The magnificent Iguazu Falls are well worth the two-day dash from the moderate, very European climate of the capital to the tropical sultry abundance of Misiones, the province where the falls are situated. The elevated eight-lane speedway stops abruptly after Rosario and from the sophisticated Southern Europe-esque urbanity you descend into rural Latin America. It is not bad as it sounds: the traffic is light and the roads are well maintained.
We overnight in the next city on our way, the provincial capital Santa Fe de La Vera Cruz. It sits in the midst of a huge flat area, dominated by two mighty rivers: Paraná and Cayastá. The abundance of water makes sure that there is enough grass for the millions heads of cattle and horses raised for meat and milk here, the source of prosperity for local people, but there is a dangerous side to this. The year before we came, the whole city was flooded in the matter of just a few hours after torrential rains had swollen the rivers. Many areas stood under water for a week, the damage was devastating. As we walk in the streets, on every building wall you could see the marks of the water level at the time of the flood. Many were restored but quite a few were still left buried under rubble.
As elsewhere in Argentina, many central streets in Santa Fe are pedestrianised. Brightly lit-up and abuzz with casually smart crowds at night they are the centre of social life here. Many shops are open until 10 and most restaurants and bars are open well into the wee hours. There are no gangs of rowdy males making noise or constellations of binge-drunk females sleeping on street benches in their own vomit like in London or Dublin though. Latin drinking culture is of moderate enjoyment that accompanies copious meals.
Next morning we cross the Paraná through a subfluvial tunnel - that is a tunnel dug under a river . We emerge on the other side in the city of Paraná and get completely lost: there are no signposts and my 5 -day-old Spanish is enough to ask for directions but not understand them. Encouraged by my clear enunciation (I can parrot almost any sound) locals most accommodatingly erupt into detailed explanations of which I understand precious little. We follow more their energetic gestures than what they say and after long two hours we finally hit the right road. The journey goes on.
A true feat of ingenuous engineering, the sprawling network of sturdy steel walkways allows you to walk under, over, across, through and behind the waterfalls in a kind of touristic Kamasutra. If that is not enough, you can take a bumpy speedboat ride inside a cascade - and you won't really know how you got wet! There is even a beach where you can cool yourself in the water whilst enjoying the dramatic backdrop. High tea at the nearby Sheraton is a nice way to finish the day without losing the falls completely out of sight.
For a change from the noisy water falls, we went to San Ignacio Mini - the Baroque ruins of a Jesuit- managed self- contained commune, complete with a canteen, school, workshops, penitentiary and cemetery. In the 17th century Guaraní Indians led by Spanish monks were studying there Latin, arithmetics and the Bible while working 6 hours a day making watches and building a 74-meter-tall cathedral in the middle of the wild jungle, thus escaping for a while extermination by the conquistadors. It was a somewhat condescending project aimed at civilising the "poor savages" but it did - if only for a while - save thousands of people from the horrors of slaving at sugar plantations. The ruins remaining today are a poignant monument to human idealism in this cruel world.
A short drive from the falls there is a place where you can stand in Argentina while seeing Paraguay to your left and Brazil to your right across the river. Ciudad del Este on the Paraguayan side is reputedly the world's capital of trade in pirate goods but we are too tired from a day walking in scorching sun. It is time for some steak, wine and ensalada mixta, the omnipresent side order. Argentinians are notorious for their protein-rich diet and I understand why: there is no more flavourful and succulent beef anywhere else in the world. All cattle here is free-range, raised on wild grass and fresh water and any fodder enhancers and steroid injections are not allowed.
Paraguay is also the name of a wide and muddy river. There is a string of spacious camping sites on its shores. Red-earth beaches naturally equipped with barbecue ovens - this is Argentina! - are quite a sight to marvel, even if just for the vivid colours. The river bottom covered in thick grass is a bit eeky but the water feels like warm milk, enveloping you in soothing warmth!Salta The Beautiful & The Andes >>>
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