Well, all went well until we made a wrong turn. We had been following the signs, and we now assume there was no road sign, as we did not make a turn, thus putting us on the wrong road. We ended up driving in a more easterly direction than northeast direction. It was 5:45pm when we arrived at the hotel here in Iguacu Falls. A long day traveling in the van!
The area through which we traveled today was more than rolling hills. It wasn’t really mountains either, but fairly steep high rolling hills. We also drove through an area where there were tea plantations, as well as Yerba Mate plantations. I haven’t said anything about Mate. We first heard about Mate in 1999-00 when Daniela gave us a Mate mug as a gift. Mate is a beverage that has the strength of coffee, health benefits of tea, and euphoria of chocolate all in one beverage. The only problem is that you need to acquire the taste for it. The locals carry a mate cup and straw (that has a strainer at the bottom), plus a thermos bottle of hot water with them. You especially see them carrying these items in the morning. You keep adding hot water to your mate, sip and add more hot water. They often share their mate cup with family and friends. I must say that I did take several sips, but it would take a while to acquire a taste for it!
Mate cups are one of the major souvenir items for Argentina. We already have one at home so there is no need for another.
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| Tea Plantation |
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| Mate Plants |
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| Harvested Mate ready to be Processed |
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| Truck Hauling Mate |
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| Oranges |
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