Steaks and water

Now day 10 of our total 91-day journey is coming to an end.

In the small cozy hostel 'Nomads' in Puerto de Iguazu, where we are currently staying, I found a quiet corner to briefly tell you about Tanja and my recent experiences.

Our first Monday on our trip started a bit hectic. We had planned to take a guided tour through La Boca (a neighborhood of Buenos Aires right by the river, known for its colorful old fisherman houses, tango, and its two football clubs). The meeting for the 'Freewalking Tour' (guided tours for which you don't have to register or pay, but at the end of the tour, the tour guide, usually students in Buenos Aires, asks for a small/voluntary donation) was at 11 am. Not an ungodly hour, but unfortunately, La Boca was about a 2-hour walk from our hostel. However, since Tanja and I were already proud owners of a Subte-Card (a prepaid card for the subway and train travel in Buenos Aires), we decided to take the subway. WELL, THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT!! The last stations were closed, so we had to walk an hour. In the heat!! Despite our brisk pace, we didn't arrive at the designated meeting point until 11:20. No big deal, Tanja and I just explored La Boca on our own. It was nice too!

In the evening, we had a little highlight planned. La Bomba de Tiempo. A great drum show under the open sky that you should not miss if you are in Buenos Aires! We danced, cheered, and let ourselves be carried away by the hot Argentine rhythms.

We took it a bit easier on Tuesday, 21.02.2017, and got up late. After a hearty breakfast, we slowly strolled into the city center. Our destination: El Catedral. As a Christian, it almost seems like a must to visit the former church of Pope Francis. After a thorough tour of the church, we strolled around a bit; but we had to get back to our hostel early because a storm was brewing on the horizon. As soon as we arrived at the hostel, it started to rain.

In the evening, we tackled another point on our to-do list: devour Argentine steaks, go to an Argentine restaurant, and enjoy an Argentine wine! At the hostel, we asked at the reception where we could find a suitable restaurant for our plans. 'Don Julio' steakhouse was highly recommended to us. We packed our bags full of pesos and set off. It turned out that Don Julio was not a well-kept secret, as several groups were already waiting outside the restaurant to get a table. When we asked, we were told it could take 5 minutes or even 1 hour for a table to become available. Before the waiter had even finished his sentence, our stomachs started growling in protest. Waiting for an hour was out of the question for us. Since it was still raining a bit, the tables on the street were not occupied, and that's when we saw our chance. We quickly sat down at our table, ordered a delicious wine, and studied the meat menu. The service was first class. They even gave me a blanket for my back, which was a bit wet, without me asking. What can I say: the steak was world-class (and so huge!!), the wine was a dream, and the really tasty espresso was the icing on the cake. To finish off, we treated ourselves to a Fernet Cola (the national drink in Argentina) in a small bar in Palermo.

Wednesday was once again full of unexpected events. We had actually planned to spend Wednesday in the hostel to do our laundry, pack our things, and maybe do a few errands, as we were supposed to go to Iguazu on Thursday. BUT AGAIN, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!! In the morning at 10 o'clock, while we were still in bed, Ajlona (a Russian girl we had met at the hostel and who had already been to La Bomba de Tiempo with us and who is just such a nice person that Tanja and I immediately took her to our hearts) asked if we felt like going to Tigre with two others from our hostel (Paolo and Sebastian). We said yes, and after getting ready quickly and grabbing a sandwich to go, we were off. Tigre is a small town about a 40-minute train ride from Buenos Aires. It is located directly on the Rio Lujan. Many people from Buenos Aires come to Tigre on weekends and holidays to escape the city for a few hours. And that's exactly what Tigre looks like! At first glance, it looks like a small spa town in the Netherlands. We took a boat ride across the river and admired the beautiful holiday homes on either side of the shore. Each one had its own little jetty, as they could only be reached by boat. After the short boat tour, we treated ourselves to a delicious ice cream, which even Paolo (a 42-year-old Italian) found to be 'very nice'. We spent the evening at the hostel, going over the day again. Sometimes spontaneous is just the best!

Yesterday we flew to Puerto de Iguazu. Although our flight was an hour late, we weren't bothered by it. Upon landing in Iguazu, we settled into our room and explored the hostel and the city. Everything is different and smaller than in Buenos Aires. Tanja and I immediately felt at ease!

Today, we visited the famous and infamous waterfalls of Iguazu. We had heard from so many other travelers how beautiful and breathtaking this place is, but when we stood above the water, which plunged into the depths at an incredible speed of up to 80 meters, no words in the world seemed to describe this spectacle correctly. The immense power of the water, this wild nature, the wind (caused by the water's plunge), which tousles your hair, the hot rays of the sun, and the fine droplets of water on your skin, providing cooling. All of this creates a feeling that nature is so much larger and more important than we humans will ever be.

All the best,

Anna