Argentina 24 Aug - 02 Sep 07

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Beautiful Argentina!

We arrived into Buenos Aires on Friday 24 Aug 07. As the taxi drove us to our hostel we quickly noticed the vibrant city of Buenos Aires. The hostel we stayed in was conveniently located along Avenida de Mayo which is a long street joining the Congresso and beautiful Plaza de Mayo. Along this street are old buildings and cafes with so much character and European style. We were also close to the famous shopping area of Florida St, and took advantage of the offerings!

Whilst in BA we toured the city on foot, as it is such a walkable city. We did many walking tours taking in the lovely buildings and museums. Argentinians are well known for their consumption of meat and we must say that the parrillas (steakhouses) offered very tasty meals. It was also nice to eat a good steak! Naturally to accompany such wonderful steak we also sampled the beautiful wines of this country. We think all the weight lost walking the Inca trail has been found!!!

We also found time to fly down to the wonderful Patagonia region to a town named El Calafate. This destination was chosen for its proximity to the Perito Moreno Glacier, a 60m high, 8km wide and 30km long glacier! Nothing can describe the wonder of this glacier. We were fortunate to see a big chunk of ice sheer off the glacier´s face and fall loudly into the water. It was quite an amazing sight and an exciting way to begin our trek. We spent two hours walking on the glacier with our crampons, intrigued by mother nature and the colours of the glacier. We finished our trek with a lovely scotch on the rocks, and yes the ice was from the glacier!

From El Calafate we returned to BA for a night where we caught up with friends and took in a Tango show. The following day we flew to Puerto Iguazu, a subtropical town located near the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and we visited all three countries in one day! The trip to Paraguay was just for a quick look at the busy trading town of Ciudad del Este, but in Brazil we saw the enormous Itaipu dam and hydroelectric power station which provides 25% of Brazil´s electricity needs and 90% of Paraguay´s! Also we visited the Brazilian side of the magnificent Iguazu Falls (our main reason for being there) which provides a panoramic view of many cascades that make up this natural wonder. The next day we visted the Argentinian side of the falls where you get a lot closer, and wetter! We took a trip in a speed boat along the river and went under a section of the falls and got some great views and a good shower.

Next stop BRAZIL...

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Photos

Buenos Aires
Av 9 de Julio, the widest street in the world!

Buenos Aires
The grilling area in a typical parilla.

Buenos Aires
The Congress, based on the one in Washington.

Buenos Aires
The great dancing in a Tango Show.

Perito Moreno Glacier
One of our first views of the glacier.

Perito Moreno Glacier
The face of the glacier, 60m high.

Perito Moreno Glacier
Our trek on the glacier was a memorable experience.

Perito Moreno Glacier
It is impossible to take too many photos here.

Perito Moreno Glacier
The other side of the glacier - this thing is so immense!

Paraguay
A quick trip across the border to Ciudad del Este, known for its busy (and somewhat dodgy) shopping areas.

Iguazu Falls
We were impressed with even our first view of the falls.

Iguazu Falls
Devil´s Throat, just a mass of water and spray.

Iguazu Falls
Devil´s Throat, now from the Argentinian side.

Iguazu Falls
Photos cannot really do justice to Iguazu Falls. They are so huge that you cannot fit them all into one shot. This is still only one part of them.

Iguazu Falls
In a boat, about to get up close and personal with the falls.

Iguazu Falls
The boat got very close and we got very wet! But it was an awesome view and great fun.