Traveling to a Natural Wonder of the World

Iguazú Falls, Argentina

Wow! What a ride . . . . Non-stop 24 plus hours on the road, three different buses, one broken air conditioner while traveling through the Gran Chaco the hottest place in Argentina, a blazing 105 degrees (sweltering and sweaty in the bus), three increasingly angry complaints about the lack of air conditioning, one fierce argument with the bus driver, one threat to throw me off the bus at the next stop to wait 24 hours for the next transport, followed by one derogatory shout of “Gringo!”, one cocaine bust at 2 o’clock in the morning, zero (that’s zero!) toilet paper in the bus bathroom, no bowel movements, two foul meals of stale bread, warm ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise, three hot coca colas, one lost writing pen, no sleep, no water, no “first-class” service . . . . and then . . . reaching Iguazú Falls, a natural wonder of the world. All is understood, forgotten, and accepted as the penance paid for experiencing the Goddess’s paradise on earth.

Bus (& bus driver with tie) with broken air conditioner, looks are deceiving

Traveling through the Gran Chaco

I lack the words to describe the magnificent cascade of rushing water, so here are the photos:

Iguazú Falls from a distance; lets get closer

Near the top

At the top of the Falls

It started raining & I had this area of the Falls to myself

Looking over the Falls, be careful, you might fall!

Climbing down to get a ground level view

From the ground looking up

A Coatis: they look cute but be careful

They can be dangerous when hungry

They are wild animals (doing the "wild thing")

Wild orchids are abundant

There are a variety of tropical flowers surrounding the Falls

The power and majesty of Iguazú Falls: A natural Wonder of the World

Cocaine Bust

The bus is stopped at 2:00 AM, everyone is escorted off the bus and identifications are checked. We board the bus. The National Police search the baggage compartment in the belly of the bus. They discover a large black suitcase without a number. All check-in luggage is tagged with a number to retrieve when getting off the bus. The police open the bag and discover several plastic wrapped bricks of processed cocaine. They celebrate and immediately call their superior on a cell phone to report their accomplishment and await orders. After a lengthy discussion with the bus driver and his assistant, the police board the bus.

Busted: cocaine bricks on the ground, note black suitcase under truck,

bus driver & assistant answering questions

Bus driver pleading to let the bus continue on its journey

They wave the empty suitcase and ask, “Who is the owner of this bag?” They are met with silence. No one is claiming the luggage. Some people look out the window or pretend to fall back to sleep. I want to laugh. Of course no one is going to claim the bag. I remain quiet and put on a face of indifference. The police hold the suitcase for five to ten minutes while scrutinizing everyone on the bus. The bus driver appeals to the police that no one is going to claim the bag and that the bus is already late and needs to be at its next destination. The police frown, climb down from the bus with the driver and squabble some more with him. After another 30 minutes, they decide to let the bus driver board the bus and we’re off into the night, two hours behind schedule. 

A number of passengers start whispering: “the only way the bag could get on the bus without a number is if it was placed there by an employee of the bus company.” Someone theorizes that it “probably was the bus driver, or his assistant, or both.” I’m wide awake and share in the gossip and indictment of the bus driver, who threatened to leave me on the side of the road. I say, “Yes, it was probably him and that’s why he didn’t want to stop at the bus terminal and let a mechanic look at the air conditioning and risk him finding the bag without a number”. A number of passengers nod their heads. We’ve figured it out.

Puerto Iguazú, Argentina

The city located close to the falls is small, around seven thousand, a community of friendly inhabitants who cater to travelers and their needs. It’s on the border with Brazil and Paraguay, with a culture unlike the rest of Argentina. There is a large number of Guaraní natives, the indigenous tribe that has lived in the jungle around Puerto Iguazú for over 10,000 years. People from Iguazú speak a type of Spanish that incorporates Guaraní and Portuguese words and a dialect found only in Northeastern Argentina, comparable to “Spanglish” (mixture of Spanish and English) of California and states bordering Mexico.

Brazilian musicians

Guaraní natives taking a break from selling their crafts

With Argentine currency losing value, Brazilians flock to Argentina for vacations. It’s less expensive than traveling through Brazil. Even though there’s a panoramic view of the Falls from Brazil, Brazilians prefer to stay in Puerto Iguazú. Portuguese is constantly heard on the streets and restaurants. Sounds of Brazilian samba music and indigenous vibes fill the air. Scanty clad beautiful Brazilian bodies add to the enjoyment and allure of the small city. Life shows down, partly due to the humidity and heat of the tropics, some due to the after glow of witnessing the majesty of Iguazú Falls.

Rio Paraná intersects three countries: bottom is Argentina, 

to the left is Paraguay, to the right is Brazil

Indigenous people sell their arts and crafts at low, affordable prices. There are wooden cravings of jungle birds and animals like toucans, parrots, jaguars and monkeys. A few natives paint scenes of the waterfalls. Visitors from all over the world come to enjoy the many natural wonders, whether its hiking at the falls, in the dense green jungle or rafting down crystal clear rivers. Can you stay just a little longer?

Eating a seafood pasta dish to finish the day