The first 48 hours

Well, my parents made it fine to Buenos Aires, got from the international airport to downtown, wandered around for a few hours, took a bus to the domestic airport, and arrived in Posadas as planned.  Not bad for two folks in their 60's who speak hardly any Spanish and have never been to South America before!!!  Well done!!

I was waiting for them at the airport.  I had done a long translation work for a friend, so in exchange for that I suggested that instead of paying me, he could just take me to pick them up at the airport.  Dad rode shotgun on the way to San Ignacio (a little over an hour away), and he got a nice introduction to cultural differences in driving habits.  They tend to drive rather quickly here, change lanes without signaling, pull out in front of cars, and brake at the last minute.  But we made it back just fine, and my coworkers had put a nice vase of flowers in Mom and Dad's room - and of course Mom was able to identify which flower it was. 

The next day we went for a walk on a nice rural road with a beautiful view of the river and Paraguay.  Mom and Dad found the 85-degree heat to be sweltering after the chilly PA winter; I found it quite a pleasant improvement from the frequent 100-degree summer days.  In the afternoon Mom went on a nice nature walk in the park, and they both went to the Sound and Light show at the ruins in the evening.  The next morning (yesterday) they went back to the ruins for a guided tour, and then we took the bus here to Iguazu.  They are at the waterfalls now, and I successfully crossed the border and came back.

My trip across the border was simple and uneventful.  Nevertheless, I went prepared with bribe money in pesos and dollars, my Argentina cell phone and my Brazil SIM card, contact info for the hostel and a few other people in case I needed to make any calls, and a few possible stories cooking in my mind in case a little theatrics might help my case if it came down to begging to get back across.  But when I got to the immigration official I just gave him my passport and proof of having paid the reciprocity fee and he didn't even comment on the fact that I had exceeded my time here or give me a warning.

Now in case you have never traveled with my dad, or even met him, let me tell you that he can occasionally be inclined to have certain paranoid or mistrusting tendencies.  For example, one time he got a receipt from dinner, and when walking around after dinner he tore it up and threw it in different trash cans around town because it had the last 4 digits of his card number, so it would be too risky to throw it away in one piece.  So you can imagine how that habit might manifest itself here.  And in case you can't imagine it, let me tell you about it.  Last night when we were going to bed in our locked, private room at a hostel where you have to buzz to be let inside he was concerned that he might forget to lock his suitcase (that was in our private, locked room) before going to bed.  In the hostel where I worked in San Ignacio (you know, the one where my coworkers thoughtfully decorated their room and where I know everyone) they seemed concerned about leaving money and passports in their locked suitcases in their locked room, and expressed interest in carrying said items in hidden money belts.  (I think I locked my room at the hostel about 2 times in the past 2 months.)

Luckily, due to 101 unnecessary precautions, nothing has been stolen so far, and everything has gone perfectly.  The owner of the hostel where I worked graciously let them stay there at no cost, and we've booked places to stay for most of the rest of the trip.  The hostel I booked here in Iguazu may be a bit too hostel-y for them, but the other places seem to be a step or two up.  I'm excited for the rest of the trip because everyone we've done so far has been things I've already done, so I'm excited for something new!