#iguasu

If you’re ever in the privileged position of tossing up whether to go to the Brazilian side of the Iguasu falls or the Argentinian side of the Igauzu falls (spelling difference is deliberate here) I would strongly recommend either doing both or just the Argentinian side. On Brazil there is a short trail and some spectacular views but it is more or less over in less than 2 hours, maybe even one. 

On The Argentinian side, you need a full day to appreciate the vastness of the falls. You have multiple trails that you can take which, all up, should take you about 3-4 hours walking time, and multiple look outs where you can see different aspects of the cataracts. In Brazil you can see a wider panorama of the falls but I still felt as if I saw more in Argentina. In Brazil I felt I was taking several photos of much the same view whereas in Argentina it felt much more varied - perhaps because you walked all over the place to get totally different perspectives of the falls. 

There’s also much more to do. Dave and I took a rather expensive 12 minute boat ride but they used those minutes well - taking us practically under one of the waterfalls (St Martin Falls) until we were blinded by the frothy mist and soaking wet by the end of it. It was quite something else to see that gushing fall of water thundering to meet you in your tiny rubber boat. 

The trail is all walking and mostly flat so it’s very easy going - even the 3-5 hours doesn’t really tire you out. Just get used to alternating between wet and dry quite often throughout the day! 

There’s also a train you can take which will take you right to the mouth of the most impressive of waterfalls, called Garganta del Diablo or The Devil’s Throat. This is the one you see from Brazil also - you can actually see the point where you stood in Brazil from the Argentinian side and vice versa! - but from Argentina the vantage point to me was absolutely breathtaking. The walk there is all along metal railings that have been built above the churning water of the Iguazu river. When it reaches the view point it fans out into a larger platform capable of accommodating a larger crowd. Here, the water below the lace-like metal floor is replaced by white spray. When you look over the railing there is more white, so much so that you can’t see anywhere near to the water below. To your right stretching out into the curve of a wide mouth are cascades like you wouldn’t believe. The roaring water of the Iguazu river fairly leaps off the edge with a power that absolutely stuns you. It is all angry, white and deafening noise and, best of all, vivid rainbows created by burgeoning clouds spray. The crowd stands on the edge of the platform either taking photos on their GoPros or with faces upturned towards the cooling spray - a refreshing break from the relentless sun. It’s hard to believe that we are seeing the waterfalls at their all-year low. I could not even begin to imagine what it would look like in full spate, in October.

Sticking out like a sore thumb from the rest of be crowd was an ancient looking Asian man wearing a pair of blue underpants, a floppy blue hat and a pair of flip flops. Sagging belly wet with water and grinning with blackened teeth, he had his arms high up above his head with the jazz hands going, with his legs moving to a tune only he could hear in his head. Dave gave him a thumbs up sign which he cheerily returned before continuing his crazy dance. I honestly felt rather jealous - he was having more fun than anyone! 

The towns on both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides leave much to be desired. They look like the were built willy-nilly in the 70s and haven’t had any upgrades since. It’s actually rather depressing - everything looks run down and dated, heightened all the more because it was low season and quite deserted in parts. The Argentinian side is slightly better when you get to the busier part of ‘downtown’ - everything looks like it has a bit more of a pulse although still really old fashioned (and not in the good way). The street vendors are more insistent here - in Brazil they would drift dreamily by your table, offer you their wares and be on their way at the first shake of a head, but in Argentina they try to strike up a conversation (whether you understand Spanish or not) and then empty their bags onto your table and only go away after several firm “No gracias"s.