Iguazu Falls

Our final excursion within Argentina was to Iguazu Falls. Often compared to Niagara Falls in Canada, Iguazu borders Argentina and Brazil and is said to be far more magnificent. We spent only 2 nights in Iguazu (which is plenty since it’s a small town centered on the park) and our hotel (Sheraton Iguazu) was actually located within the park itself.

After a short hike, we took a quick boat ride (more like a raft, really) around the Falls where our captain steered us directly underneath the waterfall several times to be assured that his passengers would not walk away with dry clothing. We were pleasantly (it was hot that day) drenched. We then took a small train to ‘La Garganta del Diablo’ – aka. The devil’s throat. The sheer beauty and absolute power of the Falls were overwhelming. Looking at the magnificent sheets of rushing water, I half expected the heavens to part and swallow us whole. It was a truly spiritual experience and moments after arriving at the ‘throat’ (a circular formation of the waterfalls), it began to rain.

Thus, Nature provided an appropriate close to our time in Argentina. As we walked across a bridge to catch the train back to our hotel, we encountered our very first celebrity on the voyage. Passing us on the bridge with his entourage (his wife) we found John Lithgow (from ‘Third Rock from the Sun’) braving the rain toward the devil’s throat. Oddly enough, other tourists (Argentinean and Brazilian alike) had spotted him as well. I guess celebrity really is cross cultural for some. By the way, he lives in LA.

And with that, we returned to B.A. for our final two nights. Can you believe it? Our 6 weeks in the country of mouth-watering steak have come to an end. Sensing an uncomfortable goodbye to the superior beef, we made dinner reservations from our hotel in Iguazu at our favorite Parilla (grill) for the best steak in Buenos Aires. Cabana Las Lilas will provide us with our last Argentinean meal. It is all too much to bear for Lee.