Unexpected Adventures

Enjoying the reward of our strenuous hike up Cerro Campanario in Bariloche, Argentina

One of the ways we have made this trip even more enjoyable is we've taken turns researching and planning each country so that the other person is completely surprised. Yemi planned our weeks in Argentina and he was very selective about what he revealed to Jan. Two surprises took the cake.

Devil's Throat - Iguazu Falls, Argentina

The first surprise occurred while we were visiting the Iguazu Falls on the northeastern border of Argentina. After visiting the famous Devil's Throat overlook which famously caused First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to exclaim "Poor Niagara!," Yemi navigated us on hike towards the bottom of the falls. He had Jan change into a swimsuit since we would get sprayed by the falls. Jan's alarm bells started going off when she noticed women coming up the path completely SOAKED.

"We are actually going to take a speed boat INTO the falls!" Yemi announced. Millions of liters of water pour over these falls every second!  This was definitely going to be an adventure and Jan was psyched!

Our boat about to head into the falls

Our 20 minute boat ride circled the falls around San Martin Island and then plunged into the pouring water of the Devil's Throat Canyon on multiple occasions at high speeds giving us a thundering baptism. Yemi quickly lost a contact lens. The water was so powerful that we had to put our heads down and close our eyes. It was thrilling to be so close to this natural wonder!

Jan is soaked and pleased

The second surprise was much less thrilling for Jan. In the town of Bariloche in Southern Argentina Yemi rented us bikes to ride a famous loop called Circuito Chico.  He told Jan how breathtaking the views would be but didn't mention that it was 27km long or that it wound up and down the Andes mountains of Patagonia!  While that translates into roughly 17 miles using standard conversion formulas, it actually translates into more like 40 miles of hell using newbie biking conversion charts.



To get the full perspective of this painful bike ride, you must first understand that we had hiked to the top of Cerro Campanario the day prior, which is one of the highest mountains in the area. Jan's legs wobbled and burned with each pedal. She walked up Every. Single. Hill. "I'm so sorry, but I'm not Nelson!" she complained to Yemi at the start of every climb, referencing Yemi's best man and their 200 mile, five day biking adventure in California last summer.



The circuit was a great workout and provided the breathtaking views Yemi had promised. We had an opportunity to quit at 20km but Jan pushed through the final 7km, making Yemi very proud. Jan looks back fondly on the day now that her thighs are no longer on fire.

Circuito Chico overlook in Bariloche, Argentina