Photos of Iguazú Falls

A sunny day in Iguazú National Park

La Garganta del Diablo

A long view of the falls

A Whirlwind Tour of Argentina

Since leaving Mendoza, Kristine and I have been pretty busy. At this point, I feel like it would be overkill to try to recount everything we've done, and it would be boring to the reader as well. Instead, I'm just going to give a quick run down of how we spent the last week.

Upon leaving Maipú and Mendoza, we took a 12 hour bus to Córdoba, the historic university town in a valley by the Sierra Córdoba. We stayed at a great hotel, the Azur Real Hotel Boutique, which just opened last month. The hotel was actually once a high school where Ernesto "Che" Guevara went to school. Our day in Córdoba was spent at Estancia El Colibri, about an hour outside of the city, and later on walking around the city itself in the Jesuit Block. This part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The next afternoon we took off on a 21 hour bus trip up to Puerto Iguazú. The trip wasn't as horrible as we thought, and with 5 movies on in a row, we soon found ourselves ready for sleep after wine and champagne. Once we got in to Iguazú we were tired but found a hostel, changed, and went to the national park. It was a long trip, but we only had a day. The weather was perfect, and as we neared the waterfalls we could start to hear it and see the mist in the distance. Once in plain sight, we could see just why it was so amazing. I've never seen Niagara Falls, but I'd have to imagine that Iguazú beats them on any day.

Just when you think you've seen the last of the falls, there's another place you can turn and find a rush of water flowing over the sides, destroying anything in its path except for the few strong plants that have learned to survive. Our thoughts were to try getting into the Brazilian side the next morning, but once we realized how expensive it would be we were unsure. That night the rains came in, bringing torrential downpours and bitterly cold weather in a region that seems more like Amazonian jungle than the image you usually get when thinking of Argentina. The bad weather sealed the deal, and we prepared yesterday for an 18 hour bus trip back to Buenos Aires.

We arrived this morning, and so after the week of traveling, we spent 65 hours on buses and saw 3 major tourist sites that Argentina has to offer. Not too shabby. Obviously, it would always be better to spend more time in each place, but for what we were trying to do, it was a good fit. When we started the trip we were amazed at how nice the buses were, especially in comparison with those in Ecuador. By the last bus ride we were comparing different companies and wondering why we weren't offered a second glass of champagne. We realized how spoiled we'd become with the buses in the last few days.

Still, with the expenses of a trip like this, we kept it as low as we could while trying to make up for some of the creature comforts of a long bus trip like a seat that folds to a 180* angle. Sometimes you just need to spoil yourself a little. Kristine leaves for Ecuador on Friday, and I'll be sad to see her go. It not only has allowed me to see more of the city with another friend here, but as been a good transition into a new place. While she was here I toured the city, as well as the country, got a job, and found a new apartment that I'll be moving into in a week or so.

And on Monday I'll be starting my new job with the travel agency, so things will be changing up a bit. But continue to check in on the blog and see what's happening down in Buenos Aires.

Above: Pictures from Córdoba and Iguazú Falls.

Back on the Road

Yesterday was a good day. I got a job working with a travel agency here in Buenos Aires, doing something I really enjoy. Not only will the job give me the opportunity to travel and get more familiar with the country, but I'll be writing as well. My basic duties will be to update the information on destinations around the country and write content for the agency's Web site in English. With that being said, I'm headed out on the road tonight to get more familiar with Argentina.

Kristine and I will be taking a night bus to Mendoza, arriving tomorrow morning. Night buses in Argentina are very different from those in Ecuador, and I've heard it's a first class experience that is in many ways better than flying. I've seen the huge, double decker buses driving through the city, and I'm excited to see what it's like on the inside. Kristine wanted to spring for a full bed seat, so we paid a little extra, but will also be on the top floor in the seats facing the windshield, giving us a good view when the sun does rise again tomorrow morning in the western part of the country.

We'll be in Mendoza and the surrounding wine vineyards for a couple of nights before moving on to Córdoba, a historic university city, which is still about 10 hours away from Mendoza. We'll also be spending a couple of nights in that area and then moving on to Iguazu Falls in the northeast corner of the country, bordering Brazil and Paraguay. We won't be able to enter Brazil because we don't have visas, but we might be able to enter Paraguay for the day if the visa isn't too expensive. We'll figure that all out when we get there.

Yesterday was a rainy and cold day. But things were going well, and as I walked with Kristine through the park explaining what I'll be doing and how I was happy to have the job, a bird pooped on my head. It's something that just had to be laughed off, from me to Kristine to the guy who watched from a distance. The universe was evened out again. I'm bringing my lap top with me to be able to continue blogging and adding pictures from out trip, so check in to the blog to see what's happening on the other side of the country.

On another note, you'll notice on the left side that my pictures have changed. Since I'm no longer in Ecuador and I've been taking many pictures of Buenos Aires, the photos featured will now be of Buenos Aires, and eventually Mendoza, Córdoba, and Iguazu. I'm still trying to work with the photo option to add as many photos as possible for the enjoyment of the reader. So take a look at some of the things I've seen so far.

Above: Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires