07 feb 07

pourto iguazu

i woke up today and figured i’d better hit the ground running. didn’t get out for breakfast. i had to vacate the room as they had it reserved for someone else. i was a bit hesitant as i was going to have to leave my computer there with the owner, i wasn’t about to lug it around a national park full of water falls and the past two days weather had not been very favorable. today didn’t seem to be shaping up much differently.

i got confirmation from erika, that my ticket had been changed for my departure to santiago. now i was able to purchase the ticket to fly from pourto to buenos aires and get out to the falls. i was having major problems with the internet connections at the hostel, my skype calls were broken up. i had a crucial call to make to the folks in santiago that i was going to visit. the call started off fine and then dropped, i hope he wasn’t offended i was never able to get back to him. the bulk of the message got passed on.

i set out to the travel agent to purchase the ticket i’d reserved yesterday. this process took a bit longer than i’d expected, plus i was booking a place to stay in buenos aires through them. once all was said and done i questioned her about the issue of my having arrived in argetina without officially leaving brazil and the implications i might face as a result, i thought mainly my ability to return to brazil but the agent thought they might not let me leave buenos aires. so i took the bus back to the border, exited argentina, crossed the river and got the exit stamp from brazil. at this point i’m standing there waiting for another bus, the sun is starting to peek through the clouds and i don’t want to make that hike without my hat which i’d left at the hostel - expecting rain.

i try to flag down a bus or van to no avail so i get a guy driving to pick me up and take me back across the bridge. he didn’t speak any english and my spanish is infantile. i had him drop me off right in fornt of the crossing, probably a mistake. i passed through customs with little issue but as i came out the security people pulled me into their office and were asking me questions in spanish, i tried to explain to them why i’d gone over and back so quickly, they looked through my rain jacket and let me go. as i came out to the curb i saw the guy who’d given me the ride pulled over with two guards going through his car, probably the last pick-up he’ll make at the border.

a bus finally came through, of course it was a different company, so i had to pay the fare again. i jumped out so i could go and get my hat as the sun was now fully ablaze. still no word on if there was a room for me. i made it back down to the bus station and purchased my ticket to the falls. while waiting i bought an empanada. the bus trip took about half an hour, so by now it’s getting to be 1315 and the park closes at 1800. i’d purchased this adventure tour which included a ride through the jungle and then a boat ride down the river and up into the falls. the tour was supposed to take 90 minutes. i had about a half an hour before the tour was to begin so i thought it might be a good time to finally have something to eat, i had the breakfast of champions, two pieces of mozzarella pizza and a large beer (large in argentina is a liter - must have something to do with all the german immigrants there) summary - skip the jungle trip, there wasn’t that much going on there and with my time issues i could have covered more ground on park trails. the boat ride was all right, it got pretty exciting up around the falls, my rain jacket did an okay job, until the driver ran the boat right into the falls and water gushed in through the opening on my face. i had the seat furthest forward so my view was uninterrupted and i was closest to the water falls.





at the conclusion of the boat ride they disembark in an area where there were several trials non of which were clearly marked. i directed to one and as i came to a fork i chose to take the high trail, thinking it would take me up to the ledge trails. this was not the case so i had to turn back. i wandered around taking lots of photos. the park guide has colored trails gives an indication of how long it takes to travel the trails. there is also a train, i was wandering up the trail when the sound of the train caught my attention, i was photographing these animals that were an the trail, i never got a successful shot, every time i got low to get a photo they would rush at me and the focus was thrown off. i would have stayed longer but i didn’t know the exact time and i was trying to get to devils point lookout , which required the train ride. i jumped on the train and it set off as it left i felt like we were going the wrong direction. we pulled into the station and i was off and moving quickly, it took me a few minutes of walking to begin to recognize that i was back at the beginning of the park (another reason not to take the jungle truck), so now i realize where i am i move back to the station only to discover that the train is gone. i question the information attendant who informs me that the last train has left. so now i’m feeling a bit dejected, as i’m walking back toward the exit i see this green trail which the maps claim take 15 minutes, it lets out near the middle station, so i decide to try and run down the train. fortunately the trail was mostly downhill. i had to slow my pace a few times but fortunately i didn’t stop or walk because as i got to the station i asked the attendant there if the train was going to the devils lookout and as he began to process my question the train started to leave the station, so i jumped on, as it was going the direction i’d initially thought we should have been going when i first boarded the train.

the trail out to this look out is beautiful, it’s amazing the quantity of water that spills over the edge of these cliffs, yet up above it’s almost like a lake, there is really very little perceptible current. it made me wonder how many explores have forged rivers only to be surprised by a dramatic drop.

i’ve never been to niagara but i’m told that these falls are more numerous and taller. going through the photos it’s not quite like the experience. on my way out i took the train back to the middle station only to see a massive number of people waiting to board. so i opted to take the green trail that i had run down, at a more leisurely pace. this ended up being a blessing as i got to enjoy a relatively solitary walk through a canopied trail and ultimately beat the train to the exit so i was able to get on the bus as the masses of patrons clamored to get on board.

once back in town i made my way down to the travel agent to see if they had confirmed my place to stay in buenos aires and to purchase the voucher if they had. it took a bit of time, i had expected that i would go out and have a nice meal using my credit card, as i’m trying to get out of here without cashing more travelers checks. by the time i got back to the hostel i felt like taking a swim. i kept thinking that my flight was at 1020 in the morning. the confusion was because my flight to santiago is a 1020, so i allowed myself to feel like i didn’t have the time to be out late. by the time it dawned on me it was 2145 and i didn’t think i needed to go out and eat a big meal that late. i figured the carbs, from my lunch, that i hadn’t burnt up in my adventures in the park would be enough to sustain me through the night.

so i spent the rest of the evening organizing my bag and reading.