Iguazu makes you laugh

Theory: It is said that the negative ions generated by the waterfalls of Iguazu make you happier.

Fact: they do.

Continuing on the spending splurge I've been on since my first class bus experience, we forked out on the jungle and speed boat tour of Iguazu. We clambered into a jeep and explored the jungle for about 8kms - trees, trees and more trees, coupled with the odd lizard and beautifully coloured butterflies.

Apparently, there are also jaguars in these parts. A rangers son was taken by one a couple of years ago. We didn't encounter any. Should we happen to stumble across one on one of the many bush walks around the area we were aptly advised by lonely planet 'not to run, wave your arms in the air' and 'make yourself appear bigger' than you seem. Hmmmm. I don't know what my reaction would be if I came face to face with a jaguar, but I don't know whether I'd want to bring more attention to myself. I'd say your pretty much screwed if you came face to face with a jaguar, particularly if he is in a bad mood, or a bit peckish. Luckily for us we've managed to avoid them, except at the zoo.

The boat bit was the best bit. Think Sydney Harbour jet boating style, although there were no 360s, much to my disappointment. We were drenched to the bone and giggling Gertie's by the time the ride ended - the boat weaving in and out of and reversing under and around the waterfalls. The power of the spray and the noise generated by the falls is incredible - you could not see or hear a thing, let alone breathe because of the amount of water cascading down on top of you. Not thinking that we would get that wet, (it should have given it away when you were handed a massive waterproof bag for all your belongings) I stupidly did not wear my swimmers, but it being about 35 degrees that day my denim shorts dried quickly as we wandered around the park exploring the falls from different angles.

Heading up the river

The next day, Jules and I did a quick dash across the Brazilian border to see the falls from the other side. With no Brazilian money, and absolutely no Portuguese (which I had totally forgotten about until we were sitting on the bus and Jules said 'how's your Portuguese???') we somehow managed to navigate our way on public buses to the falls and back with absolutely no problem. With very limited time, having a bus to catch early that afternoon, we raced around the Brazilian side, pushing past the hundreds of slowpokes that hogged and blocked the trail. My 'permisso' of course not working of course because it's the wrong language, or maybe they were just ignoring me.

The Brazilian's have built a bridge that goes right out into the middle of them so you get a very good idea of the size of Iguazu. Again, not thinking I would get wet, I stupidly did not wear my swimmers, and again, I soon resembled a drowned rat, the spray of the falls quickly saturating anyone that came close. I risked the life of my camera to take photos and video to capture the sheer size and noise of the place which is absolutely incredible and not to be missed.

Me - soaked to the bone on the Brazilian side