Iguazu Falls & my birthday!

I woke up to the sweetest cards, a beautiful poem written by Savik, and a collection of thoughtful vouchers for things I love. The funniest part? Both kids gave me vouchers for a hill or mountain climb—but made sure to ask that I avoid Mount Everest!

The day began with a surprise cake at breakfast, which had us all buzzing from the sugar rush as we headed off to see the falls. Voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2011, and with Eleanor Roosevelt famously saying "Poor Niagara" upon seeing it, our expectations were sky-high.

At the entrance, we were warmly greeted by an awesome officer who made the process of selecting our tour easy. We boarded the bus and headed toward the panoramic walkway. Our first view of the falls, however, was a bit underwhelming, I thought likely due to the dry weather. We exaggerated our excitement for the camera, which had us in fits of giggles. Thankfully, with 247 waterfalls, we were only seeing the smaller ones (not the dry weather ) and the main attraction was still ahead.

As we walked along, we spotted monkeys, monitor lizards, and countless butterflies. At one point, we watched a coati snatch a bag of chips from a young girl—after that, we kept our distance! I had high hopes of seeing a jaguar, but of course, they’re rarely seen in daylight.

When we finally reached the main falls, we were completely wowed. There was no need to fake our joy this time. The sheer force of the gushing water sprayed us as we made our way to the closest viewpoint, where we could see the people standing on top of the falls from the Argentinian side.

Next came the boat ride. After taking the bus back and switching to buggies that took us deeper into the park, we hiked the last 600 meters with a guide pointing out the local flora. Then came the boats—more like water rafts! We chose the wet option, and wow, did we get drenched! The ride was a rollercoaster -Aanya and I screamed with a mix of fear and excitement. We had a chance to admire the dazzling falls before we were taken right into one of the smaller, yet still thundering, waterfalls. We came out and went back in a few times, laughing harder each time.

On the way back, we spotted a turtle, and as we disembarked, we were surrounded by swarms of yellow and white butterflies. Dripping wet and exhilarated, we attempted to head to the other side of the national park for a short hike, but it had already closed for the day. Initially disappointed, we realized the timing actually worked out for the best.

Dinner that night was at a Lebanese restaurant, and the food was incredible, as were the drinks. For some reason, we were all in fits of giggles, having the best time together. The evening ended with bubbles sent over by a special friend. 

It has been a fantastic birthday, filled with laughter with the family in a wonderful place and getting messages and calls from all my loved ones. So grateful for this fabulous life.