[J.] Aaaah, time is flying again! I take that as proof that time is indeed not linear, but going with all different kinds of speed, slow, slower and super super fast :)
After 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, we started to settle in like one probably would when staying permanently in one place. We got to know the area around our apartment pretty well, we went to school every day, we connected more with people, I went to yoga classes on a regular basis, we even had a grocery shopping bag - haha!... So, taking the backpack out of the closet again and squeezing all our belongings into that bag did not feel like the most enthusiastic thing to do. I felt a bit torn between two thoughts; wanting to be on the road again but without the wanderlust kicking in and wanting to stay in that city for longer but then for real which is not really an option right now. So, I spent the last day in a weird mood...
But then, sometimes, you just have to walk to make your spirits jump into the right direction!
We were leaving BA the next day for the waterfalls in Iguazu, Argentina. The plane was scheduled for early morning, and we only had a few hours of sleep. I was also slightly nervous, because the taxi bookings did not go though and for whatever reason, my phone denied any calls that morning as well. Buses were not running so early in the morning and said to be quite unreliable as well. I had no clue of how to get to the airport. Standing outside on the streets of BA in the dark with a backpack waiting for a taxi to pass by coincidence did also not feel too appealing. But then I went for a smoke on the balcony of our apartment and saw two taxis passing by in short time. Okay! Catching a taxi should not be too much of a problem then!... and bingo, that's exactly how easy it was.
After arriving at the hotel in Iguazu, we did a quick orientation stroll around this little city, bought a bottle of wine and retreated to our room, reading up on our options to visit the waterfall, watching a series and catching up on the sleep from last night. And it felt so good to be on the road again. We had many opportunities to make use of our little Spanish vocabulary. It is really beautiful to see how people react to you if you make an effort to speak in their language. It really does not matter if you get the grammar right at all, they will correct you or hint the words they expect you to say. And it also feels good to be out of the city again and experiencing the other sides of Argentina...
The next day, we decided to visit the falls from the Brazilian side for three reasons: We would have to re-enter Argentina, and consequently extent our tourist visa (very much needed!), the view from the Bazilian side is said to give a better overall view of the falls and there is a company on the Brazilian side that offers helicopter rides above the falls... Oh, we so wanted to go on a helicopter ride!
And after a lot of miserable, cloudy and cold days in BA, the sun was shining!! We felt so lucky as they said that the difference between sunny and cloudy days when visiting the falls is huge...
We took a taxi to cross the border and I was stunned by the fact that the Brazilian authorities waved us through without even checking the passports! Wow... and exactly the same again on our return. I still don't know what to make out of it. I have heard about such things before when reading up on visa and entry requirements for Bolivia and Peru and there, it can become an issue there when leaving these countries again. But well...
Our first stop was at the company offering the helicopter rides. Okay, this is not exactly eco-friendly and it was really expensive too for what, like a 10 minute flight, but muuuaaaaaah! - It was such an experience. I am still thrilled... We never flew in a helicopter before and it is so much fun. It felt way saver then flying in a very small plane and how this helicopter can turn right and left in a blink is amazing. Watching the falls from the birds' perspective was truly outstanding. It offered a great overview of the falls and how big and stretched out they are. During that short time flying over the falls, I really had problems deciding whether I should take a video, photos or just watch... Bleeeeh!
After the flight, we went to the falls and strolled along the river on a pathway, offering so many amazing views. The amount of water coming down felt immense and the mist created so many beautiful rainbows... I am tempted to compare these falls with the Victoria Falls, both are amazing as well as similar in size and the amount of water coming down. Listening to the roaring water falling down is again and again something that makes me feel so small. It was a really awesome day we had there...
In the meantime...
Waiting for the flight back to BA, from where we will catch a night bus to Cordoba. We will stay in this city only for a few days and will then continue travelling west in the direction of Mendoza. However, we will not stay in Mendoza itself but travel a bit further north to a small city called San Juan. There, we will stay with farmers for some time, helping them with the olive harvest and the production of olive oil. Exciting!! We are so, so looking forward to that...
After 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, we started to settle in like one probably would when staying permanently in one place. We got to know the area around our apartment pretty well, we went to school every day, we connected more with people, I went to yoga classes on a regular basis, we even had a grocery shopping bag - haha!... So, taking the backpack out of the closet again and squeezing all our belongings into that bag did not feel like the most enthusiastic thing to do. I felt a bit torn between two thoughts; wanting to be on the road again but without the wanderlust kicking in and wanting to stay in that city for longer but then for real which is not really an option right now. So, I spent the last day in a weird mood...
But then, sometimes, you just have to walk to make your spirits jump into the right direction!
We were leaving BA the next day for the waterfalls in Iguazu, Argentina. The plane was scheduled for early morning, and we only had a few hours of sleep. I was also slightly nervous, because the taxi bookings did not go though and for whatever reason, my phone denied any calls that morning as well. Buses were not running so early in the morning and said to be quite unreliable as well. I had no clue of how to get to the airport. Standing outside on the streets of BA in the dark with a backpack waiting for a taxi to pass by coincidence did also not feel too appealing. But then I went for a smoke on the balcony of our apartment and saw two taxis passing by in short time. Okay! Catching a taxi should not be too much of a problem then!... and bingo, that's exactly how easy it was.
After arriving at the hotel in Iguazu, we did a quick orientation stroll around this little city, bought a bottle of wine and retreated to our room, reading up on our options to visit the waterfall, watching a series and catching up on the sleep from last night. And it felt so good to be on the road again. We had many opportunities to make use of our little Spanish vocabulary. It is really beautiful to see how people react to you if you make an effort to speak in their language. It really does not matter if you get the grammar right at all, they will correct you or hint the words they expect you to say. And it also feels good to be out of the city again and experiencing the other sides of Argentina...
The next day, we decided to visit the falls from the Brazilian side for three reasons: We would have to re-enter Argentina, and consequently extent our tourist visa (very much needed!), the view from the Bazilian side is said to give a better overall view of the falls and there is a company on the Brazilian side that offers helicopter rides above the falls... Oh, we so wanted to go on a helicopter ride!And after a lot of miserable, cloudy and cold days in BA, the sun was shining!! We felt so lucky as they said that the difference between sunny and cloudy days when visiting the falls is huge...
We took a taxi to cross the border and I was stunned by the fact that the Brazilian authorities waved us through without even checking the passports! Wow... and exactly the same again on our return. I still don't know what to make out of it. I have heard about such things before when reading up on visa and entry requirements for Bolivia and Peru and there, it can become an issue there when leaving these countries again. But well...
Our first stop was at the company offering the helicopter rides. Okay, this is not exactly eco-friendly and it was really expensive too for what, like a 10 minute flight, but muuuaaaaaah! - It was such an experience. I am still thrilled... We never flew in a helicopter before and it is so much fun. It felt way saver then flying in a very small plane and how this helicopter can turn right and left in a blink is amazing. Watching the falls from the birds' perspective was truly outstanding. It offered a great overview of the falls and how big and stretched out they are. During that short time flying over the falls, I really had problems deciding whether I should take a video, photos or just watch... Bleeeeh!
After the flight, we went to the falls and strolled along the river on a pathway, offering so many amazing views. The amount of water coming down felt immense and the mist created so many beautiful rainbows... I am tempted to compare these falls with the Victoria Falls, both are amazing as well as similar in size and the amount of water coming down. Listening to the roaring water falling down is again and again something that makes me feel so small. It was a really awesome day we had there...Waiting for the flight back to BA, from where we will catch a night bus to Cordoba. We will stay in this city only for a few days and will then continue travelling west in the direction of Mendoza. However, we will not stay in Mendoza itself but travel a bit further north to a small city called San Juan. There, we will stay with farmers for some time, helping them with the olive harvest and the production of olive oil. Exciting!! We are so, so looking forward to that...
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