Iguassu Falls, Brazil and Argentina

It has been a hectic few days. Firstly there was a monstrous 26 hour bus journey from Paraty to Foz de Iguacu incorporating a 3 hour layover in Sao Paulo bus station. A mainly dour trip was brightened somewhat by a couple of humorous moments. Firstly, during a 20 minute stop at a shop to get food I decided to purchase a pre-made sandwich from behind the counter. As I was in a rush to get back on the bus and not be left in the middle of some random town in Brazil it seemed like the most sensible option. After I submitted my request, the woman working behind the counter proceeded to take my sandwich away for 5 minutes. I stood there in confusion wondering what sort of great things they might be doing to enhance my lunch. I attempted to communicate to the woman that I needed my sandwich ASAP but to no avail. Eventually after what seemed an age the sandwich appears, merely cut in half and placed on a plate. If it takes 5 minutes to do that then somebody is clearly being paid too much!

The following morning we again stopped for a short time to get some breakfast. Disappointed by the lack of bread available I reluctantly requested a pizza for as it was one of the few things on offer that looked edible. The young lady working behind the counter then hands me the frozen pizza. In a state of confusion I ask her would she be kind enough to perhaps heat up my pizza for me as I am rather hungry right now and would rather not wait to get to my hostel in 3 hours time to eat it. Eventually she got the point!

The long journey was worth it however as the reward was simply breathtaking. I had heard great things about Iguassu Falls but I could never have imagined the sheer natural beauty that the World´s largest waterfalls had to offer. In total there are 275 waterfalls along 2.7 Kilometres of the Iguassu River which separates Brazil and Argentina. The falls can be accessed from both the Brazilian and Argentinian side of the border both offering a different experience. The Brazilian side provides the snap happy tourist with a great overview of the falls, while the Argentinian side allows you to get up very close to many of the falls and literally stand over some of them. The most impressive part of Iguassu Falls is Devil`s Throat, a U-Shaped, 82 metres high, 150 metre wide and 700 metre long cataract. Two years ago I was extremely impressed by the wonder of Niagara Falls, but after visiting Iguassu, it is merely its scrawny little brother in comparison.

Foz de Iguacu also provided another Wonder of the World - The Brazilian All You Can Eat BBQ! For 15 Reais (less than 7 euro) we were provided with a plate. After that it is all fair game! On about 40 occasions throughout our meal the waiters would come over to our table with freshly cooked meat and ask would we like to top up! It was all far too delicious that it was actually impossible to refuse until one felt physically ill from overeating. In addition the waiters had an incredible ability to make you feel extremely guilty for refusing the meat they were offering. They seemed to take the rejection personally. There was so many various kinds of meat available. You name it, they had it and after sampling everything available I fell into a serious food coma.

Currently I am sitting in Buenos Aires bus station awaiting an incredibly overpriced one hour ferry to the Uruguayan town of Colonia. But before I go let me tell you quickly about my 18 hour bus journey from Iguassu Falls to Buenos Aires with a company called Cruzeiro del Norte.

Cruzeiro del Norte don`t do lagers but if they did they would probably be the best lagers in the world. This bus was incredible. In return for 55 euro you receive a seat that reclines so far back that a decent sleep is actually possible. They also provide a pillow, a blanket, wine, champagne, dinner and breakfast. While the dinner is far from what I described above it is very much edible and far superior to the 'food' I was subjected to on my British Airways flight to Rio de Janeiro. All in all as 18 hour bus journeys go you will be hard pushed to find one better than what Cruzeiro del Norte provide.

Soon I will return to Buenos Aires but for now Uruguay awaits me.

Slan