Igazu Falls....WOW

Blog neglect due to lots of moves....We are in Igazu taking a day off after two days of intense viewing of the falls. First, my friend Vicki was right the falls, all 300 plus of them, are truly remarkable. Alas, we were unable to get into Brazil without paying $100 USD each, because of our enlightened government´s visa restrictions on Brazilians and Brazils understandable retaliation. Oh well, the falls were stunning from the Argentinian side.

The affect of seeing them for the first time is one of´... ahhhh. The only comperable feeling was when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time. The power of the river pouring over the falls is only one part of the picture. The jungle is on hyper grow. We saw at least 12 species of butterflies, weird rodents, tucans and other birds. This is an experential experience. It is mist, sweat, sun, rain, huge falls, other tourists (only a few Gringos). The two days spent hiking around just absorbing the vibe were fantastic.

We are staying in Puerto Igazu. We journeyed here on a delux bus. Why don´t we have semi-camas in the United States. The bus is air conditioned, there are movies, a steward, good food, free drinks, and seats that make into beds. We left Buenos Aires at 7pm and arrived in Igazu, rested the next day at around 10:30 am. This beats 16 hours of driving and the cost of $70 per person seems fair.

This is no country for vegetarians. This is our first stay at a resort hotel, much like Inn at the 7th Mountain. There are great buffets featuring (you guessed it) beef. Carpacio, sausage, ribs, steaks (from various regions of the cattle), chicken, salami, all are on the menue. The wine (mainly Malbec and Cabs) from Mendoza is inexpensive and pleantiful. The price is right and if we were not walking four or five hours per day, I would be muy gordo.

The presidents of Argentina and Brazil were at our hotel last evening. We ate on the patio and did not even guess the stuffy folks dining inside were ministers and heads of state. They looked so polished and bored. They reminding me of all those poor insurance folks I used to take money from. Decent people living out somewhat boring lives. Meanwhile on the deck a local band played fusion rock-folk music. It was a good evening.

We are off to Bariloche, in the mountains next week. Tomorrow, we return to Buenos Aires and a night at the opera. See you soon!