Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our last big trip while living in South America and our last trip out-of-the-country was to Buenos Aires.  For Geoff and I, this has been our only repeat destination, though this time, our two children and my parents went with us, which was not the case when we were in Buenos Aires on our honeymoon. 

We spent almost two weeks there, first in the city and then at a countryside inn and polo club. Although Argentina is plagued with financial woes, the places we visited were still just as classy as we remembered without being run-down or even dirty.

Highlights included: good meals (and even better wine); polo lessons (much harder than it looks); the zoo; shopping; tango; city sight-seeing.

Argentina is famous for its beef. We don't eat red meat, so
we enjoyed the dairy. 

Nana, Leo and Eri on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour.

Travel buddies.

We did a lot of shopping in BA, especially at the artesanal fairs.
About the only thing we didn't take home was from this booth
selling a variety of dreadlocks, which still make me gag a little. 

On a date, enjoying some really good treats and even better conversation.

These birds tried to eat Leo. 

Keeping a safe distance.

Ralphy.

Badass.

The view from our hotel rooms was the famous Recoleta Cemetery,
where Eva Peron and what looks like a lot of other people are buried. This was the
highlight for Eri, 4, who was fascinated by the concept.

Boca Juniors stadium.

Authentic Argentine bbq. The menu at this hole-in-the-wall place
listed "horse," but the woman assured me it was the style of the dish, not
the actual meat. Still, we didn't take our chances. 

Obligatory selfie!

Open-mouth kiss for Nana.

My dad and Geoff went to a soccer game …



… while the girls plus Leo went to high tea. Leo meat-pawed his way
through the crust-less sandwiches and all the little cakes, though we still felt fancy.

Our countryside inn and polo club:

Polo is huge in Argentina, so we spent a weekend at an all-inclusive
polo club, riding horses, swimming and relaxing.

Geoff and I took a polo lesson. He picked it up pretty quickly and played
well, while I enjoyed riding the horse and listening to our instructor's British accent.
Regardless, it was one of the most fun travel activities I've ever done. 

We played in match against a British couple. With my only polo
 knowledge coming from the Ralph Lauren insignia and completely lacking
Geoff's natural ability for the sport, Team America was defeated.

Eri and I with "Rosie."

Even after watching our polo lesson and all of its swinging and missing,
Eri told me she wanted to be on my team. So cute.

Happiness.

Life is good.

Mato Grosso

Our final excursion in Brazil was to the state of Mato Grosso, an area known for its wildlife and natural beauty. The four of us, along with my parents, ventured off the beaten path (sometimes way off the beaten path), visiting the three areas of Cuiaba, Nobres and Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

Highlights: lots of birds, namely "Blu" and "Jewel" from the movie Rio; lots of water activities; lots of animals, including super cute monkeys, delicious alligators (which we ate at a restaurant one night) and creepy Capivara, which are the largest rodents in the world (weighing, on average, 100 pounds), as well as very beautiful scenery, caves, and waterfalls.

Tidbits

Spandex: Just like seeing a baby drinking Coke (even if it is diet) out of his bottle, I can't stop myself from judging every time I pass a pair of crazy-patterned, tight pants here. Brazilian women of all sizes wear them as athletic gear, for going out-on-the-town, to children's parties -- just like Americans wear jeans. In addition to the patterns below, I've seen prison stripes, checkerboard, tie-dyed, every animal print possible and even a repeating pattern of Jesus' face. I've seen textured patterns, where the spandex is actually raised. I've seen the spandex paired with tennis shoes, high heals, boots or flip-flops. I once saw a woman wearing the pants with a t-shirt that read, "OMG." My thoughts exactly, sister friend.

In the foreground AND the background!
I'm telling you, they are everywhere. 

Look close, and you'll see THREE pairs of tight, crazy pants here.

They come in a variety of lengths, including three-quarters (see above),
mini skirt (see below) and, wait for it, full-body, that is a one-piece, neck to ankle spandex
outfit (unfortunately not pictured here, but is forever in my mind.)

Names: We recently received this invitation inviting "Herry" and her family to a birthday party. Our names are tough for Brazilians. For them, Geoff is "Jeff-y," Brye is "Brye-a," and, unfortunately, Eri is either "Air-he" or "Herry" (not to be confused with "Hairy.") Luckily for Leo, his name is Brazilian, though here they pronounce is "Ley-o."

Awesome: Brazilians love, love, love taking selfies and we thoroughly enjoy watching them take selfies. They shamelessly adjust their boobs, toss their hair and pucker their lips while clicking away for what seems like forever, or until they get it just right.

Awesome: On our way to the beach, we ended up behind a dude driving a goat around in the bed of his truck. 

And, awesome: Eri, 4, recently brought home this mask smoking a pipe, which she made at preschool with the help of her teacher.

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