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Published: January 18th 2009
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Rather than take 2 buses (remember turnstiles and large rucksacks and surfboards....) we opted for a taxi to take us across the border, half the time, half the fuss, twice the price, oh well, we will be skint anyway when we get back...and, it was much easier. Kenny, our long haired, smiling driver, who like all taxi drivers in South America speak only their local language (as we do), tolerated Stu babbling all the way in English, despite being fully aware of the fact he can't understand a word of it, and nodded dutifully at appropriate breaks in the sentences (which are not often.....)
We stopped briefly for a stamp from the Brazilian immigration officials, who were not a day over 18 I'm sure, (or is that what everyone says when they get older themselves?)who chastised us for not having the right white form? we had no idea what they were on about, and then waved us on, as though it was not really worth the effort. Then it was onto the Argentinian side for more stamps, but we didn't even need to get out of the car, and passing through customs was even easier, once realising that we had
the purple magic book ( A UK passport) we were readily waved on. It is great being a UK passport holder in most countries, no visa fees, no embarrassing strip searches (unfortunately for Stu, her even sometimes undresses before he goes in)...the Americans seem to get a much worse deal in South America.
Anyway, the town of Puerto Iguazu was only a short distance away and instantly felt much more relaxed than its Brazilian counterpart. We had been directed to the Hosteria San Fernando by our new friends Chris and Lucie who had stayed there recently and advised it as being ok and cheap. Well we quickly chose a room, thinking it was a bit of a dark and dingy place, a bit 1970s, but it would do. After a quick freshen up we thought we would hit the falls straight away, as there was much more to cover on this side. We grabbed a packed lunch of a 'milenasa´' sandwich, a couple of 'empanadas' and lots of cold water and jumped on the local bus to the falls.
Once in the park we opted to jump on the shuttle train straight away and head for the star
performance of the Garganta Del Diablo. Well the train was more of a children's 'choo choo' affair, moving very slowly and getting very packed with tourists, but it served its purpose taking us to the furthest point in the park.
Once arriving you follow a series of catwalks across the river for 1-2 km, which by now was at the hottest point of the day, with the sun scorching the tourists below. The river seemed eerily calm, and it was possible to spot the odd catfish, terrapin and even a basking caiman. Then a few steps more and you could hear the deafening roar of the sheer volume of water exploding over the thickest and most dramatic part of the Falls. The walkway took you right up to peak so it was possible to peer over into the white frothy, steamy depths below, with the sun forming rainbows in the spray. It was truly magnificent, almost indescribable. As you can imagine, being the peak of the holiday season in Argentina, there were hoards of tourists rivaling the Japanese for the number of photos being taken. It was jaw dropping, even better than you could imagine when seeing it from
the Brazilian side the day before.
We decided to give the train a miss on the way back and walk through the park to the 'upper circuit' which takes you through the jungle on the top of all the many other falls in the giant gorge. All in all it was a great day, although probably hotter than the day before, if that was possible. We got back in the evening and popped out for a bite to eat.
When we got back to the 'San Fernando', we were greeted with a little surprise, the room was literally swarming with mosquitoes, more than I had seen in the National Park, it was on a par with the number swarming us near the swampy river at Coochin Creek (remember that lisa?), but this was indoors. We would have been bitten less if we had slept outside I am sure. Thanks Chris and Lucie. We figured that all the rooms were pretty similar so there would be little point in swapping, so we set up a covert operation of smothering ourselves in DDT cream, and clambering under the mossie net with supplies for the night so we would not have
to leave. It was touch and go getting under the net and risking bringing one of the little blighters in with you. So we had a miserable night watching them landing on the outside of the net, sweating in the heat (dubious air con), and after an even more dubious breakfast we decided to check out straight away and find alternative digs. This came in the form of the Residencial Colonial Iguazu, the next block along. For the same price we had a spotless, mossie free, air con room....ah bliss....
Anyway, day 2 at the falls was just as spectacular and just as hot. We opted for a more active day, heading for the longer 'lower circuit' which wound its way around the bottom of the falls, with more opportunities for close up encounters. Following this we took the 10min boat ride across the river to the small Isla San Martin, to get close up to the San Martin falls, (another soaking) and see some of the vulture colonies at close range.
Having another exhaustingly hot and sticky day, yet satisfying, stimulates the appetite, so we tried some magnificent take away pasta, freshly made gnocci...really amazing stuff and
cheap. They do Italian food pretty well in S America for some reason, and it is really popular.
That night brought a much needed tropical thunderstorm, providing some relief from the sticky heat. The next morning we were up bright and early, another mammoth bus journey ahead. We were heading for the coast again to a small town called Paraty. It would involve 5 buses over 2 days. 2 buses to cross the border, 1 to get to the bus terminal, 15 hours overnight to Sao Paulo, and 6 hours to Paraty....Much patience required. Hopefully, we would take some of those good ions and happy vibes from the falls with us on our onward journey.
Happy Birthday Baker....... Thirty five is a great age, you look younger anyway, about 33....maybe 34.....at least your boyfriend is younger and brings the average down. NB Emma did not write this last sentence, but she thinks it.
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