Iguazu

If it's Wednesday it must be Iguazu. Ducknik photographed these two Japanese tourists on the walkway staring out at la Boca de la Garganta, Devil's Throat, the largest section of the great Iguazu waterfalls. Plot and Duck spent the whole day in the park yesterday, marveling at the amount of water crashing over these several dozen waterfalls which all combine into one, and also at the balls of the Argentinians to charge 10 pesos for a bottle of cold water to drink.



The falls are magnificent. It's also true that Iguazu National Park is a gigantic ripoff, with the governor of the province receiving huge cuts of the profits, plus his business partner having been awarded the contract to build the walkways and run all the concessions.

And it's soooooo hot. But it's still gorgeous. The Plotniks only saw the falls from the Argentine side and the magnificence of the scene is almost overwhelming. It costs $264 to take a bus across the river to Brazil and view the falls from the other side -- it just didn't seem worth it.



The heat was making Plottie into a grump, can you believe it? But the day paid off at the very end, when the Plotniks boarded a zodiac boat with a bunch of other people and the captain steered them right under the falls for four different drenching showers. Each one lowered Plottie's body temperature by a couple of degrees so by the time the boat trip was over his basic sweet and loving nature had been restored.



The nights are hot and humid, but it has not rained, which apparently is rare for this time of year. As advertised, the Plotniks have taken water to all its extremes on this trip -- fresh to frozen. Waterfalls and rivers and lakes to icebergs. And back to waterfalls.



The principal reason Iguazu has been wonderful is this man. John Fernandez runs The Secret Garden, a B&B that is the poster child of what B&Bs are supposed to be.



John serves caiprinhas and fresh snacks at 7pm. After a long, hot day at the falls you sit around with the other guests (only three rooms are for rent) and talk about what you saw, and where they are from, and where they are going, and then a few of you might hop out the gate and walk to get someplace to eat.

The heat cost the Plotniks though. After yesterday's sweltering push through Disney South they decided the 16 hour bus option to Buenos Aires was no longer workable. So they had the local bus drop them downtown and they walked into Aerolineas Argentinas and bought a one way ticket to B.A. It costs twice as much but the trip is now an hour and a half.



This, of course, means they'll have to find someplace else to stay tonight instead of sleeping on the bus, but it'll all work out. Time to pack up. On the plane today Plottie will tell you about the astounding charangos from Humahuaca. Here's a preview: