Two Week Tourist

Since I arrived in Argentina I have done some touristy activities and sightseeing but it took my family to arrive for me to feel like a real tourist! I have to admit, I loved every day of my tourist experience!

Our first stop was the capital of Argentina - Buenos Aires! We spent 3 days exploring this impressive city that is full of incredible architecture, history and talent. Tango shows, colorful streets, geocaching, theater book stores, the widest street in the world and swarms of pigeons were among some of the things we did and encountered in this great city.

The "Ateneo" was a theater that has been turned in to an award winning book store.

"La Boca" is a street full of colourfull houses where people dance tango in the streets.

Emily clearly has no problem with being swarmed by hungry pigeons... I on the other hand clearly do!

On our last day we rented a car since we all agreed that it would be a great way to see the country. We also liked knowing we would have the freedom to stop, go, get out, get in, turn the music up, turn the heat down, etc. We packed up our almost brand new Chevrolet Aveo and hit the road towards the province of Misiones. Our GPS said we would arrive in approximately 12 hours to our destination which I had programmed in to be Posadas – the capital of Misiones. Prior to our departure I went to a music store and bought 4 different CD´s that I knew we would all like… who knew 12 hours of the same 4 CD´s could get so incredibly repetitive!

6 hours into our journey with hardly nothing to see other than farm land and gas stations, we decided to start looking for a place to spend the night. We ended up in a city called Concordia which turned out to be a great place to stop! We had dinner, went swimming and walked around the city. I have found that most of the cities/towns in Argentina that I have visited have the same layout. They have a plaza in the center of the city/town that has the church, the government buildings and the banks all around it. Concordia was no exception to this rule. It had a gorgeous plaza with a beautiful white church to the left of it, the banks to the right of the church and the government buildings in front of the church on the other side of the plaza. It was a great city! The next morning after shopping around the street vendors and purchasing 2 more CD´s we hit the road again towards Posadas.

Concordia Church

Driving from Buenos Aires all the way up to Posadas was pretty straight forward… Actually that was exactly what it was: straight and forward. Bad joke! But seriously, I was hoping for some gorgeous scenery, interesting animals or at least quaint little towns to drive through. I am accustomed to the lush green of the Misiones jungle and vibrant red of the earth, the different animals you see on your way through the winding roads and all the small towns you pass by… sad to say our 12 hour drive was lacking the green, red, wildlife and civilization in general. We entertained ourselves for the most part though.

That night we arrived to our hotel in Posadas – the HA Urbano Posadas. Posadas is a great city. It has everything and yet it doesn’t feel like a big city. We had dinner at an outdoor restaurant and planned our following day. We planned to walked down the Costanera and take it easy during the day and later meet up with Miguel and Amanda for dinner. I wanted my mom to meet them since they had been so hospitable and kind to me when I first arrived. I could not imagine my mom not meeting them while she was here.

Our next day went as planned. My sister swam in the morning, I shopped for a bit, my padrino (godfather) slept in and my mom read her book in the sun. We walked the Costanera – walkway along the Rio Parana in the afternoon while it was siesta time. To say the least, my family did not understand siesta time! “I can´t believe EVERYTHING closes EVERY DAY at this time! It´s so inconvenient!” I laughed and sympathized with them because I have felt the same frustration from time to time too! At first when I told them about siesta time they didn’t really understand (or believe me) 100% that yes indeed EVERYTHING closes for 4-5 hours EVERY DAY at midday! They had to experience it for themselves! We walked and walked and walked all along the Costanera. Something that I found interesting and really liked about the Costanera that I hadn´t noticed before my family and I walked along it, is that there are parks with swings, slides, and monkey bars all along it. My sister was in her own little heaven! Every park was different as well. Some are bigger than others but they all offered entertainment just the same.

Walking along the Costanera - Across the river is Paraguay.

That night we went to Miguel and Amanda´s house for an amazing asado. Miguel is an amazing cook and his specialty (like many Argentine men) is asado – every kind of meat imaginable. His other specialty is wine! He and I got along very well since we both have a passion for wine. He is a member of the ¨Wine Club¨ which in simple terms means he gets boxes full of wine bottles every month from the best wineries of Argentina. After our visit, his wine collection was several bottles less. Too much meat, never too much wine and hours later we decided to call it a night since we would be leaving Posadas the next day to head to Puerto Iguazu!

Em and her new found friends - Bilma and Otto

The drive from Posadas to Puerto Iguazu is 3 hours. It is along Route 12 which is a great 2-3 lane highway. It is well kept due to the many toll booths along the way. Driving in the province of Misiones is a lot different than driving from BA up to the province. It is a beautiful drive with breath taking landscapes and scenery. On our way to Iguazu we decided to stop for a bit in Corpus. I couldn’t wait to show my family where I have been living and the town that I am falling in love with. We made a pit stop where we stopped at my house, my sister was able to pet a horse (she was dying to do that ever since I told her that people ride them around the town), I showed them ITEP where I work, the plaza where people spend their afternoons drinking mate or terere and introduced them to my roommates. I was surprised at how PROUD I was of my little town. I was proud to show it off and to show my family around! They absolutely loved Corpus for its ´going back in time´ feel that it has. 



In front of my house in Corpus

Arriving into Iguazu was the best feeling in the world! When I was first told about the CIDA internships this year, I saw that one of the locations was Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. I knew I had to apply to come here! Visiting the Iguazu Falls has been on my bucket list since I saw a Discovery Channel show on the natural wonders of the world that haven’t been exploited yet. I can proudly say that I have scratched it off my list!

Our accommodation was superb to say the least. Juliana has many connections in Iguazu since she used to work and live there. She set us up with the “Finca de la Policia” which is the private police cabins that are reserved for police officers when they come from far away to Iguazu for meetings and such. If they don’t have reservations for the officers, people with connections (like us!) can stay there. It was our very own paradise with all the amenities including a pool and a ping pong table! The night we arrived was a calm night. We checked in, unloaded our luggage, went for dinner and made a reservation for a catamaran ride down the Rio Iguazu that passed the 3 Fronteras -3 Frontiers of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. 

Our cabin in Iguazu

The next day we knew there was only one thing we wanted to do – Iguazu National Park. Finally! All I can say about the falls is that I have never felt the way I felt when we walked out onto the lookout area at “La Garganta del Diablo” – “The Devils Throat”. I have never in my life felt emotional when it comes to nature but this place is incredible. It brought tears to my eyes. The power and beauty combined is absolutely breathtaking. No amount of pictures, videos or explaining will ever do justice to this magnificent place. If it is not on your bucket list (the realistic one) it should be! I´ll let the pictures do the talking of this place because my explanations will not even come close to doing it any kind of justice.

La Gargamta del Diable - The Devil´s Throat

We saw a lot of wild animals, but these were by far my favorite!

After an incredible day at the falls we had dinner at a fabulous restaurant called “El Quincho del Tio Querido”. We had the best seafood dinner EVER along with the best bottle of wine! Argentina has 2 national fish: El Dorado and Surubi. I haven’t tried El Dorado yet but that night at the restaurant I had Surubi… DELICIOUS! It was tender and bonus: it had no bones! Seafood lovers I definitely recommend Argentine fish! As an appetizer we had provolone cheese that was cooked on the parrilla which is the barbecue where they cook the asado. To die for!

Barbecued provolone cheese!

Being the town that has a world wonder to its advantage I was expecting the town of Puerto Iguazu to be a lot more developed than it is. It is quite small compared to the “Falls Town” I know – Niagara Falls. It has the traditional tourist shops all up and down the main street which obviously have the exact same trinkets just at different prices. It is a typical tourist town with plenty of hotels, hostels, nightclubs, restaurants and overpriced everything!

We did plenty of other touristy activities in Iguazu! Here are some of the main ones!

We took a catamaran trip down Rio Iguazu where we passed along the Paraguay and Brazil front.

3 Fronteras

Brazil across the river.



Aripuca - Massive replica of a bird trap used by the Guarani



Once our time was up in Iguazu, we said our goodbyes, packed up the car and headed to San Ignacio! This town is where the Jesuit ruins are and it is the closest town to Corpus that has hotels. We visited the San Ignacio ruins and went back that same night for the “Luz y Sonido” – Light and Sound show. The show was impressive. They used the ruins as the backdrop for projections of what life in the missions was like back then. It told the story from start to finish through the projections and the narrations of an ancient Guarani chief. It gave a good idea of what life in the mission was like and also how their fall came about.

The next day we went to the “Cruz de Santa Ana”. It is a huge cross that was built on the highest point on the northern part of the province. The view you get from the arms of the cross is breathtaking! This place is called a thematic park that also has walking trails and a butterfly conservatory. During Easter it gets its most visitors due to its religious significance. As you walk through the trails, there are different signs that have Bible verses from when Jesus was on the cross. It is a great place to visit for both religious and non-religious people.

On the last day before my family went back to Buenos Aires to fly home, we went to a place called ´Saltos de Moccona´. This place is absolutely spectacular as well! Misiones never ceases to amaze me when it comes to natural beauty and experiences. The Saltos are waterfalls that instead of falling across the width of the river like most waterfalls, they fall in the middle of the river parallel to it. It is a fairly new tourist attraction which means they still do not have lookouts and walkways out to the falls.. This means that to see them you get taken on a jet boat, spun around at high speeds and get as close to the falls as the driver dares to get you! You get soaked and it is SO worth it!

That night, after a great day outdoors enjoying the beauty and natural wonder of Misiones we drove back to Posadas where I was to say goodbye to my family. Two weeks together was definitely not enough time together but sadly our time was up. I waited with them until their overnight bus that was headed back to Buenos Aires arrived. After our tearful goodbyes and multiple hugs they boarded and went on their way.

You really don’t know how much you need, appreciate and truly love those people in your life who are your constants until you don’t have them an hour drive or a phone call away. My relationship with my mom is one that no one could ever break or even come close to weakening. We have been through so much together – good, bad and ugly. I am who I am thanks to her. She is the most incredible woman, mother, friend, therapist, shoulder-to-cry-on and reality-check-when-needed and I am sure many people will agree with me on that. Her passion for life and strength are two of her many great attributes I hope to one day come close to achieving in my own life. I am so blessed to have such an incredible woman that I call my mother and my role model. 

My sister is absolutely adorable. When I saw her for the first time after 2 months of not seeing her I was shocked at how much she had grown and changed! She is only 8 years old and in my mind she will always be my baby sister but now she is taller, her face is no longer ´baby-ish´, she has her own little attitude and personality that is absolutely hilarious! She is my mini-me. For 13 years I was an only child who bummed around from place to place attached to my mom’s hip in Mexico. Emily´s arrival was definitely not something 13 year old me who was used to having ALL of the attention wanted but now I cannot imagine my life without my mini-me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
 

My godfather or padrino as I call him has been a part of my life since I was a baby. He is the most incredible man I know. We share a passion for travelling and have travelled all around the world together. He is the greatest father figure anyone could ever ask for. Our relationship is one of mutual respect, understanding and it is definitely one of friendship. I can´t count the number of times I pulled him off his beach chair in Acapulco and dragged him into the water to go snorkeling with me or to go rock climbing and he did it willingly and happily every time. I will never be able to  thank him enough for being such a positive influence in my life, for defending me, fighting for me, teaching me life lessons, snorkeling with me till our skin was prunier than I´m sure is healthy and most importantly teaching me how to drive standard in the calmest way! The memories I have with him cannot be erased.

Being able to see Argentina with the people I love the most in this world was an indescribable experience. I am so thankful they were able to come down and visit me for two whole weeks! I am so lucky! Seeing the touristy spots that I hadn’t seen yet was also pretty great. I recommend Misiones to anyone who is travelling in South America. I am sure Argentina has many fabulous provinces and places to visit but I am happily and honestly biased when I say that Misiones is the best out of them all. If anyone is planning a trip down (to visit me), rest assured I will be the best tour guide… OH and gratis – free!

See you soon! Ciao!