"For me, this is heaven" part 1 (Iguazu)

Rainbow Falls in Gorges State Park

 One of Mila's "must do" items for the trip was Iguazu Falls. Gabriel had gone last year (2023) and took some amazing pictures and videos. When I think waterfalls, I always think Niagara, so it would be interesting to see some other large-scale falls. We HAVE seen plenty over the years here in North Carolina. Here's the waterfalls we've seen in the Carolinas just since coming back from Argentina -

High Shoals Falls in
South Mountains State Park

Mingo Falls just outside
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Daniel's son-in-law took us out to the airport. Not the one we originally landed at, but the new, large international airport. Weird that we landed in the smaller, older one. We knew it would be a hectic 48 hours, so we staked out a napping spot for our next stay in the airport on the way to Ushuaia.

Reedy Falls in Greenville, SC

BIG waterfall people.

There had been some nerves on my end going into this portion of the trip. When I originally booked the hotel it took me a day or two to realize that I'd reserved it on the Brazilian side of the falls. There was no way of cancelling and getting our money back. When looking into the visa situation, I saw that US citizens were allowed visa-less entry until two days after we would be leaving. Legal, but close. Then I started looking at moving around and crossing the borders. It seemed doable, but could take up to two hours to cross. That's a bit much when we're only going to be there some 30 hours. So, we decided to just eat the cost and get a place on the Argentinian side.

Hey, it's the jungle!

When we showed up at Cataratas de Iguazu airport, it was raining. The ATM wouldn't accept either of our cards. We were fairly low on cash. The airport currency exchange point had been closed for a while. inauspicious start. We breezed past the taxi stand, sure that we could get an Uber. Fun Fact, Uber drivers are nigh impossible to find in that area. We slinked back to the taxi stand and asked for one. What I found interesting on our way to the hotel was all the animal crossing signs. I grew up seeing deer crossing signs and I've seen plenty of cow crossing signs as well. This was the first time I've ever seen a jaguar crossing sign. When we asked the super unfriendly taxi driver, he pointed out that a jaguar had been killed in recent years. He also told us that there were no places to exchange currency.

We got to our hotel, Tekoa Lodge, in a downpour. 

Since it was raining so hard, we decided to take a nap.

the walkway from administrative building to our room

Sluggishly waking up, we got the front desk to call us a taxi and asked the taxi driver where to exchange cash. Since it was the weekend, there were no official places open. However, there was an unofficial spot where locals could get an exchange. 

We pulled up to a house with three barking dogs. The taxi driver asked how much we wanted to exchange and told us to wait in the car so he could assess. a bit sketch. He spoke to someone at the door before waving me over. It took a while for someone to come to the door and when they did it was a young pregnant woman. I looked in and saw piles of cash and counting machines on a table. Maybe I've seen too many movies, but also sketch? However, it was at this time that her perfectly un-sketch looking parents showed up with groceries. Anywho this is the wad of cash I was given for $120.

I felt like the richest man in Argentina.

Daniel had told us that the best steak wasn't going to be found in Buenos Aires, especially for a good price. He had said that we would have to go out into the countryside. So, we decided to give that a try. 

We asked the taxi driver to take us to a good spot for steak. While he was a good taxi driver, he was no Daniel. (Daniel will be my driver benchmark from here on out) He'd never been to the place, but it was new and he'd heard good things.

It was wayyy fancier than we expected but we were already there. They sat us in full view of the barbecue area, where a guy worked open an open flame. Nice little show.

that's for two people

It was good, but not world-beating.

Next stop was the famous triple frontera, where the Parana and Iguazu rivers meet and divide up Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. I had thought while we were there that the Argentine side was the most built up, but now doing some research, I'm seeing it's the smallest. I think it seemed like the largest because the city is closer to the border in Argentina as compared to the other countries. 

some more street art

The bridge between Brazil and Paraguay

At the border, each side has an hito (or obelisk) with their nation's colors painted on it. You can see all three if you stand in the right spot. I just couldn't get all three in the same picture.

The Brazilian side looks fun

Paraguay, not so much. Ciudad del Este, the second-largest city in the country, is just out of sight

A Brazilian couple traded picture taking duties with Mila. It was funny watching the woman and Mila slowly communicate in their native languages to each other. The point got across without too much of a problem.

the bridge between Argentina and Brazil

There a couple picture points and a plaza with benches and a nice view. And, of course, little souvenir stands. That's where we grabbed our Iguazu magnet.

We decided to go for a walk, enjoying the nice night. It had long since stopped raining. After that humongous late lunch, we weren't exactly hungry. It was too late to try and go over to the Brazilian side and we wanted to get an early start the next morning. So, a walk was our best bet. We didn't really know where we were going to go, but there was really only one road in and out so you really can't get too lost, can you?

some more good street art

is that Mudvayne I hear in the background? no way that thing's not haunted with at least 13 ghosts

Just now was when Mila said she wanted to go over to Brazil

We followed the river and saw plenty of families and couples enjoying the night in the many small parks and benches. I loved the fact that at least one person in each group had their mate setup with them. After some comfortable ambling, we realized that it would still be a couple miles to get to town. We called the taxi driver that had dropped us off for a ride to the plaza and asked for a ride to the casino in town. Again, there was literally only one road. He was confused as to where we were. After a while, he asked for me to share my location. I did. in two different apps. I sent him coordinates. Still confused.  We spent 20 minutes waiting in front of a shrine of Mary that he claimed to know, he still couldn't find us. We sent a picture of the shrine. Mila tried explaining this time. Still clueless. At this point, either he was sitting at a bar and didn't want to move or he probably should not be a taxi driver. We were able to hitch another ride. Where's Daniel when you need him?

tried a pretty good Brazilian beer that was on sale. Terrible reviews but I couldn't see why

The casino had different sections for Argentine pesos, Brazilian reals, and American dollars. 

no winners

What it didn't have was a place to change currencies. Or an ATM that worked with my card. We grabbed snacks at the bar, a couple beers, and played the free bingo before heading to bed.

The next morning we had the hotel's continental breakfast, similar to what we had in Buenos Aires. However, we noticed that there was a carafe specifically labeled "mate water." Mate water is very hot, but not boiling. You don't want to burn the tea. Since she had bought some in El Caminito a few days before, she hadn't actually given it a shot. While eating our breakfast, a couple of women with Argentinian accents sat near us, each with their mate set ups. Perfect opportunity. 

They were very friendly, with the coach telling Mila a few different ways that people do it. However, of course, she had her own specific way of doing it.

A funny note is that she offered me drink of hers. I told her that I could wait til she and Mila finish up Mila's to take a taste. She was a little offended, saying that all Argentinians share straws and taste each other's mate. So, I couldn't say no, could I?

she likes it a lot more than I do

After our breakfast and tea, we grabbed a taxi to the park. At least, staying on the Argentine side kept us closer to the park.

The park has a large welcome plaza, complete with souvenir shops and large maps.

the first sign that this place is a bit larger than I'd previously thought

All Mila cared about was taking a boat ride to the falls. On that map, you can see that there are also a few walking trails going through the park. We were told that the "Garganta del Diablo" (throat of the Devil) fall on the Brazilian side was closed to tourists due to water flow issues. We paid the additional fee for a combo truck/boat ride through the jungle then to the falls and tried to plan out our time management piece. We would be flying out later that night, so we were on a bit of a schedule.

We wandered through a museum near the entrance, which focuses on the native plants, animals, and peoples of the area. Also, it shows the problems that modernity have caused and how the park aimed to curb those problems. We stopped to grab some waters and sunscreen, then got in line to get on our tour truck. It was hot, but at least not suffocatingly so.

We took large open-top vehicles while a guide spoke to us in English and Spanish. We were told to look for wildlife but also told that most animals are skittish. Plus, the jungle was pretty dense low to the ground. We didn't see any animals, but at least we got to see thousands of butterflies. The most butterflies I've ever seen.

After about a 20 minute ride, we were dropped off at the top of a long set of stairs down to the river.

There were of course a few tourists coming up that were NOT expecting any physical exertion on this day.

super ready

some of the butterflies hanging out on the bank

We packed into the boat, with the tour employees taking special care to show us how to properly close up the waterproof bag. foreshadowing.

so, it's been a month since I've written anything in here. In the meantime, we've moved from North Carolina to Mississippi (Missipi as they say here) I'll try and get back in the groove as there's still 3-5 more posts that belong in this series. I WILL be back in class September-October, so that'll slow things down.

ready to go!

We packed a lot of people on that boat. I assumed it would be something slow and big like the Maid of the Mist but it was closer to a speed boat with a mostly flat platform with chairs. The driver was raised up in the back and the guide was also elevated, but in the front. He explained that we were going to go on the lower Iguazu river, marking the border of Argentina and Brazil.

Hey, how come the Brazilian tour company has trams and we had to walk?

We spent some time bouncing around the rapids well before we made it to the first of the falls.

the first mini falls

there they are

"are you ready to get wet? Here let me take some video for you"

another boat (you can see the driver up top there) playing in the fall before us

fun fact, Blogger has changed how its picture uploader works, it adds them in reverse order. so the next few shots from the boat are in reverse chronological order

other tourists with the same idea as us

ready to get soaked

You can see that boat leaving the waterfall we're about to go dunk under

The next portion of the boat ride with the humorous guide led to the big show - going directly under a waterfall. There's a reason they give you a waterproof bag as you board. We didn't take any return-trip pictures as we were absolutely soaked. It wasn't a light spritzing or skirt-by, it was a proper deluge of river water.  Good thing I kept my mouth closed. 

We all spent the way back to the dock more or less coming down. Tourists chattered in a variety of languages about what we'd just experienced.

As we pulled up to the dock, we saw some "friends"

little caimans just hanging out

After trekking back up the steps and catching the truck back (still didn't spot a jaguar) to the visitor center, we grabbed lunch at the cafe and saw an old buddy from Iraq.

After that, we started our hike. There are two paths, inferior and superior. We chose the inferior first as it gave it a ground view of the falls. Remember, we were a little pressed for time because we had a plane to catch that night. But, we figured that we would have no problem hiking both paths with less than 3 miles total between them.

hongos!

the official start

Here you can see the trail surface. These weren't so much "trails" as paths. They can get slippery and the park's website suggests wearing shoes with good grip.

this lower path follows the river to the bottom of the falls and includes plenty of steps going up and down. (remember all the steps we had to take to go down to the boat?)

just a wee little guy

named after ole Cow Head himself (Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca)

whoa

yes, double glasses

there were plenty of bends in the path along with breaks in the trees that gave us new, breath-taking perspectives and views of different individual saltos

right around here is when Mila said the title of this post - "For me, this is heaven"

I didn't call it heaven, but commeee onnnnn

the obligatory "bridge" picture for Gabriel

We made some friends along the way

Mila was enamored with this bird hanging out by the bathrooms

Luckily, the paths converge, so that saved some time and energy.

Whereas the lower circuit takes you along the river up to the falls, the upper circuit essentially goes across them at the top. It's a different kind of sight and sometimes closed when the rivers are running high.

there was an incredible amount of butterflies on the upper path. 

Whoa

appreciating the view

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding the namesakes for some of these falls

I really liked those red and white ones

who would've thought when I started this blog years ago that I'd have a post with so many butterfly pictures?

this one's a bit easier, the Adam and Eve waterfalls are right next to each other

named after a park ranger that was killed by poachers

this one REALLY liked her. stayed there for minutes poking the back of her hand, trying to extract all the salt. She said it felt like it was trying to break skin. I took a video lasting a couple minutes but have since lost that one. After a while she had to gently brush it off.

"Las Malvinas son Argentinas" on the opposite end of the country

This last picture was taken as we were on our way back to the airport after our quick but memorable trip to the tri-border area. Thanks for the idea Gabriel! It's been some 18 months and Mila's phone background is still a shot of a rainbow showing through the mist of Iguazu Falls. 

We flew back to Buenos Aires and meant to head to the napping spot we'd scouted out the day before. No go. Since our flight wouldn't leave for hours, we weren't allowed into the concourse. Instead, we were forced to wait outside security. Luckily for us, the airport cafe was open 24/7. There were roughly a dozen people in the same situation as us, so we all flopped down at different tables and in corners to wait the 7 hours until our flight to Ushuaia took off.

Which... is a story that I'll pick up in the next post. Hopefully it won't take me a year to write. Don't want to become a blogging George R. R. Martin.