BUENOS AIRES- Pop. 2.8 million, 12.8 million in metropolitan area. Argentine peso (20 = $1. US).
We had a full day excursion booked to Iguazu Falls which are on the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The ship docked at 7 am and we were on our way to the domestic airport by 7:30 for the hour and a half flight. Upon landing a local guide joined us and we were off to a buffet lunch which included a barbecue. Argentine beef is good - maybe not as good as Alberta beef but good. After lunch we headed to the Upper Falls trail. The Falls are in a National Park and the park has done a great job of making the trails accessible. Most of the trails are over the river and are metal mesh bridges. There are actually around 300 diffefent falls but when it rains as it did for the 5 days prior to our visit many of the Falls merge into one. The Falls were formed thousands of years ago and are on the Iguazu River which flows south from Brazil. The soil is red and as a result the river is quite brown so some of the falls are not the pristine white you expect. We had great views of the Falls and they are quite spectacular. After completing this trail which took about an hour we hopped on a train for a 20 minute ride to the next set of trails. These trails also took about an hour - same falls but different views. Back on the train for another 20 minute ride to the first station. From there we walked to the hotel where dinner would be served. Some of the people went straight to the hotel but the rest of us went to the Lower Falls trail. We could hear the roar of the water although we couldn't see the Falls. This trail leads to the bottom of the Falls. The views are amazing and you can get quite wet from the spray. Back at the hotel we had a great buffet dinner with wine and beer.
The Park is home to 3,000 species of butterflies and we saw a lot of them. They are wonderful colors and their underwings are different from the outside wings. The Park is home to many different animals including the jaguar. Our local guide was 38, has lived in the area all his life but has never seen a jaguar while some people claim to see one on their first visit. Animals we did see were the coati (a type of raccoon that looks quite different than the Canadian ones but are just as mean), crocodile, monkey and deer.
We arrived back at the ship at 11 pm, tired but so glad we did this tour. Arriving at this late time meant that the shops in the terminal were closed so our planned purchases of malbec and Quillems beer will have to wait to our next port. A German brewer started this brewery in 1888 and the beer is almost a national institution.
We have now seen Niagara, Victoria and Iguazu Falls and you can't really compare them. Both Victoria and Iguazu Falls were at their best when we saw them and each have their own personalities. What stands out about Iguazu was the view from the bottom.
Pictures to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment