We met up in Buenos Aires and boarded a small plane heading north towards Brazil and the border town of Foz Do Iguazu. The small airport is on the Argentinean side, while our hotel was on the Brazilian side. A taxi driver named Carlos befriended us and offered to be our driver for our entire stay for about $150. This turned out to be money well spent for us, as the border control between Argentina and Brazil is heavy handed, and between the six of us we had five different nationalities. I'm British, Freddie Belgian, Marleen French and Alain is Portuguese, and the girls have Spanish passports! I nicknamed Carlos "our coyote" as he drove the car, did all the talking and handled the paperwork. In true South American bureaucratic fashion you have to fill out all the paperwork and go through passport control when leaving Argentina, and then go through it all again when you arrive in Brazil twenty five yards later. But this was a once in a life-time opportunity to see the worlds most magnificent waterfalls, and well worth a little inconvenience.

 

Happily now on the Brazilian side, night was beginning to fall so we went straight to our hotel to rest up for the next two days of sight seeing. We stayed at the Best Western Iguassu - an 80's throwback in pink and purple tiles, circular windows and a games room featuring PacMan and Air Hockey. We found it best to keep looking out the windows at the surrounding jungle in order to avoid the decor of the room, which was done up in all the shades of rainbow sherbet.

 

We were up early, and Carlos was there waiting to shuttle us back to the Argentinean side and the entrance to the National Park of Iguassu. For some strange South American reason when you purchase tickets for the National Park you have to let them know what country you are from, as they have a sliding scale for the entrance fees. We wanted to purchase a family ticket for four adults and two children, but when the ticket lady learned we were five different nationalities, we had to give up trying for the discount. I'm sure the poor girl is still confused.

 

Once in the park we boarded an inflatable speed boat that took us up through the valley that the river has carved out of the jungle. We saw tall white herons poised over the rapids waiting patiently to snag a fish, and several pairs of toucans flying like rainbow daggers above the tree tops. Then with a turn in the river we heard the great roar in front of us, and the first of the mighty waterfalls came into view. 

 

The falls cascade over a precipice almost two miles wide, and the water crashes 350 feet down sending up an unending wall of spray. Our boat maneuvered to different view points for the best photos, and everyone struggled to maintain their balance in the boat while grinning before the cameras. Then we were told to put the cameras into the waterproof bags provided, as we were going into the falls! Anny and Cecilia squealed with excitement tinged with fear as the boat crept nearer and nearer to the base of the falls. At one point I could no longer contain myself and I stood up in the boat with my hands in the air and screamed with the delight of a kid on his first roller coaster ride. I could feel the enormous charge of energy that the water carried from hundreds of feet above. We were soaked to the skin, breathless and exhilarated. It was magnificent.

 

The boat dropped us on the small island of San Martin, where we hiked up a series of paths leading from one incredible vista to another. Along the way we marveled at the jungle flora and fauna: the orchids, the lizards, dazzling birds and giant ants sharing their turf with the eager tourists. Back on the main land we made the long winding walk around the series of falls, stopping for lunch and feeding the coati's. These cheeky rain forest natives are similar to raccoons, and are every bit as naughty. The girls fed them Cheetos to their mutual delight. Back on the trail we spotted monkeys leaping through  the tree canopies, and giant blue and yellow butterflies sipping from puddles along the pathways. We took a small open train to the higher reaches of the jungle, and then made our way across the newly installed catwalk to the heart of the falls, the Devils Throat. Fourteen waterfalls join forces at this point into one deafening crescendo of sound and spray, sending giant arcs of rainbows into the sky.  Overwhelmed and exhausted, we made our way back across the catwalks and spied a caiman, the local alligator, relaxing in the slow moving current. Despite the large number of tourists, this place is the real deal...as close to raw nature as most of us will ever come.

 

Again, our faithful coyote was waiting to bring us back to the sherbet hotel and its large relaxing pool. The people in this part of the world have a saying that goes "The Argentineans put on the show, and the Brazilians sit down to watch it" which means the Argentinean side is the best place to explore the falls, and the Brazilian side has the best views. So the next day we took the more leisurely paths in Brazil, and saw the falls from a more distant, and therefore more encompassing viewpoint. The photos I made that day are some of the best I have ever taken, and I am very happy to share them with you now.