Today I fulfilled a few things early in the morning. With a jug in my room I managed to have a coffee while languishing in a super comfy huge bed, the shower was on an Ibis scale and transported me back to a human state. Wrapping myself in a spa towel was the icing on the cake. I even tidied my room and wiped out the shower and vanity before going to breakfast feeling like a new person.
I was expecting a sumptuous breakfast like at the Amerian but sadly no. Pretty basic, but even so there was plenty to choose from including toast and thats all I need. I think I was the most frugal eater in the place. It is funny but even in this posh place people are still gorging themselves at breakfast since its free.
The property here is a little spread out. I am at the very far edge and its about a three minute walk to reception and the restaurant. It’s a tiny bit hilly and wonkily paved so they use a golfcart to get luggage/people moved around. It’s amusing to see that some people phone reception to get the cart collect them to go for food. It is quicker to walk.
As in many places I have been they have the most amazing red soil here. The soil holds the rocks together and with a combination of both they make bricks for construction. I’ve never seen soil so red. Many of the roads are crumbling, or totally unpaved to there is heaps of dry soil on the roads. Most cars have a two tone look with red dust covering the bottom of them up to about door handle height. There are numerous car wash stations around town and just along from the hotel is a bus wash station where all the local busses get washed down.
There are some super busses offering full lay down seats, bars on board etc. But they go some massive distances; 24 hour trips are not unusual and I wish now I had chosen to do that rather than another flight to Buenos Aires (my 15th this trip).
I thought about doing a little day trip today but there was no where I wanted to go so I walked into town and hopped on the hop on/hop off bus. Its a bit of a joke as there is only one bus doing the circuit and that takes 2 hours so if you hop off you have to wait 2 hours for the next bus. 2 hours to do nothing is extreme, even for me, so I stayed on board and enjoyed a ride around a small city that had little to interest me.
We stopped a compulsory stop at a village to see the local people. It was all very staged with handcraft stalls out the front and a ‘concert’ to collect money.
The next stop was at the Triple Frontier where I went yesterday so that was a bit boring.
We also went out as far as the border going to Brazil where I remembered seeing a totally destroyed car yesterday. All the removable parts had been physically cut off the body and then stuffed back inside the chassis. Señor Antonio asked the immigration officials and found out it was a car caught in a border check drug bust. Once they found traces of drugs they just ripped the whole thing apart looking for more. Apparently they had a tip off and it was a big bust.
The ‘tour’ eventually returned to the bus terminal where we started and I hopped off in search of food. There is a string of restaurants all offering essentially the same thing and I wasnt sure where to eat, so for a first, I checked my online Lonely Planet for a recommendation. Sure enough Restaurant Colors was right in front of me and recommended so I gave it a try.
Warm bread rolls with butter got me off to a good start and the crispy edged provoletta (fried provolone cheese) was just what I needed, a good dose of fat and protein. Thank you Colors.
Hoping to get a glimpse of a sunset from my room later on I returned home to a compulsory nap. I might as well make the most of the awesome bed while I am here. All will change back to ‘normal’ tomorrow again.
It was too cloudy for a repeat of yesterday’s sunset, so lolling in my room was as strenuous as it got till it was time for dinner......in the hotel restaurant.
The restaurant was empty when I arrived at 6:30 but chokka full when I left at 9:00 ( yes it took a while) and most the guests had driven in (not guests). I can see why. It was very good, probably the best place I have been but my most memorable meals are still those at the cheap and nasty places where they were local foods not trying to replicate western menu’s and generally on rickety tables with wonky chairs.
At last a perfectly cooked medium rare steak, baked potato and chimichuri to go with them. Worth waiting nearly two months for. A nice drop of Malbec topped it off nicely.
Desert was exemplary. Grilled rounds of pineapple floating in caramel that had gone stickey and gooey and accompanied by coconut ice cream. This is the stuff that orgasms are made from. I want more. Funny all my favourite deserts involve grilled pineapple and caramel. Must be a thing and a good thing at that.
A lovely group from the next table started chatting with me. They were amazed I was travelling alone. They are from Wales here with Mr Gatland to watch their team play the Pumas. I hope they get to celebrate but they are playing a class team. One of them is an ex Welsh rugby player; he played against Colin Meads and they knew someone that Julian Savea knows. I rubbed it in and gave them an All Blacks pen with the words to the haka on it so they can learn them. Ha ha.
The day is done, its time for bed and time for the next adventure. Iguazu Falls you were amazing. I’m looking forward to a few days in Uruguay.
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