Aug 2006

Sunday 6 - Monday 7 August

Another day, another country. Hmm, sounds familiar. A short taxi ride from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina took us over the border to Foz de Iguacu (note the spelling change between Spanish and Portuguese) in Brazil. Some confusion this morning - the taxi driver assumed we were on a day-trip into Brazil and so breezed past Immigration Control; we put him right, he turned around and we duly had our passports stamped.

Unusually for us, we arrived in Brazil completely unprepared and with no travel guide to assist us. We had a vague idea that we wanted to visit Ipanema, but beyond that we were clueless. Some people would argue that this is the best way to travel...

Fortune smiled on us; when we arrived at the Hostel Bambu a 'Rough Guide to Brazil' stared down at us from the bookshelf. Five quid (British Pounds) later and it was in our sticky paws. A quick peruse led us to the conclusion that the next place we'd like to visit was the Pantanal: a vast wetland area roughly the size of France.

Time limits and finances had ruled out our initial idea of an Amazon cruise, but by many accounts the Pantanal offers better opportunities for spotting a huge diversity of wildlife including anacondas, anteaters, the ocasional jaguar, macaws, caiman, otters and so on and on.

How convenient then, that our host at Hostel Bambu once worked as a guide in the Pantanal and could sort out a decent four-day excursion for us!
The deal done, and with little else to do on a quiet Sunday afternoon, we relaxed at the hostel and encountered our first ferocious Brazilian animal:

Monday 7 August

It's possible to visit the Iguazu/Iguacu Falls from the Brazilian side of the border, but having been twice we declined our host's suggestion that we go again today, opting instead for a visit to Foz's Parque de Aves (bird park); home to around 900 birds from 150 different species, some of which are severley endangered.

We'd seen from afar wild toucans in the Iguazu Falls Park, but here the toucans are positively tame and extremely inquisitive...

Maintaining the South American tradition, we were due on an overnight bus to Campo Grande tonight, so returning from the bird park we thought it best to eat a big lunch. The Rough Guide recommended a 'churrascaria' - a restaurant at which the waiter repeatedly fills your plate with large chunks of different barbecued meats on skewers until you beg for mercy. Absolutely fantastic.

We'd expected Argentina to be a hard (if not impossible) act to follow, but on the basis of the first couple of days in Brazil things were shaping up nicely.

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.