Nov 1-14, 2016: Argentina

Nov 10, 2016.  Bus from Puerto Madryn to Buenas Aires, Argentina.

Twenty hours, but remarkably comfortable.  On the upper level of the two-level Executive bus, on the right side, window seat, nobody next to me, foot rest, seat tips way back, blanket, pillow, four movies (Benghazi one, two sci-fi losers, Zootopia), four meals (not too bad, but where's the fresh stuff?  Argentina is big on meat and bread - and not very good bread, either), nothing much to look at outside the window, regular rest stops for a chance to stretch, all for about $100.  Left at 1:15 PM, arrived in Buenas Aires at around 8 AM.  

Nov. 11,  2016.  Night bus from Buenas Aires to Puerto Iguazu.

• Six hours to kill before my bus leaves for Puerto Iguazu.  My biggest fear is that I will be unable to take any pictures - my iPhone started failing to charge a few days ago, so I began planning on (a) turning it off until I get to the Falls; (b) Buying a cheap camera or another iPhone; or (c) getting it fixed in Buenas Aires.  Got lucky: there was an official Apple reseller within walking distance of the bus station, and the guy immediately figured out - it was my cable.  Bought a new one, and voila!  I am back in business.  Whew.

• So to celebrate, I stopped in at a cafe on a busy thoroughfare and ordered a bife lomo, rare, and oboy did I get a great big juicy steak.  Also, one side of the restaurant, with a great window to the passing crowd, is occupied by other computer-using folks.  So I plugged in, uploaded the rest of my photos to Google Photos, charged my iPhone back to 100%, got my daily notes up to date, wrote Erik & Susan thanking them for having the guest house available (they will be in Cabo, but Betty will be around), and wrote the family to tell them not to bother about picking me up at the airport: I'm going to take the train and then walk, which will do me good after my epic two day flight home from Santiago.

• The schedule now looks ok, maybe a little tight: tomorrow morning arriving at Iguazu, spend two days there, bus back to Buenas Aires, another to Mendoza, another to Santiago.  Hopefully a day or two to shop and hang out in Santiago, maybe visit Valparaiso.  Here's hoping it all works out.

Nov 12, 2016.  Residencial Noelita Hostel, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.

• The bus delivered me safe and sound around 8:30 in the morning.  Bought a return bus ride from the same company at the bus station for tomorrow afternoon, then hoofed it about three blocks to this hostel.  Nice enough, even has a (tiny) swimming pool, and of course the weather is lovely - no more parka!  I changed to shorts and t-shirt, jumped on another bus for the half hour ride to the park entrance, and voila: Iguazu Falls by ten AM!  Nice going, Sam.

• Checked into the headquarters, got a map, started hiking in - still no sign of any waterfalls.  It turns out you have to hoof it a bit - even take a little train ride - before you see them.  But it's worth it: seemingly endless cataracts, stretching into the horizon, roaring away, hugely powerful.  There were hundreds - no, thousands - of visitors (two million a year, according to my outdated guide - certainly more than anywhere I've been, including Machu Picchu), but it made no difference.  Nature was fully in command.  

• I signed up for a boat ride to the base of the falls, which was terrific - right into the maelstrom, water all around and on us, everybody screaming, soaked to the skin, loving it.  Then back to the trails, very well organized and constructed, leading you from the top of one falls to the next - and there are lots of them.  The Rough Guide says there are over 250 separate cascades, culminating in the Gargantua del Diablo, which pours 1800 cubic meters of water per second over a 3 km semicircle of rock into the river canyon 70m below.  Kiss my ass, Niagra Falls.

• Almost as cool was the flora and fauna along the walkways.  Capuchin monkeys, big iguanas, even bigger turtles, huge toucans, vultures hanging out in the trees, and lots and lots of butterflies: I took stills and videos of hundreds  of yellow guys and swallowtails gathering for some reason in particular locales.  Some giant catfish (looked like sharks), and a big turtle on a rock in the middle of the river.  Saw swallow-like vencejos flying around the Gargantua Del Diablo, which apparently nest behind the falls.  There are over 250 species of butterflies, especially on the Brazilian side (maybe see some more tomorrow?).  Saw some gorgeous metallic blue morpheus, but no chance to photograph them.  Plenty of coatis (a raccoon relative), just hanging out, looking for handouts, and at the end of the day, spotted and filmed an animal resembling something like a big rat - will figure out what it was later.  Wow, what a great day.  Figured it out: it was an agouti.

• Writing up these notes at the hostel, where the owner/manager is preparing a big barbecue for two other tourists and me.  The other tourists look to have purchased there victuals at a market and are cooking them up now.  It's nice to not be on such a tight budge.  He's gonna charge me about five bucks anyway, so a great deal for Argentina.

• Next challenge: see the Falls from the Brazilian side and get back into time for my 2:50 bus back to Buenas Aires.  I'm cutting it a bit fine: still have two big bus rides to Santiago, and some shopping to do, before I head home.  I think I can do it.

• Asado was a big success: really good sausages and steaks in unlimited amounts, and beer, all for about five bucks.  

Gift ideas:

Dana: roof bulls for new house; mata bowl.& mata

Rachael: backpack; sweater; gloves; socks; muffler.

Caren: gloves; socks; muffler; jewelry

Erik: sweater; gloves; muffler

Susan: sweater; gloveds; socks; muffler

Kids: ski hats; toys

Lisa: muffler; sweater; Koehler

Ted: ?

Lisa's kids: llamas toys

Len, Bruce, Che: Apple book on our trip

Margie: muffler

Betty: ?

• The manager and another guy just came over to express their concern of Trump's win.  They are really upset, and see it as a general move to the right in the world.