19: Wet is best under the falls

Devil's Throat worth the walk!

   LOCATION:  Iguazu

Love the O2 but there are only two glass elevators to serve its 10 floors - each lift has a capacity of 4 passengers - makes it a bit of a lottery trying to get up and down the building in peak times. And a little crazy that for a country that loves its partying late nights, seems bizarre that we had, along with everyone else, a 7.25 am start! Might stay off the rooftop tonight.

The Adventure

Our visit to the Falls today was with a group of 23 hosted by our guide @Milvia. 

So much to do in the area - guess you could spend days on this Argentinian side of the park. It was a combo - a walk to the veil of Falls that included San Martin, a jet boat ride on the river and finally a train ride to deliver us to the walkway to see the spectacular Devil's Throat. 

But of course you need to get there. Because this was a shared tour- had to do the hotel hopper of pickup to gather all the guests - which meant the 20 minute drive to the park stretched to an hour. The group was a mix of nationalities and languages - and ages and even different itineraries - so it was a good thing we had that extra time in the bus. Seemed like it took 10 minutes to explain in Spanish which was then followed by just one sentence in English. 

Walking for the first glimpse

That was sort of the chaotic pattern of the day with @Milvia challenged in keeping things moving. We were never quite sure if we were Arthur or Martha or Jose or Rosita and have reaffirmed that we are not very good at "sharing."

The place itself was exhilarating and i am conceding qwas great to connect with the stories of other travellers and eventually we found our niche in the chaos and soaked up (literally) the experience of the falls.

Our adventure - walked the orange Superior Route, travelled on the river on blue route to the face of the falls, train and walk on black dotted and red route to Devil's Throat. Tick, tick tick!

A. San Martin and small falls - the first impression of the falls- oh wow. Just an endless arc of separate waterfalls stretching as far as the eye could see. Access is gained either by a small train or by a 600 metre walk to the head of the Superior Circuit. We took the walk and tried to go up ahead and quietly to spot some living thing - absolutely on high alert for a toucan. No luck in that department - but hordes of colourful butterflies did show us the way.

Sticking to the pathways

The access is very tourist friendly - all carefully signed pathways which led to a series of overhanging metal walkways to get you close to the action of the falls. We were taking our first look at the thundering, mist filled viel from above and we could see the boats below on the river which would be our next stop 

Walking the Superior  ircuit

B. Gran Ventura Adventure - A definite highlight of the day. This tour takes you down onto the river. You access by boarding a "truck" for the 20 minute ride through the jungle track. Perched high above the ground, the guide invites you to keep your eye out for wildlife. In case we don't spot them (we didn't) the guide has colourful posters to share. Arrived at the station ready to navigate the 30 metre drop to the boats by way of 300 stairs. The recurring question of the day had been around your health. @Milvia had approached the "old people" (yep, i was a target) a few times during the morning warning that you were not permitted to board if you had any health problems. Just before departure she reminded us to say "no, no, no" if asked.

Getting - truck amd steps - all aboard

Spotted the capybara

The staff in yellow shirts watched the passengers descend the stairs - i was waiting for a crook to come out and pluck the weaklings. Story has a happy ending because we all made the Muster and just as well because as we were lined up on the bottom step waiting for life vests, three brown rounded rocks magically transformed into capybaras! We saw them. One big one, stood up, took its time and slowly paddled into the water and took off for a swim.

Time to jacket up and board. As well as the life cest, you were provided with a huge waterfproof duffel bag to store your stauff and keep it dry. An inderstatement to say it was an essential .

Boat edged slowly under the waterfall - wet!

It was a fast and slow, straight and swerving ride along the Iguazú . On reaching the first round of rapids a huge wave entered the back of the boat and @Mac was drenched. His immediate question "Are we there yet?" Once he had the water out of his ears, eyes and nose, he happily and spluttering proclaimed it refreshing!

@Mac's reaction to "wet"

 We rode the river close to the three falls known as the Three Musketeers and this was a drenching point for all passengers on board. Moved the boat into San Martin falls - twice the volume of the first and copped an absolute hammering. Hot and humid conditions meant it was a welcomed drenching. All laughs and cheers from everyone on board.

Put it in reverse and it was a return journey - through the rapids, up the three hundred stairs and in the truck for the return. 

Still no toucan or any other animals except the beautiful butterflies. Seems that thr majority of animals are sensible  and they are nocturnal.

C. No time for lunch (well one person had lunch ..   😔)- just a little grab and go of something and it was onto the platform to wait for the train. 

All smiles on the train ride 

The 15 minute ride delivered you to the top of the falls and the 1500 metre walkway to Devil's Throat. This is the showcase finale and this thundering cascade accounts for 50 per cent of the fall's width and creates its own little micro climate. It was time to get wet again because the broiling water not only makes a freight train sound but dispels mist high into the air. 

The walkway

The walkway is perched  above the river - so access to the throat has you literally walking above the water for the 1500 metres. And as we made our way over the bridge a rain cloud swept by and for 5 minutes we were walking in the rain. Plenty of birds here (hawks and cormorants that we could recognize), fish including a huge catfish and a solitary turtle. Still no toucan.

It was wet and wild and a rain shower homeward bound

Tjats a lot of water!

D. "People watching" has to be included in this recount because this was our first interaction with a wider group. We did get some mileage out of @Michael who had been everywhere, done everything and knew everything. A fellow Aussie, whose voice dominated the rainforest and who was probably responsible for single handedly scaring away every toucan within 2 kms. He was accompanied by his wife @Pauline who was probably only a a mere decibel below him in volume and who sadly was bitten by a bee on the return journey from the boat. Um, oh dear, Pauline had an allergic reaction to the sting (swelling, pain, throat closing) and had to be treated in emergency with a cortisone injection. Apparently, bee stings are the most common injury in the park! Good on her, she did bounce back but sat out the Devil's Throat walk. And then there was Georgina - definitely the oldest in the group - and she was perpetually lost or lagging. We missed our allocated train spot because she was "hungry" and felt a need to sit in a restaurant and have a solid meal ... meanwhile the remaining members of the group were dispatched across all points of the compass to find her. APPARENTLY in their 15 days together on the Patagonia hiking trip, this little group of 8 have been "dealing" with Georgina's "I can do whatever I want and you must look after me" antics. Big topic of disgruntled train conversion was around the fact that Georgina doesn't have a visa to cross the border to Brazil tomorrow! Might be another disaster on the horizon and @Michael was getting stuck onto her on the train journey home.

E. Finally home we called a one hour breather - more to rest our ears rather than our feet. Refreshed, headed down the hill (80 metres) to pull up a table of four in the Mexican restaurant. The town centre was packed. Live music and entertainment at every venue - or so it seemed. And 90 percent of the clientele were set up on the roadway which was now closed to traffic. 

Enjoying the immersive Mexican experience

@Daniel looked after us for the evening - kept the bottomless included nachos coming, successfully tempted us with the two for one happy hour offerings and filled our plates with tasty burritos. Our entertainment was the dance floor. A lively rotation of tango inspired dancing lead by a professional team. They showcased the moves and then targeted people in the audience to have a little lesson and dance. We sat with our faces in food and drink hidden under the oversized sombreros and enjoyed it all as observers rather than participants. Easy to have a good time here!

Back up the hill to O2, The men had Bailey's Duty to complete. @Deb and I were done for - and it was only just shy of 9 pm. No idea what time they were done .. I was drawing the zzzzs.

Got a visa-required border crossing tomorrow (now wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall with Georgina tomorrow) .... fingers, toes eyes and legs crossed.

Survival Barometer

Steps 19 840 (if i had known we were that close i would have done a lap of the hotel hallway!)

Weather - 34 - humid- one 5 minute shower of rain

Health - foot weary and tired - but happy and 🙏 grateful

Can you believe this?

🌈 Amazing Facts About Iguazú Falls (Argentina Side)

🌍 1. It’s officially one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature

Iguazú Falls earned its place as a global natural wonder thanks to its sheer scale, beauty, and biodiversity.

💦 2. The number of waterfalls changes constantly

Depending on rainfall, the system can shift between 150 and 300+ waterfalls — meaning the view is never the same twice.

🌊 3. The water flow can increase by 7.5 times during rainy season

When the Iguazú River swells, the falls transform from powerful to absolutely monstrous, with water volume surging dramatically. 

"Nanny, I'm with you - it's been a big one."

18: Hop step and jump north to Iguazu

The rooftop of O2 - everything seemed to align

   LOCATION:  Iguazu

Repositioning "again." This time from Buenos Aires heading north towards the shared border with Brazil and Paraguay to Iguazu Falls.

@Paulyta arrived for the 8 am pickup and we had a smooth, quiet run to the airport. Overcast today, but we don't care, we're moving on. Glad we had @Paulyta at the airport because our luggage was a little over the 15 kgs permitted on internal flights and had to find the counter, outside the terminal to pay for additional baggage.

Called to board the flight which was chock-a-block - it is a long weekend here - and settled in for the short one hour flight.

What different terrain. Flat, cut and cut and diced regularly by rivers and for the last 20 minutes of the flight, a lush green patchwork a combination of forest and farming.

Grainy shots from overhead on a full flight

As we were making our way towards landing it did seem as if we were touching the tops of the trees - @Mac even commented from his window position "I hope the pilot can see the runway" - and when the wheels hit the tarmac all the locals burst into applause.  I checked in with the lady next to me - apparently the applause is local regular thing - more about the joy of arriving than the preciousness of a landing.

We were met with a blast of hot air on arrival. Felt like that searing Northern Territory heat and once again no problems with meeting up with our ride. He turned out to be the most talkative driver and the 20 minute ride through the national park was filled with stories of Iguazu's history and of the animals that reside here.Hope we don't see the big cats up close over the next few days,but wouldn't mind a toucan, capybara or a tapir.

Arrived right on 2 pm and enjoyed an immediate checkin to beautiful accommodation in O2 perched on the very top of a hill with a birds' eye view over the river to the border.

Nice digs at O2 - very happy to get immediate checkin

Pulled up a pew at the local and had to resort to the translation app to place our order. Not much air conditioning in the venues along the street and settled on a street side table under a fan. Were  accounted a few times by a number of children about 7 or 8 years old, begging for food or money or selling rocks.

Coldies at the local

It was still stinking hot at 4 pm when we set off on our 5 km walk in pursuit of  a view of the three borders. The point of convergence connects Puerto Iguazú (Argentina), Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). These borders are defined by the union of the Iguazú River (separating Brazil and Argentina) and the Paraná River (separating Paraguay from both).

Three frontiers

The spot was filled with buses and their associated payloads. We posed at all the spots paid our 50 cents for a toilet visit and decided to take the river route home. 

Stuck to the river 

Hitel was a dot on the hill -we  did wonder why we were doing this

Still stinking hot, we made the 1 km knee killing downhill trek adjacent to the Paraná River and finished it off with a 1.5 km ascent via a series of switchback turns to get back home. We could have weakened and taken a taxi on that return leg but was probably a long overdue period of exertion.

We were dripping wet! I hit the pool. @Mac the shower after which he managed to turn his suitcase inside out looking for his sandles.

Whqt a relief after the walk
Met up with the @DeLoys on the rooftop bar and that was sort of it. One of those evenings. Hot thirsty weather. A rooftop pool. Music. Sunset. Food and drink. And good friends with endless stories. Thank goodness the manager had to come and give us a nudge to move on (the area had been reserved) ... because we probably all could have melted into the furniture and slept the night away.

Maybe one drink too many - was probably the heat

Not to worry, took that glass elevator down to level 7 rooms and cracked the bottle of Bailey's. And finished the evening restoring order to Mac's bags.

This was a rest day - got 9 hours of touring tomorrow. And it will be Saturday of a long weekend with another day of hot and humid. 

Survival Barometer

Steps 14 228

Weather 32 but intensely humid

Health i repeat, maybe one drink too many

 Can you believe this?

🌊 Mind‑blowing Size Facts About Iguazú Falls from Co Pilot - ready for visit tomorrow!

1. It’s wider than Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls combined

• Iguazú stretches for 2.7 km across the border of Argentina and Brazil.
• Niagara? About 1.2 km.
• Victoria? Roughly 1.7 km.
  Put them together and Iguazú still wins.

2. It’s not one waterfall — it’s 275

Instead of one big curtain, Iguazú is a sprawling system of 275 individual falls, all crashing at different angles and heights.
It’s like nature built a giant, chaotic amphitheatre of water.

17: Tigre and Tango - a duo

Enjoying the sun in Tigre just north of Buenos Aires 

  LOCATION:  Buenos Aires

Ah, we needed that late start. Didn't need to meet up with @Leo until 10 am and the pickup point was the foyer of the Carles.

@DeLoy had booked this independent tour for us - the day was scheduled as a "breather" for us but we were keen to keep going. Mind you, if we had read about the anticipated late night finish of the Tango Show in advance, may have stayed more local. Unanimous though in our agreement that we had come so far, so why not!

The relaxing start is made even easier because we can tap onto the breakfast offerings in the hotel. Our only challenge was to find the right codes in our documentation for @Paulyta to do checkin for our next flight. This caused a little bit of a headache because I was sending the code with the airline name as the prefix eg AR - HNERT and the booking was rejected. Great spotting by @Deb over a breakfast coffee. Once we pointed that out to @Paulyta - all went through.

The Adventure

A. Tigre excursion with @Leo

The traffic was thick as we tried to leave the city and head towards the islands that make up the populated area of the Tigre Delta. We keep seeing the evidence of the commute that the workers need to make each day to access their workplace in Buenos Aires - something like 7 million commuters each day.

@Leo, our guide for the day, is a definite local driver. His zig zag, stop start racing car driver style, in our cramped shared space had me car sick and hanging my head out the side window like a puppy dog. I missed the commentary. @Lloyd declared he can't be the front seat driver on the way home - a little stressful. He'll hand the reigns of that duty to @Mac.

But we did traverse the 30 kms safely to arrive at Puerto de Fruitos, a former fruit market now a bustling artisan market. Well i wouldn't say bustling - it was very quiet today but apparently extremely busy on the weekend. Thought for a moment we were going to view the market from the car - @Leo had parked the little car so close to the raised guttering - we couldn't open the doors to get out!

Had the place to ourselves

Plenty to see and browse -- maybe not so much for the men. Although @Lloyd did somehow find himself stacking boxes helping a shop owner in a pastry shop. Scored himself a free empanada as a thank you! 

Sludgy water around the islands

The attraction here is the boat ride on tthe Tigre Delta (the tigre name comes from the "big cats that were spotted by the first settlers.) It is the fifth largest delta in the world and one of the only ones that flows into a river (the Río de la Plata) rather than the sea. The waters were calm but sludgy in colour - filed with clay sediments and salt. The movement of the water in this area continues to bring more sediments and the area of land is increasing.

All aboard - the boat was packed

The locals here are very water centric. The houses in this first section of the Delta (there are hundreds of islands here) - are built on stilts and each sport their own jetty - many in a state of disrepair. And dozens of the homes were for sale. Food and water supplies are accessed by supply boats - even health services are administered on the river by boat and children access the school by boat.

Island views - big theme park here and "unions" have holiday camps for workers - spot the bath routine, bottom right

It is considered a simple and idyllic life - but not one I'd aspire to.

Plenty of fishermen (not sure I would eat anything from this water), lots of women hooning along the canals in boats, plenty of rowers (14 rowing clubs based here - rowing capital of Argentina) and even swimmers! Accidentally snapped a picture of a gentleman taking a bath in the river - through he was cleaning his boat. Oops.

The water colour

B. La Ventana Tango Show

Home in time to freshen up for the obligatory tango show on Beunos Aires. Our venue was La Ventana renowned as one of Buenos Aires’ most famous tango dinner shows. Billed as an "intimate" full Argentine cultural experience - it featured: a gourmet three‑course dinner with wine, followed by a tango and folklore performance with 32 artists. The combination of two orchestras, dancers, singers, gaucho boleadoras, and Andean music had the crowd enthralled!

Dinner and a show

Loved the food and wine but the repeated description of "intimate" meant crowded into a small space. But we had super seats/table ... front and centre on raised platform. Musicians were great. A bit lukewarm on the Tango leg flicking segments. Dazzled by the gaucho. In love with the folklore traditionalband and the pan pipes. 

Lots of variety

You can just make out the whir of the boleadoras of the gaucho

All the action starts at a late timeslot in Argentina, so the show didn't finish till close to midnight and we had to get the shared bus home which was a hotel hopper.

Found ourselves at 1 am in the morning in a little dervish trying to pack for the morning's getaway. No time to practice a few tango leg flicks or twirl the boleadoras.

Survival Barometer

Steps 9 452

Weather - 26 absolute clear sky

Health ÷ maintaining perfect run

Can you believe this?

💃 Amazing Facts About the Tango

🔥 1. Tango began in the slums — not the salons

Tango was born in the late 19th century in the gritty port districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, created by immigrants, Afro‑descendant communities, and working‑class locals. It was never meant to be glamorous at first

😳 2. Tango was once considered scandalous and even banned

Its close embrace and sensual movements shocked polite society. Some venues — especially in Europe — banned it outright for being too provocative.

🌟 Amazing Facts about Tigre (Buenos Aires)

1. Name Origins

- Tigre is named after jaguars (“tigres”) that used to roam the Paraná Delta. Despite the name, no tigers ever lived here—locals used “tigres” as a catch-all for big cats.  

2. A City Built on Water

- Tigre sits on the Paraná Delta, a vast network of rivers and canals.  

- The delta is so extensive that many homes are only accessible by boat, and schoolchildren commute via water taxis.  

3. The “Venice of Argentina”

- With its labyrinth of waterways, Tigre is often called Argentina’s Venice.  

For Jesse ... think you would have loved the twirling tricks of the gaucho

"Ready to tango!"

16: Walk and talk, sip and savour in Buenos Aires

  

Absorbing history on morning stroll in Buenos Aires

  LOCATION:  Buenos Aires

Rest easy, the safe dilemma is solved. Had help, there's a trick - you have to apply pressure to the door while entering the code. And, the bidet is our friend. So, after a hearty breakfast in the busy dining room of the Carles Hotel we were all set for a day of touring.

Must say that @DeLoy were very quick to fill the gap left by our departing Sydneysiders @LoRi - they had already picked up two Sydneysiders by breakfast. Talk about moving on!

Breakfast at the Carles

On a serious note, there is a domestic and international air strike on here - starting today! Apparently strikes and protests are common here because of the disparity between wages and inflation. A constant tension. Fingers crossed it is all done before the 20th!

The Adventure

@Paulyta perfectly on time for our first adventure. This was a combo walking and driving tour of some iconic sites of Buenos Aires interwoven with a commentary of the history and politics of the city. Walk a little, drive a little. Perfect combination. 

Even wove in a bank stop. @DeLoy are cashed up but we failed on the Wise Card and two Suncorp accounts - so looks like "conveniently" @DeLoy have us covered. 

A Buenos Aires City Tour 

This was 5 hours of touring and concentration tuning into the different and new inflections in Paulyta's voice. 

This tour portrayed the many faces of Buenos Aires and the influence of the Spanish, Italians, French, British and Germans on the recent history of Argentina. The recurring hero was San Martin in the Liberation of Argentina and there was a pervasive undercurrent of oppression, poverty and corruption in the politics of this cultural melting pot. It's recent history, encompassing the 70s has dark and sad stories.

The "Dirty War" (approx. 1976–1983) was a brutal period of state sanctioned terrorism centered here in Buenos Aires, where a military junta kidnapped, tortured, and murdered an estimated 30,000 people—mostly students, workers, and activists—to eliminate political opposition. We saw the white scarves painted on the pavement outside the  seat of power "The Pink House."

I only highlight this dark story because it really hit home how "recently" these atrocities have been endured . And truly- that was not the tone of the day's adventure- just one story.

The lasting memories:
Statues, parks, memorials everywhere
Distinctive glass architecture marks modern precincts - heavy contrast with "castles" of the French and the bodega neighbourhoods of the Spanish
Pervasiveness of restaurants, art galleries and book stores
Graffiti and street art prolific
Streets and avenues ranged from narrow cobblestoned alleys to 140 metre wide thoroughfares with 10 lanes of traffic each way
Proliferation of dogs and dog walkers
Roman catholic churches and bell ringing - we visited 3 churches across the day - there was a mass with pews full at each one
Soccer/football crazy - kids and adults alike in jerseys and the number 10 of Maradona and Messi everywhere!
There must be a 'donation' in a park from every country in the world - including sculpted kangaroos from Australia.
Everything here is "bigger" - you show your wealth and your power ostentatiously in both life and death - bigger houses/castles, bigger mausoleums

History lesson - architecture, parks and monument

Some of the icons we ticked off on this tour:

• Obelisco & Avenida 9 de Julio: The iconic 1936 monument situated on one of the world's widest avenues.
• Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada: The political heart of Argentina, featuring the iconic pink presidential palace and THE balcony.

Scored the changing of the guard in the cathedral 

Politics, religion, taxation, demonstrations, suffering
• Caminito (La Boca): A colorful street museum and historic neighborhood known for tango and Italian roots.

So much colour in La Boca

• Recoleta Cemetery: A breathtaking, elite cemetery featuring intricate mausoleums, including that of Eva Perón.

@Mac thought he had found the resting place of the HORSE Biscay - the stallion of his horse Talina Bay

• Floralis Generica: A large, metallic flower sculpture that opens and closes in Plaza de las Naciones Unida (well it doesn't any more... broken 7 years ago ... remains open)

Park sculpture ... broken for 7 years
• San Telmo: Known for its bohemian atmosphere, cobblestone streets, and Sunday antique market
• Plaza San Martin and Plaza Alvea and Palmero

Quirky restaurant

Definitely appreciated the 90 minute break back at the hotel before we had to scoot out for the afternoon evening tour. @Lloyd made a dash to the Disco to pick up a tallie - while we used the online query in Wise to locate an ATM 140 metres down the road.

That's a happy beer drinker back from the Disco!

 Successfully completed our transaction and were glad to see the offer for "English" pop up for instructions. No so happy to see the Argentinian bank charge for a withdrawal. Wow! Wise had warned to plan on withdrawing just once because the fee per transaction was the equivalent of $15 AUD.  Wow again.

B. Sip and Savour Palermo Tour

The itinerary said this was "a culinary adventure through Palermo's bustling streets, discovering the history of the oldest and now trendiest neighbourhood in the city. Enjoy its street art, architecture, boutiques, and vibrant atmosphere, while tasting its finest food."

We were early, so already a drink ahead. Oops.

It was a real hoot. We joined tour leader @Johnny (more formally @Johnathon, from Venezuela, who owns a hot sauce food line) and Jo guests@ Piper (a travel agent checking out service levels of their providers from Georgia), @Mae and @Brian (laundromat chain owners from Texas) and @Kath amd @Steve (mad golfers, keen travellers from Sydney.)

Plenty of food across a range of venues

What a great way to sample a variety of traditional dishes that epitomize Argentine flavours and learn about life and living in this ciry which seemed to light up and sparkle at night. 

Stops and lessons along the way

Our stops included Palermo's top culinary spots, including a Michelin Guide restaurant and a Top 50 Latin America Award Winner. Each venue was unique and @Johnny somehow magically wove the group together with good wine and fun conversation. 

Definitely said YES to the dessert offerings

Pizza, empanada, steak, salad, tapas and dessert were spread across five venues. Thank goodness we had a chance to walk because we were consuming way too much food and wine. Each course was explained - the ingredients, methods of preparation, the uniqueness of the selection and even how to "eat it" and then it was paired with a signature Argentinian Malbec. 

@Mac was in absolute carnivore heaven and I am not sure that anything fruit or vegetable based found its way into his stomach. But surprise of all surprises he was nodding and rating the red as "drinkable." For a NON red specialist ... that was high praise. 

Have to say that somehow you are often surprised by the six degrees of separation that join us all. Believe it or not, in yesterday's flight, the fellow row 1 travellers for @DeLoy were @Kath and @Steve! @Deb had made a point yesterday of recounting her story of "beating the bald guy opposite in being the first to step off the plane." That was the aforementioned @Steve. He must have been stewing on that little tussle of power for 24 hours because he raised it at dinner, reminding @Deb ... "Yes, we have met, I let you off the plane first." And he was not smiling in this intro to the group. Even @Johnny noted and  whispered that the introduction was carrying some "undertone."

Made me very determined to "win him over" so at our second venue @Mac and I made sure we were their dining partners. It was a sullen, slow and reserved start, but with a bit of sirloin in the stomach, some exchanged travel adventures and a couple of glasses of red, I think they were prepared to donate their kidneys if we needed them. 

At stop three, swapped up places again, and @DeLoy built new bridges with them based on golfing stories and there was no hint of any need to jostle for position on exiting any of the venues.

By rounds four and five, @Johnny was loudly declaring "I love Australians, they are so much fun," @Mae and @Brian were ready to renew their wedding vows because @Mac and I constantly held hands and put love in the air according to them (little did they know it was so i didn't fall over on the cobblestones in the dark) and @Piper wanted to give us her business card to organise us a trip to the Northern Lights. Do think our charm offensive worked! And I maintain, if @ Johnny had taken us to a tango bar to round out the night, we would have been dancing on the tables. It was just that sort of night.

We travelled thirty minutes in peak hour to the meet up for the equivalent of $8 and 20 minutes home in the late of the night for $6 ... cheapest taxi rides ever. Certainly puts that wretched ATM charge to shame.

Extremely grateful 🙏 to see the inside of the Carles Hotel. A massive day under the belt. And noting here, absolutely nobody had energy or inclination to hit the Disco for a night time bevvie.

PS the strike has been declared OVER ... according to @Piper ..we will be good to move on.

Survival Barometer

Steps 14 647

Weather - perfect blue skies 28 degrees

Health - uneven surfaces negotiated with care - still upright

Can you believe this?

🍷 Amazing Facts About Malbec (with a Buenos Aires twist) from Co=Pilot anf Johnny on our walking tour

🌍 1. Malbec wasn’t born in Argentina — but it found its destiny there

Malbec originated in France, where it was known as the “black wine” of Cahors because of its deep, inky color.
It only became world‑famous after thriving in Argentina’s climate and soils.

📈 2. Argentina rescued Malbec from near extinction

In France, Malbec plantings collapsed — today it makes up less than 1% of Bordeaux vineyards.
Argentina revived it dramatically: from 9,750 hectares in 1995 to over 44,000 hectares today, now producing 75% of the world’s Malbec.

Buenos Aires became the cultural hub that helped popularize it globally through restaurants, bars, and export influence

For Jesse ... rooftop views in Buenos Aires - don't think we will be using the outdoor shower!

"I had Vegemite on my food walk! Yummy."