Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls

Okay now for the second blog post! Like I said, my travels to Buenos Aires went really smooth and I arrived to my Airbnb in the evening. I had been really excited about this Airbnb stay because I was getting my own studio apartment! I hadn't been in a studio in so long because I have mostly just been renting rooms and sharing bathrooms and kitchens with other people. This was my own full kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping space. Insane! It was so nice to not have to worry about other people and to just get to do my own things. Sunday I was pretty tired, so I just went to bed. On Monday I had to work in the morning and then I decided to do a little personal walking tour of Buenos Aires. I had several hours free because some classes had been cancelled so I went all over. I took a bus from near my Airbnb to the Argentine National Congress building which was essentially the starting point of the Avenida de Mayo which is a long street with lots of historically significant buildings. At the end of the street is La Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo. When I was in school, I learned about the Plaza de Mayo because there have been many protests there, and I learned about the mothers who protested the disappearances of their children there. It was so crazy to be somewhere that I learned about and that held so much historical significance. From there, I walked to San Telmo which is a popular tourist neighborhood, and they have several markets there. I went to the San Telmo market and bought myself a blue hat with the sun from the Argentina flag embroidered on it. Then I walked to La Boca which is the tourist area. I walked past La Bombonera which is the football stadium in Argentina so that was cool to see. La Boca was fine. It is really popular because there are colorful buildings because they used to not be able to afford enough paint to cover their entire home in the same color. But I had just been in Valparaiso that was covered in beautiful art, so I was not really that impressed. It was also very touristy, and I just wasn't really into it. After La Boca I took a bus to Teatro Colon because it is a very old theater in Buenos Aires. I didn't go inside because I was running out of time, but the building was so beautiful. Then I took another bus and made it back to my Airbnb! It was a super adventurous day, and I was so proud of myself for figuring out how to see all of the sights and use the buses! 

Also on Monday, Nonny sent me a message because she had received a message from a past exchange student. When my dad was in 8th grade, they hosted an exchange student from Buenos Aires, and they had fallen out of touch. Nonny sent an email to his brother and the exchange student responded! He said that he wanted to meet me. I was a bit nervous because I had never met him before, but my family told me that I should meet him. So, I sent him a message and we made plans to have dinner on Tuesday. 

All day Tuesday I was working and then when I finished work, he picked me up from my Airbnb and took me to his house! I met his wife and his son, and we all ate dinner together. It was so interesting to meet him, and it was fun to get to share information about my family. He was really nice, and it was cool to see an Argentine home and get more of a local experience. We made plans to maybe see each other again on Thursday for a play because theater is really big in Buenos Aires. Also, on the drive back to my Airbnb we stopped at an ice cream shop, and he bought me a kilogram of ice cream! I got two flavors: banana split and dulce rincon which was dulce de leche and cookie crumbles in it. Sooooo good!!!! 

On Wednesday I made it to the Museum of Latin-American Art Buenos Aires. I was not planning to go here but the exchange student recommended it to me. I am so glad that I went! It was a small museum, so I was able to make it through everything in the 1.5 hours that I had but it was so nice. There were two floors. On the first floor were some assorted collections and there were two pieces by Frida Kahlo! There was "Diego y yo" (which I later learned is one of the most expensive paintings in the world, if not the most expensive) and "Self-portrait with monkey and parrot." The second floor of the museum was an exhibit by Guillermo Kuitca, an artist from Buenos Aires. He had some really dark messages, but it was all very interesting. I was glad to have visited.

On Wednesday evening I met up with the German teacher that I had met in Mendoza. We went for dinner at a nice vegetarian restaurant, and it was incredible! The food was so good, and the place was so nice. We ordered several small dishes and shared. The first picture is of chipas which is like a cheese ball situation. The second picture shows two large mushrooms covered in a delicious soy sauce concoction with rice on the side. The third picture are potatoes without skin that were fried and so smooth on the inside and also filled with some sort of creaminess. We also had a few other plates that I did not remember to take pictures of. And the last picture is of my drink and the bar area that we sat at! It was so fun to get to try so many different dishes and share them all. And fun to talk to the German girl! She is so nice and easy to chat with. 

On Thursday I made plans to meet the exchange student for a play and for dinner. So, all day I worked, did laundry, and got my things ready to leave the next day. I took the metro to Picadero Theater, and it was my first time taking the metro in Buenos Aires! It was really nice and easy to navigate. I got to the theater and the exchange student met me outside. We went inside and the theater was actually quite intimate. I think maybe 150-200 people could fit. The play that we saw was called La Madre and it was about a mother's identity after her kids, and most specifically her prodigal son, had grown up and moved apart from her. It was a bit confusing for several reasons. Mostly because it was all in Spanish and on top of that Argentinian Spanish which is not necessarily my strong suite. Also, there was an element to the play that there were multiple realities. Like they would redo a scene to show a different way that it could happen. I think that would have been confusing in English. I did enjoy it though and it was entertaining and a great experience. After the play we went and walked on Corrientes Street which was described to me as similar to Times Square in New York City. But this was a longer street with lots of theaters and restaurants and stores. It was really cool. There was a mix of locals and tourists which was fun. We crossed the widest avenue in the world! And ended up eating deep dish pizza which is a pretty common pizza style here. We talked about traveling and work. It was really nice to get to know him! I think our paths will cross again at some point. 

On Friday I woke up early to meet my German friend for breakfast before my flight. We went to a super cute bakery and shared some delicious baked goods. We got focaccia with dried tomato, a pistachio croissant filled with chocolate, and a medialuna which is a croissant. I hadn't really had much time to explore the neighborhood, so it was nice to walk to the bakery and get to see the area. I was staying near Palermo which is a nice neighborhood in Buenos Aires. I really would love to visit again. I almost considered changing my plans to come back to Buenos Aires instead of going to Santiago, but I decided to keep them because I want to see what Santiago is like. Anyway, breakfast was nice and then I headed to the airport to catch my flight to Iguazu Falls!

My flight to Iguazu went well and it was easy to get a shuttle to town. I also booked it so that the same shuttle company would pick me up for my flight on Sunday morning. I got to my hostel and just dropped my things off and then started walking. I ended up walking along a river and then going to this place where you can see Brazil and Paraguay while standing in Argentina. The natural barrier are two separate rivers and at this junction, the rivers meet and go on to create the barrier between Paraguay and Argentina. So beautiful! I got Subway for dinner because I wanted to have half of a sandwich for the next day. My first time having Subway in a very long time, but it was good! They even had quinoa patties to put on a veggie sandwich. 

On Saturday, I woke up early and ate breakfast at my hostel. Then I got onto a bus and headed to Iguazu Falls National Park. Technically the park has an Argentinian side and a Brazilian side. I considered doing a tour so I could see both, but I ultimately decided to only do the Argentina side. I wanted to be able to explore everything on my own and to not feel rushed. I am glad about my decision because I really got to enjoy the Argentina side, and everyone says that it is better. I started by taking a cute little train to the Devil's Throat because I wanted to go before it got too busy. When I got there, I was almost moved to tears. It was so massive and overwhelmingly beautiful. Pictures and words will never do it justice so I will just say that nature is so incredible. I also walked on the Superior and Inferior circuits and preferred the Inferior so that I could see the waterfalls from the bottom. There were so many waterfalls, and it was so cool to see! This was truly a unique national park, and I am so glad that I ended up getting to visit. I was not planning to but then so many people told me about the beauty. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did or to be as amazed as I was. 

I left my hostel very early on Sunday and went to the airport. My first flight was to Buenos Aires, and I then had 5 hours in the airport. Luckily there were two airport lounges. So, I went to both. My goal was to eat 5 plates of food (because it is all free and because I did not want to buy any food that day) and I exceeded my goal! Honestly having access to lounges is so clutch because it gives me a nice place to chill and access to so much free stuff. They even have free alcohol!!! Don't think I am getting too fancy though because I go from airport lounges to budget airlines where I have to pay for carry-on bags. And even worse, on these planes I am in the cheapest seats! On the first flight I was literally in the last row right in front of the bathrooms in the aisle seat next to a couple that took their shoes off! Moments like those keep me grounded. 

My second flight to Santiago went well. I had to do immigration things which hadn't really been that serious at my past border crossings. Crossing by land on the buses had been so easy and sometimes I haven't been asked any questions. My passport sometimes just gets stamped, and I am good to go. This was not too severe but definitely more questions and a bit more stressful. I am in Santiago for the next couple of days. I am not planning to be social at all and I am mostly just going to get caught up on a couple of things and get ready for going to the Atacama Desert this weekend!! Unreal. 

So many beautiful things have been happening to me, and I am so grateful. I've been meeting wonderful people and getting incredible experiences. I am so so so lucky. I also am going to be in Peru soon with my friends which I cannot even believe. What a beautiful life <3