Tuesday 24 Aug
Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Waterfalls
Slept like logs on the overnight bus to Puerto Iguazu on the Brazilian and Paraguan borders, and decided as it was our last chance for some time to camp. We set up tent in the beautiful grounds of the only campsite in town and immediately headed for the swimming pool.
The next day we took a local bus over the border to Brazil and from there to the National Park to see Iguazu falls from one perspective. It is recommended to see the Brazilian side first and then to see the falls from the Argentinian side, so that is what we did. The Park on the Brazilian side is smaller and there is less to do there. However the falls themselves are breathtaking. Four times larger than Niagra, Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have exclaimed on first sight 'Poor Niagra'. The view from Brazil is amazing. Our camara doesn't have a wide angle panoramic setting, but even if it did I doubt that it would be possible to capture the extent of the falls. In fact we bought a birds eye view postcard just to see the falls in their entirity. Breathtaking!
We walked out onto a platform over the falls. Fortunately we were well prepared as we got soaked. It was one of the most raw, physical experiences of the trip and I would have stayed on that platform all day. The sheer power of the water rushing over the edge was unbeleivable.
The following day we saw the samw falls from the Argentinian side. Here they have a number of walkways through the jungle which allow different views of the individual falls that make up the whole. It is a very beautiful place and butterflies were everywhere. Such varieties!
We decided to take the plunge and we took a boat ride under one of the falls. It was a really full boat so just to make sure everyone was absolutely drenched they took us in twice. We'd taken swimsuits, for which we were mighty glad: several half drowned people were wandering around in the only clothes they had, and that didn't look too comfortable.One of the guys helping us off the boat decided to check out my behind, much to Laurence's amusement. Cheeky devil!