Into the wilderness

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Hola

I have been into the wilderness for a while, but Im now back in the world with Internet!

We went to get our boat across the river to Argentina, but it turned out we should have booked, and it was full! So we lugged our rucksacks back up the hill and to the bus station!

I am really glad, because as always in these situations, it works out for the best.. had we got on the boat we wouldnt have made friends with a lady from Paraguay and her 10 year old son- Ale, and we wouldnt have whiled away the hours on the bus playing spiderman top trumps with Ale, and we wouldnt be fluent in spanish numbers!

We arrived in Mercedes, an outback town in Argentina - with nothing much going on!
However its the only way we could get to the Esteros del Ibera, so we spent a night here.

The 4 hour (bumpy, dusty etc) trip was rewarded immediatly by the Wetlands, a really stunning nature reserve, surrounded in water, its really remote and beautiful.
Lo and I have had an adventure/relaxation combo, as there is both lots and nothing to do!

The town Carlos Pellegrini, is tiny with sandy streets, one bar (AKA a shed!) and a few kiosks. There are loads of horses, cow and chickens wondering about the streets. Every couple of hours a car, jeep or person may walk past, but in the main - its deserted!

Our adventure started on the first morning there, we went out onto the water with a guy and his boat. There was lots of wildlife, including Caymen (small crocs), capybara (weird giant hamsters) and deer. The plants were amazing too, on a floating island in the marsh.
After the boat, our guide took us for a walk through the reserve - there I saw the most spectacluar plants ever, the reddest & brightest - attracting the most colourful birds & butterflys. There was also monkeys too, swinging from the trees.
(got to use my binoculars - thanks to all my ex work collegues for buying me them!)

That eve we went out with San Jose on horses, into the marshlands. It was lots of fun, Lo was definatly a natural! I was very confused as´steering´is different here from what Debbie taught me on her horse (badger) back home, so everytime I wanted him to turn left, he went right! There was lots more wildlife including the BIGGEST frog I have ever seen, and imagine the biggest frog that there is, it was as big as a rabbit! Has anyone ever seen a frog bigger than a rabbit?
Also a bird called Laura.

As there is water everywhere and its in the tropics, the temps are hot hot hot, but also.... full of Mozzies - everywhere! And as usual I was eaten alive, whereas Lo had one or two, however thanks to my mum (oh wise one - who convinced me to buy a mozzie net) I managed to sleep bite free!

Mozzies werent the only insects, there were beetles (huge), grasshoppers (huge), spiders (huge - with cobwebs as thick as elastic), and the most amazing flying glowing insects - sporadically lighting up, they were amazing to watch.

It has been lovely here - very peaceful!
We are heading to the capital city of Paraguay next..

Will attach photos after Iguazu Falls, it seems that I needed to bring my docking station - (the thing that I left out to make room for something useless probably).


Buenos Dias

Hayley

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Photos

The main street
This is rush hour too!