Day 6 and 7 - Puerto Iguazu and the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls

Our travel day from El Calafate to Puerto Iguazu was not my favorite day. Hannah had developed a cold as we arrived in El Calafate and it was peaking in its grossness and malice the day we flew from El Calafate to Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu so I had a fussy, at times feverish baby on my hands who also had a gross case of viral conjunctivitis as well as a snotty nose. Bleh. She also slept on the way to the airport, woke up as soon as we reached our gate, only slept for fifteen minutes on the first several hour flight and then fell asleep for the last fifteen minutes of our last flight. Sigh. It was an afternoon full of fussy baby juggling for Daniel and myself and we were beat. And sadly so was Hannah.

When we landed, they told us we had to wait at least 10-15 minutes before we could disembark for some weird reason, so Daniel took Hannah to play in the bathroom sink.  ...You do what you have to do!

We finally reached our oasis in Iguazu, sweaty and super crazy hungry but delighted to find out that the loft we had reserved and the apartment we had reserved for our other four friends were actually adjoining spaces - so we had basically rented out a two story cabin. We were nestled in the jungle and our balcony actually overlooked lush green trees, offered the sounds of rushing water, and a small view of Brazil just across the river. Our rooms were gorgeous and spacious and offered several balconies, which Hannah loved. The other awesome feature? There was a delicious restaurant on site that delivered dinner free of charge - so we were able to let Hannah sprawl out and crawl around and play AND eat a delicious restaurant level meal. HUGE win! The mini bar was also the same price as the restaurant drinks, so there was no incentive not to just serve ourselves. Overall it was perfect for the first night and we were able to put Hannah to sleep and then eat dinner and casually hang out while she slept.

Naked baby of the jungle enjoying our balcony!

Gearing up to head out to the falls!

Without getting into all of the details...finding a rental car was tricky. We could not rent a car in Argentina and drop it off in Brazil. We had to rent and return from the same spot, so the logistics were tricky. We also had to worry about border crossing rules specific to each company, widely variable cost, and availability. In the end, on Thursday morning Daniel and Chris took a taxi across the border into Brazil and went to the Foz do Iguassu airport and rented two cars from Hertz. Then they re-entered Argentina and picked us up to head out to the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. Everything about this day took longer than expected. We drove out to the National Park, parked our cars and sunblocked up, and then began trying to navigate our way through the park. It was several different trail systems, each of which offer different views of the falls. Many of the trails cannot be easily accessed unless you take a train out to them - the train runs through the park, but you have to wait in queues to catch each of them and they are SO SO SO SLOW. To get to the best trail/boardwalk (The Devil's Throat) you have to take the train to one station, get off the train and back into an additional line, wait accordingly, and then take a second train up to the top trail.

Chris got a good picture of these mischevous critters in action - meet the Coati

As our first train pulled up to the mid point station we all noticed a flurry of furry critters scampering around and Hannah pointed and shouted "dohg"!  They were the size of a medium/large adult cat/small dog...with anteater like noses and raccoon tails that stood straight up in the air.  They were an animal called a "Coati" and they were wild and free, incredibly unabashed by humans, and flocking this way!  Hannah LOVED them.  She was excited every time she saw one and wanted so badly to pet them and to follow them.  We hopped back in line and headed to the top station and trail. Once we reached that trail we took a few minutes to eat and got to observe the flocks of coatis in action.  They are definitely cute...but also a nuisance.  They beg and fight over scraps and a local worker kept coming by with a stick that had a water bottle full of rocks on it and shooing the coatis back into the jungle.  While we were eating, I had Hannah in my lap and reached into my green bag to get more food for her...in the process her Burts Bees Diaper Rash + Powder cream fell out of the bag, and before I could pick Hannah up and then lunge for the cream the coatis descended on it, snatched it up, and ran away into the jungle.  Seriously?!  Wow.

Hannah on the train

taking the snails pace train through the jungle

sleepy Hannah and me with my new bought-it-for-my-birthday hat (okay, I forgot a hat and was freaking out about being in such direct sunlight and my birthday is a good excuse not to hate myself for buying a hat at tourist trap prices)

Daniel snuck into the jungle and got it back for Hannah.  Such a good dad - but he was really worried about getting swarmed by the furry buggers when he crawled into the jungle.  Tom documented the valiant rescue effort.

Daniel after emerging from the jungle of swarming coatis

After that we were finally off to Garganta del Diablo - The Devil's Throat.  Iguazu Falls is an extensive waterfall system that spans further than the eye can see...it is an incredible sight.  The very roaring heart, the most tumultuous center of this fall system is called Garganta del Diablo.  And from the Argentine park you can walk a boardwalk/raised bridge trail that extends over 1,100 meters - an extensive walk that will talk you right out to the very precipice of the Garganta del Diablo.

I should also add that this boardwalk was wiped out by major flooding during the rainy season 1-2 years ago and has just recently been rebuilt and is newly accessible.  ...We saw some of the pillars left from the old trail as we headed out.

the extensive boardwalk heading out to Garganta del Diablo

It looks so innocent doesn't it?

so simple...but...SO incredible!

By the time we set out on the boardwalk it was mid afternoon - EVERYTHING had taken longer than expected - renting the car, getting to the park and getting into the park, taking the trains back to this trail, grabbing a "quick" lunch, etc. so we were feeling the time crunch and decided to speed walk the boardwalk so we could spend more time at the site and then make it down to the other trails.  So, we trekked the 1,100 meters and soon found ourselves reaching the platforms amidst an absolute thunder of rushing water.  As we slowed down and worked our way to the leftmost corner of the platform, we each had our own moment of true awe.  ...I think the words out of my mouth were "holy holy shit..."  (I am originally from New Jersey after all).  Not only did the platform extend out to the edge of the Garganta del Diablo (which we hadn't quite worked our way to yet), but...as far as you could see to the left and across the gorge heading left...there were waterfalls...everywhere.  It was utterly, dizzyingly spectacular.  I looked behind me to see what Hannah thought only to discover, sure enough...she had fallen soundly asleep.  The coati excitement and the speed walking had lulled her to sleep.

I made it!  ...and Hannah is sleeping hard in the ergo

Natalie, Meredith, and Chris enjoying the view

Iguazu Falls in all its glory

risky risky use of a selfie stick

Daniel with the edge of the heart of the Garganta del Diablo over his shoulder

We soaked in the views and steadily inched our way to the right...to the corner of the platform that overlooked the Garganta del Diablo.  And that was truly breathtakingly insane.  By far one of the absolutely most amazing sights I have ever ever seen.

Garganta del Diablo

Garganta del Diablo - doesn't it just take your breath away looking at it?  We took this from the platform standing on the very precipice of this insane wonder!

Garganta del Diablo

Meredith enjoying the view

 Video at the Garganta del Diablo, panning around Iguazu Falls, Argentina

We speed walked back to the station and hopped the painfully slow train to the middle station.  From there we prioritized and chose the lower trail, the blue trail over the red trail.  The red trail was an upper trail, which would have been more of the same - along the top of the falls.  The lower trail would give us other perspectives.  From here we realized that the falls around the Garganta del Diablo were only some of the falls - there was an entire other section of massive, breathtaking waterfalls we had not even realized existed!  We could also see some of the trails on the Brazilian side that we would be doing the following day.  We took our time as best we could, enjoying the different views and right at the end found a place where we could really get thoroughly misted/doused and finally cool down - just as a park worker pretty much escorted us off the trails.  He followed us/politely chased us off the trail and we headed out of the park - which was quite a walk since we tried to manage to get out without getting back on the sooo slow train.

View from the lower trail - the Garganta del Diablo is to the left, the right is an entire additional round of waterfalls!

Snacks, diaper changes, and chilling for a moment with miss Hannah

really terrible attempt at a group photo haha

family picture at Iguazu falls!

That night we all dipped in the pool to finally truly cool off and then all hung out and ordered from the restaurant together.  By hanging out together, not in a restaurant, it was a lot easier for everyone to take turns playing with Hannah and our friends let us actually chew and swallow our food!  It was so nice!  We each picked a different dessert and had a little dessert party and enjoyed recounting the best parts of the day.  Bound for Brazil to see more of the falls in the morning!  :)

Chris indulging Hannah in her narcissistic obsession with videos of herself

ah, room service from the Romantique restaurant, how we were so grateful for you.  Great food with great friends

and OMG passion fruit mousse.  ahhhhhmazing.

oh yeah...the airlines lost our child carseat carrier.  AGAIN.  Daniel almost ALMOST missed the connecting flight in Buenos Aires trying to track it down...but...unlike Turkish Airlines...LAN airlines had it in our hands within 24 hours of when it was lost.  Thumbs up LAN, thumbs up. 

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Time out - Time to Explain the Extensive Process of Getting a Visa to Brazil

I did a lot of internet searching before this trip to determine whether it was really necessary to visit both the Argentine and Brazilian side of the falls.  The answer was resoundingly and overwhelmingly yes.  Different views, both spectacular, etc, etc, etc.  It went on and on.  But it was clear, if we were going to make the haul all the way down to South America, we were going to make it to both sides!  I also really wanted to see Rio, so decision made. 

First let me explain how ridiculous it is to get into Brazil.  To visit Argentina, one must go online to the embassy website before departure, fill out a digital form, pay a large sum of US dollars, and print out a paper receipt that confirms you have paid the "Reciprocity Fee".  It means just that.  The US charges Argentines this large sum, so they charge us the same.  Lovely.  (But who can blame them?)

For Brazil, one needs a visa.  To obtain a visa, one must go online and determine which Brazilian Consulate is assigned to the state you live in.  Because we live in Maryland, we had to use the consulate in Washington, DC.  Because they can, the DC consulate requires you to apply in person.  What if you can't apply in person because you live in Kansas and are assigned DC?  Oh, lucky you - you can pay obscene amounts of money to an agency to apply on your behalf.  They will send someone, you guessed it, in person to the DC consulate for you.

I work in DC, so luckily for Daniel, Hannah, Meredith, and Tom, I could apply for the visas on their behalf.  Chris was assigned to Miami, a consulate that also requires in person applications (yeah, he got screwed - paid a ton of extra money...only to find out that Miami doesn't process visas in a month, but in two, had the agency send his visa application to the NY consulate office and got his visa just in the nick of time).  Natalie was assigned to Chicago (where she lives) and lucky duck - could apply by mail.  ...She won in this lottery process.

For the record, the Consulate of Brazil needed:
1.  passport
2.  USPS Money order for a large sum of money (which required a specific trip to the US Post Office)
3.  SASE with tracking (also part of the trip to the US Post Office)
4.  "itinerary" aka - round trip flight information
5.  driver's license photo copy (if not applying in person)
6.  visa photo - I have a fun story about this one.  I had a left over visa application photo from when I went to China.  Daniel and Hannah went to CVS to get theirs.  CVS refused to take Hannah's picture, because of the liability involved of having a child sit on a stool (they focus on the face in the picture, so a parent could easily crouch down out of frame and hold the child, but no.  EYE ROLL.  So, I had to take Hannah to a "portrait studio" that was super sketch in the Wheaton Mall.  ...She sat on a MAJOR liability hazardous seat thing...it was a little seat with a sheet on it, perilously teetering on a trunk.  Totally ridiculous, but I was out of time and options.  I had to stay just out of frame ready to catch her at any moment.  We finally finish all this nonsense and I go to pay the ten dollars and the guy says, "no, only cash."  Seriously dude?!  It's 2015!  That's something that should be mentioned before services are rendered.  He sends me to an ATM across the mall as Hannah starts to have a meltdown.  I reach the ATM...it's out of order.  I head for the Target, grab an item we could kinda use, get cash back and finally pay the guy in cash.  ...Good grief.  

But don't worry, we need more for this application...

7.  receipt of online visa application, which had to be printed, signed, and have the visa photo attached to it for each person
8.  for Hannah, we also needed:  her birth certificate and a form that was signed by both parents and notarized for each - we had to print it out from the Brazilian consulate website stating Hannah was allowed to apply for a visa and take it to our respective employers to be notarized. 

Yep.  Ridiculous.  Those were the things they ended up definitely needing.  There were other things they "might" need that I had with me for each person just in case, including residency verifications (utility bill copies, etc).  It was ridiculous. 

The consulate is only open for a few hours each morning, so I took time from work and drove downtown.  I entered the consulate, took a number, organized my stuff for the tenth time, and then applied for each of us.  This was on a Tuesday morning.  I was back at work before 11 am.

Thursday afternoon when I reached our doorstep in Silver Spring there was my pre-addressed and paid for envelope sitting on the doorstep waiting for me - five passports inside each with a fresh and new visa for entry to Brazil - talk about speedy service!!!


Okay, public service announcement about visa applications for Brazil is over....but now you know.  And for those of you hoping to attend the Olympics in Rio?  Better apply way in advance and budget accordingly.  It's going to be a mess.

Day 5 - Uppsala and Spegazzini glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina

We woke up, got ready and were picked up from the hotel lobby to go on our multi glacier boat tour. We headed to the port and then were herded into various queues to pay for the national park tickets and then to board the boat. The boat itself was a bit more touristy and cattle boat like than daniel and I usually enjoy...but...this boat was going to trek across Lago Argentina to the upper West corner and lower west corner to reach two glaciers that could not be seen by road, only by boat.

Lago Argentina

Space at the rails of the ship was a hot commodity - not impossible but took strategizing and with six adults we could certainly strategize. The icebergs that had calved off of the glaciers were absolutely gorgeous and awesome and were scattered around for several kilometers before we would reach a glacier. Some of them wee incredibly intense shades of blue, which we learned is dependent on how compressed the ice is.

A bit crowded at times

If you time it right...

Uppsala in the background

This stunningly blue iceberg had just flipped over and the wind and air had not whitened it up yet

From a second angle - just gorgeous! The darker blue pieces are the parts where the water is most dense

Our faithful crew!

How Natalie's selfies are made

Hanging glacier

Spegazzini glacier - my favorite one by far!

At Spegazzini glacier

They lassoed some ice for liquor drinks on the deck

Hannah and her daddy

Meredith helping keep Hannah busy

Tom feeding little miss Hannah

I will explain more through captions, but overall we enjoyed the boat tour and the sights that we could not have seen otherwise!

Still exploring!

Omg Hannah loves the dogs that run wild through Patagonia! She lights up when she sees thema dn sobs when they leave - this pup entered the restaurant and was allowed to stay because he made Hannah happy. We spent most of the meal with one of us outside while Hannah played with the puppies.

Hannah's raincoat? Super useful after she had nibbled on ice cream and doused herself.

The wild pups even followed us into the bank for the atm.

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