Argentina 3
Buenas Aires was like a second home by now after all the time we had spent there. We got off the boat, took our bags straight to the bus station and put them in lockers (that was a sqeeze), then hit the walking malls to go shopping. We bought a mate bowl and straw to take mate tea from, a leather backpack to replace the disentegrated day pack we left home with, and lots of coffee to keep us going. It was quite an afternoon and it became quite a rush to get back in time for our 20 hour bus ride up to Iguazu Falls.
Our bus was meant to be fantastic. By now we were South American bus connisseurs and we thought it was pretty good but we had seen better. We were dished out some airplane style food, had wine sloshed in our glasses then sat back and watched a romantic comedy followed by a family drama - you can imagine Marty's delight...
We arrived on the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls at 11am. We walked our backpacks through the air so humid you could drink it and so hot it scorched our faces as we moved, down the street to the first accomodation we could find that had a free room. Free of our bags we went back down to the train station and had the tourist bereau book us onto a boat ride right up to the falls. 15 minutes later we were on a bus and taken down to the national park. We had coffee then went on our boat ride. It was fantastic! As we waited to board the oversized jet boats, clouds of butterflies billowed and settled around us. They were exquisite. The boat ride was an hour long but felt like it was over in minutes. We whizzed up the river at a terrifyingly huge amount of speed. Then were alternatively given opportunities to photograph the falls then become immersed under them. When we were dropped off on the shores again, we ordered a DVD of the fun trip. We walked up and out onto the lip of the falls by the way of a path that meandered past various look-out platforms. We took the park train out to one lookout that had us suspended right over the largest fall of all leaving us dizzy and gasping after our first look down. Everywhere, butterflies of all discriptions and colours fluttered around us, landing on our hands and arms. Girls everywhere looked delighted to have the colourful guests alight on them - unlikely spiders would gain such welcome. I think it is because butterflies feed on honey and look like fairies. Marty teased me for being such a girl in my opinions on them.
Back in town we looked for somewhere to eat dinner at the early hour of 6:30pm. Nowhere was open! At one of the few places we could find that was open there was only bar snacks available so we settled for plates of fries, and the eternal steak sandwiches. We slept well in our little room but were wakened early by a building site we had failed to notice next door. We breakfasted, then arranged for our bus on to Brazil. 'Don't cry for me Argentina, for when I'm gone I will still be with you...'
