Iguazu Bound...

Ok, so we haven't actually been to Iguazu Falls yet, but I've spent the past 2 days trying to organize a trip to the falls, so now I'm getting very, very excited about going... I've learned all sorts of new vocabulary, like flow rate and Guarani, terms that are important to understanding the "big picture" of a visit to the falls (or so I'm told by the online experts on the subject). Neither of us realized that bookings must be made months in advance, so we've encountered our first scramble for availability so far on our trip around the world... thankfully, we've discovered a great travel agent (other than myself) who is helping us sort it all out... Miriam has been great, and above all, speaks near-perfect English to help explain the details. As it turns out, most of the flights and hotels are completely full during the length of the time that we'll be in Buenos Aires, somthing we didn't anticipate. This has simply confirmed my belief that I LOVE A CHALLENGE and has really driven my desire to go... I've found the flights myself through Lan airlines website, but getting the hotel we want has proven to be even more difficult... We have our sights on the 5-star Cataratas resort hotel http://www.hotelcataratas.com.ar/ in on the Argentinian side of the falls... After cruising the website and a glowing testimonial from Miriam, we are dead set on staying here... combined with the fact that the entire stay, including all meals, will set us back about 70 pounds sterling a night... (To put that amount into perspective, Paul and I spent 60 pounds a night to stay in a musty converted barn outside Kendall in the English lake district. Converted barn VS. 5-star tropical paradise? You do the math...) I'm heading down to Miriam's office in about 2 hours to see if she's made any progress... A good travel agent can do wonders with making available rooms suddenly appear! Otherwise, things here in BA are going great: Paul is keeping very busy with Spanish lessons, swimming at Megatron, checking out ballet schools (I think he found one yesterday at the Galleria Pacifica arts center that looks extremely promising)... Speaking of ballet schools, Paul has asked me a few times to join him on his quest for the right studio... The other day, we walked just north of us to a place that was recommended as possibly being suitable for classes on his level... The scene we walked into will be burned into my fragile mind forever... A blackened, unmarked door followed by narrow and dimly-lit staircase, leading to a reception area that resembled a tomb more than a dance school: dusty fake roses and yellowed ballet posters covered the walls; a dark velvet sofa sat in the corner, on which was deposited an obese woman in a pantsuit, blowing cigarette smoke into the windowless room... Behind the desk sat the Argentine-version of Baby Jane Hudson: a heavily-faded former ballerina with rouge circles on her cheeks, who was eager to discribe the high-level of instruction at her school... Paul was extremely polite and asked a few questions before we bolted for the door... Once back on the street, we burst into laughter! Very bizarre, but also hysterical, experience. I only wish I had her photo to post on the blog! Baby Jane Peron. The most popular song here at the moment is last-year's most popular song in England, James Blunt's Beautiful, a song that I never really liked in the first place, and now I am subjected to around 3 times a day... he's getting more airplay than the Beatles! I am really enjoying Nelly Furtado's LP Loose, which is about as close to hip hop as I see myself enjoying... http://www.nellyfurtado.com/ Tonight: water the plants and then head to 2 for 1 night at the Recoleta Village Cinema, which has become our weekly ritual... Tomorrow: Lourdes the chatty housekeeper is coming to clean and change the linens at around 1pm, followed by the electrician, who needs to replace some wiring that has caused the overhead track lighting to short circuit... then yoga class at 7:15pm, followed by dinner out? Saturday: We see the Opera Boris Godunov at the Teatro Colon... All you could ever want to know (and more) about this opera can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Godunov_%28opera%29 After the show, we are off to meet Franco and Juan to hear a singer at a little nightclub in Palermo... I am simultaneously experiencing both domestic and cultural bliss. Fantastic! More soon. xxx Jason