Can't think of a title, but this one is about Buenos Aires and Iquitos.
Currently I'm in Iquitos the biggest city in the world without a road link. It's about an hour and half flight from Lima in the Peruvian Amazon Basin, I got in yesterday evening after a day's travel from Buenos Aires.
So my last few days in Buenos Aires were blessed with sunshine after a couple of days of heavy rain. I spent a day out in the La Boca area, went back to the sunday market, saw heaps of street performers, had lots of time in parks and just wandering the city and took some spanish lessons.
La Boca is a port area that originally had buildings made from shipping iron and decoratively painted with ship paint. The result is zaney, brightly coloured buildings which have continued to be painted in this style. It naturally attracts a fair few tourists so there are heaps of cafes and souvener shops. At the same time lots of local artists also have stalls showing their paintings and handiwork. It's quiet funky. Interesting to note how different it is from the surrounding area in terms of renovation and development.
The street performers in Buenos Aires are really rather brilliant. Tango dancers, puppeters, buskers, jugglers and living statues all make an appearance in the pedestrian malls and around the market areas. My personal favourite were the guy and the girl who were living statues who dressed as business people walking into the wind. Their costumes included wired up trenchcoats and ties made to look like the wind had caught them. Very nifty.
Took spanish lessons during my stay, and now I'm, well... not toally hopeless! But saying that my teacher was great (very patient) and I know enough to get by.
Caught my flight yesterday morning from BA to Lima then spent a few hours in Lima airport then flew up here to Iquitos. The view of the sun setting through the clouds over the Amazon and the rainforest from the plane was rather spectacular. I feel I am back in South East Asia. It's equatorial (only 4 degrees south of the Equator), hot, there are tuk-tuks, everyone is laid back and I stick out like, well a tourist!
Given Carnaval has started (Ash Wednesday being next week and all) I was witness to many waterfights today. Brazillians have street parties and dancing, Peruvians have waterfights. Which is not a bad idea given the heat. It's rather amusing to be walking around town and see fully grown men peeking around a corner with a water balloon. Got hit by a water pistol whilst riding in a tuk-tuk which was rather funny.
I forgot how big macaws were until I walked past one at head height on my way out tonight. There was also a tiny kitten at the hostel as well which was about a third of the size of the macaw. Which gave me all sorts of amusing birds chasing cats images.
Spending the next 6 days at a jungle lodge up the Amazon, don't worry there will be many photos.
So my last few days in Buenos Aires were blessed with sunshine after a couple of days of heavy rain. I spent a day out in the La Boca area, went back to the sunday market, saw heaps of street performers, had lots of time in parks and just wandering the city and took some spanish lessons.
La Boca is a port area that originally had buildings made from shipping iron and decoratively painted with ship paint. The result is zaney, brightly coloured buildings which have continued to be painted in this style. It naturally attracts a fair few tourists so there are heaps of cafes and souvener shops. At the same time lots of local artists also have stalls showing their paintings and handiwork. It's quiet funky. Interesting to note how different it is from the surrounding area in terms of renovation and development.
The street performers in Buenos Aires are really rather brilliant. Tango dancers, puppeters, buskers, jugglers and living statues all make an appearance in the pedestrian malls and around the market areas. My personal favourite were the guy and the girl who were living statues who dressed as business people walking into the wind. Their costumes included wired up trenchcoats and ties made to look like the wind had caught them. Very nifty.
Took spanish lessons during my stay, and now I'm, well... not toally hopeless! But saying that my teacher was great (very patient) and I know enough to get by.
Caught my flight yesterday morning from BA to Lima then spent a few hours in Lima airport then flew up here to Iquitos. The view of the sun setting through the clouds over the Amazon and the rainforest from the plane was rather spectacular. I feel I am back in South East Asia. It's equatorial (only 4 degrees south of the Equator), hot, there are tuk-tuks, everyone is laid back and I stick out like, well a tourist!
Given Carnaval has started (Ash Wednesday being next week and all) I was witness to many waterfights today. Brazillians have street parties and dancing, Peruvians have waterfights. Which is not a bad idea given the heat. It's rather amusing to be walking around town and see fully grown men peeking around a corner with a water balloon. Got hit by a water pistol whilst riding in a tuk-tuk which was rather funny.
I forgot how big macaws were until I walked past one at head height on my way out tonight. There was also a tiny kitten at the hostel as well which was about a third of the size of the macaw. Which gave me all sorts of amusing birds chasing cats images.
Spending the next 6 days at a jungle lodge up the Amazon, don't worry there will be many photos.
posted by moonbug @ Saturday, February 05, 2005
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