One last post re this trip. Iguazu Falls are located in the upper part of Argentina, bordering on Brazil and Paraguay. There are over 300 falls in all and the major part of them are in Argentina and in the jungle. The local town is Puerto Iguazu, which is sort of a pioneer rustic town of a few thousand and about 11 miles away. The National Park, which encompasses the falls reminds me of a Disney creation only this is real and not fake. It is really well done to protect the ecologically sensitive ecosystem. It costs 10 dollars to enter the first day and 5 the next. We checked into our posada which I had prebooked from some recommendations online. Well I do not know who wrote these but Timbo Posada turned out to be little more than a hut in the village with 4 basic rooms. There was a bed, handmade of some wood, with threadbare sheets and some old faded green towels which were hard and rough to touch. The bathroom had just one faucet at the sink- only cold. The toilet had a tank above it for the occasional flush and the shower dribbled a slow stream of warm water. If you stamped your feet when you turned on the dim Christmas lightbulb, the roaches scattered. There was also a tree stump which was the bedside table. I was a little grossed out at first but we dropped our backpacks and immediately headed back to the park for the 3 hours before it closed the first day. By the time we came back the giant beers from the cafe next door made it seem sort of cute and we decided to stay. The kids who ran the place were so earnest and nice and they tried so hard, it would have been difficult to disappoint them.
To get to the park you take El Practico which is an old coughing bus that runs every half hour and costs 4 pesos each way. The park was great. On the first day it had started to empty out by 3 so we had it to ourselves. We took the little train out the "Devil's Throat" the largest of the falls. You walk on about a mile of elevated metal walkways over the rivers and swamps and forests. We saw remarkable birds- giant white herons, vultures, colorful ones and even a caiman. The thing tht I remember most were the butterflies. They looked at first like tiny pieces of colorfu scraps of paper floating in the air. They were absolutely astounding to watch and see. Every conceivable color, our favorite if there was one was a black and white one with scarlet stripe with what looked like the number 88 on each wing.
The next day we got there early and spent 10 hours doing all the trails and starting with the jungle explorer which involved a 4 wheel drive into the jungle followed by a boat ride capped off with a shower under the falls. We got drenched but the heat and humidity is so intense that it was relief. Picture 90 plus heat and humidity in the high 80s. You just do not dry and just walk around wet. I really sort of liked it and it did not really bother me but my hair was curly for the first time on my life. The highlight, though, was seeing the animals. We saw a toucan and some large blue and purple birds with yellow and pale tan bellies and tails- I now know they are plush crested jays. There were dozens and dozens of coati mundis which are a cross between an anteater and racoon. One of them jumped on a table about 10 feet away and grabbed a girl's empanada right from her hands. They were everywhere and so fun to watch. At the end of the day, as we were the last on a trai,l I looked over to my left and saw a capuchin monkey sitting on a branch watching me. As I looked back, I noticed there were about 5 others. They stayed for about 5 minutes eating bamboo and throwing things at us and then the troop moved on. I was thrilled. It was really a great day and I loved the jungle.
After our 2 days we flew back to BA and spent the afternoon yesterday in Recoleta visiting Evita's tomb in the necropolis cemetery and walking a few neighborhoods. After a 10 hour flight to JFK we arrived back in the US and are now home. It was an interesting month. I had never really thought about South America as a possible vacation destination. I found it fascinating and yet a little familiar. The people are kind and I never felt in danger or really uncomfortable. Thank you to those who sent your comments. I read them all and it really helped to stay connected. Now none of you have to listen to boring vacation stories!
To get to the park you take El Practico which is an old coughing bus that runs every half hour and costs 4 pesos each way. The park was great. On the first day it had started to empty out by 3 so we had it to ourselves. We took the little train out the "Devil's Throat" the largest of the falls. You walk on about a mile of elevated metal walkways over the rivers and swamps and forests. We saw remarkable birds- giant white herons, vultures, colorful ones and even a caiman. The thing tht I remember most were the butterflies. They looked at first like tiny pieces of colorfu scraps of paper floating in the air. They were absolutely astounding to watch and see. Every conceivable color, our favorite if there was one was a black and white one with scarlet stripe with what looked like the number 88 on each wing.
The next day we got there early and spent 10 hours doing all the trails and starting with the jungle explorer which involved a 4 wheel drive into the jungle followed by a boat ride capped off with a shower under the falls. We got drenched but the heat and humidity is so intense that it was relief. Picture 90 plus heat and humidity in the high 80s. You just do not dry and just walk around wet. I really sort of liked it and it did not really bother me but my hair was curly for the first time on my life. The highlight, though, was seeing the animals. We saw a toucan and some large blue and purple birds with yellow and pale tan bellies and tails- I now know they are plush crested jays. There were dozens and dozens of coati mundis which are a cross between an anteater and racoon. One of them jumped on a table about 10 feet away and grabbed a girl's empanada right from her hands. They were everywhere and so fun to watch. At the end of the day, as we were the last on a trai,l I looked over to my left and saw a capuchin monkey sitting on a branch watching me. As I looked back, I noticed there were about 5 others. They stayed for about 5 minutes eating bamboo and throwing things at us and then the troop moved on. I was thrilled. It was really a great day and I loved the jungle.
After our 2 days we flew back to BA and spent the afternoon yesterday in Recoleta visiting Evita's tomb in the necropolis cemetery and walking a few neighborhoods. After a 10 hour flight to JFK we arrived back in the US and are now home. It was an interesting month. I had never really thought about South America as a possible vacation destination. I found it fascinating and yet a little familiar. The people are kind and I never felt in danger or really uncomfortable. Thank you to those who sent your comments. I read them all and it really helped to stay connected. Now none of you have to listen to boring vacation stories!
2 comments:
Mary, I would be very interested in speaking with you about your trip - specifically the refund you received from Hurtigruten for being a passenger on the MS Nordnorge when that ship came to the rescue of the MS Nordkapp passengers in Whalers Bay, Antarctica. I was a passenger on the Nordkapp and as of March 6 the Vantage (travel company) travelers aboard that ship are still waiting to hear what their refund will be. It has been posted elsewhere on the internet that Hurtigruten offered only a 50% refund to the Nordkapp passengers and I am finding it difficult to figure out why the discrepancy between the two ships. WE were shipwrecked; you came to our rescue; we completed seven landings (six in Antarctica - we DID make the Cape Horn climb); you completed, at least according to your blog, five landings; we lost one day in Antarctica; you lost 2 days. Anyway, I'd be very interested to hear from you!!! Please contact LCLett@msn.com. Thanks so much!!
Linda
Thanks for writing this.
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