At the Coastal Kitch

At probably our favorite breakfast spot in Seattle, the Coastal Kitchen. Theme this month is Cuba. My scramble sounds awesome and the coffee is great as usual.

Back in Buenos Aires

We spent the last two days of our trip back in the capital.  We had been invited by Josh's father's friend to the Buenos Aires Jockey Club, so we had to visit one of the top malls in the city, the Galleria Pacifica, to acquire the necessary Don attire.  On the way back, our cab driver took us to this underground leather goods store where we both got very nice leather "chaqetas" for only $100.

The Jockey Club was extremely pimp.  I mean, I felt like I was in a museum.  You weren't allowed to take photographs but I got some before they made me put the camera away. Amenities of the BA Jockey Club include library inside which the Dons can smoke cigars and read newspapers, fitness center with pool and fencing court, sauna, massage parlor, barbershop, 3 bars, solarium for the summer, tanning beds for the winter, a room in which Don's can just catch some sleep and a very nice looking restaurant where a Don can bring up to four guests (more than four is not permitted we were told). 

That night, on LaDamian's recommend, we had dinner at LaBrigada, one of the best barilla's in the city.  It was conveniently located just a few blocks from our hotel in San Telmo.  My steak was so big but as you can see, I managed to finish it somehow.  Our last day was short but we did have time to catch an outdoor tango show, have lunch in Palermo  with my mom's friend's brother Fernando and his girlfriend, and finally try yerba maté. 

I really enjoyed my nine days of relaxing in Argentina.  I am already dreaming of moving down there for six months to learn Spanish and ski the Andes. 

Mendoza

Josh and I spent most of the weekdays in Mendoza.  We arrived on Monday night and we weren't able to leave until Thursday night because the LAN pilots went on strike (for all of 6 hours).

Mendoza is famous for its wine and its proximity to the Andes and Aconcagua, the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas.  If we had planned a little better we could probably arranged to be on a tour up into the Andes on our first day in the province.  However, our flight to Mendoza was delayed and when we finally got it, we hadn't had dinner.  We ended up at a barilla by our hotel, eating steak and polishing off a bottle of wine at around 2am.  There was a true "don" at the restaurant.  He was not embarrassed at all when he fell asleep right at his table and the waiters had to wake him up.

We thought the wineries we toured were excellent but what do we know about wine.  They did deliver the spectacular views and tasty wines that we were hoping for.  The best we saw were Ruca Malen, LaGarde, Alta Vista and DiTomassi.  At Ruca Malen, our tour included a 5-course lunch with wine pairings.  I would say this is definitely a must-do if you visit Mendoza.  Another great spot to hit up for dinner in town is Azafran.

Because our flight was canceled and we had to wait in town for our bus departure, we had some time to kill so we strolled through Parque General San Martin.  The park is huge and like the rest of the city and the wineries that surround it, the trees, fountains and ponds of the park are supported by the region's complex system of aquifers and irrigation ditches.  The 14 hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires was most at night but I did see some spectacular scenery from my seat as the sun was setting.  First class is quite comfortable since the seats go all the way back.  I woke up in the middle of the and looked out the window.  I don't think I have ever seen that many stars in my life.  Reminds me how I should spend more time out in the wild away from these cities I live in.

Iguazu Falls Videos

I shot a couple short videos on my Panasonic DMC-TZ5.   The quality is pretty poor but at least you can see what the falls are like in action.  Watch for the birds that dive-bomb right into the waterfall.

Iguazu Falls

La Garganta del Diablo

Youtube has a ton of videos from other people of the falls if you didn't get enough waterfall-action here.

Iguazu Falls

Here are maybe half of the pictures I took at Iguazu Falls during my vacation in Argentina. The falls were truly spectacular. I will have to figure out how to post the short movies I filmed because the pictures can't do it justice. You really need to be able to hear the roar of the water crashing down to truly understand how incredible these waterfalls are.