Posts Tagged weather
After the Falls
The Hostel Inn in Puerto Iguazu:
I took a Cama Ejecutivo (I’m 30 years old, I deserve to travel in a little style) to Iguazu with Astrid where we found ourselves at the poshest hostel in the world. The Hostel Inn was recommended to me by a few people over the last couple months, and I’m positive that I’ll recommend it to people for the rest of my stay in South America. I’ve never been to a proper resort (the closest I’ve come is that Borscht-Belt place for Kristyn’s wedding), but I’m pretty sure that this place counts as one. Great food, cool pool, fantastic atmosphere and responsible, organized staff. Even our roommates, Blerg and Bjorn the Finnish and Mr. Cool the South African were great guys. And they had ridiculously high-pressure hot water showers.
And then, the falls. Right now I’m not exactly sure what to say about Iguazu Falls. I’ve run into a few people that have already made the trek up here and of course, everyone has said amazing things about it. And it’s all true. One thing that I can say is that while standing over one of the falls and watching a hundred thousand million billion square miles of water rushing down a light-year-tall cliff below me at twelve hundred thousand miles per hour, I said, “this truly is one of the seven wonders of the world.” And I absolutely believed it. You should go there.
And! We took an out-of-control, most definitely life-endangering dinghy ride into the bottom of the falls while a tropical depression raged around us, blowing trees over all around the park and cutting power to most of the surrounding area. I whooped and hollered and yelled my face off while trying to take horrible photos and I couldn’t stop smiling for, well, even now. I learned after we got done with the Gran Aventura that we were on the one and only boat of the day, and that the pilots reported back that it was stupid and foolhardy to take Germans and Americans and the Dutch out in weather like that, that surely someone would die. Yet, happily, I survived.
Tiny, Well Groomed Dogs; Sailboat Dream
Posted by Delaney in Argentina, Buenos Aires on September 17th, 2009
It’s raining today in Buenos Aires, and the buds have just appeared on the trees. It’s primavera, creo.
I moved into my new departmento on Lunes. So far, I like it a lot. I live in a swanky part of the city, in between Palermo and the Microcentro; as far as I can tell, most of my neighbors are old ladies, tiny, well-groomed dogs, and schoolgirls. There’s a very nice market one block away and many small tiendas/negocios very near. I also live 7 blocks from El Cementario Recoleta, 9 blocks from many great parks for running, and 2 blocks from Avenida Santa Fe. A map:
Left: my building, the shabbiest on the block (location, location, location); Right: Looking down Calle Juncal.
A few quick thoughts:
1] I’d heard a bit about alfajores and seen them for sale in tourist shops, as they’re famously delicious. Before trying one, I was skeptical and even held a bit of disdain for them; most alfajores sold in Buenos Aires look strikingly similar to little Debbie cakes and are packaged as such.
And then I tried one. And another. And many, many more. They’re magnificent. The recipe seems to be some devastating combination of fat (in the form of a lardy biscuit) and sugar (two layers of dulce de leche, another Argentine institution). I ate two in a row today after lunch and feel a little sick, but it was so worth it.
2] I didn’t pack a lot of clothes. I have five t-shirts (not counting running apparel), one pair of jeans, some khaki pants, poly pants, and a sweater, which are great for hanging out and shopping and school. But Portenos dress really well, especially in my new neighborhood. Ties with sweaters and/or sportcoats are the norm for men here and I feel like I stick out quite a bit with my rotating collection of grey T-shirts. So I may venture into the world of commercial apparel this week and purchase a shirt with a collar and a button or two.
3] I had a dream the night that I lost my bag in which I was wandering around the Petoskey Marina at night, a place that I’d always loved. It was a quiet night with a full moon and no one else was in the marina or on any of the boats. I wandered onto a sailboat and was standing on the deck watching the shore when I realized that the boat had not been moored to the slip, and had drifted away from the dock. I was a little unnerved at the situation I found myself in, and grew more uneasy as the sailboat made its way (as if powered by some unseen force) out of the slip and between the breakwater and the concrete pier and headed toward the open water of Little Traverse Bay. I heard a voice or felt a will urging me to make a decision, so I grabbed a line and jumped in the lake and swam to the dock, pulling the huge sailboat behind me. It was difficult, but I made it to the concrete pier.
It wasn’t the most bizarre dream, or scary, or even that out of the ordinary. But did you catch the symbolism?
I forget how to say “It’s Raining”
Posted by Delaney in Argentina, Buenos Aires on August 19th, 2009
And they’re playing Whitesnake at the cafe.
“And I made up my mind, I ain’t wasting no more time. Here I go again.”
Que loco mundo, no?
The second day of class came and went. I can’t tell you how good it is to have a little bit of productive human interaction in one’s life. My teacher Cecilia says I’m a good student, but I have a feeling it might be a situation like that of our beginning ski instructor, in which every student they have is the single best student they’ve encountered. It’s going well, though, and challenging. But I’m learning a lot, and promptly forgetting it.
I really like the Norwegians. I see them as kids (they’re probably 23 or 24), but they know a hell of a lot more about traveling in foreign countries than I do. I’m actually bummed that they’re leaving in a few days. Hopefully the new kids that move in speak un poco de ingles, tambien.
Also, the catarro situation is almost resolved. You’ll be happy to know that the graphic scenario that had evolved concerning my lungs and nasal region has come and gone, and I’m only a bit congested and slightly pink around the edges. To my great relief. I ran like a champ yesterday with no ill effects.
They’re going to kick me out pretty soon (I finished my hamburguesa a long time ago), so I’ll leave it at that, but as soon as we have access al casa, I’ll post a couple more pictures.
Chau (this is how we spell it).
- Steph on End Notes
- Delaney on Pink is the Best
- Martin Krupka on Pink is the Best
- Tyler on Not Kidnapped
- Sister on Not Kidnapped
