Living in Buenos Aires

 I woke up this morning and could hardly believe that in 9 short hours I will be leaving Buenos Aires (*tear!!).  While I didn't take the path I had planned before coming (i.e. job, real life, be here for 1 or 2 years, etc...), my past 8 months living in Buenos Aires have been such an incredible experience. I was lucky to have so many friends come down to check out this great city where I live and also to travel and explore new locations with. Thanks to them I have had the chance to travel all around Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, Cusco/Machu Picchu and Antarctica as well as go back to my favorite city Rio (twice!).  I have met some of the most amazing people while living here and on my travels.  Though I only knew them for a short bit, I know some of these people will be in my life forever.

I think it only appropriate that I do a blog about tips/suggestions for Buenos Aires.  

Places to stay:
Bait Hostel: After befriending Melvin and Pablo while staying here in August, this hostel was like my second home in Buenos Aires. It is a smaller hostel that offers not as large of a party scene (though with Melvin there's always a party) but rather a "welcome home" feeling.  The beds are comfortable, kitchen is well equipped and staff is incredible!

Millhouse:  Attracting a younger backpacking crowd (think people on their gap year or just finishing college), this place is a non-stop party. Located in the micro-centro, they have two locations but try to stay on the one on Av. de Mayo.

Kaixo Hostel Central: Located closer to the centro, this is an adorable hostel hidden off a small side street.  My friend Kelsey stayed here several times and became really close with the staff. 

Those are the only three hostels I have personally experienced.  I can't really suggest hotels as most of my friends either stayed with me or at Bait but good parts of town to look would be Palermo, Recoleta, Las Canitas and Barrio Norte.  Like most cities, the downtown area becomes a lot less populated during the nights and weekends, therefor I wouldn't necessarily recommend staying in the centro.  It is close to the tourist attractions but not as many restaurants and bars.

Places to eat:

La Cabrera in Palermo Shoho is a must go for anyone visiting Buenos Aires.  There is a reason this place has become such a tourist favorite - the amazing food.  If you can try to make a reservation as you could end up waiting for a table for over an hour.  Make sure to split the steak as the servings are HUGE

Don Julio in Palermo Shoho is one of my favorites!  They have really good steak and a little less touristy atmosphere.

Miranda in Palermo Hollywood is my personal favorite.  In addition to having great steaks they have an amazing variety of salads and cocktails!  Order the Miranda: vodka based drink with fresh maracuyá (passionfruit) and mint.

The same owner has several restaurants around town that are typical parrilla (steak houses).  Despite having similar menus I highly recommend every one as the ambiance of each place is so unique!  If you are looking for a place to go with great food at a decent price check any of these places out:
La Cholita in Recoletta (literally next door to Cumana)
Las Cholas or Las Cabritas in Las Cañitas
Las Cabras in Palermo Hollywood

Cumana in Recoletta is a a great restaurant to get lunch or dinner.  Owned by the same owner as the four above, this place serves moretraditional  northern Argentine cuisine.  They have of the best empanadas in town as well as amazing cazuelas (casserole type dishes), pizzas, huge calzones, etc... 

La Brigada in San Telmo is one of the oldest and best parrillas in town. The food is incredible!

Cabaña las Lilas on Puerto Madero is supposedly the nicest steak house in all of Argentina.  It is very pricey on Argentine standards (think good steak house in New York pricing) but VERY good food if you can make it.  I was lucky enough to go when Kristine's mom was in town visiting. 

Milion located between Centro and Recoletta is a great place to go for drinks, tapas or even dinner.  It is a gorgeous old mansion converted into a bar/resturant.

Oui Oui in Palermo Hollywood is a great place for breakfast or lunch on the weekend.

Bars: 
- Plaza Serrano in Palermo – Many bars and restaurants, but rather touristy. A good meeting up place.
- Baez Street in Las Canitas – This is a great street with many good bars and restaurants to choose from. Some good bars: Von Konning, Jackie O’s, SuperSoul, and a newer one across the street from SuperSoul. Great place to start the night with good restaurants and fun bars.
- The Alamo in Recoleta: 1175 Uruguay - Great ex-patriot bar. You can watch NFL, MLB, NBA, drink beer, and eat pizza.
- Sugar in Palermo - another great ex-pat bar to watch sporting events
- Tazz in Palermo – Cool bar with lots of pool tables. There’s one in Plaza Serrano and another new one on Gurruchaga (I think). The new one is much nicer.
- Carnal in Palermo Hollywood – a great place with a wonderful terrace upstairs. Lounge-like but very popular. 
- Sugar in Palermo - more of a late-night bar this place starts hopping at 3 or 4am (you can typically find Melvin and crew here most Saturdays)

Nightclubs aka "Boliches":
I much prefer the bar scene, but everyonce in a while it's fun to go out and dance.  Here are some I checked out.
- Crobar in Palermo in los bosques de Palermo – Great spot, 2 big rooms, fun Thurs and Fri
- Terrazas del Este and Pacha in Costanera Norte
- Niceto Club in Palermo – Turns into Club 69 on Thursday nights, go if you like drag shows
- El Living located in Retiro, this place plays 80s, 90s and current music while showing the music videos on screens

Shopping:
- The best leather store is Doma, however it is very pricey.
- Palermo Soho has great stores to walk around and is where I did most of my shopping.
- Recoletta is more high end brands though there are many smaller stores offering clothing at "cheaper" prices.
- "Outlets" are located mainly on Calle Armenia closer to Cordoba, however they are spread throughout the city.  While offering discounts to the normal prices, they are not as good of deals as the American outlets!
- My favorite stores are Rapsodia and Complot.
**Note: clothing is not cheap in Argentina.  

Touristy Must-dos:

- Buenos Aires bus tour – yes, somewhat cheesy but it's fantastic way to get around town to see the sights.  Buy tickets and start the tour right outside of the Catedral Subte stop at the end of Calle Flordia.  The bus is open air and yellow, so you can’t miss it.  Sometimes there is a big line so try to go early as they give you a time slot. I have done the bus tour 5 times (probably one or two too many)
- Recoleta Cemetery / Recoleta Market on Satudays & Sundays right outside of the cemetery
- San Telmo market on Sundays along Avineda Defensa (probably my favorite thing in Buenos Aires)
- La Boca/Caminito - cheesy and very touristy, but fun nonetheless and a good spot to pick up some original art from some great street artists
- Calle Florida - For all of your tourist shopping needs (souvenirs, leather, Havanna dulce de leche, wine, etc). A bit overpriced, but convenient nonetheless.

Side trips:
- La Colonia, Uruguay – it’s a good day trip from BsAs.  Take the Buquebus 1 hr ferry over and back.  You can leave on the noon and return at the 6 and should be able to take it all in.  Round trip
express ferries (45min-1hr) are only about $65USD.
- Montevideo, Uruguay (3hrs by boat/bus)
- Punta del Este, Uruguay (5hrs)
- Mar del Plata (5hrs)
- Iguazu (18hrs)
- Mendoza (14 hrs)
-  Local estancia (Argentine ranch) 

Things to know about living (or traveling) in Buenos Aires:
Buenos Aires is a late city.  Expect to find restaurants empty any time before 9pm, in fact it is typical to be at dinner at midnight and find the place completely full.  You will usually start pre-partying aka "la previa" around midnight as bars and clubs won't start getting full until 2am at the earliest!  It is easyt to stay out until 6, 7 or even 8am!

Argentina’s money is the Argentine peso. Pesos come in denominations of two, five, 10, 20, 50 and 100-peso notes.  Larger bills are rarely accepted in small stores, taxis and even sometimes in larger venues.  SO to break those $100 peso bills that the ATM dispenses as often as possible.

Beware of counterfeit money. Unfortunately, counterfeit money is relatively common in Argentina. The most common places to receive fake bills are taxis and night clubs or bars, however I have known people to receive fake bills straight out of an ATM.  Generally larger bills will be forged. Counterfeit bills feel papery and don’t have the more flexible, textured feel of real money.  Holding it up to the light to look for watermarks can be a sign, but some fakes have watermarks and the shiny thread running through the “fiber.”  Fortunately, it is easy to get rid of these bills at busy places with high turn over.  Do not try to pay a cab driver with a fake bill as he will almost always notice. 

Coins aka "monedas" come in five, 10, 25 and 50 centavos as well as one peso.  Monedas are like gold - NEVER use them to pay for anything but the bus "collectivos" (where only coins are accepted).  It is nearly impossible to find monedas in this city (unless at street markets sold as jewelery).  I kid you not they are sold on the black market for more than their value.  Often times when at a store if you don't have exact change they will do one of two things:  (1) If it's a small amount that you owe, they will round down so for example if you owe $8.10 they will just ask for $8.  On the other hand, (2) if it's a higher amount and they owe you the 10 cents, they will give you candy instead of change.

Hand signals for calling a taxi are different from calling a "collectivo" (bus).  What we as Americans consider the universal taxi calling (hang held high up in the air) will often time result in free taxi's passing without stopping.  It took me several weeks (filled with much frustration and cursing at cabs) to understand why this was happening. One day, a taxi driver told me what I was doing wrong.  That is the hand signal to stop a collectivo.  As cabs and collectivos share many main streets, you need to differentiate your hang signals.  To hail a cab you place your hand out vertically from your body. 

Tipping aka "Propina": It is customary to tip 10% at restaurants and bars.  You do not need to tip taxi drivers.  In fact it is often uncommon to round up to the nearest peso (this is due to the need for monedas). 










Lonely Planet’s Rules for Living like a Local (All SOO true!)

• Never give out you loose change to anybody. Guard it with your life!
• Always complain about the weather – ‘too cold in winter, too hot in summer’
• Put your cell phone on speaker and use it like it’s a walkie-talkie on the streets
• Never go out before 2am on a Friday night, and never come home before 4am
• Don’t ask why the electricity and water are out; just accept it with a shrug and go take a walk until services return! 

El Calafate, Argentina

One 30-hour bus from Bariloche, Laura and my next stop was El Calafate, Argentina. I know that it the idea of such a long bus ride sounds horrible, but we actually didn’t mind it. We booked our seats early enough that we were fortunate to reserve the first row on the upper level.  These were great seats as we had more legroom (with no one in front of us and the stairway behind us) and we also had amazing views the whole way!  The time went by rather quickly.  I finished my book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, as well as watched a bunch of movies: Salt, The Shooter, Morning Glory and attempted to watch Blades of Glory dubbed in Spanish. Despite not being in the comfortable cama-seats, which are only located downstairs, both Laura and I slept for a full 8 hours! 

El Calafate is in the very southern part of Argentinian Patagonia – and we could tell by the freezing winds when we got off the bus! It is an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia and one of the most visited glaciers in the world. The active glacier is about 20 miles long, 3 miles wide, and stands about 60km high (the equivalent of a 15-story building). It progresses about 2 meters every day, causing ice to fall off and crash into the freshwater lake – causing a loud, echoing crashing sound similar to thunder.

We took a guided bus the 1.5 hours from El Calafate, stopping a couple of times along the way to take pictures of the sunrise over the Andes, and the glacier from a distance. Once we arrived at the glacier, we got on a boat, which took us right up to the front of the glacier. It really makes you appreciate the size of the ice mass when you’re that close to it. After the boat ride, we got back on the bus and took it to the base of the glacier – where there is a walkway with many viewing platforms. We took our time walking around, watching the ice masses crash into the lake below and taking hundreds of pictures.

I didn’t realize the immensity of the glacier until we flew out and I got an aerial view. It eas crazy to see how big it really is!!

Bariloche, Argentina

In our non-stop traveling ways Laura and I continued the trip into Patagonia, Argentina. The first stop: Bariloche.  Surrounded by lakes and mountains, San Carlos de Bariloche is a major international tourist destination famous for skiing. In the off-season, it is also known for sightseeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. The town definitely feels like a ski resort, with most of the buildings looking like wooden cabins.

Our hostel, Patanuk, was literally situated right on the lake – every morning we woke up to such beautiful views from our windows!

view from our dorm room

The first day, we went up to Cerro Otto which boasts the most amazing views of all the lakes and mountains in the area.  You can either hike up to the top, or pay to take a gondola.  Being that Laura and I were still exhausted from the volcano hike in Pucón, we happily paid for the gondola.

The highlight of this trip would have to be the 30km bike ride called El Circuito Chico (the Short Circuit) around a lake. It was pretty strenuous as it was very hilly, but the amazing views all along the way made it well worth it!  Along the way we stopped for some photo op with these St. Bernards (town's mascot). Even though it is a total tourist trap, we decide the photos were one of the best 10 pesos (2.50USD) we ever spent!  For lunch, we stopped at the most gorgeous 5-star golf resort along the way in a town called Llao Llao. It was super fancy and had the most amazing lake and mountain views. We felt extremely under dressed in our sweaty workout gear, but since we were paying customers, they didn't seem to mind.

Let me tell you something I learned from those few weeks of traveling (i.e. Púcon and Bariloche).... Hiking the canyons in Los Angeles and attending spin class multiple times a week DOES NOT the mountain hiker/biker make.  As I told Laura, “I am not cut out for these kinds of things!” That being said, I survived them all and I know most of you our there are quite shocked/proud of my newfound adventuresome outdoorsy lifestyle. Don't worry it won't stick. ☺

Cumpleaños número 27 para Vandria

For those of you who know me, you know that my birthday is my favorite day of the year. You also probably know that I typically go big, usually taking the ENTIRE month of March to celebrate my birth. So that being said, you know it's a big deal when I say that despite being away from most of my friends and loved ones, my 27th birthday was one of the best I have had!

Melvin was so generous to let us start the night off with an Asado at the hostel he works at - Bait. As expected Tyler was an amazing Asador cooking the traditional Argentine meats: chorizo, vacio and bondiola.

After we all consumed the better parts of a cow/pig and drank plenty of Quilmes and Fernet y colas we danced the night away to Cumbia as we took a one-hour ride around town on a trencito (children's train by day that moonlights as a party bus for big kids by night). The trencito was SUCH a success! Tyler could not stop talking about it for the rest of the week. Needless to say it was an amazing night filled with such incredible people. Thank you to all who helped out and attended! XOXO!

Vines of Mendoza

Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. Two of the main industries of Mendoza area are olive oil production and wine making. The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine producing area in Latin America; therefore, Mendoza has become an emerging wine tourism destination and base for exploring the hundreds of wineries in the region.

I have been to Mendoza twice. Here are my main recommendations for the entire region, and then continue reading below for a more detailed breakdown of each trip/winery:
Check out the Vines of Mendoza wine bar. There is one in the Park Hyatt and one around the corner. If you go on Tuesday or Sunday they have a great happy hour. You can get large glasses of top wine for about $2-5USD!

Vines of Mendoza wine bar

I highly recommend having a person drive you around the Luján de Cuyo region, as the vineyards are farther apart. I used the same driver, Carlos, on on both of my trips. He is AMAZING and speaks perfect English. His info is below. You can then rent bikes and tour the Maipu region on your own. The wineries in this region are all in a line and a fairly easy bike ride. I rented bikes both times from Mr. Hugo’s but there is also a company called Bikes and Wine.  I am bet they  are essentially the same thing - though Mr. Hugo does offer free wine before and after your trip.  Something you clearly need after a full day of wine tasting!

Carlos - the best driver in Mendoza!

Driver for wine tour- $760 pesos (we gave $800 total after tip) for 4 people
Aldo Carlos Moyano
phone: + 54 261 15 574 0970
aldocarlos5@hotmail.com (He doesn't really check email too often so it is best to call him)

If you do prefer to use email, it is best to arrange through Mauricio and request Carlos (this is what we ended up doing both times I went)
Mauricio
mauriciomolina1@yahoo.com
phone: +54 261 527 9936


Trip 1: Farewell Girls Trip
Despite knowing that I would go to Mendoza less than two months later, I decided to head out there in January for one last girl’s weekend before Kelsey and our friend Victoria headed back to The States. We stayed for three days, which was nice because we had time to relax, take a day off drinking and partake in some other the other tourism that Mendoza has to offer. In January, Mendoza is HOT, so it can be exhausting drinking all day.

Day 1: Car tour with Carlos

lunch at Bodega Cecchin

• Carinae - such a cute, French owned and influenced, boutique winery
• Tempus Alba - gorgeous property, I was a little turned off by their service and self-guided “tour” but their wine made up for it!
• Bodega Cecchin - an organic winery, we had a great lunch outside under a walnut tree
• LaGarde - one of my favorites of the day, great wines and atmosphere (could be attributed to the fact that it was our 4th winery?)

Day 2:
After one day of wine tasting in the blazing heat we decided to take a break on day two. Mendoza offers a vast array of non-alcohol activities. Located in the mountains, options include hikes, horseback rides, rafting, erc…. We decided t go paragliding. It was so much fun the views were great! However, after about 10 minutes in the air I started to feel little nauseous and I was ready to come down. I have gone skydiving twice and the same thing happened to me the first time on the parachute time. The problem with paragliding is the entire fall is smooth sailing- which I guess doesn’t make for a smooth stomach. Upon landing all the girls mentioned feeling the same way. Oh well… we still had a great time!

Day 3: Rented bikes from Mr. Hugo's for a self-guided tour around Maipu region

• Bodega La Rural Wine Museum  - in my opinion this is a place you can skip on the tour. While it was neat to see the history of wine the tasting is one glass of their lower class wines, afterwards you can purchase their higher labels by the glass. We wanted to buy a bottle and split it, however they told us we wouldn’t be able to drink the bottle there, just the classes. Definitely a money trap!
• Trapiche - one of my favorite wineries I have visited in all of Mendoza. The tour is great and the tasting is quite extensive! During busy periods you need to make a reservation so try to call the night before and make the first one of the day (as it is right by Mr. Hugo’s and once you keep going it’s unlikely you will return).
• Familia Di Tomaso - the oldest vineyard in the area, we had a great lunch outside in their restaurant (discount to bikers) and then took a great tour!

Trip 2: SA2K11 Part 3

high rollers at the Park Hyatt

We all love wine, so clearly Mendoza was an obvious addition to SA2K11. When I was here in January, the girls and I were walking down the street to the main plaza and saw a really cool looking building. We decided to go check it out assuming it must be an embassy, town hall, or something important... turns out it was the Park Hyatt Hotel. I was SUPER excited because this is where Emily, Melissa, Tyler and I would stay when we went in March! Thanks to Tyler's dad's Hyatt points we were able to stay in this 5-star hotel for just a few dollars more a night than a hostel! It was such a nice break from what we had been sleeping in. It was so interesting how much the weather had changed since mid-January. Our first day in town was FREEZING, we were so happy to be in a car! We lucked out the day we were on bikes as it was a littler warmer, but not as dreadfully hot as it was in January.


The first day we did a car tour of Luján de Cuyo with our amazing driver Carlos. Knowing where I had been the last time, Carlos decided to take us to a completely different region.

beautiful landscape at Achaval Ferrer

• Achaval Ferrer - really beautiful botique winery with amazing wine! A little pricey
• Alta Vista  -We had a great time chatting with the American sommeliere
• Belasco de Baquedano - such a gorgeous winery, perfectly alined with the Andes Mountains in the foreground. This winery has a "Hall of Aromas" with 46 fragrances (associated with wines) contained in clear Plexiglas posts. We had a lovely lunch in their picturesque dining room. The meal included 4 courses: cheese and leek croquette with chorizo, pumpkin empanadas, lomo (steak) with potatoes and ratatouille and chocolate tart with berries and fresh ice cream and a shot orange sorbet). Five different Malbec wines accompanied lunch: the first being a Malbec rosé, three different traditional Malbecs and then a Malbec desert port.

Hall of Aromas at Belasco de Baquedano

the remnants of our lunch at Belasco de Baquedano

• Bodega Bonfanti - small boutique winery, we were lead around by the owner’s son. Currently they only make red wine, but they are in the process of making a wine and he let Melissa taste it. Even though the white wine was not ready for bottles Mel really liked it. Guess she’ll have to come back!

The second day we rented bikes from Mr. Hugo's http://mrhugobikes.com/ and explored the Maipú region. The first time I went there was absolutely no traffic, and the bikes essentially controlled the streets. March, on the other hand, is harvest season. The roads were filled with semi trucks carrying grapes, which made it a little scary at times.

• Tempus Alba - I was highly impressed by this winery the second time around. The woman who served us was much more helpful than my last “guide” and as mentioned before- the wine is very delicious!
• Viña el Cerno - small winery, we got to pick our own flights. Mel went for the whites and champagnes, while Em and I split the white and red flights.
• Familia di Tommaso - We again had a great lunch and tour at this adorable winery!

Las Cataratas del Iguazú

The incredible network of the Iguazú Falls (called Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish and Foz do Iguaçu in Portuguese) lies on the Iguazu River located at the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The two parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the 1980s.

While two thirds of the falls are on the Argentine side, the Brazilian side provides you with a good panoramic view of the falls. If you only had one day I would say skip Brazil and go straight to Argentina, as there is a lot more to see and experience. However, if you have time I would definitely suggest both visiting both sides!

Panoramic views on the Brazilian side

For the Brazilian side you really only need a few hours to visit the entire park. There is a long walkway along the canyon with gorgeous views of the falls across the river. The most spectacular part is by far the Devil’s Throat, where fourteen falls combine and drop 350 feet with such force that there is always a 100-foot cloud of spray overhead. On the Brazilian side, you can stand at the base and then take the elevator to the top of the falls.

I would recommend one full day on the Argentine side.  If you feel you need a second day at the falls make sure to get your ticket stamped before leaving because admission for a second day is half price. Two days on the Argentine side means that you can take as long as you want and not rush anything. The Argentine side comprises three sections:

my waterproof camera came in handy!

Circuito Superior - From the upper path provides a short walk to some nice viewpoints along the upper rim of the waterfalls.

Circuito Inferior – The lower path leads to the base of the falls.   It is here you can get really close up to the waterfalls - expect to be sprayed. This pathway also leads to the boat ride, which I HIGHLY recommend. NOTE: be prepared to be completely soaked on the boat ride. Don’t worry - they provide you with a waterproof bag for all of your belongings. 

Garganta del Diablo is the main attraction on the Argentine side - do not leave without having seen it. There is a free train running up to a 1 km-long catwalk across the river. There you stand just above the main horseshoe of falls where the roar and spray are quite powerful!

Mel, Em & I at the top of the Devil's Throat- Argentine side

On the Argentine side I highly recommend the Iguazu Hostel Inn. In a great location, with easy access to both the park and town, this hostel has a really cool vibe, fun bar great pool during the hot season!

Trip 1 with Kelsey & Kristine:

Kelsey, Kristine and I at the Devil's Throat

Kelsey and I made plans to go to Iguazu back in August before I even came to visit Buenos Aires. After moving here we kept discussing the need to find the perfect weekend to take the trip. Well, the time flew by and all of a sudden the end of Kelsey's time in BsAs was near (tear!!)  We finally made plans to go the first weekend in December, which was the last free weekend we had in common. Kristine came along, as she had wanted to go to the falls before she left BsAs. The bus ride down there was a lot of fun! It was my first long distance, over night bus and I was happily surprised at how comfortable the bus lines are. We splurged and got camas (seats that practically recline into beds) which also came with a hot dinner all you can drink wine!!  Earlier that week Kristine and I discussed how we were actually looking forward to our 18 hr bus ride all week because we would finally be able to catch up on sleep (something that is hard to come by when living in Buenos Aires).  

miserable and soaking wet from the rain

The weekend didn't turn out exactly as we had planned. First we were unable to go to the Brazil side time due to lack of time. Then it rained (read: poured) all morning. We were soaked from the very start. Kelsey and I were not happy campers. After getting over the misery we were able to find humor in the situation and ended up having a blast! It was definitely a memorable experience!

At the beginning of the day we ran into Julian. Mads and I had met Julian in Rio 3 months prior. Traveling alone, he joined us for the day, and provided additional comic relief when we needed it.

by this point we were able to find humor in the situation

Trip 2 SA2K11 Part 2:
Despite just having been to Iguazu, I was very excited to go again with my friends in March. In December we didn’t make it to the Brazil side. While hearing the Argentine side was the better of the two, I was excited to check out the views from the opposite side.

pre-flight excitement!

aerial view of the falls

Additionally, helicopter rides are available only on the Brazilian side. Argentina has prohibited such tours due to their harmful environmental effects, which I find strange as to me Brazil seems to much more environmentally conscience. Melissa absolutely refused to go into a helicopter as she has recently developed a fear of flying. She and Tyler visited the local Itaipu Dam while Emily and I splurged on the 15-minute helicopter ride. It was really cool to see an aerial view of the falls. Definitely something I would suggest!

in front of the Devil's Throat - Brazil side

After spending the afternoon touring the park, we took a taxi across the border into Argentina. There, Jordan was waiting for us (he took a 24 hr bus from Rio while we flew into the Brazil side) with new friends! Jordan met Jesse in Buzios prior to coming to Rio. After we settled on plans for Iguazu, Jordan sent him our information in case he wanted to join. So glad he did! Jesse is one of the most incredible people ever! The Olivias (or the Olivians as Tyler called them) met Jordan and Jesse on he bus from Rio to Iguazu. The two of them plus Jesse joined our Rio five-some to create an amazing group in Iguazu (and Buenos Aires for my birthday)!

Jordan, Olivia ("Liv"), Jesse and I at dinner

Emily, Olivia ("Dubs"), Mel and Ty at dinner

Jouliette está comprometida!!!!

Jouliette met Mariano while she was studying abroad in Buenos Aires.  After finishing college four years ago, she returned and the two have been together ever since.   I am not exaggerating when I say, they are probably one of my favorite couples that I know.  The are absolutely perfect for one another.   So when they came back from their two-week vacation to the north of Brazil, I was so happy to hear that they were engaged!!

Immediate celebrations ensued.  The first night we went to a pizza place in the centro, Pizza Piola.  I am not a huge fan of the pizza here, (it usually has too much cheese and not enough sauce) but this place was amazing!  Get seven girls together and it’s already going to be a loud dinner.  Add amazing news and it becomes a non-stop gabfest, interrupted by several wine and champagne cheers of course!  We all wanted to know every detail about how he proposed, etc…

Ash was in town for work and got to partake in all the festivities

Celebrations continued later that week at a great Mexican restaurant in Las Cañitas - Lupita.  Jackie and Jouliette had frequented this place in the past for their Thursday ladies’ night all-you-can-drink champagne special.  Sadly this promotion had ended.  However, we were able to sweet talk the waiter into brining us two free bottles of champagne.  We were celebrating after all! 

They plan to have their wedding in Mar del Plata next March.  I am SOOOO excited.  I have heard Argentine weddings are so much fun and usually go until 7am!  I am also really excited to be returning to Buenos Aires.  Knowing that I would be returning in less than a year has made it a lot easier for me to leave now.