Puerto Iguazu (Iguazu Falls) 10/20/12 - 10/22/12

After seeing the falls from Brazil, it was time to head into Argentina.  We were sad to leave one great country, but at the same time excited for what lies ahead (especially the Patagonia region).  The border crossing into Argentina was very easy:  catch a bus, get an exit stamp, get another bus, get an entry stamp, then hop back onto same bus to get to town.

Our first night we met up with our German friend, Simon, who we randomly ran into earlier in the day on the bus in Brazil on our way to the falls.  We first met him while in Paraty, so it was cool to catch back up.  The three of us hung out and planned our next morning at the falls from the Argentina side.

It was only appropriate, given our luck with the weather lately, that it was raining the next morning.  It was pouring down rain when we woke up, so we waited later than planned, but eventually decided to pull things together and head to the falls regardless.  As Matt continues to say, "We won't have to wonder what it looks like in the rain".  He also kept saying while we were there that he felt like he was in a real life version of the movie Avatar, because of seeing the waterfalls and all of the lush vegetation and overhanging trees.

There were three sections to tackle while in the park.  First, we took the middle level path getting close to the falls and offering fantastic views.

Next, we took the lower path providing a different perspective at the bottom of the falls, and an appreciation for the size of the falls.

From the lower path we got on a boat and headed into the roaring water for our "Iguazu baptism".  It was a 9 minute boat ride that gave us a view of the Devil's Throat, and put us up close and personal with other waterfalls.  The boat driver took us as close as we could get to the gushing water falls, then drove out so we could catch our breath, and then went back in one more time for good measure.  It was spectacular!!  The sounds and power of the falls was indescribable.  Such a cool experience.  Good thing we had our handy dandy plastic ponchos to keep us dry.  People without ponchos were completely soaked head to toe.

Lastly, we took the train to the top tier where it began to rain hard again, a joyous pleasure at this point (sarcasm).  Not to mention, after our boat trip we loaned our ponchos to two people from our hostel so that they would not get drenched on their boat trip.  This path took us across the river for quite a way.  Walking over the river everything was very calm and normal, then at the end of the path it felt as if the earth was falling into a hole; say hello to the mega waterfall known as Devil's Throat.  The Devil's Throat is a u-shaped falls 82 meters high, 150 meters wide, and 700 meters long.  Water was pouring, gushing, ripping, and roaring sending massive clouds of mist upwards and drenching its audience (along with the rain).

It was a little disappointing not getting to see the falls in the sunshine with the contrast of bright blue skies and white waterfalls, and the rainbows that are present in good weather.  So, once again, our pictures of this incredible piece of nature don't come close to doing it justice.  

That night we wanted to know how Argentine beef compared to Brazilian beef, so we treated ourselves to a nice steak dinner with some new friends.  We were able to share the steak, thanks to the size of Argentine steak, which was helpful on the budget.  We refuse to make the call on better meat just yet.

We stayed at Timpo Posada on the main street in bunk beds for about $12 each.  Nothing super fancy, but it had a great outdoor communal area where we spent most of our time.