3500+ kilometers down, and we only had to pay the cops off once the entire trip.

Our 9 to 10 day trip is better noted, day-by-day, in the Misiones photo album. And it gives a better idea of our trip because words don't quite express the beauty of some things we saw. Actually photos, as well, can hardly describe. The ones of Iguazu don't even do justice...

But given our white Volkswagen Gol (named "Blanquita"), we headed out of BA. 2 hours into the ride we get pulled over by the first "control" station we pass...turns out you must always, morning or night, have your headlights on. Not doing so results in a AR$680 fine, but the cops easily gave in to our broken Spanish, asked how much we had, and we ended up passing a AR$100 bill to the cop while his "jefe" wasn't looking and driving away...with the lights on of course. This was 1 of about 20 control stations (where cops stand in the road surveilling) we passed throughout the trip. Other than these control stations, anything goes on the road. No real speed limit, you can pass on double lines, and you can stuff 10 people in the car. After getting stopped that one time it was smooth sailing.

*Note: Take money out BEFORE you go on a road trip because you never know when you'll get stuck in a small city with no working ATM and no cash. Writing from experience. But make sure you only keep a small sum in your wallet so you can show cops that it is "all you have." Again, from experience. *And don't forget to keep some on the side as a tip for the men that pump gas into your car. Apparently every station is a full service station.

We nearly killed Blanquita on the horrible, pothole-riddled dirt roads entering and leaving Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, a small city with the best accessibility to the Esteros del Ibera. So three days later when we decided to return to take our postponed boat tour into the "floating islands," we literally couldn't return. It had rained the night before so the potholes on the deserted backroad turned into giant, red mountains of wet sand. We knew it was impossible, but we had to try... After 30 minutes of spinning out of control, slippin' and slidin' from left to right, and planning how much money we were going to owe the rental agency after they saw damages, we had to turn around with some impressive gear manipulation on Sarge's part. Nonetheless, Blanquita got quite the pressurized car wash when we got back to Buenos Aires.

*Note: Sarge drives stick-shift like a champion/ I lost circulation in my hand from grasping the "Oh s***" handle the entire time.

IGUAZU FALLS. 12 hours of playtime in this paradise is nowhere near enough. It's one of the most breathtaking sights we've seen (and the day we left it became a candidate for one of the 7 natural wonders of the world spots). The park is full of trails, good transportation via train to the largest of the falls, hidden waterfalls, and... magic.

Trips are remembered for the incredible things you encounter (waterfalls, floating islands, ruins, friendly gestures, simple pueblos that you grab lunch in, landscape...), but also for certain failed attempts. And we had a good number of those. Some being disappointing cities of which tour books talk too highly, while others include rude Frenchmen refusing to take you and your girlfriend's photo because "they are busy taking their own." The best, however, was the campsite in the Parque Provincial of Candelaria. We drove 30 minutes into nothingness, passed way too many naked babies dancing around campfires, and finally made it to the abandoned campsite where the Park Ranger's door was locked, but creepy classical music playing loudly inside. The sun was slowly setting and it was too clean. We walked around and it wasn't hard to imagine finding a dead body in the sketchy outhouse in the woods. I should have known it wasn't the place to sleep when I caught myself wondering if Sarge had a knife on him. About that same time Sarge was thinking we were in a trap. So...we left.

It's true that talking to people gets you places. It seems that Argentines go out of their way to help you, rain or shine. When we got to Rosario on day 9, worn out and unwilling to do anything that involved moving our bodies, we decided we'd push it one more day before heading back to our cozy apartment. We were waiting for a possible nautical taxi to take us to the islands across the river when we starting talking to some girls, who then introduced us to their friend who spoke English. He sat and we chatted about whatnot, and 30 minutes later his friend was picking us up in a small boat and shutteling us across to a restful day/night in paradise, where we got to do midnight fishing and eat cooked meat with a group of University students who knew little English besides "Seinfeld!"