Sunday, December 24, 2023
This morning we had a nice breakfast in the Sofitel Recoleta Hotel. We left most of our luggage at the hotel and packed small bags to take to Iguazu Falls. We were then transferred to the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), which was only about a 10 minute drive from the hotel. Patricia handed us boarding passes but we had to wait in line to check our bags. Being Christmas Eve (La Nochebuena), the small airport was crowded and we had to wait awhile. After checking in and passing through security, we were bused to our Aerolineas Argentinas plane to board on the tarmac.
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| Heading North to Iguazu Falls |
Patricia kindly let me sit in her window seat. The flight was a bit bumpy at times but as we approached our destination we encountered our first view of the Iguazu Falls, a cloud of mist rising from the verdant sub-tropical forest. We also observed scattered trees whose canopies were yellow with flowers and later learned that these were Ybira pita trees, a legume in the Fabaceae family.
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| Our First View of Iguazu Falls |
After landing and claiming our luggage, we were greeted by another guide, Gustavo, for our three-day visit here. Gustavo discussed the schedule during the short trip to our new hotel, the Gran Melia, located within the boundaries of Iguazu National Park.
While checking in, and later via signage, we were instructed to keep our balcony doors locked because, if given the opportunity, capuchin monkeys will enter rooms and raid the mini-bar. We have seen monkeys on our balcony but so far have managed to protect our mini-bar. Our second floor room is wonderful with a view of the hotel lawn, pool, and Iguazu Falls in the background. In fact, the entire hotel is wonderful and offers beautiful views of the falls from most every room.
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| Entering the National Park |
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| Our Second Floor Room at Gran Melia |
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| View from our Room’s Balcony |
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| One of many Balcony Visitors (Black-tufted capuchin monkeys) |
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| Downstairs Christmas Tree |
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| Back of Gran Melia Hotel |
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| Coati on the Back Lawn of the Hotel |
After briefly moving into our rooms, Patricia and her five excursionists met in the dining area at 2:00 pm where we were served a huge three-course lunch with courses we had individually pre-selected. It was delicious but I certainly was stuffed.
Gustavo, then lead us on a short hike, the Lower Walk, where at many overlooks we enjoyed views of the parts of the falls from different perspectives. Iguazu is the world’s widest waterfall at 1.5 miles. Due to recent and past storm damage some of the paths were closed. Unfortunately, this included the paths to Devil’s Throat, one of the most impressive sections of the falls, although we could view it from this path (and our room balcony).
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| Entrance to the Falls Lower Walk |
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| A Soggy Jane at the Falls |
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| Recent Rains had Increased the Water Flow |
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| The Viking Gang at the Falls (minus Patricia) |
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| Heliconia Flowers commonly Known as Toucan’s Beaks |
After our hike, we chilled awhile and then around 7:30 pm met at the dining room for a spectacular Nochebuena buffet. Wow! The selection of foods was amazing. Unfortunately, I was still full from our large late afternoon lunch and could only manage a small sample of the offerings. We were also treated to a live jazz band that played jazzed-up Christmas tunes during their first set. Around 11 pm, I became very sleepy from all the excitement, food, and bottomless glass of wine. Jane and I, along with most other folks, retired. We missed the traditional Argentinian toasting-in of Christmas at midnight.
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| Our Jazzy Holiday Band |
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| A Portion of the Dessert Selections |