PowerPoint Presentation of Pictures

I am not sure if anyone will check this blog again, but just in case I have uploaded a PowerPoint Movie of my favorite pictures from the trip. It has taken me longer than I had hoped to put more pictures on-line, yet I figure better late than never. I apologize that there are no descriptions to go along with each picture but hopefully the location and image will tell the story (if not I am sure you could "Google" search the location and find anything and everything you want to know about the area). Feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions about my trip or if the movie does not work (I think you can download the file to your desktop to make it larger if you want). I hope you enjoy the pictures and thanks for following my blog through South America. 

Un abrazo fuerte,

Jonathan Clevenger

Random Pictures

So here are some random pictures I thought I would post before working on some homework. The first picture is of me and Moose (a friend in the program who is a huge soccer fan) with Martin Palermo (a famous Argentine Soccer player). We were at the airport returning from Iguazu Falls and I noticed a lady taking a picture with a guy and as I got started looking I noticed it was Martin. Being young and fearless, I approached him and asked if Moose and I could have a picture with him, here is the result. The second picture is a dance club in the Campo (farm) in Wheelwright called Indiana. I found it hilarious that the only club in this small town was named after Indiana so I knocked on the door, told the owners I was from Indiana, and got a tour of "Indiana" in Argentina. I felt right at home. The third picture is a tarantula I walked across in Brazil when I ventured off the beaten path. I hate spiders but I was brave long enough to take this picture and get out of there. Minutes later I ran across a huge snake on the same trail that forced me to throw in the towel and head back to safe terrain. The last picture is of me preparing an Asado (grilling out) for my family in Buenos Aires. I learned how they grill their meat down here while wearing a bounya (typical farmer hat) and my farmer shoes (not in picture). The Argentine style of grilling is quite different but I think it produces a better flavor. To explain quickly, they create a fire on the side of the grill and then break the coals off with a shovel and move them underneath the meat. It takes a little longer but the smoke from the wood produces a natural mouthwatering flavor. I am looking forward to preparing an Asado for you all when I get back. Those are all the pictures for now. I hope you are enjoying my photos and I will add some more this week sometime. 

Love,

Jon

Movimiento Sem Terra

Here are some pictures from the MST (Movement Without Land) camp we visited in Brazil. You can see from the pictures that all the buildings are constructed by members within the group and thus quite simple. The last picture is their school buildings and the first and third are their houses. I thought I would include the little boy riding the dog because he followed us around the camp while we were there. In regards to the movement of people, they are small farmers who don't have land and can't afford to buy it. I won't go into great detail but the movement itself is pretty interesting and there is lots of information online if you want to learn more.

Iguazu Falls

So here are two pictures from Iguazu Falls (Iguazu meaning Big Water in a local indigenous language called Guarani) on Argentina's Northeast border with Brazil.  These waterfalls are one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and are absolutely breathtaking. The two rivers, Iguazu and Parana, meet to create this amazing landscape and our tour guide told us there are a total of 275 waterfalls over a 2 mile stretch. Besides the impressive falls, there is very rich jungle vegetation around the park and most of the plants have yet to be classified. Our tour guide also told us that the national park is home to over 800 species of butterflies, 435 species of birds, 70 species of mammals (including Jaguars and Ant Eaters), and 40 species of reptiles. 

The first picture (with me wearing my IU shirt to prove that I was there haha) is taken at the highest point of the falls, known as the Mouth of the Devil (La Garganta del Diablo). From this point it is nearly impossible to see the bottom of the waterfalls because of all the mist they produce. Every so often you get drenched by a cloud mist being blow from the falls, which feels good in the tropical heat but is not good for electronic devices like my camera.  We hung out in this area for about forty five minutes marveling at the size, sound, and beauty of such enormous waterfalls. 

The second picture is from the Lower Trail (Paseo Inferior) that contains the most panoramic views of the falls. As you can see in the lower left hand corner of the picture there is a rainbow that formed at the bottom of the falls that makes for an even more tranquil setting. There is also thick vegetation on this path and I ran across various lizards, spiders (including a tarantula), and monkeys. Towards the end of the trail we were able to walk out onto a platform fairly close to one of the smaller falls and get drenched by the cool fresh water. I enjoyed the lower trail most because it was easier to see the whole landscape from one central point and the total environment with the falls and vegetation was quite relaxing. 

All in all the Iguazu Falls are stunning and quite humbling. The ability of Nature to forge such a gorgeous landscape blows my mind. For me the falls definitely rank up their with the Grand Canyon and make all the other waterfalls I have seen look puny. I took around 400 pictures at Iguazu Falls so I have many more pictures to share. This has been my favorite natural site we have visited yet on this trip and I am looking forward to more adventures like this. I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all. 

Love, Jon

El Tigre

These are photos from "El Tigre", which is about an hour outside the city. There are tons of rivers and islands that meet in "El Tigre" and they come together into a beautiful estuary. The environment is extremely relaxing and there is a lot to do. There is a giant market, an amusement park, and a casino around the area.  I took a boat ride around the rivers and it was very relaxing. I hope to return before I leave but I will have to wait to see if time allows me to do so. 

Recoleta Cemetery

These are pictures of the cemetery Recoleta in Buenos Aires. It is supposedly the most expensive property in Buenos Aires and I must say the graves are quite impressive. The graves are very elaborate and some of them are extremely big. The cemetery as a whole is fairly large and there are rows and rows of graves like the ones in these pictures. Also, the first picture is the grave of "Evita" Peron, a very well known political figure and icon in argentina, and most people visit Recoleta just to see her burial place. Beyond the graves, there are lots of stray cats that roam the area and seek "lovin" from animal fans like myself.