There. Are. No. Words.

Good afternoon,

Well, I´m certainly glad I took the opportunity to write my last entry prior to this one. Because of my experience over the last few days visiting Iguazu Falls in Misiones, there would be no way whatsoever I could have remembered anything prior to this brief and spectacular trip.

Esthee and I departed Buenos Aires at 19:40 last Tuesday, the 16th of December. After fixing a little glitch in which the bus company sent our tickets to the wrong departure point, we boarded our bus on time and were soon riding comfortably ¨tuto letto,¨ meaning full bed. If you ever have the opportunity to ride in a seat on a bus or a plane that reclines fully flat, including the foot rest, I highly recommend it. Just prior to departure we connected with Aparna, another couchsurfer, this time from Bombay, who like Esthee and me quit her job to travel. She´s into month 3 of 6 in South America. Sadly, Aparna had to take the bus which departed 20 minutes after us, so we weren´t to connect with her until our arrival the next day in Puerto Iguaza.

The ride was pleasant, the entertainment strange. We were first made to watch a 20 minute promotional video for the bus company Via Bariloche. They sold us on everything from their stellar maintenence, to their food preparation plant which looked more like a lab than a kitchen. After the video´s conclusion, we were then offered a sorted array of soft rock videos from the 80´s. Lionel Richie and Roxette seemed to be favorites of the tour company. I remarked to Esthee that I should have had the foresight to book seats in the very front, as we were seated on the second level of the coach, as we would have had the full panoramic view through the large windows. Didn´t matter all too much as nghtime soon descended and after some very bad movie we were all fast asleep.

Daylight brought us breakfast, which for this coach line meant bread, tea and chocolate - lot´s of it. After breakfast came what appeared to be a routine stop at a gas station. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we were informed that we would have to be transfered to another bus as ours was having mechanical problems. You wouldn´t have guessed. Nevertheless, the next bus came by only about 10 more minutes later, and we hopped on, filling it completely and sadly leaving some of the original riders behind to wait for the next. True to my intuition, we found seats all the way in front, top level. By this time the vegetation was getting quite thick - semitropical forrest, so it was a good time to be there. Though our new seats only reclined partially, it was more than a fair trade-off.

We arrived to town without further incident a few hours later and headed to our hostel, the Hostel Inn Iguazu Falls. More like hotel than hostel, this little gem was a total find. It had a full functioning kitchen and bar, ping pong table, pool table, a swimming pool, 4 computers with free internet access, a volleyball court, a football field and nightime entertainment. After deciding that we would just take the remainder of the day to relax and then go into town, I hit the pool and chatted with other travelers. Soon after my swim, Aparna arrived. Also having experienced delays, she was happy to be there too. Aparna is quite a traveler, and now a good friend. Check out her blog at backpackingninja.com. A seasoned couchsurfer, she and her husband have hosted more than 100 travelers in their home in Bombay, and have a worldwide network of friends. Easy going, good spirited and always up for the next adventure, you´d do well to connect with Aparna if your travels ever bring you to India. We also connected with Mo, another Singaporian couchsurfer at the hostel as well. Mo is a student on holiday after studying for 6 months in Mexico. A mild mannered guy with a zeal for travel and a penchant for lots of laughs, he too turned out to be a great travel partner. That evening the 4 of us walked into town for some dirt cheap empanadas and a tour of this charming little nook. We returned later that night to a hostel abuzz with 60 -70 people all enjoying the BBQ buffet. We grabbed a few beers and joined the party, all the while fantasizing about the next day´s trip to the falls. After a rather fraternity-esque samba dance performance, which had drunken young men from around the world circled around this fantastic young dancer, all clapping and hollering, we retired.

The next morning we hopped in a cab and headed straight for the park. Upon entry Mo and I went completely tourist and bought tickets for boat rides, one beneath the falls and a short jungle cruise above them. After all of the gift shops and restaurants, you have to walk close a full km. before you even see anything. It was a nice stroll through the jungle on which we encountered a coati - a creature native to the area, somewhat of a cross between an aardvark and a racoon. Check out my video of these cute guys on Facebook. At a certain point in the path we reached a network of steal bridges, no more than a meter above the ground. You walk the bridge path, and the roar of the falls begins to intensify. For a while there is nothing to see, until you turn a corner and come upon this . . .

As before stated . . . There. Are. No. Words. The sense of overwhelm that struck me was so incredibly visceral and elating as we came upon the first of dozens of vistas in this, one of the most beautiful and amazing places on the entire planet. Again, I will emplore you - if you don´t have a facebook account, sign up for one. The photos of this place are quite spectacular. There were kilometers of bridge track at three different levels running along the first face of the falls. Words can´t describe what it´s like to see and hear a kilometer long section of thundering falls through beautiful subtropical forrest. Please do enjoy the pics and videos on Facebook. We spent the first two hours exploring the entire bridge network, before Mo and I hopped on our boat for an uplcose view of the falls. The boat took us immediately up to one of the falls, whereby we were gratuitously soaked. Actually, it was more that welcome on this hot day. We went back for two more passes at another section. Soaked on top of soaking. The cost, about 25 bucks. The time, about 12 minutes. The memory, indelible.

After our boat ride we hopped another boat for a small beach across one section of the river where we rejoined Esthee and Aparna. After a quick swim from there we took trails to more vista points before heading back across for lunch. Coatis abound during lunch time. These little gals and fellas were even more relaxed around people than the most seasoned racoon. Enjoy the video I was fortunate enough to grab of these babies as they were foraging for food right next to the trail our way out of the park.

After lunch all four of us hopped the train to the footbridge to Garganta Del Diablo - the Devil´s Throat. This spot hosts the tallest of the falls and is farthest upriver. The footbridge spans more than 1100 meters of river before coming across the most amazing display of water I have ever seen in person. It was as if God pressed a finger straight down into the river, leaving a U-shaped depression in the Earth from which water fell down all sides. Unbelievable. The curve of the U - the Devil´s Throat - is where several thousands of gallons of water per second all converge and tumble 87 meters with a roar indescribable. As with all amazing photos, they don´t compare to being there in person. Give yourself a gift and go one day.

Mo and I finished the day with a short jungle boat ride back to the train station. It was mild, well away from the falls. We saw a small river crocodile, some attractive birds, and some small fish. Not a whole lot more. We caught back up with Eshtee and Aparna and departed around 4pm, completely exhausted and elated from the experience. Another relaxing night at the hostel, and off to bed.

The next morning we just hung around. Esthee impressed me with her wicked ping pong game, and Aparna´s enthusiasm matched Esthee´s skills. We headed out to town for a not so quick lunch before arriving at the bus station. We all said our goodbyes to Aparna as she was continuing north into Brazil. Lucky gal got to see the Falls from the Brazilian side, an excursion I would have taken had I had just one more day. Again, that´s what return trips are for. Mo, Esthee and I hopped on our bus at 3pm, and began our 16 hour treck back to Buenos Aires. There was little to be said on the way home. We all had just had one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We arrived Buenos Aires this morning at 9:30 (we made several stops for those of you counting). I have 4 days left in Argentina before I head to LA for a brief visit with the family for Christmas, and then off to Fiji. We´ll see what´s cooking for me prior to my departure.

I hope you enjoyed this one. I certainly did. Until next time.

Jonathan