Iguazu | Argentina Part I
Despite my inclination to hunt for snow, I stayed away from Patagonia’s southernly winter and spent a few days in the north to explore the Amazonian village of Iguazu. The town literally translates to big water and for good reason: here is where the largest system of waterfalls can be found.
The park itself has a Disney-like feel to it: plenty of overpriced eateries and some luxury hotels could be found on the campus map. There is even a small train to take you around each of the major sights. And like at any proper amusement park, the crowds were immense. So when I saw them zig, Zack zagged; soon I had the jungle all to my own.
Starting from the bottom meant that a small hike was involved. The falls are on the precipice of the rainforest; green canopies dangle overhead generously shading one from the ferocious sun. Songs from colorful birds echoed around and off of branches hung animals from a genus I couldn’t place. Metal suspension bridges act as a pathway guiding from view point to view point. For being one of the biggest waterfalls in the world, you don’t see them at first: you hear them. The sweet swoosh of the beginning streams grows into a rolling rumble until a continuous, deafening thunder booms all around you. When I finally rounded the corner, I was looking up at a mountain with a never-ending avalanche pummeling down its sheer cliff face. As the water crashes below, the spray becomes a purest white noise. To say I was shook was an understatement: I was shaking from reverberations of the awesomeness that is Mother Nature.
Once seen from afar, I knew I had to get as close as I could. Dubbed La Gargantua del Diablo, the Devils Throat is a platform that sits just on the edge of the falls. Donning a raincoat, I battled the hordes of visitors to witness the power. The photos can’t do justice to the force of water pouring down, and alas I didn’t have the appropriate gear to stop the light and properly capture the flow. But you can use your imagination :)
