President Barack H. Obama

Where were you when Barack Obama delivered his inauguration speech? That's sure to be a moment in time people will remember for a long time to come. I was checking out of the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta where I attended a McAfee meeting.

Obama's speech was on display on all screens mounted from the walls behind the check-in desk at the large hotel, monitors in the hallways also displayed the new president. I apologized to the front desk staff for interrupting the speech to get my bill, but I had to go catch a flight. I walked through the Peachtree Center Mall to get to the Marta trains, it was all very quiet with many people likely in front of a TV where I couldn't see them.

While much less powerful than hearing it from Obama himself, I read the speech on my BlackBerry at the airport. To me, being from outside the U.S. and having seen the world go to pieces over the past eight years, the following passage was really powerful and actually gave me goosebumps:

"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more."

Mr. Obama, I am looking forward to that change! In case you didn't see the speech, it is available here:

Iguazu

The scale of the Iguazu falls is unimaginable and can't be done justice on camera. What you see in this shot is just a part of the falls on what appears to be both sides of the river. The falls stretch over about 1.5km and there are almost 100 individual falls!

Iguazu

The Iguazu waterfalls in Argentina and Brazil are truly wonders of nature. This shot was taken from the Brazil side where you have a great panorama of the falls. If you go, see the Brazillian side first and then go to the Argentinian side where you will get up close and personal with the falls and see other magnificent views.

Eva Perron

Tourists line up to see the Duarte family grave in Buenos Aires. Among those in line my colleague Sal Viveros who had also picked the city for his holiday break. Eva Perron's body is the main draw here, she was placed in the grave after her body had first disappeared with the changing regimes in Argentina. When it was finally found, it was placed in her family's grave.

Boca & Coca

This is the stadium of Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's best known soccer teams. If you look closely at the photo (click on it for a larger version) you will notice that the Coca Cola logo is black and white instead of red and white. That's because those are the colors of one of Boca's rivals :)

Seen in Buenos Aires

Walking the streets of Buenos Aires I saw this billboard. This would probably never be allowed on the streets in the U.S., but it is something that you might see in Holland. The text reads: "For you, all are different? For cancer, they're all the same."