What's the Maté?

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Polly:

We´re still in Puerto de Iguazu and kind of enjoying this little town. It´s got loads of character and cool little bars and restaurants.

The locals are really friendly and I´m trying to practice my Spanish, although it´s still fairly ropey.

For the first few days we noticed everyone walked around with a flask under their arm and a little cup, but didn´t really get it. We now have been aquainted with the Argentinian custom of Mate Yerba. It´s a local herb a bit like green tea which allegedly improves concentration, health, energy, fights illness, banishes depression and is the elixer of life. Our first experience was in a cocktail - Mate, Vodka and lime. After 3 I was totally wired, but people assure me it was the vodka. I´m not so sure. We went to a cafe the next day and shared the mate in a wooden cup, and drank through the silver tube, topping up with water from our flask. I felt good afterwards, but maybe still enjoying the negative ions from the falls.

On Tuesday we went back to the falls on the Argentinian side as we ran out of time the previous day. We took a small train through the park and then took a long walkway across the river tributaries up to the top of the Devil´s Throat. It was incredible being so close to the edge, and seeing the water float along then explode as it goes over the falls. It had been raining the night before so the spray was immense.

That evening we went for another Parilla (BBQ at your table). I resisted as I was feeling a bit meated out, but Ross did a stirling job and tried everything in front of him. It was like "I´m a celebrity, get me out of here" eating black sausage, kidney and intestine.

Yesterday we walked down to the river, and saw where the river splits at the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

I then finished of a very relaxing day with a full body massage. Katie Mc instructed me to only spend my birthday gift on non-practical things such as pampering, so I booked into the local salon. Very good massage, worked out all the lumps and bumps from carrying my rucksack. Cheers Katie!

Yesterday ended with a crazy thunder storm. The streets turned into rivers and lightning struck for about 5 hours. Really cool to watch!

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Photos

Yerba Mate
Pol brews up a lovely cup of dried-grass tea!

The Devil's Throat
Bit wet Pol?

Eagerly eating strange things
I think this was the black sausage

Big Kid!
We couldn't find a moped unfortunately...

Tres Fronteras
Pol's in Argentina with Brazil over her left shoulder and Paraguay behind her.

A Falklands Memorial
Note the colours of the British Flag painted on the map. Maggie would be proud...

Comments

[Ian]

Hello
Hi Ross and Polly, really good to see your blogg and what you have been up to. Can't beleive you've done so much already. Ross, I'm glad to see you've abadoned them ridicoulous white frames, ha. You look very much like Judge Jules. Is that my Box Fersh t shirt I gave to the charity shop, ha ha. Making my annual visit to Cardiff next week, will be odd not seeing you there. Take Care Ian

[Kate]

Loving the blue steel blog picture, it must be hard traveling around the world when you are really, really, ridiculously good looking. Great effort with the BBQ as well Ross, Kaz wont even contemplate black pudding let alone an intestine, although I did have to frisk him when we went to the aquarium in Perth to make sure he didn't have a harpoon, I think he thought we were going to an all you can eat buffet. Blimming Japanese! Take care Kate x

[Mate (without the acento)]

Mate (just like this)
Why anglos keep writing everywhere maté? Is "mate". Maté means "i killed". Wonderful, did you enjoy chinchulines? i want some

[ross and polly]

Maté
Dude, the reason anglos keeping writing maté instead of mate is because it's the easiest way to explain to the folks back home how to pronounce it. The word 'mate' in english is pronounced 'mayt' and means friend.