No Regrets!

Iguazu Falls lives up to the hype. It is an amazing place.

Oscar was our guide for the day. He spoke mostly Spanish but was able to give us basic direction in English. Our booking included an “English-speaking guide,” but apparently, the phrase means different things to different people.

On the coach were mostly older couples and some kids. The only English speakers were a couple of South Korean girls who were in school in Philadelphia.

Walking along the trails through subtropical rainforest, butterflies are everywhere. They land on your hands and clothes and big-ass cameras. Friendly coatis walk the trails looking for food, and big-ass spiders sit in webs in the branches above.

Our first stop was Devil’s Throat, which offered a pretty good view of Iguazu’s largest falls. The volume of water going over is unbelievable, and a tremendous amount of mist bursts up from the middle. Taking photos was difficult.

A train took us to our next stop, a short walk that offered a series of magnificent panoramas, each more spectacular than the last. With misty falls pouring out of thick, green rainforest all around you, it feels like a scene out of a fairy tale. I hope my photos capture at least some of the beauty of this place.

It was hot. The heat and humidity were taking their toll, so the boat ride at the end of the day was perfectly timed. The boat took us along the river to the base of the falls and even went UNDER them for a moment. A refreshing and amazing experience, and we’ve got video to prove it.

Gog and I got fried today. Gog’s neckline and raccoon eyes are pretty sweet. It looks like he’s wearing a red ski mask. My beard experiment kept most of my face protected, but my arms are medium-rare and my feet have sweet sunburn lines from my Chaco’s.

A bit tired of meat, Gog and I stopped at a pizzeria with wifi called Naé. While at the table trying to catch up on my blogging, I received a frantic e-mail from Gog’s iPhone:

Door handle in bathroom broke. Cannot get out. Not kidding. Can you come push on the door?

Like a true friend, I rescued him. And took a picture of him.

Tomorrow, we have a quick tour on the Brazil side of Iguazu Falls and an evening flight to Buenos Aires.