Northern Argentina and Iguazu Falls

After the disaster with my Mum´s flights home I convinced her to keep travelling and complete the trip. As long as we stayed at low altitudes we were told that she would improve. However it took another week before she really recovered.

We left Santa Cruz and caught the first bus south to the Argentinian border. We stopped overnight in Camiri which was notable only for its overpriced accommodation and bad food. This was surprising as we were now well and truly off the "tourist trail". The next day we crossed the border at Yacuba into Argentina.

As we were now behind schedule so we only had two days to explore the Quebrada de Humahuaca in Northern Argentina near the border with Bolivia. This area is famous for it´s desert landscapes, beautiful coloured rocks and salt flats. Sue who was still not feeling well and just wanted to sleep most of the time went on to Salta on the second day while I went to visit Pumamarca  to see the Cerro de Siete Colores (Rocks of Seven Colours). I dutifully gave Sue the name of some hostels to stay at in Salta and promised to meet her there that night. When I arrived in Salta I found Sue happily ensconced in a very posh hotel. When I questioned her about this she said that the hostels had either been full or did not exist. Over a beer later that night we were able to laugh about the fact that she had just spent the equivalent of at least five nights accommodation for the both of us using our precious US dollars. Despite this extravagance even I had to admit it was good to enjoy a bit of luxury. I spent half the night using the hotels guest computer and the next day ate as much as I could stuff myself with at the "free" breakfast and even enjoyed a swim in the pool.

Salta is not much larger than Christchurch yet it is a very lively and bustling city with lovely old Spanish buildings and church´s especially around the central square. Unfortunately we only had one day to explore the city before taking a 21 hour bus trip to Iguazu Falls.

The town of Pumamarca - Cerro de Siete Colores (rocks of seven colours) in the Quebrada de Humahuaca

Humahuaca in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. We spent a night in a town near here.

Iguazu Falls: I never thought if would be possible to spend two days looking at waterfalls but that is what we did. And they were amazing. The first day we took a bus over the border to get a view from the Brazilian side. This gives you the grand view of all the falls which are on the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraquay. The falls are divided by numerous small islands which span 2.7-kilometers (1.7 miles). The falls are as high as 82 meters in places (269 feet) and there can be as many as 300 waterfalls depending on the water level. The most spectacular waterfall is called the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo). About half the river´s flow goes through Devil´s Throat waterfall.

Iguazu Falls - View from the Brazilian side

We visited the Parque de Aves in Brazil where we got to see many amazing and colourful parrots and other birds including some that have been rescued from mistreatment. These Toucans are so friendly that they come up to you and act like they are asking you to take their photo.

On day two we visited the Argentinian side of the falls which gives you a closer view. I also took a boat ride on the river which mostly consisted of getting very wet under the waterfalls. It is very hot and humid here so it was nice to at least take a shower!

View of Iguazu Falls from the river

The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo)

Form Iguazu we took a 24 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires.We had been told lots of stories about people having their bags, wallets and cameras stolen. Apparently a common trick is to spray your trousers with something and then pretend to help you. Luckily we did not encounter any problems. We stayed at the not very posh Hotel Victoria where we meet Erik from Norway. Erik is mad on tango and has been coming to Buenos Aires for about 15 years to take dancing lessons. Erik very kindly offered to take us to a Sunday market - La Feria de Mataderos, in one of the outlying suburbs of Buenos Aires which not too many tourists know about. There we spent the day listening to music and watching locals who go there to dance the traditional dances. These were not performances but a place to go and participate. Although there were plenty of spectators too and it was fun to watch as many of the dancers were very good and were clearly enjoying themselves. That evening Erik took us to a club where we again watched locals dance tango.There were also several musical performances as well which included this crazy and very modern performance by three young women with violins and a piano which was excellent.

Erik (our Norwegian guide in Buenos Aires) eating lunch at our hotel in Buenos Aires

Locals dancing at the market day.

I have never seen ponies this small. Children can go for rides on them for a small fee. Usually they also have a horse race down the street but this day it was too hot to have the race.

As we only had two and a half days in Buenos Aires we decided to maximise our time by going on a Free Walking Tour. In fact it is not free as you are expected to tip the guide. Our guide pointed out that Buenos Aires used to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world in the late 1800´s which is when many of the historic buildings and mansions were built. The city is in fact an eclectic mix of many different architectural styles reflecting the diversity of immigration to the city - from different parts of Europe to Jewish synagogues mixed with the more modern buildings of today.

Our guide also showed us the monument built to commemorate those who died in the Malvinas War in 1982. This monument is built facing the clock tower that was donated by the British for Argentina´s centenary celebrations after winning independence from Spain. Young Argentinians, like our guide, say that while the Malvinas Islands are Argentinian not British it was not, and is not, worth going to war over. In the Malvinas war mostly teenager conscripts with little training, and poorly equiped were sent to the islands where they were forced to fight against the British army. 237 of them died. As a result of this military disaster there were large protests against the military dictatorship in Argentina which hastened its downfall.

An example of the different architectural styles in Buenos Aires

Modern Buenos Aires. This area used to be the original port which has been redeveloped. People who live in Buenos Aires are called Porteños (people of the port

Our last stop on the tour was at the Recoleta cemetery. I have never seen anything like it. It is huge with streets with buildings or small chapels to hold the coffins of the rich and famous here.

Sue at the Recoleta Cemetary

Our guide also confirmed what other Argentinians we met and know have told us about the two currency rates here. The government in a bid to defend its currency has set an official rate for the peso. Ít is not possible to buy US dollars and even for Argentinians they have made if very difficult to change peso´s into US dollars. Argentinians have to apply to a government department and give a reason why they need US dollars e.g you are travelling to the US. The government then decides how many dollars you can buy if they approve your application. As a result of these measures there is a thriving blackmarket here in US dollars which offers an exchange rate almost double the official rate. This is largely driven by wealthy Argentinians and businesses who do not trust the peso and so want to have dollars which they perceive as a more secure and stable currency. Argentinians here including our guide recommend publicly that everyone change their money on the blackmarket describing the government's actions as theft because they are artificially overvaluing the peso. As a result the blackmarket operates quite openly here.

Two days is not really enough to do Buenos Aires justice but we managed to get a little of the flavour of the place. Fortunately for Sue the travel agent was able to get her back on her original flights back home to New Zealand two days before she was due to leave. She left Buenos Aires on Novemeber 19 and I flew to El Calafate in Patagonia (Southern Argentina) the same day to go tramping in Torres del Paine and Fitzroy.