Mara and I at the base of Aconagua.
Beautiful Sunset in Puente del Inca
Our climbing adventures.
Puente del Inca, the main style of architecture: tin.
Aconagua
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mendoza and Puente del Inca Photos
Beautiful Sunset in Puente del Inca Our climbing adventures. Puente del Inca, the main style of architecture: tin. Aconagua
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Northwest Argentina (Resistencia, Salta, Cafayate and Cachi)
We finally left the beautiful Iguazu Falls and headed to Resistencia which we knew little about but it seemed to be a good stopping point for a few days and seemed to be a bit off the normal track for backpackers.
We took an overnight bus and arrived in Resistencia at about 6 a.m. we had planned to check into a hostel and relax after a rough night on the bus. We met up with two english backpackers who had arrived on our same bus and headed into town. The first hostel we checked out now was abandoned and now seemed to be currently poccupied with someone sleeping on the front stoop. Next on our list also turned out to be without any luck, they were booked for the night or as they say in spanish "no hay nadia". Our few days in Resistencia quickly turned into one with and it seemed that it would be spent with our new english friends Alistar and Kat. Resistencia has become famous for the many scultpures through out town. In a town with about 250,00 in habitants there are almost 500 sculptures. Most are made by Argetines local to the North. It was great to see not only the scultures but also a town that was frequented little by other backpackers (especially after Iguazu had been such a tourist destination). I very much enjoyed the town, it was great people watching as well as a nice look into rural Argentine life. That night we left on another overnight bus to Salta (which is in the northwest of Argentina).
We arrived in Salta ready to spend a few days exploring and staying in one place. We were able to meet up with our friend Fran whom we had met in Uruguay. It was good to see him as well as a new part of Argentina. Salta is absolutely lovely, it is completely surrounded by mountains. We were able to walk up one of the hills/mountains giving us great views of the city. We became a bit lazy and took the gondola down though, hey we made it up right?
We took an overnight bus and arrived in Resistencia at about 6 a.m. we had planned to check into a hostel and relax after a rough night on the bus. We met up with two english backpackers who had arrived on our same bus and headed into town. The first hostel we checked out now was abandoned and now seemed to be currently poccupied with someone sleeping on the front stoop. Next on our list also turned out to be without any luck, they were booked for the night or as they say in spanish "no hay nadia". Our few days in Resistencia quickly turned into one with and it seemed that it would be spent with our new english friends Alistar and Kat. Resistencia has become famous for the many scultpures through out town. In a town with about 250,00 in habitants there are almost 500 sculptures. Most are made by Argetines local to the North. It was great to see not only the scultures but also a town that was frequented little by other backpackers (especially after Iguazu had been such a tourist destination). I very much enjoyed the town, it was great people watching as well as a nice look into rural Argentine life. That night we left on another overnight bus to Salta (which is in the northwest of Argentina).
We arrived in Salta ready to spend a few days exploring and staying in one place. We were able to meet up with our friend Fran whom we had met in Uruguay. It was good to see him as well as a new part of Argentina. Salta is absolutely lovely, it is completely surrounded by mountains. We were able to walk up one of the hills/mountains giving us great views of the city. We became a bit lazy and took the gondola down though, hey we made it up right?
View of Salta from the top of the mountain.
Once again we used couch surfing to hook up with a local and we had a great time. Daniela is a 23 year old student originally from Salta who had been living in Bolivia for the past 6 years. We all made dinner together one night and then went out to a bar named Barney after the character on the Simpsons. Another night she took us out to the bar district in Salta which is surprisingly lively for a town of about 500,000.
After a few days in Salta we decided that it was time to explore some of the nearby towns. Mara, Fran and I along with two others from our hostel rented a Fiat the size of downstairs bathroom on Linden Street (a bit of an exageration I know but it felt that small at times). On our first day with the car we drove south with the destination of Cafayate in mind. Along the way we decided to stop and check out a few things.
Mara and Leor jumping off a bridge, we think it was about 20 meters to the water. Don´t worry safety first, Mara and I jumped only after we saw Fran and Leor do it.
The ride to Cafayate was beyond amazing. This is called "Garganta del Diablo" or Devil´s Throat. The true immensity is absolutely impossible to capture via my camera. When Fran and Leor walked to the higest point possible they looked completely insignificant to the strucutre. In the U.S. there would literally be thousands of people visiting it each day, here this natural structure was only marked by paint on a rock 50 meters before the parking lot.
Our beautiful Fiat, why would anyone ever rent 5 kids a white car??
Another section of the ride to Cafayate. Cafayate is one of Argentina´s most famous wine making regions. It is also home to the world´s highest alititude winery at just under 4500 feet.
The next day on our way to Cachi. Some describe this section of terrain as looking like the moon, I am not sure if I agree but still amazing.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Iguazu Falls
The next few days we spent in Buenos Aires doing many of the things we had not done previously. I went to the San Telmo section of the city and walked on cobble stone streets through the antiques district. I was also able to see a home that was only 3 meters wide but 50 meters long. The story told is the land was given to a group of freed slaves by their previous owner and they worked with what they had to build therir home on their land!
I next headed over to the Recoleta Cemetary which is the burial site of famous Argentine Evita Peron as well as many others famous and elite alike. It sounds somewhat odd but the cemetary represents one of the most famous tourist attractions in Buenos Aires as well as source of pride for the portenas, rightfully so. It was absolutely beautiful, I literally walked around with awe at the amazing graves that families had made for themselves. Some of them were so ornate made of marble and intricate details such as paintings and wrought iron designs. I could have spent an entire day there and still not be able to see all the graves. It certainly was not like any cemetary have been to before..
We were able to hang out with Florencia (our couch surfing friend) and Beth (one of our new friends from Diablo) on our last night in the city. It was great to just hang out on the roof of the hostel and have some good laughes with our new friends. I have very much enjoyed my time in Buenos Aires and it´s position as my home away from home in South America.
We arrived in Puerto Iguazu after and long yet luxorious bus ride. We were given hot meals, served drinks and given blankets and pillows to sleep with. It was a much better experience than our flight down on American I can tell you that!
Our first day was spent settling in doing nothing particularly exciting. But on our second day we went to falls!!!! I do not know how to explain the falls through my blog because they were simply amazing! No seriously I still cannot get over how powerful and breathtaking they were. The falls for those who do not know creates part of the border between Brasil and Argentina.Therefore Brasil claims part of the falls as thier own and Argentina does the same. From the Argetine side you are able to see everything so it did not really matter. On our first day at the falls Mara and I walked the lower loop looking at the falls from the bottom. We took a ferry boat across the river to Isla San Miguel to get other views. We were able to get in a lovely swim on the island as well which was greatly needed with the temperature near 90. With each new place we stood we were able to see different views and waterfalls. The thing with the falls is that there are many different sets of waterfalls that you really cannot see everything at all at once. The falls are literally that massive that in order to see everything you have two loops, a train ride and a trip out to the island.
On the second day at the falls Mara and I went to Garganta del Diablo which is another section of the falls, it is about 1.5 kilometers away from the rest of the falls. The amount of water passing through the U shaped area was absolutely one of the memorable things I have ever seen in my life thus far I could literally have sat there for hours just watching water fall so fluidly over the edge and crash hundreds of feet below spraying up with a cool mist. I wish I could take everyone reading this to the falls so you could actually experience the almost rush like sensation that you feel when you see them. After the Garganta del Diablo, Mara and I walked the loop on the top of the falls we had seen the day before. We then took a nature walk to our very own waterfall where we could swim. I am so glad that I was able to see the falls and marvel in them. I will put up pictures and atempt at video but I don´t think they do the falls justice. You all will just have to visit!!!
Here is a link to Wikipedia about Iguazu (sorry I know wikipedia is lame!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls
We have spend today hanging out and soaking up the sun. Tonight we are boarding a bus for Resistencia. We do not know much about it but I am sure we will learn soon enough. Pictures to follow so long as the internet cooperates.
I next headed over to the Recoleta Cemetary which is the burial site of famous Argentine Evita Peron as well as many others famous and elite alike. It sounds somewhat odd but the cemetary represents one of the most famous tourist attractions in Buenos Aires as well as source of pride for the portenas, rightfully so. It was absolutely beautiful, I literally walked around with awe at the amazing graves that families had made for themselves. Some of them were so ornate made of marble and intricate details such as paintings and wrought iron designs. I could have spent an entire day there and still not be able to see all the graves. It certainly was not like any cemetary have been to before..
We were able to hang out with Florencia (our couch surfing friend) and Beth (one of our new friends from Diablo) on our last night in the city. It was great to just hang out on the roof of the hostel and have some good laughes with our new friends. I have very much enjoyed my time in Buenos Aires and it´s position as my home away from home in South America.
We arrived in Puerto Iguazu after and long yet luxorious bus ride. We were given hot meals, served drinks and given blankets and pillows to sleep with. It was a much better experience than our flight down on American I can tell you that!
Our first day was spent settling in doing nothing particularly exciting. But on our second day we went to falls!!!! I do not know how to explain the falls through my blog because they were simply amazing! No seriously I still cannot get over how powerful and breathtaking they were. The falls for those who do not know creates part of the border between Brasil and Argentina.Therefore Brasil claims part of the falls as thier own and Argentina does the same. From the Argetine side you are able to see everything so it did not really matter. On our first day at the falls Mara and I walked the lower loop looking at the falls from the bottom. We took a ferry boat across the river to Isla San Miguel to get other views. We were able to get in a lovely swim on the island as well which was greatly needed with the temperature near 90. With each new place we stood we were able to see different views and waterfalls. The thing with the falls is that there are many different sets of waterfalls that you really cannot see everything at all at once. The falls are literally that massive that in order to see everything you have two loops, a train ride and a trip out to the island.
On the second day at the falls Mara and I went to Garganta del Diablo which is another section of the falls, it is about 1.5 kilometers away from the rest of the falls. The amount of water passing through the U shaped area was absolutely one of the memorable things I have ever seen in my life thus far I could literally have sat there for hours just watching water fall so fluidly over the edge and crash hundreds of feet below spraying up with a cool mist. I wish I could take everyone reading this to the falls so you could actually experience the almost rush like sensation that you feel when you see them. After the Garganta del Diablo, Mara and I walked the loop on the top of the falls we had seen the day before. We then took a nature walk to our very own waterfall where we could swim. I am so glad that I was able to see the falls and marvel in them. I will put up pictures and atempt at video but I don´t think they do the falls justice. You all will just have to visit!!!
Here is a link to Wikipedia about Iguazu (sorry I know wikipedia is lame!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls
We have spend today hanging out and soaking up the sun. Tonight we are boarding a bus for Resistencia. We do not know much about it but I am sure we will learn soon enough. Pictures to follow so long as the internet cooperates.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Pictures!
See-Saw when was the last time you plaed on one?
The area where we saw the Argetine drumming band. They were great! Here is a link to their website, about halfway down there is a youtube video of them http://www.labombadetiempo.blogspot.com/
We made friends
A catholic church in Buenos Aires.
Iguazu Falls!!!!!!!! The land on the left is San Miguel Island, you can stand on the outermost point of the island and be sprayed by the massive waterfall near the island.
There were rainbows everywhere, it was was like out of a storybook.
View from the upper ring, there is another level of falls that I could not get in the shot.
This is the Garganta del Diablo or the devils throat. 
Story I found online about the falls- The Guarani legend of the waterfalls tells the story of an angry god who in some stories takes the shape of a snake. The local people had to sacrifice a virgin each year to please the god so that the river would continue to flow. In other versions this specific virgin was set aside to become the wife of the god. She already had a mortal lover and the young warrior decided he would not give his love away to the vengeful god. The two mortals fled. The god displeased with her escape in a canoe split the river so that the couple would fall to their deaths. She was turned into a rock from the fall and he became an overhanging tree, separated but within sight of his lover. The name of the waterfalls means "great water" in the Guarani language. The Spanish explorers renamed it the Santa Maria cascades in the 16th century, but they couldn't get the name to stick.
There were rainbows everywhere, it was was like out of a storybook.
View from the upper ring, there is another level of falls that I could not get in the shot. 
This is the Garganta del Diablo or the devils throat. 
Story I found online about the falls- The Guarani legend of the waterfalls tells the story of an angry god who in some stories takes the shape of a snake. The local people had to sacrifice a virgin each year to please the god so that the river would continue to flow. In other versions this specific virgin was set aside to become the wife of the god. She already had a mortal lover and the young warrior decided he would not give his love away to the vengeful god. The two mortals fled. The god displeased with her escape in a canoe split the river so that the couple would fall to their deaths. She was turned into a rock from the fall and he became an overhanging tree, separated but within sight of his lover. The name of the waterfalls means "great water" in the Guarani language. The Spanish explorers renamed it the Santa Maria cascades in the 16th century, but they couldn't get the name to stick.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mara and I hav arrived back in Buenos Aires safe and sound, altough it took a bit longer than expected. We finished our time in Montevideo as expected and headed to the bus terminal to bok a ferry ride across the river to Buenos Aires. We did not expect nor anticipate literally every company being booked out because it was sunday and everyone heads back from their weekends at the beach via the ferries. We were completely bummed, we had so much been looking forward to getting back to Buenos Aires and catching up with Florencia but it was not meant to be. There was a silver lining to our cloud however, we ran into two people randomly from our hostel in Punto del Diablo. We decided to head to Colonia de Sacramento (where the ferries leave from) and spend the night there. We were all ready to get out of Montevideo and going to Colonia was on our way anyways. We had a great time and barely remembered the inconvenience that had caused us to be together.
We arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday morning very close to the bus terminal so Mara and I booked our 19 hour (that is right......19 hour) bus ride to Igazu Falls. Then Mara, Fran (one of the guys from our hostel that we ran into, who also coincidentally is from PA) and I headed to Palermo to our hostel. We spent the afternoon walking the streets and checking out the great shops and architecture of Palermo. It seems to me the more time I spend here, the more I like it, I mean really like it (Sorry mom, looks like I will not be returning anytime soon...just kidding!).
As soon as we got back to our room to siesta we met the other girls in our dorm and they told us about an Argetine drum show that was on, we said why not! I am so glad we went, it was so great. It was literally in a parking lot with a stage esq/set of stairs where the performers sat. There were probably ten guys in the band and it was all controlled by the conductor. They had some had signals that indicated what the musicians would do. It was not like concert band at Sanford with Ms. Nowicki I can tell you that much. It was great especially since we had not experienced any Argentinian music yet.
Talk to you in a few days!
We arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday morning very close to the bus terminal so Mara and I booked our 19 hour (that is right......19 hour) bus ride to Igazu Falls. Then Mara, Fran (one of the guys from our hostel that we ran into, who also coincidentally is from PA) and I headed to Palermo to our hostel. We spent the afternoon walking the streets and checking out the great shops and architecture of Palermo. It seems to me the more time I spend here, the more I like it, I mean really like it (Sorry mom, looks like I will not be returning anytime soon...just kidding!).
As soon as we got back to our room to siesta we met the other girls in our dorm and they told us about an Argetine drum show that was on, we said why not! I am so glad we went, it was so great. It was literally in a parking lot with a stage esq/set of stairs where the performers sat. There were probably ten guys in the band and it was all controlled by the conductor. They had some had signals that indicated what the musicians would do. It was not like concert band at Sanford with Ms. Nowicki I can tell you that much. It was great especially since we had not experienced any Argentinian music yet.
Talk to you in a few days!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Some Pictures..more to come!
Mara and I in Punta del Este on the beach at sunset.
The view from our hostel in Punto del Diablo, this is where we ate our meals, chatted out with people and laid on hammocks.
New friends in Punto del Diablo.Myself, William (Irish), Mara (Aussie Cousin) and Fabian (German Doctor)
House in Punto del Diablo, where else do you see houses shaped like boats?
A park in Montevideo, pretty park but run down city.
Lunar Eclipse, Cabo Polonia, Montevideo
On our last night in Punto del Diablo, there was a lunar eclipse. I know you all say: "Yes Pia, there was one here too", but for the first time in who knows how long I was in a place with very little light from cities. The lunar eclipse was gorgeous, Mara and I walked away from town and sat in the lifeguard stand on the beach and just gazed up. The stars were probably the brightest I have ever seen, it was one of those moments where you want to remember everything because you know how special it is even at the time. The sounds of the waves crashing, the bright stars and the golden moon made an amazing expeiernce. One that seems will never be explained in words except to say...I loved it!
Earlier in the day Mara and I caught a cab with an Irish guy named, William and another American, Fran to Fort Saint Teresa. The fort was built around 1870 and it was great. We had spent most of our time thus far looking at the beach and being at the fort allowed us to see the backyard of the beach or the rest of Uruguay. The rolling hills reminded me of being in New South Whales a bit with small signs of agriculture dotting the countryside. We then walked back 8 kilometers on the beach back to Punto del Diablo, it was beautiful and we were lucky because it wasn´t too hot. We stopped at on of the points between beach coves and it had a sign showing the various wildlife that one could expect to see, a few of the same birds that I had studied in New Jersey last summer were on that list which was pretty cool.
After four nights in Punto del Diablo, Mara and I decided to head south for another beach town we had heard of, this time there would not be the same luxuries we had enjoyed the previous days. Cabo Polonia was without electricity and running water was a luxury. We hopped on a bus mid-afternoon and were dropped off at what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. We then were told we had to catch as what can most easily be described as a shuttle to the town. The town was full of simple beach homes, lined along sandy paths. We found a place to stay on the beach for $10USD for each person, it was perfect! The night was gorgeous with no lights looking out onto the crashing waves while eating dinner at the cabin we had rented. We shared the house with three guys we had met at our last hostel from Israel, we had great chats along with a great meal.
The next day, Mara and I decided to head to the captial city of Montevideo. We arrived here last night and have just spent our time here exploring. It is a bit of a strange captial city, with beautiful historic sections surrounded by water but also sections of abandoned homes. At any rate tomorrow we are heading back to Buenos Aires to stay with Florencia (our couch surfing friend) and then it is time to plan our next adventure. I promise I will be posting pictures soon!
Earlier in the day Mara and I caught a cab with an Irish guy named, William and another American, Fran to Fort Saint Teresa. The fort was built around 1870 and it was great. We had spent most of our time thus far looking at the beach and being at the fort allowed us to see the backyard of the beach or the rest of Uruguay. The rolling hills reminded me of being in New South Whales a bit with small signs of agriculture dotting the countryside. We then walked back 8 kilometers on the beach back to Punto del Diablo, it was beautiful and we were lucky because it wasn´t too hot. We stopped at on of the points between beach coves and it had a sign showing the various wildlife that one could expect to see, a few of the same birds that I had studied in New Jersey last summer were on that list which was pretty cool.
After four nights in Punto del Diablo, Mara and I decided to head south for another beach town we had heard of, this time there would not be the same luxuries we had enjoyed the previous days. Cabo Polonia was without electricity and running water was a luxury. We hopped on a bus mid-afternoon and were dropped off at what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. We then were told we had to catch as what can most easily be described as a shuttle to the town. The town was full of simple beach homes, lined along sandy paths. We found a place to stay on the beach for $10USD for each person, it was perfect! The night was gorgeous with no lights looking out onto the crashing waves while eating dinner at the cabin we had rented. We shared the house with three guys we had met at our last hostel from Israel, we had great chats along with a great meal.
The next day, Mara and I decided to head to the captial city of Montevideo. We arrived here last night and have just spent our time here exploring. It is a bit of a strange captial city, with beautiful historic sections surrounded by water but also sections of abandoned homes. At any rate tomorrow we are heading back to Buenos Aires to stay with Florencia (our couch surfing friend) and then it is time to plan our next adventure. I promise I will be posting pictures soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)