Up, up and Iguazu

For photos http://picasaweb.google.com/alexisviaje

Right then, let me just check that map again. Oh yes, Argentina is immense. After a 16 hour trip from Buenos Aires we arrived in Puerto Iguazu where we wanted to visit the Iguazu Falls: UNESCO site, all out amazing natural wonder. I had always wondered if the hype surrounding such famous places well founded and was thankful to find out that they place was as beautiful and amazing as I had been told.

Iguazu sits on the banks of the Parana and Iguazu rivers. From the outskirts of the village we could see where the two rivers joined and from our Argentinian side we could see Paraguay and Brazil, both had steep banks covered in dense green vegetation. Before arriving there had been a weeks rain and the rivers were rising. By the end of our three days there the river would have risen 15m and washed away one of the riverside bars where we had had a couple of beers ealier that day.

Considering the town sits right next to a world famous attraction it retained a relaxed feel. Our little hostel had a pool which was very welcome. We visited both the Argentinian side and the Brazilian. Words really would have trouble doing justice to the place and even the photos cannot convey the beauty and the power of the water. In some senses we were lucky and unlucky. Due to the rain big parts of the Argentinian walkway were underwater and we couldnt get to the most exciting Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat). On the plus side it was the biggest flood in 20 years and the water coming down the waterfalls was unbelievable. The chocolate milkshake like water crashed down under its own weight exploding and leaving a mist for tens of metres around the falls. We were left thinking what it must be like to go down one of the falls........It could only be like surfing and wiping out at Jaws, or possibly even worse.

The Brazilian side was more like a theme park than a Nacional Park. Taxis and buses bringing people in, restaurants and other things to spend your money on. We splashed out and went on a tour of the sub-tropical forest and then on a speedboat which took us close to the falls. Going upstream against a 60m wide rushing, bubbling, gurgling river was quite something. The skipper was obvioulsy a man of experince and guided us up safely with a bit of fun thrown in. As for the falls, they were equally as spectacular from the water. On three ocassions we moved close to one of the falls and were blinded by the spray. I don´t know why but I just giggled and laughed for the whole time.

Ripped off by the scam men
Even writing this a few days after it happening, the scam still hurts me, makes me feel naive and also angry. On one of our days in Iguazu we visited Cuidad del Este in Paraguay. The city lies on the border of Brazil and Paraguay and is a tax free haven with plentiful cheap electronic goods. As I had forgot my camera in Wales I thought I could pick something up. On entering the city we knew we were in a different world. Big 20 storey high buildings, taxi drivers srambling for passengers, street venders selling a range of cakes, empanadas, dodgy looking money exchangers and security guards with shot guns on shop doorsteps. Road rules were flouted and at one point our bus driver reversed 30 metres into a four way junction blocking of all the lanes. I could only laugh.

Our idea was to look at bus journeys crossing Paraguay to the capital Asuncion. We knew little of the country and thought that I would be nice to visit somewhere off the beaten track. After checking out the bus times we caught a local bus back into the centre. The bus was beautiful: the front and back door were left open, wooden floor, blaring music and small Paraguyan coloured curtains covering the interior. Travelling through the city we saw scrubs of land with makeshift homes of wood and plastic which looked like they wouldn´t withstand the next rainfall. Whole families of natives appeard to live in the single three by three metre structres and in one of the fields there must have been at least 50 families.

In the second shop that I visited I began to barter with the salesman. We arrived at an agreement for the camera and a memory card. As I went to pay at the desk I saw in the corner of my eye the saleman pick up the camera and put it behind the desk. Immediately my stomach turned and my heart skipped a beat. I knew something was up. The salesman started trying to convincve me that the camera was not that fantastic and that I should change it for another. Suddenly another salesman tried to take the camera box away. The fucking bastards, it was a scam. I continued trying to talk with the salesman but to no avail, I thought that I would leave the shop without a camera or at worst nothing in the wallet. Suddenly Angel ripped the camera out of the salesman´s hands, Luis grabbed the box and we legged it out of the shop hastily weaving through the busy streets. We left with the camera but no memory card.

So lessons learnt:

Before handing over any money, make sure the products are in your hand (OK, this is a little paranoid)

Go with gut instincts. The first shop appeared genuine and just gave me the price without attempting to haggle.


After our little experience we decided not to travel through Pa.raguay the next day. Looking back it felt like the right thing to do but am sure we missed out on some wonderful experiences in Paraguay.