Iguasu.......yep it is that good.

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We headed off to the Iguasu National Park looking forward to spending the day there, as we had heard so many good stories about it. Dom even heard that you can sit in the pools of water just before the water crashes over the edge of the falls. I don´t know where she heard that from or how she even managed to believe it. In the 1930´s you could actually be rowed out to near the edge of the falls on a row boat manned by an employee of the park, that is until he couldn´t fight against the current any more and he, his boat and a load of German tourists crashed over the edge to their deaths.

Iguasu is sub tropical, everything is so green, warm and lush. Within the first 5 minutes I had my first tropical experience and actually saw a Toucan in the wild, I even managed to get a photo of it too. And that was the extent of my photos for the day as my camera battery died. What a rookie mistake, I failed to charge up my battery the previous night and paid the price. Luckily Dom had her camera with her, but I was still pretty angry with myself.

Our first stop was a boat ride to the base of the Devils Throat waterfall. Basically we hopped on a powerboat (not a rowboat!!!) which seated approx 30 seated passengers and trundled down the river for a while so we could admire a couple of small waterfalls and the jungle greenery that extended up the banks as far as the eye could see. Then the driver of the boat opened it up a bit and we went zooming down some rapids at a pretty good speed, dodging a number of good sized rocks in the process. After the rapids he slowed down again and we got to see the majesty of Iguasu Falls, there were waterfalls everywhere, and not just any waterfalls, but giant waterfalls, streching up at least 100 meters high. The noise of the water as it crashed down was deafening. Above the falls and also above our boat, large birds were casually circling round and round. Dom thought they were Vultures waiting to swoop down when the boat crashed to pick at our carcasses. I was just hoping the weren´t Condors as I didn´t want a repetition of my Otavalo experience.

The driver told us to put our cameras away and he opened up the boat again and drove us straight towards the falls at the base of the Devils Throat. Initially we just felt a light spray of the falls, then we had water hit us at greater velocity which was much like a shower, then finally, huge waves of water washed over us, drenching us in the process. Thankfully the boat company provided each of us with a waterproof bag to store all our belongings in. Everyone enjoyed the experience so much that the driver backed out and repeated the whole thing again, he then moved to another waterfall and we copped further drenching. Despite the drenching, everyone was cheering and clapping, it was very much an exhilerating experience. More so for us males on the boat because a number of females didn´t follow the instructions prior to taking the ride and wore white tops. It was very much like an impromptu wet t. shirt competition.

After the boat ride, we were dropped at the shore and left to our own devices to explore the park and the waterfalls. Each water fall had a viewing area either on top of it, level with it, or underneath it, so the opportunity to view the water as it cascaded down was available from so many angles. Dom snapped away whilst I silently cursed to myself, bemoaning the fact that I was missing out on the photo opportunity of a lifetime. Dom and I walked up and down so many steps trying to find our way to each waterfall, getting pretty sore calf muscles in the process, but it was all worth it. As soon as we sat at our table for lunch we were surrounded by local animals called Coaties, who are very much like South American Racoons, they were all attempting to steal our lunch. Fortunately we were switched on and they didn´t get any of our food, however, a few unsuspecting Germans weren´t as lucky. That will teach them!!!

By about 2.00pm we were pretty tired out with all the walking, the humidity and the general heat, so we hopped back on the bus and back to our hotel to soak in the pool. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Iguasu and stay at Puerto Iguasu, the Hotel to stay at is called Los Troncos. The facilities are brilliant, the staff can´t do enough to assist you, the price is right and the food and drinks are perfect. The Caparinha´s, which are the local drink of choice, went down so well each afternoon by the pool.

The following day we decided to visit Iguasu again, mainly so I could finally take some photos on my camera, but also because we didnt get an opportunity to view the Devils Throat fall from above. We trekked out to the Devils Throat fall along a metal pathway that led us over rivers , through jungle scrub and past so many bright coloured butterflies. We eventually made it to the designated area and the views were jaw dropping. It is really difficult to convey in words the magnitude of so much water cascading down at once. It was impossible to see the base of the falls as all that was visable was a sheet of white water flowing down and mist droplets floating up to cool us down. We managed to take some good photos all the same. On our way back a bright coloured butterfly attached itself to Dom and refused to leave until we got to the train station to return to the park entrance....even then it had to be encouraged to leave. After another fatiguing day of trekking the park, we decided to return to the hotel and relax by the pool once more, with an ice cold Caparinha in hand. Life is tough here.

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