Index
Day 1: Flying
Day 2: Arrival
Day 3: Iguazu Falls
Day 4: Argentina
Day 5: Itaipu Dam
Day 6: Sunrise
Day 7: Return
Brazil
Got up before sunrise hoping to go to the top of the Hotel das Cataratas' little tower for sunrise, only to find it closed for maintenance! Instead ran outside to the garden courtyard at the center of hotel and got the next best thing, sunrise hitting the tower?
On the way to breakfast, a coati decided to investigate the trash cans in the courtyard. As I hadn't actually photographed one yet, this was convenient. *grins* The breakfast buffet is extensive, with plenty of bread and pastries, cold cuts and cheeses, fruit, hot food, and even cakes. Managed to resist pancakes and stuff, but noticed they had cheese bread and little pork sausages today. Cheese bread was actually not hot so a bit disappointing, but the both the bacon and the pork sausage were delicious.
Finally did a brief stroll of the pool and whatnot after breakfast, then it was time to head to the airport. Foz do Iguacu (IGU) airport isn't much, but it's large enough to have a few lounges-- the Advantage VIP Lounge beat sitting in a crowded terminal but not much else-- and it's a short flight to Sao Paolo for the flight back to the USA.
Had a smooth flight and a fun tarmac bus ride to Terminal 2 at GRU, then dragged my butt over to Terminal 3 to kill several hours (yay for not-ideal-flight times). Walked around a ton, then spent a bunch of time in the Espaco Banco Safra lounge, which is another massive lounge with a great space, taking full advantage of the high ceilings of the terminal. Food was okay, nothing great (more mediocre cheese bread, sigh), and access to power outlets was as a bit limited, but not a bad place to spend a few hours. Unexpectedly got noticed by some United premium services agents while at the lounge (apparently this is the contract lounge United uses?), and also made one mistake-- did not realize the wait for showers at the lounge was so long. (oops)
Boarded an old Boeing 767-400ER for the flight back to the USA. Low premium traffic meant every upgrade went through (!) with seats left to spare. United's usual indifferent food, complete with an overcooked beef tenderloin and an odd cold chicken side. However the flight crew was pleasant enough so honestly nothing to complain about on the flight back to DC.