Falling For Argentina

Part II of VI 
Living in Colombia I have learned two words forwaterfall: cascada and chorrera.  Why I need more synonymous second-language vocabulary filling my brain, I don’t know, but now I have catarata and salto to contend with.  (Not being a “waterfall expert,” there may well be more than one English noun to describe a river that runs off a cliff, but four seems excessive.)

The Cataratas de Iguazú, located outside of the quiet tourist town of Puerto Iguazú,  are awe-inspiring to say the least.  At around 1.7 miles across with a total of 275 different individual falls*, this world-famous natural wonder straddles the border between Argentina and Brazil. To stand and watch the incredible quantity of water that rushes over the edge is bewildering.  If the pictures look familiar it may also be because the falls have been used in numerous Hollywood films including "The Mission" (1986) starring Robert DeNiro, "Mr. Magoo" (1997), and the most recent Indiana Jones sequel (2008), among others.

The first jaw-dropping view of the falls is usually from the upper ledges; I’m not exaggerating when I say I got goose bumps!  Further hiking trails allow you to climb down to the lower basin and gaze up into the powerful and refreshing mists as thousands of gallons of water surge toward you.  At the bottom we boarded a small boat and were driven underneath a few of the falls, which, while blinding, provided a welcome reprieve from the jungle heat of northern Argentina.  Another short distance by tram takes you to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), a U-shaped section of the falls where nearly half the fall’s water spills over 80 meters downward. 

This is one of those astoundingly beautiful places that no photograph could ever truly and completely capture.  Nevertheless, I tried…

*Gracias, Wikipedia

The coati is a relative of the raccoon native to the area

that enjoys stealing tourist lunches.

It is comparable in size to a medium-breed dog.

Tres Fronteras

At the far end of Puerto Iguazú is the confluence of two rivers.

From here you can see both Brazil (left) and Paraguay (right).

And then there is this video (courtesy of Kristin):

In a Word: Argentina

Wine and steak. Leather and tango.  “Evita” and Maradona.  No one can claim Argentina is a hidden place on the world stage, however, this intriguing country tucked under Brazil far into the southern hemisphere seems both worlds away from its fellow Latin American neighbors and yet familiar at the same time.

Reflecting on the past three weeks in Argentina during our last night in Buenos Aires my friends and I charged ourselves with coming up with one word to identify the country we had recently gotten to know. 

I chose “reincarnated.”

Book stall in Buenos Aires

During this trip we visited five different cities in four provinces, each with its own story and flavor, yet completely Argentine.  The people are incredibly kind and full of pride.  The landscape is at once breath-taking and unassuming.  Wherever you go – geographically or historically – this is a country that has reinvented itself numerous times, had to pick itself up on occasion, and each time managed to be reborn better all while holding true to its identity.

As large as it is, and as proportionately little of it as we were able to see in just twenty days, Argentina welcomed us with open arms. I found this country to be a tapestry of warmth, flavor, style, class, and heart. 

Yes, the stereotypes I opened with are alive and well.  I frequently ate some of the best steak I have ever tasted, but also discovered gelato shops on seemingly ever corner and a divine cookie dessert called an “alfajore” which I couldn’t get enough of.  I learned more about wine than I ever thought possible – even visited a wine museum! – and sampled many a malbec and cabernet literally at the source from growers who care for each grape as it was their own child.  I heard plenty of tango music and attended a tango show which told the history of a dance which was created by immigrants to stand apart and now defines a people and their country.  And Eva Perón is still alive in Buenos Aires; it is impossible not to notice the love Argentines still have for the former first lady as her image and legacy adorn countless buildings and pieces of propaganda.

Spanish tortilla, goat empanadas, & locally grown red wine in Cafayate.

I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to experience a small part of Argentina and look forward to revisiting it again and continue my love affair.  But for now, the memories of trekking in Iguazú, wine-tasting in Mendoza, taking countless jump-shots in the salt-flats outside of Salta, biking in Cafayate, and wandering without purpose in Buenos Aires will have to suffice.

More to come…