At the border between Argentina and Brazil roars one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Its called Iguazu Falls, and it pours more than five times the water volume of North America’s closest rival Niagara Falls. On our way from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, we couldn’t resist making a stop at this unforgettable natural wonder. See majestic falls for yourself in today’s photo gallery.
All good things must come to an end. We bid enchanting Buenos Aires adieu, jump on a bus (much to our amusement) and head north to Iguaçu Falls in northern Argentina. Take your bus ride up north in today’s photo gallery.
“How do you like Buenos Aires?” we are asked. The question has been posed to us many times since we arrived, and immediately the rules of proper etiquette kick in. Any answer besides “amazing” is not acceptable, but it is this same answer that elicits suspicion as to whether we are just trying to be nice. Thus, Buenos Aires has been an exercise in actually convincing people that we’re serious when we say that this city is, well…amazing.
“We’ve been traveling through Central America for a month, and here…compared to other places…” I struggle to make my thoughts clear. It’s a touchy subject. Since Buenos Aires is much more European and much wealthier than the rest of Latin America, I don’t want to imply that its superiority is derived from its more “civilized” attributes, as some would call them. There is no question that this city feels more familiar than any other place we’ve traveled through on our trip, but what makes it such an amazing place to travel to is that it has depth and complexity that few other place have. It’s a place where answers lead to more questions. (more…)
On Saturday night, we took to the streets as the sun was setting to see what the locals do in Buenos Aires when they don’t have to work in the morning. Ready for a late night? Then you’re ready for tonight’s photos.
Walking around Buenos Aires, you can barely go a couple blocks without seeing someone drinking mate, and so for this quiet day, we too, take a sip. Get your cup in today’s photo gallery.
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On the streets of Buenos Aires, resting on his car’s passenger door, a cab driver takes a break from sipping on a metal straw and lazily asks, “Necesitan taxi?” A lack of an answer does not matter – in fact, you’d probably be troubling him if you did take him up on the offer. He’s drinking mate. With the trademark cup in hand, and the requisite thermos snug under his arm, all else that any mate drinker really needs is, well, more time.
It’s hard to go a couple street blocks, or venture past a park, and not see someone relaxingly sipping on mate – seemingly the South American drink of choice. Despite its ubiquity, a week into our stay in Buenos Aires, we had yet to partake in a round of drinking the earthy liquid. (more…)
Care to dance? We hit up a milonga (dance parlor) where late owls dance the tango until three in the morning. Catch tango dance in today’s photo gallery.
We take a trip to lazy (in a good way) town of Colonia, Uruguay, just an hour speedboat ride across from Buenos Aires. Take a boat ride across the Rio de la Plata in today’s photo gallery.
We’re recovering from a series of missteps and setbacks last week (stolen wallet for Thushan, a 24-hour deep intestinal spring cleaning for Brian), and recently began uploading some of the “lost” posts. In the past 10 days, we’ve left the Island of Ometepe in Nicaragua, explored the cities, coasts and forests of Costa Rica, and crossed the equator to the southern hemisphere and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Below is a quick run down of the past couple days and the respective galleries if you’ve missed anything…
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Downtown Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina - 02/05 Despite the sweltering heat, we took the day to wander two neighborhoods, Congreso and Microcentro and take in the hustle and bustle of downtown B.A. |
Despite the sweltering heat, we took the day to wander two neighborhoods, Congreso and Microcentro, where we took in the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and the historic governmental buildings. Take a walk in B.A. with today’s photos.
“You know, I’m waiting for the day when I wake up, and whether its light or dark out, I just don’t even think about what time it is,” said a groggy Adam. It was around eight at night, but Adam had the look of someone who had just rolled out of bed. He lit a cigarette and continued, “That’s when I know I’ve been here long enough, but it hasn’t quite happened yet.”
We were sitting at a table in an open-air restaurant that sat a block from the beach. Next to Adam sat a guy named Josh. The two had only met the day before, but already had plenty to reminisce about. “This town was supposed to be the capital of nightlife in Costa Rica, but last night we were so bored we started keeping a tally of how many times we were offered drugs and sex, just to pass the time,” said Adam, a native of Michigan and former U.S. soldier.
“Last night the dealers were working harder than the prostitutes,” Josh said, a 24-year-old pilot for a domestic airline out of the Midwest. He continued: “I think the final count was drugs 16 and prostitutes 7. Or maybe we just look more like the drugs type.”