The Brazil Side: Cataratas do Iguaçu
Before coming to Argentina I'd expected the falls to be yet another "must-see" swarming with tourists. But all the other seasoned travelers I encountered in South America gushed about Las Cataratas. The Brazil side gives a more or less complete view of the falls from across el Río Iguazú. During late summer and autumn (May) and especially during a drought, the falls tend to lose volume but are still magnificent to look at, according to the travel sites. From afar, they just didn’t grab me. Had I become jaded to all the fantastic sights and new experiences, like the weary British woman I met in Mendoza who was nearing the end of a nine-month tour from the United States through Mexico, Central and South America; "Oh yeah, I've seen lots of volcanos."
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Returning to Argentina, we made the five o’clock bus, the last one of the day. Only two other tourists joined us. One was Johannis from Denmark. I told him about my encounter with the "Queens of Denmark", the Dutch women I met in Granada, Spain, almost three years before, and we discussed my poor knowledge of northern European geography. The bus driver had to stop at Brazilian customs for Johannis to get his passport stamped because he took the local bus for only $50 pesos, but the local bus drops all riders off at Brazil customs. Then Johannis had to pay an additional $15 USD for another bus ride to the park entrance. Our bus driver just took Johannis' passport into Brazilian customs to get it stamped. He didn't even have to leave his seat. If you don’t have a Brazilian visa to see the Brazilian side, I don’t think it’s a huge problem as long as you take one of the tourist buses that drive past Brazilian customs like ours. Just make sure your driver knows so arrangements are made.
For our return trip, Argentine customs agents were more obnoxious. After we had our passports stamped -- never having entered Brazil from a bureaucrat's standpoint -- we had to run all our belongings through the x-ray machine, which was not working, so we stood in line awhile behind a horde of impatient tourists.
After we returned to the main bus terminal, we window-shopped downtown. We decided on a “Mexican” restaurant, not just because of the free shot of tequila, but because of the basket of fresh avocados on display by the door. I spotted Johannis ambling down the sidewalk and invited him to join us.
Our journey back to the cabana was epic. Exhausted, we saw the local collective, Río Uruguay, rumbling down the street several times and decided to try to catch a ride home. We gave up after waiting forever and walked the 4 kilometers back to our cabin in the dark. Many of Puerto Igauzú's streets do not have lights, let alone sidewalks.
The Argentina Side: Cataratas del Iguazú
Exploring Iguazú beyond the falls
I had several days before Maggie would land, so I went sightseeing away from the waterfalls in order to save that treat to share with her.
Oscar, our host at RedeViac Cabanas, explained everything in English and Spanish and gave me a map of the area. I had to stock up the pantry, so I hiked to the nearest supermercado maybe a kilometer or two away on Avenida de los Trabajadores, passing by the rotting dog carcass complete with wriggling maggots. When I passed by on the opposite side of the road on my way back, I could still smell it loud and clear.
After walking the streets all day I soaked my feet in the pool. The water was too cold to stay in but a quick dip was refreshing and the sun warmed me gradually. I cut off some of the leftover chicken I’d cooked for lunch and shared it with two of the cats (an older one that looks just like one-eyed Perla) and the dog.
I was somewhat relieved I had only one more week of travel; I was getting sick of the money issues and trying to communicate effectively in Spanglish. One morning I hiked to the commercial area near the supermercado in search of a laundromat: nope, washed some clothes in the bathroom sink once again.
Walking Avenida de los Trabajadores to the supermercado for more provisions, I grew annoyed by the lack of a decent walking path along such a busy street. The buses kicked up dust and the scooters and overloaded motorcycles hug the shoulder to allow the faster cars room to pass. This road is just not safe even in the daylight.
Guaraní village welcomes entry fee, endures visitors
The tourist map indicates the gasoline stations, so although the road signs were pretty spotty and the tourist map doesn’t bother to include many road names, I figured my way toward the Guaraní village of Yrapu (on the tourist map it’s written as Selva Iriapu), with the help of some hand-painted signs for tourists off the main Ruta 12.
I can’t say how many kilometers I walked, not many, before I found the hand-painted sign indicating I was close to the entrance. I made a right hand turn off the main dirt road and discovered a man taking his siesta on a wooden plank bench. I paid him 80 pesos to enter. He was indigenous but spoke Spanish so we conversed a bit and I understood enough from what he said, and from the signs and the painted map to know where to go and to not take pictures of people or homes without permission. Photos of the natural areas were fair game.
I followed a narrower winding red mud-packed road through the jungle, and in the distance I could hear children’s voices. With thickets of trees and tropical plants bordering the twisting path, I passed by clearings with plank wood homes, tarp lean-tos and a couple of small concrete one-room structures with pregnant women hanging laundry on the lines, dogs lazing in the mud, roosters crowing, chickens pecking, and lots of little kids playing in yards or running along the road. The young ones wore only shirts. A group of boys played fútbol in an open field by the concrete buildings that comprise the community’s bilingual school.
I waved at a pregnant woman squatting over a fire in her yard, and she waved back without much enthusiasm. A woman carrying a baby on her hip looked at me as I passed before looking away. I walked by a group of locals including an older woman (probably younger than me) missing most of her teeth. She smiled and shyly returned my "hola." The children, including the preteens scampering behind her, did the same. I passed a group of pre-school aged children who excitedly returned my waves. A group of older boys sitting beside the path caught my eye then looked away. I did not bother to ask if I could take photos. I did not feel welcome there, only tolerated. I did not want to disrespect them by asking to take pictures of them going about their daily lives, especially the children who weren’t old enough to give consent.
I strolled by a group of women and young girls squatting around an outdoor washtub, kneading and swishing their wet clothing. I had to laugh at the irony of me, the “wealthy” tourist who had done her own washing by hand and hung it outside to dry just that morning. Rather than climb into an air-conditioned car to speed back to a five-star hotel, I was hoofing it around Puerto Iguazú just like them.
I stopped by la artesanal and the woman who wandered up to the wooden tables displaying handmade necklaces, bracelets, dream catchers and carved parrots responded morosely to my greetings in Spanish. She replied to my "cuanto cuesta?" in Spanish as well, but spoke in a language I couldn’t understand to a woman seated nearby nursing a baby. For only 30 pesos I picked out a bracelet that matched my dress. I could only find 22 pesos, other than 100 peso bills in my pouch, and the woman said "esta bien" with a weary smile.
I took the path a short way to a large building designed as a tourist visitor’s center, with bathrooms, cultural displays and a counter for selling soda and water. Besides a few woven baskets, carved wooden spears and bamboo javelins leaning against the wall, photos of Guaraní in traditional dress hunting or standing in the jungle, some drawings and informational exhibits in Spanish on the walls, the room was pretty barren. The person running the place didn’t even leave the administrative office to greet me. So I wandered out and up the road, turning onto a narrower path that still showed tire tracks, other than the path to the left that looked pretty overgrown and used only for foot traffic. Before I reached the collection of shacks at the end of the road, the dogs started barking ferociously and a man came out and shouted "Afuera." I normally understand that to mean “outside” but I took it to mean “get out” and turned back with a wave as if to say desculpe. My google translator states afuera means “out.” So I guess that area was not on the tour.
I headed back the way I’d came and ended up on the road the ticketseller had recommended to exit the community. A 30-minute self-guided walking tour for $80 Argentine Pesos. Not really the cultural experience I had hoped for, but I felt adventurous walking through the area on my own and am glad I respected their privacy and refrained from taking pictures. I understand tourists to the Guaraní community usually go in busloads and walk in packs. But I hope the entry fee goes to support the community rather than line the pocket of whoever mans the front entrance.
La Casa Ecologica de Botellas
The creativity amazed me. Most of the structure, furniture, curtains and decorations are made from discarded plastic soda bottles or other recycled materials. I sat in a very comfortable chair made of used tires. The bed mattress rests on a platform made of liter-sized bottles. Metal beer bottle tops strung together with sliced plastic form curtains. Glass wine bottles are incorporated into the foundation of the house. Plastic bottles filled with sand help form the stairway into the house. The patio awning incorporates plastic boxes formerly used to hold milk or yogurt, now flattened against the ceiling to form a water-resistant barrier. Factory-compressed recycled plastic helps create a more solid roof for the house itself. In the gift shop, you can buy trinkets made of recycled materials, including wine and beer bottles cut to form vases and drinking glasses, belts and jewelry made with tabs from soda and beer cans, and purses and bags made of plastic bottles knitted together. Definitely worth the $50 peso entry fee, approximately $5 USD, plus you’re supporting the educational efforts to expand this type of recycling. Most of the work is performed by hand and several other homes have been built using the same techniques elsewhere. www.lacasadebotellas.com.ar
Life and death in Puerto Iguazú
But less than a block away, I stumbled into a cemetery that broke my heart. Amidst the adult burial sites, dozens and dozens of pint-sized memorials for children and babies, some featuring grave markers and headstones only one foot long. It wasn’t the grand statues and marble slab walled mausoleums of Recoleta Cementerio; instead it was quite moving and sad. I saw a woman dabbing her eyes with a tissue while she cleared leaves from a burial mound. A woman with two young girls held back tears by another site that featured flickering candles amidst the artificial bouquets. Then two dogs stationed near the front gate took me for a tourist rather than a mourner and ran me off.
I walked until I found the ritzy hotel Grand Crucero right off Ruta 12 with linen table cloths and ordered a glass of wine and a salad at the bar/restaurant. After buying vegetables at a sidewalk stand, I wandered the streets back to my cabana.
We returned to Grand Crucero for dinner the night Maggie arrived: a belated birthday dinner of river fish grilled to perfection and a caesar salad followed by a brownie topped with ice cream. Although the neighborhoods were safe to walk through at night with streetlights and lots of friendly people out around 9 p.m., the main drag of Avenida de los Trabajadores was dark and one motorcycle didn’t even have a headlight. I really didn’t like walking that street at night and fortunately, we had just a short jaunt before hitting the rock-paved street of Avenida Posadas.
Sad farewells after four months in South America
I left Maggie in tears at AEP as I boarded the Manuel Tienda Leon bus to EZE airport for my flight home. The price on the MTL airport bus has gone up since I arrived February 3 from $140 pesos per person to $155. It took at least an hour and 15 minutes to reach the airport, then another half hour or more maneuvering through the chaotic self check-in at the machines; the lines were a joke and most everyone had trouble operating the machine. A little effort from the staff to organize a single file line would have made a world of difference. I stood in another line for checking in luggage and listened to more assurances that I would have plenty of time to collect my backpack, go through customs and make it to my connecting flight in Dallas with only 1 hour and 40 minutes.
After breezing through security I had trouble getting out of Argentine customs as my in/out dates did not match up for the agent. I dug through my paperwork trying to find my ColoniaExpress stamped ticket thinking that was the missing info from my passport. I don’t think it helped. The agent visited with someone in an office, typed a bunch more numbers into his computer, then waved me off. Maggie and I had watched The Terminal with Tom Hanks the previous Friday, and I thanked the powers that be for whatever got me through Argentina’s bureaucracy.
I made it to my gate with less than an hour before departure, which if I had not left AEP as early as I did, I might have showed up just in time to board or even later if the mess downstairs had worsened. I hate airports, but I need to remember that waiting around for your plane is better than missing it. So give yourself at least two and a half hours at EZE on a Sunday evening unless you like testing the system. Then even after going through security to enter the gate area, uniforms performed a second check and visually inspected everyone’s carry-on at the gate prior to entering the plane. I had to throw out my water which I had refilled in the bathroom after passing through the main security area: the first time that ever happened. Whatever.
Losing my water was a small price to pay for what turned into an enjoyable flight home. I had a window seat and no one sitting next to me. I lounged with two pillows, two blankets, two glasses of wine and two Advil P.M.; even the screaming baby didn’t bother me much. I repositioned throughout the 10-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Dallas, sometimes stretched out with my feet resting on my carry-on backpack, sometimes curled in a tight fetal position. I tried to watch the movie Big Eyes, which was intriguing, but I fell asleep. The plane landed before the final showing of the movie so I have no idea how it ends. Customs was a breeze: almost all automated now for US citizens re-entering the country. I had to go through security again and forgot to take off my shoes. Got patted down for the second time in 24 hours.
I had about 30 minutes to rest before boarding, even after catching the tram from D to C and having trouble finding Gate 12 because there was also a baggage claim Gate 12. Despite fretting that I might miss my connection in Dallas due to the tight timing with customs, etc, I made my 7 a.m. to St. Louis. Smooth sailing in our almost empty plane despite a steady drizzle outside. Amidst all the torrential storms, tornadoes and flooding in Texas, my flight from Dallas to St. Louis was on time and arrived without a hitch and hardly any turbulence! I caught the EZGO shuttle to my front door in Columbia, Missouri.
To describe my four months in South America as amazing seems like an understatement. When all was finally said and done, I couldn’t believe it was over. Nothing seriously wrong happened despite all my anxieties over unexpected circumstances, frustrations with the bank and money issues, worries over catching connecting flights and the constant threat of late or cancelled flights. I only got sick once for about three days, a gastrointestinal bug that just made me tired and achy. I can’t believe I was lucky enough to travel like this. I can’t wait to do it again. I just need to get my bearings, make some money, and then I’ll pack my bags once again.
TRAVEL TIPS
I found Redeviac through www.booking.com $406 USD for seven nights.
Oscar charged to chauffeur us around town: $250 pesos to pick Maggie up at the airport and drop us both off when we left; he says the taxis charge $350. Then $200 roundtrip to the Argentina side of the falls.
www.crucerodelnorte.com.ar
There are many buses that run to the Brazilian side from Puerto Iguazú, but the public buses actually drop people off at the Brazilian border, you'll need a Brazilian Visa to get through customs, and then you have to catch another bus. We chose Crucero del Norte at the main terminal downtown which goes all the way to the park entrance. We had just missed the 10:30 a.m. and caught the 12:20 bus. Roundtrip cost $80 pesos per person and is supposed to take about an hour each way. The last bus left the park at 5 p.m. Four hours was plenty to walk along the river to the main viewing platforms beneath the falls and return to the front gate.
www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br
The park entry fee is $52 Brazilian Reals per person for U.S. passport holders, approximately $13 USD; other nationalities pay less. They take credit cards, USD cash and Brazilian Reals at the entrance as well as at the concession stands. Park bus transportation is free. The Brazilian city serving as the gateway to the falls is Foz do Iguaçu, population over 300,000.
www.iguazuargentina.com
We paid $260 Argentine Pesos per person, approximately $26. Rates are lower for Argentines and children. The park only takes cash, but you can use credit cards at the restaurants and shops. The open-sided train inside the park is free. You can purchase a consecutive second day for half off, but you have to validate your first day's ticket to get the second-day discount. The boat and guided jungle tours cost extra ($270 AR per person for our trip), however, you can take the boat to San Martin Island at no additional cost. We went to the Argentine side on a Friday and Saturday in late May and felt we had most of the park to ourselves; the crowds of tourists I read about did not come that weekend. The city of Puerto Iguazú has a population of more than 80,000.
PACKING
I used Travelon Compression Bags, which claim to increase luggage capacity up to 70%, no vacuum required. Just roll out the air. I bought them at Target for about $22.
Family Pack 2 Med (16”x24”Long or 40.6cm x 60.9 cm) and 3 Lg (20” w x 28” L or 50.8cm x 71.1cm)
www.travelonbags.com
Things to bring next time
BUY A better backpack to use as a front pack
BUY A sack to protect the backpack when checking it in at airports.
A mini-sewing kit.
A lighter, spoon, knife, fork and small washable food bag.
Didn’t use, but don’t forget the duct tape, bandages, ace wrap bandage, moleskin
Only one pair of jeans, no matter where I go.
My TEVAS and only bring those awful tennis shoes if I know I’ll be hiking. Hiking boots not necessary.
Don’t need a hankerchief, just the head wrap. Two scrunchies.
3 pairs of shorts, 1 longish with pockets (avoid denim), the green Columbia’s, and a pair that can work as running shorts but should also be longish.
1 pair mid-calf kulots
My winter wear was perfect for Torres del Paine. light windbreaker with hood, small packaged plastic rain jacket (never used but takes little space) fleece zip-up jacket, gloves, two long-sleeve winter shirts, leggings and one pair of jeans, 3 pairs of socks (one pair for cold weather, one for jogging and one thin ankle-length),
My floppy hat was wonderful! My baseball cap OK, good for cold weather and doesn’t take too much space.
Fewer shirts for warm weather, avoid cotton and try to use some that can double for pajama tops
1 bra
3 tanks (I brought 4)
3 loose-fitting shirts that can double for pajama tops, all synthetic (I brought 5)
2 short-sleeve shirts, all synthetic
2 light long-sleeve shirts to wear over tanks or alone (I brought 3)
1 mid-sleeve synthetic shirt for cool weather
2 long sleeve shirts that can double as pajama tops
2 pair pajama pants, 2 pair long pajama pants (one that can double for airplane wear)
one piece and bikini, my beach wrap
8 pairs of underwear
2 skirts, loose and colorful
money belt
fanny pack
BUY apple tablet, not the lap top
camera
iPhone
pens
small notebook
3 to 4 pairs of glasses (I lost one pair)
1 pair of sunglasses, hardly used them