AndrewDavid

dear owlwoman, please do so i am reading what u want me 2!! thanks A/D

owlwoman

Done.

AndrewDavid

Hi all, Our last day at Los cerros, I was up at dawn to do some mountain biking; thsi is just awesome country. back for a late breakfast and later lunch ( this was actually an "extra " meal a 4th lunch for which we wre not charged: very classy) Said good bye to our helpful staff there and went back to el Calafate to fly (wait for our delayed flight) to Bs As. Arrived after midnight, shuttled to the Art Hotel in Recoleta and checked into a small but stylish room ( $65US per night).

Slept in and went downstairs for a fine buffet breakfast and more excellent coffee ( the coffee throughtout argentina was good and strong as i like it). Walked over to Recoletsa Cemetary to retake pictures that were lost in the camera fiasco. While photographing ourselves w/ the statue of Louis Firpo ( he fought Jack Dempsey) we were accosted ( in the nicest possible way) by Tito and Gladys , sweethearts who were out for a Sunday stroll. Tito (79) was impressed that we knew Firpo had fought Dempsy and we stopped to chat w/ them Gladys ( 75) and Tito do some singing and after they serended us ( I have gladys in my camera solo) Tim serenaded them. In additional to be sales manager at the largest granite and marble purveyor on Vancouver Island (Matrix Marble if anyone needs a sweet kitchen etc), Tim is a classically trained baritone who sings Beatles to Bach and everything in between/ Not sure why he decided to sing "On the Street where You Live " but when he followed up w/ "Ave Maria" I thought Gladys was going to melt into the pavement.

Gladys and some tango singing friends serenade the grave of Louis Gardel ( kind of the Maurice Chevalier of Argentina?) evey year and last year they were overheard by a Spanish music promoter. He invited them to sing inSpain and just about now Gladys and her friends r in Spain on a 5 city tour. This includes Gladys' first plane flights. I have received many emils over the past weeks we have been home form our honeymoon, of Gladys and Tito singing at various clubs in Bs As. All those years of studying spanish were certainly paid back w/ this delightful encounter which would not have been possible w/o my ability to speak some castellano!

cheers AndrewDavid

AndrewDavid

the long trip to Iguazu

We hadn't paid much attention to the news of the baggage handlers strike as someone had told us that the luggage tossing was taking place at EZE not Aeoparque
so headed out for our flight to Iguazu blissfully unaware of what awaited us.

Well u could barely get in the terminal and no one could give us a definitive answer about anything. Some flights were leaving on time ; some were rescheduled for 8 hour demoradas; and some were just being cancelled.

While I was talking w/ a clerk Tim was looking dazed and confused enough that he was accosted by a TV crew and interviewed for the news!

We decided to abandon our Aerolineas tickets and rebook on LAN so we knew we could get to Iguazu in this life. This gave us a few hours to hop in a cab and revisit the glorious MALBA where i snuck around and photograped the beautiful building

cheers
AndrewDavid

AndrewDavid

Before cabbing back to the Aeroparque we walked over to the Paseo Alcorta Mall. This was the only shopping center we were in aside from the Design Centre and i spent a lot of time riding the mirrored escalators and photographing our reflections. Much of the stuff in the shops seemed similar to these precincts worldwide, but i did buy a great blue and white AFA jersey ( the same one that looms somewhat incongruosly and definetly erotically ( having been soaked onto some 20 something's body) above Recoleta Cemetary. This mall was quite lavish w/ a lovely cafe in the center , a far cry from the food courts of many north american malls and lavish seating surrounded by mountains of granite panelling scattered about. Back at the Aeroparque we just had a brief wait until our on time departure on LAN: clean new equipment, decent snacks and great service w/ an on time departure and now tell me again why anyone who doesn't get the Argentine resident discount on Aerolineas would want to travel AA rather than LAN??????

No body at the airport in Iguazu w/ anything resembling our names on a card, but one of the other drivers called around and located ours and off we went through the jungle to the Sheraton.

We saved some money w/ a jungle rather than falls view room and fell into the pool w/ some nice icy drinks. Our delayed aerolineas flight and siubsequent rebooking on LAN lost us an afternoon of exploring

next up: "into the mist"

cheers AndrewDavid


ps seated on the right side of the plane we could see the mist coming off the falls as we approached the airport

AndrewDavid

Golly, If u r planning a trip to Argentina and have time to visit only one locale outside of Buenos Aires, i would b hard presssed to choose between Galaciere NP and Iguazu NP.

The Sheraton is comfortable and its location in the park certainly convenient. We quickly checked in and went down to the pool for a swim. After my husband dozed off ( don't know if it was the heat or the margarita) I wanderd over to the upper trail head. Although the park was officially closed (6PM) people were still coming and going so i ran out the elevated metal mesh board walks to get myself drenched in the mist. WOW!!!!

We went down for a quite good dinner and were entertained by a 10 year old going on 30's birthday celebration. When the cake came in everyone sang "Feliz Cumpleanos" and the the young ham passed some of us cake. Tim sang to him something from the Beatles songbook and this young fellow practically somersalted around the dining room video taping everyone who was congratulating him! Afterwards we chatted with his Mom who told us this was not unusual exuburance on his part. She must be tired at the end of the day.

The woman at the next table started chatting with us and as she was Australian we reminisced about our time Down Under and made plans to meet for dinner the next evening. And so off to jungle dreamland.......

hasta manana

AndrewDavid

SnRSeattle

I am also enjoying your travelog, A/D and wishing we could go to Argentina, Chile, Antarctica, AND Australia. Well, we'll just have to plan and dream for SA in 2009 or 2010. And Western Australia in ???? Your insights are very valuable and I am looking forward to going to that museum!
Sally in Seattle

AndrewDavid

hi Sally,

well sadly i'm almost done w/ my report but that means i can think about planning our next visit to Argentina. Western Australia is definetly high on my list. I want to go in May so we can swim w/ the whale sharks!

cheers
Andrew

AndrewDavid

amigos

Up early 4 our first full day in the park. The breakfast buffet at the Sheraton was quite good w/ an enormous variety of well prepared and fresh food. I pigged out on papaya and being prudent travellers we made sandwiches and stuffed our pockets w/ food for our in room refer.

We started out by train to the long walkway out over the river to the Garganta de Diablo. it was way cool walking what seemed a km or so out over the river on the elevated metal mesh boardwalks the park has built at the end we found falls that seemed to be rainbow birting factories and mobs of squealing visitors.

It was hot 36 degrees so getting soaked was quite refreshing. If u hang around u eventually have less of a crowd which comes in waves from the jungle train arrivals.

We then headed back to the acces point for the lower trail. This is more challengening as there r many steps. It is beautifully conceived. If one waits u can get time alone at placing and the views r spectacular.

As we headed down we saw boats going across to Isla San Martin (?) and discovered this is a free ferry service. We waited on line and crossed the river dodging the larger boats heading up to the falls face. After arrival we walked over to the beach, stripped off and swam for an hour. Great fun. Unfortunately we forgot when we took our shirts off to apply sunscreen to chesta and backs and my red headed husband became quite sunburned in the transparent water.

Back on the mainland we hiked back to the hotel for some well deserved rest and liquid refreshment at the pool.

My husband born and raised in Canada had been neither to the Columbia Icefields here in BC or to Niagara Falls ( although as Eleanor Roosevelt said after seeing Iguasu, "poor Niagara"!) and now in one week had seen Perito Moreno and Iguazu.

Travel is broadening , eh

mas despues

AndrewDavid

tully

Thanks for posting, will try to remember to wear/bring a bathing suit and take the free ferry. Would you say a full day plus a few hours on arrival day and a few on departure day would be plenty at Iguazu? How early does the park open?

AndrewDavid

hi tully, yes i think that woul be the minimum and would allow u a good experience of the argentine side. if we had more time we would have done more but for our first visit to Argentina our days were limited.

Believe me if u don't have a bathing suit ur shorts will dry by the time u get back up the steps!

cheers
AndrewDavid