Iguazú National Park

My trip to Misiones, the province that holds the unmistakable Iguazú falls, began with a bus ride that really made me think about my time here in South America. Our initial bus ride was supposed to be around 12 hours, but when our bus broke down at midnight, we would spend the next 3 hours hanging out on the side of the road and getting to know each other a little better. Sure it stinks that our trip was halted for the time being and we were losing time, but of course the mentality of all the people on my program is to make the best out of anything. We all chatted, listened to music on someone's laptop, shared the few snacks each of us brought, and got to know each other a little better. I have made such good friends with the others on my program and I know it will be hard to say goodbye to all of them when the time comes. You know, I travelled thousands of miles away from home to meet these amazing people, and that is what I cherish the most now. It is not the same as meeting someone from your local university or gym, because each and every one of us was drawn here by something we all share in common. We all love new experiences, traveling, Spanish, meeting people, learning about cultures, and of course having a good time. When you throw a bunch of people with these similarities together, your bound to have a tight group and amazing chemistry. So my 3 hours on the side of the road, waiting for the ever so lax mechanic to come fix our bus, was a pleasure to spend with my friends and new family here.

When we finally got back on the road, our scenery changed completely from flat lands and open prairie, to the rain forest zone with tropical rain spraying our bus for hours. We were headed for an estancia or type of ranch to have all the asada we could eat. But that day, I think with everything we had been through, a long side with the tropical rainforest scenery, made the asada even better. We ate at in an open building with a roof protecting us from the thick rain, and the owner of the estancia kept coming by each table shedding more meat onto our plates...I was content in many ways.

Later it was back to the bus for 4 more hours to get to our final destination, Iguazú National Park. The water falls at Iguazú is the natural wonder of South America, and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I was so excited my sleep the night before was light, and even my military roommate who attends the Virginia Military Institute, told me he had never seen someone get up so excitedly at 6 A.M....I was ready!

Our chilly morning tour began at the national park with a historical background of the area, and the spotting of many rainforest creatures like the Toucan bird. Eventually our natural solid ground with trees all around us had turned into man made bridges leading us over huge pieces of running rivers. You could smell the waterfall getting closer and closer, and see water being sprayed up in the air from the falls from very far away. When we finally got to the main site, La Garganta del Diablo or the Devil's Throat, it was breathless. Mist was hitting you in all directions, and the tenacity at which the water was flowing down the falls, made the water shoot back up after contact. This left the throat of the falls to look like a huge cloud with and endless pit in the middle, literally heading down to the devil himself. We stayed at the main site for a good time so we could snap pictures and let this moment sink in, because it definitely takes a little while for that to happen.

With our adrenaline still pumping, we headed down to check out the other falls of the park and get a better view of everything going on. The Iguazú falls are split into about 270 discrete falls and large islands*, so we had a lot of roaming around to do! Each waterfall site brought us down another level to the point where we were standing at the foot of one of the falls. We dropped our bags and walked the plank to get drenched with huge amounts of rushing water. Iguazú currently has the second greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world...Yes, I listen to my tour guide. But when we reached the ground level, we all hopped onto a large dingy, and headed straight into falls to try and catch a glimpse of the devil. Rainbows were popping out of every direction, and without sunglasses, it would have been hard to see them since water was shooting into your face. Some of the kids elected to buy panchos, but I took my date with the devil in a sleeveless shirt, barefoot, and a pair of shorts...the devil didn't intimidate me. If I was going to get soaked and be a little chilly afterward so be it, this was apart of the experience. The waves the falls created kept jumping up into our boat, making you want more, and to go deeper into the falls each time. It was truly amazing to see the falls from this perspective and the force they carry. All the kids were yelling "otra vez, otra vez, otra vez" signaling to the driver we wanted to go again and again, but eventually the ride was up and we took our 50 shivering bodies off the boat...the pancho was not as impermeable as some of the others thought it would be haha.

Our next stop was the Tres Fronteras, or the three boundries. At one point close by the falls, you could see three different countries separated by a few small bodies of water. Paraguay, Brasil, and Argentina were all right near each other at this one site, each having their flags raised proudly, and their colors glowing. It was truly an interesting thing to see and capped off the perfect day.

The last day of our trip we boarded military style trucks and headed straight into the jungle to see the lands of the Guarani. The Guarani are indigenous people who inhabit this area and have lived there for hundreds of years. We had a tour guide from the tribe take us around, show us a typical home, the living conditions, and how they trapped their food. The way this society has stayed so out of touch with the modern world was amazing and very peaceful at the same time. I mean you would see these children playing in the dirt and swinging on the tree vines with no worries on their face about anything. It made me take a step back and let me remember the important things and capture the natural beauty...it was so refreshing. The Guarani people are very modest and most of them will not look you into your eyes while you speak because they are shy and timid. However, a few children and tribal members welcomed us with a beautiful song, and then we were able to purchase some of the crafts they had made. And just as the Tres Fronteras had capped off yesterday perfectly, our Guarani visit capped off our trip as a huge success, I loved every second.

My time at Iguazú may have been the highlight of my South American journey. And even though I have been probably throwing those words around way too much, and using them after every backpacking trip I take, I can't help it. Each trip keeps bringing me new experiences and gives me the possibility to see things I have never seen before. So, I guess I could come to a conclusion and say that my whole time in South America has just been one big highlight. And if you don't believe me, I have 50 best friends that would back me up in an instant.