Carmel Gooooeeeniess: Welcome to Argentina

I arrived in Buenos Aires after a 18 hour amazing double decker bus ride. The bus was equipped with lazy boy like chairs, movies, music, food, blankets, pillows, Bingo, and actual bus attendant. The first thing I see when I came out of the bus station are these amazing purple trees that are all over the city. (Remember we are below the equator, so it is like our Spring/ Summer.) 

Can you imagine a high speed chase with this cop car?

I feel like every town has a man on a horse that is somehow significant. Instead, Austin has a man holding a guitar at town lake- JAAAAM!

Tango is really popular in Argentina, and on my first day in Argentina there was a couple on one of the pedestrian streets dancing away. 

I signed up for TANGO lessons, dinner, & then we all went to a tango bar. It was a total blast. Tango is bit difficult & structured for my taste but it was fun to watch all the couples at the bar. I left at 2 AM and The tango was still going strong! (I left with all the older ladies.) 

Easily one of the biggest highlights of Argentina has been the gooooey creamy Dulce De Leche. Imagine creamy spreadable carmel. It can go on just about anything. Prepare yourself, I have sent friends home with Heaps of it!

A package deal!

Before I even left on my trip I had friends raving about Mendoza, and now I can see why. I bought a package deal that was more like a steal from Buenos Aires. It included my overnight bus ticket (with a screaming baby next to me the whole time), 2 nights at a hostel, a wine tour, a couple meals, and a mountain trekking/ repelling with the climax ending in aguas calientes.

Day 1:

No need for Lucy squishing those grapes these days.

This is a room where the wine is stored. They had this set up differently just so we could peek in. The chamber has a special coating of paint that was slipperly like a dolphin. Normally they have the wine stored loosely like a big pool. I would love to have a raft & a straw (as long as there were some kind of sun roof action or something...) 

On the wine tour we also got to see an olive oil factory, chocolate liquor factory, & an old cool church. The olive oil factory was cool because they fed us. 

But the chocolate factory was by far the best. They also produced Absinthe, but who would chose that as a sampler when you could have a delicious chocolate, banana, dulce de leche sampler?

Day 2:

T

There were at least 10 separate heated pools, a lazy river, water falls, BBQ pits for families to cook, and to top it off water slides!!! Pretty much paradise.

This was a great way to relax before an exhausting, non stop, 4 day journey to Cusco, Peru to meet Monica & Jake. 

Where the Posh Die.

I heard many people rave about the the cemetary in BA. So I got our group to go there. It was a fun adventure & definitely the nicest cemetery I have ever been to. We had a great adventure, saw some really cool parks, lunch, & some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted!

The cemetery was free, but it was so big that it required a detailed map, which of course you had to pay for.

This is the tomb where Evita's whole family is buried.

Evita was born in the early 1900's & she died in the 50s from cancer. First She was an actress & then later became even more famous when she was married to the congressmen/ dictator of Argentina. She became most notorious for lobbying for women's rights. 

"The peace of God everywhere." 

"You that are crying, don't be sad or hurt, look at the life that starts not the life that ends."

I left getting home to Jason since everyone ridiculed my more "scenic" route to the cemetery, which they ended up enjoying more in the long run...

Thelma & Louis

I met these two amazing Australian friends who were traveling through South America for 2 months. They are 73, have no plans, stay at hostels, and just see where the adventures take them. They are too old to carry backpacks these days, so they have rolling suitcases instead! Sara Flynn and I often joke about how much fun it will to be Grandmas who can do whatever they want & especially to have the flexibility to travel. (I am such a dork that I even have my grandma name picked out "Buzzbee.")

These women were such an inspiration who prove that it can be done at any age! 

Brazil VS. Argentina

I took a 22 hour bus ride to Iguazu falls from RIO. It was more than a miracle that I even made the bus because it was the day after my birthday were I got to SAMBA dance all night long at a Favella party and still managed to catch my 8:15 bus ride. Serious miracle....

On the Bus ride I met Thelma & Louis (had they lived to be 73 years old) & a great couple from San Francisco/ Canada (Jerry & francesca.)

Iguazu falls is compared to Niagra falls. It borders Brazil and Argentina. Between both sides there are about 375 different waterfall points. It was definitely the most powerful water falls I have ever seen. Everyone debates which side is better, regardless they are both worth seeing. The Brazil side was much shorter of a trip. It only had 4 or 5 main look out points.

Brazil:

Why are double decker buses so much more fun?

I have no idea what the name of this animal is. It must somehow be connected to the raccoon family. It came from no where & the next thing we knew it had Andres's lunch. They were all over the park and incredibly resourceful scavengers. 

Relentlessness

Argentina:

The Argentina side took a full day of hiking all different kinds of trails. We started at the top of the falls and worked our way down. There were no double decker buses but there was a train involved...

I love this picture, it shows how wet I really was getting.

Chris & me