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Published: June 27th 2006
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From the closest viewing platform
A grand occasion deserving one's full attention Where to go from the magnificent BA? Heard good things about Rosario, smaller city just 4 hrs northwest. Unfortunately, these good things probably happened when it was warmer than 10 degrees - hello slow season! Main monument - closed. Museums - closed. Lots of walking around in the cold for us, but lucky it's a beautiful city. Our taxi driver from the bus terminal was very peppy, trying to talk to us in his limited English, so his enthusiasm was infectious.
One thing that we found about these small towns in Argentina is that a few places have definitely taken a turn for the worse - or the better for us - since the economy crashed here. The hotel we arrived at in Rosario would have been quite a swanky place in its heyday, with sweeping staircases and brass plated lifts, but now it is hosting tired dirty backpackers like us for 25 pesos each a night. We did have the most fun in the 'Fumar' - smoking parlor - which had retained a certain air of poshness that we tried so hard to replicate.
Ok enough of that, it's time for some nature and warmer climes.
Wedged
More falling water
(just because Greg looks so funny in this photo) up between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguy is the famed Iguazu or "Foz do Iguazu" as its called. It was worth the 16hr bus, 2hrs watching (carly: enduring) Steven Segal in "Above the Law". Who'dathunk we'd be swimming in a cabin-side pool within a day of freezing in Rosario? Not us. But that was just to climatise, it was the 'Cataracas Grandes' where we would really be getting our feet wet. We zipped past fast-food joints and stalls peddling toucan carvings(this place cannot avoid being a tourist haven) to catch the train to the falls. On the first step onto the track we saw a little possum-like coatis (warning, do not feed: cute but vicious) but were not quick enough for a photo oppurtunity. The only other thing we had to look out for on the track were oncoming tour groups- delays for hours! But when you get to the falls, everything else on the path fades away. They really do speak for themselves. In the late afternoon on our first day, the slanting yellow light made perfect rainbows above the immense volume of spurting water. Every moment of the lushly forested paths yielded a perfect view. We tried to catch
At the Devil's Throat
Man that's a lot of agua! Aren't we the tourists in our plastic ponchos a pic of some vibrant patterned butterflies, too quick for us. A 2 min boat over to Isla San Martin and we were staring at flocks of great vulture-like birds, who watched us back with eerie silence. At the end of the day Greg even saw a toucan - they exist, they aren't just cartoons on colourful breakfast cereal!
The second day, and we tried to beat the crowds to the main event - Garganta del Diablo - but even the grannies from Buenos Aires got there earlier than us. The amount of water spilling over what seems to be the edge of the earth is truly spectacular, it was like the gods had let the plug out of the kitchen sink, and we were copping it!
Then to more tranquil adventures, with a mosey-on-down the brown river nearby, tho not without some immenent danger from a close croc or two (they just kept on sleeping, some tourists in a rubber boat, no biggie). I did save an Italian lady from a tiny spider creeping across her life-vest - I think she thought it was a lot bigger from the violent way I brushed it away!-c Awesome wildlife,
Taken by the view
Falling water everywhere! including some very special birds, not that we would know because our guide spoke only Spanish and 'blue-crested-spangled-something-bird' doesn't translate well for us!
So the only thing left for us to do after all this exertion was place ourselves directly underneath the gigantic waterfalls. That's a lot of water, folks! But this is exactly what our generous jet boat driver did - drove right beneath the pounding beast, giving us a nice drenching of the finest Argentine/Brasilian agua. As the Brasilian couple in the (drier) back of the boat yelled out to us,
Muy grande ducha, si?!
Wet and dusty we traipsed back to our abode, satisfied that we had effectively experienced Iguazu. On route we caught some fine fùtbol being played on the local red-dust field. Some of those youngsters must have been 5 or 6 years old but they sure knew how to razzle-dazzle with that ball. One of these days we might even have the guts to join in on a game...
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Greg n Carly
Sloane n Robbo
late, i know
sorry about the blog lag everyone, but the website has been down too so it's not just our fault! we're on our way to Ecuador to work now, will be there in about a week (3rd July). Miss you all! xx -carly