Paraguay

Wider than Victoria Falls and taller than Niagara Falls, Iguassu Falls leaves an incomparable impression.

Iguazu Falls are on the border of Brazil & Argentina, on the Iguazu River. I have seen Iguazu spelled numerous different ways, I don’t know which is the correct spelling& you know that’s not like me. I suppose when it is on the border of two different countries speaking two different languages that is bound to happen. They say Foz do Iguacu here.

It is so beautiful!

Our first day at the Falls we went to Paraguay shopping – we didn’t actually go to the Falls. Everyone was a little tired & this way we could sleep in a bit. It also meant our last day at the Falls we wouldn’t have to spend hanging around waiting for another overnight bus, we would spend it on the Brazil side of the Falls. Shopping in Paraguay was an experience, I have to be honest it was a little scary. There is no control at the border – you can just drive across. There were men with guns standing at the gates but you just keep driving. I didn’t buy anything but I certainly could have bought just about anything you could think of, including drugs. It is a culture shock. Lots of Brazilians go across the border to shop because electronics are so much cheaper so getting back across the border into Brazil is much harder. They are looking for that. Our tour guide said that sometimes people will throw things over the bridge just to avoid getting caught & having to pay. There will be someone at the bottom to catch their things.

When we left Iguazu Falls a few days later we took another overnight bus. After we were settled on the bus a man came along and asked people for money, he was talking about Paraguay but we didn’t understand him and he never asked us. Later a man at the back of the bus yelled at him, asking how much he had collected. Well, he was collecting money to pay off the police not to search the bus! Funny. Later in the night, when most people were sleeping the bus stopped at a station & the driver went into the office. Crazy really.

The next day we went to the Argentinean side of the Falls. We were up early and it took us about an hour to get back across the border. I’m glad we got up early because there was a huge line after us; it will have taken those behind us much longer than an hour.

It was breathtakingly sublime! I just had to use that word ~ not only did someone use it recently but I have come across it in the book I’m reading repeatedly. Honestly though, it was so beautiful.