Iguazu Falls & A quick update

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My trip in argentina is going quite well. I arrived in buenos aires and stayed a week. Here I realized that my spanish is about a second grade level, and it immediately hides in my brain when the words are suppossed to flow out of my mouth. Its amazing how words can disappear into thin air. I think a tutor is needed to get an accurate feel for the language and to have more than a please and thank you conversation.

In Buenos Aires I was toured around the city and went to amazing locations and saw buildings of all sorts. I usually walk around the streets of Buenos Aires in an air of simplicity, because I am immune to the advertising and the people speaking is more like background noise. While in the city I have gained an addiction for the ice cream (helado). They have the best dark chocolate ice cream one can imagine. The rarest part of the trip I have encountered is a hault of a veggies only diet. There are only a few possibilities of viewing me chowing down an animal and one occured here in Buenos Aires. At a BBQ I was able to sample meats of a large variety...pig and cow. I decided I had a rare opportunity to be in Buenos Aires and try the best meat in the world. Yet, as a person who hasn´t consumed carne (meat) in 10 years I don´t think i noticed the difference. But the experience occurred. The wine and bear are also wonderful.

Now i am in puerto iqauzu (an 18 hour bus ride north of buenos aires) where there is a gorgeous waterfall and a cute little town. My body finally decided to be defeated by a virus (cold of sorts) and I have been sniffling the whole time. This hindered me walking in the jungle in the heat, because my head started pounding, but I still have observed the jungle from the outside. So, I rerouted my plans and fought the masses throughout the day to see another wonder of the world, but it felt more like disneyland. I was one of what seemed like thousands that viewed the roaring water that was pouring over a cliff, Iquazu falls. I tried to find a little place for sitting and sanity and to regain my energy drained from a cold...but a quiet nature space was no where to be found. I think the years of field work have jaded my perspective of outdoor activities and I expect them all to be in the middle of nowhere, and with many predators lurking for me (dead or alive ). I did see some wildlife in the outdoor version of disneyland....like some big lizards, pretty birds, iguanas, and butterflies. I would love to send pictures, but a tragedy occured. After snapping wonderful shots of butterflies landing on my hand and some blue bird my camera card broke. I don´t know how this happened. This malfunction was about 5 minutes before I walked upon the gargantuan falls. I think the camera tragedy and cold hindered the water mist from penetrating my psyche and making the moment as magical as it seemed to others. Or maybe its that biologist jading again. But the falls were absolutely beautiful. Sadly there will be no self portraits of this little town. I might resort to scrambling sketches.

I extended my trip by a day and I walked an hour into town on the side of the road. Iquazu is a small town, but I love the feel. There are some paved roads, cobble roads, and others are dirt. The area has a small layer of orange silt from the dark orange-red sediments that make up the land. The vegetation around is lush rainforest. I absolutely love the feel to the town and it plants the seed for my next travelling adventure ( a long tour of the rainforest from peru down south...anyone in for it?). I wanted to hike into the middle of the green trees and explore the little roads into the smaller parts of town, but I decided to put ¨¨solo female safety first¨¨. So, I settled for lunch at an outdoor cafe and walking.

The last and final day in Puerto Iquazu I went to a place with the largest house imaginable. Except it was made from trees that fell from the rainforest (not cut down) and placed together. There were other little houses and amazing furniture made from trees. There I had the best ice cream made from the traditional matte tea and a local flower. So, the day consited of chatting with folks I met at the hostel on picnic tables made from unproccessed wood from the rainforest. There were hummingbirds all over, and they often flew several inches from our face, it almost seemed like they were planning an attack. The day ended by catching the bus and sitting 18 hours back to buenos aires.

Now I am back to Buenos Aires for a couple of days to straighten out my camera situation, buy some warm clothes for the weather down south, and try to extend my trip. Then I will jump on another bus for a day and head down south to patagonia...puerto madryn. There i will get to see penguins. yeah! I may even go on a whale watch or dive. I don´t know where the wind will take me after that.


Traveling is wonderful. Definately learning new things everyday.

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Comments

[melinda]

kohlmyer
Good luck great website! My little writer

[jason]

muy bueno
muy bueno = bery good el tutadoro