The Crystal Serenity is at sea from Rio to Salvador de Bahia, arriving Friday. The Crystal Symphony is at sea from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, also arriving Friday The Koningsdam is at sea from Samana to Bonaire arriving Friday and the Zaandam was at Port Stanley Thursday, setting sail for Montevideo.
A more (but not quite) normal morning; up at 5 and out for a walk about 7. Aside from laptop related stuff I’m pretty well packed for Iguazu; 3 heavy bags staying at the Novotel and a smallish one to go under the bus and a small carryon, As lightly as I’m loaded I don’t think it would be too hard to walk the 1 1/4 miles to the bus station but the city bus is my most likely choice.
I checked out of the hotel just before noon with 7 hours before my bus left. I spent most of my time on a bench outside the Opera house working Sudoku and getting up periodically for snacks. I did see a hop-on hop-off bus passing periodically which might have been a better choice. I returned to the hotel about for my larger travel bag and headed for the bus station. After my Wednesday disaster on the Subte I noticed a Number 70 bus marked Retiro That turned out to be a good option; although I had to walk 1/3 mile to the Opera House where it stopped, it dropped me off within 100 meters of the part of the bus station where I would leave. I found the bus a bit strange; from the front to the back the seating kept getting higher; my best option was the back seat which was almost as high as the heads of people in the front seats. I had chosen a seat that was wide open, there were several others I could have chosen that were a little more of a squeeze for me and my bags.
Once at the station it was a combination of sudokus and watching the actual boarding process. Boarding itself moves pretty quickly; it’s only 10-20 minutes from the time a bus pulls up and it’s bay number is posted on the video screens until the bus pulls away.
My bus was scheduled for 7:40. Around 7:10 I got up and stood at the first of the possible bays and started watching arrivals. My bus pulled up about 7:20 and by the time it reached the bay there were several people waiting.
I was directed to the upper level of the bus which was a little nicer than the lower level. There were 2 seats on the drivers side of the aisle and 1 seat on the doorway side. I took one of the single seats; they were very similar to some of the nicer aircraft Business Class seats I have had. They were not quite flat at night but pretty close with the feet sticking a few inches under the next passengers head. The bus had very nice amenities but surprisingly no wifi. The steward was very nice but spoke no English making thinks a bit difficult at times.
The 17-hour journey did not go quite as planned. At a toll booth only about 15 miles out of town the brakes locked up and it was about 2 hours until a replacement bus arrived. It was a little after 10 when dinner finally came. My first look was pretty negative. There was a muffin, a roll, and a cold dish that looked like some kind of a rice salad with a bit of nondescript lunch meat, as well as a packet of crackers. I was about to declare the meal a disaster when the entree arrived, a dish of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. It would probably be about medium class aircraft food. I had just opened the crackers when the entree arrived and decided to save them for Friday, anticipating a late Iguazu arrival with only breakfast served.
I did not get a lot of sleep but much better than nothing. I woke and stirred about 6. The sun rose just before 7 on my side of the bus but was a bit blurred as the windows were quite steamed.
It was close to 9 when breakfast came, a snack box of cold items (cereal, cookie, and yogurt). This actually fit my style pretty well as I normally snack my way through breakfast and could open the items as needed. “Coffee” was served, a cup of hot water and a coffee bag, also an envelope of creamer and a Splenda I had brought from Serenity.
Progress was fairly slow; we stopped at a number of towns I could not identify on my GPS. We pretty much followed the River Parana which forms the border with Paraguay. At one point we got close enough for a quick photo.
When we stopped about noon at Posadas we were told we would have to change buses again. I thought it was a planned connection but a couple of Australians on the same tour and also going on to the Zaandam understood it was another mechanical issue. In any case it was about an hour before the new bus arrived. At Posadas there was an international bridge to Paraguay with several shuttle buses arriving and leaving as we waited.
We were due to arrive in Iguazu at 1PM. The actual arrival was a little after 4 (and I was very glad to have those crackers). We were expecting a tour representative to be waiting for us with a sign but there was nobody there. The bus company called the tour operator and soon our driver arrived bearing a sign with both our names. We were taken to our separate hotels.
I am at La Aldea de la Selva Lodge, a rustic inn about a 10-minute drive from town. It’s a secluded compound with a central Lodge where meals are served and about 7 buildings mostly holding each. I’m in the nearest building to the lodge, a unit called Isipo. There’s a large room along with a porch with a hammock and a minibar. A central unit has an internet terminal but there’s also wifi throughout the complex. It’s quite comfortable. The walk from my room to the main lodge is probably about 100 meters.
Dinner was served in the lodge starting at 7. Most of the staff spoke little or no English so again the process was a bit difficult. I went for the steak along with a grilled peach for desert. The steak started out way too rare and was still just about medium after I sent it back but it was good.
It’s been a long day (I have to be ready tomorrow at 7:45), so I plan to wrap up this post and head to bed.
For my parting shot It’s easy to forget things when they are not readily apparent. I hope every one had a great Saint Patricks Day.
Roy
Circling the Americas a Little at a Time 
You have such a sense of adventure, Roy! Enjoy!
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