Iguazu Falls

My plan is to spend a month in Buenos Aires, taking trips each weekend to a different, relatively close place.  Essentially, Buenos Aires is the hub for all flights in Argentina, so while you cannot go directly between two other places, from Buenos Aires I can get anywhere easily.  Even Santiago, Chile, is less than a two hour flight.  So this weekend was … Iguazu Falls.

I ended up booking the weekend with a random travel agency that I found online because the price they quoted me was less than it would have cost me to book everything myself and they coordinated everything.  I got the flights to Iguazu, two nights in a hotel, touring the falls from both sides (Argentina and Brazil),  and transportation to and from the airports.  I was a little nervous on Friday wondering if a driver would show up, but he did - in an air conditioned sedan, practically a limo here.  The airline tickets worked, the hotel expected me, what could go wrong?

Argentine side of Iguazu Falls

Really nothing, but it turned out to be a moderately frustrating weekend.  On Saturday, a van picked me up along with ten other people and the guide took us on a walk on the Upper Circuit on the Argentine side.  The Upper Circuit goes along the top of the falls, with spectacular views down and around.  After lunch, I was scheduled to go on a boat ride to see the falls up close and personal.  But since it was a hot day, I had my hair in a ponytail, and an eagle eyed boat official noticed my hearing aids.  So I got kicked out.  Turns out you can’t go on the boat if you have hearing aids.  I planned on taking them out anyway so they wouldn’t get wet, but it didn’t matter.  It is a safety issue!  What if there is an emergency and they have to yell instructions over the roar of the water?  They wouldn’t believe that I can hear without them.  If I have hearing aids, I must have a “condition” so I couldn’t go on the boat.  I wanted to sneak on anyway but the guide said I had argued too much and they all knew me.  She said I could go the next day from the Brazil side because “they have different rules there.”  Second choice for the few of us who were not on the boat was a walk on the Lower Circuit which really gave a good view.  I would have enjoyed it more if I were not pissed.

On Sunday, we went to the Brazil side which turned out to be spectacular.  Since most of the falls are in Argentina, you can see them better from Brazil.  Also, the best falls are behind an island that you cannot see from Argentina.  Simply spectacular.

Great view from walkway on Brazil side

Then I finally went on my boat ride.  They warned us that we would get wet and suggested leaving everything in a locker.  I decided to bring everything (passport, wallet, phone, and hearing aids (which I took out to keep dry) in my leather daypack and wear my rain slicker over it.  They also encouraged flip flops or barefoot.  Once I got on the boat and realized I was the only one wearing sneakers, I took them off and put them under my slicker as well.

Then we went off for our ride and … it was not what I expected at all.  I thought it was like the Maid of the Mist in Niagara.  We would see the falls from the water level and get a little misty and damp.  Wrong.  It was an amusement park ride.  They took us to one tall cascade and went into it.  Ha Ha.  We got drenched.  So they did it four more times.  I discovered that my rain slicker was not waterproof as I got soaked to the skin.  All of my clothes were sopping wet.  Ha ha.  The only good news is that my leather bag did keep my passport, wallet, and everything else inside dry.  Whew!

Under the waterfall

I had been checking the weather forecast all week before I came to Iguazu and it called for rain and thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday.  I dressed accordingly.  On Saturday, it never rained and was hot.  I should have worn shorts instead of the black lightweight pants that I thought would be good for rain.  After I got back to the hotel on Saturday, I went to an outdoor restaurant and sat in the sun.  Five minutes after I ordered, it started to rain, and I had to move to a table with an umbrella.  On Sunday morning, my phone said it was drizzling when I was getting dressed, but when I walked outside, it was nice out.  It stayed warm (but I didn’t wear a ponytail near the boat ride) through the ride under the falls.  With the wind and the sun, we started drying out on the ride back when … it started pouring.  It was like still being under the falls.  And when I got back to my hotel, the sun was out and everyone was at the pool.  But of course I had not brought a bathing suit because the weather forecast was for rain all weekend!

The moral of the story:  the gods and the weather were conspiring against me this weekend? Maybe. I always say that every trip cannot be wonderful or you would not know what wonderful is.  Iguazu Falls is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and was incredible to see.  This weekend may have been a bit frustrating but, oh well. I know what wonderful is.  Coincidentally, thanks to my trip to Africa in 2017 and the Salem wedding a few years ago, I have seen the big three falls - Victoria, Niagara, and Iguazu - all in the last six years.  Iguazu was spectacular and Niagara is powerful, but Victoria has my vote for the most impressive.

I have been underwhelmed by Argentine food.  Everyone told me that I would love it because there is so much steak.  But … since I can’t eat dinner at 9:00 at night, I can never go to a really good restaurant.  They don’t even open until 8:30.  I have found enough restaurants that serve food all day, but every Argentine restaurant has the exact same fairly limited menu.  The best steak is confusingly called bife de chorizo.  I thought chorizo was pork sausage, but even in the kosher restaurant Rabbi Ernesto told me to get bife de chorizo.  That turns out to be strip steak which I find tough.  It is harder to find rib eye.  The side dish is always potatoes, usually fries.  When I ask for a salad instead, it is not instead.  I get charged for a salad which is always lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots, and sliced onion with oil and vinegar.  The second meat on the menu is called milanesa and is essentially breaded fried steak (or chicken).  And the third meat is bandiola which our bike guide translated as pig elbow. I didn't know pigs had elbows or any meat on them. One day for a change, I ordered costillas which is ribs and got pork chops.  The more casual cafes have a great variety of sandwiches - ten variations of ham and cheese. Argentina does, however, have really good chocolate.

On a happier food note, a young woman in my class last week was the first person I have ever met who eats NO potatoes.  She will eat fries if they are really fried, and not thick and potatoey.  I can forgive that failing.  I was happy to finally meet someone with such a discerning palate.  Also on a happier note, they put onions in everything here.

Back to the economy.  Since the largest bill is $1,000 pesos, the $33,000 pesos I got when I exchanged $100 was more than I could put in my wallet.  But since the banking system is somewhere between inefficient and nonexistent, you cannot transfer large sums of money.  If you are buying a house, you have to hire a private guard, get a suitcase full of bills from the bank, and take it to your closing.

My school has no afternoon activities on Mondays, and it was sunny and 90 degrees, so I went back to Parque Norte to swim after class. I did make it to the park with just one subway ride and a bus transfer, and made it back to my apartment with one, albeit long, bus ride. In order to swim at Parque Norte, you need a “health” inspection.  Last week, a young woman (a nurse?) had me spread the toes on each of my feet, and then bend over and swish my hair around.  Checking for athlete’s foot and head lice?  Not sure, but I passed last week, and got a certificate good for a month. This week I just showed my official certificate and waltzed in.  Although I have to say, the pool is shallow and filled with hundreds of little kids. I suspect the pool has a fair amount of "impurities" in it that the health inspection cannot prevent.