Waterfalls and tongues all in the same day

So Marisa and I headed up to Iguazu falls. For those of you that don´t know, it is a massive set of water falls located in the rain forest on the Argentine and Brazilian borders. More about that in a bit- right now I will tell you about our 16 hour journey there and 17.5 hours back.
We weren´t sure what we were getting ourselves into... it seems like a pretty daunting journey- to spend that long in a bus with no stops! We went for the Coche Camio first class... we get an upstairs seat of the double decker bus and the seats fully recline with a foot rest.
It actually went really well... and I highly recommend taking the bus- it was 315 pesos both ways, that is about $105.
They showed three movies each way and fed us two meals... nothing better than airplane food... but I love me some airplane food! The steward came round every so often to offer wine and cookies. They even served Champagne. I have to say though the steward on the way back was busy in the front watching a soccer game (with the driver, a little scary)... it was pretty humorous... he left us all hanging for a good three hours before we saw food or drink.... but that´s Argentina for you- all stops when a soccer game is on! But all in all... it was really quite ´luxurious´. The bus left at 7 pm on the way there and 4 pm on the way back- so we were able to sleep, with a little help from my friend Valium, for most of the trip.
Ont he way back we were stopped twice for the police - scary army dudes to inspect the bus. They wore army get up and hand guns and all. The first stop they just asked to see all of our passports... but the second stop three of them came aboard with the canine unit and sniffed around... but no drugs were found on our bus. It´s funny though, they were really quite nice and said thank you on the way out. The dog was this adorable lab that looked no more aggressive than a house dog. It was a little puzzling, but made the trip even more of a wacky experience.
We arrived in Iguazu on the Argentine side at 11 am. We stayed in a four star hotel- more like 2 stars by US standards... but it was ´suficiente´.
We were at Iguazu by noon and decided on the controversial boat ride. Many people told us it was not worth it for 90 pesos... but it sounded amazing and for 30 bucks can you really go wrong?! No! We went aboard a 4 x4 truck through the rain forest down to the water and loaded onto the speed boat... and we quickly zoomed into the falls... The falls are the most breathtaking waterfalls I have ever seen... really the most amazing site I have ever seen. Amidst a rain forest water cascades down at tremendous force creating the most beautiful rainbows you have ever seen. The boat drove us through some of them getting us soaked!
After the boat we walked the trails up the mountain to get more of the aerial view (from where the falls start as appose to seeing them hit the ground water)... it was equally as impressive, if not more so. Devils throat is the biggest of all the falls... (my guess would be 20 falls in total varying in size). I can´t even describe the immensity of this natural beast... I was speechless... and to some degree, I still am. It really is impossible to do it justice with words, you just have to see it for yourselves (and we are counting on me to upload photos, I know!).
We did the Brazilian side the next day. We hired driver (so cool to say that!) to drive us over the boarder and bring us. Marisa did not have a visa, but for some reason these drivers are able to get you through if you pay them a lil extra. Again people have mixed feelings about the Brazilian side because you are not ´in´the falls as you are in the Argentine side... but the beauty of this is seeing the panoramic view and just how vast this natural site is. I could have done without this view (I felt the boat ride provided the same) but I absolutely needed to go to the falls again. Seeing them one time is just not enough, they are too incredible to absorb just once. Almost too unbelievable. My suggestion to anyone is to do the Argentine side twice.
The night in Puerto Iguazu was really nice; we were fortunate enough to be there for a full moon which lit up the sky. I have to say the moon kinda does look different from this side of the world- maybe brighter, closer... I don´t know... but surely impressive.
We left the same day as seeing the Brazilian side. We asked the cab driver for his favorite restaurant and stopped there for lunch. Oh boy... another adventure. They have a prix fixe lunch for 18 pesos- $6. It came with enough food for four... though I am not sure how much of it was edible! I will say this... I tried tongue... and it was well.. picture munching on your tongue... it was fleshy but tough and strong in flavor like liver... it came in vinegar with onions... can´t say I am a fan of them like I am testicles. They were grey in color and could see all the bumps which must be their taste buds... they were kinda fuzzy too... it was pretty ill. It also came with BBQ of different meats... I have never eaten so much meat in all of my life!!!!
Well that was Iguazu and I am back... Evelyn, my house mate is in.. psyched to see her. We are going for Mata today... which is a traditional tea served here in Argentina. And we are on for the Big POLO TOURNAMENT on Saturday.
Oh yeah... it was cool to drice through the country sides of Argentina. It completely reminded me of Costa Rica... houses and all. The trees were beautiful, rich in texture and color... such avivid bright but dark green. The difference to Costa Rica though was the earth. It was the most beautiful terracotta color. It was like taking the earth from New Mexico and bringing it to Costa Rica... the trees and earth contrasted each other to make them both stand out so much more. I am so glad to have been able to appreciate that.
Please all comment in... I love to hear your responses and keeps me motivated to write more! Thanksf or the comments already and looking forward on sharing more with you!