Welcome to the jungle: Iguazu style

I just got back this morning from seeing the most incredible thing I have ever seen: las cataratas de Iguazu (Iguazu waterfalls). I know what you're thinking, it probably doesn't have anything on Niagra-WRONG! One could compare Iguazu with Victoria Falls but both have different set ups so they really can't be compared. Iguazu Falls are protected by the Iguazu National Park, the majority is in Argentina, but some is in Brazil, too. 

Here are some fun facts:

• Iguazu means 'big water' in the native language, Guarani
• 275 different falls that are 1.7 miles long
• They were caused by a volcanic eruption leaving a whole in the Earth
• When Eleanor Roosevelt visited the falls she states 'Poor Niagra'
• The falls are split into upper and lower
• Isla San Martin lies between them and you can see more of a panoramic view of the falls from the top of the island

Okay, so on to the adventure part! The trip was organized by Expanish and they also paid for our transportation and hostel, which was really great! The bus was cama and not semicama so we could sleep well on the bus and had delicious food and wine! No bingo, but they played a whole bunch of 80s music videos so it really doesn't get much better than that, right?! My apartment, Joe and Dylan from Richmond, our friend Darren, another girl Koko living in BA, two girls from NYC who were visiting BA, a German woman, and our friend & guide, Leti all met up at Retiro to catch our 17 hour bus. After having a good sleep I awoke to see a very different change of landscape. GREEN! Green plants, green grass, flowers, red dirt, and humidity. I've seen lots of arid, dry, mountains, desert, plains, smaller dead bushes but finally green, lush, nature! We stayed in Puerto Iguazu which is on the Argentine side of the falls. The town is pretty small, not much there other than a few bars, restaurants, shops, and hostels. After changing into shorts and tshirts we headed down to tres fronteras (three borders) where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet! All that separates them are the Parana and Iguazu Rivers. Parana doesn't refer to the fish, so no worries. We saw some neat murals made out of wood done by the locals about their heritage and history. Afterwards we walked along the costanera of the Iguazu River back into town. A few of us walked around town which really only consisted of a few streets. We stopped and had a drink then went back to the hostel to shower for the night. That night we went to a hostel down the street for a buffet. I have never seen so many old ladies at a hostel! They took over the buffet line and filled plate after plate with food. But hey, for 20 pesos (5 bucks) I wasn't expecting tons and tons of food. We sat out on the balcony eating and drinking caipirinhas, the delicious drink made with Brazilian alcohol. I got to bed somewhat early that night so I could be well rested for our full day at the falls!

Tres Fronteras

So we got picked up about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to go to the Iguazu National Park, just 20 minutes away from Puerto Iguazu. At first, I felt like I was in Disney World because we got in  large line, saw huge tour groups, and they had gift shops at the entrance. I was expecting to see waterfalls right away, but of course, like most things in life we had to wait a little while. So, as our guide of the day took us on a nature walk through the Iguazu forest, which was humid, hot, and green. My hair was in full 'fro mode! After walking down many stairs to start our tour of the lower part of the falls, we passed signs with men sliding on stairs. Caution: You may bust ass on the stairs (take note, later in this post I tell my personal story of falling on my ass.) Anyways, after long anticipation, I could hear it: the falls! As we were walking on the mesh-wired bridges on top of the plants and over some streams and then finally, we caught first glimpse of La Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat. This is the most powerful of the falls and right in the middle is the official border between Brazil and Argentina. We walked along some of the baby falls and saw the native birds that live in holes behind and around the rock walls of the falls. There were butterflies EVERYWHERE! Landing on us, going right into the falls, on flowers, truly all around us. After walking a little further we finally got a more panoramic view of the San Martin side of the falls. These were breathtaking. Literally, I have never seen anything more incredible! The sky was crystal clear blue, the falls were beautifully cascading over the green covered rock walls, birds, butterflies, sunshine, and what else could you ask for? Rainbows? Yup, those were there, too :) Along the trails we saw several salamanders and iguanas just hangin' out. 

We got up close and personal with some of the San Martin falls and then headed further down to the dock to cross the river onto the San Martin Island. This island isn't always accessible because of the water level. Luckily, it was low enough for us to get onto the island. Now, many of you know I am a huge fan of LOST so taking a small motor boat over to this rocky sand beach onto a tree covered island obviously made me feel like Jack and Locke would be there to greet me, after all they ended up on the island right? Anyways, we started on a path into the center of the island which I thought was going to be flat, but oh no, straight vertical stairs all the way up to the top of the rock on the island. You couldn't even tell there was a hill because it was so covered with trees. After reaching the top we noticed something, not only were we being sprayed by the mist of the falls but I couldn't knock the feeling that someone was watching me. Then, I looked up and saw vultures, everywhere. These guys were just hanging out, waiting for us! After getting out of the woods we finally got a clear shot of all of the falls from a higher point of view. It was absolutely incredible, once again. I wish I had better words to describe it but I really can't. Once back on the beach, there was a small area roped off for swimming. It was really hot out and how often can you say you swam at Iguazu? So, Steph, Leti, and I hopped in! Unfortunately, there were rocks all at the bottom so our feet were not too happy but the water was really refreshing and little did we know we'd get soaked once again on our boat ride...

Some of the San Martin Falls & a rainbow

After descending the island we headed back to the mainland side of the river to go on our Aventura Nautica. Translation? Go in a boat, go under a few of the falls in about 10 minutes all for 100 pesos (25 bucks). We get in a boat, put on our life vests (safety first, Mom!) and then have the guys driving it who are wearing black, full body ponchos and resemble the Grim Reaper lead us into one of the falls. After becoming soaked, we head over to one of the stronger falls and go straight into that and after coming out of that fall we run straight into a rock. Oops, I don't think they meant to do that because the guy videotaping this said some words I won't translate to the guy driving it. However, we made it back to the dock with no harm done other than the fact we were drenched. We walked back up all of the stairs to the higher part of the falls, ate our lunches that we had packed earlier (ham & cheese sandwich turned into a ham & cheese melt) and dried off in the sunshine for a bit. 

We were on to the higher part of the falls, this means that now we'd be on top of the waterfalls for the rest of our visit. What amazed me about seeing the falls from the top was how calm the water was before it went off the edge. It wasn't rushing to the falls it almost looked like a lake or a pool. After being on top of the San Martin falls we went to catch the small train that takes you to La Garganta del Diablo. We waited for a while to catch the train and saw tons of coati, they look like raccoons but with longer noses and tails. They love people because it means they might get some food! This one woman was sitting at a table eating and one climbed right up and grabbed her tray. This woman clearly was hungry because she yanked the tray out of it's mouth and the thing went flying! Luckily, it shook itself off and scurried away. We got off the train at la garganta but had to walk along a bridge over the water for about 15 minutes until we made it there. The water was absolutely still and we saw tons of fish and turtles! Then...there it was. The most incredible thing I have ever seen! Poor Niagra is right! I was just standing there, on top of it from the Argentine side, watching all of this water fall, without stopping, rainbows, mist, blue sky and it really was mesmerizing. While standing there, Leti asked me one word to describe it and I had nothing to say at first until I came up with inspiring. No other word really for it in my mind. By the time we were out of the park it was 6:00, we were the last ones out! It started pouring as soon as we left, perfect timing? I think so!

La Garganta del Diablo

That night, with sunburned faces, we went back to the other hostel for an asado. We had some yummy meat, hung out, drank caipirinhas, and then the parrilladora's son (the griller's son) started an impromptu dance party! All of us starting dancing on the outdoor terrace of the hostel! I even got my friend Darren, who never dances, to dance! It was lots of fun and the perfect ending of a great day! 

The next day, we had some time in the morning before we had to catch an early afternoon bus back to BA! So, Helen and I decided to go an excursion ziplining through the canopy of the forest and rappelling down a waterfall! We got picked up in a safari-esque van at 8 a.m. and headed out of Puerto Iguazu, through lots of fields, and onto a military base. After going on many bumpy, dirt roads we finally made it, along with the other 20 adventurers to the first platform for ziplining. After being harnessed, helmeted, gloved, and given a safety talk, we headed up the steps to get to the first platform. This was the part I was most nervous for, not the actual ziplining but waiting on top of the stairs! I finally made it to the top of the trees, was hooked up, leaned back, kicked my feet up, and away I went! Through the trees and seeing specks of the ground way below me as I zipped by. I could see the second platform in sight and started moving my arms on the bar back and forth to slow down my momentum. The guy hooked me up to another rope, I climbed up a ladder to a higher part of the tree and started the second part of the zipline. It was more great views and flying through the forest and when I saw the final platform I started to break but wasn't having much success and thank goodness for the padding on the tree because I smacked right into it! My bad! I climbed down the tree and watched as Helen came in and had a much smoother landing than me :) 

Ziplining!

Afterwards we got back in the van and headed to our next activity, rappelling down the waterfall. Now being in the thick forest it was already somewhat chilly and it was a cloudy day and had started to rain so that made it even colder. But, majority ruled and we went down the waterfall and not just a rock wall. Rappelling is somewhat difficult because you need to keep your legs straight out and not bend your knees. Then, you just sort of walk down the wall with your feet flat against it. However, the rocks were wet and slippery because it is in between two waterfalls. Needless to say, I leaned back and bent my knees. I sort of rolled a little bit but then got my balance and continued my descent and then all of a sudden I was in a waterfall! I couldn't open my eyes but saw down a bit and noticed I was on the small bridge and safely made it down. It was a really cool experience and I'm glad I did it but I don't think I'll ever do it again! Ziplining though, I'll definitely do that again! 

Buenos Aires update: Everything is great here! Leaves are out, flowers are blooming, subte is getting hotter (I see people faint all of the time, mostly women), classes are going well (just got a 100 on a quiz!), apartment had some ceiling leakage issues but got those taken care of, I've started running in the parks now that the weather is nice and I see new things there everyday! One time I saw more than 200 dogs in one of the parks, another time there was a huge dance party being led by some old ladies, and another time two girls were handing out nutrigrain bars to the runners! College students at the public universities have been protesting for the past month and not going to class because many of their buildings are falling apart. So my friends at the public schools have just been hanging out! Lucky!! Oktoberfest in Cordoba and Villa General Belgrano (about 10 hours away) is the next weekend and then my parents will be here in 2 weeks from today! Miss you all! Un beso! 

I'll salt ya in Salta!

Well, after an eventful trip up north, I am back in my apartment in BA! The adventure started Friday evening, taking the subte down to Retiro, where the bus station is located, in the pouring rain with all of our stuff was not the most pleasant of experiences, but the hope of warm, dry weather in Salta kept me going! After walking through ankle deep water we made it to the bus station and waited in the area where our bus was going to pull in at 845. Well, 845 comes and goes and no sign of our bus or our bus being listed on the schedule. We discovered that it was delayed, but would be here. At around 945 our bus roles in, we get on and into our seats. My only other overnight bus experience was to Mendoza in early July. We had large, leather seats that almost fully reclined. So the smaller, cloth, sea-foam green seats that didn't recline as much was a bit of a change, but hey, that's what you get when you are looking for the cheapest way to get from Point A to Point B. So at 945 we started what we thought would be a 20 hour bus ride, but turned into a 24 hour bus ride. Yep, an ENTIRE day of my life spent on a bus at one time, doesn't sound too bad, right? They feed you, play some terrible U.S. movies, you get to reflect on life, catch up on sleep, get sick, bus break down...wait, what?? Yep, not only did I get sick on the bus (thank goodness for that tiny bathroom!) but we broke down for about an hour plus. Once we finally arrived in Salta it was the next night and we didn't have much time to do anything but grab a quick dinner at the mall down the street! Woot, food court! It was cheapy and I got a choripan sandwich...this is the sweet sausages they have on some bread. I love them and usually have no issue stomaching them, but I guess I was still sick because let's just say the poor cactus outside our hostel room got an unpleasant surprise in the middle of the night, oops!

I made the difficult choice of not taking the excursion into Jujuy and the northern mountains of Salta. Probably for the best considering I was in bed, still sick until about 4 p.m. that day. I finally had some energy so I took a walk out to the main plaza of the city. It was really gorgeous and reminded me of Sevilla with the orange trees lining the plaza. I wandered into the two main churches and because it was Sunday evening, there was a mass taking place. I headed back to the hostel, stopped at a farmacia that was open, and explained to the pharmacist that my stomach was hurting and he gave me a mystery pill and some ibuprofen, I told him I didn't need any, but he swore that I did. After paying the equivalent of 3 bucks for the meds I went back to the hostel took the meds and took a nap. I woke up and the girls were back from the day! I was finally feeling better and we headed back to the food court for another inexpensive dinner. I settled for plain noodles and slept through the night with no visitations to the poor cactus outside our room :)

Monday was our day to relax and explore Salta! 

Here are some fast facts: 

• Salta means jump in Spanish!
  
• Salta capitol has about half a million residents
  
• Salta had an earthquake the same day this year as Chile, but because it wasn't as big it didn't make much news
  
• Salta is located in the Lerma Valley of Argentina
  
• The mountains that surround it are considered a part of the Andes
  
• The most popular foods are locro, a type of stew with a hunk of meat still on the bone, white beans, and corn; empanadas which are some of the best in Argentina; and, corn tamales! 

Anywho, the day started off by enjoying some daily delivered bread in the hostel and then heading to the main plaza! We walked around a bit, then Steph and I decided to find the start of the cable car to get up to the large hill or Cerro that is in Salta. The top of Cerro San Bernadino can be reached by walking, but we thought the cable car would be much more fun--and it was! We floated over the city and up the hill like Willy Wonka, minus the chocolate. When we got off at the top, we explored the artificial waterfalls, the beautiful gardens, the statue of San Bernadino, and of course, the beautiful views of Salta! We descended the cerro and met up with the other girls in Plaza Guemes right by the base of the cerro. There was a large celebration Wednesday which was the culmination of a pilgrimage that people from all over the province and even as far as Bolivia had walked to get to Salta. The reason is because it is the area's Saint day and there was a huge procession and gathering of people the whole week leading up to it. We walked back to the main plaza and began to see some of the people who had arrived in Salta. Hotels, hostels, and private residences offered up space for the people who had walked so far. It was a great community thing to see! We had a nice lunch outside in the warm sun and then Steph and I continued shopping around Salta. Unfortunately, they take siesta pretty seriously so all of the shops were closed. We walked around, went to the mall which was open and then went back over to the smaller boutiques. We stopped in a bakery and each got small treats and as we were walking down the street, a guy selling baked goods in a basket told Steph in Spanish that what she was eating would make her fat, but what he was selling wouldn't. I assured her he was crazy. 

At the top of the cerro in Salta

Tuesday morning we woke up really early to get picked up for the excursion down to Cafayate. There were some Brits doing the tour with us. We made frequent stops at little towns, natural creations, and pretty views along the way. The mountains were absolutely gorgeous. The Grand Canyon is probably the only thing that beat it but the gorge that we drove through to get to Cafayate was absolutely incredible. The mountains were a variety of colors because of the different chemicals and minerals that were in the rock. Our guide explained to us that all of the gorge used to be under the ocean YEARSSSSS ago, it was crazy to believe but I know evolutionarily speaking, it's true. The rock was very soft and many fossils have been found in the gorge, hence why it is named Conchas, meaning shells in Spanish. The mountains were just absolutely unreal and it seemed that there were so many different types and I was never bored looking out the window or stopping at different landmarks. 

Tres Cruces on the drive to Cafayate

We finally got to Cafayate and went to a winery! The winery was newer but had delicious wines! They were torrontes and had a very fruity, yet dry flavor. I loved it! Afterwards, we were given some free time to have lunch and see some of the 12,000 population 'city.' I tried some of the locra, which is the local stew that I was writing about. It wasn't bad, but there was very little flavor to the soup. I enjoyed the Salta beer much more :) It was medium in color but had a really salty taste! Just kidding... After lunch we were back in the van and on to the other winery. This one was much older but had similar wines. We tasted a red and a white and once again, both were delicious! The dry air and sandy dirt makes for good wine! We drove the four hours back to Salta and then headed out to one of Trip Advisor's top 10 restaurants in Salta which was just down the street from the hostel. They had delicious steak, great milanesas and excellent wine! It was extremely cheap, too! Even cheaper than BA! After dinner, we went back to the hostel for a bit then headed out for a late ice cream snack. On our way down the street, something very strange, or maybe not so strange happened. I was walking one or two steps ahead of the five of us and the light had just changed to red so we started to cross the street. Except, as soon as we crossed a guy on his moped decided to keep going through the light, slow down, and as far as I could tell he was going to try to steal my bag. This was going to be difficult considering it was a satchel bag and across my body, so if he did get it I was going with it. Luckily, I knew what he was going to do so I moved my bag around to my back and instead of snatching the bag he punched me in the stomach. What the eff? Some dude decides it's cool to punch me in the stomach? I was just shocked more than scared, I mean it could have been much worse, he could have been holding a knife to cut the bag off of me, but fortunately, no harm done! 

We were leaving at 1 in the afternoon on Wednesday but Steph and I really wanted to get to the MAAM, the museum in the main plaza that houses three Incan children that are perfectly preserved because they were frozen in the ice thousands of years ago. I checked the website the night before and it said that it would be open, even on holidays. We soaked up the sun in the plaza and as soon as it was 11 a.m, opening time, we walked over to the museum door. There were other tourists standing around, waiting but no open door or anyone inside the museum. After about 20 minutes I asked a nearby police officer if he knew anything. Of course, he walks over, reads the sign with the hours on it and says to me 'I guess it will open tomorrow because it isn't open today.' Wow, thanks. That was such helpful advice! So, realizing that the religious celebration was going to keep it from opening, we walked to the bus station, had a farewell empanada and got on the bus for another 20 hour bus ride back to BA. All in all, Salta was a great trip, minus getting sick. It was so neat to see an entirely different part of the country. Argentina is so large and it amazes me that there are huge mountain ranges, glaciers, rainforests with waterfalls, major cities, lakes, and all sorts of animals all within the same country, and really just a day of driving away! I'll be enjoying BA and the first week of Spring here but the following weekend I'm off to Iguazu to see the waterfalls that border with Brasil! Miss you all tons!

Not so chilly in Chile!

Well, after not thinking Chile was going to happen this weekend, I made it there and had the greatest time! So, after a week of rain here, they call it Santa Rosa because in the Catholic tradition every Saint has a day, and the end of August/beginning of September is named after Santa Rosa and they always have about a week of rain, and I mean RAIN until it clears up and then spring time comes! I find it similar to Groundhog´s Day in the states. Anyways, back to the Chile adventure. So I had a plane ticket for Thursday afternoon, but after trying to get in touch with Purdy, which is not always the easiest of tasks, I didn´t hear from her until of course, Thursday afternoon while my flight was taking off and I was in my apartment. So, I called the airline and for a small, or semi-small fee I booked a ticket for the following morning and was on my way to Chile! I first noticed I wasn´t in BA anymore when I caught a glimpse of the gorgeous, snow covered Andes mountains. I finally landed in the valley of the city of Santiago and went through customs. It only took two hours (as long as my flight) to wait in 3 different lines, pay my $140 reciprocity fee, and find Purdy waiting for me at the end of it all! We took the bus back into the city center of Santiago where Purdy´s apartment is. She lives in an older apartment building with another girl from Boston College.

During the winter months, Santiago is the third most polluted city behind Beijing and Mexico City. This is because of the fact that the 6 million inhabitants live in a valley and drive their cars and the pollution has nowhere to escape because it is caught in the mountains. Luckily, it had just rained so the majority of the smog was cleared out. Purdy, her friend Johanna from NZ, and I went to one of the two Cerros or mounts that are in Santiago. Cerro Sán Cristobal is the larger of the two cerros and we took a funicular, the funny name for the tram or acensor that takes you up the cerro to the top! At the top of the cerro is a large, white statue of none other than the Virgin Mary. Pope John Paul II took the funicular to the top back in the 70s to bless the Virgin and the outdoor Chapel that is at the top. There was a small gift shop where Purdy informed me that one could purchase "Virgin things," I didn't find out what those were. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were tons of flowering trees and you could see the entire city and the mountains that surround the valley on all sides. It was really peaceful and being so high up you couldn´t hear the city, it actually sounded like the ocean from the noise of the cars and the people. We descended the cerro and walked around the city a little bit. The buildings are not as high as in BA and some are brightly painted. We had a cup of tea in Plaza de Armas, the main plaza in Santiago, right around the block from Purdy´s apartment.

                                                          At the top of Cerro San Cristobal!

The Chilean accent is extremely difficult to understand, especially if your first language is not Spanish! They speak really fast and don´t include all the letters of certain words. According to Purdy, most Chileans don´t understand why someone would come to Chile to learn Spanish, since it is not the easiest thing to do. One of Purdy´s friends from Canada actually met her boyfriend, Juan in Santiago at a street show that makes fun of gringos. She is now fully fluent in Spanish and has a thick, Chilean accent. It just proves the point that the only way to learn Spanish is to have a Spanish speaking novio! It was Juan´s birthday, so Purdy, her friends, and I went to a bar to celebrate. I got to meet her friends who were all really nice and the bar had karaoke. So, of course I sang Hero by Enrique Iglesias with one of her friends! It was great and the Chileans seemed to like it, too! haha We spent the night dancing and went back to her apartment, much earlier than in BA! A nice change!!

We woke up the next morning and decided to go to Valparaíso for the night. We took a bus from Santiago and in less than two hours we were in the beautiful city of Valparaiso. The brightly colored houses along the curving mountains was such a sight and really reminded me of what you think of when you think about South America. We headed down the main center street of the flat part of the city and then walked up a hill or two and a bunch of steps to our lovely hostel. The owner asked if we wanted a dormitorio or a cama matromonial, obviously we picked the latter. We quickly threw our stuff down and headed back down the hill and over to one of the most famous trams in Valpo. By the time we got up to the top it was dark but the city was full of bright lights and the ocean glistened. It truly was so relaxing and great to share it with a friend! We started to get hungry so we walked back to a small little café that is known for it´s tea. I had a yummy salmon salad, since I haven´t had any seafood since I´ve been here! We each tried several types of teas, from coconut to rhubarb. We spent the rest of the night just sitting and talking, and enjoying the atmosphere.

In the morning, we woke up and had breakfast in the hostel with two Brasilian girls. One of which had been almost everywhere. She informed me her favorite place was Thailand, and least favorite included Caracas, Venezuela and Laus. Thailand sounded incredible...but that is for another blog ;) Purdy and I headed up the hill to Pablo Neruda´s house. He was a Chilean poet that had a love for the sea, and especially for Valpo. His house was 5 stories, each one getting smaller as they went up. After listening to the audio-guided tour, we took in the view and then walked into the gardens that were below his house property. There were big kid see-saws and so many different varieties of flowers and plants! I felt like I was in a tropical paradise for a minute!

Pablo Neruda's house!

Afterwards, we took the Valpo metro to Viña del Mar. Just about a fifteen minute ride around the bay. It was so crazy to me that in a matter of a 2 hour flight and a 2 hour bus ride, I went from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We hung out on the beach for a while, watching the brave ones that were swimming in the cold water. As the sun started setting, we gathered up our stuff, checked out of the hostel, and headed back to the bus station to go back to Santiago. On the ride home, the stars were so clear, the first time I´ve really been able to notice the southern cross and other constellations since I´ve been down here. Just the fact that I have never seen these stars before is so cool to me. NERD ALERT...but really, I find it crazy that I could have gone my whole life and never have seen what the other half of the world sees all the time! 

Vina del Mar

That night, we picked up some food stuffs for stir fry and hung out in her apartment, skyping some friends at Richmond and abroad. The next morning we got up and headed out to explore the other Mount, Cerro Santa Lucia in Santiago. We trekked up to the top of it and had a much more smoggy view of the city and the Andes. It was still really pretty and fun to explore all that is built up on the Cerro. Afterwards, we walked to an artesan market that is set up and I couldn't resist the $5,000 alpaca sweater....that's in Chilean pesos, of course, so just a mere $10. Purdy showed me the main campus of her school, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, a sister school to my University in BA! For lunch we headed over to Mercado Central, the large fish market in Santiago where there are several restaurants serving fresh fish! I had delicious grilled swordfish with a side of avocado! They love them down here so I am constantly making guacamole! After lunch, we headed back to her apartment, I packed up my stuff, and we took the bus to the airport. 

All in all, Chile was absolutely amazing and I am so glad, after some troubles with my plans at first, I was able to go and see one of my best friends and such a beautiful country! This week has been filled with getting forms, photocopies, and pictures for my Visa, as well as making final plans (and payments) for a trip to Salta and northwest Argentina! Expect a blog post later next week about my adventures!