For the readers of this blog it must be funny to see us wrapped up in warm clothes at the Perito Moreno glacier in one post and then sweating it out at the waterfalls in the next. Ever since leaving Buenos Aires, now 2,5 weeks ago, we were looking forward to the warm climate of Iguazu in our final days of this trip.  Now that we’re here, we don’t remember why 😉  No seriously, we’re enjoying the 30+ temperatures even though it means using a lot of sun cream and even more DEET against the insects.

After our first half day, installing and relaxing in Iguazu, we’ve spend yesterday and today visiting the famous waterfalls.
Yesterday we crossed the border to Brazil to watch them from that side.  Of course that meant going through customs first and getting a Brazilian stamp in our passport (yay!).  Then our Brazilian guide Eugenio took us to all the different balconies that give a view on the many waterfalls, and finally to the big highlight Gargante del Diabolo, the Devil’s Throat, where the water storms down in the depths of the canyon with great violence.
Of course, it was a very touristic place, and much like in El Calafate, we’ve had to literally push the tourists out of our pictures to get some great shots.  Again, I made some small videos to better capture the scenery and atmosphere.  Those who are really interested will have to be patient for a few more days because I will be adding them once we’re at home.  Connections here are way too slow. Even finding a cybercafe that actually has Internet connection today and a PC that is free, is an adventure in itself, much like when we have to search for an ATM machine that works and still contains money.  In countries like these, you realise we take too many things for granted.
Back to the falls.  Today we visited the Argentinian side.  As Eugenio yesterday said “At the Brazilian side you can see the falls, at the Argentinian side you can feel the falls.” And that we did!  First we went back to the Gargante del Diabolo.  From this side we could come very close, from above.  The way the water stormed downwards created a cloud of steam circling upwards unto an otherwise clear blue sky.  Our Argentinian guide Maria-Louise, who could hardly speak english, then took us to some other smaller waterfalls, among which the Dos Hermanas (“Two sisters”), named to the 2 daughters Elsa and Maria of the first president of Argentina.  Of course we took a nice picture of our Elsa in front of these.
In the afternoon we were up for some adventure. A motorboat brought us very close to the waterfalls to have a fantastic view… and a great shower to cool off!  To the loud enthusiasm of the crowd, they navigated the boat almost underneath one of the falls, splashing and refreshing us all.  Yes, in Argentina you can FEEL the falls!

During our visits we encountered a lot of animals.  Since the beginning of our trip, mum had asked about the coati’s, the animal that lend its name to our travel agency Coatimundi. Here we finally got to see them (6th picture below).  Of course, the tropical climate provided a lot of insects and reptiles, including large ants and spiders, grasshoppers (4th picture), salamanders and lots and lots of colourful butterflies.  High above the waterfalls we could see vultures circling around.  And in the bird parc on the Brazilian side, we watched parrots, owls, flamingos and of course the funny toucans.

The f***ing airconditioning in the bedroom not only kept us awake with its noice, but also paralyzed my neck and shoulder for most of the day, ruining a part of the experience for me.  Fortunately the adrenaline of the boat trip healed most of it.  Mum had some pain in her knee the past few days, and like with most of the group the fatigue is now kicking in.  Good thing that we were back at 4pm today, allowing us some rest at the pool before going for an aperitive and a nice dinner. The past 2 nights we went to the same restaurant Agua, because the food and the service was so splendid.  Tonight we’ll look out for something new to end our Iguazu trip in beauty.

Tomorrow we have our flight to Buenos Aires already at 10am.  We have the rest of the afternoon and evening to visit again La Boca and enjoy a nice terrace.  It will be our last day, because Saturday only consists of busy airports and crowded airplanes…
Most likely my next blog will be coming from the cold Belgium again (grmbl) but like I said, the die hards will get some more surprises!