Sharon and Andy's World Tour 2006

Tuesday 1 - Saturday 6 August

Another one of those much-loved bus journeys brought us to (sadly) our final destination in Argentina - Puerto Iguazu, home of the magnificent Iguazu Falls.

High in the northeast of Argentina, Puerto Iguazu lies near the borders of Paraguay and, next on our list of countries, Brazil.

Arriving at the bus terminal around midday we hopped in a taxi for the short ride out of town to our chosen accommodation, the Hostel-Inn Iguazu. This place is highly rated by guidebooks and travellers alike, and as we drew up we could see why; this place is more like a luxury hotel than a backpacker's hostel.

Once checked in, we wasted no time in arranging a trip to the Falls via the in-house travel desk, for the following morning. Then it was time to relax by the pool (Yay! A hostel with a full-size swimming pool!) with a few beers, write some postcards and just chill out for the rest of the day.

Wednesday 2 August

A forty minute trip by minibus brought us to the entrance of Iguazu Falls Park, and at just after 9am tour buses were as yet scarce. Inside the park, a network of walking trails leads off to waterfalls of varying sizes, but to get to the big boys you need to hop on a train. We'd been advised to visit the most spectacular fall, the Garganta del Diablo ('Devil's Throat') early before the majority of the crowds appeared. We jumped aboard the -quickly full- first train, then spedd off after the brief ride onto the series of metal catwalks which lead to the falls proper.

Despite the day being overcast, our anticipation was aroused by the distant roar of water and hastening to the end of the catwalk we were met by the Devil's Throat in all it's glory.

Well, not quite all - we later learned that Iguazu was suffering its worst drought in nine years and that the falls were far from at their most impressive. Could have fooled us...

We spent a long day investigating as many of the falls in the park as time would allow, but due to the grey weather and the vast numbers of tourists we very quickly decided to return in a couple of days' time for a second look.

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 August

Time for a quick look around Puerto Iguazu itself. As you might expect the town's main emphasis is on tourism, but it's charming enough and not as 'in-your-face' as some of the places we've been. I was particularly taken with a hairdressing salon here called 'Fanny Coiffure' - the jokes just write themselves...

We couldn't have chosen a better rest-stop for our final days in Argentina; after almost a month of terrific adventures and not-so-terrific bus journeys, the creature-comforts of the Hostel Inn coupled with the hot sunny weather and beautiful surroundings gave us a real 'holiday' feeling and we happily whiled away the rest of Thurday and Friday just unwinding and enjoying the view. Oh, and the Hostel Inn's fabulous barbecues... always thinking with my stomach, me.

Sharon chillin'

Saturday 5 August

To Iguazu Falls again. This time, the sun smiled down on us making the Falls seem, if possible, even more spectacular than before. Although the Falls are the main focus for visitors, the park is also home to diverse wildlife such as toucans, vultures and the mischievious but endearing Coatie (pronounced Co-ar-tee)

Naughty Coatie

Exploring the waterfalls that we'd missed on Wednesday, the drought was more evident; some of the smaller falls were little more than trickles. Nonetheless, this did not diminish our awe of the sheer beauty and majesty of our surroundings - drought or no drought, Iguazu Falls is a place not to be missed.

And so our Argentina experience drew to an end, and we felt a little sadness to be leaving so soon; so many positive aspects - the friendliness of the people, the food, the places, the weather - had contributed to our total enjoyment of the country. We're already planning the return trip.