Flight to Iguazu

We were up before dawn this morning (we did not receive our 5 a.m. wake-up call, but the shouting from the next room let us know that the desk clerk only missed by one digit) and off to an abbreviated breakfast by 5:30. At 6 we were on the bus to the airport. Our flight to Foz do Iguazu - Catarata was a smooth 2-hour cruise to the southern corner of Brazil, where the country meets both Agentina and Paraguay.

Our bus took us a very short way to the national park entrance. About 6000 acres of tropical forest has been preserved here, where many hundreds of square miles have been cleared for agricultural use. We stopped (too long) for “lunch” at the visitor’s center, although it was only 10:30 a.m. Mary and I only snacked, but those in the group who ate from the restaurant reported that the prices were high and the quality was poor.

Things began looking up when we began our “hike” (a leisurely walk on paved path) to the falls. This is the Niagara of South America — not as much water, but a longer drop and many, many smaller falls spread out across a wide area, in addition to the main cascade. It was quite breathtaking, and at the closest viewpoint, quite wet (and very crowded with weekend tourists). These falls are so vast that no single photo can capture it all.

There was quite a bit of wildlife along the way (not including the people). Mostly we saw all shades and sizes of coati, a long-nosed South American relative of the raccoon. The coati beg for food, and are not always polite about taking it. Many signs warn not to feed them, and some of the signs use color photos of very bloody hands and fingers to drive home the point. The graphic signage did little to dissuade the human wildlife from sharing ice cream cones and other snacks with the critters.

We had the option of climbing back to the top via many stairs, or taking an elevator. Feeling lazy, we lined up for the lift. We had only been in line for a few seconds when a young man in park service uniform came up to me and let me know (in perfect English) that for those over 60 there was a special elevator. We bypassed the line and went right up, which was nice. But I wondered why he singled ME out of the line for special treatment. I know I’m a year older than I was yesterday, but I didn’t think age had taken such a toll! I definitely wasn’t the only one there with gray hair.

Some of the group signed on for an optional tour to take a boat under the falls and get very wet. As we were already wet enough, we elected to join those going on to the hotel instead. The hotel is quite a fancy resort, much nicer than we were led to expect. The wi-fi is good, the pool is bathtub warm, and there are several acres of “environmental area” with trails, organic gardens, a mini-zoo of tropical birds and a few other local animals. It was so nice we walked it twice, probably at least two or three  miles total. The exercise felt good, and after last week in the Midwest, 90 degrees and 90% humidity was a welcome combination. No complaints about the heat from the Minnesotans!

There isn’t much other tourist infrastructure around here, so dinner was served at the resort. It was a buffet, and the food was excellent, so we over-ate by just a bit. A nice, very reasonably priced bottle of Argentine wine helped our digestion. After such an early start to the day, we were early to bed, as well.