So far......

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So far......
Im currently waiting for Sam to get ready so we can catch a bus out to the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls so thought id grab a mo on the old blog for an update...

Buenos Aires

First impressions are that its a huge place - giant tree lined boulveards reach out on the grid like street system in all directions. One street - 9 Julio Ave - is renowned for being the largest in the world. 16 lanes of honking exhaust spewing traffic. Vertiginous buildings line the avenues rising up from street level adorned with wrought iron balconies and dessicated paint. Juxtaposed to these grand icons of Latin America lie the occasional modern brutalist monstrosity. Dotted on nearly every street corners are farmacia´s and coffee houses and on many streets there are flower stalls which fill the vicinity with scentred aromas and colour.

Mate

Typcally argentinian I have tasted the liquid essence of this country. Yerba mate is the chopped dried leaf of the ilex paraguayensis (apparently!). The leaves are packed into a gourd and hot water poured over the top. You then sip the infused (extremely bitter) liquid through a bombilla (metal straw) with a filter at one end to prevent inhalation of the leaves. The mate seems to be incredibly absorbant and so the gourd is continually replenished with additional water from a thermos. Where ever you go you see people clutching their gourds and thermos flasks sipping on this elixir for life - on the streets, in shops, in train stations....

Mate is a symbol of Argentina and apparently the residnets consume an average of 5kgs a year of the stuff! pERSONALLY, I WAS LESS THAN ANaMOURED WITH THE AROMA AND TASTE BUT IT perhaps explains why everyone has such vigour and passion for life here! Mate seems to transcend all social classess and backgrounds and i discovered showing an interest or taste for it rewarded me with Argentinian brownie points (served with sugar its much improved!!).

Journey to Esteros del Ibera(http://www.esterosdelibera.com/)

We bade farewell to our Buenos Aires host Pepe and took a 9hr overnight bus to Mercedes in the Corrientes province north ... Argentinia coaches are incredible. Nothing like national Express or even megabus - this double decker had pairs of wide, far reclining comfy seats complete with blankets and dinner! All for $150 = c25pounds. At mercedes a wind swept town which was bitterly cold at 6am we transfered to a 4x4 for the 120kms to the sleepy little village of Colonia Pellegrini - 600 residents and the jumping off point for a couple of days exploring the wetlands of Esteros del Ibera. The road was unsealed and pitted with deep troughs filled with muddy sandy water from all the rain - a thick red soup which stretched indeterminately in a straight line bisecting neverending pampas. Flat land, the odd tree and every so often the carcass of a cow which had sat down for the last time. After 3hrs of unceremoniously bumping along we reached Ranchos del ibera http://www.posadaranchoibera.com.ar/principal_ingles.htm our base for 2 days. A charming place with veranda, hammocks , own own private rooms ensuite. Only concerns were the crawling noises in the straw roof - memories of spiders landing on my face in pakistan! eeek

Esteros del Ibera is meant to be one of the best places in all of s amrica to see wildlife and remains very carefully controlled - such is its fragile ecosystem. The lake is only 3.5m deep fed entirelñy by rainwater. Throughout float embalsados - floating islands - where mammals and birds live in symbiotic relationships. Joy!

From black caimans to marsh deer to otters to howler monkeys, wolf , coypu and the hilarious capybanas (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/179079844_e19f30ba38.jpg) . These creatures are so bizzare - rodents but with webbed feet for swinmming, they live in polygamous groups eating grass and plants on the embalsados. They resemble giant furry guinea pigs, crossed with pigs and rabbits. Coincidentally i am reading darwin{s Voyage of the Beagle and he mentioned these semi-aquatic beats the very day i saw them! "...both the friont and side view of their head has a quite ludicrous aspect from the great depth of their jaw...they frequently made their peculier noise which is a low abrupt grunt...the first hoarse bark of a large dog...they rushed into the water at full gallop with the greaterst impetuosity..." Cheers Darwin - i couldnt have put it better myself.

There are over 350 different species of birs in the reserve and on both the walk, the boat ride and the fantastic 2 hr horse trek i did, i saw many - photos to come! Sam wasnt up for riding but i couldnt turn down the opportunity to gallop on the pampas with a gaucho - the sense of freedom, of calm...no sounds except the wind on the plains and the birds shrieking and NOONE in sight It was exhilarating and liberating and as Jose my gaucho guide couldnt speak any English Im pleased to say my Sapnish is much improved.

Ok folks, thats it for now. Since Pellegrini we travelled all day to Iguazu and have crossed the border to see thr Brazilian Iguazu Falls - as a best friend said (of atheist inclinations) nowhere else in the world (and like me she has done a fair bit of travelling!) has she felt the hand of god! Indeed, it was truly remarkable. Today we head to the Argentine side .... adios for now and please do send me messages. I know Ive only been gone just over a week but its lovely to hear from you. Traveling now is very different to the big trip i did 10 yrs ago when the internet wasnt very accessible in outback australia or the south pacific!

Love to all. xx

ps) apols for typos etc - time is precious and i have waterfalls to go marvel at!

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Comments

[Hbc001]

paraqueets
four comments: Sounds like your getting into the swing of things. Some news from back home… See our strangely captivating ring-necked parakeets are to be given the same legal status as pigeons! People will be able to shoot parakeets from next year without a licence http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/londo.. Could do with some Yerba mate myself! Jim - 02 10 09 - 12:57 Apparently those pesky little devils escaped from the set of the African Queen film many many years ago - although that could be an urban myth! Still, makes west london all that little bit more troooopiiiicaaalllll! Miss ya! x Han - 02 10 09 - 21:45 Isn’t it funny how people look like their capybanas?! You clearly sound like your having an ace time, although I’m very pleased with the educational element to you blog post. I’ve had mate before… although I think the mate I had was rarer as it was called Coffee Mate although I do recall it being served in a motel off the A12 near Colchester. Keep having a smashing time, Han Are you an atheist, by the way? I’m not sure we pick that up through your blog post… Jody Raynsford (email) - 03 10 09 - 07:01 Hannah!!! Nice to read your descriptions about our mate,my city and the country!! What it good for mate is that is an energizing beverage such as Red Bull although cheaper. How was your visit to Cordoba? horacio (email) - 16 10 09 - 11:38