Argentina for the Day

Back into Argentina we went with Gabriel leading the way to the other side of Iguassu Falls. He picked us up a 6:45 to beat the traffic into Argentina. We were joined by the two UK women, Alison and Sheila and the woman from Canada, Enid. Today three more joined this merry band—two young women engineers from Denmark (who only snickered once about Greenland) and a young woman from Australia who has been traveling in South America for six months. We arrived at the border and the park. There we were stopped by a small band of cavorting South American Coati. With their striped tails and big eyes they jumped from tree to fence rail. And undaunted by humans with their long pointed noses up in the air it was as if they ware about to say, “This is our playground, get out of the way.”

From there we joined about two hundred others on the coaches of a park electric train. It carried us to a 1000 meter bridge over the rushing water of the Iguazu River to view the falls as they plummeted down into the abyss and joined the Paraná river. It leads to the Devil’s Throat. Along the way we encountered at least 3 species of butterfly, one resembled a Monarch, one was black and white with a dash of red on the edge of the wings, and one was only black and white. They were very fast little creatures and it was impossible to focus and snap in time to capture them.

We continued on to the falls, heading toward the clouds of mist. the closer we got, the wetter the walkway. finally there was the roar of the water, each drop racing the others plunging down into a great ball of water and then pushing off and racing into the river. Farther down the walkway the mist was so dense I had to put the camera away to protect it.

Walking back, it was necessary to step into the shade whenever we came upon it. The reward for stopping? My back heaved a sigh of relief but there was a greater reward. Perched in the branches of the trees were beautiful birds—yellow, black, white, a dash of bright blue. I was so caught up with them that Dennis had to remind me that we were part of a group and had to keep moving. Crossing another section of the walkway we spotted a dashing black and white cormorant with outstretched wings lifted to the sun.

The vastness of the green is broken by these birds, animals and butterflies, along with the flowers—purple yellow, black, white, blue, and pinks dot the green. The iron rich red soil produces thick dense vegetation. Looking at this thick dense vegetation I remembered the story of the girl who dropped out of the sky into the jungle still strapped in her airplane seat. The   survival story of Juliane Koepcke was made into a movie, Wings of Hope by Werner Herzog. I looked at this tightly packed jungle and couldn’t imagine how she even moved, much less made it to safety.

Dennis is off on another trek with our newly assembled group, following Gabriel to yet another view of the cataract. He is armed with the camera and I’m sure he’ll come back with photos and stories. After his Portuguese all I can to do is warn you—beware of his Spanish!

To top off the day we took a helicopter ride over the falls. It was my first time and I think it will be my last planned one. I found the few bumps a bit scary and the banking with this fabulously fat or pleasantly plump one buckled in nest to the door unnerving. But what magnificent views!

Today before we started packing we went to the Bird Sanctuary. It was started by a British couple to provide shelter for endangered species of birds and to take in rescued birds. It was a photographer’s paradise. It’s open with only some areas of netted space and a few contained spaces. It is beautifully designed with plenty of places to stop and rest and even to cool off. I’m going to try to restrain myself and only put in a sampling of the birds and butterflies. To see them all, you’re invited to come to the house to watch the video and sample an empanada or two.

Life in Iguassu according to Dennis—

First of all, I’ve got to give Cindy credit for trekking the Iguassu Falls. She’s been having quite a bit of back pain for the past few months and I was concerned about how much she’d actually be able to walk. She was a trooper and despite the pain, exceeded my expectations. 

She knew when she’d reached her limit and gave me the camera saying, “I can’t do it, you go on and take lots of pictures.” She didn’t throw her arm up over her brow and break down in tears sobbing—but what was I to do? This was a moral dilemma. Go on without her? Gabriel, our guide assured me he would stay with her and she would surely meet me after I completed the trek. But??

What would a man with character and love in his heart do? What would you do? After throughly searching both character, heart and soul—I made what I consider the right choice. I went on without her. You can thank me for some of the pictures you’re seeing of Iguassu Falls that you wouldn’t have otherwise seen. I guess you could say, I did it for you! But please, don’t shower me with praise, cuz that’s just the kinda guy I am. Always looking out for others. 🤣

Foz do Iguaçu

 Foz in Portuguese means mouth of a river and Iguaçu in Tipi-Guarani means great or big water. This designated UNESCO world Heritage site features over 275 falls. This morning Gabriel a guide for G-Adventures took us on a tour of the Brazilian side of the falls. They are absolutely magnificent. We were hoping to go for a helicopter ride and to the bird sanctuary but a heavy rain prevented that so perhaps tomorrow or the next day. I think the only way to describe the falls is visually. What would be the words to describe such a spectacular sight? Roaring, gigantic, plummeting, green, mist enshrouded?

Dennis speaks…

Today we visited Iguassu Falls and it was spectacular. If you look up largest waterfalls in the world you have to be more specific. Height, length, volume? We’ve now seen three that qualify in some way: Iguassu, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and of course, Niagara Falls somewhere in North America. 😢 We can’t say United States anymore without bringing up many questions, expressions of horror, etc. We’ve seen all three. They were all fantastic but Victoria Falls would top my list. 

We had planned on a helicopter ride over the falls today but rain set in and squelched that plan so we’re shooting for the day after tomorrow.

Tomorrow we’ll again see Iguassu Falls but this time from the Argentine side. Two countries, Argentina and Brazil border it and Paraguay touches it as well.  

Stay tuned for more information on the helicopter ride if the weather permits. Until then, contanto—(so long in Portuguese). Impressed? If not, “voce pode beijar minha bunda.” That’s “you can kiss my a—s,” also in Portuguese. 🤭

An Exhausting Entrance into Iguassu Falls

 Thinking we needed time for the airport lines we left our Mendoza hotel at 12:30 AM for a flight leaving at 3:15 AM to Rio de Janiero. We arrived at the airport, went straight to the Trip Store to buy a luggage tag and get my bag to be checked wrapped. When I picked it up in Mendoza after arriving from Ushuaia, the tag was gone and the zipper was broken. Dennis fixed it but I didn’t trust it. Finally we were on the plane and soon sleeping until… Flying in this part of the world at this time of year seems to often  produce unexpected white knuckle turbulence. It has happened on all of our recent flights. Dennis still prefers it to bus travel. Once in Rio we were told we had to recheck our luggage, redo security, etc. etc. But finally after about 18 hours we were in our hotel. Our G-Adventure starts tomorrow.

Today we walked about in the city of Foz do Iguaçu. And then booked a dinner cruise on the Iguazú River and the Paraná river. As we arrived music was coming from the boat. Very soon people began leaving the boat some dressed almost entirely in white with dashes of blue and many in colorful patterned outfits. Two Catholic priests joined the leave taking also dressed in white cassocks. They were all taking part in a religious river celebration, the Festival of Our Lady of Navigators. It is one of the largest religious festivities in southern Brazil. The Catholic Church synced it with the Afro-Brazilian celebration of lemarjá, goddess of sea and water.

Once we boarded, the cruise was very relaxing. Both rivers flow through red clayed banks filled with dense emerald, olive, sage, lime green trees and undergrowth interrupted at times with a cascading waterfall. Fishermen and picnickers dot the banks. The breeze cuts the sticky heat.

The food on the catamaran was scrumptious. Sorry, I just can’t use delicious again but it was. Not only did it taste good but it was beautiful. 

Finally the sun began to set behind the trees and it was time to get back to the hotel and get organized for tomorrow.  

A word from Dennis…

Yeah, the plane ride from Mendoza to Iguassu Falls, Brazil via Rio De Janiero was a doozie! Eighteen hours with a 7 hour layover in Rio. Sound exotic? Ahh, nope. That’s a lot of butt time and the older I get, the less padding I have back there. 

There were a few hiccups when we arrived here but between G-Adventures and Cindy, they worked out and we’re happy. 

As she said, the cruise was very relaxing and perfect following a long day of travel.

And on we go…🙂

Beautiful Mendoza

 Leaving Ushuaia and arriving in Mendoza was an all day event. We are still getting used to the long lines to check-in at airports. But the Tierra del Fuego driver got us there and even though the line was long we had time at the gate before boarding. Once in Buenos Aires the next leg of the flight from Buenos Aires to Mendoza took a bit longer. All flights to Mendoza were delayed. We never knew why but the lightening and thunder we encountered once over Mendoza may have been the reason. Arrival at Amérian Hotel was easy and the room is a suite. I have been able to work on my art class and in both art journals. 

It’s a lovely green city as we discovered on the City Tourist Bus. There are trees everywhere. The sidewalks have cut outs in them for the trees. These tree wells allow the irrigation system that runs along the walks to reach the roots of this urban forest. It also prevents the tree roots from cracking the sidewalks.

The people in Mendoza that we have met follow the pattern that we have come to expect from the people of Argentina. They are incredibly kind, patient and helpful. Whenever we make a request we receive much more than we expect. We have not met one person who is aggressive or rude or impatient. 

Last night we went to a tasting experience at the chef’s home. He and his wife prepared the most incredible meal. And though we had not eaten since breakfast, we should not have eaten for at least the previous two days. It all began in their home. When we rang the doorbell, Paola greeted us with a glass of wine. The other guests were a young couple from England. When they were also seated with a glass of wine, Javier appeared and explained to us how the evening would go. He wanted to be sure that we understood that he is not a chef but someone who loves to cook and introduce the food and drink of his country to others

The experience itself began around the kitchen island where we started with a refreshing drink of vermouth, sparkling water, and a generous slice of orange. It something that we will be sure to offer in our own home. It was a perfect drink to begin the evening. We went from a generous charcuterie board to an eggplant dip to chimichurri accompanied by Malbec, Frenet and Coke a drink on all of the menus in the city (probably the country), which you must acquire a taste for, and Torrentés white wine. 

It continued at the dining room table while Javier grilled meat on his patio. The meal then began with empanadas, followed by small grilled intestine pieces, tomato salad, roasted potatoes, steaks—all cooked to perfection. Javier and Paola shared many stories and were able to engage both our young friends Elaine and Harry as well as this older couple (that would be us). We shared laughs and some sad stories too. What an incredible couple. It was the most wonderful evening. 

The meal ended with flan to which Paola adds orange zest. A zing to match the evening!

And now for Dennis~

Yep, Cindy summed up the flights from Ushuaia pretty well. We left our room in Ushuaia at 10 AM and arrived in Mendoza around 11 PM with a few delays along the way. I’ll pick up here, after our tasting experience that Cindy described in detail on this blog. The day following the “taste” had us scheduled for a wine tour.

At 3:30 PM on 1/30, our Uber arrived to take us to the vineyard, approximately 15 minutes away from our hotel. The sky turned black as the Uber arrived and off we went. Within minutes it started to pour—big time! Next came hail as our driver looked for a place undercover to protect the beautiful car we were in!! After about 15 minutes, the hail subsided and we headed off in a torrential downpour.

Two - three feet of water cascaded down streets as he tried to find higher ground in the city. He drove through water that would have submerged our Hyundai with its low profile tires. At this point we decided to “shit can” the wine taste and asked our Driver Nestor if he could just take us back to our hotel. He gave us a thumbs up and off we drove thru the deluge, wipers flailing to allow him a sneak peek into the unknown. Round trip? About 1 1/2 hours on a 15 minute one way trip! He drove up on the sidewalk of our hotel to allow us a small respite from the storm. We doubled his fare in thanks plus tip and headed to our room. Yet another unintended adventure. 🤣