Farewell, South America!

I have taken my sweet time in getting to the point where I would write this post. Our South American adventure is officially over. In fact, it's been over for about a month! It ended with a day of travel that would have tested many travelers, but I feel like we handled it well. 

We flew from Iguazu to Buenos Aires, with Frank dealing with work and home buying calls in both terminals. Our flight out of Buenos Aires got delayed, causing a chain reaction that added a flight and several hours to our trip. We enjoyed lie-flat seats on the first flight, several hours in a nice lounge in Bogota (with more work and home calls!), and a very quick layover in San Jose before finally touching down in Washington, D.C. around midnight, a mere 36 hours after we left Iguazu. We checked back into the country, got an Uber, and settled in at our sister's house in Maryland.

Lie-flat seats and lounges kept this crew's spirits up!

It's done. A whole new adventure begins now and to be honest, I think I was more prepared for a year in South America than I am for this next journey, but with my awesome crew I know it will be memorable.

Last sunset of the trip, taken on our last flight.

~Jo, the former nomadic momma ;)

Amazing Iguazu

When we originally made our decision to travel in South America, one of the "must do's" was Iguazu (or Iguaçu or Iguassu in Portuguese) Falls, and we did it! In a word, it was AMAZING!

The falls from Brazil (top) and Argentina (middle and bottom...bottom is "Devil's Throat").

We hopped on our first airplane in months and flew from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu. Flights on this route are actually pretty affordable on local carrier FlyBondi (like Spirit or RyanAir), even with checked bags and seat selections. We also opted to splurge on a rental car for our visit so that we could have maximum flexibility with our limited time. So our first adventure was crossing the border to Brazil! This actually wasn't much of an adventure (unless you count the many speed bumps in Argentina and big potholes in Brazil) as it's a well-traveled, easy border.

Iguazu National Park actually consists of two parks--one on the Argentinean side that is home to 80% of the falls (and boasts some up-close-and-personal trails both at the bottom and top of various falls) and one on the Brazilian side that is home to 20% of the falls (but some of the best views of the entire falls system). The gouge on the falls is that you can do it in one day (Argentina side), but if you have two days you can spend one on each side (the experience is different!), and if you have three days you can do some things outside of the parks and take your time while in the parks. We planned to spend four nights in the area so we had lots of time to take it all in!

Our night in Brazil was spent at Iguassu Eco Hostel where we relaxed in the pool, enjoyed amazing caipirinhas, and had a great dinner. The next day we visited the Brazil side of the falls which really does provide an amazing panoramic view of the Argentinean falls as you walk along the trail. There is also a catwalk that basically puts you mid-falls, with water rushing down towards you on one side and water rushing past you to the river on the other side. We could almost touch the raging water from some of the platforms! My photos will never do it justice, but will hopefully inspire you to put it on your list! We didn't do all of the nature trails in the park as we had some other things we wanted to get to, but we did see coati!

The panoramic views of the falls from the Brazil side are amazing!

Our next stop in Brazil was the Parque de Aves. It's a bird park with several aviaries that house birds that were rescued from illegal trade or injury. It's really well laid-out with informative signs and knowledgable staff. We saw so many birds, but the standouts for me were the alagoas currasow (only five left in the world, all in captivity), the harpy eagle, and the very photo-ready toucan. There is also a really good cafe at the park so we were able to have lunch while watching some birds, too! 

Just a sampling of the very educational park!

Our final stop in Brazil for the day was the Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Plant, and it was awesome! This project isn't just remarkable for its size as it's the second largest hydroelectric facility in the world, but what really impressed me was the true binational nature of the project. It was built jointly by Brazil and Paraguay and continues to be operated as a joint venture, with all of the output being shared 50/50. The result is that Itaipu provides Paraguay with 75% of its nation's electricity needs while it provides much larger Brazil with 17% of its needs. Such an inspiring partnership! And while we were there the spillway was open which happens pretty infrequently so that was cool to see, and as part of the tour we dipped our toes into Paraguay! 

This was such a great tour, and the open spillway really put the power of the plant on display.

After our busy day in Brazil we headed to the Argentina side of the falls for three relaxing, final nights in South America. We had a very cozy room at a hotel outside of town that put us in a good spot to visit the falls. It was super easy to buy tickets to the falls and to the boat ride which was CRAZY! We got sooooo soaked, but it was just awesome to get to view the falls from the water and feel their power. Over two days of visiting this side of the park we did the boat ride, walked the upper and lower falls routes, and visited the Devil's Throat. And even though a few of the trails/experiences we hoped to due were closed due to the high water flow, we really felt that we got to experience the falls from so many angles and didn't miss a thing. We even walked (rather than take the train) back from the Devil's Throat for one last jungle experience and saw more butterflies than we have in some butterfly gardens! 

Holy Brewery, a pool, and a hotel cat--we had a great stay on the Argentina side!

The videos from the boat ride were crazy. We went INTO the falls!

Day 1 on the Argentina side was boat ride, the lower falls trail, and the upper falls trail. 

Day 2 we visited the VERY busy Devil's Throat walkway.

I would 100% recommend visiting Iguazu Falls once in your life. Sometimes it is drier and more rock outcroppings show. Sometimes the water is flowing so much that many walkways are closed. While we were there for a "heavy" flow, I bet it's stunning no matter what. And with so many things to do around the area you can easily spend a few days and not get bored. 

Las Tres Fronteras, where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina all meet in the middle of the river.

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Adventures in Buenos Aires

Several months ago we realized that timing could work out so that we would be in Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America, around our daughter's birthday. As she loves all things European and especially French, we made it happen! We also opted to have this time be "spring break" from homeschooling for the kids so that we could just enjoy the final few weeks of our travels (more on that later!). So after an overnight bus from Mendoza, we arrived in Buenos Aires to stay in a gorgeous three-bedroom apartment in the San Nicholas neighborhood and spend a week as tourists!

We ended with one of our best, most comfortable bus trips (and a birthday surprise on the bus!) and an amazing apartment!

Birthday celebrations during the week included visits to the stunning Galerias Pacifico shopping mall, the Obelisk, El Ateneo book store, the Caminito in Boca, and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano. That's what the girl wanted, and that's what she got! It was super hot all week, but we made it all work.

Happy Birthday, kiddo!

Galerias Pacifico, the Obelisk, and El Ateneo bookstore.

The colorful Caminito (and the best choripán we had!).

The Frida Kahlo exhibit was my favorite at the museum.

The birthday surprise she didn't know about until the bus ride to BA was tickets to a Boca Juniors fútbol game! The local team plays in a stadium called "La Bombonera" that is famous for its loud, energetic home crowd! Fun fact--in Argentina there are ONLY home fans at the fútbol games so that there aren't fights and problems. It was CRAZY! The crowd sang and screamed for the entire 90 minutes of play even though the final score was 0-0. Our night also included a stop for choripan and beers before the game and other than the fact that our tickets weren't all together (but we managed to wedge into a spot together) it was an awesome experience! The kids have really gotten into fútbol/soccer and I think we all had a good time. 

¡Vamos Boca! So much energy!

One of our "big" events was to go to a traditional Argentinean asado. Only the adults did it (and I opted to go full meat-eater that day to get the true experience) and it was such an amazing experience. We joined two other couples and our host for a walking tour of the Palermo neighborhood where we learned about its history and street art. We also picked up some meat from the famous Don Julio carneceria and had a tasting of local wines. And all of that was before we did much with asado! We learned about the fire, the parilla (grill), the meats, and we learned how to make chimichurri sauce. And the food! Oh man, every single thing we ate and drank was so delicious. And our companions were so nice...it really made for a very fun day.

There are so many interesting stories behind the street art around Palermo.

Wine, fernet and cola, more wine, and mate!

The food was AMAZING! Provoleta, blood sausage bruschetta, matambrito de credo, chorizo and sweetbreads, chimichurri, steak, salad, and sweet potato with ice cream and candied nuts. Just WOW!

We learned so much and had a great time with our group!

And since we were in Buenos Aires we simply had to go to a tango! We opted to head to Tango Porteño as it was only a 10-minute walk from our apartment. The show included traditional folk dance along with the tango numbers, and the six-man bad was amazing! So glad we did it! But tangos start after 10pm so between the fútbol game and tango we had to get used to late nights.

Tango Porteño was fabulous!

The next night we had another surprise/unplanned event. As were were walking around town early in the week we saw a poster for an Imagine Dragons concert and decided to check out tickets. Well, they were available and we didn't have plans for the day of the show, so we went for it! It was a great show! It was all general admission on the polo grounds so we were just in the crowd out on the grass, but it was so good! Katreina and I were too short to see anything on the stage, but it really didn't matter. And I was a little surprised at how much of the band's music I actually knew!

This show was so good and so much fun!

The day after the concert we had another adventure--a day trip to Uruguay! Our original plan was to spend a week in Uruguay, traveling the tannat vineyards and beaches via car, but with an end date set for our travels we had to scale it down. Lucky for us, a ferry port was a 10-minute walk from our apartment and they ran day trips to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay! You check out of Argentina and into Uruguay before you even board the ferry, so that was convenient (it's a little more drawn out on the return). We arrived around 2pm on a very hot day, found a place for a lazy lunch, visited the lighthouse, walked the cobblestone streets, and enjoyed some tannat. It was a nice little trip to a new country!

We made it easily! Great spot for a lazy lunch and for Frank to try the local speciality sandwich, chivito.

We explored the little lighthouse and the local wine.

It's a cute little town to wander around, especially as the sun went down.

Our our last full day in BA Katreina and I visited Teatre Colón. It was stunning! It was fascinating to learn about the eclectic design of the building and its use over the years, and it really made us want to see an opera there. 

It was all so beautiful and the tour was very informative.

With the heat we definitely didn't explore as many parks as I would have liked to, but we did have a good time in the city (NOT our normal habitat!). I could definitely visit again. There are so many neighborhoods to explore, so much food to eat, and so much culture to experience in Buenos Aires!

Around Buenos Aires.

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Mendoza...as tourists!

While we really enjoyed living like locals in Mendoza for a whole month, we did throw in a few "touristy" things.

First off was a trip our to Potrerillos for a day of rafting on the Mendoza River and zip lining across it! The rafting wasn't challenging, but it was fun and the kids got to try out being boat "captains" for the first time. The river is brown and rich with sediment from the mountains, but that sediment quickly settles out in the blue lake below. But we did have to rinse all the grit off in the really nice facilities at Argentina Rafting. They have nice-sized changing rooms with hot showers so you can de-river. We enjoyed a reasonably-priced, delicious multi-course lunch (a surprise since this was the only food game around and we are used to over-priced uninspiring food at places like that in the U.S.) with a great view of the river before setting off on a half-dozen zip lines. The final two were super long and crossed over the Mendoza River. It was a really fun day overall!

Such a fun day with Argentina Rafting!

Let me start off by saying that bus tours that shuttle you around to viewpoints aren't normally my thing, but since we didn't have a car we opted to book the High Mountain tour so that we could see Aconcagua, the tallest summit in the Americas at 6962m, up close. This tour took us back to Potrerillos and into the southern extent of the Incan empire. It's like our trip is coming full circle! The landscape in the foothills of the Andes was stunning, and we had great views as our bus climbed to the Cristo Redentor Monument at 4200m. This was a really cool (cold and windy!) stop that symbolizes the union between Argentineans and Chileans and allowed us to peek back in to Chile. We also stopped at Puente del Inca, a natural rock bridge. It was a long day on the road, but wine and alfajores and a big Argentinean lunch got us through it!

Saw the sites, learned about the area, and relaxed!

Frank and I snuck away for our own adventure at Bodega Santa Julia one day. We aren't super wine snobs, but knew we wanted to visit at least one of the famous Mendoza wineries and this one offered a harvest day! We learned about the wine industry of the region and how to harvest grapes, sipped wine while we harvested Malbec grapes, toured the wine production facility, tasted several wines, tried some olive oils from the adjacent grove, and finished the day with the winery's famous empanadas and wine in the courtyard. It was a full, fun, perfect adult day!

Adult Day Camp was so fun (and educational!)!

Near the end of our stay we headed about 40 minutes out of town to Lunlunta Valley for a sunset horseback ride with Los Pingos Horse Riding and it was AMAZING. This was honestly probably my best horseback ride experience ever. My horse, Padrillo, was super sweet and the trail took up into the hills over the wineries as the sun set. Then we headed back to the ranch under a clear night sky with the glow of the city lights of Mendoza in the distance. The night ended with a traditional asado meal, decent wine, and good conversation with fellow travelers. Everyone really enjoyed it.

The sunset horseback ride was a family favorite!

While we walked in General San Martín Park almost every day and enjoyed its many statues, one day Frank and I went the extra distance to climb Cerro de la Gloria to see the Monument to the Army of the Andes. This impressive monument celebrates the Army of the Andes, led by General San Martín and later Simón Bolivar, and its role in the liberation of Chile, Argentina, and Peru. As those are the three countries we have spent over six months in, it almost felt like we were bringing our trip to a close right there.

And while not a touristy thing, our time in Mendoza did overlap with Festa in Piazza, a celebration of Italian food and culture in Plaza Italia, and Vendimia, the region's wine harvest festival. We enjoyed dinner in the park with Festa en la Piazza one night, and that same night the main street in our neighborhood was closed to traffic and was full of people partying while DJs played music. It was awesome, but really loud! Then on our final day in Mendoza we had to wait seven hours between check-out and our bus, but there was a parade and sidewalk cafes, so we were good for several hours! We even talked to a local during the parade that told us a bit more about it. Of note--all the kids were excited to get stuff from the floats, but what did they toss? Water, fruit cups, grapes, pencils, trail mix, a few sodas (and two lucky adults near us got wine), garlic (a gift of agriculture from one of the regions represented)...not a single piece of candy! But they were all so excited! I loved it. Vendimia is a great celebration of the agricultural wealth of Mendoza and I would highly recommend being in town for it if you want to experience a non-touristy, local celebration!

Festa in Piazza was delicious and fun!

Oh, Vendimia...what a great party!

Oh, and we ate. We ate lots of great food in Mendoza! We didn't go out a ton, but when we did, it was good and very affordable. Many dishes are meant to be shared, and sometimes we misjudged and over-ordered. But leftover fries are always good with eggs the next morning.

Just looking back at some of these pics makes my stomach hurt, but we tried picadas, the empanadas, the milanesas, the papas, the calzones, the cafes, the beers, the wines, the Peruvian food, and so much gelato!

We have talked a lot about how much we enjoyed our very slow time in this great city. We didn't "do" all the city has to offer, but we did feel perfectly comfortable in our neighborhood, got to really observe a non-American lifestyle, and even learned about some locals' feeling about the U.S. We are a bit reluctant to leave, but there is a lot more adventure in store for us in the coming weeks!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma 

Slow travel in Mendoza

We arrived in Mendoza after a wonderfully comfortable 18-hour bus ride a week ago. What have we been up to? Absolutely nothing! Ok, that's not totally true, but when most people arrive at a new place they are out "doing" and that's just not how we are all of the time. 

Our beautiful neighborhood of Arístides.

We have planned to be in Mendoza for four weeks so we have time to slowly take it all in. We got a very affordable apartment right near a very nice park and a street full of amazing bars and restaurants. In this first week we've found a fantastic fruit and veggie stand, our empanada guy, a few great happy hours, amazing ice cream, crazy affordable spa services, and several mini markets that have tables and a big screen so you can drink beer and watch fútbol there. And the best part? The park. I have been there every single day. There are so many walking trails, workout stations, statues, food trucks, weekend markets...I am so happy here!

No problem finding food and fun around here!

Our workout circuit sometimes has food stands! And an artificial lake that adds some ambiance.

We haven't even explored all of this park yet, but isn't it pretty?

Ok, but it IS Mendoza. And why is this significant? It's the heart of Argentina wine country! Malbec is the star here and we have definitely been enjoying it and we do have plans to go to at least one winery. We have a few other "touristy" things planned for our time here, but this apartment has been a perfect spot for getting lots of school done and just taking time to prepare for our next moves. So standby for not much happening with us!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

A mountain escape to Bariloche, Argentina

By now we've learned to expect that 20+ hour bus rides will arrive a few hours past the scheduled time, and our 23-hour (27-hour) trip to San Carlos de Bariloche, also known as Bariloche, was no exception! Thankfully our AirBnB hosts welcomed us at 2230 and had pasta that we could cook up!

This is our first time in the lakes region of Argentina so we planned to stay for two weeks in this mountain town and enjoy its Bavarian-influenced culture, natural beauty, and of course, chocolate. I chose our AirBnB about three kilometers from the city center because it was one of the most affordable I found for the time we wanted to be there and from the pictures it looked like it had amazing views of Nahuel Huapi Lake. We were not disappointed! We found the place to be comfortable with a great kitchen and crazy good views, it was close to a decent grocery store, and we could walk into the city center in 40 minutes or take a bus. All good, plus the kids had a great space to do school. And that's just what we did for our first few days! 

Our first "excursion" was to a mate (mah-tay) lesson that I found through AirBnB. We opted to book this as a private experience and I'm so glad we did. It's not that we don't want to meet other people, but we've had mate before and love the taste, but had so many questions about how to prepare it correctly. This way we got to do the whole lesson in English and really experience the ritual of Yerba mate, which is a social ritual that involves sharing the drink and sharing a straw and with COVID they have altered the class. Since we are a family, we were able to practice the full, shared social experience (fun fact--we definitely shared a mate with several people 16 years ago). Our instructor, Melanie, was amazing! We learned about the history of Yerba mate, where yerba is grown and how it is dried, about different mates (the cups) and bombillas (the straws), how to properly prepare the drink, and how to share it. We tried three different types of yerba, both alone and paired with a snack specifically chosen for each type. It was an AMAZING experience and we learned so much. 

We really loved learning about yerba mate with Melanie!

We also booked a local walking tour, "German Footprint and Nazi Presence in Bariloche" with Diego as the guide. This one is available through AirBnB experiences or local travel agencies (we used Zig Zag). Though the group was pretty big (maybe 20 people) and the information was delivered in both Spanish and English, it ended up being a super informative, super engaging walk with some really nice travelers from all over the world! Diego is a master at delivering bits of info in each language, rather than huge chunks, so that we all were listening for the next tidbit. We learned all about how the town was founded by German-Chilean Carlos Wiederholdt, the three waves of German immigrants to Argentina, and the Nazi's who were caught living in Bariloche. We really loved that it wasn't just about Bariloche, but rather incorporated what was going on in the world during each of the immigrant waves so there was much more context. And this was a fabulous tour given what the kids are currently studying in history (and Trent just finished "The Diary of Anne Frank" in English). We also watched "Operation Final" on Netflix the night before this tour and Diego enhanced much of what we learned in that film. We were honestly very pleased with this experience.

Diego was a fantastic guide and taught us so much about the German presence in Bariloche.

While in Bariloche we also had to try some chocolate! It's the chocolate capital of Argentina and honestly I would die if we tried every chocolate shop, but we hit Patagónico, Del Turista, Rapa Nui, Mamuschka, Frantom, and the Museo de Chocolate Havanna. The museum tour was actually pretty cool--all done in Spanish (but we understood most of it!), they served an amazing hot chocolate, and at the end they have an exhibit of local animals carved from chocolate. We picked up some alfajores from the museum (think cookie sandwich of dulce de leche dipped in chocolate or meringue), and while they are popular in Argentina, they aren't really our favorite. But they were good. Since it's so hot here we actually hit up the ice cream stands at the chocolate places more than the chocolate!

CHOCOLATE!

Hiking is also pretty big around here. We didn't do nearly as much of that as I would have liked just because of family preference and the desire to focus on school, but the boys and I did do a nice hike that combined the Sendero de los Arrayanes with the Lago Escondido Trail. A few hours on the trail and lunch on a lakeshore was just what I needed!

Loved this day on the trail with my guys.

Top marks for fun went to Cerro Viejo, a small, cheap, old teleférico close to our place that gives you stunning views of Lago Nahuel Huapi. You ride an old ski lift to the top the hill, then you have the option of walking down or riding the giant toboggan slide, and of course we chose the slide. It was such a good, old-fashioned fun time! There was also a little forest of arrayanes (myrtle) trees on the hillside and it was beautiful! We actually went back for another visit on our final day to determine the toboggan champion. Frank won, but only after Trent wiped out in the final corner, skinning every joint and tearing his shirt!

So much simple fun, but dang, Trent!

We also headed out to Colonia Suiza (the Swiss Colony) one day as it was rumored to have great Swiss architecture and was famous for its curanto, a local meal of meats and vegetables that is cooked in the ground. We ended up really enjoying the meal experience at Colonia Suiza Resto-Bar. You book a table for the curanto and they explain the whole thing--how Polynesian influence came to Chile which then came over to this little town, how they layer the meats and veggies, how it is covered with dirt and burlap, and then they uncovered the glorious spread of food! We went to our table and they came around with platters of food...three times! We gals had the vegetarian version which was honestly awesome with potatoes, yams, apples, onions, corn, carrots, and squash. The guys had all of that veg plus, chicken, pork, stuffed pork belly, lamb, lamb ribs, and chorizo! It was a crazy amount of food! The rest of Colonia Suiza? Uh, not really our thing. We walked all around and I can't say we saw a ton of interesting architecture. All we found were a ton of food vendors, a few small craft stands, restaurants, and a crazy crowded beach. It also took us a ton of time to get there and return via bus as the busses were full and infrequent. Add in that we had to wait for them in the blazing sun and I'm not sure we would do this again, at least not at this time of year. But the curanto was good.

Meat is a big deal in Argentina and curanto is the way to eat it in Colonia Suiza!

Our house is about a three-to-four minute walk to the lake. It's beautiful. The water is honestly a bit cold for me to head out and go for a swim (I saw one guy swimming in a wetsuit!) and the shores are rocky, but it's lovely. We are right by a marina so we get to stare dreamily at boats every day, too. And we can walk all the way to town on the road that runs along the lake. It's not bad! We spent a few afternoons walking around town and seeing all the touristy things there.

Beach days at the frigid lake. Frank made it in the furthest!

Around Bariloche...the Civic Center, the Cathedral, the lakefront, and the most awesome waterfront skate/bike park I've ever seen!

Restaurants here are supposed to be good, too, but honestly we only went out once for burgers after a tour! Why? Well, Argentinians complain that the food it expensive in this town, but it's honestly because we have a really awesome place! Every time we think of going out for a drink at one of the bars down on the lake, we realize that we can get drinks cheaper at the grocery store and enjoy them in the peaceful comfort of our own home with fabulous views of the lake. And I like to cook and this kitchen is good so yeah, we were homebodies. I think we will dine out a bit more in our next place...

Our little house was just perfect for us!

There is really so much more to do in this area and if we did it again, I would come during shoulder season and have a car to reach further and explore the many trails in the area without relying on tours on the public transit. 

A word about the bus. Argentina public transportation requires the use of a SUBE card--they don't take cash--and it's not like in D.C. where you just get a card from a kiosk. Here, you have to get your card from an official distributor with your passport in hand, then go somewhere else to charge it usually. I've read there are some automated top-up places in Buenos Aires, but mostly you have to go to kioskos (think convenience store) to top-up your card. The good news is that as long as you have money on the card, multiple people can use it. Frank and I set off on a SUBE card expedition only to have the official place be out of them, then about 10 kioskos that were supposed to have them also be out of them. The last place we tried said they didn't have them, but the guy next door did. Here's where big warning flags should have gone off--no "SUBE" sign in that guy's store window, but he had them and was selling them at only twice what they should cost. We paid $3 for the card, then went back next door to charge them with $3 each, and we were off! We boarded a bus, tapped our cards, and all was good. A few days later, we walked to town with the kids, but opted to take the bus back and...whammo--cards wouldn't work. We kind of knew they were used cards, but a trip to the "official" place the next day confirmed they were registered in someone else's name and had been blocked, the balance transferred away. Ok, so we got duped to the tune of $10. But you know what's awesome? The official place had cards again so we got two real cards and haven't had any problems since! But seriously, this "register with your ID" method and short card inventory makes it pretty hard for tourists to use the public transit system. Makes me miss the ease of use in DC, NYC, and Athens.

One of the more empty buses we rode on.

This also marks the end of our two months in Patagonia as Bariloche is the northern end of the region. It was wild, wonderful, and there is so much more to explore. Next stop--Mendoza!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma