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Yesterday we went on an open speed boat over rapids on the Iguazu and under huge waterfalls. Everyone else on the boat was at least thirty years younger than us. Some of them, far more intelligent than we are, brought spare clothes and towels with them and didn’t opt to sit on the very front seats as we did. We didn’t know that we were going to get soaked to the skin and then would have to stay like that, soggy clinging jeans, wet soggy shoes and socks, for the next four hours. We thought, “…well maybe a bit of spray, wear the cagoules, it’ll be OK”. It wasn’t spray, it was like a thousand buckets all at once. We were sitting in water, paddling in water, dripping in water, everyone screaming and laughing, it was great!
We began to get a tiny clue as to what was ahead when reading the rules at the ticket desk i.e. no children under twelve, nobody with heart or breathing problems, any disabilities and everyone must be reasonably physically fit. We thought, well they have rules like that at the fairground, same thing. So, we expected some thrills and a bit
Para cu monkey
Iguazu national Parkof a white-knuckle ride, but didn’t imagine that we would actually be going under the big falls that we had walked above just two days before.
The “Iguazu Jungle Safari” as it was called, started off with a ride on the back of a truck, for about half an hour, through the rainforest. The rainforest here in the National Park, is rich with life because it is a pretty inaccessible area. We saw a deer by a water hole, Agoutis, Quatis, a small troupe of Para cu monkeys and five or six Toucans. Recently, Jaguar tracks were found on the trail. Ocelot and Puma live here as well. Our guide said she had never seen any of the big cats, they are nocturnal so rarely sighted, but she has made impressions of prints a few times. Sadly, in the Visitor’s Centre, there is a photograph of a Jaguar, dead on one of the park roads, a recent victim of a hit and run. The bus drivers drive too fast as do others. It is very sad, especially since these magnificent creatures are endangered.
At the end of the trail we descended steps down to
the river where the boats were. We were issued with life jackets and dry sacks. We were told that everything had to go inside the dry sacks and that we would be told at what point cameras and everything out of pockets had to go in, unless the cameras were waterproof. This was the point when we thought maybe it would have been a good idea not to have worn jeans! John left his wallet in his pocket, so he had a wad of wet pesos half an hour later!
The speed boat set off up the river towards the falls. The sun was shining and we enjoyed the pretty scenery. Before long we got to the rapids, our driver started meandering about a bit to add to the thrills, everyone waving arms in the air and yelling. As you do! We then went close to some falls and got wet with the spray, then some more and then rounded the bend to approach the really big ones that we had walked above, marvelling at their roaring power. There was another boat up ahead and it was disappearing into the mist…
“Oh, are we
going in there then, right up close to those big ones?”
“No not just close, we are going to rev up, head straight in there, go underneath and then swing around and come out again!”
“Really? Hmm. OK!”
The driver cut the engine and one of the crew told everyone to put all of their possessions in the dry sacks, take the final “selfies” and hang on. The two guys who were the crew then wisely went up to sit at the back of the boat. Who were the people in the two front seats, to go in first? We were! Oops!
In we went! It was crazy. We got soaked. It was like being under a power shower. Cagoules did no good, we were soaked to the skin. Then we joined everyone else yelling “Otra vez!” “Otra vez!” (“Again!” “Again!”). It was hysterical. John did some video which is most entertaining, because it is just blur and water, as if he had put his camera under the shower, with a sound track of people yelling and screaming above the roar of the falls. Hilarious! We went in
three times! We had such a great time on that boat.
When we disembarked we had to climb lots of steps and then walk the trails back to the entrance, to take a bus back to town and then peel off the wet clothes. It took four hours! We knew that we would not be getting the truck back from the lower river where we embarked. The boat dropped us by the lower trail, the hike back and climbing the steps up by the falls being all part of the experience. We loved it, stunning scenery, but we were freezing.
On the long way up the steps, we of course stopped to photograph the falls. Some people coming down to take photos of the waterfalls were aghast when they saw us and others, so bedraggled. We had to keep telling them that it was OK, they would not end up looking like that just taking photos, it was because we had been on the boat trip, pointing below us to where one could see more crazy fools disappearing under the falling water. One well-dressed lady, about our age, looked at us totally confused and
said, in Spanish, “But why?”
Because we can? Actually, we do count ourselves very lucky that we can. One of the crew videoed the trip so we have bought a copy on a DVD (ordered unseen at the time and delivered to our hotel in the evening). We cannot wait to get home next week to see it! Then we shall be able to re-live the ride again. If the DVD is a good one, we shall show it to others. If we look absolutely ridiculous on the video, however, we shall not! Great day!
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