Dias 30 and 31, Traveling to Iguazu, 16 de julio

I was going to write about my entire Iguazú trip in one big document…but after just writing about the first day and it being so long…I decided on just splitting it up. =)

I got up around noon, although was still really tired what with the crazy late night before. We didn’t have to meet until 5:40 that afternoon, but I figured if I was tired enough, I’d be able to sleep on the bus. As I was debating this, Thomas called and asked if we were still planning on going to a Mexican restaurant. Well, that settled it right there. I was up and ready to go soon and I, along with Serri, met Thomas, Adam and Bridget at Salta de Las Ranas (Jump of the Frogs) Mexican Restaurant. The first thing we all noticed was how long it took the waiter to actually come to our table... quite a long time. However, throughout our wait, we were able to notice little things about the restaurant that were quite funny. There was a chandelier created out of fake corn with the leaves and part of the stalks still attached. There was foam (not the liquid-y kind, the packaging kind) under the tables, which is quite startling when you’re expecting wood, and there was an awkward painting of a cliff next to water that was quite oddly painted. After we were finally attended to, we got the common chips and salsa that comes in most Mexican restaurants; however, they weren’t so common. The chips tasted like wontons at a Chinese restaurant and the salsa wasn’t spicy at al (which didn’t bother me!) and was more like sweet and sour sauce…quite funny. Plus, the bowl was TINY. We ate it up pretty fast, and they don’t bring you more. When we finally got the food it was…eh. It wasn’t the best food I’ve had, but definitely not the worst. I still really miss Abuelitas in Shawnee, even if it’s not “real” Mexican food (whatever that means…ha).

After food, we went our separate ways. Everyone else had to pack for the trip, but I had plans to meet Derek at Freddo. Can I help it that I have found someone with the same love of the place as me!? Ha ha. It was, as always, a wonderful time. I mean, Freddo with a new friend? It doesn’t get any better! =)

After Freddo I went back to my apartment and finished packing and headed to Expanish where we were all meeting to go to Iguazú! We left a little later than scheduled (which I suppose isn’t too unusual for Buenos Aires) and then took the taxis to the bus station. There, we got on our bus and started the insanely long 18 hour bus ride! By this time, it was around seven o’clock. We watched a few movies (Lakeview Terrace, Yes Man) and had dinner (um…I think it was lasagna, with cheese and spinach in it, not great, but not horrid either) and then around midnight I tried sleeping. I didn’t sleep too well; even though the seats on this bus leaned back about 160 degrees! I was really excited because I figured that leaning back that far would help me sleep better, but no. I was more comfortable and probably got maybe 4 or 5 hours…but I can’t be too sure.

Dia 31...

Around 8 in the morning, they turned the lights on and served us breakfast: coffee and medialunas (croissants – literally “half moons”). It was good enough for me and they started another movie “Death Race” which I wasn’t too fond of, but after trying to fall asleep again and failing I eventually finished watching it. Around ten/eleven, our bus stopped and looking out the front window, we saw that there was basically a traffic jam. No cars were moving, not even a little bit. We eventually found out that there was a demonstration (protest) going on a few miles up the road and that they weren’t going to move until twelve thirty. So we just had to hang out on the road. The bus drivers let us get off the bus and stretch our legs. It was nice being in the somewhat country. There were a group of Brazilians in the car in front of us with their mate and they were playing loud American 80s music, which was pretty entertaining. We got to talk with other people who were a part of our trip as well and admire all the green! (I mean, we have been in a city for the past few weeks.)

When we finally got on our way, we only had a little over an hour ride left. We made it to our hostel and it was not like what I expected a hostel to be! There was a huge lobby area with pool tables and a ping pong table. There were computers, couches, a TV area, and a huge dining area. There were rooms downstairs for people to stay in, but we were lucky and got group rooms in buildings that were outside the main building. I guess you could call them cabins, although they weren’t really cabin-y. Luckily, I was able to share a room and bathroom with five other girls that I knew, so it wasn’t an awkward grouping.

After having lunch there and getting our beds made and what not, we met our coordinator Marcos in the lobby and walked about an eight minute walk to a nature reserve where they keep and help animals they have saved. We got to ride in a trailer-type thing (like the kind you see at hay rides) and we were pulled by a huge tractor throughout la selva (the jungle). After about a ten minute drive, we got out and began our tour. The animals were kept in cages (like at a zoo), so we were able to see most of them. There were different kinds of birds and anteaters, monkeys, capybaras!, and other things. It was a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

We then traveled by bus into the center of the city, where we went to Las tres fronteras (The Three Borders). It’s where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina border each other. The river splits them up, so sadly enough, I wasn’t able to stand on Brazilian or Paraguayan soil. I did take a lot of photos though, and it was still pretty cool to be next to the countries. After that, we walked (and it seemed like a LONG walk) to a restaurant called “Color” (“Because we are all different colors and so is food”, sayeth one of the owners when Sven, an Expanish student from Germany, asked). The food was great, and it was Leo’s (another Expanish student) birthday and so we got to sing to him in English and Spanish and he got free flan (ew).

After that, we went back to the hotel. Part of me really wanted to sleep (seeing as how I hadn’t in the past few days), but then I was curious to see how night life at the hostel was. We enjoyed having some drinks and playing games in the lobby. There was a large-ish gazebo outside and loud music playing but no one was dancing to it. Bridget and I hung out by the pool and just looked up at the stars and talked. I was so excited to see the stars because it had been so long since I had seen any! And what was even greater, was that the stars I was seeing were different from the ones I get to see at home!

I finally went to bed a little after midnight because we had to be up around eight the next day…