Rosario and Iguazu Falls

So, we left Buenos Aires on a, relatively, short 5 hour bus to Rosario! It was realy nice to get to Rosario, which the Lonely Planet described as a 'smaller, calmer Buenos Aires' which was just what we needed after the immediate hit of hustle and bustle we had had arriving in BA(Very different from patagonia!!)..It was nice to get to somewhere just that little bit more chilled out!

Our hostel was great, especially as we were greeted by a new german friend Marlon who made us lunch on arrival!! After which we met and amazing British couple of outdoor adventure instructors, Caz and Mark, and sure once you have 3 people chatting the whole hostel joined us...and we knew we were home and dry.. two British couples, a German guy and three Ozzie girls.. and some considerably reduced price(after Patagonia)drinks and Pizza..made for one of the best nights of South America! Before we started we did do some sightseeing.. visiting the riverside walk and monument to Argentinas first flag(which is about the size of Liberty Hall in Dublin!!) which make Rosario a really special place. We wished we had more time, to explore, to kayak to the islands, to spend more time with our newfound friends(who, however desperately we tried,we unfortunately could not convince to come to Iguazu with us..) but after a short, (and hot!) trip to the the park the next day we had to move on toward Iguazu..

TWENTY HOURS, and two bad movies later(although 'I am Legend' isnt too bad in Spanish, due to the lack of dialogue, and 'Titanic Two' was VERY entertaining(who knew that the SECOND Titanic boat, created for the anniversary of the first, would ALSO hit an iceberg!!))we arrived in Iguazu! We needed to chill out after our long bus.. that proved easy however, as our hostel was more like a hotel.. with a pool bigger than any Ive seen on holidays in Spain or Croatia!! Also as soon as we checked in we met Marlon our German friend from Rosario(at least one person was on our route!)and Eileen and Maura, our two Tralee friends from El Calafate who , for us, made any night great.. the Irish company is really something you miss when you are away.. and something you definitely cant get from any other people! After our day of chilling out we had an Asado in the hostel(the traditional Asado..or Argentinian barbeque..is one of the things we will REALLY miss from South America!! Steak, Chicken, Chorizo and Black Pudding sausages.. its a meal to die for!!), and a tango show.. where Cass and I experienced tango in a small setting, and got pulled out of the audience to try ourselves(although, my partner didnt seem to comprehend that I need to LOOK at my feet if I am going to dance.. this looking up and dancing at the same time isnt possible for me!!)..

The following day was to be one of the best of South America.. Iguazu Falls was truely unbelievable. It was indescribable, and any words I put to trying now will be inadequate.. the pictures might do slightly better, and the videos maybe better again.. but the thunderous sound of the waterfalls and the sheer VASTNESS of the view incorporating so so much, from tropical rainforests to blinding white water gushing, avalanching, relentlessly and powerfully down gigantic cliffs, to serene calm lakes at the top of the waterfalls and rainbows everywhere you look at the bottom.. There was so much to see its difficult to put into words!
The falls are in a national park.. and its set up brilliantly(although with a distinct Zoo feel about it!)..there are wooden walkways through the rainforest(and accross the parts of the rainforest that are water!)..The amount of wildlife is incredible.. we seen so many birds, butterflys(HUGE butterflys, that certainly werent shy..kept landing on us as we walked!)possum like creatures that are everywhere! The walkways are incrdibly well architected... (if that is a word!!) ..they allow you to walk literally across the top of waterfalls, and right up to the water at the very bottom. We began at the top of Devils throat.. and then walked two more walkways with loads of balconies with amazing views of the falls.. at one point Cass and I stopped and agreed we were looking at the single most beautiful view we had ever seen in our lives(a big statement considering the last two months and the fact we live at Killary Harbour!).. We felt like we were in a paradise we hd only ever seen before in drawings for Disney Movies! All in all an incredible day!
We had another day in Iguazu of socialising and lying by the pool before we headed home on our very long bus, relaxed and ready to take on Buenos Aires properly!!