Iguazu Falls

As we arrive in Puerto Iguazu: it immediately becomes apparent that we have entered almost a different world than we have become accustomed to over the last 6 weeks. There are shops. There are shops with things in them. There are shops with things in them that you could possibly want to buy. I remember in La Paz there was an old lady sitting by the road selling a few knick knacks - nothing unusual in this there are hundreds of people selling things off a blanket laid on the pavement - but one of her pieces caught my eye, it was a box of table mats that had proudly emblazoned on the front 100% PLASTIC. In comparison Argentina is like Santa's grotto just before Christmas.

We have booked a good looking hostel just outside of the main town; it's main attraction being that it has a swimming pool!! The weather is gorgeously hot and the thought of being able to take a cooling dip makes my nipples go all erect and pointy at the sheer decadence of Argentinian living. This really feels like a different world.

The hostel is nice but on the downside we have to share a room with two others; also the hostel is run by adolescents, of whom a few have such long sulky faces, with attitudes to match, that I'm tempted to put them on the naughty step and let them contemplate their behaviour. The average age of the guests are also probably 20 years younger than I, which all goes to make me feel a bit like Grandpa at a teenage party. However with my trousers rolled up, a tied hankie on my head and a pint of stout in my hand I resolve to fit in as best as I can.

In the morning we head for the waterfalls. The whole of the park is laid out in such a way that you can easily access each tumbling cascade via wooden walk ways. We round the first corner and are confronted by the first of hundreds of cataracts that ceaselessly continue to flow over the 200 plus foot of sheer drop. This is a perfect photo opportunity, however when i go to my bag, the camera isn't there... oh shit! I'm a creature of habit. I very rarely lose my keys or don't know where I've put things. I always keep things in the same place. I immediately know that I've lost my camera; probably left in Bolivia before our four country-one day escapade. Oh well never mind. That takes the count to three cameras lost/stolen. We spend the whole day wandering around the falls. They are absolutely brilliant. I wasn't expecting much, just a few waterfalls, but the whole park is fantastic. There are hundreds of cascades ranging from a trickle to what looks like oceans crashing over the cliffs. I'm running out of superlatives to describe the awesomeness of all the things that we are seeing. It really is breathtakingly beautiful. Hopefully the pictures will do a better job.

the evening we venture into the town for dinner. We have one thing on our minds: Argentinian steak, supposedly the best in the world. We find a nice restaurant and order two bife de chirzo (rump steak) and a couple of bottles of wine. When the steak arrives, it's about two inches thick and just looks delicious. I have ordered medium rare and Ad rare, or as the waiter said "juicy and even more juicy". This steak is out of this world. My knife is cutting through the meat with no pressure at all and the flesh is just falling apart. The juices are flowing out of the centre, and it just melts on the tongue. It is fucking delicious. I'm not particularly a beef lover but this is definitely the best beef I have ever tasted. I don't know how they get a piece of meat tasting so good but I have not had such a fantastic masticate for a very long time. With the wine as equally as good we set of back home completely satiated. What a fantastic day.

On returning from the falls yesterday I frantically searched through all my belongings, in vain, for my camera. I can't believe that I've left it in Bolivia - it was a present; so added to the fact that I've lost some brilliant photos I'm feeling a bit down and stupid! Ad says that I can borrow his little camera -which for some reason I feel loathed to do, but reluctantly agree.This morning I woke up really early and trying to hide my morning glory from the slumbering strangers that we are sharing a room with, take a little stroll down to the pool for a ciggie. The hostel looks like godzilla and king kong were having a party here last night; upturned tables, fag butts everywhere, beer bottles in the pool - it's good to see that my fellow residents know how to respect their surroundings whilst enjoying themselves!

Eight o'clock and we are off to view the falls again, but this time from the Brazilian side. The sun is blistering down as we collect our correct entry stamps at Brazilian immigration control. We are both wary (or is it wishing) that we may be stripped searched for having obviously entered Argentina via Brazil without any immigration formalities two days previous - no such luck, you can't win them all!This side of the waterfalls isn't quite as well organised as the Argentinian side; the falls, once we have entered the park, are a further 15 minute bus ride - packed with sock and sandal wearing day-trippers eager to take videos of Chuck and Martha getting on the bus ( I'd love to be a fly on the wall at that riveting ' come-round-and-see-our-pictures-of our-holiday' party). Once we arrive there is only one route that you can take which necessarily means that it is absolutely teeming with people.

Unlike the Argentinian side, we now have a panoramic view of all the cascades. The overview is mesmerisingly beautiful:hundreds of falls smash into the turbulent swirl of the rapid running river below,surrounded by lush, dense jungle. We shove our way past all the Chucks and Marthas and head straight for the end of the route where the platform extends out over the cliffs and suspends us just feet away from the ear splitting roar of the Gargantua Del Diablo falls, where millions of gallons of water are spewed over the precipice each minute. Standing on the edge of the platform we get soaked, but the sheer power, volume, noise and consistency of this never ending deluge is spine-tinglingly hypnotising. It is almost unbelievable that each second, minute, hour, day, week and year the trillions of gallons just keep unendingly flowing. The water is so voluminous that it almost looks solid. Huge clouds of spray are sent spiraling into the air, rising to possibly 300 feet above the falls before gradually being dissipating under the scorching sun. Trying to take pictures proves a little difficult as the cameras are exposed to the constant spray and when the wind changes in our direction, it is like a bucket of water being chucked at us. This sight is honestly phenomenal.