IGUASSU FALLS: Where ADVENTURE awaits!

After getting some MUCH NEEDED rest from my previous day's adventure, I was ready to go, and little did I know what fun awaited! As agreed, Walter (my taxi driver and area guide) arrived at my hotel to ferry me back to Argentina, where I would be spending most of my day. The trip to the park entrance on the Argentinean side took just under an hour (but, that included a customs crossing and all the paperwork that goes with it...Walter took care of all that for me). We arrived at the park just as it was opening and Walter assisted me with purchasing my ticket. Inside the park are ALL SORTS of adventures from walking trails to fast boat tours on the river and jungle safaris. I opted for the Grand Adventure which included an eco tour through the jungle, followed by a fast boat tour of the falls, then a walking trail that LITERALLY took me atop the falls, and to wrap things up, a short train ride back to the park entrance.

First up...the Eco Tour...Overall, there wasn't much to it, unfortunately. However, I was TREMENDOUSLY fortunate to be riding along with a great bunch of folks. So, we had a good time!

Next up...the fast boat...now, THIS is where things got exciting! From the end of the eco tour, there's a trail that we followed down to the boat.

The black and white markers exist to measure the water height/depth. Apparently, there are times when the river SERIOUSLY floods...YIKES!

Once at the boat, we suited-up with life jackets and the adventure began!

After racing up the river and seeing the falls come into full view, the boat operator brought the boat to a halt and instructed us to place any items that we did NOT want to get wet into the waterproof bag provided to us. This was the point at which things "got real"...LOL! Unfortunately, I have no video or photos of what actually occurred with my boat, but the following footage will give you an idea:

The ENTIRE experience was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! We sailed DIRECTLY under several of the falls. To see them from a distance was one thing, and to even see them from the surface of the river was another. But, experiencing them pouring over top of the boat was UNREAL!

After the boat ride, I hit the nature trail, where I was able to meet some of the local inhabitants such as the one in the video, below:

The nature trail also afforded me the opportunity to get up close and personal with the many hidden falls throughout the park, as well as the major falls at the end of the trail.

Having made my way all the way to the end of the park, it was now time to leave. For some, leaving the park from this point involves a pretty lengthy trek. However, I chose to take the river raft down.

The raft took me halfway back, and after hopping off, I took the train the rest of the way. While aboard, I came across some fellow, happy travellers, too! 

After ALL of that excitement, can you believe that my day was only JUST BEGINNING!?!? Walter (my area guide) had much more in store for me. So, check out my next post, where I'll be sharing my experience of the Three Frontiers (Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay).

FOZ DO IGUACU: Amazing Panoramas!

(So, I'm a bit behind in chronicling this trip, but better late than never...ENJOY!) If you conduct any research, at all, on Iguazu Falls, you will inevitably discover a great deal of debate regarding which side of the falls is "better" or "preferred". Unfortunately, I will not be wading into that debate, because I am of the opinion that BOTH sides provide AMAZING perspectives that will appeal to people, differently. However, regardless of how one might choose to witness this fantastic, natural phenomenon, the falls are CERTAIN to inspire awe!

My flight from Buenos Aires to the Argentinean airport at Iguazu Falls arrived before noon, and my original plan was to catch a bus or taxi to my hotel in Brazil and just crash there for the rest of the day. However, I was TREMENDOUSLY fortunate to meet and hire an AMAZING taxi driver, Walter (see my previous post Next Stop Iguazu Falls for the picture), who would ultimately be the key to me having THE MOST AMAZING experience in the two or so days that I visited the area.

When I explained to Walter my plan, he actually suggested that I take advantage of the rest of the day to visit the Brazilian side of the falls. Similar to all of my previous research, Walter explained that the Brazilian side of the falls only requires a few hours to fully experience. However, I was concerned about having sufficient time to make it to my hotel, check-in, and then make it to the park with enough time to really enjoy the experience. Furthermore, there was a NASTY looking storm on the horizon that was headed DIRECTLY towards the falls (I'll talk about that a bit more in a second). Walter put all of my concerns to rest when he suggested that I simply hire him for the rest of the day, and I could leave my things with him, in the car. Now, I know what MOST of you might be thinking, "Are you CRAZY!?!?" And, trust me! I was thinking the same thing; however, I had a really good feeling about the situation and decided to just roll with it (SPOILER ALERT: fortunately, EVERYTHING worked out well!).

So, my experience with the falls began on the Brazilian side with a 2-3 hours trip to Parque Nacional do Iguacu.

Within the park, there are all kinds of nature trails and other things to experience, but I wanted to get to the falls! Furthermore, that storm was nearly upon me by this point, and I was TREMENDOUSLY fearful that the whole experience would be lost. So, I purchased my entry ticket and loaded the bus that shuttles folks throughout the park. My heart was racing with excitement and fear! I could, literally, see the storm moving in the bus' direction, and all I could think was, "This trip will be a complete waste." Then, sight turned to sound, as I began hearing polite, little drops of rain caress the bus. The drops increased in tempo and volume, and in a matter of moments, the bus was fully engulfed in a raging torrent. And, oh! Lucky for me, this development coincided with the bus' arrival at my point of departure! (LOL!)



If you're planning to stay at the hotel located inside the park (Hotel das Cataratas), here's a picture taken from the bus stop directly in front. It appears to be a VERY nice place.

 
Fortunate for me, despite the rain and thunder, it was quite warm, and there was a shelter at the bus stop. But, how long would I have to remain there, pinned down by the awful weather? The intensity of the storm and darkness of the sky suggested there was no end in sight. According to the map that I had, the falls were just a short walk from my location. I could CLEARLY hear their thunderous roar, but I wanted to see them! After what seemed an eternity (in fact, it was MAYBE 10-min...LOL!), a glimmer of hope began to return. The rain reduced in intensity and I decided that it was either then or never...I had to see the falls!

As I walked from the bus stop towards the first overwatch location, the sound of the falls gradually increased. It was like a beautiful crescendo that was naturally occurring. To this day, I can still remember the feeling that came over me when I saw this:

No picture that I took could sufficiently capture the BEAUTY that lay in front of me. For the next hour or more, I followed the trail that weaves itself along the bank of the river and provides stunning panoramic views of the falls. I could care less that I was soaking wet! That was a minor consequence to soaking in all of the natural beauty surrounding me. The following are just a small fraction of the photos taken.

The trail concludes at the base of the falls, where you actually have the ability to walk out over the falls, and as you will see in a couple of the pictures, literally, get up close and personal with the falls.

Overall, I'm so glad that I had the chance to experience the Brazilian side of the falls the way that I did. It was TRULY an amazing experience! I left the park FULL of anticipation for the experience that I would have the next day, when I would visit the Argentinean side. Needless to say, I had NO IDEA that I would LITERALLY find myself in a boat traveling UNDER one of the falls! Stay tuned for my next post!

Next stop: Iguazu Falls...a natural wonder!

Straddling the Argentina and Brazil border is Iguazu Falls, a natural collection of waterfalls that make Niagara Falls look like a drop in the bucket! Prior to visiting, I did QUITE a bit of research on the falls, and one of the ongoing debates is which side (Argentinean or Brazilian) provides the best views and experience of the falls. Unfortunately, I do not believe there is one answer for this. Rather, one must separate the components of this debate. In my opinion, the best VIEWS of the falls are captured from the Brazilian side, and the best EXPERIENCE with the falls is afforded on the Argentinean side. However, I am convinced that a "total" experience of the falls includes both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides AND an aerial tour! In this post, I'll layout some general aspects of my 3-days and 2-nights visit to the area. Subsequent posts will focus on specific activities that I conducted.

Both sides of the falls have entire communities that thrive from tourism. Although Foz do Iguacu (Brazil) is MUCH larger than Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), both cities are serviced by their own airports. Because I was traveling from Buenos Aires, I found it FAR more cost effective to fly into Puerto Iguazu and simply take a taxi to my hotel in downtown Foz do Iguacu, than to fly directly into Foz. Interestingly, this decision proved to be TREMENDOUSLY providential, as it afforded me the opportunity to meet Walter, a local taxi driver who would ultimately help to make my experience in the area absolutely fantastic! 

I met Walter outside of the airport in Argentina. My original plan was to check-in to my hotel, then head to the Brazilian side of the falls. All of my research suggested that I could appropriately see the Brazilian side in a few hours, while the Argentinean side required an entire day. Having arrived in the early afternoon on Wednesday, if I could knock out the Brazilian side that day, I could spend all day Thursday on the Argentinean side. I was scheduled to leave the area and continue on to Sao Paulo on Friday afternoon. So, if I needed to re-visit the Brazilian side, I could do so that morning.

After explaining all of this to Walter, he suggested a slight modification to my schedule. With weather in the area being DANGEROUSLY unpredictable, and a storm appearing to be moving towards the falls, Walter suggested that we go directly to the falls. While I was touring the falls, he would wait for me. Then, I could proceed to my hotel. Although a bit skeptical about leaving my things with a complete stranger, I decided to take him up on the offer.  Just as I boarded the bus to go into the park, the weather suddenly changed, and the storm was upon me! However, I quickly learned that flash storms are a daily occurrence at that time of year. The storm lasted about 30-min or so, but once it was over, the sun came out, and I enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL afternoon at the falls! (I'll share pics from my tour of the falls in my next post.)   

After touring the falls, Walter was there to ferry me to my hotel. I opted to stay in Foz, because it just seemed to have more to offer, in terms of things to do. I considered staying at the hotel inside the park on the Brazilian side, but the rates were UNREAL! Ultimately, I'm quite pleased with my choice in hotel. I stayed at the Best Western Hotel Taroba Express and found it to be neat and relatively well located.

On the drive to the hotel, Walter provided me with a few options for the remainder of my time in the area. Thursday would be JAM-PACKED full of activities, beginning with a tour of the Argentinean side of the falls, followed by a boat cruise, and finishing up with a song and dance show. Finally, Friday morning (after having seen and experienced both sides of the falls) I would take a helicopter tour over the falls just before catching my flight to Sao Paulo...how exciting!

Senor Tango...a MUST SEE if ever in Buenos Aires!
When I told my friend that I wanted to see a tango show while in town, his first recommendation was SENIOR TANGO! However, he intimated that I may not be able to get tickets, as the production is Buenos Aires' MOST popular tango show. Once he told me this, I KNEW I HAD to see this show! I visited their website: www.senortango.com.ar. However, given the short notice in which I was looking to purchase tickets, I had to actually travel to the theater, which is located in one of the outer districts of the city. Despite ALL the hurdles that I had to jump through to get tickets, it was ALL worth it! This show is ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! They have something like 15 or 20 different, AMAZING couples, PHENOMENAL vocalists, and the special effects are GREAT! Furthermore, I sat at a table with two couples visiting from Brazil, and we had a BLAST! I wish I could have taken pics and video during the show, but of course, this was forbidden.

These were the table settings...pretty cool, eh!

Bar inside the theater

I was able to snap this pic during the finale

...another shot taken during the finale...

The wine was EXCELLENT...a TRUE "tardios" (sweet wine)

I couldn't stop smiling...the show was GREAT!

This is the actual theater