Hola from Argentina!

Ah... my first blog entry from South America... where to start? I´ve been on the continent for 12 days now, and I just flew into Ushuaia (at the very southern tip of Argentina) from Buenos Aires yesterday. I´m super happy to be in the mountains now after 10 days in the ¨city¨. Buenos Aires is indeed a world-class, easily walkable, entertaining city. I simply spent most of my time walking around the different barrios (neighborhoods), and eating and drinking with new friends. And yes, I ate steak, and yes, it was delicious! Many of the reasons why I don´t eat meat in the States don´t apply here in Argentina. I decided awhile ago to be open to eating nearly everything while traveling. My hostel was an easy place to meet fellow travelers to explore with, in a great location of the city, and had excellent shower pressure (apparently a luxury in most hostels).

I took two side trips out of the city, well-worth the effort in getting there. My first trip to Iguazu Falls was a whirlwind of 18 hr bus rides, rainbows, stunning waterfalls, jungle, butterflies, and hot ´n sticky (as in humidity). The waterfalls were amazing and I´ll let the pictures describe the rest. The boat ride under the falls was definitely a highlight and a much-needed refreshing cold shower from the heat.

My other side trip was to Colonia, Uruguay which is just across the river from Buenos Aires. A new friend from the hostel and I took the ferry and it was a nice, relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of  the city. The town of Colonia is super quaint with cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafes, and a lighthouse which we climbed up. It was an awesome 5 hours in Uruguay!

Yesterday was a travel day and that´s pretty much what I´ve been up to for the first 12 days of my trip. Already seems like I´ve been gone for much longer, and I feel a world away from the States and my former San Francisco life. Traveling is my life now! Slowly getting into the grove of it... I´m not simply on vacation. This is a new lifestyle that I have gladly choosen, and it´s treating me well so far.

Yup, been taking hundreds of pictures, but having technical difficulties getting all of them onto Picasa albums which are linked to this blog. So far, most of my BA pics are up. Check right side of blog post. In the meantime, I´ll post a few below, and select 20 or so favorites from each destination to put on facebook. Look for them there soon, or friend request me to see them. Enjoy!

So now for a few random observations and funny stories:
1. I´ve fallen in love with dulce de leche. Creamy deliciousness.
2. Funny story number 1: I ordered 12 croissants by mistake. My pronounciation of ¨dulce¨ for sweet was apparently way too close to ¨doce¨ for 12. Ha, big difference after all.
3. Argentineans are serious about their mate tea. They carry a thermos of hot water everywhere, even in the heat of the jungle, they were sipping their hot mate.
4. It´s been easier than expected to meet fellow travelers also eager to explore together, and especially drink together. Most being from Europe and Australia. I´ve seen just a few Americans. Most are also traveling for several months like me or even longer. Several have also quit their jobs like me, yay fun-employment (as a good friend once told me).
5. Funny story number 2: While on my first long-distance night bus ride, I was the only non-Argentinean. When the driver-helper came around and asked us passengers if we wanted ¨wiki¨, I had no idea what he was talking about. I asked him in my poor Spanish if it was food or drink, he replied with alcohol and of course, I said si, si! Everyone around me laughed. I got my drink and quickly realized that wiki is whiskey! Yup, cama con servico is the way to go on long bus rides... drinks and full meals are served!

So here I am at the end of the world for the next 5 full days. The scenery is stunning, and the plan is to spend a few days seeing penguins, touring the Beagle channel, and hiking around Tierra del Fuego national park. Love this small mountain town!

Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

When in Rome... Argentine steak and malbec... it was delicious!

Colorful houses of La Boca barrio

Devil´s Throat, Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls

Rainbow at Iguazu