Puerto Iguazu.

Most people who visit "las cataratas del Iguazu" do so on the Argentinian side of the border. I was surprised that the mass tourism had not affected the infrastructure more than it has in this town. Yes there were a couple of hostels and a few different posters with pictures of the falls, but that was about it. The hostel we stayed in was cheap by Argentinian standards, and we got what we paid for. The buffet they sold us was in a different hostel, jus down the street. For once, the food we got in a buffet was really good and varied. Youri and I sat down with some Israelis, probably the nationality most tourists in Argentina have. They were all right, but just took off again after dinner. One of them stayed for a game of pool, but we went back to the hostel, ready for an early evening, just a few minutes after.

The entrance fee for the Parque National de Iguazu in Argentina was 85 pesos, about the same price as in Brazil. To get there required a short bus ride with the local bus from Puerto Iguazu. Unlike the Brazilian side there was no need for a busride out to the waterfalls. We walked the so-called "ecological trail" down to the falls. We saw a couple of birds, some familiar jungle vegetation, and made jokes about the crocodiles. We were not too scared of anything out there, or at least I was not. Youri has a massive fright of spiders. He keeps saying that he will touch a giant spider on this trip, to overcome his fear, but every time we see one, like a beautiful yellow one in Brazil, he runs away. I used a stick to take it down for a photo.

There are several trails to do by the falls. The upper circuit took us on top of the waterfalls, giving us an opportunity to look straight down over the edge. We saw these walkways from Brazil. It was a lot of people at the Argentinian side, but it didn't matter. The sound from the falling water, the spectacular views, and the fascinating flora that feasted on the moist from the fall, made the others' presence insignificant. The white water falling, the brown water above and below, and the green leaves just about made time stand still. The lower circuit took us into the falls, more or less. We could view the cataratas from about half way up, and this was where we got really wet. It was possible to go down to the water below and do the boat rides, but it was very expensive, so we decided to sit down and have food with the view of the falls behind us. Initially we wanted to sitand watch the falls, but it was easier not to swallow all the river water coming in waves with the mist, if we turned our back on them. Several times at the falls I met a group of English girls that I knew. They were on the same bus as Youri and I from Cordoba to Iguacu, and one of them was my tango partner from my tango lesson, one of the first days in Buenos Aires. I'm sure we will meet again in Bolivia.

After the two circuits we took the train up to the third, and maybe most impressive view of the falls. "La Garganta del Diablo", "The Devils Throat" is as I described in the post from Brazil, where it looks like a small lake runs over the edge. Youri, two lawyers from New York and I could hardly leave the place. After walking on a long walkway over calm water, almost like in a lake, we came out to a platform that let us look straight down into the inferno that plays out below. It is beautiful to see the countless points between the grass on top of the cliff, where water drops down and blends with the rest. We tried to look at a drop of water and follow it with our eyes as it slowly fell towards the river below. I took a lot of pictures, but this was again, one of these places where pictures and video does not justify the beauty and magnitude of the real spectacle. After taking a last look at this wonder of the world, we left for the train again, me knowing that I would be back, others doubted they would make it.

Next on the agenda was to buy a ticket to Paraguay.