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Iguazu 1200 ks north of Buenos Aires in a province called the Missions that bound Brazil and Paraguay  From the moment we got of the plane we were hit by the heat, 33c. Our driver took us to our resort and dropped our bags. Raimund had arranged for the driver to take us on a tour for a very good deal.

Tucan

So into the car and off to a bird aviary and butterfly farm, every colour of butterfly you could imagine, so many birds large and small. The Toucans were Rhondda’s favourite, very brilliant colours and quite friendly, some of the cages we walked through with an uninterrupted view of the birds around us, the large parrots were not so friendly but very colourful. We saw an anaconda sleeping and wondered who or what he had eaten and a boa constrictor just lying around sunning himself on a rock. 

We went to the Brazilian side of the falls, got on a bus inside the park and were driven through the park stopping for an Iguana to stroll across the road, it would seem that they are as prolific as possums are in NZ. The walk way to the falls were great they provided plenty of vantage points and the closer you got the more spectacular it was.

Iguana.

When you arrived it was quite mind blowing, the height of it and the volume of water coming down was immense, it is so wide you can not see it at once you have to go to the Argentine side as well. Spent quite a time looking at the falls.

According to the lonely planet book the falls are the 8^th wonder of the world. They sure are amazing. Back to the hotel ready for an early start tomorrow as we have a lot to fit in. We had decided to eat in the hotel, as the town was something else, looked very dodgy for eating.

Saturday

Picked up by another driver at 830am and taken to Brazil passed through the boarder post and drove through Itaipu which was the largest power station in the world until China recently completed one larger. lonely planet said this was the 7^th man made wonder of the world. It has 18 generators and supplies 25 percent of Brazil’s power and 90 percent of Paraguays.

This power station sits on the Parana River and is managed by a consortium of Paraguay and Brazil. 1200 hundred tourists go over the station a day and it is free, so we with the rest of the people crossed over to the Paraguay side and back in buses.

It was then back to complete the falls tour from the Argentina side in Iguazu National Park. Raimund and I went on a boat trip up the river to the base of the falls and got drowned in the process with the spray but marvelled at the sight.

Rhondda and Antonio had set out to see the falls from the top as they did not want to do the boat trip but Rhondda was not feeling so well and turned back while Antonio went on.

After Raimund and I got out of the boat, and were met by Antonio who told us Rhondda was waiting at the top. On arrival we could not find Rhondda so I went off to locate her and they continued.

Rhondda found a swarm of butterflies.

When I found Rhondda it was clear she was not well but she braved it. We then went on a train trip to see some more of the falls from the top however there was some distance to walk across bridges to get to a vantage point. Rhondda at this point was feeling very sick and about to flake out so turned back to the station for some rest, shade and refreshments

This little fellah is something like our possums but bigger and called a Coati.

There were Indians selling their crafts so Rhondda the shopper, bought some stuff. The boys arrived and went off to see the falls and we sat in the shade.

We drove back to the resort at 5pm with everyone else including the driver going to sleep at the steering wheel. Initially it was hard to pick up if the driver had gone to sleep at first. The reason for this is that the driving is so bad here and drivers often cross onto the wrong side of the road when approaching intersections to avoid judder bars that have been put in place to slow cars down. But as the car drifted onto the wrong side of the road approaching an intersection he made a sudden start and moved the car back onto the correct side of the road.

A jungle view from our room.

Back to the hotel and a shower, then dinner that Rhondda ate very little of, proving something was amiss. Then the tropical rainstorm commenced with a huge burst of thunder and fork lightning right across the night sky this entertained us for sometime as we sat under the veranda.

That evening the dreaded food poisoning hit Rhondda again and she was up during the night. In the morning we found Raimund also had the dreaded lurgy so we got a late check out for one room and Rhondda and Raimund slept while Antonio and I went to look around the little township of Iguazu.

Very dilapidated buildings, in fact Antonio who has spent some years in Africa said it was just like Africa with the red soil colouring everything. As we walked along he would point out trees that were the same in Africa. The streets were covered in the red clay with dogs wandering everywhere amongst the grubby kids. The only money coming into the village was from the tourists and it appears not much gets to those in the village. In summer the temperature gets to 45 degrees.

Returned to find both Rhondda and Raimund with pasty faces and with fevers, we had to vacate the room at 12 o’clock so we all sat down by the swimming pool until the driver came at 1.30 to take us to the airport.

We flew out an hour early, amazing what travelling with Raimund does, as by magic you get the seats with the leg room and earlier flights and shown around the customs barrier. Rhondda was lamenting not getting an upgrade to first class. No food for Raimund and Rhondda on the plane, they were both very sick, funny that Antonio and I were not suffering the same effects.

Some water ways of the Parana

Got a cab from the airport home, very hair raising. The driver was telling Antonio that his child was sick in hospital and he needed $100 dollars that night for medicine. He did not stop talking from the moment we got in the car. I am sure they should have brake pedals in the rear of these cars so the passengers can stop to. He short changed me at the end of the trip and I hope it helped his kid.

Rhondda went to bed and Raimund was starting to feel better and had some tea. However I was starting to feel the dreaded thing coming on, I was doomed!!!!! during the night I received the full force of the food poisoning. It was really nasty, I could understand how Rhondda felt, I was surprised she agreed to do as much as she had done in the park feeling so crook.