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Photos courtesy of Nathaniel Sheppard
“NO-WINTER” TOUR:
IGUAZU FALLS ―
ARGENTINA/BRAZIL WONDER
“NO-WINTER” TOUR: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
...CONTINUED
The manager said that was a good idea and that if I found it he would have it finished on the spot. He led me to a room that turned out to be like an aircraft hanger with hundreds and hundreds of bags stacked high along walls on two sides, stuffed under work benches, strewn on the floor ― bags of all sizes, shapes and colors. I thought it was the end of my little midnight blue carry-on but decided to give the place a walk through.
It was a dizzying experience. I was all set to give up when I asked the universe to please lead me to my little blue bag. Miraculously it did. There it was, propped against a bench near a corner. “I found it,” I told the shocked workmen and owner, who ordered the bag repaired post haste.
As a token of his sorrow for my delay and inconvenience he charged $9 for the repair instead of the $13 initially quoted. I clutched my bag and fled.
The only truly nettlesome thing about Buenos Aires, vehicles turning corners on two wheels notwithstanding, was a small detail: language. I was wrestling with Spanish enough already when the Argentines introduced two ringers ¯ they pronounce the “double L” and “Y” as sho or che, making it sound like po-sho rather than po-yo (chicken) and che-gar rather than yay-gar (to arrive). On top of that, they use the “vos” verb tense which hardly anyone uses anymore.
After a few weeks I got the hang of it and could order po-sho and arrive to pick it up with the best of them. But vos...I will just have to come back to work on that. Okay, I'm off for one last crack at the crafts market.
after a 20 minute wait was told there was “just a small amount of work left to be done” and “could you please come back the following day?” I told them I would return the day after that. After another long wait the manager finally fessed up. “We can't locate your bag right now because it was misfiled. We will deliver it to your hotel tomorrow.” I offered instead to help look for it, reasoning that there couldn't be that many bags in what by all indications would be a small workshop area.
There are several legends about the origins of this magnificent network of falls. One has it that thousands of years ago, a chief of the native Guarani people who first lived in this area fell in love with a young woman who was about to be sacrificed to the serpent god Boi. As they were making their escape down a river, an angry Boi split the waters, thus creating the hundreds of falls that exist here now. The lovers were separated and subsequently turned into the trees that are visible on the upper edges of the falls. It is said that when a rainbow appears, which is often when there is bright sun, it forms a bridge and the lovers are able to overcome Boi's spell and unite for a time.
Whatever the origin, Iguazu Falls are simply breathtaking. More than 200 falls make up this watery landscape of sound and fury as millions of gallons of water cascade over cliffs, spilling hundreds of feet into basins below. Surrounded by lush jungle that is home to scores of birds, lizards, alligators, coatimondi (tropical raccoon-like animals) and other strange creatures, Iguazu Falls is a paradise.
You can visit from the Argentine side or the Brazilian side. On the Argentinean side, the falls are part of a well-run Surrounded by lush jungle that is home to scores of birds, lizards, alligators, coatimondi (tropical raccoon-like animals) and other strange creatures, Iguazu Falls is a paradise. You can visit from the Argentine side or the Brazilian side. On the Argentinean side, the falls are part of a well-run national park. There’s a small train that runs along tracks to take visitors between several hiking trailheads.
Well-marked trails lead to the falls. An expansive network of grated metal walkways allows visitors to stand above, alongside, and below the falls for one spectacular view after another. A short hike from one of the train stops to Devil's Throat takes about 15 to 20 minutes and a longer hike of about 2 hours leads to the upper areas of the falls. A 4-hour hike explores the lower approaches. You need two days to comfortably see it all and every minute is worth it, as evidenced by photos herein.
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BY NATHANIEL SHEPPARD