Just Do It, deNIKE!

I just wasn't feeling the love today. I didn't have the huge spark or burning desire to 'sgosplore. It's not a chronic condition I have - it does come and go.

If I found a tour or had a traveling companion it wouldn't have been an issue. If it wasn't so far or logistically involved I could have popped over later when I was in the mood. If it wasn't a UNESCO site it wouldn't have even been on the agenda. If I had any better ideas they might have won my favour. Instead I had to give myself a kick in the butt to get out there and go see the Jesuit mission ruins of San Ignacio Miní.

11:15. Resolve. Just do it! After checking out of the HA Urbano I walked the three blocks to the bus stop.

11:23 - The #15 shows up. I pay the 2.25$ and am pleased to see I'll be able to sit. Call me a germophobe or anal retentive, I don't care, but holding on to handles on city buses grosses me out. There isn't enough hand sanitizer in the world to get off the slime, sweat, phlegm, snot and other disgusting things on those rails.

11:43 - Arrive at bus station, buy a bottle of water to break a hundred and as luck would have it there was a bus waiting there to take me to San Ignacio.

11:48 - The bus starts moving. Hurrah. And it's 15$ each way to get there. There and back will cost me the same as the taxi ride from the bus station to the hotel yesterday!!!

12:54 - San Ignacio was called out and I got dropped off at the side of the road. Hmmm... where's the entrance? I wandered in the direction I thought it was but thought I'd best ask a local. Go straight and take the first left. Got it, thanks.

Aurelio was walking in the same direction though so I practiced my Spanish with him. He was very sweet and he told me about the other ruins in the area and mentioned that Santa Ana was quite good too. I thanked him for the directions and walked on a bit before I heard him run after me and ask if I'd like to go to Santa Ana later in the afternoon with him. Gulp! Well...why not? I told myself to trust my gut and be open to new adventures. He seemed like a nice kid. Sure. I'd go. But first...the San Ignacio ruins.

13:15 - 60$ entry for a UNESCO site and a guided tour, not bad. Even better because I was the only one who showed up for the tour in English!

So...San Ignacio isn't really mini, it's quite a large mission built in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period. At its peak about 3000 Guaraní people lived there. By 1821 it had been abandoned after attacks from Paraguay.

It was quite interesting and I was definitely pleased I made the effort to go.

14:44 - Off to meet Aurelio at the bus station for 15h.

15:20 - Aurelio and I hop on a bus bound for Santa Ana. About 20 minutes later we get dropped off.

There was a bit of confusion on my part when we ended up at 'Parque Temático de la Cruz' instead of the ruins and it was much further from the road than I'd thought. I caught myself getting antsy but really...who cares?! Everything is unscripted! Once I relaxed and just went with it it was all good. Besides, one set of Jesuit mission ruins was good enough for me anyway!

We checked out the butterfly enclosure and and orchid house which were really nice.

Afterwards we went on a short walk, on the 'Sendero Religioso' (religious path!!!) and then we went up into the big cross you can see from miles away. At this point Aurelio was asked by a group of cyclists why he was carrying around his guitar and if he'd play a song. He treated us to four songs and he sang and played beautifully. He's really very talented!

We spent a nice time together, he's a very kind person. I did find it challenging to make so much conversation in Spanish but it is exactly what I need to do. My head hurt and boy do I really need to learn a few more verb tenses!!!

18:25 - I said goodbye to Aurelio at the side of the road and thanked him for a lovely day. It wasn't the day I'd planned at all but I like good surprises! :o)

20:10 - Back in town and killing time devouring my book in the lobby of the hotel with a glass of Malbec before my night bus.

23:58 - Still wondering where the Andes Mar bus is, I ask the driver, on the last drag of his cigarette before leaving, if, by any chance, THIS Buenos Aires bound bus might be mine. Thank goodness I asked.

23:59 - Off we go. Next stop, Concordia.

Posadas

I woke up to the sound of rain this morning. Heavy rain. I was safe and dry so I could appreciate it. Then I remembered that I had to get to the bus station with my big bag. Crap! I cheated and took a taxi for 15$. Money well spent. I'd still be soaked otherwise.

The bus ride from Puerto Iguazú to Posadas took about 5 hours with ever changing seat companions as locals got on and off all the time. Direct bus? Harumph! At least I got the front seat on the upper level with a good view.

Then again, it meant I was constantly witnessing how fast the bus driver was going, how tight the turns were and how close he was behind the cars in front. At least there was a seat belt!

So! Here I am. In Posadas. What to do? What to do? To be honest, I'm not feeling like doing anything. The only reason I came here was to break up the journey from Iguazú to Colonia and I'd heard about the nearby ruins which I'll likely check out tomorrow.

I did at least wander around town and get my bearings. Plaza 9 de Julio seems lovely and I did happen upon a really wonderful photography exhibit at a museum.

Dry bags and a Tupperware container - seriously the best packing gadgets ever!

Tupperware: good for storing odd shaped items, protecting delicate contents, and great for transporting or serving salads on picnic days!

Dry Bags: good for keeping contents protected from rain (like today), serve as vacuum-pack bags, work as pillows when caught out at camp sites or stuck with bad ones at hostels, keeps tops, bottoms and underwear/socks separate for quick retrieval, handles make them good for transporting as day-dry-bag, etc, etc!

Kindred spirits

Today was a catch up day. I added frames to my photos and text to the blog entires. I caught up on a few more emails. I started into book 2 of the Hunger Games called Catching Fire (I'm shameless!). And...finally...as intended I started transferring the chicken-scratch from my language classes in Mendoza into an organized notebook. I did two cafe con leche's worth of verbs, grammar and vocabulary and then I had to leave the cafe as it was siesta time.

I saw three different families traveling with young children today. Two sets of families are staying at the hostel and I noticed that the children were sat at tables to do some work. I wonder if they're been 'home-schooled' on the road. How inspiring! And here I am writing out my spanish verbs, still learning myself. There's no end to our capacity to learn and grow. I absolutely love that!

I appreciate that it must be hard work and that the way you travel would have to change with little people and strollers in tow. Still, I think that if you're a traveler, that doesn't have to die out completely when you become a parent. The world is such a big classroom. How I would love to try (!) what they're doing. If I should be so lucky...

Walking past the HI hostel this afternoon, I ran into Winfried, the lovely aussie gentlemen who'd helped me out at the bus station the night before. I knew our paths would cross again. I invited him out to meet me at the Wok&Grill on Misiones. He could only join for a short while, for a drink, an hour before his bus to Mendoza left. Tiffany and Hugo (the sweet father-daughter duo I met at the falls on Tuesday) joined us about 20minutes later and we all swapped travel stories.

Serious rain just before leaving the hostel in the evening:

I had a lovely evening with Tiffany and Hugo. They are both such kind, kindred spirits. I thought back to the comments about me traveling solo and had to chuckle and say my thanks to the universe for allowing me to meet such wonderful people in my trip...although it seems to be keeping the hot-single-thirty something-adventurous- successful male backpacker well hidden from me! Sigh! ;o)

Hungry for the next chapter.

The sign of a good vacation for me is to finish a book. Even better is to find a good book and not be able to put it down. Well, it's a good vacation then and I'm relieved the Hunger Games is a trilogy! I'm set for a while now.

Today was a great chill day with very little planned. I went into town to poke into some shops, stopped by the bus station for info on 'where next?' and wandered down to the Hito Tres Fronteras. That's the location where the Rio Iguazú and the Rio Paraná meet creating the point where the Paraguayan, Brazilian and Argentinian borders meet. I'd best hop in a helicopter to get the shot I really wanted but here's all I could manage as a land-based mammal:

Some locals just hanging out. Where's the mate?!?

I also came up wih my second million-dollar idea today. This one I'll share because I'm eager to see it developed and I'll be too busy with my first idea! ;o) Sunscreen with DEET.

Why do we have to carry sunscreen AND mosquito repellent? Mosquitos always seem to live in warm climates where it's sunny (excluding Manitoba!) so someone please save me from having to carry two bottles and from trying to figure out if there's a strategic importance to putting one or the other on first. Just a thought and up for grabs to any entrepreneurs out there...

In other exciting news, I got whistled at today. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that. It's an ego boost. Of course I did have to check to see if there wasn't some other girl behind me! Just me this time. Aww shucks! I don't mind and there are some days where you just want to run up to the guy and give him a big hug and say 'Thank you!'. It's almost as good of a feeling as getting ID'ed at the bar!

Sunset in Puerto Iguazú:

Las Cataratas De Iguazú

Everyone says that the Iguazu Falls are spectacular and that I just HAD to go and see them. They were right and I'm glad I did.

This town is geared for people going to the falls. It was a 10$ bus ride from town. Buses making the 20km trip leave every half hour and even in this 'low season', they're still full. While getting on the bus I was reminded how differently cultures view queuing etiquette! Some people are just so inconsiderate.

The entry fee into the national park was 130$ and it's obvious they're spending their money wisely. The infrastructure in the park is excellent. There's a little train to get you take you to the two key trail heads. These trails are on elevated platforms to keep the ground from eroding and likely to keep people from straying too far off the path.

The Argentinian side probably has ~10km worth of paths taking you to various lookouts. I went to the furthest ones first, including Isla San Martín, and then worked my way back. While I couldn't set foot in it, I could easily see the Brazilian side from Isla San Martín. Here it is on the left looking downstream and Argentina's on the right.

Julia and Henriette had been the day before and tipped me off to save the Garganta Del Diablo until last. Right they were. If I had done it in reverse, all the other, lesser falls would have failed to impress. The water levels are low so some were even dried up. As it was, the Wow-Factor grew all day.

From this...

..to THIS!

The surroundings in the national park were amazing. I was glad to be away from a concrete jungle. One of the best ways to enjoy it was to hang back a little and go between waves of groups. Otherwise it was just chaos and unenjoyable. While I was on my own I could take the pictures I wanted to, listen to the birds and the falls and soak it all in.

Lord help me!

The calm before the storm...flat waters (R) and the edge of an 82m drop (L)...

The other highlight of the visit was the Garganta Del Diablo. I couldn't tear myself away from it. There was no peace and quiet there, the roar was deafening. You couldn't even hear the helicopters overhead. I just stared at the water for ages appreciating more of Mother Nature's artwork and power. Another reason I lingered so long was that the spray from the falls was a welcome relief from the heat of the sun.

It was a full day out in the park and I got back late. I had enough time to sneak in another couple of chapters of "The Hunger Games" (I can't seem to get enough, it's so good!) and hop in the shower before dinner with the girls at their hostel for round 2 of our steaks. They're off to BA tomorrow so this was our last visit. Julia's back to work on Monday, poor thing, and Henriette gets to play for another couple of months in Bolivia and Peru.

Eau de Deet

If I listen carefully I can hear the high pitched squeals of delight the mosquitos are making. The feast has begun. I can only do so much to protect myself from their bites yet I despise DEET. I remember sitting on a chair after applying it one time and finding the chair's paint transferred to the back of my legs afterwards! Blech!

But that's the joy of being in the jungle which is where I now find myself. The flight to Puerto Iguazu was only an hour and a half and yet I am in a whole other world!

I'm checked in to Hostel Park Iguazu for two nights but it's quiet here and I know if I want to stay longer it won't be a problem. The question is whether or not I want to stay. The room is a bit sad but it's en-suite and clean enough. We'll see. For $20/nt I can't really expect much.

I went on a quick reconnaissance trip into town today. It's a good size and outside of the main centre are lovely rock-paved streets.

The only thing I really had to do today was to stop by the info centre to ask about a few things, including what the story with the Brazilian visa is. Argh. The Canadian government travel page has some misleading information about a 'reciprocity visa'. It says that if I get my visa for Argentina then I'm good to go to neighbouring countries, including Brazil, without needing a specific visa for each country.

I went on that information until today at which point I received the opposite information, from 3 sources. So! That's that. No going to the Brazilian side. I guess if I'd REALLY wanted to go, I would have done my homework better. Ah well - I know it'll be good on the Argentinian side too.

The number of people who asked me today if I was traveling on my own was funny. They seem surprised or sad for me. I'm so used to it now I don't give it much thought. While I'd much prefer to have a travel buddy, I haven't been alone much. I've had Guille and Zach to have little adventures with but I've also met a bunch of people while venturing out on my own. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet the hot-solo-thirtysomething-male traveller. I've resigned myself to accept that he just doesn't exist!

As it is I had dinner with Julia and Henriette from the school in Mendoza tonight. I'm so glad our paths crossed again. They're both lovely and after a week and a half apart we had so much to catch up on! Including our beef and wine intake! Yikes!

Needless to say, doggie bags were required! I guess dinner for tomorrow is sorted then!

Calgary Bound

So guess who's going to Calgary today? Nope...not me. Guille! Obviously! Her sabbatical is over as she's accepted a position as a consultant working with a Calgary-based firm in Mexico while living in Buenos Aires. Ah, the things that seemed impossible only a few years ago. Maybe one day I'll be able to "work" from the beach in Bali! In any case it's ideal for her. Horseshoe Willy strikes again.

And I was lucky too...she offered to take my Antarctica clothes, the famous penguin suit and a few other things back for me. Hurrah!

Before she left today we met for lunch in Puerto Madero. I got there a bit earlier than we'd planned to meet. This was due in part because I wanted to wander through Dique 4 a bit more and chill at the Starbucks to catch up on my blog/journal.

It was also due to the fact that Sunday mornings are a good time to get around in this city. The #146 bus cruised through the empty streets today. I liked it! My love-hate relationship with Buenos Aires has tipped back over to 'love' this week it seems.

Wow...only in Argentina! A couple at a table in Starbucks with no evidence of a Starbucks purchase drinking mate. They were there for over an hour and a half too!!!

After Guille left I chilled in the apartment and finished watching "The Blues Brothers" on Netflicks. It's an amazing time right now with all the advances in technology. It's also worth reflecting that my initial reservations about traveling with only an iPad were unfounded. Other than running low on memory, meaning I can't back up all of my pictures, it can do everything I need it to. Fabulous! I'm so grateful. Even more so when I think back to a 'near miss' with it when the car got broken into in Lago Puelo back in January!