So yeah my computer is dying so I don't wanna waste the last bits of energy writing and uploading photos today. But I wanted to write a little and just say that Iguazu Falls was absolutely amazing. I've been wondering if it was gonna live up to all the hype I've heard for months, and wow did it ever. I was scheduled for a 9am boat tour, but if you remember I'm staying in a room with 16 other beds, so I had my earplugs in and of course slept through my alarms. Woke up around 8:40am in a complete panic - jumped up out of bed - hit my head on the top bunk - sat back down in a daze - then got back up slowly and brushed my teeth fast and started running out the door. I get to the front door and one of the hostel owners, a guy who could literally pass for a California surf pro, is there hanging out with another guy. He tells me to chill out and he will call the tour group and get me on the next tour. He calls and gets me on the 10:30am boat. Perfness McGerfness. I head back to get some breakfast and meet a girl named Jean who's from Seoul South Korea. She had no plan for today so she asks to join me and bam just like that I've got a buddy for the day. Jean is a travel journalist for a major magazine in Seoul but she's currently traveling on her own. She got married last year and before she and her husband have kids she is traveling for 5 months. 1) What a cool chic. 2) She has a very cool husband to understand her desire to travel and be her own person before settling down. Jean is funny and speaks English with a classic Asian accent, but she's very positive and I couldn't be happier to have her with me for the day. We catch a 10am bus and arrive around 10:35am at the national park, where we find out we missed the 10:30am tour and are now on the 1:30pm tour. Oh well. So we walk around the park and see some amazing views of the waterfalls and then get on this huge power boat, which prob has about 45 seats - no roof on the boat. We put all our belongings in a dry bag, meet a chic named Jo from Australia, then the driver takes us directly under the falls. When I say directly under, I mean I couldn't even see because the water was coming onto the boat so strongly. Such a blast!! I've got great pics and video and I will update them when I get to Rio tomorrow or Thurs (where they actually have an Apple store!) After the boat we get in an open air truck that takes us through the jungle, followed by a short train ride up to the top of the waterfalls. Again - surreal views and pics to come! After the falls we get in a smaller row boat where a guide takes us down part of the river describing more about the falls and the jungle and all things in between. Greatness. Me and Jean laughing our asses off the whole day at how much we've been running around and cramming it all in. She's all smiles. I'm having a blast. It's a perfect day. And of course, all perfect days end with one last view of the falls which includes a huge full rainbow. Yes. More laughs. As we are walking out of the park I see a dude in front of me wearing the exact same outfit as me. Huh? Yeah. Random. I ask if he speaks English and he tells me he's from NYC. Classic. We take funny pics together and he tells me to stay warm when I get back home. Not sure where home is anymore, but I do know Chicago is cold as all hell these days. We get back to the hostel and I have an email from a British couple I met on the Inka Trail. They are in town and we all grab a last dinner in Argentina. Yes. I ordered my favorite - matambre de cerdo - and call it a night after dinner. Met some good characters in the hostel just now including two girls from the US who've been doing Peace Corps work in Paraguay for the past two years, and an Australian guy who I may rage in Rio with later this week.
Shazam.
The dance continues and I'm starting to feel the momentum of Carnival. Lets hope I get through customs with my Polish passport tomorrow without a hitch. Fingers crossed. Toes crossed.
Here's a few pics I took on my phone at dinner tonight. More to come soon.
Keep dancing...
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