I apologize for not updating the journal over the last few days. The internet connection in Puerto Iguazu was very sllloooooww. The hotel claimed it is a citywide issue. I guess I’ll have to take them at their word!

Tuesday, January 22 – transit from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu

Today’s main meal was breakfast. Leftovers from last night’s birthday dinner. A hearty start to the journey ahead!

My hotel was pretty nice. Located just on the edge of town, it’s on the way to the Falls, and a block from where the bus to the Falls stops. The rate included a nice breakfast buffet, so that turned out to be the main meal on each day of my stay. The buffet included eggs, fruit, juices, and assorted meat, vegetables and bread. The hotel’s drawback? The aforementioned internet issues.

Wednesday, January 23 – Puerto Iguazu

It’s hot here people! Highs were in the upper 90s today. I was excited to go to the Falls, but was kind of tired, so decided to roam around this little town today. It’s really not much of a place. If not for the proximity to the Falls, there would be no reason to visit (but I guess you could say that about a lot of places).

So, I’ve been to The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. This is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers. And I can now say that I have also visited The Triple Frontier (El Hito Tres Fronteras) of South America, where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet at the intersection of the Iguazu and Parana rivers. I guess Puerto Iguazu is not a one hit wonder after all!

Since breakfast was going to be my main meal for the next few days, I thought I’d stop by the grocery store to pick up some snacks (for the Falls and otherwise). Thankfully, Supermercado Tio Juan was just a couple blocks from the hotel!

Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25 – Parque Nacional Iguazu

“Poor Niagara” Eleanor Roosevelt supposedly uttered upon seeing Iguazu Falls. I can understand her sentiment! I would typically want to avoid any place that attracts people armed with selfie sticks, but in this case the beauty of the Falls and the park more than made up for having to tolerate that attack on normalcy. I’ve posted some pictures below, with the usual caveat that they really don’t do it justice. Also hard to describe is the sound of the falls. Just so powerful and thundering. (See, I did a terrible job of trying to describe it!)

I spent two full days in the park. The round trip bus ride from the city to the park was about $8. The park entry cost was $18 on the first day and $9 on the second day. The park is well organized, with walking trails, platforms and train service between three different areas. One thing I thought was interesting: Maps to the park are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. That’s right, no English. A snub? You decide!

I got to the park early on Thursday. The morning was cloudy, which was a blessing and a curse. Good because it kept the temps down, but bad for photography. So I took my time roaming around the different trails, getting a lay of the land, absorbing all the subtleties of the park, and noting the locations of prime photo ops. By afternoon it had turned partly cloudy so I made a return visit to some of my favorite viewing spots.

I went back to the park first thing Friday, arriving to a crystal clear day. So in the morning I revisited the spots that I knew would be crowded later in the day. Then in the afternoon I took a rather long hike on a lesser used trail that led to a secluded set of falls. A nice way to conclude my visit!

There is a lot of animal life in the park. The first two pictures are of Coatis. They are found all over the park and are quite used to humans (as you can tell!). They’re rather tame, but can become aggressive when food is within their reach!

I guess I’ve delayed the main attraction long enough…