We had less than 24 hours in Lima. Our flight from the States arrived after midnight and we flew to Bolivia the next day at 8pm. Most folks said recommended bypassing Lima completely, and we had planned on (mostly) taking their advice.
A friend’s parents live in Lima, and we had the pleasure to spend the day with them. (Thanks Islas!) It was a lot of fun, and we were pleasantly surprised by the city. The neighborhoods of Miraflores & Barranco were very charming, and Lima Centro was beautiful. I guess the current mayor has done a lot for the city (and tourism) in recent times, and it definitely showed.
Of course, I think it also helped, though, that we had local tour guides. :) Lima is still not particularly safe, and having friendly hosts who knew the city was a great treat.
the cliffs of miraflores
making jewelry in Barranco
placio arzobispal in plaza de armas
carriage in plaza de armas
pigeons, pigeons everywhere…
placio arzobispal in plaza de armas
iglesia de san pedro
My friend Peter recently sent me a link about Chinese public opinion & the Forbidden City Starbucks.
I first heard about the controversy last November, when my parents were in Beijing. It was only a month and a half after I snapped the picture below, but they had trouble finding the Starbucks: the sign was no longer there. (My dad tried to take a photo of the inside of the Starbucks, but they wouldn’t let him.)
Interestingly, my original post with this picture now has with 2093 hits…
La Boca is a barrio in Buenos Aires. Back in the day, the Italian immigrants used left over paint to spruce up the metal sidings of their homes. The result is the colorful touristy street of Caminito. Unfortunately, it’s recommended not to wander off the tourist areas out of safety concerns.
me, posing..
those large statues were everywhere
tourist posing with his mate
street art for sale.
table for two
windows
tango at lunch.
even the graffiti is colorful
playground
corner store in palermo
fresh orange juice (pure juice!) squeezed for you. 3 pesos. (1 usd.)
Colonia (full name “Colonia del Scaramento”) is an old colonial town built by the Portuguese. Its a short ferry ride away from Buenos Aires…. and seriously one of the most idyllic and romantic towns I’ve ever seen.
We spent a short (but relaxing) afternoon in Colonia.
delicious meal at “el drugstore,” an excellent restuarant in old colonia
iglesia matriz
street corner
lighthouse
the shore
playing cards
windows
a school
Day Two at Iguazu started at La Garganta del Diablo, the largest of the Iguazu waterfalls. It was amazing. Simply awesome. I think i’m ruined for all other waterfalls…
the garganta del diablo (”throat of the devil”). check out the bigger version here.
aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
across the way, you can see the brazilian lookout
cheers
garganta del diablo
garganta del diablo
garganta del diablo
garganta del diablo
san martin falls
san martin falls
Took a two day side trip to the Argentine side of the amazing Iguazu Falls. The first day we did La Gran Aventura, which includes a boat ride around and up to the falls. (I highly recommend.) There’s a huge rush to looking up at waterfall that is rushing down at you.
From wikipedia:
Upon seeing Iguazu, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” Vastly larger than North America’s Niagara Falls, Iguazu is rivalled only by Southern Africa’s Victoria Falls which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe…
here start your visit
la gran aventura: in the boat.
beany in the driver seat
from the boat: garanta del diablo, the largest of the igauzu waterfalls, in the distance
karen & beany
soaked from boating up to the base of the waterfalls.
san martin falls
rainbow over san martin
glorious nature
I spent Monday wandering around Recoleta, one of the nicer barrios in Buenos Aires. The highlight was, of course, the famed “Cementerio de Recoleta” where the rich & powerful are buried. Or, perhaps more accurately, enshrined. 
cementerio de recoleta
evita’s tomb @ cementerio de recoleta
me @ evita’s tomb @ cementerio de recoleta
floralis generica. the sculpture closes its petals at night like a real flower.
outside the facultad de derecho
colonial style building in recoleta
Arrived in Buenos Aires! Spent yesterday wandering around the Sunday antiques market. It was a beautiful sunny day and the streets had so much life to them.
tango sign
filete porteno - the most beautiful in the market
the artist
tango in the plaza
mi amiga
