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South America » Argentina » Misiones » Puerto Iguazú
February 18th 2008
Published: May 16th 2008
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You would believe that most travelers are gone in February because the peak of the high season is passed. But this is counting without the Argentinians who are on vacation at that time of the year and do travel in their country, and as a matter of fact, the majority travel mostly only in their country right now due to the economic situation they are facing & their money not allowing them to travel abroad, not even to the neighboring countries of Chile and Brazil.

I had met a lot of Argentinian travelers after about two weeks of traveling by myself, which I really enjoyed and allowed me to polish my Spanish.

Nevertheless, coming out of the blue, like it always does... I got this feeling that was waiting for me at the crossroads, and it did hit me at a crossroads !

I had just arrived at Puerto Iguazu and I was thinking how much anxiety I was developing every time I would arrive at a new place, alone... and not having made any reservations anywhere, I basically had not much idea of where to go, except a few hotel names from my Lonely Planet guide, which had decided not to cooperate very well on that trip, sending me to places I didn't like or that would cost double the prices from the book... Still the issue of the Argentinian peso and the US dollar going down as well... Anyway... I'm walking down the streets when I spot a tourist seating at a bar terrace and sipping a beer. At that moment, I'm thinking it would be really nice to meet someone tonight just to share a dinner and a glass of wine. Someone who would speak the same language than me and to whom I could relate a little bit. That tourist triggered something into me as he was the first tourist I saw in two weeks. Forget about that snobism about avoiding touristic places!

I'm still walking down the street, I have just seen one hotel that is outrageously pricey for what it is, not feeling good vibes from the people behind the desk when my cell phone rings. Yes, I have a cell phone which is a blessing that at least I can communicate on a daily basis with Michael who is a great support, cheers me up with his warm voice, and who is just there...

I will always remember that corner where I was standing when I answered the call and suddenly burst into tears. I was tired, anxious and lonely... I also just realized at that moment that I had gotten lost and missed the turn for the next hotel I wanted to check. It was just too much all at the same time.

A few minutes on the phone and a hotel room checked in later, I had dinner alone that night, and I was ok. I could feel something magic about Puerto Iguazu. The town had nothing special but you know that you are about to discover something special so the excitement and curiosity build up for the following day.

The bus dropped us in the middle of the highway where we were told to wait for the next bus that would take us to the Brazilian side. That's when I met Regine from Bruxelles who had just stepped on my bus because she had been waiting for an hour for a bus connection to go to the Argentinian side of the Falls, a bus that never came. So we both ended up on that side of the highway, waiting for our bus... You often meet people by accident :-) We clicked right away and decided to spend the day together. We expanded that amazing day with an even more amazing dinner and shared more than one glass of wine! Gloups!... It felt good to know that what I had wished one day earlier was happening just before my eyes.

Regine shared with me later that she was very grateful for meeting me as I helped her to put her "back on the rails". So little did she know that I was as grateful as whe was...

I guess the time was right for both of us... Places are wonderful when you travel but people really make the whole difference, always, and everywhere in the world...








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