p.s.

Don't forget to look at my flickr for all the pics from the trip, if you've got time- like when you're bored at work (Sonya, Mike- haha). Link on the right

Punta Tombo - Penguin Colony

One of the coolest things we've done so far is a drive down to Punta Tombo, the second largest penguin colony in the world (other than in Antarctica). We met a couple (Carrie and Hugh) on the bus to Puerto Madryn a few days prior, and ended hanging out with them a lot the next few days. They were very cool, and had been living in Buenos Aires for a few years. It was fortuitous running into them because they had similar sightseeing plans, and they are fluent in Spanish. We split the cost of a car rental, and took the little VW Golf on the 90 minute drive from Puerto Madryn south to Punta Tombo.

The colony is home to thousands of Magellanic penguins. You follow a path right through their hilly nest sites. Penguins are walking all over the place (yield to all penguins and keep your distance!) and standing guard over their nests, little burrows under the Patagonian bushes, where the babies and juveniles are concealed. I think the baby penguins had mostly hatched 2 or 3 months earlier. The path leads to a beach where they hang out and go fishing. There is a rocky outcropping where you can look at them from above, waddling in and out of the ocean, and zipping around underwater as if they are flying.

The whole experience was very cool, and I'm glad we got a chance to do it. On the drive back, we even spotted a Rhea from the car. It is a large flightless bird like an ostrich.

Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdes

This part of our trip was super cool, definitely one of the highlights. Spent the first night in Puerto Madryn, despite our plans to make it into Puerto Piramides on the peninsula. By the time we got there (18 hours on the bus, our longest yet), the once-a-day bus to the peninsula had already left, and because of a taxi driver shooting the night before, all drivers were on strike (we were told this type of violence in Puerto Madryn is very rare). Luckily, a couple from Boston we had met on the bus gave us the name of a hostel they were going to stay in. It ended up being the nicest hostel we had ever stayed in, and for 40 pesos each (less than 12 dollars), was a steal, especially since no one else ended up staying in our dorm.

Caught the bus to Puerto Piramides the next morning, and managed to get on an afternoon whale watching tour. Guess what we saw on the tour? NO WHALES. Yeah, since the season had ended 2 weeks earlier, we were planning not to take it, but had heard from a few people that they had seen whales just the day before. Huge bummer, but we saw some sea lions at least. The tour guides felt bad, so they gave us a discount on the land tour, which we did the next day. Upon later research, I found out that during high season, some 600 whales come to the bay to have their babies. Pretty cool.

Puerto Piramides from the hill

The land tour was great. We went in a shuttle up to Punta Norte, where we saw sea lions and elephant seals, then down to Punta Delgada for more, plus magellanic penguins. We also saw guanacos (ancestors to llamas, and wild) grazing on the land, and sheep, which are farmed for their wool and meat (ew). The shuttle took us back to Puerto Madryn. We met up with our new friends, Carrie and Hugh (aforementioned couple from Boston who were also on our tours) and had a few beers. We decided to rent a car together to save some money, and drive to Punta Tombo the next day. Hugh and Carrie have been living in Buenos Aires for a few years, and speak fluent Spanish (huge help when trying to make reservations over the phone).

Mar del Plata

This is a restaurant on a ship in the harbor (huge neon signs at night scare me).

A cool city on the coast, and just a 5-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata is a big summertime destination for locals. We stayed for 2 nights, but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, so we didn't get to spend any time on the beach. It was probably for the best though, because the sun down here is very potent. Extranjeros from Los Estados Unidos + Argentine sun = big time sunburn factor.

Instead, we walked along the coastline, admiring the surfers and checking out the flea market.

Ahoy!

Hola chicos, que tal?! Sorry it has been so long since an update, we've been on the move pretty much steadily since December 12th.

So much to write, where to begin? I'll just summarize who/what/where/why/how, since a detailed blog would fill many pages.

After Iguazu, we headed south to Mar del Plata. Before I get to that though, here are a few photos of some random things:

Lorena, our Spanish tutor

Lorena's business card. It looks just like her :P

Protesting in Buenos Aires (pretty much an everyday event)

Will do separate blog for the next portion of the trip..check our previous Iguazu Falls post for some pics.

Life on a Bus

We made it to Puerto Madryn today from Mar del Plata. It was supposed to be a 15 hour overnight ride, but it ended up being 20 hours altogether! The ride included too-narrow highways, chicken dinner, a little nausea, sweets for breakfast, and a stop with the military drug enforcement police, who apparently found a box with marijuana in the storage area of our bus, which delayed us about 40 minutes. Needless to say, that was a bit much for us, so we took it easy today and found a nice hostel to relax in. We will be venturing out to the Peninsula Valdes tomorrow, right nearby. It is a big wildlife preserve where we hope to spot some penguins, sea lions, and a whale if we're really lucky (whale watching season just ended). More pictures coming soon, we promise!

Things that are huge in Argentina (besides the obvious steak)

• Medialunas- little croissants, thinner and drier than in the U.S.
  
• Migas- sandwiches that have no crust and are very thin, like they were pressed flat
• Alfajores- pastries you can find EVERYWHERE, either in bakeries or individually packaged. Yummy and very bad for me
  
• Milanesas- breaded meat, I think baked. Like a chicken-fried steak, but thinner and crispier (I haven't eaten it though)
  
• Quilmes by the liter- awesome and cheap (update: not so awesome)
• Stray dogs wandering the streets or sleeping on the sidewalks- I'm very concerned about their hydration levels. Not a food but who said this was only food-related? :P
  
• Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
• Dulce de Leche- similar in texture to soft caramel, and on or inside pretty much everything sweet. Extremely delicious and addictive.

Will add more later

Iguazu

Just in case you were wondering, we spent the last 2 nights in Puerto Iguazu, and visited Iguazu Falls. We got lots of good pictures, so we will post them when we get some decent wi-fi access. Until then, we will be departing today for Mar del Plata, which means about 20 hours (or more) of bus travel. So long for now!

Back on the bus!

Mark and I just spent 2 nights in Puerto Iguazu, just outside of Iguazu Falls National Park: The bus ride from B.A. to here was nearly 17 hours, but since we were riding first class it was very comfortable. The seats fully recline, and the leg rest lays parallel to the ground, transforming into a bed. I managed to sleep off and on for about 8 hours overnight, which was nice. The food wasn't too bad either- hot vegetarian dinner, and a small, albeit junk foody, breakfast. Our hostel is only 2 blocks from the bus station, so we didn't have to schlep our bags too far.

Anyway, the first night here we were lucky enough to catch the last full moon tour of the falls in December. It was incredible! First we caught the local bus into the park (less than 4 dollars round trip), then walked in the dark with our group to a narrow guage train that took us to the catwalks leading to the largest of the falls, la Garganta del Diablo. The walk was pretty creepy, but very cool, lit up by just the barely rising moon. By the time we crossed over the giant Iguazu River (which is the natural border between Argentina and Brazil), we finally reached the falls.

This flower only opens at night

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful. Because the moon was just rising, it was very large and orange, and it shone on the falls so that I almost couldn't believe what I saw. Actually, it was quite scary to stand on the catwalks because they extended all the way to where the water begins to plummet. And the spray from the bottom was so powerful that it reached well above the falls into the sky. Amazing. I didn't get any pictures, unfortunately, because there just wasn't enough light for my little digi. You'll just have to go to see it for yourself.

Standing over the falls in the moonlight (scary)

The next day we went back to the park to see the falls in the light of day. It was hot and insanely humid, and we hiked all over for a good 6 hours, before heading out to the Diablo for another look. We spent only about 10 minutes out at the falls before the dark clouds and powerful wind forced us to head back. We didn't make it to the train before it began to pour, soaking us from head to toe. We didn't even have time to put our ponchos on :P The day was amazing and exhausting, leaving us little energy to even eat dinner before we crashed for the night.

Coati meandering through the park

Looming clouds that brought torrential rain

Today we're getting back on the bus, another long one, through B.A., to Mar del Plata.

San Telmo Street Fair

Every Sunday. Antiques, trinkets, souvenirs, whatnot.

On the way to the store...

Lovely Weather

Yesterday we wandered around Puerto Madero and the park there. We saw the Puente de la Mujer bridge and these pretty green birds in the park.

Since we have seen most of the city sights by this point, and we are trying to save money for the rest of the trip, we haven't been doing too much exciting stuff. We are taking the opportunity to plan out our next stops and take some Spanish lessons. We have had 3 sessions so far with our tutor Lorena, and I feel like I'm learning a lot. I have a long way to go, but things are sinking in more and more. Our next few stops will be Iguazu Falls, Mar del Plata, Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdes. We will be taking lots of pictures. I'm excited to see more of Argentina, especially some nature! Stay tuned...

Jardin Zoologico

OK, so we went here over 2 weeks ago, but we have not posted pictures yet, so here are a few. The rest can be seen on our flickr of course (link on the sidebar on the right).
These little rabbit-deer guys were roaming free in the zoo. They're called Patagonian Maras.


The video below is of a small jungle cat in her cage. It was the most beautiful animal I saw there. It was tiny like a kitten, but I think it is full grown. There was no sign identifying what type of cat it was, so I don't know. It was a little sad seeing it in a small cage because it was so interesting and exotic. It had big gorgeous eyes.

Boca Juniors 2 - Racing Club 1

Last night's game was insane. We took a cab down to the La Bombonera about an hour and a half before the start, and made our way into the stadium. Were disappointed when we found out our tickets really were in the Racing Club's fan section, but excited that the tickets actually worked, so it was okay.

Once we entered the stadium (after various pat-downs and ticket checks) the stench of urine filled the air. Two dudes were peeing on the wall in the corridor (out of disrespect for Boca, I'm assuming), and there were puddles of pee everywhere. We cautiously tip-toed up the many flights of stairs all the way to the very top level (through an inch or two-deep giant urine puddle ugh) and out into the bleachers. Decided to sit in the middle-ish of the section, thinking it would be a good place. We wondered why most people were sitting on the ends, but decided to stay there anyway. Soon found out that various flags go from the fence up front all the way up to the top of the stadium, cutting right into our line of vision, so we moved down and over a bit. That was when the drummers showed up, parked it right next to us, and began the 2 hours of drumming that made up the backbone of the songs and chants. Moved again, this time way over to the right, where we found a decent place to stand for the rest of the game.

It was crazy- the crowd didn't stop singing, not even through the intermission, and no one sat at all. In fact, there was no place to sit if you wanted to see the game. But that was fine, because you would probably get trampled if you sat, especially when Racing scored. Mark and I clung to each other as the crowd swayed and cheers rumbled through the stadium. People were using my shoulders to hold on to while jumping up and down. And it was true what they say about the stadium- you can feel it move when the crowd gets excited. Which is pretty much the entire game.

Did I mention I was somewhat terrified the entire time of what might happen? I'm sure I would have had a complete anxiety attack had it not been for the constant cloud of mota smoke above our heads (and probably in my lungs). I'm sure I got a contact high. I have never seen so much public weed smoking in my life, except maybe 4/20 on Farrand Field in Boulder during college :P

Anyway, to make a long story short, it was amazing and chaotic and scary and exhiliarating all at the same time. And honestly, I never felt like I was in any real danger, just worried I would get knocked down a couple of tiers, which never happened. We left before the game ended so we could avoid the massive crowds (and to have room to carefully navigate through the urine that now covered the entire corridor and steps). Caught a cab back home, put my shoes in a contained place, and showered fervently.

Here is a video of the highlights (I didn't bring my cam in). You can see where we sat when Racing scores and they show the fan section:



If you ever get a chance to see a game at La Bombonera, take it.