The funniest part of our trip to the falls was not the falls themselves. It was what happened in the boat.
As I was in the back screaming for more water, more time under the falls, my friends were trying to shut me up. In fact, after one particularly good dunking, the girl sitting in front of me turned her face to the side, and I saw her face was covered with suds and she was laughing and crying at the same time. She'd been wearing a cloth on her head, which she removed and was trying to wring out.
It turned out that her bag of toiletries had leaked onto the head covering. The liquid soap had saturated the cloth, and then dried, so she didn't really noticed. When we went under the spray, the water turned the dried soap to suds and she was getting an unintentional and unappreciated hair and face washing.
May 25 is Memorial Day in the US, and here in Buenos Aires, it is Revolution Day. As such, we had the day off. So four of us boarded a bus on Friday night to Iguazu Falls. The trip is long, but the bus was very comfortable and our seats reclined 180 degrees, so I had a good 10 hours of sleep or so. We arrived around 1pm in Iguazu and found our way to Timbo Iguazu where we were staying. It was recommended to us by fellow teachers. While it's inexpensive and fine for backpackers on a budget, I didn't find it spectacular. Anyway, we took a cab to the falls. At 70 pesos for a 20 minute ride, it was expensive. Especially compared to the bus which was 5 pesos. But we couldn't find the bus stop. Anyway, we arrived at the falls around 3pm. We paid our 20 pesos (60 pesos for foreigners) and went in. We boarded a boat which took us down the river, through whitewater rapids, and to the falls.
The falls were something to behold. The amount of water that falls over them every day is enough to supply water to the city of London for a year. The falls are three times bigger than Niagra Falls in New York. Not in height but in length. Here's a small section.
See that spray off to the left? Yeah, right there. The boatmen took us under the falls right there. They also took us under this section as well. Needless to say, by the end of it, we were soaked. But I was cheering for more.We did not, however, go into this section of the falls. This is the Devil's Throat, or "Gargantua del Diablo". Yeah, they don't take you in there. Cowards! :-)
I'm going to be out and about for the next few weeks so my postings will be completely sporatic, but here's a video from my recent trip to Iguazu Falls. More about the trip later!
One of my friends said, "I learn Spanish one mistake at a time."
So I feel it is my duty to provide your laugh of the day. I was at the hairdresser the other day and the subject of my sister-in-law came up. She's pregnant. But I couldn't remember how to say "She's having a baby". So I said, "My cunada esta haciendo un bebe." (Direct translation is "My sister-in-law is making a baby.") The hairdresser and his male client laughed at me, and the hairdresser said, "No, honey, you want to say 'Ella esta embarrasada.'" That's "She's pregnant." I was embarassed, and quickly corrected myself and went out of the shop.
So five minutes ago, I was telling this story to my friends and they started to laugh uncontrollably. I said, "I know that was funny, but..." They were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe enough to explain that what I had ACTUALLY said was "She is in the act of making a baby". In other words, she's....oh, nevermind. Just laugh!
Before I left Ecuador, we went up in the Teleferiqo. No, I didn't spell it wrong. That's how they spell it. Here are a few photos!Read the first line.
I'm going to overlook the fact that they have spelled Teleferico/Teleferiqo two different ways. However, #2 cracks me up!And with that, I'm going to close this "Ecuador and Peru" chapter of the blog. More about Buenos Aires, rodeos, and Iguazu Falls soon!
I realized today that I've spent three months of blog time on a two week trip, so I'm winding down. We spent some time wandering downtown Quito.
Here's a pretty square in the center of the Old Town.
There's also a pretty old church in town.And if you're adventurous enough to walk the series of gangplanks and climb the many scary ladders...you can see beautiful views of all of Quito.
Tomorrow, views from the "Teleferiqo" and then, we leave Ecuador. Whew!
So, besides the relatives my Dad has in Quito, he also has friends there. Well, actually, the daughter of friends. The daughter that my Mom taught 40 years ago! Mom and Dad still keep in touch with her parents, and Mom and Dad went to her wedding twenty years ago. Dad had called her, and when she called back, Dad talked to her for awhile. She invited me to stay at their house, more centrally located in Quito.
So in the morning, we took Dad to the airport and then I was dropped off at their beautiful house. They were planning to go for a little hike in a national park. On the way, we had to stop because we saw this. You may not really want to know what it is. But look closer, there's a while pile of them. That's right, that's grilled guinea pig. I mentioned it before, and promised you photos. And here the are. Grossed out yet? I'll wait here while you go say hi your friendly guinea pig (Chica). I'll wait right here. (humming....)
After pausing to take a few photos, we continued on into the outskirts of Quito. We drove down a bumpy dirt road way out in the boonies. After about an hour and a half of driving, we arrived at a park. It wasn't the one we planned on, but whatever. Then, we encountered this procession and had to turn off the road and give them time to pass.
First came the band.
And then the people in costumes.
And then car, after truck, after van, after bus, filled with people.
And when they ran out of vehicles, they called in the authorities.
The police, that is! I don't know how many people were in the town, but every last one of them was in a vehicle heading down the hill to the party! It was a fun, impromptu touch of local culture. Apparently, the Virgin Mary appeared to someone in that town on that date, 50 years ago or so. And they celebrate it every year. We just happened to stumble into town on celebration day! Woo hoo!
Well, I'm at the Quito airport. I was here on Friday with Dad, and today is Tuesday. Yep, I'm still here.
When Dad and I arrived here on Friday on our return from the Galapagos Islands, Dad and I went to the LAN counter. The lady there told me it would cost me $6211 to fly home with Dad. Furthermore, somehow my ticket could absolutely not be changed at all. So I wasn't able to return to BA earlier and was stuck in Quito for 5 days. To add insult to injury, Quito is not a safe town. I heard this from everyone, including the guide books. So I couldn't just find a hostel and wander on my own for a few days. Well, if it had been just me, I might have taken that chance. But Dad wasn't going to let me do that. And if all of those things weren't enough, the people we were staying with live way out in the outskirts of town. Getting into town from their house is time consuming, expensive, and not safe. What's a girl to do?
While the people we were staying with were kind and generous and more than hospitable, they're missionaries and I didn't want to impose on them for 5 days. They have no TV, so there's nothing to while away the time when you're stuck there for FIVE DAYS!
And the showers. A constant adventure. The showers were a...balancing act. Turn the faucet on too far and you got nothing but cold water. Don't turn it on far enough and you got only a tiny trickle of cold water because the heater didn't kick in. If you found the sweet spot, you got a reasonable amount of water, and it was mostly warm, but the electricity that was diverted to the heater made the lights dim. That's when you knew you'd found the sweet spot. However, the sweet spot moved, so there was no complacency in the shower. Did I mention that there was a fine line?
After we got off the boat, we got into the little dinghy to be taken to the bus. Dad arrived on shore first. I was still on the boat, and I saw that there were benches on shore where he could sit. But when they got to shore, they all LOOKED at the benches but no one sat down. It wasn't until I arrived on shore that I discovered the reason. The benches were occupied.
Today is our last day in the Galapagos Islands. After our tour of the island and seeing the frigate birds, we took the boat to the bus and the bus to the airport.
I was supposed to stay in Puerto Ayora for 5 more days. My original intention upon booking the ticket to depart 5 days after the cruise was that I would hang out and maybe go on the second half of the tour, to the northern Galapagos Islands. But then Dad said that he would come with me on the trip. And, I was done with the boat after 5 days. So I was done. I went to the airport with Dad. We got on an earlier flight from Galapagos to Quito without any trouble.
Now, on our last day, Dad's feeling so much better. Just in time to leave. :-( Had he been feeling better even one day earlier, he may have been able to enjoy some snorkeling.
Anyway, we're on our way to Quito. We're 2 hours earlier than scheduled so I'll see if I can get a flight to BA tonight or tomorrow. I really don't have any desire to stay in Quito for 5 days. Dad will stay overnight and go home tomorrow.
I've thought about trying to go home for Grandpa's funeral and will ask about that at the airport. If the funeral is Saturday, I won't make it home in time anyway. I'd love to see everyeone, including the littlest new member of the family, but I don't know if I can make that happen.
When we arrived back to the boat after our sea turtle excursion, Dad was on the top deck getting some sun. I guess it did him good because after running all night on our way to South Seymour Island, Dad woke up on our last day feeling the best he'd felt in a week. Sadly, it was our last day. We took dinghys to shore and went for a nice walk, at 6am. We were greeted by these little guys. This guy was in the mood to sleep in. I don't blame you, buddy!This guy was doing his morning yoga.This little guy could barely pull his head off the pillow. We saw blue footed boobies fishing. Our guide said that all the diving renders them blind after about 7 years. That's really sad. We saw red friggate birds. The males puff up their air sacs to attract the females. They flap their wings and make a rattling noise. Listen carefully, over the annoying voice of our guide.
He wasn't lucky. I feel for you, dude! I really do.
You have no idea what it's like to be out in the middle of nowhere with someone who is sick. Out on a tiny boat, in the middle of the ocean, off the coast of South America. With your dad, who has never stayed in bed a whole day. Let alone four. With your dad, who has sprung out of bed well before 7am every morning of the 12,400+ mornings you've known him. Your dad, who used to wake you up on Sunday mornings to the sounds of Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" blasting on the record player. Your dad, who would wake you up on frigid wintery school mornings and then head downstairs to light the fire in the stove. Who would stomp back up the stairs loudly because he knew you weren't up yet, but you'd better be by the time he reached the top step! Who gave you whisker rubs at bedtime. Who covered your back with calomine lotion when you and your three siblings all had chicken pox at the same time. Your dad, who told you he loved you seventeen times in a row because you weren't feelin' the love! Who traveled to South America to vacation with you because he loves you and who walked 2 miles a day every day for several weeks to physically prepare for the trip. Who pushed himself, and you, to climb to the top of Wayna Picchu, because quitting is not an option. Your dad, who has, despite attempts to push through the physical barriers, has now been in bed for the better part of 3 1/2 days.
And though every other time he's done it in your entire life, you've rolled your eyes and groaned "DAAAADD!!!", you have no idea the cheering that will ensue when he finally passes gas!
The funniest part of our trip to the falls was not the falls themselves. It was what happened in the boat. 
The falls were something to behold. The amount of water that falls over them every day is enough to supply water to the city of London for a year. The falls are three times bigger than Niagra Falls in New York. Not in height but in length. Here's a small section. 
Yeah, right there. The boatmen took us under the falls right there. 
They also took us under this section as well. Needless to say, by the end of it, we were soaked. But I was cheering for more.
We did not, however, go into this section of the falls. 
This is the Devil's Throat, or "Gargantua del Diablo". Yeah, they don't take you in there. Cowards! :-)
Read the first line.
And with that, I'm going to close this "Ecuador and Peru" chapter of the blog. More about Buenos Aires, rodeos, and Iguazu Falls soon!
And if you're adventurous enough to walk the series of gangplanks and climb the many scary ladders...
you can see beautiful views of all of Quito. 
You may not really want to know what it is. But look closer, there's a while pile of them. 
That's right, that's grilled 
After pausing to take a few photos, we continued on into the outskirts of Quito. We drove down a bumpy dirt road way out in the boonies. After about an hour and a half of driving, we arrived at a park. It wasn't the one we planned on, but whatever. Then, we encountered this procession and had to turn off the road and give them time to pass. 
And then car, after truck, after van, after bus, filled with people.
And when they ran out of vehicles, they called in the authorities. 
I don't know how many people were in the town, but every last one of them was in a vehicle heading down the hill to the party! It was a fun, impromptu touch of local culture. Apparently, the Virgin Mary appeared to someone in that town on that date, 50 years ago or so. And they celebrate it every year. We just happened to stumble into town on celebration day! Woo hoo!
We were greeted by these little guys. This guy was in the mood to sleep in. I don't blame you, buddy!
This guy was doing his morning yoga.
This little guy could barely pull his head off the pillow.
We saw blue footed boobies fishing. Our guide said that all the diving renders them blind after about 7 years. That's really sad. 
We saw red friggate birds. 
The males puff up their air sacs to attract the females. They flap their wings and make a rattling noise. Listen carefully, over the annoying voice of our guide. 
