May 5: Puerto Iguazú

I survived the 23 hour bus ride.  Actually owing to a general lack of sleep, the bus ride was relatively painless.  I watched 2 movies in English, 1 in Spanish, finished the first book I have read during my trip (my willingness to read is a healing scar from my previous job), and slept soundly.

My hostel for 23 hours.

 Alexis, my Catalán friend was waiting for me at the bus stop in Puerto Iguazú.  It was nice to have an öld¨ friend to greet me.  And it was doubly nice to have had someone to do my homework for me.  Upon arrival in every new town, there is a routine that one performs.  It starts with where am I and where do I need to go confusion, locating my hostel, and the obligatory stop in the tourist info office to get maps and other vital info.  Alexis had already done all this plus he got info on bus prices and times to Buenos Aires for me.

After dropping my belongings at the hostel and taking a quick, yet refreshing shower, we went for an exploratory walk.  Our first stop was at the mirador of the confluence of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil divided by the Río Iguacú.

Mirador of Argentina (front), Paraguay (left) and Brazil (right).

Monument with flags

There were no walking trails there, so we retreated to town and stopped by the tourist info office for suggestions.  The woman told us about a ´sanctuario´outside of town, so we hopped on the bus and headed out.  The jungle sanctuary was nothing worth writing about, but provided more opportunity to stretch my legs after the long bus trip.

A furry friend we encountered in the Sanctuary

I bought my bus ticket for the 18-hour ride to BA, we prepared our daypacks for an early start to the waterfalls, and set about finding a suitable restaurant for dinner.  We ended up in an LP recommended Parilla (grill) that had a $45 peso per person special of parilla with salad.  The waiter brought out chorizo and morcilla- sausage cooked in animal blood which I didn´t care for, but dutifully ate most of because I was hungry.  I didn´t realize that this was only an appetizer.  The waiter then delivered a huge, sizzling grill of beef, chicken, pork, and intestines.  I gave it a college try, but could not finish everything and sadly, the intestines went untouched.

I also happened to arrive at the start of a motorcycle rally.  The normally tranquil, slightly upscale touristic haven of Puerto Iguazú has been transformed by an onslaught of hogs, kawasakis, hondas, and BMW bikes.  There are street parties with loud bands and the associated craziness.  Most of the riders seem to be from Brazil.  It definitely makes for a more interesting visit here.