Colonia once more.

Every three months we have to exit and reenter the country to have our tourist visas renewed.  Our three months are up next week and today we went to Colonia in Uruguay to get our stamps.  We could have used last week's unexpected trip to Brazil as our exit/reentry but we had already bought our ferry tickets and we wanted to show Talluah's parents some more of South America.

The last two times we've been to Uruguay it was a weekend.  Today, being a weekday and the threat of rain, the ferry was only a third full and the historic part of Colonia was lovely and quiet.  Three months ago when we were on the ferry, they played a song called Give me back my toaster.  It is mainly in Spanish but the chorus drops the f-bomb in English numerous times.  Several weeks after Depp heard the song and us talking about it he asked what the bad word was in it as he hadn't picked up on it because he never hears it.  We said he doesn't need to know it.  Well, three months later the ferry is still playing the same song on a 20 minute loop.  Luckily Depp was too busy looking out the window to notice.

The skies were grey and the wind was blowing but we had packed our jackets and ponchos from the falls and were ready for anything.  With less tourists milling around the town we were able to enjoy the artisan shops at a gentler pace and take time to explore.

If you're in Buenos Aires it's worth doing a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento.  There are tour guides but the area is small enough that with a free map you can guide yourself round, imagine the ghosts of explorers setting up a new colony and read the history at another time.

One thing we did do differently this time was look for sea glass along the beach.  I asked one shop keeper what they call sea glass and he said in Spanish, "Glass.  It's just glass."  I think the magic of something going from a dangerous sharp object to a smooth piece of artwork was lost on him.   Another shop keeper said esmerilado vidrio which translates to frosted glass.  Google translate says cristal marino.

Zen in BA

Yesterday we went to the Japanese Gardens in the Northern part of Bs. As.  The gardens can be reached by either bus or Sube (underground rail) and we decided to go with the bus as it gives a view of the city at the same time.  The bus was full of locals who also wanted a view of their city.  We slid into every available space and rode 59A with the other sardines.  By the time we reached our stop everyone was feeling the effects of being lurched through traffic stuck to someone else's armpit.

The Japanese Gardens are the set on five acres and feature a mix of Japanese and South American trees.   Several bridges cross the ponds allowing you to see the large koi swimming around.  It was a nice way to spend a few hours in a green space.

Our plans changed dramatically today when Talluah's mother slipped down the stairs at the apartment block we're staying in.  She gave herself a nasty cut on her arm but after we combined our medical knowledge from Grey's Anatomy, M*A*S*H and A Country Practice we realised that it wouldn't need stitching and we could fix it with butterfly bandaids and Betadine.  Today turned into  a rest day as Colleen was feeling rather bruised. 

Flying under the radar.

Before we came to Iguazu our research told us that a visa into Brazil costs around AUD$200 per person.  The idea of spending a $1,000 for a half day trip to see the other side of the falls seemed a tad steep so we decided to just stick to the Argentine side.

However, our taxi driver told us that the border control on the Brazilian side is closed on weekends and that he was happy to take us over.  We were stamped out of Argentina and as we drove through the empty customs of Brazil our taxi driver whistled an innocent tune.  I don't know what would have happened if we had been stopped.  None of us had packed wire cutters, organised code names or decided on a safe rendezvous location should we have to leg it.  While we don't have a stamp in our passports, we can now say we have been to Brazil.

First, we went to the Parque das Aves (Bird Park), which is located a few hundred metres from the Brazilian Iguazu park entrance.  The park is well maintained and it's obvious that the profits go back into the park.  It houses many rescued birds and some that are bred at the park.  There are many macaws that have either had their wings clipped by owners or were raised in cages and never learnt how to fly.  The aviaries were mostly large enough for the birds to be able to fly in and several of the nests had web cams set up for the breeding season.

Talluah was able to get up close to a toucan, her favourite bird, and we spent a while in the butterfly house watching humming birds dart around from feeder to feeder.  When they pass by you can hear why they are called humming birds.

We had organised to be picked up at three o'clock so we scooted the  few hundred metres to the fall's entrance, paid our admission and caught the shuttle bus out to the falls.  The shuttle buses are double decker buses without windows and when they pass going in the opposite direction the passengers call out to the other bus.

With only a 90 minute window we aimed for La Garganta del Diablo (the Devil's Throat) - the most impressive part of the falls.  We did don ponchos but they wouldn't be entirely necessary in the warmer months.  The Throat can be accessed by elevator or for those a little fitter - stairs.  Lots and lots of stairs. 

Our overall verdict of Iguazu Falls is that anyone who has the opportunity to see them should.  There are many more activities you can do around the falls that we would have loved to do.  It's worth seeing the falls from both sides of the border but if you only have a limited time there prioritise the Argentine side.

And, Happy Birthday Twyllalee! 

one toucan in one toucan out... 

Toucans aren't just for Christmas

We organised with the taxi driver from yesterday, whose nickname is Mono (monkey), to take us out to the animal refuge centre Guira Oga.

The taxis here don't have meters and everything is discussed before hand.  It's only a ten minute drive from where we are and Mono said he could do a return trip for 450 pesos.   This is a man who drives for a living and takes people to the same places all the time.  Whenever we ask him about a price he has to think about it first.  He must have sliding prices for each customer that varies depending on some unknown factors.

The Guira Oga refuge centre houses numerous birds, such as toucans and birds of prey, that have been raised as pets and no longer wanted.  Some have never learnt how to fly and can't be released into the wild.  There are desert turtles that live longer than their owners expected and some pumas that had bred with a domestic cat.  Some animals have been injured on nearby roads and others have come from zoos for various reasons.

They had a crocodile and one day a second crocodile was in the enclosure.  No one knows how it got there.  The crocodile fence was just over a metre high.

Indiana did a fantastic job acting as a translator for her grandparents while the guide explained the story of all the animals.  

I'm falling for you Iguazu.

Talluah's parents have joined us for several weeks here in Argentina.  We took this opportunity to do some extra travel and see the sights of Argentina.

First on the list is the Iguazu cataratas (water falls).  There are countless buses that run from Bs As to Iguazu but these are only for people who enjoy sitting on a bus for 18 hours.  We're more the two hours on a plane type of people.  Landing at Iguazu is a real landing in the jungle.  So often airports are surrounded by cities but here the airport has been carved into the greenery.  Once at the airport we were hit by the tropical dry heat - quite the contrary to the weather we had been experiencing in 9 de Julio and Bs As.  The taxi system is 500 pesos per car to your hotel and there are no public buses.  As our taxi driver drove us to our accommodation
we immediately noticed that people here speak a lot slower and are easier to understand.  This was confirmed later in the day when we were in town window shopping.

Our host put us in touch with a taxi that had an eight seater vehicle and would take us to the falls and back for a reasonable price.  When we woke this morning, Depp was running a bit of a temperature and we ummed and ahhed about one of us staying behind so Depp could rest.  He assured us that he was well enough to go.  We don't usually take parenting advice from five year olds but today we did.  After the 20 minute drive to the national park it was obvious that Depp would need to be carried.  Just as I was limbering up for eight hours of carrying a child we saw pram rentals and went to ask how much.  The man saw Depp and said the prams are only for toddlers less than two.

About 700 metres in we saw another shop that rented out prams and Talluah went in while we kept Depp out of sight.  The pram was a god-send as Depp was able to sleep when he needed to and could see everything comfortable while still resting.

While you may not see all 275 water falls, it's possible to see a substantial amount of spectacular falls in one day with a family.  The tracks are well maintained and most are accessible by wheelchairs and prams.  There are many other activities such as boat trips, visiting a small island to get a different view of the falls, going under the falls, eco tours in the river and a train ride to the Devil's Throat.

We managed to stay dry and only saw two mosquitoes.  The mosquito population may be different at different times of the year but we were surprised by the lack of little vampires.  There were however, plenty of coati looking for a free feed.  These little animals are cute until you see their tusklike teeth and crazy long claws.  We caught a quick glimpse of some monkeys but unfortunately did not see any toucans, maybe tomorrow. 

Oh, and Happy Birthday Martine.