We started the tour at our hotel, where we met the only other Americans we've seen here. James and Scott happen to be at the Buenos Aires ComicCon and decided to see one of the new 8 Wonders of the World in their short amount of time off. Unfortunately they had just booked everything last minute and James had had her purse (including all her money) stolen the day before, so both of them were wishing on a prayer that the Iguazu ATMs worked for them to grab money. Apparently they wished enough, not that the ATM worked for them, but that they met us.
We luckily brought enough pesos for ourselves and them to get into the Falls. Plus Robby helped Scott get money from the ATMs in town later. ATMs in Argentina are finicky; some like cards with chips, some don't. Some just hate ATM cards period while others will only take their own bank cards. It's Russian Roulette on if you'll get money from one or continue to the next.
Inside the falls, we walked 3 trails to different lookout points. The uppers Falls are not visible from where the park train lets you off, so you get to breathe in fresh air while walking over the river on jetways until you round a corner and start to notice the plumb of spritz in the distance. The closer you get, the louder the roar of the Falls, until you arrive and are in awe at the magnitude of water pouring over the cliff's edge a good 5th of a mile long. About 1/2 a mile away we could see people from the Brazilian side of the falls viewing the Falls from their angle. We had the better angle.
Robby and I splurged, along with Scott and James, on the Great Adventure - we rode for 30 minutes through the jungle looking out for wildlife that could hear us from miles off and choose to stay hidden while eyeing us for dinner, before arriving at the water's edge. We threw all our gear and shoes into dry bags and speed towards the base of the Falls. After stopping 300 or so yards from the culmination of the big falls to take pictures, our boat dashed into the falls head on, drenching everyone. Robby took pictures with her waterproof camera and since we couldn't see a thing, she just snapped shot after shot. The images look like we're entering hell and proceeding to shipwreck. It was amazing. Terrifying, but amazing.
After the Falls, we headed to town to have a nice dinner and grab lots of wine. In the morning, Scott and James ended up on the same flight as us to Buenos Aires - where we got to talk a bit more before we said our goodbyes and hightailed it back inside the airport to catch our flight to Ushuaia. Apparently connecting domestic flights in Argentina send your bags straight through to your final destination, but whenever you land, you have to fully exit the airport before rechecking in to your connecting flight. Not very efficient.
Ushuaia is the End of the World. It's the southern most city with a population of 75,000 or so. It's adorable - like Juneau mixed with Boulder, but warmer. We were expecting it to be freezing, but it's about 60+ during the day, hotter with the sun out, and brisk when the wind kicks up. The city spans across the Beagle Channel and built itself into the surrounding mountains, mostly going uphill. No building is higher than 4 stories and everything looks like a mini ski town. There is a snow mountain outside of town, but mostly only locals and Olympic teams go there.
King crab is a staple here, with little restaurants littering the downtown advertising tasty meals for $20 usd or less. You literally get to pick out your own crabby victim, pose for a picture with it (if you're disturbed like that), and wave goodbye before it arrives 20 minutes later, hot from the boiler and ready to devour. Best meal so far in this country.
Robby and I spent the evening here wandering the town. The following morning we were picked up for a hiking tour through Tierro de Fuego National Park. We walked 7 kms along an inlet of the Beagle Channel while weaving in and out of the trees. We were periodically rained on, but it was still a beautiful hike. Abet at a faster pace then we would have preferred, due to our tour group being fast walkers, but after 5 miles, I was tired, so i didn't need longer there. Our tour guides rewarded our efforts with wine, cheese, and the best homemade chicken soup we've had in a long time. It was delicious and perfect after expelling so much energy.
Too bad we'd also booked the "kayak" trip along the Channel. The 7 of us from the tour and one guide loaded into a river raft and combated the mountain winds to paddle 1.5 hours across the bay, practically back to where we started our hike. The guide kept teasing us, "row, more faster! 1, 2, 1, 2, faster, faster." "We paid to do this?" everyone grumbled, but we all secretly were enjoying ourselves once our arms adjusted to the physical exercise. Again, we were rewarded; this time with cookies and a snapps-type drink that was full of sugar and disgusting. Robby had to finish mine.
Since the tour ended in the early evening, we had time to visit the Prisoner Museum. Ushuaia was originally started as a penal colony, but the idea was scrapped once they moved prisoners here. Instead they combined two prisons and just used the prisoners to create the town. When felons found out they were coming to the end of the world, a bunch of them tried to kill themselves, some succeeded. Sure, they were coming to a cold, tree covered tundra, but its since turned into a great little city.
Anyhow, the prison had numerous buildings spread across the property, but a main circle building with five wings springing off of it that housed the criminals and the guards. Each wing held a different degree of criminal - thieves, murderers, con-artists, etc. Currently the outlying buildings are part of the Argentinean Naval Base while the 5 wings holding the cells are divided into several museums. Most of the cells house artwork or placards describing the history of the prison and the town, while other wings tell the history of sailing and flying in Ushuaia. One wing was left completely as the prison left it in the 1940's (when it closed) - peeling paint, missing doors, and creepy ghosts. It was the best part of the whole place. Luckily most people took a peak and left, leaving us lots of opportunities to take pictures without tourist in them.
I have more to write, but I'm tired and I assume your eyes are blurring. Until next time.
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