We returned to the South American continent at Puerto Madryn, Argentina – it was great to get back to warm weather, beach and sun.  We sailed up the coast to Montevideo and enjoyed a round of golf on the coast.  Interestingly, the course bordered on some military installation with armed centuries in towers watching over us – an eerie feeling.

Next stop, beautiful Buenos Aires – sometimes called the “Paris of South America.”  Debra organized another of her famous “foodie tours” that was a big hit.  The highlight was an empanada making class led by a famous local chef.

It was the first time he’d ever done one. He had been a psychologist, but said he got depressed talking to depressed people all day.  He was such a character that the entertainment was almost as good as the resultant food.  The empanadas we made weren’t pretty, but I’ve never tasted one so good. If you go to BA, visit “Peron Peron” and try one!

Because we’ve been to Buenos Aires before, we took a side trip to visit the famous Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil.  275 waterfalls span over a width of 1.5 miles – some of them twice the height of Niagara Falls.  The weather was terrible, with torrential rains that made the water brown and photography challenging.  We donned ponchos and took the upper trail on the Argentina side to see it from above and then bussed to a beautiful hotel on the Brazilian side for the night.  We had hoped to take a helicopter tour the next morning, but the low clouds caused a cancellation.  Instead we joined with some friends and booked a Zodiak boat trip up the river and under the falls.  They gave us ponchos that were a bit of a joke – we all got drenched! 

 

I made a video of our outing (8 minutes), including some stock helicopter footage that I didn’t take and also a clip on a little fun I had with the group as they slept in the bus on the way home.