Iguazu Falls or Foz do Iguassu, as it is called in Portuguese and I like it to sound more exotic, lies on the border of Brazil and Argentina. An average of 1,500 and up to 6,500 cubic meters of water flow over these falls per second making a roar loud enough to be heard a few miles away.
On the bus ride to the falls we found a guy selling hammocks on the side of the road. I finally found the perfect hammock - something I have been searching for since the beginning of this trip.
After a forty-minute bus ride we arived at the trail leading to the Brazil side of the falls. The views on the Brazil side were amazing and there were more rainbows there than you would find back home in San Francisco! After a couple hours of trying to soak in the truly breath-taking views we cruised over to the Argentina side where it is said you can a get a more... intimate view of the falls.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The three of us got our passports stamped. ¨Argentina. Date of entry 9/18/2008.¨ Country number six on this trip. On the Argentina side lays the Devils Throat which which looks and sounds just as the name would lead you to imagine. A viewing platform is situated above these falls allowing those not worried about getting their clothes soaked by the spray to look straight down into the misty white abyss. More water flows, well smashes, through this part than any other part of Foz do Iguassu. We struggled to take a few pictures here but with all the spray we had to wipe water off the camera lense a second after taking the lense cap off. Words and pictures cannot really convey this experience. Being there with mist soaking your clothes, the roar pounding in your ears, and feeling of awe as you stand looking down the ¨Devil's Throat¨ must be experienced personally. I cannot even start to try and put the power and violent beauty of the falls into words.
Then we took a small train to another part of the park. As the whistle blew and train started leaving with the three of us still running towards it I couldn't help but to imagine myself as Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade. We got to jump (well in reality it was more like a quick step) onto the train while it was moving - something I have always dreamed of doing.
The wildlife was cool too. We saw a four foot aligator sunning himself just a few yards away from the trail... with a butterfly courageously sitting on its nose. I tried to talk the guide into wrestling it as I assumed it was part of the contract and what we were paying him for and it wasn't thaattt big anyway. He refused... A large tucan decided to say hola to the gringos as well. I am still trying to figure out how they fly with a beak just about as large as their body. Our next destination is Buenos Aires where we hear the meat and tango dancing are second to none. As long as we can keep Joe off the dance floor that is.
So that was our day, at least my view of it.
- David
