Where I fell for the falls of Iguazu

Okay, so I finally have to confess to Julie, that before making plans for our trip, I didn't know about Iguazu.  What a pity!  Or rather, it might be better for the Falls to keep this a secret from the mainstream travelling world.  I can picture a Ripley's Believe-It-or-Not Museum and amusement park just outside the gates of the National Park.  Niagara Falls this isn't.  Iguazu, is another category altogether. One of the world's most beautiful natural wonders, it is in a nature preserve straddling the border between Brasil and Argentina.  With 275 cataracts comprising "the falls", it's a bit like being bedazzled by hundreds of diamonds.  After a while one doesn't know which one to look at.  Of the dozens of pictures I took, here are a few:

The early morning mist rises from falls coloured by the rising sun.

The view from our hotel window at the Sheraton, the only hotel in the park.  It was hot, hot, humid hot.  The pool was a welcome relief.

Only one small section of the Falls, which were at a peak flow

We were able to get up close and personal, but the camera didn't like it much.

A more intimate corner of the falls

View from the top

Here is where I should have mentioned that if you click on the pictures, they will open a new window, but in a higher resolution.  You may have to do this to see the birds dive-bombing into the mist of the falls.  Just cooling off?  You'd swear they were kamakazis plummetting to their deaths.

I like to think the birds might be flying into the falls just for the hell of it.

Staying in a national park yielded other sights and sounds than rushing water.  One morning we got up bright and early with a bird-watching guide to try our luck with sightings.  The toucans were the most recognizable of the offerings.

This close-up is through the guide's scope.  You can see why the toucan has such a big beak.  I wonder if there are any froot loops in that tree..

A very lucky shot taken of this bird right over head, called by our guide with his recorded call.

The ubiquitous butterflies

Ocelot tracks

At the Devil's Throat Cataract

That's all she wrote, folks. 

Catch you next time!

Love from,

Grace

Buenos Aires III

Here are some final thoughts and pictures from Buenos Aires.  Hope you enjoy them...

For a prairie girl, the vegetation was always a source of fascination.  Unfortunately, my camera often didn't provide very interesting results, but this tree was cool.  Gwen, do you remember the blue toilet brush Mom used to have?  Or the artificial Christmas tree Aunt Colleen and Uncle Phil had?  This is about the same size, only red.  Sorry, but I couldn't get those images out of my head.

The best outdoor local craft market I've been to...

Public art displays were always something to behold.  John called this the paper oragami boat statue.

This gigantice "flower" opened up to face the sunlight, closing at nighttime.

Some really lovely real estate.  Forget Kelowna.

Fancy shmancy, 19th-century style

The towering obelisk commemorating the 400th anniversary of Buenos Aires' founding

Turtles in on a wrecked ship in the harbour

The rejuvenation of the old harbour area used old cranes as art.  They look a little like a 4-legged version of the bird

An enormous rubber tree

The street music was varied, passionate and eclectic.

Art in the mall.

For Maja.  These well-behaved pets waited patiently for their dog-walker to return from his coffee break at McDonalds.  These are the little dogs.  I didn't get any good pictures of the groups of big dogs tied together.  That was a sight!

Next, Iguazu!

Love, Grace

Buenos Aires II

Welcome back!  Now where was I?  Ah, yes.  Boca Juniors.  The Argentinians take their soccer very seriously.  You'll notice if you look closely that the coke sign isn't in the company colours because red and white are the colours of the rival team, the River Plate.

The barrio of Boca has as colourful a past as the buildings.  The original port area, now moved to deeper water, was home to a seedier lifestyle.

Our guide seemed a little nervous of the area which was thick with hawkers and pick pockets

Tawdry, I know.  The tango was invented in Boca among the prostitutes servicing the wealthy aristocrats.  Any allusion to the above couple is purely a fiction of your imagination.  Shame on you. 

Buenos Aires isn't all sidewalk cafes...

The colours of the Boca Juniors.

Its modern aspect

An aptly named building, don't you think?

The Recoleta Cemetary has some of the most exclusive real estate in the city.  Trouble is there isn't a lot of turn-over among the residents.

The day's most acclaim architects designed these mausoleum, which are the finest mini examples of architecture in Buenos Aires.  The styles follow current fashions from neo-gothic to post-modern.  This deco-style version was breath-taking.

Really important big-wigs found their final resting place here.

Some even had their own gated community

Eva Peron is buried here 30 years after her death.  Her body had been stolen by a deranged admirer, shipped to the pope, buried in Spain and Italy, and finally made its way back to Buenos Aires in the early 1980s.

A sad tale haunts this art nouveau mausoleum.  The story goes that the young woman was buried alive.  The wistful statue really doesn't want to go.

When families renage on the maintenance fees, the buildings begin to crumble.

Shelley's Ozymandias came to mind among these magnificent edifaces. Death and time is the great leveller.

A stroll along the cemetary street.

A weird place to end this installment.  Something more upbeat next time...

Love

Grace