Ordinary to Extraordinary

Hi everyone! We just returned from a weekend trip to Iguazú Falls, which were spectacular. It was a much-appreciated break from a bit of a monotonous week. The newness of Buenos Aires is wearing off, and the kids and I didn't have that same excitement to explore all the things. But, despite our slower pace last week, we still eked out a few adventures.

One of those was a trip to the former Buenos Aires Zoo, which still kind of blows my mind (not in a good way). Here's the backstory. In 2016, the zoo was officially closed down because of the terrible conditions for the animals. Many of the animals were moved to refuges or to other zoos, but some of them (mostly older or sick animals) were just left there. The rest of the animals were just released to roam the grounds. Now the zoo is called the "Ecoparque," and it all seems crazy so I wanted to see it. We walked in and were greeted by herds (actually "settlements" according to Google) of Patagonian Maras.

There also were ostentations (thanks again, Google) of peacocks, and other non-native birds, just lounging around. The kids saw their first nutria, which I'm fairly sure live in Lake Washington, and loved it.

Then we passed some of the cages with the "left behind" animals, and I just couldn't do it. So we hustled to the carousel, which is one of the few remaining activities that all three kids just love. I'll enjoy it while I can!

Then we took a bus back to the apartment, got lost on the short walk from the bus stop to the apartment, I said unkind things to myself, the kids reminded me that I was doing my best which is all I can do, I thanked their school for teaching them these things, and we went out to lunch.

On Friday, we flew from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. We were excited to devote our weekend to exploring Iguazú Falls, a group of 275 waterfalls on the Iguazú River that form the largest waterfall in the world by volume. Seventy-five percent of the falls are in Argentina, and twenty-five percent are in Brazil. On Saturday we went to the Argentinian side, and were just gobsmacked. This is us in front of the Garganta del Diablo (our second visit to a site with that name), a semi-circular waterfall that is so massive and powerful that I felt unable to breath standing so close to it.

There are three trail systems around the falls, and we hiked every inch of them, seeing the falls from every angle possible. I couldn't get enough. I mean, I get emotional over beauty of Snoqualmie Falls, so this really got to me. I still can't believe it's all real.

Then we found a taco stand in town and enjoyed some Mexican food in sombreros. I mistakenly believed that all of South America would have awesome tacos and burritos, but I was wrong. So finding this gem of a restaurant was such a treat!

Today we drove into Brazil (country no. 7!) to see Iguaçu Falls from that side. There is only one trail system in that part of the park, and it was really crowded, so we didn't linger and enjoy the views as much as yesterday. We ate lunch on the bank of the river, and then bid farewell to an incredible place.

Before leaving Brazil, we visited the Parque de Aves, which probably will end of being one of Baker's favorite parts of the trip. Baker loves parrots and Macaws (if you know, you know) so being in an aviary with these birds blew his mind. Just look at that cute smile!

The kids also posed with these wing things that are all over South America, so here are the girls:

We'll be in town this weekend for the Boca Juniors fútbol game! We are all really excited to experience soccer in South America. We hear you have to wear Boca gear to the game, so we'll get decked out this week...and then send it all home. We miss you and send so much love back home to you all!

All my love,

Madeline