We arrived in one piece at 11am (I think buses are safe in Argentina). We were reasonably well rested and therefore able to walk with our heavy packs (we really should throw out some gear) the 200 metres to our hostel. Well, the hostel was the worst one we have stayed in yet. Tiny, cramped, dusty rooms, with thin mattresses you could feel the slats through and lumpy things they passed off as pillows. The guy on reception was helpful though and he spoke English really well – two attributes that surely make a bad back and crook neck worth it. Not sure about the possible flea bites though!
By the time we had freshened up and eaten a hearty lunch (Jon’s hamburger was on par with a Bunston Burger) it was 3pm and too late to really make visiting the falls worthwhile. So, instead we took a stroll to a lookout point with views of the Rio Iguaçu (a big river) which forms a border with Brazil and Paraguay. It seems this must be the place to hang out on a sunny Sunday afternoon as we had to push the locals aside for a view. Puerto Iguazú embodies the South America I had imagined – a lazy town with red dirt, tropical trees and locals with Indian blood running through their veins. The town has a really laid back vibe which made it a nice place to stay, especially if you weren’t sleeping in our hostel.
On Monday we went on the ´Great Adventure’ (a more appropriate name would be ´Reasonable But Overpriced Adventure’) at the falls. We boarded a jeep at the national park and went on a drive through the jungle – all the animals were asleep. Next – the fun part. We stripped down to our bare essentials whilst being still modestly attired unlike the old dude in budgy smugglers (should be outlawed) and put everything else into waterproof bags. We then boarded a speed boat that navigated its way through the lower Iguazú river, which included a hairy section of rapids (love the rapids). The pièce de résistance was when we went under the Salto Dos Mosqueteros falls and the Salto San Martin falls (actually, more like half under, or rather, really close and slightly under). We were drenched but not as much as the other side of the boat. Loads of fun and lots of laughter, although bloody cold.
Following our shower we ventured across to Isla San Martin, an island that had been closed for the past two days because the river was too high to cross. The island afforded us some views of various falls at different angles. Later at lunch we were attacked by some smelly animals with long snouts (good for smelling our food) that we had to bat off us with the lunch tray – kind of like playing cricket with fur balls!
The most awesome part of the falls was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) – a semi circle of numerous falls all plunging down with a deafening roar. They weren’t as wide or as high as the Victoria falls but you really can’t compare the two. Here there are in total 275 waterfalls crashing eighty metres into the Rio Iguaçu – a very different and amazing spectacle. A film crew, including an attractive blonde, were making their way to the Devil’s Throat as we were returning. Jon had to fight the urge to turn around and follow. I think he has a taste for the lime light since his brush with fame in Edinburgh, although he did mutter something about the possibility of a bikini shoot at the falls under his breath!
After I convinced Jon we didn’t need to go back for a second look (he wasn’t so sure), we got into a rubber dinghy and floated through the upper Iguazú delta back to the park entrance. We didn’t see much wildlife. However, we did spot our first Toucan high up in the trees and there were plenty of colourful butterflies, some with really striking patterns.
Dinner that night was… what else but more meat! A grill of all types of flesh. So much meat even Jon could not chew his way through all of it. I wanted vegetables.
The next day after a lot of fussing around, the Brazilian Consulate decided they would let Jon cross the border (his haircut must have helped their decision - he looks a lot better now). Visa in hand (Kiwis don’t need one), we jumped onto a local bus that took us to Foz Do Iguaçu – the town on the Brazilian side of the falls. Apparently no trip to the Iguazú falls is complete without viewing them from here, so I guess Jon and I will have to return one day. We didn’t like this place and decided to leave ASAP. It was too big and expensive and had an annoying guy who harassed us as soon as we got off the bus. He kept following and pestering us, trying to convince us a mini bus for 25 reals to the other bus stop was a good deal. I told him to get lost and we caught a taxi for 12. Turns out we could have caught another local bus for 2.
By the time we had freshened up and eaten a hearty lunch (Jon’s hamburger was on par with a Bunston Burger) it was 3pm and too late to really make visiting the falls worthwhile. So, instead we took a stroll to a lookout point with views of the Rio Iguaçu (a big river) which forms a border with Brazil and Paraguay. It seems this must be the place to hang out on a sunny Sunday afternoon as we had to push the locals aside for a view. Puerto Iguazú embodies the South America I had imagined – a lazy town with red dirt, tropical trees and locals with Indian blood running through their veins. The town has a really laid back vibe which made it a nice place to stay, especially if you weren’t sleeping in our hostel.
On Monday we went on the ´Great Adventure’ (a more appropriate name would be ´Reasonable But Overpriced Adventure’) at the falls. We boarded a jeep at the national park and went on a drive through the jungle – all the animals were asleep. Next – the fun part. We stripped down to our bare essentials whilst being still modestly attired unlike the old dude in budgy smugglers (should be outlawed) and put everything else into waterproof bags. We then boarded a speed boat that navigated its way through the lower Iguazú river, which included a hairy section of rapids (love the rapids). The pièce de résistance was when we went under the Salto Dos Mosqueteros falls and the Salto San Martin falls (actually, more like half under, or rather, really close and slightly under). We were drenched but not as much as the other side of the boat. Loads of fun and lots of laughter, although bloody cold.
Following our shower we ventured across to Isla San Martin, an island that had been closed for the past two days because the river was too high to cross. The island afforded us some views of various falls at different angles. Later at lunch we were attacked by some smelly animals with long snouts (good for smelling our food) that we had to bat off us with the lunch tray – kind of like playing cricket with fur balls!
The most awesome part of the falls was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) – a semi circle of numerous falls all plunging down with a deafening roar. They weren’t as wide or as high as the Victoria falls but you really can’t compare the two. Here there are in total 275 waterfalls crashing eighty metres into the Rio Iguaçu – a very different and amazing spectacle. A film crew, including an attractive blonde, were making their way to the Devil’s Throat as we were returning. Jon had to fight the urge to turn around and follow. I think he has a taste for the lime light since his brush with fame in Edinburgh, although he did mutter something about the possibility of a bikini shoot at the falls under his breath!
After I convinced Jon we didn’t need to go back for a second look (he wasn’t so sure), we got into a rubber dinghy and floated through the upper Iguazú delta back to the park entrance. We didn’t see much wildlife. However, we did spot our first Toucan high up in the trees and there were plenty of colourful butterflies, some with really striking patterns.
Dinner that night was… what else but more meat! A grill of all types of flesh. So much meat even Jon could not chew his way through all of it. I wanted vegetables.
The next day after a lot of fussing around, the Brazilian Consulate decided they would let Jon cross the border (his haircut must have helped their decision - he looks a lot better now). Visa in hand (Kiwis don’t need one), we jumped onto a local bus that took us to Foz Do Iguaçu – the town on the Brazilian side of the falls. Apparently no trip to the Iguazú falls is complete without viewing them from here, so I guess Jon and I will have to return one day. We didn’t like this place and decided to leave ASAP. It was too big and expensive and had an annoying guy who harassed us as soon as we got off the bus. He kept following and pestering us, trying to convince us a mini bus for 25 reals to the other bus stop was a good deal. I told him to get lost and we caught a taxi for 12. Turns out we could have caught another local bus for 2.
Our charades are getting better as we managed to secure a ticket for the first available bus to Campo Grande which parted an hour later. I wish I could say it was our Spanish getting better (although they speak Portuguese in Brazil) as then we might have realized we needed to swap buses part way. Luckily, a French couple on board, (the only other non locals) knew about this and told us. We loaded our gear onto the next bus which promptly took off with out us (and the other passengers). An hour later it returned – luggage thankfully still on board. We think through various hand gestures that the bus went for a clean, although when it decided to come back it was still covered in dirt. Maybe the driver went for a shower? Perhaps our charades aren’t so good! The rest of the trip was spent drifting in and out of sleep, making sure each time the bus stopped (this was an awful lot) it wasn’t our stop.
1 comment:
Hey Jon and Karyn....looked through your blog and your photos and stories are amazing....are you sure you have done all this travel in two odd months...sure you are not just at some cheap backpackers downloading photos from around the world and photo-shopping yourselves in??? ;-)
Anyhow, looks like you are having a great time and is Jon loosing weight? I might need to give him his trousers back?
We are getting ready to leave Japan for Finland on Wednesday. Take care, Love Joe & Mel
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