Waterfalls from heaven

Buses

Our first experience of Argentinian buses was a 19 hour journey from Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls.

The buses here are very luxurious, top wack will get you a seat that reclines all the way back to form a bed and is wide enough to move around in as there are only 3 seats on each row. We plumped for a 4 seat row bus and a mostly reclining seat. It was the first time Andy has been able to sleep on a night bus so was a great success. Any mode of transport that provides a help yourself coffee machine cannot be too bad!

Iguazu falls

We went to the Brazilian side of the falls on the first day. There is a walkway along the bank of the river which gives you an overall view of the falls. Its not a continuous water fall but made up of a series of individual falls each of which would be impressive in their own right. There is a drop of up to 80 meters and the whole thing is 1.7 miles long. There is about 1,500 cubic meters per second of water dropping. In the last 30 years it has flooded twice and reached 36,000 cubic meters per second.

They are truly magnificent, and although Andy managed to get some fabulous pictures they can't really do the scale of the thing justice.

 Man those bannisters run fast!!

 A damp Mrs!

Along the path you bump into Coatis. There are signs everywhere saying don't feed the cute critters as they get aggressive, bite and carry rabies but they are adorable and we saw people try to pet them despite the warnings..

We wanted to go to see both the falls and the Ataipu dam and decide the easiest way was to sign up for a tour. The tour also included an hour stop in Cuidad del Este in Paraguay, although you have to pass through Brazil to reach it. 3 countries in half an hour. This frontier town is where Argentinians come to buy electronics, perfume, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals at untaxed prices and then bring them back into Argentina without paying duty. They are allowed to do so up to a certain value and after that it is considered smuggling.

The town is hectic with people moving stuff all over the place in all sorts of hand held carts, bulging vans and overloaded bikes. Hawkers are trying to sell you just about anything and people are running around with lists they want of things and a deadline when there transport takes them back over the boarder. It was the first busy place we have been to here and we both enjoyed sitting back and watching the buzz.

An elderly lady on our bus smuggled a smart phone across by getting rid of all the packaging, putting in a sim and charging it on the bus. I wasn't sure what was more surprising, the fact she was smuggling the phone across when it looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth or the fact that she could use the phone well enough to make it look used.

Our final stop was the Ataipu dam. It is the largest working hydroelectric dam in the world and was built in the 80s. Its 8km long and 200m high. It was not without its controversy when it was built; 10,000 people were displaced, rain forest was destroyed and it plunged Brazil into debt, but it provides all of Paraguay’s electricity needs and 20% of Brazil’s. I am glad we went, but as we got the bus round the site, the scale of the thing was difficult to contemplate. Twice as much soil was moved to build the dam as when the channel tunnel was built.

Argentinian side

The Argentinian side of the falls is where the actual waterfalls are and we spent a lovely sunny day getting up close and personal with the falls. There are lots of very scenic trails to walk, giving you different views of the many individual falls which make up the whole.

 Beautiful butterflies play around the water and rainbows play against most of the falls when the light is right.

The finale is the devil’s throat, which is magnificent and awe-inspiring. Standing next to so much raw power takes your breath away.

We also took a ride on the most expensive shower in the world.... this is obviously not us but others doing the same thing.... Can you spot the speed boat right into and under the falls? Everyone gets totally soaked, it's a real test of your waterproofs, ours stood up quite well.

 

I have been to Victoria falls which is certainly bigger, both longer and with a greater drop but Iguazu is much more beautiful and leaves a much more dazzling impression on the mind. Victoria is pure force and power,while here the intricate falls which wind almost around each other make a much more lasting spectacle.