Hot Stuff

The steaming gysers at Tatio

3:30am. I switched off the alarm before it had a chance to wake everyone in the room. I had been counting the minutes for the past couple of hours. For some reason I just couldn't get to sleep last night. I looked at Ali who was comfortably sleeping in bed next to me and shrugged her quilt. There was no response. I shrugged it again. Tapped her on the shoulder...hit her on the back...finally she woke up and removed the plugs from her ears. "The time has come" I said with a menacing tone of voice (for no other reason than to amuse myself). After a few reluctant attempts we both got out of bed and fumbled around quietly in the dark to prepare ourselves for the day ahead. At 4:00am we were picked up from outside our hostel and began the 2 hour journey.


The steaming gysers as seen from afar

In order to see the Tatio geysers at their best it was necessary to make an early start. We arrived just before dawn after driving for 2 hours in the dark. We had reached a height of 4,320 metres in the Andes where the volcanic hot spot was situated. I couldn´t quite believe my eyes as we drove closer towards the jets of steam escaping from the earth. Violent spurts of boiling water sprung into the air producing water vapour. An effect which is only possibly when the air is below zero, hence the reason why we arrived so early. It was such an amazing sight as we watched the plumes of steam rise upwards illuminated by the first rays of sunlight. After a brief introduction we were allowed to wander around and take an even closer look at the gysers. It´s hard to believe that the water was boiling to the point of bubbling. I couldn´t help but think about what lay just beneath my feet. But even the thought of such heat didn´t help keep me warm. I was bloody freezing and had difficulty breathing in such thin dry air. There was a girl in our group who had to lay down in the back of the bus because she was experiencing altitude sickness. I myself felt light-headed and was dangerously cold. I was shaking uncontrolably. I heard someone say it was -10oC. That didn´t surprise me. What did surprise me however, was the ingenious idea of boiling eggs in one of the gysers. I watched in amusement as our guide carefully placed a bag of eggs into the hot bubbling water. A carton of chocolate milk was also heated to perfection in the same way. 20 minutes later, breakfast was served and we all enjoyed hard boiled eggs, a sandwich, chocolate and coffee.


Machuca village church

I was just starting to get warm when I had to take all my clothes off. Except for my swim shorts that is. Yes, it was minus 10 degrees and I was wearing nothing but swim shorts. One of the advantages of geo-thermal activity is natural hot springs. We of course couldn´t resist bathing in the hot muddy water and I jumped straight in. I foolishly didn´t observe the best place to enter the pool and took a big step into what looked like a shallow area. It wasn´t. I instantly sunk almost waist deep into the mud and couldn`t easily get out. I panicked for a while until I eventually managed to climb back out. Almost freezing at this point, I followed the others to a deeper part of the pool where there was no mud. The temperature was perfect and every now and then you could feel a wave of heat as the land beneath us ejected more hot water. It was an interesting experience to say the least. After the painful process of drying off and changing back into warm clothes, we drove onwards to a small village called Machuca. The settlement is located to the northeast of San Pedro at a height of 4,000 metres. We saw a church, several small huts/houses before buying a delicious empanada from one of the locals and a hot cup of mate de cocoa. It´s a tea made from cocoa leaves. Not a huge fan of it but aparently it´s very good for dealing with high altitudes. On the way back to San Pedro I saw more active volcanoes than I could easily count. It was incredible. Our guide did point out his favorite which looked like a woman's breast. I also saw llama for the first time. The llama has special biological characteristics that enables it to adapt to life at high altitudes. This special animal has many significant benefits to the people who live at such great heights. Only the old llamas are killed so they can eat their meat, use their skins and fibres for clothes, use their faeces as a fertilizer and when the faeces are dry, they use them for fuel. Llamas really are an invaluable assset to the locals. It´s no wonder they worshiped and depicted in a lot of art. Finally, we got see flamingoes. Their natural habitat is the salin environment of the Chilean high plateau and we stopped to take a look at them dining in the lake.

When we arrived back in San Pedro I didn´t want to do anyhting but sit and read my book. I´m currently reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have only read half but I reckon it´s my favorite book so far. I thank my friend Michael in Chicago for the recommendation!


My first llama sighting

San Pedro de Atacama

The church in San Pedro de Atacama

This morning I woke up early. Ali was still in bed when I began my search for the nearest coffee shop and it wasn't long before I found one. I sat down, ordered a cappuccino and started writing. The walls in the cafe were painted terracotta and cracked with age. The sand floor was complimented by an exposed straw and clay roof. The tables and chairs were constructed using tree branches. All kinds of local art and ceramics where strewn everywhere. I remember thinking how funny it was that the only item that looked out of place in the coffee shop was the coffee machine. The very object that caught my attention and beckoned me in from the street.

San Pedro de Atacama is a small town, village really, that consists of a church, post office, atm, a small supermarket and a surprisingly large variety of very stylish restaurants. Well, stylish in a sort of Chilean deserty kind of way. Unfortunately there are many tourists that litter the beautiful town because it's the gateway to a miriad of amazing sights and activities. Both in Atacama and just accross the border in Bolivia. For that reason alone there are lots of tour agencies, hostels and horrid shops selling hidiously patterned clothing to anyone with bad taste. It´s outrageously expensive here because it can be. Having looked at the many tempting tours available I get the impression our time here will require much restraint. However, for the first time in a very long while I feel like a traveler again. It could be the fact that we are in the middle of a desert. The most arid desert in the world where the air is dry and the sky is a constant cloudless bright blue. There's no traffic. No pollution. All of the buildings here are made of clay and have straw roofs. The unsurfaced roads are covered in sand and dirt. At night, the stars are so bright and clear that you can even see galaxies. At last, my sense of adventure has been rejeuvenated and I intend to make the most of it!

After breakfast Ali and I signed ourselves up for an afternoon tour of Valley de la Luna (Moon Valley). We left San Pedro at 3:00pm in a mini bus with 15 other tourists. We departered San Pedro and simultaneously entered nothing but 360 degrees of arid landscape. All devoid of any signs of life. Rain is almost unknown and in some places it has never rained at all. There are no plants. There are no insects. It was an amazing sight. Even more impressive was the string of volcanoes along the Andes which never left our sight. My particular favorite was Licancabur which rises a staggering 5,900 metres above sea-level. According to experts licancabur means "the town in the sky" (in the Kunza language) which suggests that people were actually crazy enough to live up there.

We hadn´t even arrived at Moon Valley and already it started to look like we were on another planet. The landscape was incredible. So incredible in fact that Audi, the luxury car manufacturer, are shooting their latest commercial there. We passed the film crew on route where I watched about 5 people vigerously polish two of the latest models. The cars had been delicately positioned on the moon-like terrain and were presumably just about ready for another take. I admired their choice of location.


Volcan Licancabur and Death Valley

It wasn't long before we arrived at our first destination, Death Valley. It´s unusual forms and strange colours reminded me of nothing I have ever seen before. The bizzare formations in the land are due to several contributing factors according to our guide. He explained (in broken English) that the land is made up of salt, gypsum and clay and has been subjected to the folding of the Earth´s crust and heavy pounding from water and wind from thousands of years ago. The fun part was when we got to take off our shoes and run all the way down a huge sand dune to the bottom of the valley. It was here where our bus awaited our return and took us to the second and final attraction.


The sand dunes at Death Valley

Moon Valley is located 2,250 meters above sea-level at the side of the Atacama Salt Flats in the middle of the Salt Mountain Range. The valley is famous for its resemblance to the surface of the moon. Its different stratifications and salt formations were created by several environmental factors and proved to be the perfect place for the USA to test their lunar vehicles. The salt that covered much of the land could almost be mistaken for frost or even snow in some areas. We walked along the ridge of a mountain for about 30 minutes until we reached the end. It was perfectly timed so that we could watch the sun set over the Salt Mountain Range. The perfcet end to an incredible day.


Our group at the edge of Death Valley


More sand dunes at Death Valley


The sun setting over the Salt Mountain Range

Return to Santiago

"I'll get this one," Ali returned the favour and purchased two tokens for the bathroom. We are at our 2nd toilet stop since leaving Santiago last night. We have been travelling north accross the Atacama desert and will arrive at our destination at 10pm this evening. A total of 24 hours on a bus! As usual, the long bus ride povided me with the perfect opportunity to write about past trials and tribulations. My second visit to Santiago wasc much different than the first...

When we stepped off the bus I knew exactly what to do and where to go. It´s always a pleasure to return to a familiar environment and our second visit to Santiago was surprisingly better than the first. The past 4 days have been quite intense. Although I never ruled out the possibility, I was not prepared for what did actually manifest during such a small period of time. A romance. I was looking forward to seeing our friends at the hostel again and even entertained the thought of establishing a relationship with one particular member of the group. I never anticipated that it would actually develop into something meaningful. My time spent in Santiago was much more involved because of this and it provided me with a real taste of local culture. For once I wasn´t a tourist. I was a member of a fun group of friends participating in activities that fun groups of friends typically do in a big city like Santiago. These activities mostly involved drinking pisco and cerveza (local liquor and beer) but it wasn´t so much what we did that was different. It was more about where we did it. I was fortunate enough to visit a family house in the suburbs, an apartment in the city, and numerous night spots which otherwise wouldn´t have been on my itinerary. Needless to say, I hardly slept during my visit to Santiago but it felt good. Really good!

Mendoza - Santiago

In case you wondered exactly how the bus drove through the Andes

Without a doubt, this bus journey was the most incredible I have experienced so far. We traveled for 8 hours (if I remember correctly) zig zagging through the Andes. I couldn´t stop taking pictures which is why this special entry is more visual than literary. Here are some of my favorites...

Mendoza

I stop to take a picture of the vineyard

Ali couldn´t quite put her finger on it. It smelt a lot like something she was familiar with but didn´t know what. I swirled the wine in my glass and took a sniff for myself. I identified the mysterious fragrance at once. Nail varnish remover! Yes, Ali concurred. The wine smelt exactly like acetone. We looked at each other and reluctantly took a sip from the glass. Fortunately it tasted better than the fragrance but not by much. Our first winery visit was one of the biggest in Maipu and our tour was very informative and interesting. They also had a museum which displayed old tools that were used during the early days of wine making. It was fascinating to see how much things have changed. My particular favorite was the huge elevated stretched cow skin that was used to squash grapes...with bare feet!


Ali considers making a purchase

We rented bikes from a place in the city so that we could visit the wineries in Maipu at our own lesiure. Our destination was an unpleasant 60 minutes cycle alongside the highway, but once we were amongst the vineyards in Maipu, it was perfectly pleasant. The second winery we visited didn´t have an English tour available but we still had a look around. Because the building wasn´t in use anymore (they moved premises) it was essentially just a large museum. The place still reeked of wine though. The smell was almost intoxicating. As we had hoped, we were offered to try a few of the wines. Not quite tipsy enough, we made our way to winery number three. Lopez winery was the most impressive out of the three because they actually allowed us to visit the bottling area. I was amazed at how the machines did absolutely everything. Our guide actually had to come back to escort me out when she realised that I hadn´t left with the others in the group. We learnt about how wine is made and how every part of the grape is utilised. Nothing wasted. Can you believe, they even sell compressed grape skins to cosmetic companies and the likes. That is, after they have squeezed them for a second time to produce another (poorer quality) wine. The last place we visited was the tasting lab. Behind the window we could see a wine taster surrounded by hundreds of test tubes and beakers. He was very cheery and even allowed us to take a picture of him swilling some wine. I´m not surprised he was cheery. God knows how much wine he had "tasted". We finally got to do some tasting ourselves down in the cellar at the end of the tour. We tried four wines, two of which I liked the best out of all the wineries we visted. I considered enquiring about job vacancies. I was particularly interested in lab work! We ended the trip to Maipu with a visit to a Chocolate factory. Well, it was called a chocolate factory but it was more of a house that made lots of different things including liquor. We tasted dulce de leche liqour and some chocolate but ended up buying homemade olive tepanade. Ali and I love olives and thought it would be a nice treat with dinner that night. This tepanade was made with green olives and paprika along with the usual ingredients (unknown). It tasted good. Excellent in fact!


Meat is cheap. Very cheap!

Mendoza is my favorite city in Argentina besides Buenos Aires. It´s not as old but still has character. The nice plazas and tree-lined streets create a cosy, if not intimate, atmosphere which encourages you to linger. The city is cleaner and well populated making it a livlier more pleasant city to walk around. We even got to whitness a student protest which involved blocking one of the main roads holding banners and chanting. Although I didn´t entirely agree with their methods I enjoyed seeing such emotion, action and life for a change. It sort of woke me out of a daze which I had been in for quite some time. I had finally found atmosphere. Something that rarely exists anywhere else in Argentina (except Buenos Aires of course) or Paraguay. Students...maybe that´s the key. Other cities in comparison aren´t lively because there is not much youth living there. Well, anyway, I´m rambling. We met an American resident on the street who suggested we visit the local indoor market and she showed us exactly where it was on our map. The market had everything, and we wanted it all. Meats, cheeses, empanadas, olives, cherries, preserves, wine, salami...we splurged and bought some bife de lomo. Two inch thick lean steaks cost us about two pounds. Add red wine, a squeeze of lemon juice, some salad and whuala! A delicious meal with a bottle of wine for under 3 pounds each! There wer certainly no complaints there.

I would have liked to stay in Mendoza longer but unfortunately we are pressed for time. Our bus leaves for Santiago in the morning. I wonder how our second visit will differ from the first...

Santa Fe

The hotel reception consisted of a small sliding glass window from which an old man sat behind watching his tv. I couldn't see the tv from where I was standing but I could hear it very faintly. Its light flickered around the tiny closet-like space within. The old man asked for his money up front which I thought was rather odd then escorted me up the dark and gloomy staircase to the third floor where I was able to view the room. This didn't look like your usual hotel and something gave me the impression we weren't the usual type of clientele. I'm guessing most of the guests who check-in here don't have baggage.

The room looked clean enough. It was 5:00 in the morning and frankly I didn't have the energy or motivation to be fussy. I accepted the room, "Si señor, muchas gracias" and returned to reception. Ali was evidently tired and eagerly awaited my thumbs up. The room was small and basic but looked quite comfortable. Next to the bed there was a small table and a lamp. No bulb. The walls were crimson coloured with some cheap tacky art strung here and there. The most unattractive of features however, was the giant mirror located at the foot of our bed. I immediately checked the ceiling in case their was a second. Thankfully, there wasn't. Just a ceiling fan which circulated so violently I thought it was going to murder us at any moment.

As soon as we were dressed for bed I turned off the light and the ceiling fan. It was quiet and surprisingly still bright. As we both climbed into the double bed together I tried not to look at Ali or our reflection in the big mirror behind our feet. There was an uncomfortable silence. A few moments later Ali couldn't resist asking "did you see the splashes on the wall behind us?" "Splashes? What kind of splashes?" I replied. "I don't know, just splashes" she continued to whisper. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about it. I was successful for about an hour until I awoke to the sounds of people having sex in the room next door. A prostitute most likely. Ali of course was sound a sleep. Or at least she pretended to be. I started singing in my head in an attempt to block out the sounds of our excited neighbors. Besides prostitution, I wondered what else Santa Fe had to offer and looked forward to sight-seeing the next day.

After a much needed sleep we left our hotel room around midday. We strolled around the city looking for places of interest. Places to admire and linger in. We could'nt find any. None of the limited museums or sights where open so we could only appreciate their exterior. Even bars were hard to come by. Like Corrientes, Santa Fe seems to lack atmosphere. A buzz. Life! I suppose it must be the lack of population as about a third live in Buenos Aires. But there are so many buildings. Shops. Evidence that there was at least once a population to justify such development. We stayed another night in the seedy hotel before leaving the following day.

Next stop, Mendoza. Surely just their wine alone will take my fancy...

Bar/Cafe/Kiosk that Sells Everything...

The following is nothing but silly random notes from my dairy. Just 40 minutes of beer consumption whilst waiting for Ali. And for some reason, I was inspired to write about it...

While Ali remains typing her money away at the internet cafe across the road, I decided to drink mine away instead. Frankly, I have blogged and emailed for as long as I can bare. I felt it was time to switch mediums. So now I am writing. I am sitting at a bar/cafe/kiosk that offers everything from bubble gum to whisky. And, yes, those wafer thin sandwiches plus all the tools you would require to drink Argentinian tea through a metal straining straw. So I am alone sitting at the bar on a stool. I'm drinking Brahma beer. I just turned the bottle around to get the correct spelling. I think I might be drunk. Or bored. I don't normally write about these trivial sorts of events but I suppose it's about time I did start writing about them. You're probably more interested in the little things than the big things. I mean, who cares about that ancient church across the street? I think the woman who owns this bar/cafe/kiosk is far more interesting. She's just sitting there in front of me. At her command station. The till where she collects all the money and issues the orders. She's big as well. Really big. Like an over-inflated...human shaped baloon. Why am I writing this? Oh, that's right, I'm bored! So I'm drinking Brahma beer (it's called cerveza in Spanish) and I'm writing in my black spiral bound note book. When I'm not writing I'm looking at the fat woman in front of me. I like her. Ali and I have been here before. We arrived this morning to buy our bus tickets to Santa Fe from this very bus terminal. We have been here all day. Just blogging and emailing until it's finally time to leave Corrientes. We ate breakfast sitting at this exact same bar. Spoke to the exact same fat woman (except she wore different clothes. Interesting. She changed! Why?) and even managed to have an interesting conversation about football. At least it would have been interesting if I understood a word she said and was actually interested. She was recalling some ancient World Cup game when Argentina beat England with a controversial goal by Maradonna. Urghh. They love him here. Well, my beer has ran out. Where it has ran to I do not know. Should I have another? Yes, "una mas cerveza por favor...y una migas jamon y queso." Yes, I'll have one of those wafer thin sarnies as well. Mmm. They cut the crust off too. So, I'm sitting here watching. Observing the activities taking place before me. People buying bus tickets. People coming and going at this bar/cafe/kiosk that sells everything. Apparently I'm the only permanent member of the bar. The man who was next to me finished his (rather large) glass of red wine and 3 empanadas in just five minutes. Then off he went. Where? I don't know. I'm wondering what's in store for us next. I know the bus journey to Santa Fe will be long. 10 hours I think. Then what? Will Santa Fe be as sassy as I'm hoping it will be. Is 'sassy' even a good thing? What is 'sassy' exactly? This sandwhich reminds me of the sarnies my Mum used to make me for school. Except bigger. White bread with the crusts cut off. Ham and cheese sandwiched and seperated by 3 layers of bread. I don't know how, or why for that matter, they make the slices so big. I mean, did they think it would be novel or something. The fat lady didn't make them. Nor did any of the men who are serving people like me sitting at the bar. How do I know this? I know this because I just saw the delivery being made. Pre-manufactured and sealed in packs of 1, 2, 3...10. Packs of 10! They're wafer thin. It's halarious. I tell you what though, this beer is going down a treat. And the sandwiches too. Both of them seem to go hand in hand. It's starting to get dark now. Not long til the bus leaves. I wonder when Ali is going to get here. I swear she writes like she talks. Lots!

Our Second not so Happy Easter

Ali, me, and our beautiful egg

So. We're back in Argentina after a very brief visit to Paraguay. We crossed the border and headed straight to the nearest city. Corrientes. Small but it seems much livelier and more populated than any city in Paraguay. Today is Easter Sunday. I'm not religious but embrace any opportunity that encourages extreme consumption of chocolate. Easter just wouldn't be Easter without devouring at least one giant chocolate egg. Ali shared my enthusiasm and helped me purchase the nicest egg we could find.


Ali is obviously eggcited

Our egg was quite special. It came from a patisserie in the town center and was hand made with iced decorations. Inside the egg were an assortment of chocolates and jelly sweets. Both the chocolate and sweets inside were good. There was however something quite unsettling about where we were eating it. Our hotel.

We arrived late last night and after consulting the guide book we choose this hotel due to its convenient location and affordable price. What the guide book failed to mention about Hotel Sudamericano is the fact that it is not so pleasantly located inside what seems to be...a car park. A walled compound with a motel on one side and a parking garage on the other. At around 7:30 this morning the noisy cars that where parked just meters from our door started the painful process of reversing back out onto the street. Exhaust fumes and noise filled our room.

And as for Corrientes...Lacks charm. Quite dull. Almost depressing.

Bye Bye Paraguay

The lovely Cuidad del Este

Our arrival in Paraguay was the most interesting thing that happened during our time there. We experienced what was definitely the most bizzare border crossing of our entire trip so far. Ali and I boarded a local bus from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina which took us to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. This was great except for the fact that we went unofficially via Brazil. We were completely unaware that in order to get to Paraguay from Puerto Iguazu it involved a 20 minute whizz through Brazil. This unexpected trip through another country turned out to be quite problematic since the bus never stopped for the foreigners onboard (us) to obtain the necessary entry and exit stamps in their passport.

What's even more amusing is that the bus didn't stop at the Paraguay border either. We had unofficially entered 2 countries on the same day! The driver finally stopped the bus at a terminal on the outskirts of the city. We stepped off the bus in dispair. Ali was going crazy and commenced the usual everythingsgonewrongohshit routine. I did what I could to restore her temperament before figuring out the best course of action. We realised it wasn't normal procedings to enter two countries without having your passport checked and so to cut an even longer story shorter...we ended up having to travel all the way back to the Paraguay/Brazil border to correct the problem.

The officers didn't like that we entered their country without an exit stamp from the other side. He demanded that we cross back over the bridge to Brazil to get what we needed. I knew that would be a waste of time. The Brazilian officers would probably fine us for not getting an entry stamp. "But we don't even have a Brazilian entry stamp" I tried to explain in broken Spanish but it was no use. Ali suggested that we try bribing the officers and I got the money out of my wallet in preparation. Fortunately a different officer that Ali approaced was a much more understanding and stamped, although very reluctantly, our necessary entry stamps for Paraguay. Having sorted the problem we had just enough time to get back to the terminal to board the 4:00pm bus to Encarnacion.

As we anticipated, it really has been a hop skip and a jump through Paraguay. From Encarnacion we breifly visited the picturesque remnants of the Jesuits in Trinidad where we played hide and seek amongst the ruins. From Encarnacion we traveled Northwest to Asuncion where our tour ended.

So, Paraguay...let's see. It was hot. Ali was stared at a lot. We met hardly any travelers. We saw shanty towns just meters away from a prestine presidential palace. We saw tumbleweeds rolling down the streets. Well, at least I expected to see them. I felt uncomfortable around the locals. The landscape was bleak, the people were friendly, the food was...limited. Other than that, I don't know what else to say really. The majority of our time there was very neutral. It wasn't offensive nor was it enriching in any way.

It seems the more I travel the harder it is to describe a place somehow. I have seen so many unbelievable sights around the world in such a condensed time frame that, in a way, makes it harder to appreciate less fortunately endowed locations. Like Paraguay.

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu National Park

Our overnight coach journey to Puerto Iguazu from Buenos Aires was surprisingly comfortable. Coaches in Argentina have got to be the best in South America, if not the world! It depends on which type of coach you travel on but most of them offer food, movies and almost fully reclining over-sized seats with blankets and pillows. There was something quite strange about the fact that we were traveling in such luxury accross South America when such a large percentage of the population live in poverty.

Ali and I arrived in the small town of Puerto Iguazu early in the afternoon and immediately started looking for a place to stay. We were fortunate enough to be approached on the street by the owner of a very nice guesthouse. He suggested that we take a look inside to see if we approved. The room was cosy and clean with an ensuite bathroom. Our room faced a garden which was tranquil and relaxing. An unfamiliar feeling having just spent two weeks in a big city. The only sounds I could hear were exotic birds chirping in the trees and insects buzzing around the bushes. We happily accepted the room and anticipated our visit to the great waterfalls of Iguazu which lay just a short bus ride away.


A view of Devil's Throat from afar

Similar to the Great Wall of China, Iquazu Falls was an experience which far exceeded my expectations. I could hardly control my excitement as we neared Garganta del Diablo (devils throat). My pace quickened as I observed the huge spray of water risng from the gorge ahead of us. Iguazu National Park covers 67,000 hectares of tropical rain forest and has been declared a World Heritage site. There are more than 275 waterfalls within the park that reach an average height of 40 to 80 meters. Devil's Throat is arguably the most impressive and it was only moments away.


Devil's Throat as seen from above

The boardwalk upon which we had been walking finally came to an end. I was there. Watching in astonishment as the mass of calm shallow water that we had been walking over for the past 10 minutes reached the end of it's existence. The sight was unbelieveable and I honestly find it difficult to put into words. So much water. So much energy. The water gushed over the edge of the cliff and disappeared into a misty white spray of nothingness below. It was amazing!


A butterfly

The amount of butterflies that graced the park was almost just as impressive as the falls themselves. If you held out your hand long enough a number of them would happily occupy it. After taking 50 pictures just of insects I resited taking anymore and reserved my remaining battery power for our next view of the falls.


A bird

We walked along the lower circuit trail to observe the next set of waterfalls. I took note of the signs warning us about snakes and cautiously searched every tree or bush that we passed on the way. I never saw a snake but I did get a close-up of a an exotic bird every now and then. The second set of falls were just as incredible as the first but this time we viewed them from below and got to see Garganta del Diablo from a different angle. Absolutely stunning to the point of incomprehension. Not a single photograph that we have taken actually do these falls any justice. But of course I'm going to show you anyway.


If you look closely you'll see a rainbow


More falling water and rain forest


Me and Ali in front of Garganta del Diablo


Me


Me again


Ali. And that's a local footy top she's wearing!

Vida en Buenos Aires (Part II)

With just a few hours to spare before our 18 hour bus journey to Puerto Iguazu I figured now would be a good time to write about our two weeks in Buenos Aires. Our daily Spanish classes have been a challenge and our homework in the evening was even harder. The weekends offered respite from a tiresome week of studying and provided us with an opportunity to visit some of the many attractions in and around the city.


Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo. No signs Evita surprisingly

My feet ache just thinking about all the walking we have endured. Buenos Aires is a huge city with penty to see and do. Art galleries, museums, shopping malls and grand architecture gracing almost every street. The locals seem to be extremely passionate about politics as demonstrations or protests are performed almost daily and usually take place in Plaza de Mayo. Behind this plaza is Casa Rosada which features the famous balcony where Evita once stood to address her crowds. Puerto Madero was a welcomed escape from the nauseating smog and eternal noise of the city. The old docks and nearby wetlands were only a 30 minute walk from our hostel but it felt like we were a million miles away. Needless to say it was popular with the locals and tourists alike. One of my favourite sites however is worth a more detailed description...

On Saturday afternoon Ali and I took an intriguing stroll around a cemetary. This wasn't any old collection of tombstones. It was Cementerio de la Recoleta, a huge walled necropolis containing hundreds of marble tombs and ornate sarcophaguses. Literally, a city for the deceased elite. Every tomb had a sub-level which stored caskets containing generations of past family members within. It was fascinating to say the least and we spent hours wandering around the "streets" studying the many different styles of architecture and enscriptions. Every turn presented yet another eye-catching tomb to investigate. I was addicted to the dead. It was difficult for Ali and I to stay together as we are huge photography fiends and usually way too engrosed in what's behind the lense of our camera than each others whereabouts. We eventually followed the crowds to Evita's grave where I had to practically crawl between the legs of 20 or so Japansese tourists only to catch just a glimpse of her family's tomb.


Yes. Another "architecture shot"

On Friday night we enjoyed dinner with our friends from Spanish school. The seven of us went to a popular Parilla (steak house) in San Telmo which was a very enjoyable experience. The majority of us ordered the same thing. Steak. And lots of it! For less than two pounds a steak you can't complain really and we had no reason to either. The food was delicious. The eight of us probably consumed as much beer and meat as was humanly possible before heading off to the nearest bar to wash it all down with.


View of the city from Plaza de Mayo


These women at Peurto Madero amused me to no end. Especially the deranged Betty Davis look-alike

Because Argentinians don't speak English (obviously), I have been forced to speak Spanish regardless of whether I can string a proper sentance together or not. Most of the time my efforts are successfull but there are times when people completely misunderstand me. Like the time I ordered tuna stuffed tomato for instance and got three drinks delivered to my table instead. Then there are times when I misinterpret what people tell me. Like the time Ali and I walked into an icecream shop thinking it was a laundrette and lifted my bag of dirty clothes towards his scales. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. To be fair though, his shop did look very much like a laundrette. We purchased an icecream to eradicate any bad feelings.

In short, I have enjoyed my time in Buenos Aires but I am looking forward to moving on. It will be interetsing to see if their obsession with wafer thin sandwiches, tasty empanadas and that tea which they drink through a metal straw (they absolutely can't seem to live without it) continues throughout the rest of Argentina.

Next stop...the most spectacular set of waterfalls in the world!!!