foz de iguazu from above
this is not my picture. it was misty and rainy and COLD when i was there, so i gave you this money shot instead. by the way, i spent the entire 24 hour bus ride from cordoba to iguazu, shivering in my seat, dreaming about the hot, lush, sweaty, torrid weather i was about to enjoy for 2 days. i spent those 2 days in my sweatshirt, beanie, scarf and gloves. that was my outfit du jour in the
tropical rainforest. anyone else confused? just me? nobody told me the tropics were FRIO!?
once i arrived in puerto igauzu, i dumped my backpack at the nearest hostel, conveniently located across the street from the bus terminal, and bundled up in my warmest clothes for a cooooold trip into in the jungle.
iguazu falls is a stunning combination of 275 individual falls pouring out of the amazon basin. legend has it a god planned to wed a beautiful aborigine, who fled with her mortal lover in a canoe. a typical man, the god was angered and sliced the iguazu river, creating the waterfalls and thus condemning the damned lovers to an eternal fall.
coitas, raccoon-like scavengers and curious little buggers, liked to make faces at my camera and beg for snacks before swinging back up into the trees. bluebirds, toucans and butterflies played tag in the lush vegetation. i heard the wildlife was better on the brazilian side, but as i had no visa and no intentions of forking over $135 for some more raccoons, i made do with the argentine animales.
you wander through the jungle on these elevated walkways that skirt the falls, weaving through the dense canopy and over rivers, watching the water rush faster and faster, mist blurring the air and fogging your view, the thunderous roar of pure power growing louder with every step. my clothes oscillated between damp and wet the whole day, because even though i was conned into buying one of those garbage-bag-with-hole rain jackets, i couldn't bring myself to actually wear it. and when you are at the mouth of the
garganta del diablo, the devil's throat, next to thousands of gallons of white water pouring into the churning chasm below, staying dry is out of the question.
notice the different in weather? yeah. COLD.the sheer, raw, natural power of the falls was nothing short of humbling. i stood for hours simply marveling at the intricate and artistic handiwork. i know i have said this over and over again, but i have just been so lucky to have seen so many magnificent places in this world that just make me feel small. small in the presence of something so big. such a small part in the incredible majesty of nature. i couldn't stop wondering what it would have been like to have discovered such a magical place, untouched by human hands. it made me want to find undiscovered places, to get off the beaten track, to get dirty, to get lost. just as long as i don't fall off the edge of a waterfall.
