Tango in Buenos Aires- May 3, 2010

People tango in the streets in Buenos Aires like people breakdanced in the streets in the 80s. It's part of the culture. So of course, we went to a tango dinner show which was amazing. It was an intimate show with a pretty yummy 5-course meal and the dancing was amazing. It was touristy tango, but that was more fun for Missy and I to see. We even got a little tango lesson before dinner.

Iguassu Falls, Argentina- May 2, 2010

Iguassu Falls is breathtaking. We flew into the Brazilian side and crossed over the border into Argentina to get a close up view of the falls. I've never seen Niagara, but I can't imagine falls more spectacular.

Ipanema Beach, Finally!- May 1, 2010

The rain finally went, leaving the gorgeous sun that Rio is known for. So even though we were leaving on an afternoon flight, we headed to the beach in the morning to laze around and soak up the sun for a few hours. Everyone was out, volleyball games afoot, and Rio was back to its energetic self.

Copacabana, Leblon, and Pau de Acucar- April 29-30, 2010

After a couple more days of furious rain, we finally got a beautiful rainless night to go up to Sugarloaf and watch the sunset on the city, its sparkling lights popping in the night.

Goooaaaaal!!! Going to a Brazilian Soccer Match- April 28, 2010

There's nothing like experiencing the mass chaos and fervor of Brazilian soccer. The city's excitement about their team the Flamengos playing against their archrivals and main competition the Sao Paolo Corinthians in the quarterfinals of the National Championship was palpable. Despite the torrential rain which soaked us, raincoats and all, in seconds, the stands were packed and the place sold out. We experienced the mobs starts and stops trying to get in, careful to hold on to each other and avoid being trampled. We sang their endless songs (well we tried anyway), hoped the fireworks didn't make their sparked way towards us, and prayed that the stadium wouldn't collapse as it swayed with 100,000 screaming and stomping fans. Thank goodness we won. Go Flamengos!

Rio de Janeiro and Santa Theresa- April 28, 2010

We spent the first part of the day walking along Ipanema beach, before deciding that the overcast skies made the hilltop community of Santa Theresa more appealing for our first day in Rio. We took the bonde up which like the San Francisco trolleys is a fun way to travel. Amidst the disrepair of the buildings, we could still see what a luxurious place it used to be. We went to a gutted mansion, a private art collector's home turned museum, and had our first taste of the deliciousness of Brazilian meat and pumpkin stew.

The Beauty of the Amazon, Brazil