Iguassu Falls

I know I`ve already raved about the Falls on my previous post, but today we went back to them, this time to the Argentinian side. And oh my god it`s even better than the Brazilian side.

While I would still recommend doing both (same as everyone), the Argentinian side is fit to bursting with stuff to do, including boat trips and easily accessible walks. And the walks don`t last 9km like one on the Brazilian side.

We did all of the walks (being three) and also got a combined ticket for two of the three boat trips. We went for the Aventura Nautica and Paseo Ecológico for AR$300. The other boat trip available was the Gran Aventura, but that takes about 80 minutes. Who has time for that.

The first one we went on the 20-minute Aventura Nautica, which takes you right up to the Falls in two places, and gets everyone in the boat soaking wet. You do get a waterproof bag to put your things in, and I changed into my swimming shorts (I was wearing them under my shorts) and flip flops because I`d heard how wet you get. And you`re literally as wet as if you`ve jumped into the river. But it`s so worth it. The views from the very bottom are incredible (when you can see through the spray) and it`s exhilerating to bounce your way up the rapids towards the cataracts and see them so close up.

We finished the day with the Paseo Ecológico, which was a relaxing boat ride along the forested waterways on top of the Falls. That was a really nice thing to finish with as it`s very calming and you get to see some wildlife along the way.

But right before we did that, we did the actual best part of the entire thing. Seeing the Devil`s Throat from the Brazilian side was fantastic, seeing it from the Argentinian is mind-blowing. You get so close to it you feel like you could be hovering over the semi-circle of pouring water, spraying mist and thundering noise. There`s an omnipresent rainbow here as well, which makes it all the more impressive.

This, for me, was the absolute do-not-miss of all of the Falls. In fact, I think it`s the most impressive natural thing I`ve seen in my life. The world will have to do very well to top it. You do get very wet from the spray coming up, but you don`t care because the sight is amazing. Milena`s review is: "IT`S SUPER AMAZING". That says it all.

We are slightly disappointed though, because we found out while we were here that you can do moonlight visits to the Falls for the five nights surrounding the full moon. Which starts tomorrow! So close...

But tomorrow we`re getting on the overnight bus to Buenos Aires (another 20 hours on a bus, how delicious...) but we paid for `cama` (bed) which looks a lot more comfortable than the Convencional we had coming here from Sao Paulo. Very much looking forward to Buenos Aires, I`ve heard very good things about it so let`s see.

Three Countries, One Day

Being at Iguassu Falls gives you the opportunity to visit all three countries that meet here at 'Tres Fronteras' - Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. 

Yesterday Milena and I went to the Brazilian side of the Falls, and they are breathtaking. Such an amazing sight. As we rounded the corner of the forest trail and caught our first sight I couldn't help but stop and point. I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open. What a loser. But it was a view I'd wanted to see since I was a child, and it was worth the wait. And the 15 hours on the bus to get here. 

We did the whole trail, crescendoing with the awe-inspiring, and soaking, Devil's Throat. There are platforms that go right to the lip and look down over the pouring water. And the best part was the rainbow stretching across the canyon at the foot of the falling water. Absolutely beautiful. 

We are going to the Argentinian side of the Falls tomorrow to do a boat trip and do the other activities on that side. But today we decided to stay dry and go to Paraguay for the afternoon. Casual. 

We took the bus from Puerto Iguazú, Argentina to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay this afternoon, and found that the bus went back through Brazil to get there. Although we didn't have to stop at the Brazilian border, so we just got our Argentinian exit stamps and Paraguayan ones. 

Ciudad del Este seems to be an electronics and shopping mecca for people from all the surrounding countries. As soon as you're through the border you're confronted with markets, department stores and street-sellers peddling everything from handbags to iPhones. It reminded me of Akihabara in Tokyo. And I actually found an iPhone 5S for the equivalent of £108. I was so tempted. But no, if something was wrong with it, I'd never get that money back. So I refrained. 

The interesting thing was that, being on the triple border, most places took a variety of currency. The place we had lunch asked if we wanted to pay for it in Uruguayan Guarani, Brazilian Real, Argentinian Pesos or US dollars. Spoilt for choice! 

The ATMs also give you the option to withdraw US dollars, which is very handy, as you can exchange dollars on the black market in Argentina for a much more favourable rate than the official rate. The current official rate is 7 pesos to the dollar, whereas you can get 13 pesos by talking to the "right" people. 

Leaving Paraguay, we had to wait over an hour at the border for the bus back to Argentina (via Brazil of course) so that was a bit of a grind, but we got back eventually, our passports even more overflowing with exit and entry stamps. 

It was interesting that Ciudad del Este was the first place I've been to in the last three weeks that I've actually felt was a developing country. Everywhere else in Brazil and Argentina could have easily been Spain or Italy. I need to get used to it though, I imagine Peru to be quite similar. But I'll find that out in just over a week! 

15 Hours on a Bus

And I survived! It's the longest I've ever been on a mode of transport, including flying, so it was a bit of a trial. We had to go for the Convencional bus, which is the cheapest, so it got us from Sao Paulo to Foz do Iguacu for 30 pounds, which is really good. But it also meant limited legroom, a slightly reclining seat and not a lot of other comforts. But it was actually fine. We had regular stops for toilets (there was a toilet on the bus though) and we even went to a couple of roadhouses where they gave us all an electronic card and we took food from a hot buffet and then paid our tab on the way out. Not too shabby!

For me, as someone who is prone to travel sickness just driving down my road in Birmingham, I was worried that it would be a hellish journey. I took a couple of travel sickness pills before we left, and if they did anything then they worked, because I was fine, and even got a few hours sleep.

We have another long bus journey coming up soon, from Puerto Iguazú (on the Argentinian side of Iguassu Falls) to Buenos Aires, but we're going to splash out the extra 10 pounds and go for a semi-cama one, which should recline to almost bed gradient, and apparently they serve you food too!

Overall, as quite an uptight traveller, I was impressed with the journey and am no longer worried about going long distances by bus. Which is handy really, as I have a hell of a lot of them coming up! But not Buenos Aires to Peru. That mother of a distance is getting flown.

Tomorrow Milena and I are finally going to visit Iguassu Falls themselves (on the Brazilian side) so I can fulfil that dream. Along my trip I have several glowing hotspots that I'm really looking forward to seeing, and this is one of them. Hopefully it won't disappoint!