Bliss

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What a difference a few waterfalls can make to someones mood.

After getting out of Uruguay as fast as possible I was in a town that was not even mentioned in my lonely planet book, Concordia. I was a bit nervous before going because I wasnt even 100 percent sure I could make it to Puerto Iguazu from this city. It turns out the city boasts 200,000 people and was quite beautiful. Had I known this I would have stayed for more than 7 hours. I was lucky to find a company leaving that evening to Puerto Iguazu so I booked my ticket for the 12 hour ride. I was really in need of a beautiful sight to pull me out of my travel slump. I was told that Puerto Iguazu does not disappoint.

I got into town and was yet again worried that I may not be able to find a place to sleep. It was tourist hell without a reservation. 100 degree weather, 40 pound pack, and buses jam packed with people. I scoured the town looking for a place and happened to find one right next to the friggin terminal. Why couldnt I just look around there first? Live and learn I guess. It turns out my hostel was great and not too expensive. It was about 1 in the afternoon and I was ever so ready for some waterfalls. I dropped my luggage in the room, took a quick shower to remove the sweat, then jumped on a bus to the national park.

When I received a map at the entrance I made my plans for the day. I would visit 2 of the 6 waterfall locations. On Day 2 I could spend the entire day visiting the other 4 spots and maybe go back over the two from the Day 1.

First Stop: Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat)

This place is the most popular among the people. It puts you smack dab at the top of waterfalls which form a big horseshoe. It is deafening loud as only the devil knows how much water is purs over this part at one time. I wish I were a writer so I could really articulate how magnificent this place is. The amount of energy produced and projected from these falls in amazing. You can feel it in your blood. It takes a hold of you and puts a HUGE smile on your face and everyone elses around you. The only people who may not like the place are little kids tired of walking around the park, and even they think its cool. I spent close to 30 minutes at this location. Taking photos and videos while enjoying the renewed smile on my face. The falls themselves are about 80 meters high in this spot, but you cannot see the bottom because so much mist fills the air. Just look at the photos to get an idea of what I experienced.

Second Stop: Paseo Superior (Upper Walkway)

This location is a few kilometers from the Garganta del Diablo and it gives you various look out points of the waterfalls that stretch down the right hand side to the Garganta del Diablo. Some of the falls have a shelf in the middle creating two waterfalls. The views were breathtaking. You get to see the vastness of the beautiful falls, while in reality you can only see half of them. The place is huge and has so much water running over the edges that its mind boggling. Its basically a large shelf in the continent and it just so happens that a large river runs over it. I could go on forever about its beauty and coolness, but I wont. Again, check the photos.

That was my 1st day in the park. For dinner I went to an all you can eat buffet. Not the typical buffet back home though. THis was all you can eat meat. Steak, Chicken, Sausage. For about 7 dollars. It does not get much better than that. I dined with 8 other people and in total we represented 5 countries. USA, England, Argentina, Germany, and Colombia. It was a great dinner with live music as well. I ate 3/4 of a kilo roughly. (about 1.5 pounds) I was stuffed and ready for a good night sleep before waking up to another day of great waterfall fun.

Day 2

First Stop: Paseo Inferior (Lower Walkway)

From this loop you get a totally different view of the waterfalls. From below its another great sight. You cannot see as far as the upper walkway, but you do get to see more of the waterfalls at once. At one point, the walkway is right next to the bottom of a fall where you can stand and get soaking wet which feels great in the 100 degree weather. From here you can take a boat ride that puts you into the waterfalls for a refreshing and upclose view, but I opted not to pay the extra money. You can also take a boat ride over to Isla San Martin, but it was closed this day due to too much water flowing down the falls. I was upset because this was the place I was really looking forward to seeing because I heard great things about it. When my plans changed because of this I decided to go to a waterfall that is less touristy than the traditional falls and requires a 7 kilometer walk round trip.

Second Stop: Swimming Pool

I took the walk to see the lone waterfall. The walk was very peaceful because I was away from the hoards of people and I knew I would be welcomed with a pool that I could swim in. Although it was a walk through a jungle, which I tend to dislike, there weren´t many bugs flying around so it was bearable. The spot rewarded me with a view of the jungle and an upper view of the waterfall and the pool below. There was not a lot of water in the waterfall, but it was a long drop. Below I went swimming in the water and rested for a good 30 minutes.

Third Stop: Garganta del Diablo

Since the park is so incredible and I do not know if I will ever go back, I decided to go revisit the same places as the day before. It turns out the water was still pouring over the shelf. It was just as amazing as the day before. Funny thing about it is that weather or not you a prone to suicide, you cant help but think what it would be like to hurl yourself over the ledge in the water. If you could live through it....it would be a fun rush.

Fourth Stop: Paseo Superior

The views from this path are so incredible that I had to visit them again as well. This may be my favorite area in the park. I ran into some of the people I had dinner with the night before. We hung out in one spot for about a half hour and really took in the view while snapping some more photos. I then continued my walk to the last lookout point to get a photo of myself. I got one the day before, but the guy took a poor photo so I wanted to get another one or two. I ran into another couple that I had met on the bus the day before who live in San Francisco. Lucky for me the guy knows how to use a camera and was able to get me the photos I wanted.

That night I had a few beers, but really did not do much else. I did happen to run into the 4 Israeli guys that I did the Santa Cruz trek with in Huaraz 4 months earlier. It was a brief, but fun reunion. In the morning, I caught a bus ride to Posadas.

Take a look at the photos. Many are similar, but all are beautiful.

In addition, check out the link to newspaper article. Its about my grandpa who just retired at the ripe age of 83. (the article says 82, but thats wrong). I love you grandpa.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080121/A_BIZ/801210303&emailAFriend=1

Photos

http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=636221201062991094/l=346128671/g=58754570/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

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Photos

One of My favorites- Paseo Superior
I went back the second day to get this specific picture

Lil Gator
This guy sits in the same spot each day while people feed the fish, and he feeds on the fish.

The Storm
Only 1 piece. I need a wide angle lense

Anyone for a swim?
Check out the boat in the bottom of the photo.

Lone Waterfall
The 7km walk

Comments

[Lauri]

dang jame... when i travel someday i am going to have to get all of these places from you. stunning.

[anonymous]

Get a hair cut you hippie