Waterfalls like no other!

Approaching the Devils Throat
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Well what can I say about a 28 hour bus journey, apart from the obvious.....boring!! Luckily the chairs reclined and we had enough leg room to get some decent sleep. We also got some food aboard and the highlight was an entertaining game of Bingo run by the on board steward (a wanabee game show host), we didn't win but the prize did look like a particulary cheap bottle of wine! As usual there was the video collection of Spanish war films and I think I also remember Terminator......in Spanish! Outside the scenery changed from mountains, to hills, to flat land with plenty of Ranches. Then as we got close to Iguazu the scenery changed again to rainforest.

Devils Throat
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We arrived at Iguazu early in the morning in the pouring rain, the pavements were really slippy so we treaded carefully to our hostel of choice, which was full. The next place nearby was a faceless hotel but we were desperate to get out of the rain. We headed out to catch a bus to the Iguazu National Park. Treading very carefully after seeing a backpacker slip and come down with a thud...

",,,the noise becomes deafening and the mist becomes a rainstorm.."

Massive Waterfalls
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So this is why we had raced across a continent in 3 days, the Iguazu National Park, with world famous waterfalls on a scale you won't experience anywhere else. The falls lie at a tripoint of borders, Argentina and Brazil face each other across the falls and Paraguay lies a few miles downstream. We had chosen to visit the Argentinian side as Puerto Iguazu on the the Brazilian side was quite dodgy.

There were many tracks and walkways in the national park but we headed for the devils throat first of all. You're walking towards a thundering sound, along a walkway across a lake with all the water flowing in the same direction. At first all you can see ahead is a haze, then it becomes a mist, finally as the noise becomes deafening and the mist becomes a rainstorm you reach the end of the walkway. The view was breathtaking, the immense volumes of water tumbling down the precipice are difficult to describe. Hopefully the pictures will help.

Getting soaked by the spray
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We spent the rest of the day exploring some more of the many routes around the waterfalls of the park. Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best and as we were leaving the park the heavens opened and torrential rain tried to wash us away.

Back at the hotel, we dried off and since it was still raining an executive decision was made for take away dinner. I was volunterred and headed out on a mission to get vino tinto and pizza.

Saturday, we got up early, moved from our characterless hotel to the charismatic YHA nearby. Then headed out for another day in the Iguazu National Park. This time we packed our waterproof camera case, we intended to make full use of it!Our first stop as the weather was fairly good was an adventerous boat trip under the waterfalls. We wore as few clothes as possible, put the rest in a dry sack and got on the boat. The pictures explain what happened next but lets just say the skipper was encouraged to go closer, faster and get us wetter. Great fun! Half an hour later we got off the boat, drenched. A quick deckchange later and we were back exploring the waterfalls. We met a nice English lad called Matthew, spent the rest of the day wandering the park with him. On the way out of the park we spotted some Toucans in the rainforest. Cool birds, Claires favourites! We ate out at a Parilla (Grill restaurant) as is obligatory in Argentina and had some mighty fine steak..

Looking across to the Brazilian Side
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Sunday, chill out day. Flight was tomorrow, didn't fancy going back to the park as we'd explored it quite thoroughly already and it wasn't that cheap to get in. We really didn't fancy heading over to Brazil to get another angle on the falls so we spent the day in hammocks by the pool. Shame really as the weather turned out to be amazing. Oh well..

Monday, after a frightening taxi journey that we paid through the nose for to get to the airport. We were on our way to Buenos Aires, unfortunately the plane didn't fly over the falls, that would have been a very special view! It just headed due south to the capital.