Buenos Aires...Not for Vegetarians

Liz and I left Cedar Rapids, IA and a fresh inch of snow to arrive to, well, rain and grey skies in Buenos Aires. This was short lived, however, because the last three full days we have had in this incredible city have been sunny and warm (low 90s). Liz and I both agree that Buenos Aires is one of the best cities we have ever visited (7.5 out of 10 marks on our global city ranking scale) with something for everyone to enjoy. Well, almost everyone. Everywhere you go it seems as though meat is being served and nothing else. Grilled steaks, sausages, chicken, etc. A true carnivore’s paradise. This, as far as I can tell, is the local cuisine here in Buenos Aires. That and Italian food surprisingly.

You can get a sense of what we have been doing here through our pictures. Primarily we have been walking, walking, walking and taking refuge in the shade every time we have to use the aid of our map. We have found numerous green spaces, a very posh waterfront, colorful and grand architecture and a thriving social scene. You also really have to get off the beaten path to find poverty. Not that it isn't here, but it definitely is not in your face.

So you may ask, what has been the hardest part of your trip so far? The language barrier? Sleeping in a dorm room with younger travelers who like to stay out until 4 am? Actually it has been acquiring change for the buses. No one is willing to break a bill for you and give you some change for the bus and the bus only takes coins. By the time you find the change that is necessary you were probably better off walking to your destination in the first place. That reminds me, our bus is about to arrive and we still need to find another peso. We'll talk to you next from the southern edge of the world - Ushuaia.

If the following pictures are not enough for you then please go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lizhaske/BuenosAires?authkey=uxbzsFSolO0#

Tango band in San Telmo during Sunday flea market

Liz checking out the La Boca atmosphere

La Boca house art

Drummers in La Boca

Colorful shop in La Boca

Proud of their neighborhood and their futbol

Buenos Aires

Jim in a Palermo rose garden

Cementerio de la Recoleta

Packed and Ready to Go...

We begin our journey tomorrow morning to South America! We are going to spend three months hiking and camping our way through Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

Some of the highlights we have planned are:
-Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital city
-Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world
-Torres del Paine, our first multi-day hike!
-Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, (How is your Spanish?)
-Bariloche, beautiful lake region
-Pucon, maybe Liz will try river rafting!
-Santiago, a brief stop to fly into Peru
-Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas
-Galapagos Islands, do we really need to say anything about this one?
-Banos, for hiking, rafting, horse riding, baths...and more!

It is going to an amazing adventure! We will try to post updates at least once a week, so check back frequently!

Jim is packing everything...but Maizie!