Return to Cycling

Today I ended what I hope will be the last of a number of bus rides around Argentina, and South America for that matter. I had traveled up from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires with Markus and stayed there for just under a week as we made our rounds through the city and figured out where to go next. Thus, we decided on heading up to Puerto Iguazu and then over to Tucumán where we would possibly cycle with our Dutch friends, Jan Willem and Gudrum.

On the day before we left Buenos Aires, Markus and I saw saw the Olympic torch relay pass through the streets. If anyone was watching, I happened to be at relay station number 36. You would have seen me on the sidewalk getting shoved by the overzealous security (bastards) because of the Tibet protestors who had put the torch out in London and caused havoc elsewhere (good for them). Unfortunately for us, it became quite cold in B.A., but that would soon change when we took an overnight bus up to Iguazu.

I don't have pictures right now because I'm at an internet cafe with little time, but do a Google search for Iguazu falls under images and that'll give a taste of what it was like to be there - spectactular! One, I loved the subtropical climate (warm, wet, jungle). Two, it's just a sweet place to be for the falls themselves. There Markus and I walked through the park, saw a few giant rodents, monkeys, colorful tropical birds, and a tiny waterfall that I stood under before laying eyes on one of the wonders of the world. Imagine a river over 1km wide, and along that 1km width it's as if the land dropped 300 feet creating hundreds of tiny (in width only) and some massive waterfalls along the entire edge. Given, the dropoff was not completely perpendicular to the flow, but rather spread about 2km downstream from the initial point of falls (Devil's Throat), it is nevertheless a sight to behold and one I will never forget.

And three, Foz du Igauçu and Ciudad del Este (Brazil/Paraguay, respectively). I left Argentina, crossed into Brazil, and then Paraguay all in the span of about 20 minutes to go look for a new camera (by now it had really broken all the way) in what is considered one of the most corrupt cities in South America. Only once was my passport checked during that time. In Paraguay, it was like a completely different world between the massive swarm of street vendors and stalls with hundreds of heavily armed private security guards in sight. Why does a Panasonic shop need a guard with a shotgun anyway? Whatever, I changed money, bought US dollars, bought my camera, and got out. I really wasn't worried about violence per se, but rather pick-pockets and the random spot check by immigration officials. Basically, everyone from Argentina, Brazil, and other foreign countries like yours truly (and that's a couple thousand people, every day) is there without having received a stamp in their respective passports. No worries, though, Mondays are known to be quiet days, as are the early afternoons, I threw away the box from the new camera (would have cost me more than double in Buenos Aires), and had money for a bribe in case they threatened to throw me in jail. Nothing came of it, so it was back on the bus through Brazil and into Argentina, woohoo!! I was visibly less apprehensive once I got my Argentina entrance stamp back in Puerto Iguazu.

This is becoming an unfortunate trend, but I have to continue this later!! Markus and I have to go shopping at the supermarket before we collect and assemble our bikes so we can start riding again. I expect to reach San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, in just under 2 weeks. From there, we ride onto the Salar de Uyuni!