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December 24, 2008 10:43PM
From Buenos Aires I took a second side trip, this to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay across the Rio de la Plata. Colonia’s charming Barrio Historico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with cobblestone streets and convent ruins from the 17th century, a lighthouse with views from its observation deck, and many small shops, historic buildings and restaurants. It’s comprised of just a few square blocks a pleasant stroll from the ferry terminal (though some folks rent bikes or golf carts to get around).
I wasn’t in the mood for museums or crowds (and Colonia marked the only time I encountered hordes of loud American tourists), but alone on quiet side streets and along the river, I was fascinated for hours by the pretty architecture, birds and flowers. Eventually I joined the crowds at the ruins, the park and the mission.
After a week of seeing ham & cheese offered three meals a day (rolled slices at breakfast, on white bread with the crusts cut off for lunch, and in cubes on platters for supper), I was absolutely thrilled to find two cooked vegetables in one meal in Colonia. I dined al fresco on ravioli with mushrooms and greens, and after a few sips of a dry rose I was more inclined to laugh than despair when the meal arrived swimming in a cheesy sauce bearing tiny slivers of yet more ham.
Past the old city walls, I found a secluded lawn perfect for a little siesta with a view. The river here is so wide one can’t see Buenos Aires, which lies over the horizon.
A random picture from the walk between the historic district and the ferry terminal:
This cheerful creature (who bears a striking resemblance to the painted ceramic turkey jars hawked in Cracker Barrels around Thanksgiving) greeted me from a vacant lot:
And after a perfect, lazy day in the sun, I felt ready to go “home” for a night on the town.
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November 14, 2008 12:31PM
Flora & Fauna
I saw two kinds of monkeys in the park, but they were almost always in shadow or moving very quickly or sometimes both. This was the best picture I got, from early in the day on a quiet walk with no other humans very close. Later, a little brown monkey & I had a long look into each other’s faces & eyes, but by the time I thought to reach for my camera, he’d leapt away to join a pack of about a dozen who were foraging & moving quickly through the rainforest canopy at mid-afternoon.
There were many lizards (with a variety of markings), which ranged in size from a few inches to a couple of feet. One large, officious beast came marching across my path – “Out of my way, human!” It was comical because there was absolutely no one around & no real need for him to cross just there, to force me to stop for him, but he did. He was molting: his front end sported a gorgeous, pristine black-and-white geometry that reminded me of the pottery and baskets of the American (US) Southwest, but most of his tail was still covered in papery brown tissue. Unfortunately, I missed the picture, but here’s one of his cousins:
The butterflies were beautiful – varied, numerous & total flirts.
The “Green Train” had at a few hitchhikers like this one:
Periodically, one would see clouds of yellow or orange pass through an area. Sometimes, they’d stay awhile, reveling in the salts & moisture found at puddles in the red earth.
At the river route back from the Garganta del Diablo, this beast seemed unperturbed by having his lunch observed & documented by masses of tourists with zoom lenses.
Most of the birds were too far and/or too fast to capture a clear image of, but as at home, the jays at Iguazu were noisy, bossy, curious, acquisitive & hardly shy though not exactly friendly. (I sound critical, but I actually quite like them.)
There were many beautiful wildflowers, mosses, ferns, lichens, etc, but I didn’t get many good pictures. This is one I like because it captures something of the intensity of the afternoon sun away from tree cover:
It all seems so remote from the cold, grey morning of barren trees & light drizzle here today in Massachusetts. I’m sorry to feel the immediacy of my impressions fading as inevitably as winter pallor overtaking the last of the tan on my arms. Nothing gold can stay. But of all the ways I could’ve chosen to part with some hard-earned cash, I’m so very glad I chose to invest in experiences & memories. Those aren’t easily broken and are harder to take away. And I want to continue to build & grow from my experiences – in particular, I’m really motivated now to learn Spanish & use that for further travels. I just hope I follow through.
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November 11, 2008 11:14AM
Prelude
Flying in to Puerto Iguazu, plumes of spray from largest of the area’s waterfalls rise over the forest. A hint of what I’ll witness the next day.
Roughly a mile beyond the quiet little town of Puerto Iguazu is Hito Tres Fronteras, where Argentina (where I’m standing), Paraguay (to the left) and Brazil (to the right) meet.
I had a great night's sleep at my "eco" themed B&B and was awakened by songbirds in the morning.
Cataratas del Iguazu, Parque Nacional Iguazu
Below, the falls of San Martin & various other saltos. These aren’t even the largest of the falls at Iguazu; I’ll get to the Garganta del Diablo later.
To give some sense of the massive scale here, the boats below are heading into the falls visible between the palms in the picture above. Each boat holds about fifty passengers.
It’s hard to step back far enough to give a sense of the panorama. The falls shown above are on the right here, ahead is the Isla San Martin (usually accessible by boat but closed while I was there due to high water levels), and behind the island to the left is the Garganta del Diablo. The land on the left is Brazil’s Parque Nacional do Iguacu.
There’s beauty everywhere one looks and new wonders around each corner:
A few views from various perspectives as one walks among the falls:
The guidebooks aren’t kidding when they warn you’ll get wet on the Argentine side of the falls!
Anywhere else in the world, these two alone would be a major attraction:
To reach the Garganta del Diablo, one takes “The Green Train Of The Jungle” (included in the price of admission to the park). Then there’s an 1100 meter walk over the river:
From the Argentine side, one is basically standing on top of the Garganta del Diablo:
The sights and sounds are almost overwhelming.
To cross to the Brazilian side is a bit of a hassle & an expense as visas are required for US citizens, and I knew in advance I didn’t have time for it. I’m told the panoramic view of Diablo from there is spectacular, but the park is smaller with less to see & do, and the town is much larger & more dangerous, especially after dark. With limited time, I was content to stay on the Argentine side & wished I had even more than a full day there.
A few statistics: taller than Niagara and wider than Victoria, there are around three hundred waterfalls (nineteen considered major) here with a total length of about 1.7 miles (2.7 km). The height of the drop at Garganta del Diablo is 270 feet (82 meters), and the flow peaks at about 1,717,118 gallons per second with average flow being 396,258 gallons per second. The Argentine side is home to at least 80 species of mammals, 450 species of birds, and countless bugs & flora.
Truly, the Iguazu Falls are one of the great wonders of the world.
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