2016 - FIP Buenos Aires and Iguazu: Day 9: Fri 2 Sep

We were up super early to check out and take the taxi to the airport at 5:45am for our 8:35am flight to Iguazu Falls. Sylvain, Regis and I went in one taxi with Jane, Ann and Trudi in the other. We ended up at the International terminal when in fact we should have been at the domestic. It was not that long a walk between the two, but it was quite fresh outside. When we arrived, we saw that the girls had not waited for us and had already checked in. If we had done that, there would have been hell to pay, but we didn't say anything. You have to check yourself in at the ATM like machine then join the queue to check your luggage. Allegedly you are only allowed 5kg of carry-on so we were all a little worried, but the check-in staff didn't even care. Everyone, apart from Trudi, had only carry-on as we are only going to be away for 2 nights - how much stuff do you really need?

So, after checking-in we made our way to the gate, hoping there would be a number of eateries airside, only to find one cafe for breakfast. They must make an absolute fortune as a ham and cheese sandwich and coffee was 205 Pesos - about AUD20!! However, I was willing to pay it as I did not have dinner last night and was a tad peckish.

We finished our breakfast and headed for the gate, boarded on time, and took off on time. Upon landing in Iguazu, everyone clapped. We had no idea why and were the only ones not clapping. It was almost as if it were a miracle we had made it. The plane was a relatively new 737-800, and the 6 of us had the very last row - row 22, and I just happened to have the very last seat - 22F. At least it was a window seat and I was able to see stuff. It did not recline. But it was only a 1.5 hr flight so was not too much of a problem. I will probably have the same seat on the way back as they seem to do it alphabetically for group bookings.

After waiting an eternity for Trudi's luggage we found our man who was to take us to the Sheraton, and off we went. We arrived a short time later and on checking-in, Sylvain stated to the man checking him in that he was a Gold member of whatever group of hotels Sheraton belongs to, so we all got free Wi-Fi. It seems that all the cheaper hotels have free Wi-Fi, but not the 5* ones, what is it with that? Sylvain was sharing with Regis and they had a Falls View room and asked if it was possible for the rest of us to have the same type of room. It was worth a try, however, it was a big ask and the answer was "no". It was nice of the hotel to extend the invitation of free Wi-Fi to the rest of us.

After unpacking the few items I had brought with me, it was back downstairs for a quick lunch before being picked up at 1:20pm for a tour of the Falls from the Brazilian side. Being part of a tour group means that at the Border posts you give your passport to the guide who takes them somewhere to get stamped. Thankfully, we got them back on the Brazilian side complete with exit and entry stamps.

The tour of the Falls was a self-paced walk along a designated track complete with look-outs at strategic intervals. You did have a time limit, but you would have to be a v-e-r-y slow walker to take that amount of time. We finished by taking a walk along a walkway out into the middle of the river just below the falls which was quite spectacular and very wet, and then up the elevator to the viewing deck above the falls. Wikipedia tells me that Iguazu Falls is longer than Victoria Falls by about 1km, but lower by about 30m, which makes Vic Falls the largest overall (twice as high, and 500m longer than Niagara Falls).

We were supposed to be dropped off at the Duty Free shopping mall situated between Argentina and Brazil for about an hour on our way back over to Argentina. However, we opted to go straight into the township of Iguazu for a look around and some dinner before heading back to the hotel. By the time we actually got into town it was about 5:30pm and we were all ready for dinner, so chose the first place we came to. I shared a degustation menu of beef, beef and beef, with Trudi. Basically it was 3 different types of steak, big hunks of them cooked to almost perfection. I only tried this as Argentina is renowned for its steak. Well, I have to say I have had a lot better in Australia!

It was then back to the hotel for a shower and sleep.