Thursday, November 4

Cross country we flew and reside now at the tricorner of Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil. The old forest has long since been sold off and floated downriver. What persists would be nought but (rapidly) regenerating forest(complete with orchids and jaguars, coatis and toucans) except ... that here is also one of the world's more stunning waterfalls, Iguazu, and a plethora of business that has sprouted in its attractive mist.
The cross country part was tricky. If not deaf, dumb, and mute negotiating the practicalities of airport info/directions, we were at least next to useless as regards to info exchange , and only by the grace of luck (and extra time) did we get here at all. But, we did, and it is a curious place in which we find ourselves.
From any high point one can see, way across the tops of jungle trees and waterfall mist and rainbows, a cluster of high rise buildings said to be in Paraguay. A tribute to commerce cut loose, and the main reason most Porteños (Buenos Aireans) come this way at all. Ciudad de Estes is a city in southern Paraguay from which all manner of material goods can be procured without the bother of tax or tariff, a high rise duty free city. We were told it is not necessarily a family friendly place but, rather, smacks of seedier sides of Bangkok.
Iguazu itself Is still a bit of a mystery to us. Though we've hiked to its edge and pondered its depths, been cooled by its mists and recorded it's rainbows, we have not yet really seen the falls. Too huge to be grasped in toto (yet), we plan to spend another day hiking about tomorrow to try to find the vantage point that will let us grok the fullness.
So now we sleep, perchance to dream of iguanas and lagartos mas grandes.
And when we have it all figured out on the morrow, we'll be sure to share.






Larry and Janell


from JK's iPad

Location:Puerta Iguazu

Tuesday, November 2

An ambulatory paradise, this city of good air, (and we'll leave no part untrodden).
The SUBTE got us started.
Early on, we fetched tickets, for a bus ride to an estancia, a week from now, from Priscilla, our French travel agent contact.
The "estancia" is, apparently, an Argentine institution - these days: cattle ranch/Porteño weekend retreat - formerly ranch/fortress against the indigenous peoples. (We'll know more next week if all goes well.)
The bulk of this day was spent in gardens: El Jardin Botanico, BA's wonderfully labelled, mid-city sanctuary of trees and shrubs and herbs from around the world. Because the weather permits, there are many, so called tropical plants (many of which we can not reliably grow in Baton Rouge because of our freezes, but which will grow fine in San Francisco ... where Mark Twain, one summer, spent the coldest "winter" he ever experienced.)
It was especially delightful for us to see in BA, plants we take for granted, like azaleas and crape myrtles, irises and confederate jasmines. Routine for us, special for them.


Larry with Bamboo at Botanical Gardens

The Jardin Japonés (Japanese Garden) - next stop, (another long walk)
was another delightful bit of calm and beauty in the middle of a bustling city. Simple, elegant plantings, stones, and bridges over ponds full of carp - big black and goldfish lolling about, hoping for an (illegal) handout ... with foreground iris and papyrus plants and distant background highrise apartments and subdued autopista traffic.


Japanese Gardens

We'd planned (hoped) for tea there, but were disappointed by the Japanese "tea house" that offered nothing more than the standard "green tea" and various flavored tisanes. (Oh well, you fly a couple thousand miles and you still can't expect to have it all.)
On the long walk home we paused at "El Anteneo Grand Splendid Bookstore", a fin de siècle theatre recently renovated into a bookstore and the most amazing of all the many. There are, in fact, more bookstores here, in BA, than we have ever seen before. Sadly, they cater (appropriately, I suppose) to the local folk, a Spanish reading bunch. Alas, we are not among them.



El Anteneo Grand Splendid Bookstore

Larry and Janell

Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

Location:Pasteur,Buenos Aires,Argentina

Monday, Monday

We walked long and delightfully to a travel agency this AM on the 3rd floor of an elegant old gargoyle encrusted building where a French woman, Priscilla, booked tickets for us on a day tour next week to an estancia (gaucho ranch). Another long walk to the congress building got us on to a Hop On/Hop Off, doubledecker bus for a tour of the city.



Interesting Building Picture Taken From Bus


Walkway across river.

We saw every magnificent bit of historical granite: statues, plazas, fountains, and bridges, then gardens and parks and barrios (neighborhoods) until hunger forced us off the bus and, near the cemetery (Recoleta) where all the finest Portenos (as the Buenos Aires folks are called) rest, we ate. ...and drank a bottle of Malbec (vino tinto)...and walked some more...until we could ride ... on the SUBTE (soobtay, as the subway is called) back across town (to walk some more) to find a recommended milonga (as the tango halls are called) and sat, and watched, and avoided eye contact... lest Janell be lured into the arms of a milonguero. (Portenos do believe the Tango to be Argentino's greatest gift to the world.)



Scene in Tango Hall
Tomorrow we hope to go back to the cemetery to see Evita's grave site and possibly the city's Biological Gardens and Japanese Gardens. There are so many interesting things to see here that we easily get off track with our daily plans.

Larry and Janell


Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

Location:Lavalle,Buenos Aires,Argentina

San Telmo Sunday

After breakfast of eggs self cooked in the B&B we have all to ourselves, we walked long and well to San Telmo, the old town, where antiques and tango reign. Sunday is a big day of street dancing, performing, vendors and markets.
We met up with two other couples - Jim and Cheryl from California and Doug and Dianne from Toronto, Canada, folks Janell met via an internet travel site (and with whom we had previously drunk a beer or two) and had lunch together. Curiously, years ago, Jim's mother and sister lived a few miles from Janell's hometown in Louisiana. These two couples travel extensively around the world. They met in Thailand a few years ago and have since met up on several trips. This is Jim's and Cheryl's fourth trip to Buenos Aires - this time for six weeks!

We parted after lunch since we wanted to spend more time around San Telmo and catch some tango.



Larry and I walked around San Telmo shops, had coffee, watched some street performers, and then caught tango music and dancers performing in the San Telmo square and came home via subway, our first such venture. The old wooden cars on subway line A are original, from the turn of the twentieth century and their style is very reminiscent of New Orleans. Ticket cost - approximately $.30.








Janell

- Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

First full Day in Buenos Aires

Ayer (yesterday), long walking on busy city streets of the aptly named "Paris of South America", and a very long crossing past the obelisco rising from the Centro of the Avenida de 9 de Julio brought us to the Calle Florida and Galleria Pacifico built for world class shoppers (with whom we mingled) enroute past the Teatro Colon to the Casa Rosada. The Pink House, known to Norteamericanos (us) as the Argentine home of el presidente and his lady (as typified by Eva Peron/Madonna) or, most recently (this week) as the site of great anguish and much graffiti mourning the Oct. 27 death of Nestor, former (and expected future) president who is survived by his wife(and current president) Christina.
The woefully placarded Plaza de Mayo with Casa Rosada background:




After a meal (meat) and a cafe at Cafe Los 36 Billares, an old Movado clocked, wood paneled billiard hall we rolled (via taxi) to Recoleta, the cementario and "one of the world's great necropolises" to see Fuerza Bruta, a high energy show we had seen described as "a cross between Stomp and Cirque de Soleil" and it was quite an extravaganza. Very difficult to photograph but J snagged this pic of slithering, sliding, diving women, water and all, suspended in transparent Mylar over a rowdy wet rave scene.




Beers after at Bullers, a brewery, with bar mate, Jennifer, a New York/Seattle writer here for a year of Spanish learning... and a long cool walk home to Casa Jasmin...where we are now awake and writing.

Larry


- Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

Location:Lavalle,Buenos Aires,Argentina

Buenos Aires Arrival

What a long day! After about an hour of sitting on the plane in Miami we finally took off around 12:30 AM. It was interesting to see the lights as we flew over Cuba. We were served dinner, then I was out like a light until morning before we landed in Buenos Aires. Larry was able to sleep off and on and envied my ability to sleep so soundly.

We went through Customs without a problem. We had a short wait for Nico, the driver from the B&B, to pick us up. I had a picture of Nico in my iPhone because the B&B owner had emailed it to me, so he was easy to spot when he arrived.

Our B&B is more like an apartment. We actually have 3 bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and bath. The kitchen is stocked with yogurt, eggs, cereals, milk, fruit, juices etc. We were also provided with a fresh baked cake which is a typical Argentine treat. It is very similar to King's cake. The apartment is usually rented out by bedroom, but because the owner is out of the country for a month she rented the whole place to us for the regular price of one room.

It is rainy here today and is supposed to be the same tomorrow. It looks like we will have nice weather after that. It is the beginning of spring here - warming up each day. December and January are supposed to be fairly hot here.

Tomorrow we officially start our sight-seeing of the city. I'll try to get Larry to post to the blog as he is quite descriptive in his writings. You'll certainly notice a distinctive style of writing if he does a post!

Janell

- Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

Location:Pasteur,Buenos Aires,Argentina

We're Off To Buenos Aires

We are finally off on a trip to Argentina. Currently we're chilling at DFW airport where we've a 5 hour wait for the flight to Miami. Flight from Miami does not depart until after midnight.
Eventually...we'll be based in Buenos Aires but will take several days to make a trip to Iguazu Falls (on the Brazilian border). We may also make a day trip to a Gaucho Ranch if time permits. BA is such a large, cosmopolitan city that we'll be hard-pressed fitting in the must-sees in BA alone.
We will try to post to this blog daily - words and pictures if all goes well with my publishing venture. If you are interested in following us, go to Larryandjanell.blogspot.com to view updated posts.

Janell and Larry


- Posted using BlogPress from JK's iPad

Location:Unnamed Rd,Grapevine,United States