Sunday, March 28, 2010

Buenas Aires and Iguazu with my Christina

What a joy! My Christina was able to come down for her spring break and the two of us used her trip as a chance to fulfill our dream of seeing the Waterfalls at Iguaze. So, bright and early we took off for Buenas Aires! We spent our first night in the Puerto Madero area and enjoyed a delicious dinner together




The food was terrific, as was the service. One of the waiters even approached me with a plastic tie and strapped my purse to my chair...... Apparently theft is an issue in the big city! We felt safe, though, walking along the water front before resting for our trip to the falls in the morning.


Iguazu is a gorgeous part of Argentina ~ hot and lush. And we were thrilled to catch a glimpse of the falls right from our hotel!


We grabbed some lunch before walking past the huge mango trees on the way to the falls.




As we walked past our pool, we couldn't help but be enthralled with the beauty around us. The mango trees were magnificent, but there was more: birds, butterflies, orchids and other foilage.



















But soon enough, we were down at the river's edge, ready to board a boat that would take us to one of the world's largest falls.



Our captain took us right to the foot of the falls; or at least as close as he could navigate safely. The power was tremendous!!









We were soaked, but we were thrilled with the beauty around us!


The next day we walked along the shore, climbing higher and higher for a better glimpse of the falls.




It just kept getting better and better!






Close to the little snack shack, we found some unusual critters. I forget what they are called, but they looked like a cross between an anteater and a raccoon. They were soooooooo tame!



REALLY tame!


Finally, we made it to the top of the falls. The top of the world. Gorgeous.








On the way back down to the hotel, we spotted a cute little lighthouse. It was a little rickety, but I braved the stairs and climbed to the top.


I got some funny looks from Christina and a young man who was passing by....

turns out, there was a hornets nest at the tippy top!! Yikes!


The next day, Christina and I joined a tour that took us to a waterfall down which we could repel. I was really looking forward to that, since I had enjoyed that so much in San Gil. However.......

It seems the falls were a bit more full than usual because of the recent rains!

So we just repelled down the mountainside! Here is Christina on her journey down:




Yay!


Our last day in Iguazu was spent at the amethyst mines nearby ~




It was amazing to see the crystals in their natural state ~




Too soon, our trip in Iguazu was over and we headed back to the home of the tango....



... oh, and boots!


And our last night in Buenas Aires was spent in the ever so popular, Senor Tango!!!!


We enjoyed dinner first at our table with lovely people from Brazil. Yes, that means that my "excellent" Spanish was of no use! *sigh*



One last morning in the city ~ perfect for a walk to appreciate the sites and beauty of this gorgeous city:

Trees in the park, larger than life!



Architecture from a time long gone (reminded me of my girls' Playmobile house!!!)



A monument to Eva Peron.


And a monument to.... well, past meeting present ~


The Pink House.



And last but not least, a quick stop in Boca ~ an old part of the city where we could see how the immigrants lived. Houses scrapped together from pieces of the ships and whatever else was left on the docks. It was a colorful and exciting experience.







It was so much fun to share with my Christina this trip to the tango capital of the world ~