Good Bye South America

8/2/2010

In just a few hours we’ll be getting back on a plane and heading home to Australia.

Buenos Aires has been so action packed that I’ve not managed to get any of my blog ideas written up into full posts. We’ve had Tango lessons, danced at a couple of different dance halls (Milongas) and walked all over town checking out different sights, shops, restaurants and just the streets.

Seventeen pairs of shoes later, and with heavy hearts, we’re saying Good Bye to South America. This has been such an amazing holiday, and I promise I will write up more of the days here. We’ll definitely be back.

I leave you with some photos from the last few days. Thanks for reading while we were away. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you’ll enjoy when I fill the gaps.

Ralf and Erin

 

San Telmo, Buenos Aires

31/1/2010

We’re safely ensconced in a little apartment in Buenos Aires, which makes a nice change from the hotel rooms we’ve been in. The place is beautiful, with an eclectic mix of furnishings, very high ceilings, and a fascinating view of an abandoned, but once grand, building seen behind the trees that line the street.

Two streets up from us, past a beautiful big church, is a little square where handmade crafts are sold and tango dancers perform for the visitors having a drink. A huge second hand goods, fruit and meat market is a block over, and there are plenty of little supermarkets and other shops to get us stocked up for the next 10 days. It was nice to have a simple home cooked meal of rice, egg and vegetables last night. I was really exhausted and went to bed early, but today I’m looking forward to a big day exploring again.

Bye for now,

Ralf

 

Back to Buenos Aires

30/1/2010

We lost Internet access for a day yesterday, and I was too tired to write something up anyway after another amazing day at Iguazu. Tucan, Aguti, Coati, swimming in a secluded pool with waterfall, boat ride under huge waterfalls, more amazing sights, huge butterflies, boat ride along quiet backwaters, alligators, more beautiful birds, and waterfalls that take your breath away. I’ve not yet had the time to write about that one I mentioned the other day.

Stay tuned for more details and amazing photos. Here’s a spot we sat down for for lunch. The umbrella was someone selling water. It’s just a few rocks off the path, not a viewing spot or anything.

Adios

Ralf

PS One for my overcaffeinated friends too. Forget about rice in the salt, do what they do at restaurants here. R

 

Iguazu day 2

28/1/2010

Yesterday we were on the Brazilian side of the Iguazu waterfalls. Today we went to the Argentinian side. The Brazilian side was really amazing, and the 3 1/2 hours we had there were great.

Apparently when Eleanor Roosevelt first saw the Iguazu falls, she said “Poor Niagara.” Seeing the Argentinian side of Iguazu, I have to say “Poor Brazil.”

We’re going to go back for a second day, as there are areas we’ve not yet seen and areas I have to see again. There is one wall of water that I will write it’s own post on when I get the photos off my main camera.

Avatar’s fantasy 3D world was not as grand and awe inspiring as this place. There are different tracks and walkways, framing their own different majestic views every 20 metres as you walk along. There are kilometres of this.

I’ve uploaded a little video of one small part. I’m not being facetious either.

Ralf

 

Water Falls

27/1/2010

The Iguazu river waterfalls are amazing. It was very special to be able to see them, on a beautiful day too. I have a lot of photos on the waterproof camera that I need to sort through, but here is a small taste from one shot of a few of the falls. The platform for walking out, seen on the photo, is busy and fun, and you get wet going there. There are other spots where you get even closer and more wet. The spray makes your eyes sting.

And there are permanent rainbows!

Ralf

 

Tres Fronteras

26/1/2010

We’ve left Brazil, with a sense of missing the energy and atmosphere already. The flight to Iguazu was easy, which is nice given that we got the only non-stop flight, so it only took 2 hours, rather than 6 or more on a milk run via Sao Paulo and other places.

From the airport in Brazil (1st photo) to our hotel in Argentina was a couple of local buses and stops at two border crossings, one for each country. The buses were fun too: the driver takes off as soon as you’re on, the roads and driving are worthy of being turned into an amusement park ride and there is a turnstile at the front that you’re trying to lift your bag over while balancing during all of this.

Argentina is very different. Less maintained (although the sidewalks in Buzios were quite an adventure in themselves) but also just a very different feel. Much more Spanish. The language is also very clearly defined right over the border. We keep accidentally speaking Portuguese rather than Spanish, but I’m sure that’ll pass in a day or so.

We just had a long scenic walk from town back to our hotel. You can feel how amazing the forest is around us. We’re just below the Amazon jungle here. The river in the 2nd photo is the Iguazu. On your left is Argentina. On your right is Brazil. In front is Paraguay. Our hotel is on the Av. Tres Frontieras, the three borders.

Adios

Ralf & Erin

 

Pousada a Deauville

24/1/2010

Here is a fly through of our room at the Pousada a Deauville. The owners are very friendly and the views are spectacular. We highly recommend it for your next stay in Buzios, Brazil.

Ralf

 

Scale

22/1/2010

Buzios is a mix of fishing town and tourist destination. Brazil is a very big place with 280 million people. Yesterday three cruise ships came to Buzios, filling the streets with tourists. Tourists from Brazil — these were classic, giant ocean liner cruise ships that just take Brazilians to some of the coastal places to see for a few days, giving them the feeling of international luxury travel. I have some photos of the ships, but they’re on the camera, not my iPhone that I’m using for all these updates.

Brazil can feel like a village, a resort, a world city, a South American country, a continent and a world of it’s own.

Ralf

 

Great Southern Sky

22/1/2010

Something I noticed on our bus trip from the airport at Buenos Aires, but hadn’t mentioned yet, is the sky. It is blue, and high, just like in Australia. I’ve often wondered what it is that makes it seem so big compared to Europe or North America or China. My guess now is that it is because we’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

What is different here though is the architecture. Something about the materials and colours and dimensions is a constant subtle reminder that we’re not just in the Southern Hemisphere, but that we’re in South America. Sometimes it seems as simple as the proportions of the windows, or the thickness of a window frame, or the set of a roof.

Ralf

 

Thanks for the comments

21/1/2010

Thanks to everyone who has left a little note in the comments. It’s really great to know you’re reading and enjoying our travel diary.

It’s a nice feeling that even so far away, we’re still connected to our friends and family.

Ralf & Erin