Back to the Tropics - Iguazu Falls

New Year´s in B.A. was fun, I went to a party in the hostel where Sarah and David were working (same Sarah and David from the terrible Panama-Columbia cargo boat trip in March 2010). At my hostel we had "make a dish" night. I burned my large olive pizza so badly no-one else wanted any, so I had to eat my "Charcoal Pizza" alone, it was horrible, and gave me even worse indigestion. It´s now the 2nd January 2011 and suddenly B.A. is full of tourists, mainly American, as if a Berlin style airlift (from Houston...) has occured overnight ! I buy myself a 20 hour bus ticket to Iguazu and depart. Everytime I get on a bus in Argentina there is some clod sat in my numbered seat, and this time is no exception...

In the morning, clouds and jungle, I am back in the Tropics  !!  It´s steamy hot in Puerto Iguazu. Found a good little hostel (Hostel Iguazu), with a pool ! but the AC was on the blink, so not a great night. I´m not feeling up to "The Falls" next day so I have a "day off", and change rooms, it´s too hot to do much.

Next day I get on the first bus of the day (0600) to the park and I´m about the 10th person in the park.  Instead of waiting for the train I head off down the "Sendero Verde" (I read about this "plan" on a blog and it really works) to the first train station, and then take the "Upper Trail". For 20 full minutes I have Iguazu Falls completely to myself !!! beautiful, multiple, tiers of falling water, cauldrons and cascades !!  It´s really something  ! And I try to explain to my Jaded Traveller Self that this is so !!  After 20 minutes or so a wave of other tourists appears on the path (from the first train), and during the day it just gets busier and busier.

Iguazu Falls   - of the big three (Iguazu / Victoria  / Niagra) I´d say it´s the most scenic, but it does lack the power and awesome spectacle of Victoria (both are way ahead of Niagra). Because everyone else did I took the boat trip. I was disappointed, it lasts 12 minutes !! and I think because of the season it does not go anywhere near the "Garganta del Diablo" (Devil's Throat), the most spectacular part, and of course, they don´t tell you this. Essentially it´s $30 for a 12 minute shower, in a boat, err, that´s it ! I managed to leave my wallet in the drybag I was given, whoops !! One of the boat guys returned to me intact, very honest of him.






Next morning I have to decide what to do, I have 6 weeks left (from my booked and unchangeable flight back to the UK from Salvador) and a number of options !!  I get all my maps and guides out, and ponder what to do, I could;

1. Go to Salta, Argentina (via Paraguay) then go back to Bolivia (and see more of this amazing country), then fly east to Salvador.
2. do option 1) then take an Amazon river boat all the way east from Bolivia to Belem, then bus to Salvador.
3. Take a bus to Puerto Velho (Brazil), via the "Pantanal", then Amazon riverboat to Belem, bus to Salvador.
4. Go directly to Rio, then fly from Sao Paolo to Manaus, take an Amazon riverboat to Belem, then bus  to Salvador.
5. Be a lazy xxxx and sit on a beach for 6 weeks !! , while making slow progress to Salvador !!

 I decide to go for option 4), I think Bolivia is going too far the "wrong" way, and there is not time to cross the whole Amazon by boat from West to East (though I'd love to do it..), flights back to Brazil from the West side are an unknown, I really don't want to sit on a beach for 6 weeks (I'm already a little bored of it), anyhow, going to "the Amazon" sounds exciting....!

I manage to buy the last seat on the direct bus to Rio for the next day, 26 hours!  For the rest of the day I sit by the pool and wonder if I'm doing the right thing.