Hola! Around South America on LAN

[RooFlyer]

Some flutter-bys:








And these bloody things! More on them tomorrow, when I check out the Argentine side, and on to the airport.

 

[drron]

Great flutterbys RF - excellent photos and enjoying your TR

 

[drron]

Whoops that should have been a post by mrs.dr.ron damn this share a computer !

 

[RooFlyer]

After 2 nights at the Belmond, it was a leisurely breakfast and a 9:30am pick up for my tour of the Argentine side and drop-off at the Argentine side airport.

I asked about changing money - the park fee is 240 pesos cash only. We stopped at quite a big tourist trap on the highway, where I changed my money, the driver bought me a coffee (really nice) and I was able to gaze upon all the goodies from sale, from monster amethyst geodes, to t shirts, to pre-mixed caipirinha! I bought a bottle of the latter and I'm sure the driver got his commission

The drive to the Argentine border was about 35 mins; we cleared Brazil departure immigration with me sitting in the car while the driver went inside the building with my passport; onwards to the Argentine immigration area a km or so past the river crossing (???). There, I produced my receipt for having paid the 'reciprocity fee', my passport was taken while I was still in the car, and I entered Argentina, with the border agent never having looked me in the face (Brazil agent neither, for that matter).

The park was another 20 mins or so drive. The Argentine park / viewing area is much more structured than the Brazil one. There is a large entry complex, with a number of paths. There is an ATM at the park entry place, but its often out of order (it was working for me, but wanted to charge some fee on my Citi Plus debit card, so I declined)

The park entry complex is at the bottom right in the map below. There is a 200m walk to a little train that takes you from there ('Central Station') to the Devils Throat drop-off point (abt 20 mins - top of the map), via one other stop where the 'middle circuit' leaves from (orange trail). There is also a 'lower circuit' (white trail), that takes you to the river, and boat rides, and that leaves from the same point. All the paths and facilities are in good order.




This is the train - it leaves about every 30 mins. It seemed a bit chaotic in boarding etc (in the South American way) and also there was a bit of backwards shunting back and forth. Fortunately I had my guide/driver with me, else it would have been confusing.




Unfortunately the day was overcast this day, but it appeared to keep the numbers down (why, I never figured out). From the 'Garganta del Diablo' (Devil's throat) station, its a bit over a km walking on a solid steel mesh walkway - wheelchairs were on it.




Approaching the business end, fine misty spray comes up on the left, but the major action is to the right. Actually what is going down the Devil's gullet here is just stupendous.



The view down the chasm - the Brazilian tower can just be seen in the middle; on the right - down the throat!

 

[love_the_life]

The guide for me was just the guy at the church...

Out guide was fantastic - can't recommend him highly enough.

 

[love_the_life]

Just as I remember ... oh bliss. And those coatis, yep!

 

[Timba-Jet]

Great TR RooFlyer, loving the photos of Iguassu, brings back fond memories.

The border crossing between Argentina & Brasil is indeed a interesting experience in a good way.

Also agree on your thoughts about taking endless photos of similar things, when eventually the sight of this beauty & beast of nature just needs to soaked up.

 

[RooFlyer]

Still on the Argentine side; another look at the Devils throat area - just mesmerising.




Then back to the middle train stop and the 600m walk out to the 'middle' trail, which takes you along the top of the other, lesser falls - the ones you see from the Brazil side, mostly. This metal boardwalk is being extended so that it reaches up to the Devils Throat boardwalk. That will be tremendous when its finished (a year or more I suspect).




Those quatis (Brazilian) / coatis - quite aggressive scroungers. While waiting for the train, we hear a shriek, and the lady on the left, carrying bag including food is swarmed by the quatis; naturally she drops the bag and the Quatis are rewarded. A bystander goes to the rescue of what's left. A few minutes later, similar shriek, and another victim. These guys have it down pat.




And for Sheraton fans ... we went to the Sheraton so I could change into aircraft suitable clothes. At left, the view from the terrace (and I guess, most rooms); a bit of a zoom on the right. I was going to stay a night here, but it got poor reviews on trip Advisor as being a bit shabby and poorly maintained - and it was still over A$400/night for a falls-facing room. I must say the public areas didn't look too bad. Maybe others can comment on the rooms/stay in general. Is the train within walking distance?

 

[Major]

How would you compare these falls to Niagara ?

Or are they each special in their own way ?

 

[RooFlyer]

How would you compare these falls to Niagara ?

Or are they each special in their own way ?

I was thinking about that (also Victoria Falls). Its been a while since I went to Niagara and Victoria. Certainly Iguassu benefit from being in the jungle with minimal development at the falls; the boardwalks can get crowded, but when you look out its mainly natural. Niagara is just plain tacky IMHO (although Niagara-on-the-Lake is nice). Also, the Iguassu Falls are very long - there are between 150 and 300 different falls, depending on volume, spread over about 2.5km and this adds to the interest part of the visit.

Niagara the internet tells me has the highest flow volume - 2,407 cubic m/s mean annual rate; Iguassu 1,746 and Victoria 1,088.

So Niagara gives you a bigger splash and roar, Iguassu the wider and more natural experience, with, I think, Victoria running second on that criteria.

What do others think?

 

[jojen]

WOW, what amazing photos. This will have to be on the list for next year !!! Pity we are going to Niagara Falls in a few weeks, but have not been before so am sure we will still enjoy it. Have really enjoyed your trip report and the wonderful photos.

jojen

 

[tm.smile]

How much time do you think you would need to see the falls? I potentially have 2 days to fly in during the morning, overnight and then fly out afternoon. Is that enough time?

 

[RooFlyer]

How much time do you think you would need to see the falls? I potentially have 2 days to fly in during the morning, overnight and then fly out afternoon. Is that enough time?

I think what I did and what you will do was enough; almost a full day for the Brazil side and half a day for the Argentine side, or vice versa; if I had to choose 1 side it would be Brazil - you get a better panorama; the Argentine side has the falls mainly below and along from you. But I wouldn't complain if I was stuck in Argentina .

If you are flying in and out of the same side you will lose a little time due to needing to do 2 border crossings if you do both sides. CHECK with your hotel / tour etc how busy the crossing might be when you plan to cross - it can get busy, I'm told.

 

[RooFlyer]

WOW, what amazing photos. This will have to be on the list for next year !!! Pity we are going to Niagara Falls in a few weeks, but have not been before so am sure we will still enjoy it. Have really enjoyed your trip report and the wonderful photos.

jojen

Sorry, that was me just being snooty . Niagara is stupendous - like I said, more water going over fewer falls = a huge roar and spectacle. The towns around are a bit over commercialised, as you might expect, but who will be looking at them?

 

[tm.smile]

I think what I did and what you will do was enough

Awesome more planning to be done now hahaha

 

[clazman]

Niagara better view is on the Canadian side, American side is ordinary.

As Rooflyer says the towns both sides are very commercialised

Great place to watch the falls at night is at the keg

Whilst at the falls ensure you go behind the falls, entrance is in the gift shop

 

[RooFlyer]

I left Iguassu falls from the Argentine side - again, a small airport IRG. I got dropped off about 70 mins before departure, after I checked in I looked for a ATM to get some Argentine pesos. Nothing obvious, so I went upstairs, to find the flight boarding (according to the monitors), and a queue for what looks like a passport check before gate 'lounge' security. A bit non-plussed I joined the queue (a mistake - I hadn't obtained any currency), and after desultory security found myself in barren gate 'lounge' - I hadn't had lunch and was thirsty.

Had to wait 1/2 an hour until actual boarding, but fortunately 'Preferente' queue worked and I was almost first on and begged a glass of water.




Another LAN A319; standard Y seat and snacks




About 80 mins to Buenos Aires Jorge Newberry airport (AEZ) - the smaller and closer of the 2 airports, by the Rio de la Plata just north of BA downtown. Disembarked via the inevitable stairs and a bus.




After collecting my bag I again looked for an ATM, this time really needed, for the taxi. I found 3, and all were out of order. Hell! Fortunately I still had some Chilean pesos and the cambio gave me just enough local currency for the taxi. This guy was the traffic manager, and this was the taxi 'queue':




An OK, metered trip downtown that cost 190 pesos and I arrived at the Novotel on Avenida Corrientes, a couple of blocks from the Obelisk on Avinida 9 de Julio. great location! I had booked an absolute steal of a rate - I think about US$90/night, much more than half the rate I had booked earlier (and which was cancellable). The room was pretty standard Novotel; reasonable but not outstanding in features.

 

[love_the_life]

I can relate to that RF. We were still in the check in queue when the plane was scheduled to leave IGU (Argentine side - is that the correct code?) but everyone else in the very long queue was on the same flight. We were there at least an hour and a half before. Then up stairs and into another queue which turned out to be the wrong one (for a totally different flight - we were told the wrong gate by the desk). Rushed to the right gate and like you, a long sit waiting. The flight arrived while we were waiting there. No one seemed the least bit surprised. On arrival we did three loops on the ground as the pilot obviously had trouble parking in the designated 'bay' then bussed off to the terminal building. Made for good conversation at least.

 

[RooFlyer]

The first excursion I'm going to take you in Buenos Aires is to La Recoleta Cemetery, home of the deceased rich and famous in BA. In past trip reports I've visited other cemeteries - I like them (or some) not only because of the famous people therein (I have an informal hobby of 'collecting' dead composers), but often they are wonderful works of art themselves or within them.

There are streets and streets of family tombs and mausoleums; here's the entrance and a typical 'street':




All sorts of monuments - some glassed in! (The coffins are placed in the vault below):




Some truly monumental:




And some more like small churches than mausoleums:



And, yes, María Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita!) was finally laid to rest in the Duarte family tomb. By itself, its quite 'ordinary' within Recoleta, and isn't anywhere prominent (but its easy to find due to the people around, and the flowers). I am sort of aware of the Peron regime, and the cult that grew for his second wife Eva and of course the stage play. But when I read up on her in Wikipedia, her story, particularly in death, borders on the bizarre. I quote just a little bit:

Final resting placeIn 1971, Evita's body was exhumed and flown to Spain, where Juan Perón maintained the corpse in his home. Juan and his third wife, Isabel, decided to keep the corpse in their dining room on a platform near the table. In 1973, Juan Perón came out of exile and returned to Argentina, where he became president for the third time. Perón died in office in 1974. His third wife, Isabel Perón, whom he had married on 15 November 1961, and who had been elected vice-president, succeeded him. She became the first female president in the Western Hemisphere. Isabel had Evita's body returned to Argentina and (briefly) displayed beside Juan Perón's. Evita's body was later buried in the Duarte family tomb in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.

The Argentine government took elaborate measures to make Evita's tomb secure. The tomb's marble floor has a trapdoor that leads to a compartment containing two coffins. Under that compartment is a second trapdoor and a second compartment. That is where Evita's coffin rests. Biographers Marysa Navarro and Nicholas Fraser write that the claim is often made that Evita's tomb is so secure that it could withstand a nuclear attack. "It reflects a fear", they write, "a fear that the body will disappear from the tomb and that the woman, or rather the myth of the woman, will reappear."

 

[love_the_life]

How did you get the pic without the throngs? It certainly is some cemetery! We loved it. So over the top.