We're not in Kansas now...

About Waterfalls...
Nothing can prepare you for Iguaza waterfalls... they are a series of waterfalls, with the biggest being La Garganta del Diablo "Throat of the Devil". It's massive. Imagine a great big cliff face - Avon Gorge, White cliffs of Dover - where water is just rushing off it from all sides, thundering to the bottom. Except you can{t see the bottom because the spray bounces up as all the water thunders the 174 metres off the edge. Even better, this isn't a flat face - it{s curved, so it does look like a massive throat.

To get to see this giant, you walk out on walkways across a swirling river that's hurtling towards this edge. If you're lucky, when you walk out, you see an egret (black bird, long beak, similar size to a swan) wrestling with an eel that has wrapped itself round the bird's neck. The bird wins and swallows the eel while it's still wriggling.

That's just one part of the National Park (which is very well organised with signposted paths, walkways, toliets, cafes etc). There are loads of waterfalls. One set of walkways take you above them, the other lets you see them from the bottom. Fantastic. But it gets better...

Yeah, we did the jungle truck ride and then the speed boat ride up the river, across the rapids and... up close and personal with some of the waterfalls. AMAZING!!! And very very wet. We went into the waterfall twice.

Other cool stuff about the Parc Iguazu:
- there's loads of these little racoon like creatures called coatis. Long noses, that they try to stick into your bag. There was loads of baby ones too.
- MASSIVE ANT. One inch long. Evil looking thing.
- birds - loads and very pretty.

About Puerto Iguazu
This is the town we're staying in, at a residencial (very cheap B&B style accommodation).

Town is nice, quite sleepy but the maps LIE. Either that or they move the buildings every time you turn your back....(Film geeks - just like Dark City but with more daylight).

Last night we met Nadim and Kefei, academics who had been on a conference in BA. We can't seem to escape you geo-physics-what not types! (Ros and Kit you know we mean you!). We{re going to attempt to upload a photo of us all at dinner eating, yes, you guessed it, meat.

About backpacking
Yeah, kind of remembering how to do this. Kind of hard having to stick to a budget, but we're managing so far. Even harder is accepting that not every meal is meant to be delicious and enjoyable...and we might be about to book an expensive stay on a polo ranch... but hey, it includes meals and polo lessons!!! First we will learn how to ride the horses though....

Weather report
Hot and wet. All right if you're with a lady but no damned good in the jungle*. Too be fair, it's not that humid, we just like that quote, but it is very hot.

*delicate readers (you know who you are...)- this is a film quote not a personal opinion....

Mañana (Tomorrow)
Day trip to Brazil (as you do) to see the falls from that side, then go have some lunch Brazilian style, and hopefully buy some Havianas flip flops. Oh, and figure how to get out of Puerto Iguazu down to a town that is probably about 15 hours away. We think. We don't even know if there is a direct bus to it yet. Hey ho.

Martin and Kara.