The Official Photos

Victor Bugge has been the official photographer of the Argentian President since 1978.
He has, therefore, had the chance of capturing the most intriguing moments of the different governments. From militar dictators to elected presidents.

Not much has escaped from his sharp lens. The magic world of photography gives us the chance to see a million different things in the very same picture, and also show us the escense of a difficult country's politics from behind the scenes.

Here are some of his pictures for you. I hope you enjoy them.

•Trying to take a picture.

 • Walk in autumn after signing a peace treaty between president Alfonsín (right) and future President Menem (left) 

• President Alfonsín in his free time.

 •  Hard times for Alfonsin.

 •Death of former President Nestor Kirchner, husband of current president (by the coffin)

 • President Alfonsin talks to the masses

• Dictator Videla in the Pink House.

 • Cristina Kirchner wins 2007 elections.

Iguazú: things to do

The most important thing to know about Puerto Iguazú is that the Iguazú Falls even though they are more than awe-inspiring and breathtaking, they are not the only thing in the city.
Of course, they will be the peak of your staying there, so I would suggest you go there the last. But it's just a suggestion.




Triple Border

One of the most beautiful places Puerto Iguazú has-specially during sunset-is the Triple Southamerican Border.

It is exactly where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina almost become one.


They are only divided by narrow river, and you can see the streest and houses in Brazil and the building in Paraguay. It's a very calm point and you can local buses take you there.
If you go during the day, you can take a 10 minute boat ride to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, wich is- they say- a place where you can get anything for cheaper than a shilling (and those don't even exist anymore)


If you think of going ot Paraguay by bus from Puerto Iguazú, there's no other road but via Brazil. Hence, it takes longer.

Wanda Mines

The Wanda Mines are a very offered tourist service.


Despite its condition of mine, you'll see it's considered a vilage in the map.

You have to take a half an hour bus more or less, and you'll get to a sign. That's all Wanda is: a sign and a road that starts there, leading you into a tropical area.


Walking up it, you'll find the mine with time , and on your way you might run into local kids that will try selling you precious stones for very low prices.

The entrance to the mine has a fee, and you get a guided tour round it including an informative talk on the minerals they work, and a gift shop.


The stones in their gift shop are polished and have deeper colours (wich means more purity) but they probably cost 10 to 15 times more than the ones the kids outside the place sell.

The Aripuca

If you're looking for a very very calm place, the Aripuca is ideal. There are no sounds there, unless you ask for the paraguayan lady to play the harp for you for free.

This instrument is one of the very few sounds on Earth that can make you relax, no exception. It's even used now in spas.

The same entrance ticket can be used as many times as you like! So I'd suggest you take advantage of it.

Aripuca means "bird cage" in the local native language, and that is exactly what this place is: The biggest bird trap in the world.

But don't worry, it doens't work coz it's too big, you have stairs to go all the way up.

One activity offered in this place is bowing: a native will teach you how to shoot an arrow with a bow.

Guira Oga

If you're looking for wildlife, don't expect to find much at the Falls' Park, like I said before.
Many of the past days' common wildlife is now in danger of extintion.

However, there's Guira Oga: a natural reserve for tropical and non tropical animals.
There, you can find from toucans to eagles, to owls to carpinchos.

The carpincho is a southamerican rodent...and it's the biggest and heaviest in the world.
Still you'll see, it's very nice looking animal. It doesn not look like a rat, don't worry.

Guira Oga is a NGO, so they charge an entrance fee to support the place, its guests and staff.
It's on the way to the Falls.

The House of Bottles

Another place to visit is the House of Bottles, wich is exaclty what it's called: an entire house made out of plastic bottles.


Even it's heating sistem is made out of the same thing using a special mechanism.

It's close to the Aripuca.

That Hug

An image can describe things better than a million words. And it’s precisely an image what made me write this. Or more like a series of images, that would make anyone’s heart stop for a minute, especially in this times when another World Cup is being held.

Together, this pictures constitute an incredible mix of historic witness, artistic work, and naked humanity, and this has won “El abrazo del alma” (as this series of photographs have been named) many awards. Roughly translated it means “The Hug from the Soul” and just yesterday it was their 32nd anniversary.

32 years ago, yesterday, Argentina won its first ever World Cup, in 1978. With a chaotic background of the most bloody military regime South America has ever seen; fear, ignorance, passion, anxiousness, and loads of other feelings only people who lived it can express, Argentina was achieving the national dream, a tiny little bit of fake fresh air our suffocated society needed to stay alive for a bit longer.

Here I leave you the impressive shots and hope you like them. Below, there’s the short story behind them.

25th June 1978. River Plate’s football stadium. Argentina has just become World Champion for the first time. Seconds after the referee calls the end of the match.

Tarantini, one of the Argentinean players lets himself fall on the pitch and starts crying. Fillol, the goalkeeper, goes up to him to share the same feeling and kneels next to him to put their arms around each other.

A young fan whom had been hiding for an hour before the end of the match, comes running towards them. He wants to share this glorious moment with his idols. They’ll never be so close to him again, and only God knows how long will it take for these circumstances to repeat themselves.

But he’s got no arms.

He himself recalls it: “I saw the players right there, so close to me…they held each other, so I had to stop. And right then the sleeves of my blazer went forward and rested on both their backs. That’s when Alfieri took the picture and it looks as if the three of us were holding”

Victor Nicolás Dell’Aquilla was 22 at that time, and he had lost his arms during his childhood after an accident with an electrical post.

Pictures by Ricardo Alfieri (Senior) for the classical Argentinean sports magazine “El Gráfico”.

The Obelisco

The Obelisco is a monument present in so many postards of Buenos Aires, that it had to be inlcuded here.

It is a 68 meter tall obelisk shaped monument, built for the 400th anniversary of Buenos Aires.



It's located in the middle of 9 de Julio Avenue, the widest in Latin America.

It was built by a German company in only 31 days and it required the demolition of the church located in the spot.

The location was chosen after this church being the first place in which the Argentinian flag was ever waved.
It might seem as its head has the shape of a pointy piramyd but its top is actually blunt and has a lightning conductor.

Just as Plaza de Mayo is used for political manifestations, the Obelisco is used for artistical pourposes.


A few years ago, it was covered in a pink rubber condom to commemorate AIDS day.

Welcome!

This website is not to promote tourism, it's simply to help anyone that might consider Argentina for anything, have an idea of the place.

This is simply information from a native, free of any catchs or anything.

You can read why I decided to make this website in the "intro" link above.

Argentina is a large country with a million different wonderful things to offer and it's a shame many people come and miss many lovely spots or don't really kow what they're seeing.

I've tried not to put many pictures I haven't taken because this is not this is not a promotion of anything...but I've had to as there are many places I haven't visited but are worth it's sections.

Some pictures here might look like they were taken from the internet or done professionaly, but they were taken by me with a 3.2 mp camera, so you can see some places are that beautiful no camera could not show that condition.