Puerto Iguazu here we come.....

....up at the crack of another ridiculous hour.
Sergio arranged for a driver to take us to the airport.....yes!!!, another airport.
Montevideo is a beautiful city....as mentioned before, complete with a sea side promenade very similar to the malecon in Havana. A stunning mixture of old and new.
The flight to Iguazu was by way of Buenos Aires.....this time the municipal airport.......did I mention how much I love airports?.....flight was uneventful.

Iguazu is fantastic!.....and the falls are pretty cool as well!
Sorry, just kidding, if it weren't for the falls the town wouldn't exist....and they are as spectacular as you can possibly imagine.
All the nature shows, even in Hi-Def, don't do it justice....IMAX might come close, but I seriously doubt it!
As far as the town goes, think Whistler and Banff with a touch of Huntsville and a tad Lake of the Woods.
Ahhhh....but the falls....amazing!!!
However....the day started very early with a birding expedition to Iguazu National Park, also home of the falls.

Murray and Barb are avid birders and I enjoyed their, as well as our guide, Daniels', excitement at seeing the avian variety. I'm told that seeing 33 different species is something special. I suspect they enjoyed watching me fumble with my photographic paraphernalia just as much.
It was a great experience traipsing through the jungle trails with an accredited naturalist.

....for me though, the falls were the thing to see.
I am at a loss for words to describe the vista. [those that know me will be shocked and surprised that I could ever be at a loss for words....but I digress once again]
This is Niagara x1000.
Interestingly, there isn't the thunder or  the roar of Niagara except at the top of the "Devils Caldron"...perhaps the most famous of the Falls.....and arguably, the absolute best feature is the absence of "Clifton Hill" and all the ticky tacky glitz.
No wax museum was indeed a treat!
I must confess that having grown up in southern Ontario and having visited Niagara on countless occasions, I was wondering if Iguazu would impress all that much.
I remember well, bringing friends and relatives to Niagara for their first time and being bemused buy their reverential reaction to the site.....after all, it's only Niagara.

Suffice to say I was as gobsmacked as the aforementioned friends and relatives.

It is indeed a wondrous place....the obvious power of the water.... so violent yet so serene.
I could have easily spent the entire day just wandering the abundance of trails.

Accommodation wise, we were split up.
Murray and Barb stayed at a small B&B called "The Secret Garden"....and it was!

John, the proprietor, was the epitome of an aristocratic Indian gentleman. He had a fascinating past ending up doing professional photography and ultimately running a B&B in Iguazu. He was the consummate host, inviting me to join my two companions for his "Happy Hour" where he plied us with endless "Caiprihinas"....a Brazilian version of a Mojito, without the mint and soda and made with "Caisasha" instead of rum....otherwise the same!

Mi casa....Le Boutique Hotel

Ok....basically, quartered limes and sugar, muddled together, add ice and top up with the Caisasha, which is similar to white rum insofar as it is made from cane sugar, and it has the same effect as Mojitos....very refreshing but be careful because it will sneak up on you....if you know what I mean.
John could not have done more for us....arranging cabs, dining suggestions etc.
My accommodations were gorgeous.....lush tropical setting, very comfortable room, and again, a host [Simone] who could not do enough. We opted to have a dinner at "my place" as her husband is a professionally trained Italian chef...needless to say the dinner was awesome!!!

My name is Dan.....and I'm falling behind on these blogs!!!