Sunday Funday

The day began with a brief phone call to Maria to wish her a very happy birthday!  🎂🎉😘 and welcome to the world Gleason (Gus) John Heitman!  

After our champagne breakfast we went to the tour office to register for the boat trip ( oh boy, you all know how I love boats) up the river into the area of the falls.  Sorry,  they cannot take our reservation, they are all full for the day.  (Yippee- no boat fo me today!).  Oh, but go to the central location and maybe you can fill and empty spot. (😬)   Then it was off to the Nautical Jungle office  but we got lost and had to find our way back and hopefully the cruise left already??  No, you can wait and see if we have room stand-by.  Jim was so excited that we might get on.... yes.... no....yes...yes!  Get in line.  I say- do NOT allow me to be alone on that boat!

 

We climb up an a large viewing truck for our 20 minute jungle approach to the river.  The guide speaks voluminously in Spanish and shows us pictures of the indigenous animals and birds.  Of course he speaks very little English.  That’s OK, we usually don’t listen anyway.   

We follow the crowd when the vehicle stops.  We descend 120 steps to the river.  Halfway 

there was a Red Cross nurse.... (I’m beginning 

to think.... yikes!).  There was also a man 

handing out waterproof bags (double yikes!!)

At the bottom they hand out very attractive life vests that have a special whistle attached (yike, oh geez, what have I done?  Maybe I could sit on the step?). 

 

Jim says, pick any seat you want.  I ask myself..... where is it safest?  Middle, middle, middle!

Off we go up the rio.  Up is not bad.  Lots of power, lots of bumps and also lots of wind and air.  I’m good!  I’m good I keep telling myself.  

We are riding between Brazil (left) and Argentina.  A few pictures of the palisades.  

Then we reach the magnificent falls  after passing some small (such a relative term while 

speaking of Iguaçu) cataracts, all of which we saw yesterday from the tops.  

As of then we hadn’t put our things in a waterproof container.  We were snapping hundreds of photos.  Then the guide says... all cameras and belongings away.  Take off    your shoes if you want.  Many men removed their shirts, women were wearing bathing suits.  

Who knew?   The pilot drove us into the base of

 San Martin.  It is the area on the left side of this picture.  We were wet! Soaked!  Hit with a wall of water.  As the pilot drove away everyone started shouting something like 'uno , uno mas'.  and he turned the boat around and 

proceeded to soak us again.  It was a wall of water and you couldn’t even keep your head up!  I guess I should have known that something was coming when the guide put on a rain suit from head to toe.  

Whew, all over!  No!  Not yet!  We went back to a smaller water fall and he drove the boat directly under the falls!  

 

Then the guide says hold on since we are entering the rapids!  They were nothing compared to the waterfalls but I’m still concerned they had whistle attached to my life vest...

Me soaked to the skin. 

We were soaked to the skin.  I had on this very casual dress with yoga pants and they all hang on our balcony as I write this. Hopefully they will dry in this sub- tropical climate.  

We are enjoying another afternoon by the pool.  Jim with a cigar and scotch, me with a tequila sunrise.  It was an adventure I wouldn’t have missed.  

 According to Jim’s Fitbit 

Today: steps:  8810

 4.5 miles

Floors: 28

Tomorrow we travel back to Buenos Aires.  Florida Street here we come to use up our pesos!

As always- enjoy this and every day!

💜Barbara