Goodbye Iguazu and Hello Buenos Aires

We had some free time the next morning.  The girls asked for a lazy morning, so we left them in the room and went down to breakfast just the two of us.  The breakfast buffet had the yummy Brazilian cheese bread as well as lots of different kinds of fruit, so I was happy camper.  Since we didn't have the girls with us, there were two free chairs and we acquired a curious bird friend.

It had been raining off and on all morning, but finally the rain let up, and it was still early enough that there were no tourists in the park, so I decided to take advantage of the lack of people for one last stroll down the waterfall path.

I had the lookout points and walkways all to myself.  It was incredible.

As I got to the end and started my way up to the visitor center and the bus back to the hotel, I looked down to see a rainbow.  What a magical place.

Back at the hotel, it was time to say our goodbyes to Iguazu and Brazil.  Goodbye fun, pink hotel.

Goodbye beautiful Christmas decorations.

And goodbye Guarana.

Then it was back on the bus and through the two borders to Argentina.  The idea was that it was easier to fly domestically within Argentina, but the Argentine national airline only allows 15kg bags and charges for anything over that.  Thank goodness, the tour company had already accounted for that, and there was a guy there whose job was to settle our outstanding bills, so we didn't have to worry about it.  Love guided tours!

It was about lunch time, so we found the one restaurant.  They didn't have Guarana, but boy did they have steak.

The girls are such good travelers.  They've gotten used to all the waiting that's involved and know how to entertain themselves.

After a short flight, we arrived at the domestic airport in Buenos Aires to the sounds of a gospel choir.

I have absolutely no idea why there was a gospel choir performing at the domestic airport, complete with flying confetti, but it was a nice surprise.  What wasn't a nice surprise was that, unlike in Brazil, we had to haul our own bags.  To make matters worse, our bus was all the way on the other side of the airport.  Jeff and I each manned a luggage cart and walked for what felt like miles.  Eventually though, we got to our newest bus and got settled in.

The airport was in the poorer part of the city, so we drove past all kinds of shacks and other precarious housing arrangements.  Then we crossed the train tracks to the fancy side of town full of shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels.  Our hotel for the night was the Emperador Hotel.  The pictures on the website looked very nice, but I have never received such rude service at any other hotel in the world.  

The good news was that my parents were meeting us there to join us for the cruise, so we had a nice reunion in the lobby.  The girls sat with them while Jeff and I waited in line for over twenty minutes to check in only to be told that we had rooms on two completely different floors.  Marcia had specifically sent a request for connecting rooms, but the lady behind the desk said they had "not been informed."  Now first of all, they have the kids listed as kids, so this is not rocket science.  Second of all, weary travelers at the end of a long day need to be treated kindly.  I didn't completely lose it, but I pulled out my haughtiest Spanish and told them to fix it.  In the end, the manager showed up to apologize and offer us two suites on the same floor a few doors down from each other.  I asked if we could just put two rollaway beds in the one large suite, but was told no, because only one additional child is allowed in the room.  I don't know what kind of face I made, but I managed to hold my tongue, and we took the two rooms.

The tour included a dinner and tango show, but it didn't start until after eight and wouldn't be over until after midnight, so we didn't think that would be the best fit for us.  Added to that, one of Vivian's best friends from Bogota had moved to Buenos Aires over the summer, so we made plans to meet up with her and her mom for a proper steak dinner instead.  It was great to see them again and the food was good, but we continually got the impression that the children were not welcomed.  Overall, Buenos Aires did not make a good first impression. Fortunately, the girls were tired, so after diner they quickly fell asleep in their room and we had a smooth night.

Iguazu Falls Day 2

We were up bright and early the next morning for a waterfalls double header, exploring the walking paths on the Argentina side and taking a boat ride on the Brazil side.  This is where our guide Val came in, he collected all our passports and got us back and forth across the border as smoothly as possible.  Again, I'm now totally sold on guided vacations.

The first thing we noticed when we walked out of the hotel was that there was a rainbow over the falls.  What a way to start the day.

Getting through the Brazil border was a breeze, but we got stuck at the Argentina border, because one of the people in our group didn't have the appropriate paperwork. Finally though, we were through, and we crossed the bridge over the Iguazu river.  One half is painted with yellow and green for Brazil and the other half is blue and white for Argentina.  We also stopped to take a look at the tri-border with Paraguay which is at the end of the photo, separated from the other two countries by the Parana river.

When we got to the park on the Argentina side, we had a bit of a wait for the train that would take us to the Devil's Throat, the walkway over the biggest part of the falls, so Jeff decided to sample the Argentine beer.

The train ride was fun, because it was open air, so we had a great view of everything.

We had a quick bathroom break, followed by photo ops, and then we were off.

Even before we got to the falls, we agreed it was absolutely beautiful.

There were also tons of butterflies, many of whom were quite friendly.

Jeff got several great pictures.

We could tell we were getting closer to the Devil's Throat, because we could hear it.  Then we started to feel the spray.  This was as close as I dared to get with my phone.

Then I sealed it up, and Jeff was in charge with the waterproof camera.  There were people wearing full plastic ponchos, but we had opted for bathing suits.  It wasn't too bad, but there was definitely enough spray to get you wet.  The views were worth it though.  The tricky part was getting pictures without water drops in them.

We took the walk back a bit faster, but towards the end everyone was tired, especially Elena.  I was worried she was going to have a meltdown.  She was especially upset that a butterfly hadn't landed on her hand, like they had for Jeff.  Fortunately, as we were waiting for the train back, she made a butterfly friend, and her whole face lit up.

The train let us off at a shopping and restaurant area similar to the one on the Brazil side.  Our buffet lunch was already included, but it wasn't as nice as the one we had had the day before in Brazil.  The space was much more cramped, with no view, and the food wasn't that good.  Plus, they didn't have Guarana, which Vivian was very sad about.  We got through lunch quickly and waited for the bus to come and get us.

On the bus ride back across the two borders, the girls napped hard.

That was fine though, because the next item on the agenda was a boat ride under the falls.  The problem was the girls really didn't want to wake up, especially Elena, so we bribed them with ice cream and Guarana, and then they were back on track.

The first step in getting to the boats was a ride through the jungle in what was essentially a truck with open air seats at the back.  We bumped happily along, and then waited in line for the funicular to take us down to the boats.

Our guides told us this was much more crowded than usual, but we were fine waiting in line, especially when there was shade and a place to sit.

Finally, it was our turn, and we set off in our boat.

It was a pretty hot day, so the breeze felt wonderful and the views were spectacular.

We got really close to one waterfall, and then the driver took us into it.  Jeff tried to capture the experience, but really, it was just a face full of water.

Our guides had told us that the boat people would dunk us two or three times, but since we were the last shift of the day, I guess they figured they'd go for broke, and we got dunked five times.  By the end, we were drenched.

Even though Vivian couldn't quite manage a smile for the picture, she absolutely loved it.  Both girls agreed it was their favorite part of the day.  As a special bonus, we got a rainbow on our way out.

It was a short ride back to the hotel, and then we all got cleaned up.  We didn't have a group dinner included that night, so we decided to get the girls room service, since they were pretty worn out.  The table service they brought them was very elegant, and they were quite pleased with themselves.

Jeff and I weren't terribly hungry, so we opted for drinks and sandwiches at the bar at the front of the hotel.  I figured a pink drink was needed to match my surroundings.

We ended up being joined by an Australian couple from our group who we had made friends with, which made for a fun evening.  As we watched the sun set over the falls, I excused myself to get a couple more pictures.

This last one, I took from the bar area itself, looking out at the trees on the property.

It was a beautiful end to an incredible day in such a special place.