In the past five days I have managed to travel a couple of thousand kilometres across to the north west of Argentina and am now in beautiful Salta. This is the part of the country where colonial history, the Andes mountains, the fight for independence, the Inca history and gaucho traditions along with the local wine landscapes all weave together in an amazing tapestry whose threads I´ve yet to untangle.
How I got here - via Argentine´s amazing long distance coaches - and the northern towns I visited over the past few days following the route of the great liberator General San Martin - Mendoza and San Miguel de Tucuman - will have to wait for a later entry.
Friday 2 May
It is early afternoon in Salta but having had breakfast just two hours ago means that I don´t want to face lunch just yet. The museums and offices all close here between 1pm and 4pm for siesta. So it´s a good excuse to spend an hour at an Internet cafe, catching up on some writing.
Monday last week I escaped from the intensity and smog of Buenos Aires by flying to the Iguazu Falls (known as Cataratas in Argentina and Foz Iguaçu in Brazil) for a couple of days. The Falls are located in the Missiones region of Argentina along the borders of Brazil and Argentina and nestled near Paraguay.
I took a lot of photos and video of course but as those of you who have been to Iguazu, cold images can´t do justice to the place. Iguazu Falls is something you have to experience - to see the multitude of cascades, hear the roar of the water descending at the Devil´s Throat (as if all of Sydney Harbour was being dragged through a plughole)to feel the spray drenching you and smell the sub tropical rain forest around you.
If you are limited by time, travelling alone and not familiar with the area, the best way to see the Falls from both the Argentine side (which takes you up close to them) and the Brazilian side (which gives you the best overall view) is to take an organised tour. Mine included a boat ride underneath one of the falls, a four wheel ride into the forest (the best time to visit is spring when the native orchids and trees are in bloom) and a chance to meet other travellers from around the world. My only regret is that I didn´t allocate another day or two to this side trip, to visit the the ruins of the Jesuit missionaries, to take a rafting trip and explore the local (amethyst?) mines. Oh well, save that for the next trip.
I decided to splurge and have bought a DVD of the Falls which includes all the scientific and history stuff (in English), great vision of the Falls from all angles and finishes with coverage of my particular tour - once the videographer assigned to our group knew I was interested in a copy of the DVD, he tried to include me in every shot so I apologise in advance for having to subject family and friends to my regular intrusion into one of Nature´s Major Wonders!!
If you are considering your own visit to Iguazu, you can stay at either of the top class hotels right on the edge of the Falls or you can opt for budget options in the small town of Puerto Iguazu (on the Argentinian side) or the busier and larger Brazilian city of Foz Iguaçu - it probably depends on which airport you are travelling from.
I stayed at the Hostel-Inn http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php?PHPSESSID=f61a9531088f66ee88e84f10e3f773fe on the outskirts of Puerto Iguazu. Hint: You can catch a shuttle bus from the Iguazu Airport for about 15 pesos which is a considerable saving on taxis - which usually have the monopoly at Argentine airports and bus stations.
My private room with baño cost around $A27. Unfortunately the young staffer behind the counter hadn´t heard of the South American Explorers Club 10% discount (like your other typical backpackers place, all the staff and most of the guests are young enough to be your children and you greet anyone there over the age of 30 with secret smiles acknowledging our shared wisdom and experience) but hey, I wasn´t going to quibble.
After booking into the hostel, I took a local bus to the centre of the town (cost: one peso or less than 40 cents) into Puerto Iguazu itself to get something to eat, to book a tour, to check my email and to get some money out of my travel account (achieved in not necessarily that order)
I realised that I was no longer in Kansas, so to speak, when upon returning to my hostel room later that afternoon, I almost stepped on a tarantula. Since I refuse to share my sleeping quarters with any creature with more than the appropriate number of appendages I had one of the young staffers demonstrate his machismo by flinging the said arachnid as far as possible away from my bedroom window - and shutting the window tightly! Will post the image of my uninvited room mate at a later date.
A shower and a gin and tonic later I found myself back in the social area of the hostel. The Hostel Inn calls itself more of a backpackers resort and certainly the inground pool and bar were inviting. Waiting for dusk to arrive so I could take a dip without having to expose too much of my white, sagging flesh to the youth of the world, I pulled up a chair at the bar. I was the only one sitting at the bar so Benicio, the friendly Brazilian barman, was happy for my to practise my Spanish on him, peppered with an occasional obrigada for effect.
It was still happy hour and an excuse to indulge in 'two for one' Caipirinha - which happens to be Brazil´s national drink. Not beng familiar with this concoction, I decided to broaden my education which Benicio was happy to oblige.
I quite like Caipirinhas but warning - they can sneak up on you.
I spent so much time chatting to Benicio about his family and life in general that I never made it into the swimming pool and only just managed to make it iin time for the barbecue dinner at the hostel served with more free Caipirinhas.
Such is life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caipirinha
So to finish, two links - above is the history and recipe for the demon concoction
And music from The Mission film - and yes, it will haunt you throughout your visit here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvBT9sqXnew
hasta luego
Debra
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