Too many things!

La Bomba de Tiempo Performing at Konex

La Bomba de tiempo (http://labombadetiempo.blogspot.com.ar/), cola y fernet (not as nice as tinto verano, but will have to do), dancing, exhaustion, new friends, back in BA, slow computer!!!!!!!! too much for one day!!!

I have a million pages full of scribbles to put here, I don't know where to start -
'Let's start at the very beginning... '

I keep forgetting how large this country is - it's only a tiny bit smaller than India (land mass wise)
I went to see the guazu falls this weekend, and the bus journey was a mere 17 and a half hours one way and 19 hours back!!! Ooooffffff!
The buses are quite something though, with fully reclining seats, blankets, films and food and drink!

And for this same reason of distances and time, I don't think I can make it out to Ushuaia this time! I was really looking forward to it - but I guess I must save something for my next visit!
Patagonia seems closer, and I can't decide if it should be beach or plains, the german settlements or the welsh ones - so much to see and do, and so little time! SIGH!!!!

Iguazu felt like such a beach town (Tarifa maybe?), but of course there's no sea for miles and miles and miles.
Maybe it has something to do with being close to a water body? And being tropical?
Everyone is just hanging out, strolling along with no real rush or purpose (that's what it seems like), and just chilling at cafes and the numerous ice cream shops! Of course there are a million extranjeros (foreigners), but also A LOT of local tourists, which was great.

The falls themselves are in a National Park.
The park itself is stunning - i would imagine the Amazon jungles looking like this - and of course, now I really want to go to the Amazon! :-)
The landscape and the nature in these parts is absolute stunning! Everything is GREEN, the skies are BLUE! The breeze COOL! Even the ordinary highway roads look stunning! The light in these parts is sort of magical, and now I can see why Marquez describes the light the way he does!

Any ways - so the Iguazu Falls!
You hear them before you see them, and in anticipation, the excitements builds up. One part of your brain is thinking - 'maybe they're not as amazing as they're made out to be', and the other part is thinking - 'the sounds of the water is LOUD!!! what must it look like'.
The Falls in the my mind, are like the Taj. EVERYONE talks about it and how amazing it is, and you think it might be a bit of a let down - but WOAH!!! THEY ARE AMAZING!!!
My only thought when I first turned the corner and saw them for the first time was - WOOOOOWWWW!!! I stopped in my tracks, took a long breath and took a moment to soak it all in. You cannot imagine the scale of the falls! I still cannot imagine it! You're literally in awe of it, the whole time!
And of course the icing on the cake was the rainbow that stayed through my time at the falls.
It just felt so surreal! I couldn't believe I was looking at something so beautiful! And I don't know about the rest of the people there, but I felt very special to be witnessing this!

The incredible Igauzu Falls!

I never made it to the devils throat (the highest point from where you see the falls), but took a boat out to the falls.

I couldn't imagine the force of that water, till I actually went close to them - you cannot even look at the falls, and have to turn your head away, coz the force is so great, it's pounding down on you!!! Ooooofffff!!! Too much! Needless to say, we all got soaked to the bones, which was great, because the day was so hot!!! 

I didn't see much wildlife in the park, but I saw a small iguana and many many many Coaties! They are like huge rats, but so much cuter, and so friendly!

Coaties having a ball in the park

After the park, and much excitement, I settled down to eat the BEST STEAK EVER!!! Everything was PERFECT! Marinade, the way it was cooked, the texture! I could eat that everyday!

Before and After - Dinner

The next day we went to a Guarani village! They are the indigenous people of the area, and of course, like all indigenous people everywhere in the world, they have had to give them all that was theirs - land, traditional means of survival, space, danger of losing their language, culture and heritage! 

It was heartening and saddening at the same time.

On one hands, some of the Guarani have gone on to study medicine and have come back to help their people, but on the other hand, they have to now ask the government for permission to chop down tress to build their own houses! They still live in the traditional manner, and try and follow as many traditional practices as is possible. The local school teaches both Spanish and Guarani, which is really good. 

What I found interesting, and I must look it up, was what our guide said about doing things on a full moon night. 

He said they plant new crops on a full moon night, as they will reap better and bigger. And they will build a new house on a full moon night, coz then the house will last longer (for 7 years, and if built on the new moon night - then only 3 years)! There must be some science behind this, which im very curious about.           

Leaving the Guarani Village in Iguazu

Taking the bus back to BA, they were 2 thoughts that kept popping into my head - 1. I want to do a road trip through LatAm (Rox  hope you're reading/listening), and 2. The countryside reminds me in parts of home. There are banana trees, fields of maize, evergreens that I don't know the names of - but it's incredible how much it resembles the Bombay-Goa route. And of course the earth is RED!!! And that really transports me into any of the Marquez books. Maybe he does, or doesn't describe the red earth, but in my head - all the towns his books are based in, have red earth. It adds that surreal element to the whole thing. 

You see families sitting out on their plastic chairs, catching the cool evening breeze, women and children selling watermelon, pineapple and other fruits by the roadside/highway, and the mess outside the houses gives you a sense of 'lived in', and a scene right out of anywhere in India! The women and children even dress in bright clothes - shocking pink, bright green, reds! It's comforting! Now if only I could speak the language, i'd feel right at home! 

On the road back to BA

Back at home (In BA), it was rush rush rush! From the bus stop to home, then to school, then to an early dinner, then to see this amazing performance!!! 

People at the La Bomba performance

La Bomba de tiempo come on for their encore  

The energy was INSANE!!! Even if you didn't want to dance, 5 minutes into the performance, and you couldn't help yourself, but dance! They went on for close to 2 1/2 hours, and not once did we stop dancing!!! CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY!!! And they were SO GOOD!!! 

It's been a LONG week! 

The week has gone by so quickly, I almost feel like 4 weeks here is not enough! I know it isn't, coz to see this huge country, you need dedicated travel time - weekends just don't cut it! So for the next time - so classes - just travel!!! 

Hasta la proxima! Buenas Noches! 

PS - for the On The Road post - there is now a picture!!! 

PPS - for more pictures try this and let me know if it works - http://instagram.com/narniaa/