5-Star Honeymoon, Argentina 5/18/05

May 18, 2005

Argentina was so great, I divided it into two parts. I know I am spending a lot of time doing this on my honeymoon, but there is a lot of time on buses and trains to write these in my head before I get to acomputer. Take your time, and enjoy

Part 1: Iguacu, Buenos Aires

The Argentina side of Iguacu National Park provided a magnificent welcome into the second country of our adventure in South America. An extraordinary panorama of waterfalls form the border between Brazil and Argentina, and most people we met recommended going to the Brazil side first, which we did. The experience of seeing about 250 waterfalls in a few hours left us wondering how the other side could be better.

We found out soon enough, as we had to take two days to absorb everything the Argentina side had to offer. While Brazil provided a limited view from a distance, Argentina featured numerous ways of taking in the experience. On the first day, we walked for a half hour on metal catwalks that ran through a forest, over the top of some of the falls, and right to the cusp of the most chaotic section of falls: The Devil's Throat (or, loosely applying Japanese, The Devil's Kuchi). A sign proclaimed that 1.2 million liters of water fall per second in the park, and from this lookout on the virtual tonsils of The Devil’s Throat, you could probably see half of that volume. The natural reverie was broken by a thunderstorm that came on quick and added even more water from the sky.

On the second day, we took a boat ride up the river and close to The Devil’s Kuchi, then the driver rounded a bend and chartered us full-speed right into the other massive set of falls. Senses became useless, as we could not open our eyes, and the onslaught of thousands of liters of water rushing over, around and through us drowned out the excited screams of everyone in the boat. We dried off over the next several hours by exploring the rest of the park, climbing stairs and traversing more catwalks that snaked through the surrounding woods and gave way to loads of priceless photos. At times, all I could think about was trying to jump off a high perch here or there, and there was one particular spot that I am positive I could have survived--about eight stories down, after which I would have beckoned my brother Mark to follow. Most of the time, however, another thought kept striking me that I had neither planned nor expected: the atmosphere was more than a littleromantic. Here we were, Michiyo and I, walking around hand-in-hand, under the sun, appreciating hundreds of WATERFALLS. We definitely chose the right place for a honeymoon. I mean, in addition to all these other places.

From Iguacu, we rode an overnight bus (complete with champaign and an 80s rock videos DVD) to Buenos Aires, and promptly began three days of recuperation from long walks and longer bus rides. Gradually, we eased into experiencing the capital of Argentina, often called the "Paris" of South America. Buenos Aires has become an ideal tourist destination because of economic misfortune. Walking around this city of about 10 million people, the classic architecture, wide boulevards, and all-hours bustle produce a big-city, European feel. However, the devaluation of the Argentinean peso in 2001 brought prices way down, so it is like staying in Los Angeles with St. Louis prices. This reality, while fortunate for tourists, is very unfortunate for Argentineans, but almost everyone will tell you that things are much better now in terms of the future.

We ended up staying almost two weeks, by far our longest stint in one place, and yet when we left westill knew there was so much more to do and see. We went to a soccer game, and the fans here madeBrazilian fans seem tame. The Boca Juniors played to a packed crowd in a blue and yellow stadium called La Bombonera, because it is shaped like a box of chocolate Bon Bons, and the view from our concrete seats was as vertical as a piece of cardboard. The fans way up there near us were extremely vocal about the visiting teams' genitals and mothers, and helped us appreciate that this passion only intensified in the lower sections, where the crowd stampeded to the fences after a goal or a close call.

A portion of the first week was dedicated to studying Spanish. For two hours a day, I attempted to drudge up the remnants of a semester at Loyola almost ten years ago, and Michiyo had fun learning the basics of another language unrelated to Japanese. We now have greetings mastered and a good grasp on numbers, but for the most part, we stumble our way through conversations in simple English and an emphasis on sign language.

Part 2: Leticia, Paco, and Toshi

One fantastic aspect of traveling is the connections you make. Going into a foreign country with little knowledge or plans and emerging with new friends is always thrilling. As is the case with my experiences and so many other people, even if you're always alone, you are never lonely. In Buenos Aires, some new friends totally enhanced our time there. In Brazil, we met a couple about our age on vacation, Leticia and Francisco (Paco), and they told us to get in touch when we came to their hometown. After an email and a phone call, Leticia and Paco took it upon themselves to be our tour guides in Buenos Aires. Over several days, they took us out for famous Argentinean beef and showed us how Buenos Aires residents (Portenos) consider 4:30 a.m. an early night. One day, Leticia took Michiyo shopping while Paco took me to play soccer with his friends. I did not embarrass myself,but these guys have been breathing futbol since before they could walk--they had skills. Finally, our fabulous friends shared a popular type of day trip with us, driving into the country to a gaucho farmwhere real cowboys still raise cattle, play lively folk music, and perfect tricks on horseback. We ate,danced, and laughed until evening, when we finally said our grateful goodbyes, hoping someday we can some how return the favor.

We then spent one day in Uruguay, which I mention mainly because it is one more country we saw. While the picturesque, coastal town of Colonia was a nice way to spend an afternoon following a 3-hour ferry ride, we could not spare more time than that, so we got our passports stamped and flew to Salta, a small town in the middle of Argentina that serves as a base for scenic, countryside trips in the high season. After relaxing there for a few days and enjoying a Cinco de Mayo demonstration by soldiers on horses in the old-fashioned town square, we rode a train to the border town of La Quiaca, where we walked across a bridge over a dry creek and into Bolivia.

Lastly, I give you Toshi. In Iguacu, the previously mentioned thunderstorm knocked out the entire town's power, and enabled a group of travelers to sit around some candles and share cookies, crackers, and stories. One of life's common sayings is, "It's not the places you go, it's the people you meet." Normally, I do not get into a particular person's story on these emails, but Toshi's is too fascinating, and sometime soon, I will tell his story in full, along with several others. Essentially, he left Japan for the first time two years ago, and went from Thailand, India and Nepal across the Middle East and Egypt, to Europe, where he ventured all over for a bit and then returning briefly to Japan because his grandparents were sick. He then resumed traveling in New York, where he began a greyhound journey south to Miami, across the Midwest through St. Louis, out west to Las Vegas and LA, then up the coast to Canada and Alaska. Toshi then flew to Mexico, explored several Central American countries before starting his trek around South America. He has been to 30 countries, and plans to spend six more months, including Australia, then settle down in Japan. He is, undoubtedly, the most interesting Japanese person I have met. I know I married one, but Toshi holds this position because he defies every perception and expectation I have of Japanese people. It would be like meeting a Texan who doesn't like George Bush. Like I said, Toshi's story will be told completely sometime, but for now you can learn more at his web site, hollyrock.main.jp.

Today, we again walked across a bridge over a border, this time from Bolivia to Peru. Soon, I will summarize the chaos of La Paz, the wonder of Uyuni's salt flats, and biking down the Andes Mountains on "The Death Road." The journey continues. . . Thanks so much for reading and sharing my adventures!

Hasta luego,
Senor Jose