Goodbye Iguazu, Hello Again Buenos Aires

Monday, May 27, 2019

Puerto Iguazu-Buenos Aires

Goodbye Iguazu, Hello Again Buenos Aires

Buenos Dias from Buenos Aires!

Today we were offered a bit of breathing space in-between hectic days of exploration and sight seeing. When we awoke in our lovely deluxe suite at La Aldea Lodge de Selva, we were struck by the utter silence of the space. If there were nocturnal creatures waddling about the  Rain Forest at night, we certainly did not hear them as we were dead to the world. Upon awakening our first thought was of breakfast and check-out—not necessarily in that order. 

     We packed our few belongings and at about 9.15 (yes, we did have a slow start today), made our way along the beautiful, sturdy wooden walkways to the restaurant for a princely buffet breakfast. Llew and I tucked into cereal with yogurt, scrambled eggs with sausages, croissants with ham and cheese and fresh fruit with good decaf coffee—which we are able to obtain very easily here. (Is India the only country in the world in which decaf tea and coffee are not available?)

     Breakfast done, we had some sorting out of Llew’s return journey to do as we discovered very late last night that his Norwegian Airlines flight that was supposed to leave at 1.30 Pm was cancelled. Email correspondence with kiwi.com (through whom he had booked the flight) informed him that he was booked on an Aerolineas Argentina flight at 3.00 pm which was the same time that my Andes Lineas flight would be taking off. 

     Hence, we had the whole morning to use at leisure, but we could not hang out in our room as check-out time was 10.00 am. Instead, we decided to call for our shuttle to the airport at 12.00 noon and spend the morning exploring the Rain Forest surrounding our hotel on foot.

     Except that the best plans of mice and men...are thwarted. It came down so heavily that we could hardly believe our eyes and ears. Honestly, it simply bucketed down in sheets and the sound of the air drumming on the tin roof of the hotel was truly deafening. But then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the rain stopped. We considered ourselves very lucky that we were able to view the Falls in great weather conditions. It would not have been fun had it been wet.

    

Visiting an Indigenous Rain Forest Village Settlement:

As part of our exploration on foot, we strolled outside the property of our resort and came upon a sign welcoming us (in Spanish) to an indigenous village settlement of the Guarini, a Rain Forest people. On impulse, we decided to visit the place.It would be a way of learning how these people lived. 

     We entered the settlement and were welcomed by two young men and asked for 200 pesos each for the short tour—this was all we could manage as we had limited time at our disposal. The guide told us that his name was Bernard—his English was almost non-existent and his commentary was delivered in monosyllables. Basically, he pointed out various plantations such as banana, pineapple, sugarcane, etc. helping us realize that this is a sustainable community of people who grow their own food. 

The heavy downpour had left the village mucky and filled with squishy red mud that coated our shoes and the bottoms of our trouser—we wondered if it had been a good idea to go exploring in such slippery conditions. 

We were also shown a couple of homes—no better than huts really—maintained in poor condition with a great deal of untidiness all around. There were chickens running around (making it clear that they are reared for eggs and food). We were told that there was a school in the vicinity and that the language was dual—Guarini and Spanish. Finally, our tour finished with a visit to an artisanal hut where, if we wished, we could purchase the local handicrafts that the people make—we saw wooden carved coaties and monkeys, hanging wind chimes and the like—needless to say, we bought nothing. But with this last stop, our tour ended and we were led back to the entrance. 

     

Off to the Airport for Our Return Flight to Buenos Aires:

  Our shuttle bus arrived on schedule and off we went after thanking the hotel for the generous upgrade and a very comfortable stay. It took us 30 minutes to reach the airport where, after a few anxious moments, we were able to resolve the issue of Llew’s ticket. He ended up buying a ticket on my flight so that the two of us could fly together. He will follow up with kiwi.com where he returns to the US to get compensated for the losses incurred over his cancelled flight.

On the Flight Back:

     The flight back was comfortable and uneventful. We did glimpse the Falls fleetingly from a great height and I did get a few pictures but nothing to really write home about. Since Jorge Newbery Airport is right in the heart of the capital, we had the most brilliant sights of the city’s complex but utterly stirring urban design from a height as we came down. In the suburbs, one saw neat houses each of which had a swimming pool. Closer to downtown, the many green spaces that dot this city were clearly visible as was the superb town planning which sees the city designed around a perfect grid. The more we explore of this city the more we realize how superbly it has been conceived. Indeed we could be in any European capital—either London or Paris or Berlin—so chic, neat and affluent is the place. 

     Once at the airport, we stopped at McDonald’s for a bite of burgers with fries and sundaes and then asked at the information desk for public transport into the city. We were instructed to buy a card that we could fill with as much money as we pleased and top up as we used it. We were also instructed to take Bus No. 37 to get to our hotel as well as told where we would find the bus stop.

     With Card purchased, we made our way to the bus stop and were pleased to find that the 37 arrived in about half an hour. We hopped in and enjoyed the bus ride to the city. We passed by vast gardens punctuated by the most striking statuary and sculptures of various Argentinian luminaries. I asked a young student seated besides me on the bus to tell us where to get off and he did. It did not take me long to find out exactly where our stop would be as Llew and I decided to make a detour before getting to our hotel. We thought that while the evening was still young, we could visit the city’s best-known attraction, Recoletta Cemetery.

   

Too Late for Recoletta Cemetery:

Alas, it was not only dark but late by the time we did actually find Recoletta Cemetery which has been the burial place for the city’s rich and famous since the 19th century. It was also closed—which meant that we would have to wait until tomorrow morning to see it at our leisure. However, it was good that we were able to figure out exactly where we should go. The place is encircled by high red brick walls that are reminiscent of a medieval castle and surrounded by wrought-iron lamps that are more than slightly ornamental.

     Unable to enter the Cemetery, we did get a peak through its impressive main entrance, conceived in Greek Neo-classical style. Then resolving to return tomorrow, we walked back just a few blocks to our hotel. 

    

Ending Another Tiring Day:

Our hotel, the Grand Hotel Recoletta, was like a refuge and the fact that we were given the exact same room that we had occupied before our departure made us feel at home. We showered, changed and got ready for bed. I did a bit of blogging, Llew watched some TV and then sent out a few of his pictures to friends before we called it a night.

     We are looking forward to a continuation of the sight seeing we had started, two days ago, as we re-enter the city and undertake a look around its main attractions...because, of course, tomorrow is another day.

     Until tomorrow...