Las Cataratas de Iguazu

Well friends, family, onlookers, whoever,

We finally made the trek to the famous Iguazu waterfalls. Our good friend Monica has been down in BA visiting us and getting to know this fantastic country and wanted to make the trip out there, so we took an 18 hour overnight bus ride there, spent two days in Iguazu lounging by our hostel's pool and visiting the waterfalls, and then an 18 hour bus ride back. I can safely say that the Iguazu waterfalls are the most impressive feat of nature I have ever seen. For anyone who has the chance to go, do yourself the favor. Monica even claims that the iguazu waterfalls "washes Niagara Falls away" Ohhhhhh puns. The day we visited them on wasn't the nicest day in the world but it really didn't matter to be honest. I could go on and on about how beautiful and magnificent the falls were but I'll let the photos do the talking

our hostel, the hostel inn. not so shabby


look guys, don't bluth the park. seriously.

our first view of the waterfalls from the boat




once we pulled up a little closer










i dare you to come to the falls and not take at least one epic photo





dwarfed


these guys were very friendly, hungry, and persistent


A braille map in front of the falls...? this place thinks of everything






















you get a little wet



i don't know why you wouldn't sign up for the waterfall repel and canopy zip line trip


who is that daring young adventurer risking his life?
oh yeah its me



ksenia going for a ride







dan is swatting mosquitoes. the boat ride was kind of boring after the falls







saw some cool traditional Argentine houses on our little adventure trip



only the CLASSIEST of buses serve whiskey and wine





bird by the pool makes for a nice shot



did i mention I'm a SWEET photographer?





those are caterpillars. freaky little things.

Colonia, Uruguay

So we've finally been here a total of three months, which is basically unbelievable. While part of me feels like I've experienced and seen so much already it's crazy to think that that much time has passed. Anyways, with our 90 day tourist visas that we're here on the time has come to travel. Given that our time here has been limited so we haven't had much chance to make much money yet we were looking for something affordable and convenient. There are ferries right from Buenos Aires to Uruguay which only take an hour and drop you off in Colonia. While we could've taken a bus and gone to the excitement of touristy Punta del Este beach country or checked out Montevideo we (Dan, our friend Rachel, and myself) were really looking for a break from the hustle and craziness that can be Buenos Aires, so we just stayed in Colonia.
Colonia is a quiet and quaint but really quite lovely city in Uruguay. It used to be a Portuguese sea port/base but now serves as a more low key tourist destination. Pretty low key vacation- drank some wine, walked around, ate some really cheap and delicious meals (2o:1 for the dollar). Here's some pictures! hope you enjoy


cobblestone streets always make for a nice ambience


the view of the river, not the best of days but still a pretty sight




word.




this is the ferry from colonia to buenos aires. no, it is not on fire


the lighthouse


one of the many cafes


cool map of the town


friends!


view from the lighthouse down





rachel made fun of me for this picture. i think its awesome.


i am a photographic GENIUS.

Fall of dictatorship day parade...finally

Dear...everyone,

It's been much time since the last post and I apologize. Keeping up a blog is surprisingly difficult when there's so much to distract you in a place like Buenos Aires. I have a bunch of posts to write so I'm going to try to hammer them out in the next few days.

That being said, I want to talk to you guys about a parade/march I witnessed April 24th here in Buenos Aires. It's a national holiday celebrating the fall of the dictatorship and commemorating those lost to the black bagging of the governments (los desconocidos or the unknown).
Had I written this post closer to when the march actually happened I'm sure I'd have a lot more to say but what was truly remarkable was the passion and energy of it all. I've never seen such a large march (my friend and I estimated at least 7,000 people plus, but who knows how accurate our estimation skills are) and the spirit present in that crowd was nothing short of electric. The Argentine people are really quite passionate about their history, their future, and their identity in a way I've never experienced before. It was really inspiring to see so many people coming together and simultaneously mourn such a dark period for their country while celebrating where they have come from and their national identity. I've attached some pictures to try to show you what I mean, but these pictures will never capture the sheer immensity of the event or the excitement of being there.



a drum circle playing for the crowd


part of the parade with a moving memorial for a kid who disappeared during the dictatorship


One of the most amazing things about Argentine politics is the diversity of interests represented. There are socialist, populist, communist, democratic, and just about every other kind of political party. Obviously some hold much greater power than others but it's interesting to see such diversity and freedom of political expression. Could you imagine the socialist or communist party showing its support and marching alongside democrats and republicans during a march in the states?




Carefully designed chalk and dirt art on the streets, pretty cool


An interesting juxtaposition between presidential propaganda for the current president and flyers casting the blame for political corruption and wrongdoing





check out che guevarra. they like their che


A view of the crowd with the obelisk in the background






Another example of political diversity, this time with the communist party banner