Buenos Aires, Argentina

October 15, 2016

We started our few days in Buenos Aires with a free walking tour. Passing parliament buildings, beautiful European inspired architecture and quirky monuments our wonderful guide informed us of the cities troubles and triumphs. A highlight of the tour was learning of one building inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, seven floors representing hell, then purgatory and a lighthouse at the top of the building to represent light in heaven.

The Palace of the Argentine National Congress

The next day we mused over the fact that it had been one month since we left the U.K, October 1st. When travelling days of the week become inconsequential, we easily lose track of days as we no longer 'live for the weekend'.

We visited stunning Recoleta Cemetery, full of decorative crypts and tombs and resting place of many notable Argentinian people. After, we popped into Museo Nacional de Belle Artes and promptly debated what constitutes fine art and decorative art and if it matters if there's a difference? In any case, the museum had a few interesting pieces and was free which always make a visit worthwhile when backpacking on a budget. In Recoleta there are lots of parks and the craft market was in full swing so we wandered around the stalls and watched live music for a while in the sun.

The following day it rained, a lot. We tried waiting till it subsided but when it didn't we put on our waterproofs and headed out. We walked to San Telmo, a quaint district full of cobbled streets and colourful graffiti. We sheltered in the undercover antiques market and then braved the street stalls with live jazz music filling our ears. We found an impressive church and then did a guided tour of El Zanjon a site of archeological importance.

Cake at Pride was a very enjoyable respite from the drizzle, we both chose lemon flavoured treats which were delicious. We rounded off a great day with a visit to MAMBA a modern art museum and then had ramen noodles for dinner because we are on a strict budget after all!

We were due to leave Buenos Aires but decided to stay another day. We caught the metro to trendy Palermo and ate veggie burgers for lunch before walking to the park. The sun was shining on us and the skaters and joggers were out in force so we people watched before wandering around the touristy but pretty Japanese gardens.

Buenos Aires has shot to the top of my favourite cities list, it's full of beautiful architecture and great sights, each day spent there was a good one.

🎥 Argentina - The North video:

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Paraguay

October 5, 2016

Anytime we mentioned that our plan was to hop across the border to see Paraguay the response was the same 'why? There's nothing there!' We decided to go anyway. Truth be told there wasn't a whole lot going on, it's a country with a huge rich/poor divide and very few tourists go meaning that there isn't much of an infrastructure for backpackers.

We visited three cities in Paraguay; Ciudad del Este, Asuncion and Encarnacion. In Ciudad del Este we saw Itaipu Dam, in Asuncion (the capital) we wandered aimlessly in the heat and in Encarnacion (the nicest city) we visited the Jesuit Missions.

Despite the limited sights and flat landscapes I'm glad we visited the off the beaten track country. Many Paraguayans were among the friendliest people we've encountered so far, every meal we had was truly delicious and everything was cheap.

Favourite memories;

• watching the sun set over the vast river in Encarnación.

• discovering delicious bread sold on the streets and buses.

• the sweet and very trendy café in Asuncion.

• the Persian cat at the hostel in Cuidad del Este.

• chatting with James, fellow Brit who we met on the coach to Asuncion.

• exploring Jesuit Missions.

🎥 Paraguay and Uruguay video:

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Iguazu Falls

September 24, 2016

We've been staying at Tetris, a hostel made entirely from recycled shipping containers. There's a VW camper parked in the garden and a sweet little dog named Hurley bounding around the place. Anyone who knows me will understand when I say that this place is what my dreams are made of.

We've spent the last few days here as it's right by Iguazu Falls, one of the worlds most impressive waterfalls. On Tuesday morning we arrived at the hostel after a 14 hour journey and immediately caught a bus to Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side. The falls are on the border of Brazil and Argentina and need to be seen from both sides in order to be appreciated in full.

We arrived at the falls and were completely taken aback by their sheer size, the amount of water cascading was incomprehensible. We walked along the walkway that juts out in front of the falls, the mist soaked everything it touched. The sky was a flawless shade of blue with not a cloud in sight, rays of sunlight caused beautiful rainbows. We walked along the trail stopping to watch the quati' steal people's food and hear the rumble of water.

The next day we joined an organised tour to cross the border into Argentina and see the falls from another perspective. We caught a little train in the national park and found ourselves at the rivers edge. Thousands of bright butterflies were circling around, attracted to the minerals in the soil. We walked along a walkway over the river for 15 minutes until we were up close with Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat. The wind caused massive clouds of mist to bellow up, soaking everything including my camera. There were screams as the cold water hit people's bare skin. After, we walked along a trail over the tops of the falls, perfect rainbows gave a magical feeling to the area and each viewpoint offered something different. The falls were probably the most beautiful natural sight I've seen.

The cherry on top of a brilliant day was our boat ride to see the falls up close. The boat raced towards the mist and got so close that we were all completely drenched, a wave hit Craig square in the face, it was hilarious.

While staying in Foz do Iguaçu we also visited the Buddhist Temple which was beautifully peaceful and enjoyed the hostels sun deck and pool. Next stop: Paraguay.

🎥 Brazil and Iguazu Falls video:

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