Iguazu Falls

Hola y buenos noches from northern Argentina.  I am currently in a hostel with the great unwashed in Puerto Iguazu, on the borders between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.  Today I visited each of the three countries, walking across the river from Paraguay to Brazil.  In terms of sight seeing, it was very pretty, but achieved little more than allowing me to say, "yah, like, this one time, I went to Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil in the same day." (No, I haven't thought through what situation would ever require me to say that...but it sounds impressive, right?!)

After much deliberation I decided to take the bus here - I am after all travelling and not simply on holiday (those of you who keep making that mistake, take note!), but actually, it was more like first class on an airoplane, so no great hardship.  Although mildly hungover  when I boarded the bus (thank you, champagne redbulls), I soon relaxed in my fully reclining seat complete with warm blanket and pillow.  A hot meal was served soon after we left Retiro, and there were films and music throughout the journey.  I would even have had my requisite 10 hours beauty sleep were it not for the squawking newborn two seats in front (she had her ears pierced!  No wonder she was so unhapppy).

18 hours later we arrived at Puerto Iguazu, where the streets are (dogpoo-free) red mud; the 'town' (or 'city' as they more ridiculously insist on calling it) is small but maze like; and the Backstreet Boys are experiencing an unexpected revival.  There isn't a single shop or bar here that hasn't played at least three of their 'classics' since I've been here.

Yesterday I connected with nature during an all day visit to Iguacu Falls.  These are a phenomenal series of waterfalls set in a stunning national park.  The Argentinos have taken a leaf out of the Scottish Universities' book, and have a sliding entry fee according to your nationality.  While locals pay only 50 pesos to enter, foreigners have to stump up 130!  Unfortunately this didn't put off the hordes of OAPs from across the globe, who were waddling three a piece along the winding walkways and narrow stairs.  Of course, there were also the requisite Asian tourists, who would stop unannounced and gather every living member of their family together for a photo in the middle of the public walkway.  Breathing deeply, I tried to shun all human interaction and really engage with the park.  As I stood, eyes closed, arms out, embracing the smells and sounds around me, I heard a strange squeaking from the ground.  Looking down I saw a cute creature (pictured) snuffling around by my feet, entirely unphased at being so close to a human.  I have no idea what these animals are called, but as they looked warm blooded (and therefore potential carriers of rabies) I left the clearing pretty quickly, and caught up with the plodding line of tourists!



It's hard to find the words to describe just how impressive the waterfalls are, and pictures don't even come close to conveying the power and vastness of these cascades of water are (it's a shame Laura and I didn't come here for our ´waterfalls´project in Year 8; Mrs Sturman would have had to give us an 'A' then!).  My camera ran out of battery early on in my visit, but this was definitely for the best as I was able to really look at what was around me, rather than through the lens of a camera (plus my photos are crap anyway!).  The surrounding wildlife is untouched, as the path is an elevated wooden structure leading through the jungle, under, alongside, and up to the falls.  Unhindered by the health and safety restrictions that bind the UK, the safety rail sat just under my hip, which (at 100 million feet above a crashing waterfall) was a little scary (or as an American guy remarked to his companion, 'Hey Danno, I could like totally rest my dick on this thing').  The tropically coloured birds and animals pop up frequently to see what's going on, and it was a great day to spend alone.  However,  and before anyone panics that I have undergone a total personality transplant, the first thought that entered my mind when a truly stunning butterfly landed on the rail in front of me was, 'where can I get a nail varnish in that awesome shade of red?!' (obviously it was a different butterfly to the one pictured!). 

As can be expected at a waterfall, there is a large quantity of water.  Combine this with a light breeze, and occasionally, small droplets will migrate towards the humans.  Although it's Argentina, this water is completely harmless, causes no staining and actually very little long-term wetness.  However, the souvenir vendors at the park have cottoned on to the preciousness of some of their visitors, and sell waterproof ponchos (a la Disneyland or Blackpool) in an array of lurid, translucent colours.  So every so often the line of human traffic would stop immediately, bottle neck-ing around the tourists struggling into their ponchos.  As the crowds dispersed along the viewing platform, I was treated to the sight of an awesome waterfall on one side, and a line of human-sized coloured condoms on the other.

This morning I made a comment to a girl in my room that I have not worn make up, or styled my hair for three days.  "Oh yeah," she replied, "me neither.  It's really liberating and makes you look so much better."  For the record: it's not, and it doesn´t.  Not to panic though, after 23 hours on the bus tomorrow, I'll be in Rio for the weekend where I promise to brush my hair, dig out my mascara - and finally get a tan!