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Published: March 18th 2009
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We left Buenos Aires for our 18 hour bus ride to Puerto Iguazu. Now, we have done a million overnight buses on this trip, so we thought we knew what we were getting ourselves into. However, it was nothing like we thought. This was bus amazing. A ¨super-cama¨ aka super bed! The beds were comfortable and reclined 180 degrees. We were served dinner and breakfast on the bus. I mean, good dinner and breakfast. Plus we had a pillow, blankets and movies on the TV. To top it off... just when I thought this bus ride couldn’t get any better- they come around just before bed and offer you champagne! Oh yes... FREE CHAMPAGNE! I was a little skeptical that I would have to pay at first so I didn’t get any on the way to Iguazu, but on the way home I was all about it!
We arrived in Iguazu mid day to gorgeous weather. Our hostel had a huge pool so we immediately took advantage of the sun and pool. We spent the day lounging around and swimming in the pool. That night, since we had booked everything as a tour, we had free buffet dinner with meat,
chicken and pasta. We definitely ate too much, but it was much needed.
The next day, our tour picked us up at 8am to get an early start at the falls. We would spend all day there with our guide showing us around. The entrance fee to the park was pretty expensive (about $20), but that is pretty on par for everything in Argentina. South America is way more expensive than we anticipated and that Lonely Planet had told us. So into the park we went, with our guide. We walked through the park to a small train that would take us to the main attraction- The Devil’s Throat waterfall (Garganta Del Diablo). Although, there are many different waterfalls at Iguazu, there is only one giant river that feeds them all. It is called the Iguazu River and it is fed only by rainwater. So, if it doesn’t rain there will be no water in the falls. This happened in 2006 when the falls dried up. Once I saw the amount of water, I was in disbelief that the river could ever dry up.
We took a rickety path over the Iguazu River to the Devil’s throat. The
water in the river was so calm it was hard to believe that a huge waterfall was approaching. As we got closer, the roar of the water got louder, but the water in the river remained calm. It wasn’t until we reached the very mouth of the waterfall that we could see its power. Huge amounts of water were tumbling over the edge. It was creating so much spray that it could be seen high into the air, causing the Brazilian side of the falls to barely be visible. Iguazu shares its borders with Brazil, but due to visa restrictions we could only go to the Argentinean side. When the wind was right and the mist cleared, however, you could see right over into Brazil.
The Devil’s throat is only 75 meters high, but the amount of water passing over the edge is astonishing. Only once in a while could you see the bottom of the river even though the falls were not very high. We watched the water and took photos for almost an hour at this part of the falls. I did not think it would get any better than this, but then again, I had only
seen one side of the falls.
Next we headed to the upper walk of the falls. This took us a bit further away from the waterfalls and to the side next to the Devil’s throat. Over here there were many more waterfalls. Almost too many to count. We were walking through the rain forest canopy and then the trees would clear and there would be five waterfalls staring us in the face, going down the rocks, in between bright green trees. The view was amazing. There was no way you could capture it all in a photo because there were too many waterfalls to get in one frame.
After lunch, we headed down to the lower walk. This walk gave us the opportunity to see ALL the falls from a far enough distance that we could get a great panorama of everything. We saw the Devil’s throat from a distance, although it did not seem as mighty from far away. We also had a view of all the other waterfall that were in the park and fed by the Iguazu River. It really was an amazing sight. Pictures still do not do it justice! After taking in some
great panoramic views, we were able to get right up close to one of the falls. The sun was hitting it just perfectly and there was a rainbow that had formed in the mist from the falls. Talk about picturesque. It was the perfect sight to end the day. Iguazu was definitely worth all the trouble it took to get there. If you would have asked me if I thought people who traveled 18 hours by bus each way from Buenos Aires to see a waterfall were crazy, I would have said yes, but now I was one of them and the sight was amazing and well worth it.
The next day we lounged by the pool all day until our bus that night. Once again, we rode home in style with movies, food and champagne. The only difference about this bus ride, is that we were stopped three times by Argentinean officials who came on the bus to search it. The first time they did a passport check- it took them three tries to find my Argentina stamp amongst all the other. The second time they came on with drug sniffing dogs. The third time I was asleep,
as was much of the bus, but Chris said they came and shone flashlights on everyone and then walked off. I slept through it so they must not have really cared too much about me. We arrived back to BA after a few days in the sun and were much more relaxed.
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Courtney Enriquez
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Thank Goodness
We haven't heard from you in awhile... the Trio has crossed several oceans and I was starting to worry about you! This waterfall looks amazing. I can only imagine how loud it was... awesome! Glad you are doing well honey... travel safe and can't wait for the next update! Court