Episode II: The return of the cyclist

First off, merry Christmas and happy new year to all of you! I haven’t been writing much on the blog lately, and although I haven’t ridden quite a lot has happened. My mum and sister crossing the globe to come say hi for one! Or me getting hosted in a friend’s family at Buenos Aires!

Yes, I arrived at Iguazú and was able to meet my family there. We had planned to stay for 3/4 days before heading south and visiting Buenos Aires. The main attraction at Iguazú are the waterfalls

and let me tell you: those waterfalls are no joke.

The whole river seems so calm before it finally closes up to the waterfall!

There. I told you! The noise and wind current it creates is astounding and they truly deserve their “natural wonder” title. The waterfalls can be viewed either from the Brazilian side or from the Argentinian side. The first day we went to the Brazilian side which, although a tiny bit less impressive still lets you experience walking down to the front of the waterfall.

The Brazilian side of the Park also lets you experience the “bird park”. They hold many, many different type of bird, ranging from the usual parrot to the giant vulture.

Maybe it is difficult to realise, but this vulture is gigantic. The branch it is sat on isn’t a twig, it’s a full grown branch. From what I remember it measure more than 1m height just sat down like that.

That is one brave turtle.

They do feel like an old couple, don’t they?

And and now comes the Coatis. Cute little thing, isn’t it? Well don’t be so sure. Their sharp claws and their lack of fear from us make them ferocious fluffy food-stealer. They literally hang around snatching sandwiches from people’s hands. If you’re looking for a more common representation, imagine me fighting for a peanuts butter pot after a full day riding my bike. Yes. I know that’s a scary thought.

After the Iguazú trip, we flew to Buenos Aires, la ciudad mágica! I must admit that after months living in the countryside or in small villages, coming to a capital was quite a shock! So much activity! Almost feels like people are running all day long to get things done. I mean, if you like to run then by all means run. But don’t feel compelled to! After a week there, I went to spend another few days at a friend’s family (Elincita’s!). They warmly welcomed me for the new year and into their home for a few days! Thank you to all of you!

We even went to take a trip at the beach, to see the largest river in the world (for about ~50km wide).

And on the 5th of January I flew back to Iguazú to leave on the morrow for the route of Córdoba! Now that will be a story for another post 😉