South America Trip - Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires, Argentina

2013-01-24 to 2013-01-30 - Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires

I am taking Princess Cruise of South America trip - Buenos Aires to Vlaparaiso, Chile. When I booked my cruise trip from my agent, I started to check out air fare. I monitor YYZ(Toronto) EZE(Buenos Aires) and SCL(Santiago) YYZ flights from Expedia.ca. When the price is right, I just book my flights. I did approach a tour company in Miami for Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. They quoted me with a price $2800 for 6 nights - pick up at Buenos Aires airport EZE, then transfer to domestic airport AEP and fly to Iguazu Falls. Stay in Iguazu for 2 nights and back to Buenos Aires for 4 nights. I did the whole by myself, the price should be about 1/2 of what the tour company quotes price.

Here are my stories:

My flights:
YYZ (Toronto) to MIA (Miami, Florida) by AA
MIA to EZE (Buenos Aires International Airport) by LAN

Miami airport is huge, I thought LAN would be in AA terminal(terminal D), so the transfer would be only change gate. Transfer of airlines needs change terminal. It is about 35 minutes on foot. Check the monitor first, to make sure which terminal and gate first. Ask people how to get to terminal J, etc.

When we got to LAN counter and told the agent we walked for 35 minutes, she said you are fast, most people take about 1 hour.

LAN flight - MIA to EZE
New Boeing 767-300 with personal entertainment

Dinner with red wine
real fork and knife

The plane arrived at 6:30 AM (2013-01-25). The immigration procedure is not that bad. We have to show them the print out of Reciprocity Fee paid online. The custom is very serious, every luggage has to go through X-ray. Argentine people receive serious check because most stuff need to add duty.

We changed AR peso at Banco de Chile at custom area. The change rate is the worst, just change some for your immediately needed such as taxi or bus fare.

We bought shuttle bus to take us to AEP (Buenos Aires domestic airport), the fare is 85 AR peso per person. Taxi is not cheap unless you have more than 2 people.

We got to AEP pretty early, so I asked Aerolineas Argentinas agent to get me an earlier flight to Iguazu Falls. Aerolineas Argentinas has a box of snacks - Pizza flavour cookies, M&M candies, one box of juice. At least there is something to eat. The food price at AEP is very expensive.

AEP airport - bus is widely used

 AEP waiting area - pretty good

AEP to IGR(Iguazu Falls, Argentina) flight takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The service is very brief, you have a box and a drink you like. I bought return ticket to Puerto Iguazu for 80 peso. They drop us off at our hotel. That is very convenient.

Hotel: I have searched for a while, I read user's comments and selected Hotel Saint George. It turned out to be a smart selection. The bus stop is just about 50 m away. I can easily walk to everywhere. Do not book Hotel Sheraton at Falls National Park, it is expensive and you need taxi to get to town and you have to eat at hotel. Also, avoid hotels not in the city, you need taxi to get out and you have to eat at hotel restaurant.

In front of IGR airport - waiting for bus

 Our lunch at Puerto Iguazu

Spaghetti and Sauce with 1 aqua $10

 Dinner at BAMBU

much better than lunch

Hotel Saint George front door 

Bus terminal is just around the corner

 Walk out from hotel, look at right

Bus terminal is on the left side of the street

  3 Country park - river separates them

left - Paraguay    right - Brazil

Iguazu National Park
I use the bus to take me there. The park is near the airport, so it is not that close to Puerto Iguazu. Walk to bus terminal, there are all booths they do sell tickets to the park gate, also, to Brazil, Paraguay and other destinations. The bus to Buenos Aires is 800 peso one way. The bus is running very frequent every 20 minutes. They will give you a time table, so you can get on the last bus back.
The park has 2 train routes - from main gate Central Station to Cataratas Station. Everyone has to leave the train. If you just want to do upper or lower trail, then you follow the sign to the trail. If you want to see Garganta del Diablo, you have to take the train to Garganta Station. I did change train at Cataratas station to Garganta Station, then walk to Garganta del Diablo. The distance is about 1100 m. Here are the photos:

Walk back to Garganta Station, take train to Cataratas Station. Follow the signs to the trails or boat ride. I did Upper trail first, then Lower trail. Upper trail is easier, Lower trail you have to use the stairs to get down, but there is a road to get down. Here are the photos:

Walk back to the place for Upper and Lower trails, now, I do Lower trail. The stairs get down is not that easy for me. The scenic photos:

So one solid day in the park, it is quite exhausted. I brought my own lunch from last night dinner - pizza. Argentina pizza is better than ours here, they do generously spread cheese. The food in the park is quite expensive. Bring something with you that from TripAdvisor suggestion.

2013-01-27
Hotel helped us to reserve returning bus to the airport. There is a flight schedule change, my flight changed to 1:30 PM from 12:30 PM. It is fine for Sunday, many stores are closed on Sunday in Buenos Aires.
When I got to AEP, I called a taxi to my hotel. The taxi driver is nice, at least he can speak some English. He did not cheat us, the fare is 80 peso. Here starts my explore in Buenos Aires, a beautiful city. It is New York in the South. The grand avenues, street trees, familiar restaurants - McDonald, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, blue sky, beautiful buildings, the famous opera house that boasted to be one of the 5 best in the world. I have 3 nights hotel in this city. I have met a Chinese couple from LA, the husband can speak some Chinese. They told us they come here very often, they stay for a month. There has to be a reason, see my photos:

 Theatre Colon - Opera, Symphony

Toscanini, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti etc

Palace of Justice

 More people come to this Plaza on Sunday afternoon

 Gran Rex the largest theater in South America

 Maipo is classic and historical theatre, built in 1908

then rebuilt twice due to fire

 Near my hotel Esmeralda and Lavalle

2013-01-28 and 2013-01-29 Explore Buenos Aires

 We bought 8 liter water from this store

Argentine yogurt - I rated it as number one

There used to be many theatres on Lavalle, but many transformed as church

shopping store, etc. They laid monument with the year when it was opened.'

It looks like the tombs of  many theatres. 

Time: 08:55, people from subway to go to work.

2013-01-30
Checked out hotel and asked hotel person to get me a taxi to Cruise Port. The taxi driver is friendly, he looks like South American aboriginal. The fare is only 40 peso. At least 3 cruise ships are using the terminal, you can image the crowd. Finally, we get out luggage checked out - go through X-ray for safety check. The line to the waiting area is long. Thank to our Captain Circle status, we are preferred passengers. We just walked to the immigration check up, health card fill up, get to the ship. Starts our South America cruise journey. I had a good and safe trip in Buenos Aires. It is a city for you to explore!