How many endangered species of insect meet their death everyday on a tourbus?

Hahaha. Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially back from my trip to Iguazu Falls! And yes, I did spend more time on a double decker bus than I actually did at the falls, but let me tell you it was SO worth it, and I am SO glad we went!



First of all Natalie and I had planned to go a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately we were both piled with work that just could not be put off. So we postponed it. I had made these reservations a week before I found out I had mistook the date to hand in my final paper for my Political Science class. A week before I found out I had 2 weeks to research and write a 15-20 page paper in Spanish. But Iguazu was a trip that just could not be put off! We told ourselves that if we didn't go this weekend we were never going to go!



So the weekend started Thursday at 6:45 PM when we left for the bus station, which was a short train ride away. Nat and I decided to pack all of our things together in my big red bag, because I had to bring that due to lack of anything medium sized to put my clothes in. It was hilarious because we got there and both realized that we had no idea exactly where the bus station. We got there 10 minutes before the bus came, and 15 minutes before the bus left!!! Yup those big bus companies do not play! I mean, Nat and I thought that of course everything was going to be on Argen-time (read: Argentine time), but the bus pulled in at 7:55 and was out of there at 8:05!



So, I really wish someone had told me that these big bus companies do not do a straight shot from the Retiro station in Buenos Aires to Iguazu falls (which is located in the north-eastern most province of Misiones)!! That's what I had anticipated. On the way up there we must have stopped like 8 times to pick up more passengers at various stations. At times we were stoped for like 45 minutes! So, the ride up there took like 21 hours!!! I was DYING of boredom by the time we got there, simply because I can do nothing else on a bus other than sleep because I get severely motion sickness. Since Nat and I took the cheapest bus up that the company had to offer the seats were far from comfortable.



So we got there Friday afternoon and it was HUMID. I read the weather when we got to the hostel (which was really more like a low-end hotel, it had a pool, internet, wi-fi, pool and ping pong tables, and a tv in every room) and the humidity was at 94%!!! We did homework all Friday night and went to bed early. Then we blocked out all Saturday for the park!!! It is safe to say that Iguazu falls was the most beautiful natural landmaark I have EVER been too. It even tops Macchu Picchu in Peru!



But you know those places that give you the illusion of being in the middle of nature, which is in reality, nothing but an illusion?? Yeah, this place was obviously one of them.



Iguazu falls is located in the National Park of Iguazu. It costs 60 pesos to enter. I swear there must be like 5 or 6 restaurants spread out throughout the park plus a Sheraton Hotel and I do believe another hotel as well. There are miles and miles of cement and asphalt walk ways and steps as well as miles of metal walkways that cross waterfalls and such. Needless to say, with the tourism this place receives every year the animals definitely know where the people are. So..we didn't see too many "exotic" creatures. A couple of kuwatis (think tail of a racoon, and body and head a quarter of a size of a regular ant eater), a lizard, some crazy spiders, and some birds, and LOTS of butterflies!

It POURED for the first 2 hours but after that it was gorgeous! I don't have pictures yet, because only Natalie took her camera (it was raining when we left the hostel, so I figured why get two cameras wet?) and her internet isn't being too kind to her now. But really? I don't need pictures. I can safely tell you that Iguazu Falls is the most beautiful natural wonder that I have seen in my 21 years on this earth. Absolutely incredible magnitude that just makes one feel small in the face of this beautiful earth God has created for us.

I'm glad we went too! Because from today there is 1 month and 2 days left until I board the plane for Miami. I'm trying to do one interesting thing every day to make my time here worthwhile. Today I went to this drum show called La Bamba with Quiana, a friend from Gettysburg College who is here visiting from Chile. The rhythms were complicated and intertwined, the show was exciting, but the atmosphere was absolutely horrible. I left early.

So that's all for now in Buenos Aires!