Trying to fathom the scale, volume and splendor

Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Tue Dec 15
-with a fee we jiggled our flights so that we could fly directly from the international airport to Iguazu . As a final insult the flight to Iguazu had mechanical problems that cost us an extra 2 hours. Almost 60 hours after departing Maui we are just glad to be off planes and in Argentina
-we were met by our friendly guide in the airport and taken to our hotel. We were glad to get a shower and into some fresh clothes. We relaxed a bit and then decided to explore our immediate surroundings. 
-we checked out the hotel restaurant, gym, and shower. The hotel is actually inside the national park so it was a quick walk to the trailheads and the tourist restaurants. I grabbed a sandwich but Finn was more interested in returning to the pool. 
-we took a refreshing dip and then returned to the room. We found a bellman who was willing to exchange money at a decent rate and acquired some pesos. Finn decided to read while I went out and explored a trail. 
-I tried the lower trail and stopped at the stores and was surprised to find a Subway. The trail was fun and scenic and at one point crossed below some falls for a light soaking
-I returned to the trailhead and decided to try and lure Finn to join me . I popped back to the hotel and called the room and told him about Subway. He eagerly joined me in the lobby and off we went
-sadly (but not that sad really) Subway had closed so we tried a garish of the empanadas. Finn liked the chicken best so we are a few and then started off on the upper trail
-the trail was flat and pleasant and had some stunning views of the falls. We both celebrated that we had decided to go for a hike and were glad that we had come here despite the troubles with planes
-we saw lizards, toucans, birds and mosquitoes. we took a number of photos and exited the trail right as the park closed at 6. 
-we relaxed for a bit and then had a late dinner. Finn scored with the keiki meal which included a Sprite and desert crepe. Yum. I kept it light with a salad and some stolen bites of crepe. :-)

Wed Dec 16
Just got back after 8 hours of touring the falls. Was spectacular. Highlights were standing on a walkway getting pelted by wind n spray n drenched in minutes . Other highlight was the highest point, Devil's Throat, where the water falls 80m in a horseshoe shape. Incredible display of power. I took video to try n capture the sound which was deafening. Very cool and very glad we came here.  

Took a boat tour too that was a bit commercial. Our guide Tatiana was fun and knowledgeable. 

Some interesting facts. The normal flow of water is 2000 cubic meters per second. Due to the recent rains the falls are flowing at 5000 cubic meters per second. We did some rough estimations and believe that means the falls can fill two Olympic swimming pools per second. That's a lot of water. Iguazu is the widest falls, Victoria the tallest (120m), and Niagra has the most flow (7000 cubic meters per second). 

Tomorrow we spend the day traversing Argentina from north to south via plane. With the layover, it will take us 7 hours to reach Ushuaia at 3:30 PM. We will check into our hotel and then tour the town and look at the gear rental shops . And then the next day we meet the rest of the group and board our ship. 
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