the month right on the sta,p out so it says we left on November 2nd instead, but no we did not time travel in Uruguay. This gives us 17 days in the country in total. We entered Uruguay with only $27 and left with $111, most of which was in USD. We withdrew $1336 giving us a total spend of $1252, roughly $73.65 per day. Uruguay is one of the more expensive countries we have been to, and our last bus into Brazil really put it ovee the edge as it was $175 per person. Witthout that bus trip we would have only been at $53 per day, but we had to leave somehow!

So in Florianopolis we have been taking it easy. We ate at a local all-you-can-eat sushi place which incidentally had different prices for men and women. Quality was about what you would expect for a sushi buffet. We are staying in a small fishing village called Barra da Lagoa, and on the weekends it turns into a magnet for beachgoers. Everyone has been very friendly especially with our limited language skills. Yesterday we finally bought a new SIM card for our cell phone and apparently Brazil makes foreigners jump through some hoops to register the phone number. Luckily the lady who sold us the chip was kind enough to use her ID number so we could avoid going through the process. On Tuesday we will be heading to Iguaçu Falls, and in the meantime, more beaching!

So much to catch up!!!

Hello dear readers, friends, and family, Let me apologize for the long delay in blogging. Quite a lot has passed since we last wrote and I hope to catch you all up today. When we last wrote, we had just arrived in Montevideo and wete staying in a neighborhood called Pocitos. All we did there was relax on the beach and eat some delicious Uruguayan food, as we waited for the arrival of my mother and Matt's parents, who were coming to join us for Thanksgiving break. As before, I will let the mothers tell about our trip. Take it away, ladies: (Cue Belinda) It had only been 5 months since we had visited Sarah and Matt in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, but we couldn’t resist the urge to spend additional time with our children, so the “Moms” (Matt’s mother Saralyn and me, Sarah’s mother Belinda) planned another trip to South America. Based on our availability and the availability of tickets using our miles, we decided on Montevideo, Uruguay over Thanksgiving.  Then Allan (Matt’s father), decided he wanted to go, too, so he bought a ticket on the same flights as Saralyn and me and our trip was on! We left Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 20th and arrived in Montevideo on Wednesday, the 21st.  Our taxi took us from the airport along the Rambla, the road that goes along the Rio de la Plata, to Pocitos, a residential area along the south facing coast of Montevideo.  Sarah and Matt were waiting for us at our hotel, the Punta Trouville Suites. We walked along the Rambla in the afternoon, took an obligatory siesta and then had our first dinner in Montevideo at a local restaurant that specializes in empanadas. On Thursday we went to visit the Botanical Gardens, Matt and Sarah leading us on local buses, but unfortunately when we arrived we found that the Botanical Gardens were closed due to a labor strike.  We did find a nearby rose garden open and spent a bit of time there until the rain started.  We made it home on the bus, but not before getting a bit wet!  That evening we had a typical Thanksgiving dinner: Parilla, Uruguayan grilled barbecue meat, at a nice restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel. On Friday morning we went on a Jewish tour of Montevideo.  We started in the old city and saw the synagogues that were built by the city’s Jewish population at the turn of the last century, the Holocaust Memorial along the banks of the river and then visited the Jewish Community Center in Pocitos.  Saralyn and I ventured out to the Shopping Montevideo mall by ourselves that afternoon, taking a bus there and a taxi back.  That evening we had dinner at Raffi, a Mediterranean restaurant that Allan and Saralyn found when out walking.  Excellent kabob! Saturday we took a walking tour of the Old City.  Our guide, Maria, took us through the pedestrian shopping streets and pointed out various landmarks along the way.  We ended up at the Port of Montevideo and had lunch at El Palenque…incredible fresh salmon!  After siesta we returned to our favorite Pizzeria for dinner, this time trying another local dish, Chivito. On Sunday, Sarah led the group to the “Ferria” in downtown, which was a flea market spread out over several blocks.  Everything you never wanted from every garage and yard sale you’ve ever been to!  But Sarah was able to successfully trade in some books that she and Matt had already read for some new ones that she could read in the remaining time on their trip. On Monday we took a trip outside of Montevideo to the Bouza Bodega Boutique Winery.  Originally an old farm, it was purchased by the owner in about 2000 and made into a lovely small winery.  After touring the winery with winemaker Ana Laura and her assistant, Gus, from Holland of all places, we had an incredible lunch at the winery’s restaurant and sampled two of their wines, the Albarino and a Merlot-Tannat blend.  Both were really good and we’re hoping to find a store here in L.A. where we can buy them. Tuesday was museum day.  Saralyn and I started at MAPI, a museum for pre-Columbian art which also had a temporary exhibit on the second floor. The exhibit included photographs by two different artists and an historic musical instrument display.  Allan, Sarah and Matt enjoyed a cold beer at “Beatles”, a local cafe, while we enjoyed our art education! Then we all went to the National Bank Building and a church across the street which are currently being used to display works of art.  All of the exhibits were very interesting and the architecture of these old buildings was an extra added attraction.  We had lunch in the market at the Port again, enjoying various items from the grill. On our last day, we checked out of our hotel and took a long walk along the Rambla again.  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant right next to the water and just enjoyed sitting outdoors and being with each other.  We made one last stop at Matt’s favorite ice cream parlor, Venezia on the Blv. Espana and went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and say our good-byes to Matt and Sarah. We flew overnight to Miami, and returned to L.A. on Thursday afternoon. (cue Saralyn) ...And now it is Friday, November 30th. Allan and I have just driven back to Scottsdale, AZ, where we live, from our restful overnight at Belinda and Mike’s home in L.A. More than anything, our trip was memorable just because we had the opportunity to visit with Sarah and Matt again. This was quite different from our trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu. On that trip, we were on the move almost every day, constantly exerting ourselves with very little “down” time. This was a more “laid back” trip, with lots of time to visit with each other, time to stroll, and time to relax and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of just one city. We never tired of Sarah or Matt discussing the similarities and differences between the cultures they’ve visited, their thoughts and concerns for the futures of these countries and their people, telling us about the friends they’ve made throughout their travels, and to feel their love and excitement for the adventure they continue to have before they return to the states in just under six weeks. Montevideo is not a particularly beautiful city, but it is very easy to get around, people are very friendly, and there are any number of interesting things to do and places to visit. I was particularly impressed that, for the most part, people are polite and kind to others. When you are riding on a local bus, folks move over in the seats so you can sit down, there is no pushing and shoving, and people seem to be patient even when it is crowded. People didn’t push and shove in the marketplace. Montevideo is, simultaneously, a combination of quiet, calm areas, and vibrancy. The area in which we stayed, Pocitos, is very residential, so it was a great place to walk; browse in the neighborhood shops and grocery stores (more like our “mini marts”); enjoy a visit to the neighborhood hair salon, as did Belinda; and people-watch in the local environment. Yet, like any other major, international capital city of a country, consulates are scattered throughout the city, and Montevideo is vibrant with business and a huge port. The city sits at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, which is so big, it looks like the ocean itself! And, of course, a very important “plus” is that you can drink the water and eat raw fruits and vegetables!! On the whole, Montevideo is a very pleasant city. Of course, that’s not to say that everything in Montevideo is pedestrian friendly! You take your life in your hands when you step off the curb if there is a car anywhere in the vicinity! Stopping for pedestrians is not on the local drivers’ radar screens! Basically, though, Montevideo is a big city with a small city feel, and is a really nice place to visit. Thank you, Sarah and Matt, for sharing your experiences with us. We had a wonderful eight days, seeing Montevideo through your eyes and in your relaxed manner of touring. We wish you all the best, much fun, and a very safe journey as you continue on this last “leg” of your adventure! Savor every moment as you continue on your trip of a lifetime. We love you and can’t wait to see you again, in January! Belinda, Saralyn and Allan Well, there you have it. As you can see, we had our hands full that week, playing host to our parents and discovering Montevideo! After our folks left, Matt and I headed to Piriapolis, a beachtown an hour and a half up the coast. It's a cute sleepy beach town, unfortunately, the prices were a bit high as the high season is starting. The beach was nice but the water was cold and it even rained one day, cutting in on my suntanning time! After three nights, we headed back to Montevideo to catch our bus to Brazil! The ride was 18 hours from Montevideo to Florianopolis, Brazil, and though the bus did not have wifi as promised, it did have free whisky, so we weren't complaining. When we arrived on the island of Santa Catarina, we met a local tour guide who helped find a simple one room apartment on the east side of the island, at a beach called Barra de Lagoa. Costs here are surprisingly low considering it is high season, but it is certainly more expensive than some countries we've visited. The sun is shining bright all day long, so we're spending plenty of time on the beach, and there are lovely vegetable and fruit markets in town, so we're eating healthy, too. Yesterday, we had a Tejila do Açai for breakfast, which was a sort of yogurt made from the açai berry, very popular here, with granola and banana slices. After a few days of portunhol, we decided it might behoove us to learn some Portuguese, since we were having trouble communicating. As it happens, there is a school right across the street from us and yesterday we had our first Portuguese lesson! It is fitting that we are starting school again just as we started our spanish school this time, last year. It's a nice relaxed life here on the island and we're planning on staying and continuing classes until the 18th or so, with our next destination being Iguazu Falls. I am sure when you see the next pictures of us, you won't believe how tan we are! But don't worry, we wear sunscreen every day! Well, that's all for now. See you next time and I hope we'll write sooner this time! Tchau! (yes, that's how they spell it here!)

Uruguay and Argentina by the Numbers

Greetings friends, first Argentina by the numbers. As you will recall we entered Argentina on October 23, and left a few days ago on November 15. We were in the country for a total of 23 days, and withdrew $2144. We left with a mere $27, most of which was in Chilean and American currency, and we had entered Argentina with about $217. In total we spent $101.91 per day on average. Obviously, this makes Argentina the most expensive country of our trip so far. Some of this seemed justified, Argentina is a fairly modern country with all the high-tech amenities we are used to, however they are having some severe economic difficulties. There are strict currency restrictions preventing locals from changing their pesos into dollars. This has lead to a parallel market which gives a 30% markup in the value of the dollar. For someone traveling to Argentina from their home country it would make much more sense to bring dollars or Euros, or whatever other currency and then change it on the street in Argentina and get a much better rate. Given our style of travel, it did not make sense to carry around thousands of dollars through a dozen countries in anticipation of our arrival, so we really just had the chilean pesos when we crossed the border, where we got the black market rate (which is called bludolar in Argentina) but otherwise we used the ATM and got the official rate. Additionally, Argentina has been experiencing 20+% inflation over the past few years, so it looks like it will only get more expensive, especially as they limit currency transactions, although from what I read it looks like another default/currency devaluation may be in the near future, so as always, check the news before you visit.

Last thursday we said goodbye to our friend Paula and got on the boat from Buenos Aires to Colonia. We opted for the Colonia Express boat which was slightly cheaper than the competition. After undergoing the usual immigration formalities, and getting two more passport stamps, we settled into a cheap hotel in Colonia. Colonia is a very small town with a lot of colonial history both from Portugal and Spain. It is also a major tourist destination for day and weekend trippers from Buenos Aires. Many restaurants and businesses accept Argentine pesos, but the rate is even worse than the bludolar rate. On Thursday we went up to the top of the local lighthouse, and also ate an Uruguayan specialty, chivito. Chivito is served in two varieties, on a plate or on bread. We opted for chivito for two on a plate. Basically we got a plate covered with french fries, with some salad and potato salad on the side. On top of the french fries were two steaks. On top of the steaks were slices of ham, stacked on the ham were slices of cheese, on top of the cheese were fried eggs, topped off with slices of bacon. Obviously this is a very heart healthy meal. On Friday we went to a few different musuems. There are 9 small musuems around town that are part of a single ticket, so we bought that ticket and went to three of them. We also checked out the aquarium and an old naval musuems. All of the musuems are quite small, but there is an entire whale body that had washed up on the shore a long time ago, as well as some exhibits about the indigenous people of the area. Friday was another culinary experience. I ate gramajo which is a mixture of french fries, ham, cheese, onions, and peas in stir fry form. Saturday we took the bus to Montevideo, where the central bus terminal is also located in a giant mall, so after shopping for a bit and grabbing lunch we came to Pocitos (a beach neighborhood) and found a place to stay. As some of you know our parents are coming to visit us in a few days, so we have been given strict instructions to become experts of Montevideo before they arrive. We have already found the beach, and also found a delicious artisan ice creamery. We have also tested the local Uruguayan beers, so far they have a very good porter, more to come on that front later. Today we will be exploring more of the city, we will report back later.

Buenos Aires

Greetings from Buenos Aires! Since we last spoke we have had a great time touring around Bs As. On Saturday night there was a city-wide event known as Noche de los Museos, or night of the musuems. No folks, it's not like that Ben Stiller movie, none of the exhibits came to life, but basically most of the musuems in the city are free from 8:00 at night until 3:00 the next morning. It is a really neat idea, although in practice it seems like the city was a little overwhelmed by the turnout. We originally were going to go to the zoo, but the line was about ten blocks long, so we figured we would go to the planetarium instead. The planetarium also had a very long line, but it seemed to be done in groups since the tour started with a video. After visiting the planetarium, and finishing up around midnight we decided to grab some comida arabe and call it a night. Saturday morning, before resting up for our trip to the musuems, we went to a seaside neighborhood called La Boca. La Boca is a very touristy area selling artesania and other interesting handmade items. There are also a lot of touristy restaurants, you can get your picture taken with a tango dancer, etc. After wandering around for a little bit, we had seen pretty much all there was to see, so we had another adventure on the bus getting home. In Buenos Aires, the buses have an electronic payment system where locals swipe their card and money is taken from their account, however for travelers, you must pay the fare. The buses are only equipped with machines that accept coins, and rather inconveniently there is a coin shortage in this country. Luckily we barely had enough metal in our pockets to cover the ride home.

On Sunday we ventured to the Casa Rosada (pink house) similar to the American White House, although the president doesn't actually live there. We also went to the San Telmo neighborhood where they have a street fair. Again, we saw a lot of artesania and standard tourist merchandise, although there were some interesting antique shops as well as vendors selling bills and coins from Argentina's prior currencies. Monday we went back to the Casa Rosada and took a tour, as well as walked to the Congress building. Yesterday we walked to a very nice neighborhood called Recoleta, which is also home to a cemetary for many of the cities wealthy and elite. Many past presidents and generals are buried there, and we recognized many of the names as they are also names of streets, neighborhoods, and towns that we have seen in our travels. We also passed by Evita's crypt.

This morning we went to the local zoo. Although not quite as elaborate as the zoo in Cali, it housed a great deal of animals. Also, they have brought in some of the rabbit/kangaroo rodents that we saw in Patagonia and they are hopping all around the zoo. Tonight we are planning to watch some tango, and then tomorrow morning we have to be up bright and early to catch the ferry to Uruguay! See you in Colonia!!

Cordoba to Buenos Aires

Hello dear readers! We've had a fun and relaxed few days, so let me bring you up to date! Tuesday, we headed back to the art museums that had been closed the day before. We started at the Museo de Bellas Artes Emilio Carrafa, which features several modern art installations. Some were very interesting, including a photography exhibit of gun owners in Switzerland and another featuring the winners or a national young artist competition. We then headed to thw Palacio Ferrerya which featured more traditonal classic art as well as an exhibit of art featuring some atrocities from the dictatorship. Some other couch surfers came to stay with our host, so we spent the afternoon talking to them and sharing our various adventures. Wednesday, we were quite lazy, enjoying the heat, and had another delicious pancho (hot dog) for lunch. That night, we boarded our bus to Buenos Aires. Here in BsAs (prounounced bees-ayz), we are staying with our friend Paula, whom I know from Los Angeles who is now studying for her masters. She lives in the very hip neighborhood of Palermo. Of course, we were quite tired from our night journey and spent most of the day resting, though we did venture out to explore the neighborhood cafes and had lunch. Last night, there was a large protest downtown, but it was peaceful we heard. The forecast for today was rain, but when we woke up in the morning the sky was clear, so we decided to head out of doors until the rain arrived. We wandered through the Jardin Botanico and then went to the Museo Evita, about the famous Eva Perón. When we exited the museum, the sky had turned dark and it was quite windy. We weren't too far from home, so we thought we could get home quickly, but the rain was quicker. It started POURING! We were soaked from head to toe by the time we got home! Matt ran quickly across the street to buy some empanadas and sandwiches for lunch, then we dried off and have enjoyed the rest of the day indoors. It's still raining, so we'll just stay in for the night and continue our adventures tomorrow! That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Córdoba!

Greetings from Córdoba! We left Puerto Madryn last Thursday and grabbed a night bus to Córdoba, arriving a little late on Friday morning. We had made plans to stay with a fellow couchsurfer here, and called him when we arrived. We still hadn´t yet purchased a SIM card for Argentina, so while we were in the locutorio we inquired in that regard. We decided to pick up a $5 SIM card (a little over $1 US) so that we could communicate while we are here. Carlos, whom we met on couchsurfing, picked us up and took us to his apartment before he went back to work. We relaxed for a little bit, then made plans to meet up with our friend Paula, who is a university student here in Córdoba. We wandered around the city a bit until we met her and then she gave us a walking/driving tour of the city. We saw many important buildings, as well as the University City. There are a lot of universities and colleges here and the city has a very youthful feel to it. It is also significantly warmer than the last few places we have been. We have even had to use the air conditioning, a welcome change from the snowy Ushuaia.

On Saturday we explored the city some more and in the early afternoon we decided to escape the heat by watching a movie. We saw the new 007 movie and I think it´s fair to say that we were the only people not reading the subtitles judging by when we laughed and when the rest of the audience laughed. We went out to dinner with Carlos and a few of his friends and tried some interesting new empanadas. On Sunday we took the bus up to the Sierras around Córdoba. In the Sierras there are a lot of quaint little towns and villages and it seems like a weekend/summer getaway for a lot of the city dwellers. We hiked around for a little bit and eventually settled down on a ¨beach¨for a few hours. This beach is actually the bank of a river, and there were plenty of hippies hanging out with their juggling, guitar-playing, substance-smoking selves. After a quick lunch at the Argentina standard lunchtime of about 4:00 PM we grabbed a bus back to town.

Yesterday we made the superhuman effort of waking up early so that we could go see a few musuems in town. We went to the Cabildo, a municipal building sort of like city hall which has a musuem and then ventured to a few other musuems in the city only to discover that they are closed on Mondays! We had no other choice but to eat. We found a nice little cafe in the square and I had a few medialunas (croissants) and Sarah had some cold cuts. We came back to Carlos´apartment for a brief siesta, then took our books to the park for an afternoon of reading. On the way we decided to get a pancho, which is Argentine Spanish for hot dog. As you might expect, a hot dog here is nothing like a hot dog in America. My hot dog came with olives, onions, cheese, chimichurri sauce, a ¨rain¨of french fries, and chopped up tomatoes and onions. Sarah was less adventurous with her hot dogging, but redeemed herself with a trip to the ice cream truck next door. It was so hot in the park that after reading for a little bit we decided to go to a little cafe and have a beer to cool off. Today we are going to try to get to the musuems again, and tomorrow we head off to Buenos Aires!