Day 6 – Iguazu Falls National Park
It turns out we’re not allowed to go traipsing around the park until 8am, which is good news for Kingsley as it means he’ll be able to sleep in for the next three days. And we will still get a couple of quiet hours before the unwashed masses arrive. And do they ever. Today was a Wednesday so the mind boggles to think what it might be like on a weekend.
I did take a walk around the hotel grounds and spotted a number of interesting birds that I’ll be looking for with the camera tomorrow while Kingsley is snoozing. Today was a bit of an exploration day with the camera and I’m hoping for more success tomorrow.
After a typical hotel breakfast (no pictures again I’m afraid Michelle, but once you’ve seen one chain hotel breakfast you have seen them all) we geared up and ventured out.
We walked the Lower Circuit first and it was us and three other people, and some park staff doing some pruning Jackson style (ie with a chainsaw). Over the sound of the waterfalls you could barely hear it. There were places where you could get yourself drenched, so I’ll be getting to try out the Aquatech camera raincoat.
We met up with a number of different types of wildlife including the cute but apparently quite bitey and scratchy coaties (check spelling), a squirrel, sound fascinating insects that move as one slithery slime mould type commune, a toucan (species yet to be determined) and a range of butterflies and birds.
I didn’t put my pseudo landscape lens to use this morning, a job for tomorrow, but I’m not sure it will do the vistas here justice. Sadly because of the hours we’re allowed in I won’t be able to get any close early morning / evening shots, but Kingsley did get some good footage on the go pro.
I haven’t seen Niagara or Victoria falls, so it is difficult to know how these compare. I can say they are awe inspiring in their size, volume breadth and depth. One of those things in nature that makes you catch your breath and be conscious of the forces that have shaped the very face of the world we live in. I’m very glad that the three bordering countries all recognise its UNESCO status and are working hard to preserve what truly is a natural wonder.
The spider pro camera holster worked like a charm. So much better than a neck strap, though there were some moments when I was extra careful to make sure the wrist strap was fully secured to prevent it going flying over the falls.
The other bit of gear I am delighted with are the shorts I picked up in the last Kathmandu sale. I’m practically living in them and they are so comfy, cool and have the right kind of pockets in all the right places. They weren’t cheap, even on sale, but I guess it is one of those ‘you get what you pay for’ things.
It is pretty warm and humid out there so we picked up some fast food (empanadas again and still no photos) and headed back to the hotel to rest the feet and have a swim.The water here is like a warm bath, maybe a touch too warm, which is just about unheard of for me.
We had our first proper evening meal of the trip, in the hotel as at night there are no other options unless you get a taxi into town. We had a very nice and very affordable Argentinian Malbec, a Ceaser salad for Kingsley (no suprises there) and the dish which had the most veggies for me.
More park exploration tomorrow.
