Bye Bye Buenos Aires

What can I say..........this has been an exciting, exhilarating and sometimes scary (hahaha) vacation. Amy and I have had an incredible time and I'm sure we will be back.

 The proverbial "last leg" of our trip landed us in beautiful Buenos Aires.  Amy and I are currently relaxing in our fantastic little studio apartment located in the heart of the Palmero Soho district before we get ready to head out to the airport and start our trip back home.  We loved our stay here in the city. People are friendly, the food is incredible (I dare say their beef may actually be better than ours............... blasphemy I know, but I have to admit.....) and there is much to see here.  We were lucky enough to book a tour with Fabian Ali (who works for the same tour company as Juan Cruz who carted us around the Andes near Mendoza).  Fabian was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable and drove us around in his vehicle showing us all the amazing sites and sounds of Buenos Aires.  We were able to get everything in in one full 8 hour day allowing Aims and I to stroll and eat our way through the rest of the week in complete relaxation.   

Amy captivated by Fabian as he performed one of a couple of magic tricks for us at a local coffee shop in the San Telmo district.  I didn't mention that?.......yes he is a magician/sorcerer as well as a tour guide = +23 Awesome! (for all my fellow video game nerds out there)

The La Boca district, famous for being the believed birthplace of the Tango.  This colorful district is the home of the first port of Buenos Aires when the Europeans first settled down here.  Since then the port has moved twice.  The district is one of the poorer areas but is lively with tourists, cafes and Tango lessons during the day.

Aims taking in the mausoleums in the cemetery located in the "rich" northern area of the city (Recoleta).  Judging by the size and opulence of the mausoleums, this cemetery is host to what must have been and still is some of the wealthiest families in Argentina.  Including the deceased family members and wife of the hero of Argentina - San Martin. 

Yesterday we strolled through the Japanese gardens.  Simply put - beautiful and peaceful.

Aims and I spent our last day strolling back to the area of Recoleta where on the weekend the locals have a flea market of handmade jewelry, clothing, trinkets, Mate cups.....just about anything.

Overall, once again it's been an amazing trip and we're both looking forward to getting back home to see family and friends.  Gracias everyone!  See you soon.

Lamy

Iguazu Falls

Dear friends, family and random internet stalkers,

We hope all is well back home and we are actually getting kinda excited about returning. We are lame and miss our beloved hounds......

Now that that is out off my system, here are some pictures of the Iguazu Falls which sit along the border between Brazil and Argentina. We were only there for a short period of time - less than 48 hours. We never went to the Brazilian side but we saw a tonne on the Argentinian side. This was the first time Lance and I experienced this type of jungle climate. There were actually monkeys on our balcony one day - Capuchins I think based on Lance's description. I missed them cause I was napping. DAMN IT!

We stayed at the Sheraton which was right in the national park - excellent location with everything within walking distance. It only cost us one of my kidneys and Lance`s right arm. Check out the view from our hotel room below.

This is a shot from the hotel bar where we enjoyed some vino and the view....and some eyedrops by the looks of it....

Lance and I at the Devil's Throat - the biggest fall at the park.

Some surrounding falls at the Devil's Throat

Beware of the coaties! These little buggers are known to bite tourists for their food and are generally annoying. I spilled some coca cola one day while we were taking a break and we couldn't fend them off from licking it off of the cement. Despite all the warnings throughout the park, we still saw many tourists getting way to close to these guys and even sticking their fingers up near the coaties' faces. WHY?

There were numerous bird species throughout the park, in addition to many types of butterflies and over 2000 species of plants.

Lance and I took a boat ride up the rapids and literally right into the Falls. It was a blast and we got totally drenched!

 Here are some shots from the Lower Trail:

And some shots from the Upper Trail:

 We both agree that this was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Mark and Doro, we think you would both love it.

Alrighty! That is it for now. We will try to post some pictures of Buenos Aires before we head home on Saturday.

Mind the coaties!
Lamy

I've Been Through A Humid Subtropical Climate On a Horse With No Name

Hi everyone,

We arrived in Buenos Aires last night after our stay at the Estancia La Constancia and our visit to the Iguazu Falls. We are here for 4 more nights before we head home. 

This post is dedicated to our stay at the Estancia. The Estancia was located just outside the little town of San Javier which is about a 3 hour drive from Cordoba which we were told by a local Cordobian is the heart of Argentina ;) The Estancia was originally built in 1897 and is nestled in a valley between two mountains. We were hosted by Luis and his brother Augustine who own the Estancia - it has been in their family for several generations. Their grandmother actually planted many of the trees you will see in some of the below pictures. We only spent three nights there and could have stayed longer. Lance and I were both sad to leave. The location was beautiful, the food delicious (and gluten free!!!) and our hosts were awesome. 

On our first night at the Estancia, we took a short hike up to one of the surrounding hills to enjoy a very scenic sunset with some vino.

Lance took a great shot of a spider. Pretty sure this was the bastard who bit my face in the middle of the night. I have had a big welt above my left eye brow for about a week now. 

This was the view from our room. Lovely!

 A shot of one of the buildings around the Estancia.

There was a little creek running through the property with fresh spring water that was drinkable and quite delicious.

 Another shot of the property.

 Augustine took us for a hike one day up to one of the hills surrounding the Estancia. It was a quick hike with amazing views of the surrounding area.

 Smooch!

 Jasmine, one of the dogs who lives at the Estancia accompanied us on our hike. She was a good bitch.

 Exploring the grounds.

 Lance getting in touch with nature and harnessing the power of Greyskull. Dustin, that was for you.

 There was even a church on site built over a 100 years ago.

 Inside the church an old school organ? (we think)

 Augustine also took us horseback riding around the property one day. Our horses didn't have names. They were identified by their personality/disposition. I don't quite know what was wrong with my horse....he would go super super slow and Lance and Augustine would be way ahead of us. Then, all the sudden, he would start running to catch up. It caught me off guard and I totally would tense up-  STABILIZER MUSCLES ENGAGE. I had a sore back for the next three days. Such a city slicker.

Lance and I both agree that our peaceful three days at the Estancia was a highlight of the trip!

A post of the Iguazu Falls to follow soon.

Love you all,
Lamy