Iguazu Falls

While Mom was here we took a side trip to Iguasu Falls, near the Paraguay, Brasil, Argentina border To get there, you have to got to the sleepy (and humid) little town of Puerto Iguasu

This picture really doesn't do it justice, it's actually one of a nine picture panorama. This place is huge

The highlight of the tour is the powerboat ride below the Falls(note the tilt of the boat)

The pilot wasn't shy about taking us right up into the mist and spray

Sometimes we got so close it was almost like swimming(notice all the wet heads)
Our pilot got (and deserved) several rounds of applause

Which Eva?

Mom Came to Town

A few days after we got to Buenos Aires, my mother, Charlene, came for a visit

The Obelisc, a major landmark on the 9th of July avenue

We went to the La Boca neighborhood, where they start 'em young

We went to a museum or two....or three

A painting of Juan and Eva Peron, some like 'em, some don't

We saw a small amount of pomp and circumstance

We toured the famous Recoleta Cemetary, where they have the ornate.....
and the simple

There was one for me(if I grew a beard and brought my own N along)

We went to a Tango show that incuded some indigenous music
Our seats were right at the stage so we had a great view
I guess I'm a fast learner, because the next day I was "dancing in the streets"

A Blast from the Past

Before I could leave Santa Fe, I had to stop by and say hello to Luis, who had invited some of us to his house in 1991. He had a nice homebuildiing materials store in town where he kept his office.

Then I headed south to Rosario, to meet up with Lou and try to find Rogellio and his family, who had been my host in Carlos Pellegrini.
He and his beautiful family invited me for lunch, and we had a great time.
Later, he took me to a Rotary meeting at the Rosario South Club....
and then gave me a guided tour of the city. Thanks Rogellio! This is the Monumento a la Bandera (Monument to the Flag) in Rosario at night.

When Lou and I left Rosario, we went to Lujan, to see the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan, quite a sight.

We also went to Tigre, and checked out the waterfront.

Before I went to our place in Buenos Aires, I stopped and touched base with Eduardo and Graciella, who were the first people I met in Santa Fe in 1991, still just as nice and kind as they were then.

Making Connections

After I left Carlos Pellegrini, I headed to Piamonte, another town we visited in 1991. The cheese factory had such a good product back then, I hoped to find a place to buy some and maybe take a few pictures, maybe spend thirty minutes total . The town is at the end of the pavement, so they don't get much through traffic. My prescence was soon noticed by the local police and I was asked to follow the offcer to the office so they could take my information. I explained what I was doing and they accepted my explanation, but they wouldn't let me leave without notifying some Rotarians of my prescence. Within 30 minutes Rico and Roberto were at the station asking me to lunch. I told them I didn't want to bother them, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. After lunch I was asked to do a radio interview and a TV interview for he local cable channel. Later on we went to Roberto's headquarters where he kindly let me look at his tractors and sprayers. Rico, me, Roberto and his son

Later we went to look at the soybean crop. After 5 hours of hospitality, I had to go.

I went through el Trebol and looked around, then on to San Vicente for the night. In the morning I got to meet with Guillermo Cuneo at the local combine and sprayer factory and got a tour of the plant, much like 17 years ago. He got me in touch with Romulo, in Angelica.

Romulo is the kind of guy that Rotary is all about. He was really busy, but he stopped what he was doing to offer lunch and good fellowship with his family. He got me a list of names and adresses for other people I was looking for. Thanks, Romulo!

I went back to San Vicente and talked to Oscar and his wife, and their daughter , Franni, who took the picture. I stayed with them in 1991 and Franni was a little kid then, now she's newly married with a house of her own.

I moved on to Galvez for the night, and was able to meet up with the Questa's, who treated me to some wonderful ice cream. The next morning I went to Santa Fe and looked in on Bernardo and Chiquita, who treated us like family when we were here the last time.

What can I say, they know how to make someone feel welcome.

They even invited me along to a family get together with about 25 relatives.

There I met Ricardo and Juan Pablo, twins who are motorcycle fanatics and enjoyed listening to me talk about my trip.

The next day I was treated to lunch with Diego and his mom and dad, Chiquito, and Diego's family.
Last time I was here there was a girl named Vanina, who reminded me of an angel. This time, Diego's little girl did it.

Short on Beans

I was fortunate enough to visit the Santa Fe province in 1991, on a Group Study Exchange Program sponsored by Rotary International. Back then, the area was dominated by dairy farms and milk processing plants. Today it is one huge soybean field, from the asphalt to the horizon, with afew cornfields here and there. About 80% of the wheat fields have been planted with double crop beans, also.

Last time I was here, I remember saying that if I ever came back to Argentina, I would return to Carlos Pellegrini. These kids reminded me why.

I got to sneak a few shots of big brother convincing little brother it was time to open his piggy bank.

With a few pointers on technique......

...and a bigger rock....

the deed was done, and all came out to see how much was there.

Later that night, Miguel and his wife Chrisina, Alberto and his wife and Waldemar treated me to a wonderful meal and hospitality fit for a king, reminding why I wanted to return to this beautiful town.

More Pictures

The penguins at Punta Tombo, they deserve more publicity

The Cathedral in Cordoba

The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Cordoba

The Museo Rocsen in Nono had quite the variety, it was like a garage after 70 years in the same house

Almost like it's waiting to be let out

Atleast I could find the first one on a map

Cordoba, Alta Gracia, Mina Clavero and Rosario

It´s been a while since we´ve posted anything new in the blog. These pictures should catch you up a little bit on what has happened in the past couple of weeks. When we left Santa Rosa, we headed north to spend a few days in the wonderful university town of Cordoba. There we again met my friend David Lange, only this time it was close to the end of his time in South America. The above picture was taken on Sunday morning. Yes, it´s huge line of people waiting to get into the church for services.

Here´s a picture from the front of another Cordoba church. I wonder if St. Peter is aware of what it takes to keep him up there.

In this one David, Landon and I are having a little something to eat, and a little something to drink.

After David left for Buenos Aires, Landon and I loaded up the bikes and headed into sierra, stopping at the small town of Alta Gracia, boyhood home of Che Guevara. Here´s a shot of me standing in front of his famed motorcycle. They weren´t interesting in letting me sit on it for the photo opportunity.

Later we went over the mountains to the west of Cordoba on the dramatic road that leads to the resort town of Mina Clavero. A nearby museum seemed to include absolutely everything, including this shrunken head.

We set up our tents in a Mina Clavero campground with this beautiful view of the River Sauces and the sierra.

Landon left the next day to visit his friends in Santa Fe. I stayed behind and took a week of retreat in the campground, alternating times of solitude with extended conversations with other campers. I didn´t carry the camera much but did get this picture of two of my young neighbors on my bike and their dad. I really enjoyed Mina Clavero.

It was fun to meet up with Landon again in Rosario yesterday. The two main museums were closed this morning, but we did get the chance to visit the flag memorial which honors Argentina and the Organisation of American States. I like this picture of the fire in front of the tower overlooking the river.