Incredible Iguazu Falls

The view from the Brazilian side

Our last stop in Argentina was the magnificent Iguazu Falls. We flew from Buenos Aires to Foz de Iguazu on the 15^th of January 2014. Located between Brazil and Argentina, these waterfalls are definitely one of the greatest natural wonders on this planet. You will need at least 2 days to cover both sides of the falls and my advice would be to stay on the Argentinian side, which is cheaper and nicer.

We were advised to visit the Brazilian side first. After crossing another border, we were welcomed with the wonderful view of this gigantic waterfall. Its semicircular shape has a width of almost three kilometres and drops vertically some 80 metres in a series of cataracts. It is really hard to describe the magnificence of it and the pictures don't do justice to the actual experience. For me, it is the best water related natural wonder on Earth. On the way back, we visited Foz, a small city on the Brazilian side. It wasn’t a very interesting town but at least we spent a couple of hours in Brazil.

An overview from Argentinian side!

The next day was even more impressive. Argentina seems to have put a lot of effort into their side. There are many wonderful walks in the park where you can admire the nature. We spent the whole day there and didn’t want to leave. Some of the highlights were the boat trip to the falls and visiting the “Garganta del Diablo” which means the Devil’s throat. I haven’t seen so much water moving so quickly in my life. Marvellous! 

Visit to the Iguazu Falls was the perfect finish to our adventures in Argentina. We simply loved this country, felt connected with their welcoming and friendly people. Very grateful for our memorable experiences in Argentina.

A quick stop in Paraguay!  

We left Argentina on the 18^th of December 2014 and took a bus to Asuncion in Paraguay where we were going to catch our plane to Bogota in two days. This trip was necessary as the flights to Colombia were cheaper from Paraguay. However, if you have the budget, I would recommend to fly directly to Colombia because Paraguay is definitely not the most interesting country to visit.

After a long journey, we arrived in Asuncion, the capital. We stayed in a colonial house at the city centre. We didn’t really do much apart from relaxing and walking around the historical town. Some of the buildings were quite run down and we didn’t feel very safe especially at night. However, we discovered a fantastic restaurant not too far away from our guest house and had most of our meals there. It is called Restaurant Bolsi if you end up visiting this ordinary city. After 2 days of relaxation, we were ready to embark a new adventure in Colombia.

Bohemian Life in Buenos Aires

Streets of Buenos Aires

After a fantastic start to 2014, we were ready to conquer the capital of Argentina. Before we arrived in Buenos Aires, we reserved a loft through Airbnb which turned out to be incredibly cheap. Our host Martin greeted us and showed our huge room for the next twelve days.

On our first night in this lively city, we met Juan Pablo and his girlfriend. We asked them directions to a nearby restaurant and they were happy to take us there. On the way, talked about our travels and experiences. He invited us to a party at his place after half an hour of meeting. I just love the openness, friendliness and enthusiasm of the Argentinean people. They are full of joy and happiness. We caught up with Juan Pablo a couple of times during our stay in this beautiful city and became good friends.

Street Musicians

Buenos Aires is a big, vibrant city that provides incredible cultural and historical points of interests. Some of the must see places are La Boca, Plaza de Mayo, Teatro Colon, Casa Rosada, MALBA, San Telmo Markets, Palermo, El Tigre, Retiro, Puente de la Mujer and Japanese Gardens. There is so much to discover in this incredible metropolis. Our time was filled with sightseeing, art museums, tango and milonga shows, graffiti tours, and amazing music. This is a city of culture, art, dance, melancholy and joy.

Street Tango

Argentina is famous for its meat and steaks. Although, I don’t eat a lot of meat any more, I wanted to try if they were living up to the expectations. We went to a local parrilla in Palermo Soho neighbourhood. Parrilla means grill or steakhouse in South America. At Don Julio,  I tasted the best steak I have ever had in my life, accompanied with a delicious red wine called Septima. The whole experience was divine. Here is an article by the Guardian on top 10 restaurants in Buenos Aires if you like to indulge yourself.

There are also some amazing bakeries and gelato (ice-cream) shops in Buenos Aires. We tried many of them and one of our favourite ones was Fratello in Palermo. But there are so many others, so feel free to make up your own opinion.

If you have a sweet tooth like I do, you definitely need to try the “Alfajores” which is a traditional shortbread sandwich filled with dulce de leche (caramel filling). We certainly put on a couple of kilos during our time in Argentina.   

   

We really enjoyed out time in Buenos Aires but I couldn’t imagine myself living there. Although, it is full of art and culture, it is simply too crowded. The metro is always full and there is a lot of traffic. For me it is a great city to visit but not to live. However, Alex mentioned that she could easily live in Buenos Aires for a couple of year. We will see...