Well, when we last left off, Paul and I were at Iguacu Falls just entering the enormous country of Brazil. In order to meet our goal of making it to Rio De Janeiro for Carnival we boarded one of the remaining buses with open space for the 24 hr ride (Good lord I hope it’s our last) to Rio De Janeiro via Sao Paolo.
We hit up Rio a few days before the festivities began, so we had a chance to do a little sight seeing. Right off the bat a cab driver almost took off my leg at the bus terminal, Paul and I knew we were off to a great start. After grabbing a few of our friends from different parts of the globe, we headed around town. First stop was the beach. Our hostel was 3 blocks from Copacabana beach and the rest of the day was spent lounging, swimming and sunbathing.
The Rio beaches are great because of the activities, people, and most importantly, beach vendors. Need a drink? Bam, Caiparinha in your hand. Hungry? Your sandwich, Senor. It’s great and fairly cheap. We also discovered that each beach area on Copacabana and Ipanema beach was loosely organized into genres of people. There is the family post, teenager post, sport post, surfing post, transvestite post, gay and lesbian post, hot model post, and I am sure any other fringe grouping you can think of. You can see some of these crazy beach dwellers on our pics.
Next up, arguably the most famous landmark in Rio, Christo do Corcovado, or the huge Christ statue on a hill overlooking the city. Unfortunately, no one in our group checked into the weather at the time, or just looked up and noticed all the clouds over the statue. Our view was a little compromised at the top, but we could still see most of the city through the clouds and took some interesting pictures of Mr. Jesus himself emerging from the mist.
Later in the week, Paul and I hit up Pao do Azucar, the Sugar Loaf. This is another hill that is on the northern side of Rio. We took a few buses through town and then a cable car system to the top of the hill. The day was clear and Paul and I were treated to a spectacular view of Rio. You can view many of Rio’s famous beaches, see the Corcovado hill towards the west and view the different areas of densely populated Rio in between the lush hills and sky blue ocean. We could even see the apartment building we rented for a week with some Australian friends.
This was the second best way to view the city, the other involving harnesses, a wing, and a running start. More on that in pt2.
]]>
Devils Throat middle falls tiered falls
After viewing Iguacu first-hand this myth makes a great deal of sense. The earth truly appears as if it has been violently ripped apart and water has seeped from all directions to come crashing over the tear. Iguacu is the most beautiful, powerful, awe-inspiring natural land formation I have ever seen. We spent an entire day wandering around this park and by nightfall Paul and I were speechless.
Just to gain more of grasp on how impressive these falls are, consider what first lady Eleanor Roosevelt said after touring the falls. “Poor Niagra.”
This is true. Iguacu is actually 4 times larger than Niagara in water flow and much larger in terms of land area and amount of falls. Only Victoria falls in Africa is larger, and just barely. But many people think Iguacu is the prettier and more interesting falls due to the myriad of different cascades that can be seen throughout the park. Whereas Victoria falls is just one large massive sheet of water that is hard to appreciate from land, Iguacu contains over 270 different water falls. Every turn, every walkway, leads to another unique cascade. One minute you are staring down into an enormous gourge with a tumultous river flowing suicidally off a cliff, the next you are wandering beneath delicate columns of falling water, all pouring from different heights in a dense tropical jungle.
Paul and I visited Iguacu on our way to Brazil for Carnival. It was the perfect stop over. An 18 hr bus ride north of Buenos Aires, the Iguacu area is located on the border of three countries; Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The area is mostly tropical jungle with many cliffs and changes in elevation. As you move west and north from here the land changes into the Amazon pantanal and jungle area. This actually borders the same terrain that Paul and I hiked through in Bolivia several months ago. Of course, that is still thousands of miles away.
There are 2 places to visit the falls, the Argentine side from the town of Puerto Iguazu and from the Brazilian side from the town called Foz Do Iguacu. We heard from many people including some guide books that the Argentine side was much more extensive and if you could only visit one area; that is the area to see.
After visiting many parks and reserves in Peru and Bolivia that were naturally beautiful but rugged when it came to access and guest services, the surprising thing about Parque Nacional De Iguacu was how, well, American it was. There was a direct bus to the park, which brought you directly to a disneyworld like entrance. A cafeteria, signage and maps, information kiosks, tour announcements and amazingly, free public restrooms were all readily available. They even had a little train that took guests through the forests to the first level of walking trails.
The first stop and introduction to the falls was a grand caterata called The Devils Throat. Visitors disembark the train and walk across a nice wooden platform bridge over a wide river / wetlands area. Butterflies swarm around you and small racoon like animals called Cotes come up to greet people on the path. As we walked farther along the trail a rumbling in the distance signaled our proximity to the main falls. The very end of the bridge is a viewing platform. At this point the roar of water is deafening and there is a fine layer of mist in the air. As you emerge onto the viewing platform, the entire main falls immedeately envelope you. The pathways are built right out to the edge of the falls, and you can stand overlooking the entire horseshoe shaped cascades. In one are the water is so immense that you can become mesmerized by the giant sheets pouring over the edge. Every piece of semi-dry land has vegetation growing on it. The contrast between palms and green reeds bursting out of a torrent of white foaming water is stunning. We could see clear across the Brazilian side from one direction and from the others view 280 degrees of falling water. At some periods the water fall is so intense it creates a thick mist that rises up through the crowd completely hiding the view of the river. As ridiculous as it sounds it really did make me want to jump in the barrel and ride the wave down. Besides sure death, I am sure it would be a remarkable way to go. That method and getting shot out of the Volcano in Chile are now my preffered ways to exit this earth.
After viewing the large waterfalls, we made our way back to some of the other paths that traversed different areas of the park. There are many beautiful trails that took us from one spectacular view to another. In some areas bridges cross over the tops of waterfalls, other places the platforms take you close to the bottom of the downpour. The variations are incredible. There are towering skinny falls, stepped multi-level falls, rivers that split around giant boulders, and tranquil ponds with lush vegetation.
The last thing on the Iguacu agenda was to take a power boat ride into the roaring mouth of two of the larger falls. I have a few video and pics of the trip but for the most part it was a very wet affair, so for the safety of my camera it was hidden away. Feeling the power and raoring noise of the falls and being drenched by cascades of spray was a great way to literally immerse yourself in the Iguacu experience. So, if you have been to Niagara and loved it, great for you. But I’ve been to Iguacu, and had 4.3 times more fun!!!!
]]>
The photos and stories from Buenos Aires are just a sampling of what the town has to offer. In our whirlwind week we hit many of the tourist spots, but also got a feel of what it is like to live in such a cultural and thriving town. The first noticeable thing for Paul and I was the heat and humidity. For such a southern city, Buenos Aires is surprisingly hot in the summer. That is probably one of the reasons for all the outdoor cafes, ice cream establishments, and various unique watering holes. Stroll anywhere in town at any time of day and you will find people sitting outside, sipping a coffee, having a snack and discussing the news of the day.
B.A. is a great town to walk and explore. The metro and subway systems are very efficient and affordable, and the city has numerous pedestrians streets with interesting stores, restaurants and attractions. Paul and I stumbled upon one of the best street acts I have ever seen on Florida street. It was one of those fake statue characters, where someone dresses up and holds a position as if frozen in stone or some other material. This particular man dressed as a GI Joe character, complete with gun, plastic green outfit, and full body paint. He even stood on top of a speaker which looped military drum marches.
Paul and I also had a wild time at our hostel, hostel Clan. Now, for those of you not aware of what staying in a hostel is like, it is very similar to a college dorm, except even more intimate. You usually sleep in bunkbeds with 6 – 10 beds per room. All your gear and other items are jammed into every available corner and space, and people are constatnly coming in and out of the room. Bathrooms are shared, in some cases there is a girls and guys restroom,in others the restrooms are coed, which I definitely can’t complain about. There are usually large common areas, in the case of the hostel clan, a large TV room, bar, barbecue and outdoor patio, and other community rooms. So, essentially, you could never complain about not having someone to do something with. I spent my birthday and superbowl hanging out with a whole group from the hostel. They even bought me a pseudo birthday cake (see picture). The whole atmosphere is kept lively by a very knowledgable staff that set up different events for the patrons. Things like football matches, barbecues, and visits around town. Definitely a great way to get the inside track to a city.
By far, the most interesting thing about Buenos Aires was the nightlife. Not that Paul and I had not gone out quite a bit in the other countries, but we were completely blown away by how late everything got started and how long the festivities lasted. Here is a common B.A. evening scenario. 8pm – Nap or chill time for several hours. 11pm – start talking about dinner and where a good spot is located. 12pm – gather the troops and head out to dinner. (be aware that families run at this same schedule as well. We would routinely see entire families with small children out past midnight for dinner) 12:30am – Arrive at restaurant and order food and drinks. 1:30 am – get the consensus on what evening location is the best. 2:00am – arrive at happening bar or club, sometimes waiting in a line to get in if the place is popular. 2:30 am – start partying with friends at the club. Some drinks some dancing, etc. 7am – the party is still going strong at the club, everybody is dancing, they are still serving drinks, but OMG the sun is rising. 7:30 am – Take out mandatory party sunglasses and shield eyes from the morning rays. 9:00 am – the tourists can’t take more of this usually heading home at this time, but the locals often keep partying at private after parties until noon or later. Incredible.
And that is your average night out in B.A. Truly surreal.
Another favorite activity of everyones and a must when in B.A. is to learn to dance. The home of the tango will not dissapoint. Eight of us decided to head down to a local school one day and take an hour course on the art of the sensual dance. The basic steps of the tango are actully not that difficult, the hard part comes when the teacher explained to us that the Tango actually does not have any set steps. The men are free to lead the women in any direction they please. Most people who dance or have attempted to, know this is an unbelievable difficult thing to do. The tango dancers stand close together, with both partners dancing upright and straight legged, a very casual natural step, but one that is nearly imposible when someone else is on your hip. Its a beautiful dance to watch and in time I’m sure a great one to learn, for now though, I think I’ll defer to the experts.
We also tried our hand at the other well known South American dance, the Salsa. All of us in the group had at least a basic understanding of the salsa, so we decided to go to the place where all the locals hit the dance floor. La Salsera. This is definitely a hidden gem of the town. It has a great atmosphere, almost all locals, fantastic sound system and a large dancefloor. Best of all, everybody here dances and they are all excellent. We discovered that they also have classes there earlier in the evening. We decided to try one of the intermedeate classes out the following nights. Hmmm, we definitely overestimated our dancing skill. The class was exciting, energetic, and way over our heads. There was a rapid warmup session and then all the females (35 of them) lined up as the men switched off down the line every 3 practive moves. This made things incredibly hard for the novices, especially those that didn’t speak spanish well, namely me. I told every lady before stepping on her toes, “Perdon, necisto mucho ayuda y practica.” Most were understanding, but I was definitely the worst partner of all the men in the room. Eventually, we were relieved to join a beginner class the next hour, which I think would qualify as advanced in the US. Overall, we learned a little more, or maybe I just seemed to get better the more I drank. Hopefully I can continue my salsa education in the states. So ladies, watch out for me crashing my way through a dance floor near you.
]]>
I actually dont know an enormous amount about the people and history of the cememtery, but purely on a visual level it was a very interesting place. The cemetery is crammed into the middle of Buenos Aires in a very affluential part of town. Almost all famous and aristocratic individuals in Buenos Aires have a plot on the grounds. The entire area is rather small but all the mausoleums tower above the narrow streets they line. Many talented artists adorned the tombs and graves making the cemetery half art museum and half burial ground. Complete with resident cats, strange faces on the walls (which we discovered you can temporarily deface with water – dont worry, the mustaches and horns fad in 5 minutes) and sculptures of mans best friend, Recoleta leaves a definite impression.
]]>He was right, it was truly spectacular. Paul and I climbed an Active volcano a few weeks ago, and we have the pictures to prove it. Some fun video as well of our descent.
After arriving in the lakes district of Chile, Paul and I immedeately went into adventure mode. We went whitewater rafting 2 hrs later on a river with class 3 and 4 rapids. No one died and it was a great time, but unfortunately, I couldn´t bring my camera. Something about water and complex digital machines. You will just have to trust me that it was a thrilling ride.
We did all these activities in Pucon, which is the adventure capital of Chile. It has every extreme sport imaginable, set in the beautiful lakes district area, which is just north of Patagonia. Pristine blue lakes, pine trees abound, and many inactive and active volcanoes tower over the countryside. One particularly active volcano exists right next to the town of Pucon. Guess what, you can climb it, with a guide of course.
The volcanos last major eruption was in 1982, but every year it has some minor eruptions and every day it spews noxious gas and smoke, much like our current government.
We set off to the volcano early in the morning with a group of 4 other tourists and our guide. We donned all our hiking gear; rain pants, survival jacket, snowboots, and ice pick. Ice pick? Wait, isn´t it summer there. Yep, thats true, it was t-shirt weather everywhere else, but on the volcano its a different story. The mountain actually has an enormous glacier on top of it, so most of the hike is on top of ice and snow. The glacier is an amazing 50 meters deep at some points and you can see a blue glow coming through the ice.
We started out on a lava field but quickly came to the snow/ice section. The hiking was not terrificly difficult, mainly because our group was a little slow (see the above mention of spectacular Korea man) but it still wasn´t a short jaunt. In all it took us a little over 5 hrs to ascend to the top. Because of the ice and steep grade, we needed to keep making zig zag patterns along the face of the volcano.
After snow throwing, some slipping, and lunch, we made it to the top and peered into the abyss. You know what we saw? Not much. You can´t actually see the boiling lava, but you can hear it. It makes a low rumbling noise every now and then. The thing that was most present was the sulfuric gas pouring out of the crevice. It was completely overwhelming. We could only stand there for a few minutes before gagging and coughing.
After 20 minutes of prodding around the mouth, it was time for the descent. Ingenuously, the agencies make the descent rather fun. They give you specially made ass pads that strap to your body. At which point you are able to slide down long chutes dug into the glacier. We achieved a surprising amount of speed and there was plenty of crashes and out of control people. Paul ended up with a bloddy lip, courtesy of me. One of my South American triumphs. Check out the videos to see the sliding action.
We descended in a little over an hour and luckily the volcano never erupted on us. Although, if it came down to it, I think that would have been a great way to go. Shot out of a Chilean volcano. Out with a bang!
]]>