Iguazu Falls

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As I write this entry, it is actually May 9, and we are actually still in Puerto Iguazu, an unexpected turn of events, which will all be explained in my May 9 Post. I am a bit frustrated as well as the website that hosts my blog is having serious issues, first none of us could even access it and now having issues loading photo’s. This is causing a delay in posting until that issue is resolved, which means you all will be getting three to four notices of new blog entries at the same time. (This issue was resolved right before posting this)

Yesterday was all about the Iguazu National Park, home of the Iguazu Falls. It is a very large park, and the falls are more impressive than Niagara, even Eleanor Roosevelt said so. There is a hotel located in the park, but we did not feel like paying $500 a night. The pro of staying in the park is that you would be there at night and have a much better chance at seeing the wildlife, especially the Jaguar’s and Puma’s.

We opted to sleep in and just spend the afternoon in the Park. You could very easily spend 2 full days exploring all of the trails. The highlight of the park is Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat.) As I referenced in yesterday’s post this part of the park is closed because of flooding. Normally you can walk or take the EcoTrain to a pathway that walks you right out to the edge. If this had been open that was going to be our morning activity, then lunch then the superior circuit. With Diablo being closed, this gave us the option to sleep in, since we had already decided not to do the river cruise.

Now that we knew how to get there, we drove directly to the Park Entrance found the parking lot and were off for the day. In order to get to the majority of the park, you can either walk the green trail or take a train. We opted for the train. Once you arrive at the second train station, you have access to three different trails, there are also some eating options here. Before we headed out into the jungle, we first had lunch at Fortin. During high season there would be a long wait, but now we got right in. It is buffet style, so most of the items are pretty average, but they do have a parrilla as well, with lots of freshly grilled meats of all types. We put together our lunch (the picture gives you the general idea) and had a leisurely lunch. There are lots of high-powered fans and AC, so good break from the heat and humidity. Why anyone would come here in the summer is beyond me, you would simply collapse.

After lunch we walked the superior trail. This really gives you great views of several of the falls and you can see Diablo in the distance. As you go further into the path, which is well maintained and handicap accessible, you start to hear the rush of water and roar of the falls. You come to a small falls first impressive but only a taste of what is to come. Suddenly you round a bend, and you see the full glory. You hear it before you see it.

I don’t have a lot to really say, it is all very visually, so the pictures have to speak for me. A couple of things to note, the water is very red brown, it didn’t always use to be this way, once upon a time the rivers ran clear. Man, of course has ruined that. The deforestation of the Rainforest has had a devastating impact on the river and the wildlife that depend on it. Every time it rains, the soil exposed because of the deforestation runs off into the river, thus the color today. It is so bad that the fish are unable to find each other to spawn and continue the species. Man ruins everything.

There is an abundance of wildlife, of which we only saw butterflies and some birds. No Toucans, monkey’s, cats or others. It was still a nice day shared with nature. No matter how much I called kitty, kitty, I could not coax out a puma or jaguar. Will just have to save the big cats for our African Safari later this year.

It was a hot and humid day, but every now and then there would be this cool breeze that came out of nowhere. I was still drenched by the end of the day.

It was a great day in the park, and I am glad we made the trip.

Safely back at the hotel, the weather was getting ready to take a turn. Tonight, we were headed to Aqva for dinner, possibly the nicest restaurant offering in the city. We opted for a cab because we didn’t want to drink and drive, and rain was on its way.

Before dinner and wine, we took a quick dip in the first-floor pool, there is also a larger pool on the roof next to the bar and small restaurant. It was not heated but refreshing because of the humidity. It was just a quick dip (no pictures here) to cool off then back to the room for some wine and to clean up for dinner.

The front desk called a cab, which showed up 3 seconds after they called, and we were off to dinner. The restaurant was nice, but very segregated. Locals were seated in one section tourists in another. The only real negative was that the service, while good, was very fast, in and out in just over an hour. Really not given time to relax and enjoy dinner. The food was good and the portions just to big, could not even come close to finishing my meal.

I ordered a nice bottle of Malbec, based totally on price point and the word reserva. It was very good, but better after it opened up a bit. Jerry started with a provelata (slightly different with roasted tomatoes on top), and I had tempuda de langostinos (tempura shrimp.) The seafood is very strong here, much more fish taste. It must be the waters in which it lives and is caught. The shrimp was served with what they refer to as guacamole, but I call it avocado crema.

For our mains, Jerry had Lomo in a mustard sauce (tenderloin) served with papa fritas and mixed vegetables. I had a rolled chicken breast stuffed with spinach and cheese covered in a mushroom sauce. The chicken was very tender, not try in the least. It was served with a vegetable souffle, which had to much eggplant, well any eggplant is to much. I also ordered a side of pure de papas. Best restaurant mashed potatoes ever. (yes the mashed potatoes are the dish of the day.)

Dinner ended in a very Italian style with limoncello. The server called a taxi which again arrived in 5 second, and then we felt hurried to pay and get out the door. During dinner, the lighting hit and the skies opened. Torrential rain at times. On the cab rid home is when we first heard of a significant problem in the country that would alter our plans.

Earlier in the day, the rental car company messaged me asking if we would return the car as scheduled; this happened at 4:11 pm, I thought it was strange, but at the time not knowing what was to come, I messaged back yes. In the cab, the driver informed us of the General Strike planned for the next day and all flights and other government-based services would be offline. This is why the rental car company messaged me. To late to do anything about the rental car, we did manage to secure an extra night in the hotel.

The hotel was quite busy, as the airlines had sent many of those affected by canceled flights to our hotel for the night. Stressed out at this point, Jerry went down to get wine for the night. A very helpful young man took time out of his very busy schedule serving customers in the restaurant to bring the wine and ice bucket up to the room. He got a very nice tip.

To be continued . . .

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Photos

Stuffed Chicken in Mushroom Sauce
Dish of the day to the right