Anniversary Weekend at Iguazu Falls

The Falls

Iguazu Falls is not just one big waterfall, it's many different waterfalls, each one unique and beautiful. We walked around the falls and took a boat below them that soaked us. Here are some of our favorite shots of the falls:

Wildlife

The wildlife in the national park surrounding the falls was amazing. We saw monkeys, racoon like animals called coatís, turtles, and all sorts of colorful birds and butterflies.

Us

We celebrated in style by staying at the fancy Sheraton hotel that is inside the national park. This first picture was the view from our hotel room. Our anniversity weekend was the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. It also marks the end of our travels in South America, at least for now. We're headed back to the U.S. next week.

Ski Trip to Las Leñas

The honeymoon continues with our ski trip in Las Leñas. We chose the "panoramic view" seats on the overnight bus to Las Leñas, the upper level seats on a double decker bus that are right in the front so there is nothing between you and the road except for a big window. This made for some incredible views as we were leaving Buenos Aires, but was terrifying as we were passing huge trucks on a very narrow two lane highway in the middle of the night. Jon captured some of the highlights of the bus trip and the skiing on what I think is his best video production yet. Check out some of the beautiful Andean views and a clip of me falling down an avalanche chute. Don't worry, I'm okay:)

Las Leñas from Jon Christensen on Vimeo

P.S. Pictures from Iguazu Falls coming soon.

Visitors

We're watching the sun set for the last time from our apartment in Montevideo tonight. Tomorrow we leave for three weeks in Argentina, and then we head home. It's hard to believe that our time here has come to an end. We will definitely be taking a bit of Uruguay with us in our hearts and it our stomachs (we've been eating all of our favorite Uruguayan treats this week.)

The last month has been a whirlwind of visitors, wrapping up my work, and packing everything up. Jon spent two weeks working in Argentina and arrived this week to pack up and head out. His sisters Kelly and Andi and our friend Elizabeth visited this month. We were so happy to be able to show them a little bit of what our life is like here.

Andi, Kelli, and Jon spend a few days in Buenos Aires. This picture was taken at a tango show they went to see.
Outside the Pink House, the Argentine version of the White House.

Ricoleta Cemetary: Creepy, beautiful, historic, and worth wandering through.

Palermo shopping with Jon's sisters.
Couch sitting: Andi, Kelly, and Kelli
Why is the bear making that gesture, and why is Jon?

As interesting as the building in the background looks, it's not to be found in the guidebooks. But the real story here is that the smiles that Kelly and Elizabeth are wearing were about to turn into tired, impatient, frowns. This boat was going to take us from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay. It did just that, but due to a violent wind storm, it was unable to dock in the Port of Colonia. So, we were informed that we were going back to Buenos Aires. Once back, we waited with a boatload (literal) of irate people demanding free lodging for the night. We've never seen so many people screaming. We ended up paying $25/ person to stay in a hotel that made Elizabeth have nightmares about bedbugs. Luckily, things calmed down the next day and we were able to make it back to Montevideo.


The calm before the storm -- Elizabeth and I basked in the sun in Punta del Este on our way to one of my presentations for work.

After another presentation, we ate at Panini's, one of our favorite restaurants.


Here we are eating again at Mercado del Puerto, a meatlover's dream come true.



Jon and I have been doing a lot of traveling on the Buquebus, the ferry that goes between Uruguay and Buenos Aires that you can see in the background, and tomorrow we get on it again to begin our next adventure. We're going skiing for a week in Las Leñas, then I go to a conference in Paraguay while Jon heads back to work in northern Argentina. We'll meet up just in time to go to Iguazu Falls for our anniversary. Then we'll spend one more week in Resistencia, Argentina where Jon will be finishing his work. And then........................
we'll be home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fellowship Coming to an End

Time is running out here in Uruguay. I only have two weeks left at work. We are going to be so sad to leave this place that has been our home for a year. I am also sad to be leaving my job and the great people I´ve worked with. This video was made by group of teachers I´ve been working as a good-bye gift.

Untitled from Jon Christensen on Vimeo.

Sand, Water, and Weather

A few days ago, a storm cloud floated in and I took this picture of it from the balcony. The cloud was so startling and unique that my mind went instantly into 'camera emergency mode'. I slid through the apartment in my socks frantically looking for a camera and knocked over at least one fragile item in my hurry. With luck, I found the camera and snapped a few photos just in time. Thirty seconds later, the cloud rolled in and we were immersed in a deep fog.

Click the picture to see a wide screen version. I love how it looks like a wave rolling onto the beach.

Traveling Through the Uruguayan Interior

Over the last few months, I have been traveling to towns in what Uruguayans call the interior of the country. The interior is basically everything but Montevideo. Since over half of the Uruguayan population lives in Montevideo, the rest of the country is very rural. Each province contains a capital city, but other than that, what you see is mostly ranch land with the occasional farm. This short video gives you an idea of what the countryside looks like.

Driving through Uruguay's Interior from Jon Christensen on Vimeo.

Last week I visited two different provinces to give presentations to groups of teachers. First, I visited Cerro Largo, a province in the northeast full of rice and cattle fields. Then I went to Rivera, a province in the north. The city of Rivera is shared with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento. This is the route I took on the bus.
The main plazas in the interior are always surrounded by a church, a police station, and a town hall. Many of them have a statue of Artigas, the Uruguayan national hero, like this plaza in Melo.

The police station in Melo is in a beautiful old building.
The church sits next to it. Nearby is the house where the famous Uruguayan poet Juana de Ibarbourou (Juana de América) grew up. Enrique Rodó, another famous Uruguayan writer, was also raised in this town.
I felt a little self concious taking pictures in this square because I don't think Melo gets many tourists. I stood out as a tall blonde girl in this town. As I was walking down the street one little girl grabbed her dad's hand and said "Papá, ¡Esta mujer es grande!" "Dad, that woman is tall!" Yep. Kids will say it like it is in any country.


During my visits I give presentations to groups of teachers and sometimes get to visit schools. Here is a school in Melo:

And another in Rivera:

I was talking to a teacher about thinking skills, which is why I have my hands to my head like that.
This is a marker between the city of Rivera and Brazil. These are all along the Brazilian-Uruguayan border.
In parts of the city, Brazil is on one side of the street and Uruguay is on the other. In this picture you can see the main street. On the left is Brazil and on the right is Uruguay. I crossed the street and bought some yummy Brazilian treats to take back to Jon. Because Rivera is a border town, there are duty free shops and many Brazilians take advantage of the strong Real to shop in Uruguay.The main plaza is also divided in two. This obelisk is in the center and you can see that both the Uruguayan and Brazilian flags are hung. In Rivera, people speak a dialect called Portuñol that is a combination of Spanish and Portuguese.
Traveling through Uruguay has been one of the best parts of my job this year. I love watching the countryside go by as I travel from place to place, and the teachers always make me feel welcome in their towns. The open space and fresh air of the interior is something I will always remember.

Graffiti: Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Floripa

We have seen some good wall art in this part of the world. I don't know whether the best term is mural or graffiti, but it is painted pictures, outside, on a wall.

We have not sought any of the murals we have seen, and I'm sure if we went looking we could find many more great pieces of art. Every time we find one, though, I take a picture if I have my camera. Below are five of the best we've seen this year (click each one to see a bigger version!)

Montevideo, Uruguay:
The murals we see in Montevideo are usually brush painted rather than spray painted. They often show scenes of poverty.


We see this one every day. It's next to a 'project' neighborhood near our apartment. It depicts a common sight in Montevideo: a horse drawn cart for transporting recylceables.



We also see this one everyday. It shows a candombe troup staying warm by a bonfire.

Buenos Aires, Argentina:
We didn't begin to scratch the surface of street art in Buenos Aires. The urban jungle extends for miles in every direction and there must be some amazing gems tucked away on walls far from well warn tourist paths.


I love the subway stairwell in front of this transport themed mural in Buenos Aires


In the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. I spotted this on my second visit.

Florianapolis, Brazil:


Near a happening nightlife hub of Floripa. Like the place itself, this one has great colors.