Foz do Iguaçu

Wednesday was simply a drive day, with an intended stop for the night in Yapeyú. Yapeyú is very famous amongst Argentines for being the birthplace of their national hero General Jose de San Martin, one of the liberators of South America from Spanish colonial rule. We couldn't camp here however as the campsite had shut down and the house we were going to visit the next morning to learn about San Martin was having renovation work done. We instead drove a bit further north, stopping for the night at a water park which included a few slides and a large pool which was fun! Dinner in the evening was a risotto and we all had an early night after our 5am departure from Buenos Aires. I even slept outside again for the first time in a while.

Thursday was another drive day with the border into Brazil to negotiate as well towards our destination of Foz do Iguaçu for the next three nights. Foz do Iguaçu (meaning "Mouth of the Iguazu River") is the Brazilian town nestled against the double-border with Argentina and Paraguay. The town is of course most famous as the base for exploring the incredible Iguazu Falls. En route we stopped for lunch nearby the Jesuit ruins which a few people had a guided tour round. I instead explored the nearby market and helped make lunch which was a potato salad. By the time we negotiated the border and the fact the clocks went forward an hour, we arrived in Foz by late afternoon, going to the supermarket and atms before going to our campsite. 

After setting up my tent in the pouring rain, we had a short time to relax before going out to this dance show in the evening. The show included dances from 8 countries in Latin America culminating with the Brazilian dances. It was a really fun and energetic show and the fact we had an all you can eat buffet to accompany the show made it even better. Unlike the Argentinians who bbq their meat in big joints, the Brazilian way of cooking meat involves putting large hunks on a skewer and cooking it by rotating the skewer, before serving you the hunk. I ate a lot of meat, although there was also many other cuisines to eat, as well as some amazing desserts. I could barely walk as I had eaten so much after leaving.

Friday was a day trip to visit the waterfall, on the Argentinian side. Iguazu Falls, located on the Iguazu River between Argentina and Brazil, is the world's largest waterfall system and one of the most spectacular natural sights in the world! The name "Iguazu" originates from the native Guarani words "y" (meaning "big") and "uasu" (meaning "water") - the Guarani legend says that the falls were created when a deity wanted to marry a beautiful mortal woman, but when she tried to escape away from him in a canoe with another man the deity sliced the river in two, condeming the water and the lovers to fall for eternity. Getting there involved recrossing the border and the clocks going back an hour despite only a short drive.

The Argentinian side has miles of trails and walkways through the forests to various viewpoints of the waterfall system. With falls of between 60m to 82m,  the system has 275 waterfalls over a width of 2.7km so it's big. The first place I went to was "Garganta del Diablo (meaning "Devil's Throat"), the largest and most powerful section of the waterfall system. Millons of gallons of water thunder down violently to the bottom of the huge ravine, forming the most incredible display of power, rainbows, and spray! Getting here involved catching a train to a 1km walkway which we followed out to see the section. About 60% of the water decends to this one point in a u like shape and it was so powerful with spray and water flow that we couldn't see the bottom! I got quite wet.

On the way back from the Devil's Throat we saw a camon, and after catching the train back to the central area of the park we had lunch where we were joined by a lot of Coatis. They seemed cute at first but they were actually absolute pests jumping on tables and fighting with each other to steal our food. After lunch there were a couple of walkways to follow to various viewpoints, an upper walkway and a lower walkway. We got to see many smaller waterfalls here as well as some impressive aerial and panoramic views of the whole system. I did however start to rain by the end, although I was wet anyway.

We left the waterfalls by 4, where we recrossed the border into Brazil, with the clocks going forward an hour. When getting back the rain was torrential, so while everyone ran for cover I went for a swim in the pool which was refreshing. Come evening it was our drivers birthday which meant reason to celebrate so we had a bbq. Gus and Cameron also arrived as well as well as the Tucan truck which meant there were a lot of people to celebrate. The bbq was amazing, especially the pork belly. There was a lot of food. We then partied into the night, and it was nice to meet some new people as Gus is practically all new passengers, and Cameron are passengers who have only paralleled with us since Buenos Aires.

Come morning I was woken up in the hammock and was told we were leaving in 5 minutes which was embarrassing. I don't think I got that much sleep. Saturday was a day trip to the Brazilian side of falls. This side wasn't as extensive in terms of walkways, but offered great panoramic views as well as another view of the Devil's Throat from the other side which was just as impressive. I didn't spend as long at the Brazilian side and after visiting all the viewpoints caught a taxi back to the hostel. There were various options for the afternoon including a visit the Ituapi Dam, the 2nd largest dam in the world, and a trip to Paraguay and Cuidad del Este the other side of the river. Where we were was basically a border with three countries split by the river.

I decided to go back to the hostel and watch the football which was worthwhile, next stop Wembley. I also ordered a takeaway which were these weird sandwich things made with cassava bread. Come afternoon I had a sleep in the hammock. After my nap I went to my tent and nearly trod on a snake. When telling someone I was told it was a coral snake which is one of the most venomous in South America. Dinner was pasta with salad and various other accompaniments. There was once again a lot of food. As Gus and Cameron were at the dance show the hostel was quiet until a bunch of rowdy Brazilian locals arrived followed by the trucks returning which equalled party. It was another late night.