This past weekend I went to Port Iguazu in Northern Argentina to visit las Cataratas del Iguazú. These waterfalls are renowned for their beauty and the sheer number of them (more than 250). Having only heard about the falls from friends I wasn't sure what to expect – after all they were just waterfalls. The last time I had seen waterfalls had been when I saw Niagara Falls and I found myself underwhelmed by them. Perhaps it was this clip from Superman 2 that had raised my expectations about the enormity of the falls. Yet when I got there they just didn't seem quite the same. Plus, Superman was no where to found. Regardless, everyone told me I had to go, so last Monday night, after packing up my apartment (my trip coincided nicely with the end of my lease) I got on an Andesmar bus and began my 18 hour ride to Iguazu.
A note about the buses in Argentina. These are not your typical city buses. Think Greyhound buses but much classier. All of them are double deckers with nearly fully reclining large leather seats. Food is served during the trip and numerous movies are offered to help pass the time (Beverly Hill Chihuahua anyone?). While I was excited to try the service (perhaps its my history in working in travel that always draws me to trying out other travel services) I was quickly disappointed. Not unlike many other travel services the bus on Monday night was late by about 15 minutes. With my limited Spanish and limited understanding of the boarding process (I was told the bus would be between gates 4 and 14 – my first thought was “is this a game?”) I found myself anxiously walking back and forth between 10 gates trying to figure out where the hell my bus was. I soon hooked up with two Italians who were also in the same predicament. Using broken Spanish between us we tried to determine where our bus was. I then also met two cousins from the US who were also on my bus and soon started to relax as I realized I had not missed my bus; instead the bus was late as normal.
30 minutes after our scheduled departure time we found ourselves on our way. By this time it was close to 11:15, and in true Argentinian fashion, we were served a full dinner. While there was plenty of food, I found it comparable to something I might have received on an airline back in the day when they served food. After reclining my seat and putting on my headphones, I gradually dozed off, only to be awakened about 5 more times throughout the night as the bus stopped at various locations. While the seat was very comfortable, I had made the mistake of selecting a seat close the the toilet. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like the smell of a chemical toilet drifting past your nostrils to help ruin your journey. Restless, fatigued and desperate for fresh air, I arrived in Iguazu the next day around 6pm. From there after a 30 minute unintentional walk around town to find the bus, only to discover the damn thing picked up passengers at the very terminal where I had been dropped off, I was on my way to the hostel where I would be staying for my trip.
To call the Hostel Inn in Port Iguazu a hostel is like calling the Red Sox just another baseball team. The name just doesn't do it justice. In fact the Hostel Inn was more like Club Med. Sheltered by palm trees, a large picturesque blue pool in front of the main building. Surrounding the pool you'll find numerous travelers sunning themselves in the blazing sun. Music is constantly blaring through loudspeakers and people in various stages of sobriety can be found all around, either tanning, playing volleyball or just talking. As I entered the main building I was struck by the open ceilings and floor plan. To the right of the entrance were various couches to lounge in, while on the back right wall were PCs, ping pong tables and billiards. To the left was the cafeteria and on the back wall was check in and the bar where row upon row of beer, wine and other drinks were available.
After checking in, it was off to my room where I met my roommates. John was an Irishman probably in his early 60s who was traveling for 3 months in South America. After owning his own bakery for years, he had retired to only find himself missing work. It was then that began to drive a taxi in Dublin for 9 months out of the year and travel the remaining 3 months. For the last 10 years he had been doing this and couldn't be happier. My other two roommates were Sash and Tristan a young couple from Australia who were traveling together for a year in South America. A note about Australians: you will find them everywhere in South America. On this trip alone I met 5 different groups of Aussies, traveling on average for at least a year. As they all told me, flights from Australia to anywhere are so long that you may as well do some traveling when you leave the country. Moreover, because so many Australians travel, its part of the national psyche and many employers have no problem granting leaves of absence for a year or more. Perhaps there's something to be learned from these guys...
After a low key night and an early bedtime, it was off to Iguazu! Arriving around 9 in morning I was surprised to see very few people there, having been warned to get to the falls early to avoid the crowds. The day started out as overcast with the threat of rain. Not to be deterred, my first stop was the visitors center where I got an overview of the wildlife, the history of the park (click here for more info) and the layout of the park. The park is divided into three trails all connected by a railway that was built in the last 20 years. The lower trail takes visitors below the falls, while the upper trail allows you to walk along the tops of the falls and to look down as the water crashes relentlessly down below. The final walk is above the falls and requires another train ride up river. Once you get off the train its a little more than a 1km to Garganta del Diablo (the Devi's throat).
As I set off on the lower trail to begin my day, I remember seeing the falls from a distance for the first time. Even from over a kilometer away, they were awe inspiring! Nestled between all the vegetation they looked like someone had lightly painted a white vertical streak through the jungle. And it just got better from there. Around every turn, as I grew closer to the main falls, I saw countless small falls as I walked the pathways. And then I was there. As far as the eye could see there were waterfalls. To the left and right endless amounts of water poured down over a hundreds of feet. With so much water crashing into the riverbed, there was a constant mist in the air. By the time I reached this viewpoint the park had filled with countless tourists and navigating the walkways became a challenge. It was almost as if every other tourist thought they were alone, stopping all along the walkways to take in the falls, never realizing they were blocking hundreds of other tourists! Despite these obstacles, I managed to weave through the walkways and take in the park in its entirety. After the lower falls, I decided to pay $25 for a 12 minute boat ride into the falls. Yes, you are reading this correctly, you can pay to have a boat take you through a waterfall. Best $25 I spent on this trip. Getting soaked by all that water was incredible! After going through the first one, you think the rides over, but then they take you around to the other side (a large island sits in between the left and right sides of the falls) and push you further into an even larger fall! Soaking wet, I got off the boat with a huge grin on my face!
From here it was on to the upper walkway to get a different perspective of the falls and to test my, until that day, dormant fear of heights (I found myself constantly thinking about the aforementioned scene from Superman 2 when the little kids plummets into the falls). With walkways that literally go to the edge of the cliffs that the falls cascade over, you have an amazing view of the scenes below. Up here you could get a true sense for how widespread the falls were and the sheer size of the park. While Niagra is concentrated in one location, these falls spread out over 1.5 miles. According to Wikipedia, upon first viewing Iguazu, Eleanor Rosevelt was reported to have said "Poor Niagra". When looking at the falls from the upper walkway, once can't help but echo her sentiments.
Finally it was a short train ride to the last part of the show, Garganta del Diablo (the Devil's throat). Best viewed last, this dramatic fall is formed in a semi circle as thousands of gallons of water thunder down to the river below. With the ever present mist, everyone is soaked as they stare in awe at what can best be describe as mesmerizing amount of water. I found my self in somewhat of a daze as my senses tried to process the visual and audible qualities of the fall. Its simply too much to describe. In the past I've often remembered watching the news and seeing reports about floods in parts of the country and trying to comprehend to no avail the amount of water that must be flowing through an area and how it could cause at times billions of dollars in damage. Before, I could only imagine that amount of water, but after seeing these falls, I think I have a better idea of how that type of damage is achieved. The amount of water that was going over the falls every second would have easily wiped out anything that might get in its way. And to look into the falls is like trying to look into a cloud; you are simply overcome by the water being everywhere with an endless depth. With nothing to focus on you find your eyes zoning out while the noise of the ever flowing water never lets you forget the sheer size of the falls and where you are.
As I am not the worlds best writer (yet), I'm not going to spend any more space in this post to try to describe the falls. Sadly, I'm not even sure my pictures will do them justice either. I vividly remember walking away from them feeling a bit sad because it is so hard to describe their beauty and sheer size. If you can find the time in your life you need to see these falls. But short of that opportunity, I've posted my pictures online so you can get and idea of what I'm talking about (click here). One other note I'll make is that when you go to the falls, you not only get the falls but you also experience the rich flora and fauna that is present in this jungle. Beautiful rich vegetation is everywhere with all types of colorful tropical birds (Toucans for example) and cute but annoying Coati (similar to raccoons with longer snouts) constantly approaching you in an attempt to get food. The rivers above the falls are full of various small fish and Caymans (small Alligators). Its easy to ignore this wildlife given the falls overwhelming beauty, but it would be a shame to miss out on all this ecological system has to offer.
Touring the falls took a good 7 hours and by the time I got back to the hostel, I welcomed the cold beers that were so readily available there. That night I enjoyed a sumptuous BBQ and a samba show with a 100 other travelers. In true Club Med fashion that party continued well into the early morning and even as I turned in, I could hear the music blaring and people splashing about in the pool.
The next day was a bit of a let down. Once again I found the Lonely Planet guide book let me down (the first being the recommendation of the Andesmar bus line). There are two sides to the falls, with the second being in Brazil. Wile a visa is normally required for entry by US citizens, the Lonely Planet guide noted that this requirement is often overlooked. Turns out they were wrong. So after being denied a ride to the fall by the hostel's driver, who mentioned threats of deportation to the US for me (heaven forbid!) I found myself being forced to hang out at the hostel all day. Life could be worse. Being forced to relax by the pool, sip on cold beer and enjoy the conversation of various other travelers proved to be very enjoyable. After a relaxing evening (thankfully the BBQ is not offered every night) and a decent rest (sleeping in bunk beds doesn't provide for a great night's rest) I found myself on my way back to BA on Friday afternoon. Despite another grueling 18 hours in the bus, I arrived back to BA excited not only to see my home away from home, but also to begin my trip next week to the south of Argentina. After talking to so many travelers in Iguazu, my desire to travel was reawakened and left me pondering whether it was really necessary to return to Boston in April. After all what's the hurry? While I won't answer that question today, I look forward to my next trip and all that it will bring.
Other Updates
Did you know you can shoot guns like an AK-47 in Cambodia. Bet you didn't know that if your really wanted to you can pay to shoot a bazooka at a live cow in Cambodia. Yep, you can. Source: An Australian named Craig Thomson who I met at the Hostel Inn who had shot the guns, but not the bazooka in Cambodia.
I encountered three separate 18 year old girls traveling along (two German, one US). My hat's off to them for being so gutsy.
If you are going to Iguazu, pay for the boat ride into the waterfalls. At roughly $25 for only 12 minutes you might want to pass, but the experience is so worth it. When else can you be taken on a boat into a waterfall?
Don't use Andesmar if you are traveling by bus in Argentina. The buses are old and run down. Have been told Via Barilloche is a much better service.
Moved into my new apartment for the week I'm here in BA. Its awesome! Finally I have AC, a modern apartment with current furnishings and even a pool.
Travelers love to gossip. I heard more doom and gloom stories about the travails of traveling in South America than I care to recount here. Like anywhere in the US, common sense should prevail where you are on the road. One positive I have heard is that South East Asia is the place to go. Coupled with all that I've heard from people I know, I am hoping that I'll be heading there soon!
Has anyone who is reading this blog read the book Marching Powder? Apparently there is a prison in Boliva where you can take tours and observe drugs being made. Am trying to learn more about this story to figure out it if I should add it to my trip.
