The Iguassu Waterfalls, what a spectacle!

In the indigenous language tupi-guaraní, Iguassu means big water. A simple name for such an amazing natural wonder! It left me so speechless that here I can`t think of any nice adjective from the many available to really describe the impact of the waterfalls...So, I guess that instead, I´ll show what was gifted to my sight!

Enjoy it!

Accounts from Argentina

La Boca, Buenos Aires

When I look back and think of Argentina my mind goes to two different worlds: Patagonia and the rest of the country we have been to. Our days in Bariloche were too good to be true, but the same I cannot say for Mendoza and Buenos Aires. In Mendoza there is absolutely nothing to do but getting tipsy from its worldly known wines (which certainly it is per se a reason to visit Mendoza)! But thing is that in this increadibly hot city, some super soft and fast thievery hand decided to steal our camera...and all our photos and memories of the previous two weeks evaporated in one split second! Very sad and unfair. After leaving Mendoza we went to Cordoba, which to me looked ten times nicer. 

Our stay there was quite short, but we had time to reach Alta Gracia, where the familia Guevara and Ernestito lived for some years and that nowadays hosts the 'casa-museo of Che Guevara'. The house was well maintained and the museum very well made. I liked that by focusing on the childhood of Ernestito the museum shows a generally unknown side of what later became a hero. For the first time I also learned that Che Guevara had two wives and five children. I could see his school report, see how good he was in geography and history and how bad in ortography and calligraphy. I could see his child letters addressed to his aunt in Buenos Aires and read about the travels he made first through Argentina as a student. El Che has been a son and also a father, a thinker, a philosopher, a political leader, a revolutionary, and a man above all. This museum alone was worth the ride from the beautiful south towards the north of the country!

Then we went to Buenos Aires...which we rebaptised Malos Aires. I think I have been wondering for days what all the fuss about this city is about. Despite Argentinians are said to be the Europeans of South America I saw nothing that could ever resemble Europe or Europeans. Most of them are proud of having some European (mainly Italian) blood far in their DNA, but when it comes to behaviour or way of living...sorry bro but that ain't European at all! Moreover, Bs As is a city thought around an ever-present mean of transport, the car, and nothing is left to human dimension. Big avenues of ten lanes (ten one-way lanes!) are something of the USA rather than Europe. What I couldn't stand the most is the remarkable difference between barrios, neighbourhoods. Those from the aristocratic barrio of Palermo barely consider the popular San Telmo to be any safe! In Palermo the richness of its residents is visible in its palaces with their large, glass and shiny premises...surrounded by the nicest parks of the city. Wealth more than poverty has been disturbing to my eyes.

But all in all we left the capital with a nice feeling. The day before we left, we visited the barrio where Italian immigrants (especially from Genova) use to settle, la Boca. There we had a walk through the famous and colourful Caminito, and that persuaded us that also Bs As has colours like the whole South America does...That night we went to an afro-pub which seems to be quite popular in town and we enjoyed a night of drums and salsa. After all, Southamericans do know how to make a fiesta! :)

And so we left for the neighbouring, unknown Uruguay!

Bariloche

Nahuel Huapi Lake in Bariloche, Argentina

I was told by my Dutch man that the Princess of the Netherlands, Maxima, who is Argentinian, has a house in Bariloche to spend holidays. This makes perfect sense, because Bariloche has the fame to be the Switzerland of Argentina. I haven't been in Switzerland yet, but after Bariloche I think I might like that cold, punctual, chocolaty neighbour!

What a lovely place is Bariloche! We were already enchanted in Chiloé,  homeland of the mapuche-huilliche, a pure island not yet contaminated by tourism. Not many foreign backpackers, chilenos all year round. So rustic and simple it was that we actually thought of skipping Bariloche and stay longer on the island. But for some reason we moved further...As soon as we arrived on the shores of the Nahuel Huapi Lake we realised what we could have missed by not coming to Bariloche. We met 3 Italians in Chile, all coming from different parts of Italy, who commented that Bariloche was nothing special, that was just like Switzerland and thus didn't deserve much attention. According to them, two days spent in town were more than enough. What a mistake! Sometimes people are just too rush in their judgements. They don't take the time to reflect, they don't allow themselves to be surprised and worse, in their case, they keep looking at things with European eyes. There is so much nature around here, from hidden lakes to volcanic enchanted valleys...so much that two days in Bariloche are definitely NOT enough!

What is more, is that technically we can even say that we have been in Patagonia! Although in this part of Argentinian Patagonia there is no monotonous landscape and no flatness. It is a Patagonia made of rios hermosos, beautiful rivers, valleys, rocks sculptured by volcanic activity in the most different figures, gentle hills and pictoresque shores. Really, pleasure for our eyes!

Now it is already time to move ahead. We have barely time to notice we are getting tired. In few hours we will be on the way to Mendoza.