Iguazu Falls and Jassy Hotel - simply amazing

What a fabulous two days.  I should have listened to Trip Advisor (my go to source) when they said once you arrive at the Jasy Hotel you will want to stay longer than you planned.  They are so right.  This place is Heaven on Earth.  You are in the middle of a rain forest, there are no bugs (has me a little confused, but oh well) the rooms are comfortable, they have a private balcony, a nice cool pool (which you need when it is pushing +40 with 100%plus humidity) and the best restaurant in town right below your room.  We have now been sharing meals and switched to fish which is amazing.  For the life of me I can't remember what kinds of fish we have tried but they have been rather tasty.  I've decided the only way I'm going to remember the wines I have been trying is to take pictures of the bottles, not that I will be able to purchase them in Canada but hey when people ask I might remember the name, other than Malbec, but no guarantees.  I haven't had a bad one yet and we have been tasting from the bottom of this list lately and they are very good for $7 a bottle.  Yesterday we just got settled in and headed into town to check things out.  We ended up walking all afternoon to find the Hita Argentina, which is where the Rio Parana and Rio Iguazu meet and at the look out you can stand in Argentina and see Brazil and Paraguay.  Peurto Iguazu is a fairly small town and very safe to walk through.  Just before it started to rain we ducted into a cafe for a cervesa to wait out the down pour.

True to Argentina style they serve cervesa in a 1 litre  bottle in either a styrofoam cooler that fits the bottle or a wine cooler with ice to keep it cold.  Way cheaper to buy it in bulk.  LOL. 

I personally like the Brazil beer, but the Argentina brand is also good in this heat and humidity.  As long as its cold.

It's like a natural spa all day long, you sweat profusely and at the end of the day your skin feels amazingly hydrated and soft.  Not a lot of need for moisturiser here.







THE FALLS:

Breath taking to say the least, I am having a hard time finding the words to describe what we saw today,  Massive water fall after water fall.  Jay was right this is definitely worth the trip to see, you would not want to come to this country and miss this amazing wonder of the world.  Niagara Falls is no comparison.  Iguazu Falls is a National Park to begin with, which means there are no large developments such as hotels, restaurants or bars anywhere near the natural park.  No neon signs etc.  It is all in its natural state and well preserved.  All the walk ways are on metal platforms so as not to disturb the rain forest, it is clean and there are many people around to answer your questions.  The area is massive so they use a train to move people from one area to another.

  This is just a sample of what we saw today.  We spent 6 hours in the park, walked many km, got wet from spray because you get up and personal with many of the falls and were amazed at the power all that water has.

I have to say the Argentinians have perfected this one, they have kept the natural beauty and have created an area that thousands of people per day enjoy without destroying the natural habitat.  The rest of the world could learn a few things from these people.

Sadly we have to leave tomorrow and are headed to Mendoza for 6 days.  Hey but we are going into the Argentina wine valley can't be all bad.  At least it won't be so hot and humid. 

Cheers!

Leather Shopping and an Argentinan Steak House what more could a girl want for Valentines!

My Buenos Airies Travel Agent, Sandra Gutrejde scheduled a trip to a leather factory for me so I could look for a new leather jacket.  The taxi picked us up and drove us half way across B.A. to a small leather factory.  We were given great service, and the top underground exchange rate on our U.S. dollars plus a 10% discount if we paid in cash.  I guess the underground economy is alive and well in Argentina.  Oh well when abroad do as the locals do - pay cash.  I was excited to find a really cool jacket unlike anything I have seen at home, which was the point.  I even found room for it in my backpack.  yippee!  Bill also found is his murse or man purse as he does not like his small backpack to take back and forth to work.  Jumped back into the cab and we were back at the apartment within 3 hours.  We then relaxed by the pool and repacked our bags as we are headed to Iguazu Falls tomorrow.  We were able to get reservations to one of Palmero's top Steak houses for dinner tonight.  We had discussed our plans with a couple of guys from the U.S. on the way to the Tango show and they had informed us that we should be sharing a meal as the portion sizes were huge even for these two stapping young lads.  So before we left we had agreed we were sharing, however by the time we got there Bill thought he was starving and how could a restaraunt possibly get a piece of tenderloin to be 600 gms.  So even when the waiter asked if we were sharing he said no and ordered his own.  I ordered at 1/2 portion.  Well when the food arrived I could not believe the amount, Bill had 4 huge tenderloin pieces and I had 3 small ones, enough to feed 6 people no problem.  We had already had bread, and a number of toppings before this all arrived.  It also came with salad and about 8 other side dishes.  He should have listend to the boys!  We couldn't even take any with us as we were flying out the next morning.  So Bill to his true form, ate and ate and ate, drank wine and then I rolled him home.  It was very good, however still not up to the Moser standard.  They say Argentina beef is fabulous but we dare to disagree.  My boy can still cook a better steak.

This was our last night in B.A. and I have to say the city was a lot of fun.  We are off to Iguazu Falls as our next destination point.  We had fun in the big city, but we are looking forward to some piece and quiet and a little slower pace.  I like to visit the big city but much prefer the tranquility of a smaller place.

Cheers

Argentinian Futbal is Amazing!

Ok I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge soccer fan, but the Boca Junior game was so much fun.  Mainly due to the fans and the fact I have so much fun people watching.  However the game was quite good to watch as well.  A least for the first half.  In the second half the Boca Juniors kind of fell apart.  But that made witnessing the fans behavior so much better.  The team sprirt is fueled by their "fan club" the Brava Brava's (they are about as curupt as our Hell's Angels)  They control the seats in the stadium the membership to the "club" etc.  So the tour agent we used purchases contraband tickets from the Brava Brava and when those tickets don't work, like the one Bill had they make a call and misteriously a new ticket that does work appears at the gate.  They also provide the cheering section to the game so a large number 12 is painted in the section of the stadium that is reserved for them only.  They believe they are the 12 player on the field.  Just before the game begins they enter the stadium, drums pounding and flags waiving and the whole stadium goes crazy.  Not that they weren't before.  We arrived about 1.5 hours before the game began and the fans were seriously cheering the whole time.  Once the Brava Brava enter they controled the cheers and there is about 5 different complete songs and cheers the fans do.  They stand on their feet, pound their fists and yell at the top of their lungs for hours.  It was so amazing to watch the support they give their team, especially since the everyday local fan has not chance of ever getting a ticket to see the game.  The Boca Juniors lost the game but the fans just kept on cheering, right up until the very last second of the game.  No one left the stadium early, in fact the fans that were seated in the visitor section had to wait 40 minutes after the end of the game to leave.  So there is no problems with fighting with the local fans.  There is also no alchol served in the stadium, good thing these fans are crazy enought without beer.  Bill was able to purchase a t-shirt but it was too hot to wear it. It was a good thing we had a guide, he was about the age of our kids but had lived in the U.S. for a couple years as a youngster. Without him we probably would have gotten in some trouble and would not got the story of how things worked.  We made it back to the apartment about 12:30 in time to skype the girls and then go find some dinner.  Good old Argentinian style eating dinner after midnight.  The Italian influence is grand, pizza and red wine for dinner, yummy.

Tuesday February 12, 2013 - Day 3

Today is still a National holiday so not much is open.  So we decided to take a rest a relaxation day after all we are on vacation.  We had a leisurely coffee on the deck, read books by the pool, and then decided we would try the Argentinean Agriculture exhibition which was just down the street.  However once we got there it turned out to be about Dinosaurs etc.  The agriculture one wasn't until next month. We stopped at a great little Italian bistro for a sandwich and beer and to cool off in the AC.  The portion sizes here are huge, even bigger than in the US.  We both ordered a sandwich and ended up only eating 1/2, so brought the rest back for tomorrow's lunch. We walked around the park and then decided +35 was just too hot to be walking around, so we stopped at our favourite corner groceries store for beer, and to exchange money.  You get a way better exchange rate from the locals, its become kind of a ch allege to see where I can find the best rate.   Back to relaxation until it was time to go to our Tango Show for dinner.  We went to see the show at Cafe de los Angelios.  They came and picked us up and we were seated next to a couple from Washington D.C.  He had recently retired from the oil industry and they had done some extensive travelling.  My faith in Americans has been restored.  There are a lot of them down here and for the most part they have been really friendly and not their rude and obnoxious selves.  They have been pleasant to talk to and have had some interesting stories to tell.  There is hope yet. 

The Tango show consisted of 21 dancers and two singers telling their tale of the history of the Tango.  They started off in very simple plain costumes depicting the immigrants who first started the dance.  As the show progressed the Costumes and sensuality increased.  The Tango is a very intricate dance with fast pace footwork and movements.  The theatre was small therefore we had a close up view of the stage and the dancers.  The music was played by a live orchestra situated in a balcony above the stage.  The music was fabulous to listen to even if we didn't understand the words.  The red wine poured freely and the three course meal was very tasty.  At the end of the show we were returned safely to our apartment tired after another day in the heat.

Buenos Aires Day 1

Our flight arrived on time and it only took us about an hour to clear immigration and customs.  Our shuttle was waiting for us and it was about 45 min to the apartment.  The apartment is a bachelor suite with a small deck, full kitchen, not that we are using it for anything other than keeping the beer and water cold.  Nice wine glasses though.  We are staying in Palermo neighbourhood in a fully secure complex.  Everything we need is within walking distance, however its been a national holiday for carnival for the past 3 days so nothing opens until after 5pm.  Exchanging money has been a challenge because the money exchangers are all closed.  A local lady at the airport told us we would get a better rate (blue rate) from the locals as they are restricted as to how much US cash they can have through the bank.  Therefore the black market is alive and well.  However the US cash has to be in perfect condition or they won't take it.  The best rate we have gotten so far is 7 to 1.  The bank is offering 5 to 1.  So the challenge is on to find a place that will give us 7-1 close to the apartment.

Sunday night we had a spectacular thunder storm and it poured rain for about 4 hours.  We ventured out at about 8pm to see if we could find a place to eat.  Not much was open yet so we walked around the neighbourhood to acquaint ourselves with the area.  Within a few blocks Bill was completely lost, but we eventually found a small place and ducked in out of the rain. (good thing we had our rain gear this trip).  Ordering dinner was a challenge as the menu was in Spanish only.  I managed to remember the few words Serena had taught me and some are very similar to English so my dish was close to what I thought is was, Salmon with caramelised onions and mushrooms.  Malbec is a pretty standard order so no problem there.  Bill thought he ordered pasta with salmon but ended up with a wonderful salad with smoked salmon on top.   He even liked the wine and it did not give him heartburn!  It quit raining by the time we left and my husband was quite surprised I was able to find our way home.  He would have have made it half way and was convinced I was crazy when I told him we had to turn, but he put his trust in me and we made it back safely.  The neighbourhood is quite safe and there are a number of people out at night so there is no problem walking around.

Day 2

Today we awoke to no rain and warm temperatures.  We took a walking tour of the city with a lovely girl named Ellie.  She went to University of 3 years to become a tour guide, so was well versed in her historical knowledge of the city.  We started the tour in Plaza San Martin which is where the second settlement monument of the city is located called the English Tower.  Opposite the monument was a tribute to all the Argentinian solders who died during the Falkland Island War.  We then jumped on the subway to Plaza De Mayo (Main Plaza), where the Cathedral Y Cabildo and the building where the President works.  There were numerous monuments and beautiful architecture through out the city.  We then jumped on a bus to la Boca where the famous painted houses are located, at Caminito.  This is the area where the Tango was born.  It was originally the dance of the poor until it caught on in Italy and then the wealthy began to take interest.  Today this neighbourhood is not too safe and it is where the poorest of people live.  Argentina does have social programs for its poor and there doesn't appear to be too many homeless living on the streets.  We ended up at the famous Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Paron is buried.  Even today people leave flowers at the grave.

It wasn't too hot so we decided to walk part of the way back to the apartment, along the way we treated ourselves to B.A.'s famous ice cream.

Later we went to our first of many Wine Tasting events.  It was located in our neighbourhood and our instructions told us to ring the bell at the black door.  It worked, we were taken up the a second floor loft with a table for 12.  The other guests were a mix of Americans, Australians, UK, and Wales.  Our host was also from the UK but had lived in B.A. for the past 5 years.  Cara was a lot of fun and poured as much wine as you wanted.  We started with a sparkling wine which was wonderful, very different from ours called Hom Espumante Sparkling Wine.  I did not care for the white, it smelled very fruity but was very acidic, however was better once you tasted with the food paring.  It was called Las Perdices Torrontes. 

The best part was the 3 reds.  The first one was a 2010 Mairena (named after the wine makers daughter).  It was 100% Bonarda.  These grapes are only grown in Mendoza.  What a pity, this was a wonderful wine, very different from anything I've ever tasted.  The next two were both Malbecs but the first was oaked, 2011 San Gimignano Malbec Roble.  The second was Cariae Finca Denza Guarda. Bill even enjoyed all of the tastings and was asking for seconds.  No heart burn material here.   Much to my dismay, they only ship to the U.S.  However once I am home I have the information to have it shipped I just have to figure out how to get it home from my sisters.  Know anyone driving back from Arizona this spring?  We get two free bottles for every case we order.  Great deal! I only bought two of my favourites but they won't travel well in my back pack so guess we will have to drink them.  Life's tough!




After a great start to the evening, (lots of wine pours) we sauntered down the street to one of the recommended restaurants to see if we could get a table without a reservations.  We were early it was only 8:30 so we were lucky and only had to wait about 10 min.  In the mean time they served you a sparkling wine while you waited.  Just what we needed.

When we opened the menu the list of red wines was pages and pages, so I asked the waiter to pick one for us.  Boy did he pick one he even asked Bill to write on the bottle as they kept them on display.  Bill was game ( apparently too much wine does this to him) so he wrote his message.  He didn't realise until afterwards he had paid 900 AR for the bottle.  It was very good wine but I think he almost had a heart attack when the bill came, oh well that's what vacations and birthdays are for, right Honey!  By the way the exchange on that is $125 US!!!  Good thing we got the blue exchange rate today.  Great way to start our vacation. 

Cheers!

The Itinerary

After a lot of research we decided on a 4 week trip to South America to celebrate my 50th birthday.  The only criteria I had when we began our research was the destination had to have "GOOD RED WINE".   So south east Asia was out and Europe was too cold so that narrowed our search to South America.  We contemplated Brazil because Bill also wanted to do an Amazon tour but the 4 weeks did not allow us to include this leg so that will have to wait for another trip.  We managed to get 3 countries into this trip including a trek to Machu Picchu.  

We land in Buenos Aires and stay in the city for 5 days.  While we are there it is South America's carnival celebrations so the city will be so much fun.  I hired a travel agent off the Internet (trip advisor) and she has been great in setting up all of our activities and accommodation in B.A.  We are staying in a studio apartment in the Palemo Soho neighbourhood.  We start the week off by doing a city walking tour and then the most important Wine tasting in a private wine tasting venue. We are also doing a Tango dinner show, a soccer (futbal)game, and some leather shopping.  

The next stop is  Iquazu Falls located up on the small sliver of land north of B.A on the Brazil boarder.  These falls are suppose to be spectacular.

Then we are off to Mendoza which is Argentina's wine country.  7 days in paradise.  It's all about wine this week and what ever else we can find to do.  Relax maybe?

We then are taking an Argentina bus from Mendoza across the Andres mountains and into Valpariso Chile.  Trent's friend Jay lost count of the switch backs on this road but said it was a great ride.  Should be fun.

We spend 2 days in Valpariso which is located on the pacific coast doing more wine touring.  Yippee, I can't wait.

Then we are off to Santiago for a few days before we fly to Cusco to start our Machu Picchu tour.

We are on tour for 7 days with Gadventure tours.  1 day in the sacred valley, four days hiking and sleeping in a tent and a couple days on either end in Cusco.  

Our final two days are in Lima before we fly home.

That's it in a nut shell, I will give you more details and the adventure unfolds.  

Cheers!

SOUTH AMERICA 2013

SOUTH AMERICA HERE WE COME!