Iguazu Falls

After a long, sleepless night on the bus we arrive in Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian side to meet up with our guide for the next two days, Eduardo.  Because Eduardo is from Brazil, he isn’t allowed to pick us up from the bus station in Argentina as it takes away business for the Argentinian taxi drivers.  Eduardo takes our luggage in the van and we split two taxis.  We end up with the clueless driver who follows the wrong van and we end up in a parking lot of a wine warehouse.  He seems confused (as are we), and after looking around for five minutes, heads back towards the bus station via a different route.  We don’t see the other group or the van at the station and it’s at this point that I’m thinking he has no idea where he’s supposed to be going and neither do we.  He heads in a different direction and I’ve had enough of wasting time driving around in circles.  I turn on the data roaming on my phone and see that Melany has tried to call me twice, obviously wondering where the hell we are.  I contact her and we get the situation sorted.

We climb into the van and Eduardo takes us across the border into Brazil to the Iguazu Falls park.  It’s pouring rain so myself, Melany, Pritesh and George purchase Casper the Ghost plastic ponchos.  I look like a giant, walking Glad garbage bag but at least I’m dry.  As we walk along the trail that leads beside the falls, the weather starts to clear and it’s just the mist that dampens us now.

The falls are among the largest in the world and border Brazil and Argentina, so today we’ll view them from Brazil.  They’re a jaw-dropping sight and the amount of water pouring over the falls is mind boggling.  We walk out onto a walkway that’s beside the largest of the falls and are instantly soaked by the thick mist.  My face and hair are dripping wet but the Glad bag is doing the trick and my clothes stay dry.

I get a text message from Juan at the estancia and he has found my sweatshirt!  This is his message:

“Knucklehead, we got your sweater!  It wasn’t in the field we looked in but in the first one!  Impossible to find with the info you reported!!  Shall I burn it so I stop missing you?”

What can I say?  I was a little distracted being surrounded by sheep🤷🏼‍♀️.  I guess he has a souvenir from my stay.

We’re all a little punch drunk from lack of sleep so opt to check-in to our hotel instead of going for lunch.  I don’t want to nap and take an Uber to the bird park near the falls where there are hundreds of rescued birds, a butterfly sanctuary, a boa constrictor (which I run speedily away from) and caimans (small crocodiles).  I wander through the tree-lined path and enjoy the cacophony of bird calls.

We meet for dinner at Empório com Arte, a restaurant that Melany recommends.  It’s unusual in that all the artwork and furniture inside is for purchase, including the table we’re seated at.  The food is fresh and local and I choose the duck confit and a Brazilian fruit drink called Caipirinhas which is tasty despite the strong cane sugar liqueur in it.  After filling our bellies with food and drink we stumble back to the hotel and straight to bed.

Another early day tomorrow of exploring the Argentinian side and if the weather is decent, a quick helicopter ride over the falls for a bird’s eye view.  Fingers crossed!