Foz du Iguacu and Buenos Aires

The day we left dawned bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. Brian went back to the falls to take some last photos; I watched them from our bedroom window. They really are magnificent.

Paulo came to take us to the airport, and we sadly said good-bye to our wonderful room, and the great staff at the hotel.

This time when we got to the border we had to get out of the car and go through immigration, but there was no queue and it didn’t take any time at all. After all the fuss and bother of obtaining our Brazilian visas, Brazilian immigration turned out to be a real pleasure. We got back into the car and drove across the bridge to Argentina.

I felt a sense of sadness as we reached the middle of the bridge, and changed countries. We have been in Brazil since January 23^rd. I have loved every minute of it. There is something about travel that makes it so exciting to see new places, but I often feel a sense of loss when I leave a country, like I have left a little piece of me behind there.

There wasn’t much time to ponder the loss as we were soon across the bridge and in Argentina. Again, there was no queue at the drive through immigration kiosk, and we just showed our passports, and we were on our way to the airport.

The airport is a 2-storey brick building looking more like a motel than an airport. We said our good byes to Paulo, who has been the most wonderful guide, and headed in to the building. The check in line moved quickly and we had our boarding cards in no time. We walked around checking out the shops. No Cambio or ATM, a very poorly stocked souvenir shop, and several jewelry stores. Not much really. There was no one at the security counter, so we sat and waited, using the free wi fi. Finally someone showed up at security, and we went through. Our boarding passes said gate 2, but the TV screen said gate 1. As it turned out we could only find gate 3 and according to the TV screen, planes were only leaving from gates 1 and 2, so we were a bit confused. Finally we found a sign that said Aerolineas Argentina. There was no flight number, but it did have a sign indicating where to queue for the plane, so we set ourselves up on seats near to it and watched to see what happened.

People started moving towards the sign, so we joined them, and without any announcement at all the line started moving, and lo and behold we were on the plane. It all seemed to be rather random, but it obviously works as 2 hours later we were in Buenos Aires.

We had asked for a window seat, and were thrilled to get our last look at the falls as we took off and flew right near them.

In Buenos Aires we decided to change our Brazilian Reals into Argentinean Pesos. The Cambio desk was cunningly hidden, but we did eventually locate it, only to have to stand in line for about an hour in order to be served. Clutching our Pesos we booked a taxi to the hotel. We had read about taxi drivers who try to rip you off, so we decided to opt for booking one in advance which is supposedly safer, and they charge you a fixed price. The hotel, the CasaSur, is in the Ricoleta district, which was only a 10-minute ride from the airport. The hotel is small, only 3 rooms per floor, and the rooms are smaller. The regular rooms have a window on balcony facing the main street. We were upgraded to a suite, which had the advantage of having 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a balcony, but it looked out onto a small window well. It was almost like having an inside cabin. However there was a beautiful tromp l’oeille mural on the wall, and later in the evening we sat out on the balcony sipping wine, and it really did look like we were looking at some grand building.

We got a map from the front desk, and asked to directions to the Ricoleta Cemetery. Unfortunately the receptionist had a problem with her left and right, and after we had walked a significant distance we realized we were nowhere near where we wanted to be. So we had to consult the map, locate our position, and head off in the correct direction to the cemetery. We realized that we have been so used to using Google Maps on our phones, when we can’t use it because we don’t want to use our cellular data in a foreign country, you have to go back to looking for street signs to ascertain your location, and consult a map. Horrors.

We reached the cemetery just as they were letting the last people in for the day. The cemetery is the most amazing place, filled with over the top crypts and mausoleums, with statues and sculptures all over them. Some are very well kept up, other are derelict. The whole place has a very peaceful feel to it after the hustle and bustle of the streets outside its walls. Eva Peron is buried there, so we headed off to see her family mausoleum, and then we wandered up and down the narrow pathways marveling at the other structures. The last time I was there I was on my own, and it was also near closing time, but it was also getting dark. I was having a good time wandering around in the peace and quiet, and it felt like I was the only living person in the whole cemetery. Suddenly a cat leapt out of an abandoned crypt and landed on me. I don’t think I have ever screamed so much in my whole life, I was totally terrified. Suddenly all these people appeared out of nowhere, and it took them quite a while to calm me down. Today, I had Brian with me, and I avoided the cats, so all went well and I could really appreciate the serene beauty of the cemetery.

After we were asked to leave the cemetery, we wandered around the Ricoleta district seeing all the sights. In one of the parks there is a huge metal sculpture of a flower. The petals are open during the day, but gradually close as night falls. It is very simple, and very beautiful, and we sat and watched it as it got ready for the night.

Then we walked around the posh area where the mansions and embassies are situated. The roads are all tree lined, and the area is very beautiful and worth seeing.

As it was getting quite dark we headed back towards the hotel, stopping off for a drink at La Biela, a café that has been in the same location for many, many years.

We opted for dinner at the hotel, we were quite tired, and had an early morning the next day. After dinner we sat on the balcony planning our sight seeing and enjoying the sounds of the Argentinean night.