Departure from Retiro....

So I'm going to start detailing my trip! But first, I must say, I got my first job assignment today! It's very small - I'm going to meet with one woman, once a week. But nonetheless, it's a start, and it's paid! I'm very excited!! This particular interview was the best one that I have had, in that I was actually asked questions that pertained to my teaching style and not just about why I'm here. Thankfully, I was able to pull sample lessons from class to give answers - and she was impressed! Yay!!

So anyways, last Friday, which already seems a lifetime ago, was a great start to the trip. I honestly don't remember most of the day. In the morning, we had our final class with Eamonn. We had to discuss our one-to-one assignments. And then we received our certificates, with the request to still show up for our classes that night, haha. After that, we went to eat, but I honestly can't remember where. And then I finished up our official itinerary for the trip, complete with numbers, addresses, and dates. It reminded me of planning for my conference last year, except much simpler. Yes, I'm a planner. And yes, I used it :)

Then, I had my class, which had no one for the first 20 minutes, so I just kind of hung out. Then, two people came, so we went through some/any, but the two students who showed up were real beginner's, so it was difficult, and we only got through one of the worksheets. They kept getting hung up on random vocab, such as try, cake, and more. And I must say, since it wasn't the focus of the lesson, I cheated and said try and cake in Spanish just so we could move on.

After the lesson, I basically ran home and packed in 30 minutes. I mean, I had kind of thrown things around in preparation, but I still had quite a bit to do. Thankfully, I got through everything, and even had time to scarf down a piece of torta before rushing out. Maria Laura also packed me three extra slices for the road. I met up with Hasil and Rebe, and we all marvelled at each other's packing jobs and then hopped in a cab! The way there, Rebe and I spoke in Spanish b/c we didn't know where we were going exactly and we didn't want the driver to cheat us by going the wrong route. But he still spoke to Hasil in English, haha.

Well, we arrived, and were REALLY confused. I mean, it was 7:15 p.m. on a Friday night, so the place was packed. We had NO IDEA where we needed to be, and so we went to the mesa de informaciones, which was really less than helpful. We basically ended up going down the line, asking people. Well, after the first person we asked, we figured out that we were REALLY early. After the 3rd person we asked, this official-looking older guy came over to us and was like, eh your bus isn't here yet, wait over there and we'll let you know.

So we posted up near the doors, and waited. Basically, it's a line of busses outside. They pull in, fill up, and scoot out rather quickly. It was just crazy hectic b/c it was a Friday night. So it's 10 till 8, and our bus is scheduled for 8:10 I believe, and we're getting antsy, so Ionna, one of our travel companions from Greece, asks a different guy, and right as she's asking, our bus pulls up! It was fabulous timing. So we bustle over, and we're the first ones on. Travel group: me, Rebe, Hasil, Jon, and Ionna.

We were major touristy, in that we got Hasil to take pics of us in our seats. Oh, and we were on the 2nd floor, with semi-cama seats. So it was pretty sweet, and DEFINITELY better than a plane. We settled in, and pretty soon the movie Sin Reservaciones (I think "No Reservations" ) ame on. It was cute, and Rebe and I had fun making fun of it and its cheeziness. We were served some cold sandwiches, some lukewarm spaghetti, and some coke. There were some cases of tiramisu, but my wonderdish was apple crumble something or other. At 10:30, the lights went out, and we presumed that the indication was to sleep, which is quite unlike the normal time schedule I've observed in BA. Rebe and I had some good talks of priviliege, in terms of how sweet it is that we have the opportunity to be here, and responsilbiity,, in terms of how we can use our time here. We crossed several bridges, which only highlighted our abnormal height. Oh, and we made random stops all across the country. Like, really, we added at least 3 hours to the trip because of all our stops, some of which just consisted of dropping off one person.

Anyways, I fell asleep to Groban and Hanna lullabies and woke up with a full bladder and meandedered to the 1st floor to use the restroom. One consistency in all of the busses I encountered last week - major YUCK. Everything else is pretty sweet, but you just can't get past the gross bathroom. And this particular one had a jammed door, so you really had to put your weight into it to get in or out. All around, the experience is not bad. Breakfast is my favorite bus commodity, with yummy croissants and coffee, and just general laziness as you lounge in your seat. At this point, the landscape was noticeably different and broader. It was nice to be surrounded by more nature and less dreary buildings. I mean, some of it could've been the more farm parts of Mexia. And then there were these random, gorgeous houses, obvi the people who could afford to live way out of the city, as well as what looked like great little getaway hotels.

Needless to say, between myself and Rebe, the torta was quickly gone, but it was a fabulous bus snack. We were supposed to arrie around 1:30, but we actually pulled into the station at 3. and it was HOT! I mean, not like Texas hot at all, but I was ready to strip down. It was the warmest I have been. Pulled out the map from the tourbook and our address, and we made our way to Hostel Sweet! The girls were able to get a room of our own, so that was nice. Oh, and it had a pool. Which during the day was totally plausible, but at night it was still cold. So we decided to go find some food for lunch, and then just meander around the town. Well, the first resaturant we happened upon looked like just any old place you might choose to eat. So we ducked in, well, at least Hasil did, and were stopped in our tracks by the BEES swarming around ALL of the food behind the counter. We promptly changed our minds, but elected to purchase water bottles because we were REALLY dehydrated after the bus ride. We all got these cool 'sporty' bottles which ended up becoming our personal favorites.

So we walked somemore, which really the town was dead. On a Saturday afternoon, everyone who is visiting is at the Falls. So we finally chose a small restaurant, where I actually got breakfast yummies in the form of croissants. After that, we were just really lethargic. I mean, bus rides aren´t the most stimulating, ya know? So we went in search of a bike rental place, and actually happened upon a travel info place, where we received great directions on how to get to Tres Fronteras. We walked past a lot of tourist shops, and finally made our way to the spot.

So we made it to Tres Fronteras, which is where you can see Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. And by see, I mean, if there wasn’t water separating them you could easily walk to the other side in maybe 2 minutes. So picture the river heading straight for Argentina, so heading straight to me, and then forking to either side, on the left you have P, and on the right you have B. We knew this because each country had an obelisk on their land. Also, it’s really tall. ohh, I can’t describe it, it was just beautiful, and we caught it right as the sun set over the water. The only downside was the mosquito pests which ate us, but thankfully Ionni had the foresight to bring bug spray.

So we chilled there for a while, then made our way back up, perusing through the various shops. One of the local boys, probably like 8, walked in front of us for a long while, acting as our smiling, silent guide.

When we made it back to the hostel, the girls read for a while, until 9, which was when we were told the pizza would be ready. Oh, we ate pizza at the hostel; it was an allyoucaneat deal. So we go out at 9, and there are lots of people just hanging around playing pool and stuff. Our hearts sink as we notice the unchopped veggies on the table. The cook laughs at us and says, 9 oclock Argentine time! So we gathered around the t.v. and watched Notting Hill and then something else. I also got completely dominated by Hasil at a game of pool. Finally, around 10:30, we gather at the table for pool. It was a really fun mix of people, with the 5 of us, a girl from Australia, a guy from New Zealand, 2 French engineers, and 2 ladies from Germany. The pizza was a great compliment to the company.

Then, exhausted and stuffed, took a cold shower, ughhhhhhhhh, horrible, and crawled into bed. The cook couldn’t believe we were going to bed so early, but we simply said we had to be up early! So I fell asleep to American music blaring outside, with the occasional horrible rap song which I have no idea where they dragged up.

Woke up feeling refreshed around 7:15. The hostel provided us with an awesome breakfast of bread, cereal, and coffee. It was quite wonderful, and the cornflakes had sugar! Then we headed to the bus station, left our stuff in a locker there, and waited for our bus. It was about a 20 minute ride, and interesting because we picked up park workers on our way there. The bus dropped us off outside the park, and it was as we were waiting in line that we noticed the “screw you” fee.

This would be the lovely sign which proclaimed that everyone in the world had to pay, on average, 8 pesos, except for foreigners outside of the Mercosur act, who had to pay 60. Oh yes, and then they didn’t accept anything but cash, and it had to be less than a 100. It was un poco ridiculo. So we pooled our money together, figured it out, then headed in. From the inside, you take a little train ride in, which is cute. After that, you have the option to ride out to Garganta del Diablo or head to the rest of the falls. We were going to go to the rest, but then we noticed NO ONE else got out of line, so we decided to go ahead and see it, which required walking to the end of the now long line, haha. But I did see Alison, my TEFL friend, in line, so I got to chat with her. When we arrived at Garganta del Diablo stop, we had to walk a lot. And wet, happy people kept passing us, and we were a little confused as to how they managed to soak themselves. We soon found out, as once we hit the Falls, the mist and wind combined into a liquid force. We all dispersed on our various picture treks, and I pulled out my carefully preserved “Feliz Dia del Padre” sign! I got one picture, and then this guy came up to me, and said, in Spanish, could I borrow your sign? Because I have a father too.” It was so cute, and so I got to take a picture for him. And something was weird with his camera, and I said something in English, and he was like, oh, you’re English? And that made me happy that he didn’t immediately know, haha. So after pictures we attempted to enjoy the Falls for a few minutes, but it was REALLY wet! I will say, it was immense. The water just pours down, and you can’t see the bottom from where we stood.

So then we took the train back to the middle, and walked the rest, beginning with the upper circuits. It was all breathtaking, and you would be walking down this path, and then through the trees you would glimpse this HUGE waterfall. I mean, I don’t understand how you can have that many cliffs that spread out but all in the same area. A few of the smaller ones were dry, which we had been warned, but overall everything was still impressive. We also somehow lucked out with all the tourist spots and managed to hit places just before large groups would swamp them. Also, we got some medialunas from a restaurant in the middle of the forest. And then we ran into KELLY MATUSH, from freakin’ A&M, randomly here on her journey through Latin America. For those of you who don’t know, she lived in the same dorm as me my freshman year. Of all the days, and of all the paths, because this park was HUGE! So Rebe and I got a picture with her for proof. So after walking, there’s one island, which we get to by a small boat, on which you have to wear a lovely life jacket. So we arrive at the island and walk up a lot of steps and see a lot of lizards. But the first overlook we find it just gorgeous. Lots of falls, and lots of green shrubbery around them. So we hung out there for a while just taking it in. We hit up a few other ones a well, one which was really dry and had a sign to be aware of snakes. And from far away, the rocks made a window which revealed another waterfall. And we were marveling at that, and then we noticed all of the BUZZARDS around this rock. Like, a TON of them. And we got creeped out with how well they blended in, so we jumped ship.

So before heading down the island, we rested for a bit, in the view of a cute family with their pre-packed lunch. Rebe and I, both having large families that loved to take family vacation, often had moments throughout the trip where we reminisced about our various vacations, and Rebe made the comment that the cute family, with the pre-packaged sandwiches was our past and our future. I have to say, I’m quite ok with that thought. 
So we headed back, and the steps nearly killed us. There were SO many, and on the way back you’re not stopping at the Falls, so it’s just a lot of stairs. Ack, out of shape. It was nice around the island though, because the steps were natural from the rock, and not concrete.

So we walked past the restaurant in the woods again, and this time we saw the infamous coaties! Stacy had warned us about these finicky creatures which had apparently stolen part of her sandwich and were fearless enough to slap a little boy to get his food. I would describe them as anteaters…..very flexible anteaters. So we finally got to see them, which fulfilled one of our wishes, and we see this guy pull out an Oreo, and toss one to one of them. Exactly what all the signs say to absolutely NOT do. Well, like moths to the flame, those things are CROWDING him. I mean, at least 5 immediately came up. And not just standing around, but climbing up his leg, climbing on their table, searching for food. And we’re all laughing, and the guy’s friend is laughing, and tosses another cookie near his friend. MORE COATIES surround him, and the one guy is a little less confident and tells his friend to hide the food or he’s going to throw it on him. So the other guy gets a cookie, and proceeds to “conduct” the coaties by swinging it from side to side in the air. At this point, more of them come out of the woods, and there’s a large people audience watching. One guy warns him to be careful, they bite, and I think we were all kind of secretly hoping something funny would happen like it would jump up, but they finally pretty much gave up as he was a tease. Also saw a little kid get scared by an exploring coatie. Oh, icing on the cake was that the only guys who teased the coaties were Americans. And during the middle of it all, the guy was like, “They climb up trees, they’ll climb up you!” And that was our favorite quote of the day.

So after that entertainment, we made our way back to the train, then waited for our bus, at which point we were all exhausted. When we made it back to Puerto Iguazu, we walked around for a restaurant, but we were actually in a richer part of town, and we wound up walking out of a restaurant that had falsely advertised as cheaper. We ended up at the restaurant at the train station, and I got a milanesa con papas fritas, yumm.

After linner, we went to an Internet café, where I was able to chat with my dad  and let everyone know I was alive, yea! Then we just chilled at the station while waiting for our bus and gearing up for two days of busses. We were more prepared this time and had stocked up on goodies, including a liquid Dulce de Leche I found, yummm. Oh, and this time, our bus was Cama, so it was an upgrade ;)