Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brasil

Iguazu Falls

On arrival in Iguazu, it seemed like a very small place and having travelled for 19 hours (shouldve been 17 but we had a puncture on the way which the driver didnt notice until smoke started pouring out from the side of the coach!) it was certainly a relief to arrive. For Lee especially it was a relief as that was his last bus journey of any length so he was pretty delighted when we finally got there. We were both starving as they had provided a couple of biscuits and a snadwich for the whole journey which was a joke since we had been given a hot meal for the relatively shorter journey from Cordoba to Rosario! Luckily our hostel (another Marcopolo Inn) was literally just across the road from the bus terminal which turned out to be quite a nice hostel with a swimming pool, table tennis, a large kitchen and a bar out front. At reception we booked our tickets to Iguazu and went to get some lunch which we got a 15% discount for at the place opposite next to the terminal which was a good thing since my money was certainly running low after paying for Iguazu plus 3 nights in the hostel! For the rest of the day since the weather was scorching we sat round the pool, working on our tans and when I say working I mean working as within 5 minutes the sweat was literally pouring off you! It was almost like being in a sauna!! After dinner and sharing a beer with a nice roomate of mine from Switzerland it was time for bed as we had to get the bus at 7.45 to the falls.

Thankfully the next morning the weather was perfect and off we headed in a minibus transfer to the falls. After reaching the main entrance, paying the 85 pesos and walking a short while we got our first glimpse of the falls. I was lost for words and breathtaken bu the sheer scale and beauty of it all. On walking a little more through the lush, thick jungle where we saw huge spiders on gigantic webs, some amazing birds, butterflies and plants, the biggest ants I’ve ever seen, loads of skunk like creatures and one very long green snake (I’m gutted I couldnt get a good shot of) we got to a clearing where the views of the falls were simply brathtaking. The most amazing sight I’d say I’ve ever seen! The huge force and velocity of the water was incredible and you really do have the utmost repsect for the force of nature and it’s sheer beauty had me saying wow every few minutes, I couldnt beleive my eyes!

We continued walking and went down the lower path where you could actually stand and the foot of one of the biggest waterfalls but you must be prepared to get very wet! Continuing down we headed to the speedboat navigational area as we had paid for the 12 minute boat ride which took you close up to the falls as part of the ticket price. This was super funwhizzing round at high speed between the waterfalls, going right up close and getting drenched. It wasnt a good idea to have your camera out but I was determined to get a few shots which I managed and while next to the falls I’d put it back in the waterproof bag provided. After this we headed to the high path which by walking it you can walk paths directly over the falls which was amazing as you could actually see the furosity and turbulence of the water right up close as it pluments over the sides allowing for some great shots of the falls from above loking down on the falls and the river below. I was pleased to find that there was an Adam and an Eve waterfall so took speciall care to get good shots of MY waterfall J

Next we headed to the most famous of all the waterfalls (there are over 20) called the Garganta del Diablo (the Devils Throat) which we had to get the train to and after walking over about a kilometre of walkways across the rivers and through various small islands on the river and seeing some more amazing wildlife including turtles, storks and some more exquisite birds and butterfiles we arrived at the falls. 

Words and pictures just do not do this place justice. It was simply phenomenal the most amazing sight of nature that I beleive anyone can ever see! Simply awe-inspiring I just couldnt beleive the power and force I was confronted with. It really was like something God had put there to show his power. I read that the mythical story was that God was in love with a woman who sailed off in a canoe down the Parana (the name of the river leading to the falls) and in his fury he split the river creating the Devils throat where the man and woman plummeted to their deaths! Not sure exactly how accurate this is but I’m sure you can find out about it on the web somewhere. The point is if you went over that waterfall I think the force of the water would shatter your bones into smithereens. It was just the most incredible sight I’d ever seen and I have seen a fair few sights! I was shocked to see that people were actually rafting nearby on walking back! They must be crazy being that close to the falls! I really did love it and would recommend it to anyone who can get there!! On return to the train station there were an accumulation of butterflies which on closer inspection was a group of a probably a few hundred of them, all different shapes, sizes and colours drinking from a large puddle and walking closer they became disturbed and begin flying around and literally thousands of them were flapping around me it was an amazing sight. I just wished I had more battery and space on my memory on my camera so I could get a nice video of them. I was actually quite jealous when I saw an English guys video on the train back of them all flying around! Still I got some good shots though. An excellent day it was turning out to be! On return to the entrance on the train, it turns out that we had about 2 hours until the bus was due to pick us up so I headed down the Macuco trail while Lee rested at the restaurant.

This was a kind of an ecological trail leading to a secluded waterfall in the jungle where you could swim but unfortunately I didnt see much wildlife (I was hoping to perhaps see monkeys or toucans but I mainly just saw more of those huge spiders). I was in a rush as it took around an hour to get to the waterfall so I didnt have time to go for a swim and I didnt have my trunks anyway. It was a nice sight though and walking up the path a little there was a nice mirador where you could get some good pictures. I practically ran back as I really didnt want to miss the bus so I made it back with about 10 minutes to spare which was a relief. Overall it was a superb trip and amazing place to see and I’d say even better than Nigara even though it’s slightly bigger as it is in the middle of the jungle so there is an awful lot of wildlife to be seen too.

Back at the hostel I met some nice people, two Dutch girls, a French guy and Norwegian girl and we decided to head out to club called Cuba Libra which turned out to be a pretty good club with 3 rooms and an upstairs vip lounge which I somehow got into. This was a good night although a little costly and tiring as we didnt get out til 6 but I enjoyed all the same. The next few days were mainly spent not doing much since the weather turned pretty grim and it rained most of the day so it turns out we picked the perfect day to see the falls in terms of the weather! I enjoyed another good night with the French guy and Norwegian girl and we shared a bottle of rum with coke between us and had some good laughs. We all exchanged details so perhaps I will meet them again at some point as I think they’re going north too. On our final evening at the hostel, we met an American who had been in my room on the first night but had to move to another hostel as there wasnt room for him to stay longer, his English girlfriend Amy and a German guy called Christian. Turns out Amy was a doctor which was amazing since she really didnt come across as a doctor, more a dumb blonde Essex girl but on further discussions (I have a little knowledge of medical matters having worked at a medical marketiing company) she seemed to know her stuff for sure! The German guy suggested we drank tequila which I said I would join him in doing and I remembered that I still had rum left from the previous night and the others had left so we eneded up doing some tequila shots (vanilla flavoured!) courtesy of the German followed by shots of rum. This probably wasnt a great plan as I was due to get up quite early at 7am to get he bus to Brasil with Lee but didnt feel so bad since Lee had done the shots too.

The next monring I woke to find Lee poking me saying I’m going so i quickly showered, dressed and packed and had some breakfast. Lee joined me for breakfast saying he was still drunk and felt absolutely rough but I felt ok. Perhaps it was an age thing although I did pour yoghurt into my cereal by accident but it actually tasted quite nice! So off we headed to cross into Brasil to go to Foz do Iguacu and see the falls from that side which was highly recommended too as from there you can see the whole lot and stand face to face with the Devils throat. After checking in at the hostel Bambu, we headed off to the falls. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great but it cleared up a little as the day went on. It still didnt take away from the sheer beauty of the place and was well worth seeing from this side instead of seeing the falls close up, from the Brasil side you can see it all from a distance and allows for some amazing photos. It really did just illustrate the sheer scale and immensity of the place when you can see all the falls and the entire basin from afar, quite a sight! On walking down the path, you can get up close to face the devils throat although not quite as close as I’d hoped but it still allowed for some great photos and any closer and you’d probably drown in all the water vapour! Then walking up the path a little more you can take an elevator up and get a great view of the devils throat and the rest of the falls which was an amazing sight! It really was just a shame that it was so cloudy as there was a lot less definition between the sky and the water, it was all just white but still looked very impressive. Typically as we were leaving it began to brighten up and around an hour or two later it was clear blue and no clouds in the sky!

On return to the hostel, we stopped at the supermarket to get dinner and it dawned on me that this was my last night with Lee who was leaving for the airport at 7 so I decided that I would head into Paraguay and go to Asuncion in the morning. Just how I’d do this I wasnt sure but I’m sure I’d find out, I knew it was 6 hours from the border so a relatively short journey compared to others we had done although I had no idea what the roads would be like!

The next morning Lee woke me to say goodbye, we shook hands and he mentioned that he had 50 bed bug bites and left which made me immediately paranoid about bed bugs in my bed so I didnt stay in there much longer, just waited til breakfast started at 8. Luckily on inspection I had not been bitten. At breakfast on chatting to some of my roomates it turned out a few of them where headed to Paraguay too mainly for shopping at Ciudad del Este as electronic goods are very cheap there and then returning into Brasil but I and another English guy called Jim wanted to get to Asuncion so we all got the bus together. The rain was chucking down and I had all my possessions with me so I had a feeling that this was not going to be fun! At the border none of the others got off the bus, presumably because if you’re just going for an hour or two shopping there’s no point so Jim and I got off to get the stamps.

Paraguay

Ciudad del Este

I had been warned by the Dutch girls and French guy in Iguazu, Argentina that Cidad del Este was absolute chaos and carnage with signs, people, cars, buses everywhere but nothing prepared me for this! Having run out of Brazilian reals and no Paraguayan guayranis, I need a bank urgently. After getting our stamps out of Brasil, we needed to cross the bridge to Paraguay but I had been warned that it had a reputation for being very dangerous with muggings and even shootings here as it is no mans land so I thought it best to catch another bus across. Luckily I still had Jim with me or I probably would’ve walked across the bridge but he advised against it. Once we got on the bus, the driver seemed to want to rip me off and even though I was short just 5 centavos, he said I still owed 1 real which was confusing. In the end I asked Jim who hadnt paid who lent me 2 reals although the driver still want happy, presumably because Jim hadnt paid so he was after both the fees. I was getting some evil glares off people and as my Portuguese wasnt great it was difficult understanding him. Eventually he just said go through the turnstile which I did but I left my big bag as it was going through. This clearly angered him some more so he got up from his seat and lifted it over and banged his head and everyone went ooohh. No I felt even worse but didnt really feel sympathy for him as he had clearly ripped me off for my ticket which he didnt even give me in the end anyway! After about 5 minutes it was time to get off anyway and we actaully had problems finding the immigration office to get our stamps in! I couldnt beleive how lax it all was and how much chaos there was, it didnt help that the rain was torential so huge mud puddles were running downhill. We easily could’ve gone on in the bus and not even got a stamp and when getting our stamps, the guy didnt even look at our photos, literally he just took it and put a stamp in it and handed it back! I said to Jim, imagine if it was like that in England we’d have no room to move there’d be so many people, he agreed and said they don’t really care in a country that noone wants to visit and I was beginning to see why! The next priority was money so we walked up the road in the pourning rain with all my belongings through the mud, clay, puddles, swathes of people trying to sell you things, market stalls with everything imaginable on sale, shops upon shops upon shops and yet more people. This really was chaos and I just wanted to get on the bus to Asuncion but to do this I needed money. There was me thinking it was going to be a small little border crossing, I’d imagined it to be similar to the Ecuador, Peru border crossing I had been to many years before but this was nothing like it, it was ridiculously busy and a pretty large city too with skyscrapers, shops and malls everywhere! Eventually we found a bank and I got a hunder dollars with my credit card as it wouldnt accept debit cards and I just needed something. I was glad I had Jim with me as I couldnt imagine doing all this alone and he talked alot of sense. We agreed that we were going to do no shopping and just head for the bus terminal. Foolishly we decided to walk the 2.5 kms to the place in the still pouring rain with our bags which nearly killed me but eventually we got there and Jim kindly bought my bus ticket as he had exchanged his dollars and off we headed on the 6 hour journey to Asuncion.