Is this the falls??

Today's adventure was Iguazu Falls. We had to walk about 30 minutes from the entrance to the actual river, leading to a lot of questions that were mostly "is this the falls?" The answer was generally, "no, Jenn, that's a puddle". But if you listened really carefully, you could hear Taylor muttering, "god these guys are dumb"

It was super beautiful and whatever. We took some quality selfies.

We also went on a boat ride where they drove us right next to one of the falls so it would spray all over us. Taylor hated it. We're also convinced that the boat slid over into the Brazil side, so we have officially been in another country this trip. Well, I guess it would be unofficially.

Also these small raccoon-y things kept trying to steal our lunch and scared Jenn (seriously is there anything that doesn't scare her?). We weren't the only ones that they were stealing from, but for some reason there was an unspoken agreement amongst everyone else to allow the little devils to sneak up to other groups so they would hilariously freak out when a tiny paw started batting at their pack of cookies. International cooperation at it's finest.

Jenn hates big things

Ok kids, get your head out of the gutter.

Apparently my dear travel companion is afraid of large, moving objects. I guess planes make the list. Don't worry, I took photos.

Yo <3 BA

Sometime yesterday afternoon Buenos Aires started to feel a bit too much like a post (zombie) apocalyptic wasteland. The ceaseless rain and wind was definitely a contributor, but the nearly empty streets were the most confusing. Add to that a weird group of people drumming, dancing and yelling with no explanation and you'll arrive at our confusion conclusion. 

I can tell you one thing for sure: today we tried to see the San Telmo market but didn't get to do so thoroughly because of the storm, we were cold and wet and even a little hangry and still We think this city is the greatest. 

Even as I sit watching the Atlantic swirl in angry storm waves from the airport, I'm listing the glorious things BA has to offer in my head:

The cutest accent ever

General friendliness toward strangers but within personal boundaries

Delicious tasty meats and fantastic wines (chorizo from a food truck anyone?)

Leather goods and adorable clothing in boutiques that look like sunshine and happiness

A million cute cafes with high quality coffee

Books. Everywhere. Cheap books, big books, red book, blue books, old books, new books. 

The fact that I can count the number of times I've been whistled at on one hand. 

Tango

Open wifi network almost anywhere (even on some public transit)

The fact that I've yet to be arrested by Interpol

In short, Buenos Aires is the bomb (dot com). We're headed to Iguazu Falls in northern Argentina this afternoon and spending a few days exploring there before returning to BA. I've heard the waterfall is "unbelievable" and "unreal"...I don't know, sounds like a rouse to me, we'll see. 

Family Outing

Some pictures from our recent family outing. We went to the cathedral, then stumbled upon this random Greek festival. Taylor obviously was unhappy to be there, remarking, "what does Greece have to do with Argentina? This place is dumb, if you make me take a picture in that dumb frame I swear I might kill myself." Taylor remains alive and overdramatic.

J&J Dictionary

plop
adj. Having the qualities to be awesome, but falling about 20% short of actually being awesome. That dress was plop. I thought that guy was cute, but then he was plop.
v. to act or be almost awesome, but consistently falling about 20% short. I was plopping at tango dancing.

Topy-top
adj. Having the qualities to be plop, but not quite being good enough to even be considered plop. I hated everything in that store, it was so topy-top.
v. to act to be sort of disappointing and/or not that awesome. Emanuel was topy-topping hard last night.

iPhone 6
n. Anything and everything that I don't understand. I don't recognize this street, it must be the iPhone 6. When Emanuel speaks English, it is the iPhone 6.

A Rebuttal

I'd like to correct the slanderous things that were posted about me this morning and add a bit of detail to the story of my newfound love. 

First, Jeannie will tell you a "fell down" whilst walking in a flat surface in very high heels. I did no such thing. 

You see, we were passing a large group of people waiting for the bus and I, as is tradition in my native state, bowed deeply toward them, throwing out my arms. I bowed so deeply that for a moment I sat on the ground which is the highest form of respect one can show where I'm from. 

The looks on their faces were not of irritation or amusement but appreciation. 

Second, I was recently told by a "friend" that I should look for men who are "kind of clumsy and maybe a little heavy." Well ladies and gentlemen, I found him. 

See Jeannie's earlier post for the details but suffice it to say he had me at "you're so tall I don't know how I would..." And then a lot of confusing gesturing. 

When he departed and broke my heart forever, my darling Emmanuel left us with a few kind words. 

To Jeannie: thank you for the conversation, I really liked talking to you

To me: I love you. I...I love you. Te amo. 

Emanuel falls in love

Jenn: "maybe I'll actually write a post on the blog tomorrow"

I don't believe that for a second.

Yesterday we walked around a ton and saw a bunch of buildings. They were sort of important, I guess, like Congress and the presidential house. And they were pretty, if you're into that sort of thing. We also stopped in some book stores and perused some really old books.

Then, last night, we got dressed fancy and went for a beer. I was in sandals and Jenn was in heels, so she was...significantly taller than me. Jenn might get upset if I tell you about the wind blowing her skirt up while we were passing a group of men, and she might get frustrated with me all over again if I remind her about how I got confused and made get walk an extra 3 blocks in her heels, so I won't tell you about those things. Instead, I'll tell you about how she tripped on absolutely nothing on a totally flat part of the street and fell on her ass. It was pretty funny, but even funnier when you add the fact that we were across the street from a crowded bus stop. We could see the looks on their faces saying, "dumb drunk tourist, completely wasted at 9:30". Little did they know, that Jenn was sober, just clumsy.

We arrived at the bar and stood around drinking some beers, when Emanuel entered our lives. He told us that he had a present, but only had one and we would have to fight for it. When he produced a 50 cent piece of chocolate, we immediately started throwing punches. He tried to convince us that it was traditional Argentine chocolate, but we had seen it many a time before in Peru, so we were not fooled. Emanuel graced us with his presence for awhile, engaging us in riveting conversation:

"Argentine men are like me but taller and more handsome and more...no fat,"
"my name in Peruvian is Emanuel...and in Argentine, it is Emanuel,"
"I am cute, like a bear... A toy...like a bear toy."
"I will come to the united states and visit Colorado, no, not Colorado, Washington. And I will knock on the door, and you will answer."

As he turned to leave, he looked at me and said, "thank you for the conversation, it was nice meeting you." He looked at Jenn, "I love you." He professed his love for Jenn multiple times before leaving.

Jenn, you heartbreaker.