IGUAÇU FALLS
The Iguassu falls are the largest waterfalls system in the world. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" (which, at 50 m or 165 feet, are a third shorter). The waters that flow to and from the falls mark the boundaries between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. After our 24 hour bus ride north to Salvador the thought of a 48 hour ride south might be a bit much and opted to fly. After bouncing our way through a massive storm system we landed with a bump into Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazilian border. The rain was horizontal and a poor lad have been given the job of suppling each passenger with an umbrella at the foot of the stairs to make the 100 meter sprint to the terminal. Unfortunately he did not have enough hands to hold one for himself.
The Brazilian side
The forecast wasn’t looking great the following day but it wasn’t raining… yet. Waterfalls are generally wet so we decided to chance it thinking we would get wet either way. After shuffling with the rest of the world through the visitors centre, onto a bus and along a small track the crowd dispersed a tad and we got our first glimpse of the falls. It was mesmerising, plumes of water were pouring over the craggy cliff edge carving the Iguassu river up into hundreds of waterfalls. The amount of water being thrown over the edge each second was mind boggling and you could feel an angry rumble from below. This was matched by an angry rumble from the gathering clouds above, our time was running out.
Hundreds of swifts would dart and dive in the unstable air and often would disappear behind Iguazu’s curtain only to reappear a while later. They were a joy to watch. Whilst distracted a wild coati stole a ladies lunch.
We followed a track which eventually led us down to a raised walkway built perilously close to the edge. You could literally lean over the railing and watch as the aggressive white water is guzzled by the Garganta do Diabo or Devils throat. The spray was pretty impressive and soon I guess we were all covered in the Devil’s saliva. Luckily it started raining to wash us off.
The grumbling of thunder and Helens belly was the soundtrack to my night. The following morning didn't look the best to spend the day hiking the Argentinian side, so we looked at our options and the weather. Tomorrow looked better so we decided to have breakfast in Brazil, lunch in Paraguay and dinner in Argentina. Why you ask... because we could!
Lunch in Paraguay
Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay are split by two rivers, the Iguaçu and the Paraná. Friendship Bridge connects Brazil's Foz do Iguaçu to Paraguay's Ciudad Del Este, an untidy cluster of skyscrapers which rises up from the green hillside on the western bank.
Ciudad Del Este has a reputation for being south America's biggest black market, where you can buy almost anything. Scores of Argentinians and Brazilians use the crossing to buy cheap knock off goods, mainly electronics to resell back in their countries. This is the real reason Ciudad Del Este exists out here on the edge of the country. The border security is very relaxed, we even had to firmly make sure the driver stopped our bus so we could stamp out of Brazil, this was met with an 'okay if I have to' kind of expression. We got our stamps and walked across no mans land (can you say that on a bridge) and went hunting for the Paraguayan border control... we nearly missed it. Ciudad Del Este is... let's say 'interesting'. Massive high rise malls of variable quality and legality rise up from what looked like pretty empty surrounding countryside. Makeshift market stalls fill any space that's left which gives the place the feel of a frenetic Asian city, like some of the crazier parts of Bangkok or Old Delhi. Considering the border force were pretty relaxed the shop security was a different story. It seemed fashionable to have at least two weapons and one guard was carrying a shotgun. The array of products you could get was baffling, inflatable swimming pools, knock off electronics, power tools and socks, stood shoulder to shoulder with spear guns, slot machines, sneakers, fluffy blankets embroidered with fluffier kittens and knives.
As we wandered the warren a man approaches merrily shouting "taser", followed by an almighty crackle, another lifts his wad of electronics shop flyers to reveal a box crammed with all kinds of colourful pills. I politely declined both.
Not that we didn't enjoy this renegade consumerist bubble but I wouldn't really recommend visiting, unless you really are in the market for a cheap swimming pool or a taser. I did however pick up some knock off Ray Bans and we had the cheapest lunch traveling South America so far in a rickety marquee tucked away from the wheelers and dealers outside.
Apparently it's hard to get space on the buses leaving Paraguay in the afternoon as they are filled with piles of bags, boxes and crates. We decided not to hang around too long, it can get pretty dangerous after hours.
Itaipú Dam
Further up the Paraná river is Itaipú dam, towering 65 stories high. Work started in 1973 and it took until 2007 to be 100% operational. When you arrive you are invited to watch a very gushing film full of facts and figures about what a great human achievement the project is. Itaipu supplies 80% of Paraguay's electricity and 15% of Brazil's, which is pretty incredible and is a great symbol of two countries working together. Apparently the iron and steel used in the construction would be enough to build 380 Eiffel Towers, and the total volume of concrete used would be enough to build 201 football stadiums like Maracanã in Rio. This all sounds rather grand however there is always a flip side. The earth and rock excavated at Itaipu were 8.5 times greater than that of the Eurotunnel. This created the 1350 sq km 220 m deep reservoir which drowned the Sete Quedas a set of waterfalls more impressive than Iguaçu. Also over 8000 people were forced to leave their communities and the total cost was around $25billion. Still I guess as they say, to make an omelet you have to crack a few eggs and now Paraguay is one of the worlds largest exporter of hydroelectric power.
We took a short bus ride around and over the dam. There is a massive overflow section that only opens 10% of the year. It happens at random, if there has been heavy rain in south west Brazil. It wasn't our lucky day, still the empty concrete fortress was pretty amazing. The dam has 14 massive pipes which are used to channel the river to turn the turbines. Apparently two pipes contain the same flow as the entire Iguaçu falls. If you have the time you can go into the bowls of the dam and see its inner workings, but we had to get to Argentina by dinner.
Another bridge and border crossing later we rolled into Puerto Iguazú. We thanked Brazil for having us, Helen tried to forget all her Portuguese, and we quickly realised when buying dinner that we knew no Spanish.
The Argentinian side
The days wait had paid off, we boarded the bus to The Iguazú Falls (It's spelt different over this side) with the sun on our backs warming the morning air. Whilst crossing the border last night we befriended Emma from New Zealand. She too was exploring South America and joined us on our trip to the falls. The Argentinian side is said by many to be the superior side (not in football a voice on the bus informed me) due to how close you can get to the falls. Our first spot was to see the 'Garganta del Diablo' (the Devils Throat) from this side. You take a small shakey train through the jungle for about forty mins which drops you at a wooden walkway across the rapids at the top of the falls. It's quite unnerving as you are only a few feet from the rushing water. The remains of an old bridge rotting away into the river did nothing to instil confidence.
When you reach the end the sheer power and roar you are greeted with is like nothing I have ever experienced before. We have seen a few waterfalls on our trip but this was something else. We were 80m up yet the spray generated by the tumbling water exploded back up even higher, often drenching the many selfies taking place along the railing. We stood open mouthed, in awe of this colossal force of nature. Try not to stand open-mouthed too long, as it's not the cleanest of rivers.
There are two raised walking trails along the falls both about one hour long. The first follows the cliff edge often with views straight over, as the gushing waters disappear into a white cloud below. A couple of mischievous monkeys eyed people's food, as did a cavalry of coatis that out flanked an unsuspecting tour group.
After the high road we took the low. This zigzagged through more jungle and descended about half the waterfalls height. Whilst taking in the falls from various angles, two toucans played about in the tree above our heads. They are odd yet beautiful creatures. Palin describes them as "a beak with a small bird attached".
At the end of the second walkway you will come to a very wet end. It stops only a few meters away from the cascading waters drenching anyone who wants the ultimate photo. I got drenched, so did Helen who took the picture and so did our camera. This is about as close you can get to the falls whilst remaining on dry (wet) land .
To get any closer you might as well take a boat and drive straight into them. So that's exactly what we did.
For about twenty quid you could go for the ultimate shower. At first the boat kept its distance from the falls. Then once all cameras and spare underwear were safely stored in dry bags, the driver hit the throttle and screams became gargles. The boat and everyone in it was throw in all directions from the power from the pounding water. In between wiping the spray from our eyes you would get a glimpse as the water almost in slow motion charged over the edge and down towards us. It was an perfectly balanced mix of fear, adrenaline, wonder and water. I loved it. At the end of the trip we were practically swallowed by the Devils Throat then skimmed back out to the jetty looking like very happy drowned rats. Quick tip, it's cheaper to do the boat trip on the Argentinian side and bring spare everything with you, especially pants.