Chasing Waterfalls

  When TLC first told me not to chase waterfalls as a youngster I vowed to myself that I would follow their fool-proof advice. However things change and I soon found myself in Northern Argentina staring at 'La Garganta del Diablo' (The Devil's Throat), the most impressive natural feature that I have ever seen. For the first time in a long-while I was speechless for a reason other than a failed retrieval of Spanish vocabulary. The showcase piece of the Cataratas de Iguazu blew me away on the spot as the devilish spit of the waterfalls flew into my face.

  From the moment I arrived in this country, the waterfalls in Iguazu had been sat firmly at the top of my tourist to-do list. The National Park that ties the two South American powerhouses of Argentina and Brazil is a world renowned phenomenon, but I had met very few people that had actually been. So when I got a few days off work to leave the country and renew my tourist VISA, the choice of destination was very simple. 

  Even the prospect of a 19 hour bus trip each-way did little to flicker my enthusiasm and before I knew it I was sat on the coach, with my mate Ed, watching a Spanish dubbed version of the Eddie the Eagle movie (strange choice to say the least). I fell asleep after a 7/10 coach meal of Milanesa (obviously) and awoke to a new window view of red dirt roads and tropical rainforest. This is what I was talking about. 

Excuse me for thinking they may speak
Portuguese here....

  Having checked into the hostel (in a 16 bed dorm) and met with fellow friend Lucy, we made our way to the Brazilian side of the falls (Cataratas do Iguaçu). This involved leaving Argentina for the first time in a couple of months and entering my future home of Brazil. For some reason I saw the border patrol as a great opportunity to dust off my rapidly rusting Portuguese. I tried the 'Obrigado' and even attempted to describe my trip itinerary in the native tongue. Yet I'd been so set on speaking Portuguese that I failed to acknowledge that the woman was actually Argentinean and was speaking to me in Spanish. All my Argentinean authenticity that I'd spent two and a half months building up suddenly flushed away. 

  Tourist. 

  Despite this and the presence of a large firm of Argentinean football fans crossing the border with us, we left the country with ease and headed to the falls. They say that the Brazilian side of the falls is the most beautiful and the Argentinean side the most impressive, so with that in mind I was ready with iPhone camera in hand and potential Instagram ideas in mind. I can quickly assure you now that it did not disappoint. The tropic trails led to a pick n mix selection of viewing spots that offered us a sweet first view of the waterfalls and it was really incredible.  

  I could easily write thousands of words outlining the beautiful details of every view that I encountered of the falls; but as much as they deserve the attention that would get boring for everyone.   So here are three panoramic shots that I took on the Brazilian side of of the falls that offer an insight into just how incredible this place was. 

  The largest network of waterfalls in the World in all of its glory. Just look at the state of that, you don't get that in leafy Hertfordshire. I don't know what was the most impressive aspect, the scale or the aesthetic quality. The varying sizes of the 275 drops all compliment each-other in a way that would seem only possible through intense human planning. Yet nature has shown us once more what it's capable of and even glosses it's finest work with a scattering of delicate rainbows as cherries on the cake. If Iguazu was Messi, it would be adding a few extra nutmegs into his goal compilations.

A dedicated Coati digging for gold. 

  If the Brazilian side was the beauty then the Argentinean side certainly gave the strength and power. The rainforest trails led to further viewpoints of a scenery that took you into a Jurassic world, with only a few Pterodactyls and Diplodocuses missing from a blockbuster film set. The wild coatis danced around our feet as we walked and every five minutes we would stop and admire a view that we'd seen 5 minutes earlier - with an extra expletive of awe. Everything just got more and more impressive.

 The dynamism of the wonder set it aside from other wonders that I've seen. Uluru, Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China are all phenomenal, but after a few hours you've seen it and that's all. Iguazu is in a state of constant movement and its autonomy encapsulates you into a whirlwind of true inferiority. It lives, breathes and functions around you.

  No sight symbolises this more than the Devil's Throat itself. The centrepiece on the natural mantlepiece of Argentina's side of Iguazu is built up from the moment you arrive to the point where an anti-climactical experience appears the only outcome. My God was that wrong. As you approach on the over-water walkways, the pounding growl of the devil warns you of its presence. I could never be too prepared for the view I was about to walk into. 

Taking Chelsea to Iguazu 24 hours
before 3-0 thumping defeat away at
Arsenal.....

  The holy cascade of water cannons off the drops into the throat of El Diablo producing a fiery steam of water vapour that blocks any vision of the ground. If 'dropping into the abyss' was ever appropriate it was now. I was speechless and quite hit by the occasion of it all, it was breath-taking. Even the wild throng of tourists battling for the perfect photo didn't scratch the surface of the experience. I'd be hypocritical to say otherwise, I pulled out my Chelsea shirt and posed for a number of snaps that made me as tourist as anyone. It was one of the best experiences of my life who wouldn't!

  As you can probably tell I had quite a good time. Normally I'm not one to get too blown away by something but they really did take me into a new level of impression. It was as close to paradise as I've witnessed and I will not forget it quickly. Even a chaotic trip to Paraguay (which deserves its own article), a chaotic bus journey home* and a 7 hour wait in Buenos Aires for a minibus home did nothing to take the gloss off what was one of the best experiences of my life. If anyone is ever in the area, I could not recommend the Cataratas de Iguazu more, they will not disappoint.

  If I learnt one thing from this trip it's that TLC were wrong - always, always go chasing waterfalls. 

 Thanks for reading. 

     

*The journey was spent watching the driver failing to function the Chinese (?!) operating system on the DVD player, stopping in random places for police checks, eating dinner at nearly 1am and finally breaking down on the side of the motorway for 45 minutes.