Brazil......

We´ve landed in Brazil and so far it's everything (and more) than expected. Hot days, sticky nights, really cold beer and $2 Caipirinhas. Oh, mix in some white sand beaches, atlantic rainforest, turqoise water, and well, things are good. Really good. Sooooo, if you get the impression we´ve been drinking in the sun you are umm, well, correct. And Bendites, I must say, it is nicer than a cold beer in a cold bar, where outside there is.......snow. Anywhooooo, like I was saying.From Rosario (Argentina) we headed north to Iguazu falls. Or, dry to tropical. For those who have not heard of Iguazu Falls , Eleanor Roosevelt´s reaction of "Ohh, poor Niagara" says it all. The "waterfall" is actually a collection of nearly 300 hundred falls, spread out side by side for over a mile, each plumetting about 350 feet to the river basin below. Our first view of the falls came from our ski boat as we zipped upstream through the rapids and then again later from the catwalks above the falls. Like all the other pictures in the blog, they never really seem to capture the full effect. But if you look closely, you can see that the falls keep going and going.... One more for good measure, with some earthlings for scale.

Although we´ll spend about a month in Brazil, we decided not to pretend to see too much of the worlds fifth largest country. The Amazon and the Pantanal will be another trip. Nope. Just the coast, please. So, from the falls we headed south to an island called Santa Catarina. We did nothing here for 6 days. It was great. But it's a damn nice place to do nothing.

We learned to surf (actually, not at all), got a sunburn (sorry moms, we were having too much fun), and cooked mussels that we picked right off the rock. Believe it or not, doing nothing in the same place is exhausting, so we rolled north to do nothin' somewhere else, namely a little town called Paraty. Paraty is a town of 17,000, that until 1950, could only be reached by boat. It is also, coincidentally, almost perfect. The 300 beaches and 65 islands no doubt impacted Amerigo Vespucci when 500 years ago he proclaimed from his wooden boat, "Oh! God, if there were a paradise on earth, it wouldn´t be far from here!"From Paraty we headed north to Ihla Grande, which in the past has been a leper colony, political prison, and pirates lair. Today all that remains is natural booty..errr, beauty, and what many Brazilians consider to be the best beach along their 4,700 mile coast. Tell me what you think.

So that is what I did today. . In paradise. If only my portuguese had less portu-guess.

Time to take a dip.
Tchau, Brig and Meredith.
PS- make sure to check the link on the right for a few more pics..

Christmas, Tango and Chocolate

When Mom and Pop Gentry rolled into Argentina to spend Christmas with us, the vacation from all of our hard travels began. Their contribution to our trip and our traveling sanity started in Bariloche, the heart of the Lakes District. This fabulous town of 100,000 inhabitants stretches lengthwise along the shores of the deep, blue, sparkling waters of the gigantic Nahuel Huapi Lake. The lofty mountain peaks, cobbled streets with chocolate shops and trendy boutiques give Bariloche the feel of a European village at one third the price. The recreational opportunities abound in the surrounding area full of rushing rivers, beautiful mountains and lush national parks.
As it was my parents first trip to South America, I was a little nervous about how they would handle the "culture shock". My worrying was completely in vain as their ability to not only accept but fully embrace the culture was a cinch. Mel felt right at home browsing and sampling the massive rows of chocolates in the many artisan shops. She found that pointing and nodding worked just as well as actually speaking Spanish and she rarely left with less than ten types of treats for our enjoyment throughout the day. Gary, on the other hand, practiced his limited Spanish exhaustively, always making the locals smile and impressing Brig and I with his uhhh, proficiency. He also enjoyed trying the grossest thing on the menu, including a huge plate of grilled offal (tripe, lung, liver, & udder). Just like the locals, he loved it!

Outside of Bariloche we spent a lovely day with two local guides who took us kayaking (Go Mel!) through the pristine waters of Moreno Lake, hiking up a steep, rocky trail to a stunning vista, and driving along the famous and scenic Circuito Chico. No surprise, Mel fell in love with the animated and patient young guides and invited them to visit us anytime in Texas or Oregon.

Other highlights within the Lake District included driving the bumpy but beautiful, Seven Lakes Route, hiking to multiple waterfalls and vistas and soaking up the sun on the lovely lakeside beaches. In Argentina, dinner is not served before 9 p.m. and so our pre-dinner evenings were usually spent sitting on the porch of our lovely accommodations, peering out on a lake or mountain and playing spades while sipping a glass of Argentina´s renowned Malbec wine. Yes, I felt very spoiled.

Christmas Eve and day were spent in San Martin de los Andes, another gorgeous lakeside village. The hot weather and lack of Santa Claus paraphernalia hindered the typical holiday spirit a bit, but I felt very fortunate to be spending the time with my family. The best Christmas gift for all of us came in the surprise announcement that my sister, Lauren, is expecting her first child. Well, it´s about time!

The last few days of the Gentry visit could not have been more different than the first. We flew to the electrifying city of Buenos Aires (population 13 million) and joined the culturally rich, slightly gritty and totally exhausting beat of city life. B.A.´s many and diverse neighborhoods deserve to be explored on foot, which is what we did. We visited the famous Recoleta Cemetery, where generations of elite Argentinians (including Evita) rest their bones. We brushed elbows with tango dancers as we strolled past the colorfully painted shops and artisan booths of Caminito, located in the working class neighborhood of La Boca. We hit up San Telmo area for the famous Sunday antiques fair which was full of vintage dresses, antique watches, and delicate china. (I thought we might be kicked out when Gary was reprimanded for playing with a 150 year-old gun which was on the verge of breaking.)

The highlight of Buenos Aires, though, was the tango shows. The sensual, precise and incredibly beautiful dance was performed by talented couples gliding across the stage in time to the breathtaking live tango music. The first show was so amazing, that we booked a second show for the next night. The experience as Mel would say was ¨transcendental¨. The huge plates of sizzling steak served simultaneously weren´t bad either.

The ten days of luxury vacation with my parents was such a treat. Checking into a loud, dirty and hot hostel the day after they left us was truly heartbreaking. But hey, no pain no gain (at least that is what I keep telling myself).