Igazu Falls and the North
Em and I set out from Buenos Aires bright and early to catch a plane to Puerto Iguazu. Even though they tell you to be there 2 hours early, an hour and a half would suffice and that's only cause you have to take a tram from your gate to the actual plane and therefore they start boarding an hour before take off.
We arrived in the late morning and were driven to our new home for the following three days, Jasy Hotel. This place is adorable, it has maybe fifteen rooms and they're all set up like multi-story cabins. Each one has a lower level with a few twin beds, a bathroom, and table, and then upstairs is the "parents room" with a loft containing a queen bed and a balcony. The entire place is comprised of wood and concrete mixed and has an urban jungle feel to it. Except for the mosquitoes that think I'm dinner, I love the atmosphere here.
After dropping our gear, we trekked the mile or so into town to get a bite to eat and to explore a bit. The town center is definitely geared towards the tourist trade with a bunch of restaurants that vie for customers in the evenings, wine shops, souvenir traps, and peddlers on the street, but there is a quant vibe to the place as well, especially if you travel a few blocks out of the main center.
Em and I decided to venture to the Tres Fronteras (Three Borders) and see where Portugal, Argentina, and Brasil all meet at the head of the Iguazu and Paraná rivers meet. The official meeting place is somewhere in the middle of the water, but from the Argentinean side, there is a nice outlook that gives a gorgeous view of all three countries and the convergence place of the two rivers. It was a nice little walk to get there for our pictures and due to the heat, the walk necessitated an ice cream on the way back.
So the main reasons that we flew up to this extreme northern region were to visit the Iguazu Falls (one of the modern Seven Wonders of the Natural World and supposed to make Niagara Falls look like a trickle) and to see the Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Jesuit Ruins.
Bright and early the morning following our arrival, we were hearded into a microbus (never sit in the back row if you can avoid it) and set out to see the Wanda Mines and The Ignacio Ruins.
The Wanda Mines are located about 62 km away from Puerto Iguazu (where we were staying), along the National Highway 12. The Town of Wanda was originally settled by Polish immigrants. There are two origin stories for how the locals discovered that there were precious stones in the earth under their farm land: (1) a washer woman was doing laundry in the local river and sliced her hand open on some amethyst that was lying under the surface, and (2) a farmer who's plow ran into a precious stone while tilling his field. Either way, once it was discovered that there were many beautiful gems beneath their feet, a booming gem mining operation was developed.
Our tour was pretty interesting and informative once we got the guide to realise that while everyone else in our group was a native Spanish speaker, we could only understand the gist of his speech unless he translated it; which he did quite admirably. The mine is relatively small with only 10 miners working at a time (all in different tunnels so that they won't fight over the stones) and gets more of its income from the daily influx of foreigners.
On the tour we were able see the stones in their natural earth deposits and the guide explained how the different stones were formed. For example, quartz crystal makes the base for most other precious stones; the addition of various other chemicals (like iron, magnesium, etc.), change this base stone into other stones like amethyst, onyx, Jasper, and many others.
From the Mines, we headed two hours further south along Route 12 to arrive at the San Ignacio Mini Ruins (not to be confused with its bigger brother, San Ignacio Grande Ruins). This site is one of several (30, I think) missions built by the Jesuit Priests in the 1600s.
This mission was originally built in 1610 in what is present day the Argentinean state of Paraná, but moved due to constant Portuguese attacks in 1632, and finally resettled in its current location in 1696. The mission was operational for approximately 120 years and contained about 3000-4000 inhabitants during it's heyday. The Jesuits attempted to convert the native Guarani people to Catholicism and partially succeeded. The head Priest was able to work with the village elders and as such peacefully change the indigenous society's religion and customs.
After listening to a Spanish history of the Mission and informing our guide that we would like an English tour, we ended up with a private tour, led by a decendent of the locals that had lived at this mission. At first we think that the girl wasn't too thrilled to be saddled with us, but as the tour got going and we were all able to converse in a mixed form of Spanglish, she warmed up to us. By the end of the tour, between tidbits of history and the snapping of pictures, we were looking at pictures of her adorable daughter and getting wine recommendations for Em.
The site itself is well preserved and you can see the outer walls of the homes, church, gardens, and workshops. Some were original, while others were restored. One cool tidbit, is that after the Mission was destroyed in 1817, the jungle began to reclaim the land. Ficus trees are very prevalent in this jungle and they sprang up everywhere. There is one tree in particular that they show you on the tour, because it didn't just sprout up like it's brethren, it decided to grow around and devour one of the stone housing pillars. This image reminds me very much of Doctor Who and as such I find it hilarious.
As we were leaving the ruins, we were informed that the van our group had arrived in had broken down and we wouldn't be returning with it. The driver of the broken van made some sort of deal with the tour guide on the giant bus and we were all added to its already packed manifest. Em and I were happy though because we went from expecting another 2 hour cramped and uncomfortable ride in a small van with no air to a 3 hour ride in a big bus with comfy seats, a movie (abet dubbed in bad Spanish) and AC; a much better trade in our opinion.
Day 3 in Iguazu dawned early with the van pulling up to take us on an adventure to the Iguazu Falls National Park. The Falls make up the largest system of waterfalls in the world and the rivers at the bottom form the border between Argentina and Brazil. While you can visit both sides of the Falls, the Argentinean side is more impressive as it contains the majority of the actual Falls, whereas, the Brazilian side contains the majority of the river that flows to create the Falls and is where you get the best panoramic views from. The Falls are also an UNESCO World Heritage Site and were labeled as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World in the latest selection.
Almost immediately upon embarking on this adventure, Em and I made the acquaintance of James (she's a girl) and Scott, whom we hung out with for the next 24 hrs (when we departed to Ushuaia and they headed back to Buenos Aires). Poor James had had her purse and all identification documents and credit cards stolen the day before in Buenos Aires and thus was reliant on Scott to get through the few days of vacation the had left. We bonded over our share stories of Em and I's almost robbery and her actual robbery.
The four of us became the baine of our tour guide's existence because she was constantly trying to rapidly move our whole group (10 of us) through the different attractions of the park, but we would casually stroll, making sure to capture the Falls, rainbows, jungle, and wildlife from every angle imaginable (I'm pretty sure I have 500 waterfall photos because it was just so gorgeous).
During the course of the day we transversed the three main paths: Devil's Throat, the upper trail, and the lower trail. The Devil's Throat takes you to the point where about 40% of all the water in the rivers fall from the higher plane to the lower plane. The upper and lower trails allow you a chance to see just how massive the park and Falls actually are and the give ample opportunity to take pictures from very angle imaginable.
It's breathttake to stand at the precipice of any of these giangntic waterfalls and see the majesty of nature. Millions upon millions of gallons of water are careening off a cliff to crash upon the rocks below. If one were to misstep, the nature of this place would instantly claim you without mercy or guilt. Most of the thousands of insignificant humans snapping their pictures and staring in wonderment probably aren't really taking any time to truly appreciate what it is they're seeing and the fact that it is our duty to try and preserve places like this for future generations.
We had paid extra to add the Grand Adventure to our tour of the park and it was worth every dime. Our adventure began with a whiplash inducing jaunt through the forrest in an open aired Jeep on crack, where the guide alternated explaining between Spanish and English about the formation of the park, its biodiversity, the Falls, and how the area became a protected site. At the conclusion of the 25 minutes Jeep ride (on which Scott managed to sleep while being jostled around and I was constantly determining whether I'd have the strength to pull him back into the vehicle if he listed too far over the rail), we headed down the slick stairs to the awaiting inflatable boat.
At the boat, everyone is handed a waterproof bag to put their backpacks and shoes in and then they're strapped into a brightly colored lifejacket. You board the boat and fret about whether you should be putting your expensive camera away now or waiting a bit until after you've captured another 200 photos of the falls from this bottom looking up. The boat speeds along the river Paraná, which separates Brazil and Argentina, and you are brought first to as close as you can get to the bottom of the falls without getting drenched, and then, after a quick second to seal anything you care about in your watertight bag, you race to the base of a few different falls and get to experience what being in a shipwreck might feel like. I essentially took my waterproof camera and started snapping away (because of the water doushing you, you couldn't really see what you were taking a picture of) and ended up with some really cool pounding water and drowning rat impersonation photos.
All in all, the Falls was well worth the extra trek north. I definitely now want to add Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls (in South Africa) to me most see list for comparison purposes.
Next stop, the complete other side of the country, Ushuaia, the most Southern City in the World (that belongs to a country as the cities in Antarctica don't count).
We arrived in the late morning and were driven to our new home for the following three days, Jasy Hotel. This place is adorable, it has maybe fifteen rooms and they're all set up like multi-story cabins. Each one has a lower level with a few twin beds, a bathroom, and table, and then upstairs is the "parents room" with a loft containing a queen bed and a balcony. The entire place is comprised of wood and concrete mixed and has an urban jungle feel to it. Except for the mosquitoes that think I'm dinner, I love the atmosphere here.
After dropping our gear, we trekked the mile or so into town to get a bite to eat and to explore a bit. The town center is definitely geared towards the tourist trade with a bunch of restaurants that vie for customers in the evenings, wine shops, souvenir traps, and peddlers on the street, but there is a quant vibe to the place as well, especially if you travel a few blocks out of the main center.
Em and I decided to venture to the Tres Fronteras (Three Borders) and see where Portugal, Argentina, and Brasil all meet at the head of the Iguazu and Paraná rivers meet. The official meeting place is somewhere in the middle of the water, but from the Argentinean side, there is a nice outlook that gives a gorgeous view of all three countries and the convergence place of the two rivers. It was a nice little walk to get there for our pictures and due to the heat, the walk necessitated an ice cream on the way back.
So the main reasons that we flew up to this extreme northern region were to visit the Iguazu Falls (one of the modern Seven Wonders of the Natural World and supposed to make Niagara Falls look like a trickle) and to see the Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Jesuit Ruins.
Bright and early the morning following our arrival, we were hearded into a microbus (never sit in the back row if you can avoid it) and set out to see the Wanda Mines and The Ignacio Ruins.
The Wanda Mines are located about 62 km away from Puerto Iguazu (where we were staying), along the National Highway 12. The Town of Wanda was originally settled by Polish immigrants. There are two origin stories for how the locals discovered that there were precious stones in the earth under their farm land: (1) a washer woman was doing laundry in the local river and sliced her hand open on some amethyst that was lying under the surface, and (2) a farmer who's plow ran into a precious stone while tilling his field. Either way, once it was discovered that there were many beautiful gems beneath their feet, a booming gem mining operation was developed.
Our tour was pretty interesting and informative once we got the guide to realise that while everyone else in our group was a native Spanish speaker, we could only understand the gist of his speech unless he translated it; which he did quite admirably. The mine is relatively small with only 10 miners working at a time (all in different tunnels so that they won't fight over the stones) and gets more of its income from the daily influx of foreigners.
On the tour we were able see the stones in their natural earth deposits and the guide explained how the different stones were formed. For example, quartz crystal makes the base for most other precious stones; the addition of various other chemicals (like iron, magnesium, etc.), change this base stone into other stones like amethyst, onyx, Jasper, and many others.
From the Mines, we headed two hours further south along Route 12 to arrive at the San Ignacio Mini Ruins (not to be confused with its bigger brother, San Ignacio Grande Ruins). This site is one of several (30, I think) missions built by the Jesuit Priests in the 1600s.
This mission was originally built in 1610 in what is present day the Argentinean state of Paraná, but moved due to constant Portuguese attacks in 1632, and finally resettled in its current location in 1696. The mission was operational for approximately 120 years and contained about 3000-4000 inhabitants during it's heyday. The Jesuits attempted to convert the native Guarani people to Catholicism and partially succeeded. The head Priest was able to work with the village elders and as such peacefully change the indigenous society's religion and customs.
After listening to a Spanish history of the Mission and informing our guide that we would like an English tour, we ended up with a private tour, led by a decendent of the locals that had lived at this mission. At first we think that the girl wasn't too thrilled to be saddled with us, but as the tour got going and we were all able to converse in a mixed form of Spanglish, she warmed up to us. By the end of the tour, between tidbits of history and the snapping of pictures, we were looking at pictures of her adorable daughter and getting wine recommendations for Em.
The site itself is well preserved and you can see the outer walls of the homes, church, gardens, and workshops. Some were original, while others were restored. One cool tidbit, is that after the Mission was destroyed in 1817, the jungle began to reclaim the land. Ficus trees are very prevalent in this jungle and they sprang up everywhere. There is one tree in particular that they show you on the tour, because it didn't just sprout up like it's brethren, it decided to grow around and devour one of the stone housing pillars. This image reminds me very much of Doctor Who and as such I find it hilarious.
As we were leaving the ruins, we were informed that the van our group had arrived in had broken down and we wouldn't be returning with it. The driver of the broken van made some sort of deal with the tour guide on the giant bus and we were all added to its already packed manifest. Em and I were happy though because we went from expecting another 2 hour cramped and uncomfortable ride in a small van with no air to a 3 hour ride in a big bus with comfy seats, a movie (abet dubbed in bad Spanish) and AC; a much better trade in our opinion.
Day 3 in Iguazu dawned early with the van pulling up to take us on an adventure to the Iguazu Falls National Park. The Falls make up the largest system of waterfalls in the world and the rivers at the bottom form the border between Argentina and Brazil. While you can visit both sides of the Falls, the Argentinean side is more impressive as it contains the majority of the actual Falls, whereas, the Brazilian side contains the majority of the river that flows to create the Falls and is where you get the best panoramic views from. The Falls are also an UNESCO World Heritage Site and were labeled as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World in the latest selection.
Almost immediately upon embarking on this adventure, Em and I made the acquaintance of James (she's a girl) and Scott, whom we hung out with for the next 24 hrs (when we departed to Ushuaia and they headed back to Buenos Aires). Poor James had had her purse and all identification documents and credit cards stolen the day before in Buenos Aires and thus was reliant on Scott to get through the few days of vacation the had left. We bonded over our share stories of Em and I's almost robbery and her actual robbery.
The four of us became the baine of our tour guide's existence because she was constantly trying to rapidly move our whole group (10 of us) through the different attractions of the park, but we would casually stroll, making sure to capture the Falls, rainbows, jungle, and wildlife from every angle imaginable (I'm pretty sure I have 500 waterfall photos because it was just so gorgeous).
During the course of the day we transversed the three main paths: Devil's Throat, the upper trail, and the lower trail. The Devil's Throat takes you to the point where about 40% of all the water in the rivers fall from the higher plane to the lower plane. The upper and lower trails allow you a chance to see just how massive the park and Falls actually are and the give ample opportunity to take pictures from very angle imaginable.
It's breathttake to stand at the precipice of any of these giangntic waterfalls and see the majesty of nature. Millions upon millions of gallons of water are careening off a cliff to crash upon the rocks below. If one were to misstep, the nature of this place would instantly claim you without mercy or guilt. Most of the thousands of insignificant humans snapping their pictures and staring in wonderment probably aren't really taking any time to truly appreciate what it is they're seeing and the fact that it is our duty to try and preserve places like this for future generations.
We had paid extra to add the Grand Adventure to our tour of the park and it was worth every dime. Our adventure began with a whiplash inducing jaunt through the forrest in an open aired Jeep on crack, where the guide alternated explaining between Spanish and English about the formation of the park, its biodiversity, the Falls, and how the area became a protected site. At the conclusion of the 25 minutes Jeep ride (on which Scott managed to sleep while being jostled around and I was constantly determining whether I'd have the strength to pull him back into the vehicle if he listed too far over the rail), we headed down the slick stairs to the awaiting inflatable boat.
At the boat, everyone is handed a waterproof bag to put their backpacks and shoes in and then they're strapped into a brightly colored lifejacket. You board the boat and fret about whether you should be putting your expensive camera away now or waiting a bit until after you've captured another 200 photos of the falls from this bottom looking up. The boat speeds along the river Paraná, which separates Brazil and Argentina, and you are brought first to as close as you can get to the bottom of the falls without getting drenched, and then, after a quick second to seal anything you care about in your watertight bag, you race to the base of a few different falls and get to experience what being in a shipwreck might feel like. I essentially took my waterproof camera and started snapping away (because of the water doushing you, you couldn't really see what you were taking a picture of) and ended up with some really cool pounding water and drowning rat impersonation photos.
All in all, the Falls was well worth the extra trek north. I definitely now want to add Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls (in South Africa) to me most see list for comparison purposes.
Next stop, the complete other side of the country, Ushuaia, the most Southern City in the World (that belongs to a country as the cities in Antarctica don't count).
posted by Robby @ 5:02 AM
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