You probably won´t believe a word of this!!

Ok.  So where do I begin? Let me start by saying that you will probably think that I´ve made this all up!  I´m prepared to take a polygraph...honest.
Here we go!

After just 4 hours sleep we started our day in Puerto Iguazu.  This is the most northern part of Argentina.  It´s like a finger of Argentina with Paraguay and Brazil on either side.  It´s hot.  Flippen hot.  Was 40 degrees today and this didn~t help us.  When you hear what we got ourselves into you~ll understand that a mild Cape Town day may have served us better.  I imagine that the inside of a jail cell could have been really bad today. So glad it didn~t come to that.
Now....we paid stink loads of money to get all the way up here.  Why? Well, because some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world are here.  Iguazu falls.  Google it.  We only have 1 full day here.  One.
We left our dump of a hostel.  Yuck.... and headed to the bus station to catch a bus to our next nights stay in a nice hotel.  We´ve looked forward to this one so hooray for us.  1st, tomorrow is the start of the easter holidays and the petrol stations are going to be closed, so about 50 cars and 20 motorbikes are queueing for petrol.  We manageto get to the bus station and we told the busses aren~t running to Iguazu national park today because a group of protesters have blocked it off.  They want salary increases. Don~t we all? They haven´t had an increase in 16 years apparently.     Blood leaves our faces.  I thought of stabbing the lady in the eye with my finger, but the security guard at the gate looks like he takes steriods.

You can take a taxi to your hotel, but then you may as well stay there cause you~re not getting into the park.  The protesters are hitting the authorities where it hurts.  Prevent access to the biggest tourist attraction, right at the start of the school holidays.  We will NOT be stopped.  We are taxied to the hotel. We store our bags and are told that it~s just our bad luck that the park is closed.  Luck schmuck.  We find out how much a taxi will cost to get to the Park.  Ouch...THAT much.  We scout the restaurant of the hotel during breakfast time.  Laura shouts out:who wants to share a taxi to the Park???  A few volunteers, but less when we tell them why.  others don~t know about the protest action.  Only 1 girl agrees.  She´ll bring her crazy cousin.  Craaaazzeee.  4 in the taxi, and 3 km later we hit the traffic jam.  We don~t move.  I~m figiting alot and its VERY VERY hot.

Roumors are travelling about what is going on. Some say the park is closed for the day because the protesters have blocked the road and are toi-toi-ing.  Others say the park is open but no-one is allowed in.  We tell the taxi driver to give our money back.  We´re walking thanks!!  We walk and walk and pass people that are now sleeping in their cars, lying under trees on the side of the road and many are angry and agitiated.  Buses from the fancy hotels in the Park are getting people to behind the protesters and the protesters are allowing them out to the waiting busses, but no-one is allowed in.  NO-ONE!  They are dancing and beating drums and blowing whistles and singing.  Throwing papers.  Cosato would be proud.  The 4 of us walk right up to the protesters and start to find an english speaker.  None.  We get out the phrase book and we get this info:  They want more money and they will squeeze government til they comply.  Laura tries to win them over by turning on the tears. And the Oscar goes to...... 1 man puts his arm around her.  He says he can~t do anything.  Democrasy is in action.  We get the crazy idea:  Let´s join the protest action and maybe they will feel our solidarity and let us through.  Crazy cousin Nadine says in broken spanish what we want.  The TV news arrives.  The people lift the barrier, and in a friendly tone invite us to join them.  Who are these youngsters?  What are they doing?  I take drum sticks and start a beat.  drummers, singers, dancers and whistle blowers start to join in with my beat.  Laura is dancing.  Nadine is on the big bass drum and Nakeesha is dancing like a crazy woman.  People are starting to take pictures.  I break the drum sticks.  Its VERY VERY hot. The protest is very peaceful.  Africa can learn something. 
We do this for 1 hour.  We then try to negotiate our way in.  Look, we support your cause, now honour our wishes.  NO.  I start to dance.  Laura starts a little shimmy.  People are angry.  So are we.  We came all this way, now let us in.  30 minutes go by.  It´s very very hot.  I~m low on water.

We dance a bit more.  I~m feeling faint.  The police arrive.   I try to blend into a tree.  I start to smell trouble.  Or thats me.  It´s HOT.
It´s 10:30.  They say they will let people in at 3pm, no 4pm.  We better not try any thing funny.  Laura gets out the Phrase book and pieces together a sentence explaining we only have 1 day to see the Falls before we head home and it´s cost us ALOT. 1 guy, Michael, takes pity on us.  He has a plan.  a sneaky plan to sneak us in through the jungle.  I~m worried about ticks. Ok, we agree to the sneaking -in idea.  The 4 of us follow hin into the thicket.  Down a slope, over a thorn bush.  100 meters.  We´re around the protesters.  We sneak onto the road.  We start to run.  1 other tourist follows us.  We are IN!!!!
Hundreds tried, only 5 succeeded.  Now, what do we do.  A car comes past and it~s a Brazillian lady and her English husband.  They are rich and staying at the Arabella Sherriton  and they think we´re brave.  We are.  They will give us a lift and we get all the way into the park.  for free nogal and they take us with them to the 5 Star hotel.  I´m not sure if I~m still dreaming or what.  I~m kinda shaken up but WE MADE IT!!!

What a day, what an experience.  We saw the falls, we took a train around the park, we took a speed boat to under the waterfalls and got soaked. We have the DVD to prove it  We ate dodgy hot dogs and we drank lots of water.  A blog like this can~t even begin to tell how amazing the falls are.  What a day.  Just had a buffet dinner at our hotel.  The first real meal in almost 2 weeks.  What a day.  We are safe, we are exhausted and we feel like some of the great explorers have nothing on us.  We rock!  I~ve SO felt God´s hand in today.  I never really felt afraid and I felt inspired by what I saw today.  Today has been the pinnacle of our South American adventure. 

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