Iguazu Falls in Argentina Visits 4 and 5

Date of Entry: December 8th and 9th 2015

Date of Writing: December 16th 2015

I cannot visit this place enough it seems, and with the half price discount (with a ticket revalidated at cash 5 when you exit the first day)  it just makes sense to go two days straight.  These are also the days I decide that Iguazu is the perfect place to sit down and get some writing done.  This in mind I’m on the first Rio Uruguay bus at 7:20 am from Puerto Iguazu  and lining up about 80th in line, but I’m the first to the falls (Outside of Sheraton guests).

The entrance opens I power walk my way past the people ahead of me and put more distance between us by taking the green trail instead of the train to Estacion Cataratas.  From there it’s a quick jaunt to the superior trail and out to a viewpoint overlooking Salto Bosetti, and many other falls out along the way.  There I find a bench and settle in to get some writing done but not before snapping a few pictures, though today I’m armed with just a go pro, my normal camera still dead from the Brazilian side of the falls.

Once I’m finished writing I finish the upper trail before heading quickly back to the cataratas station to get to the devil’s throat before we get the full rush of people arriving.  I sit on the last car of the train and speed out along the boardwalk getting there first leaving the sole lookout relatively uncrowded at first, of course I spend more than an hour there marvelling at the impressive water flow, seen for the first time under a somewhat clear sky, snapping a few go pro shots as I go.

Eventually it’s time to head back and do the lower trail before heading back to town in time for a late afternoon manchester united game.  But before I can get to the lower trail, I notice some people behind a shack staring into the jungle and come over in time to see my first monkeys here, a family of brown capuchins, including a mother carrying her baby on her back.  I curse myself for not having my real camera but still manage some okay shots as the monkeys are used to people and not all that shy.

Eventually they head off into the forest letting me get to the lower trail, the last stop for the day, hurrying down the steps and out onto the long boardwalk enjoying the panoramic lookouts but moving quickly to leave me time to get lost in the spray under the ever increasing sun shine,.  It’s hot and I’m anticipating rainbows too.

 

It turns out I was right to hurry as when I reach the final platform of the lower trail rainbows abound and I slip under the caution tape and out to the edge amidst the crazy spray, staring down at an impressive collection of rainbows and losing myself in the madness of this incredible place.

Eventually I leave the madness behind and head along the second half of the trail towards the exit of the park, accidentally leaving my go pro on in my hand which snaps a few hundred accidental pictures, some of which are interesting.

 

As I hurry towards the park exit I snap a few photos of the impressive flowers in the park before climbing on the bus in time to see the manchester united game, not forgetting to revalidate my ticket at cash five os I can come back first thing tomorrow.

 

And so the next day I’m again up early and on the first bus speed walking my way to some alone time on the upper trail where I snap some pictures (my normal camera has miraculously recovered though is no longer in perfect working order) then get down to writing.

I settle in for the next three hours enjoying the first 90 minutes where almost no one comes by and I get some good work done before eventually packing up and continuing along the now crowded upper trail, heading out to see the falls from all the spectacular different angles.

As I head back, the boardwalk too crowded to do my usual move of going back the way I came and instead taking the boardwalk over the calmer river some distance upstream, where As I walk along singing I manage to catch quick glimpses of a few cool looking turtles.

Once back I head to the Estacion de Cataratas and again get on the train to the Garganta del Diablo for some more amazing time sat this wondrous place.  At this point there’s not much left to say about this place, so I’ll just leave you with some photos.

Eventually, after several hours and a sudden 5 minute torrential rainstorm clearing the observation deck to just me and the photographers who work there, which honestly couldn’t have been better, still I head back to do the lower trail and then hoping to do some more writing at the upper trail.  When I get back to Estacion Cataratas I go to fill my water bottle and find one of my favourite butterflies ever.

Eventually it flutters off and I head down towards the lower trail, but before I get to any views of the falls I come to a few people staring up at the canopy and gasp at the incredible toucan in the trees.  I get just one decent picture with my damaged camera before it flies off but before the photo I had a solid few minutes to marvel at this incredibly beautiful bird.

Still amazed by the bird so close I continue along the trail and get to some of the viewpoints.  It doesn’t seem to matter how much I’ve seen the falls I’m still amazed by them and I wish my photos and words could somehow bring you to them, sadly they fall well short.

I’m also amazed today to see something I never thought I would see, full circle rainbows, two of them, though both are partially obstructed by the trails so the photos can’t quite capture the whole thing, but it’s an amazing sight.

 

I head out into the madness of the spray at the end of the trail one last time the rainbows disappearing as the sun hides behind growing storm clouds but I still snap a quick selfie before heading back up to the upper trail to try to do some more writing.

 

Sadly the looming threat of rain becomes a reality quickly and I’m forced to head back to the entrance of the park in the absolute downpour soaking everything I have (thank goodness for waterproof bags).  Still it’s been an amazing day including probably my closest and longest view of a toucan to date.  Will this place ever cease to amaze me?  I doubt it.