March 1/2 – Argentina
Wednesday, March 8th, 2006Day 212/213 – The next morning the mechanic checked out Henry. He said that they didn’t have the seal for the oil leak either, because this was not a common engine model in Argentina. He told us to go to Paraguay and they will have the seal for sure. He gave us a name of a shop in a city that is right across the border from Argentina. He also thought we would have to pull the engine out to fix it 🙁 We were so close to the falls that we just decided to add more oil to the van as needed, and head up north. We spent the night in a paid campground at Puerto Iguazu, the town near the falls, trying to get our computer to work. It broke down today… talk about bad luck. I feel better and ready to work and then the computer gets sick. Go figure ! In the morning will be our great trip to the marvelous falls.
Iguazu Falls is a site worth seeing, if you can fit it into your route through South America. At the northeastern tip of Argentina, where it meets Brazil and Paraguay, are two rivers that collide 269 feet down cliffs, created from a volcanic reaction. A serene experience. We viewed the streaming falls from the Argentinean side, since, due to reciprocity with the States, it cost $100 USD per person for the visa, and it takes at least a week to obtain. Brazil will have to be on another trip, when we can save up money again. The Argentineans have the Igauzu National Park, where you can walk all day and see 275 different waterfalls from various viewpoints. They have an extensive trail system that is well maintained, and was created with loops so there is no backtracking. There is also a free train service that will drop you off at two different stations, where you can walk to the falls. A free boat service from the park will drop you off on a small island where you can view the falls again, and get misted by spray from the falling water. There are tour companies offering services such as guides, boat tours, or rafting. There were tons of vacation tour buses, with people everywhere, but it was still worth seeing. The best part of the trails were the catwalks that went over the river and falls, offering a view of the falls like you were walking on water.
We saw a bunch of animals: toucans, monkeys, coatis, beetles, butterflies, birds, and more. It was great to see a real toucan, and made me realize how much Fruit Loops has trained me to think of a rainbow beaked bird… poor toucans, that will consistently remind the travelers from the States of cereal boxes! After five hours of walking around the park and seeing all the major waterfalls, we headed back to the town, and just in time because it started to rain. It rained while we were on the train back to the parking lot, then it stopped, and started again once we got back in to the van. 🙂 We spent the night at a youth hostel on the way into town, to get a break from the van, and meet some fellow travelers. A very nice gentleman tried helping us with our computer and let us use his for a bit to search the net (there was a wait to use the hostels computers), but we didn’t get it fixed. Thanks, Gato, he is a talented graphic designer, check out his site www.bygato.com
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