Unforgettable

I just got back from my trip to Iguazu Falls. Incredible. Its only a bus ride of about 17 hours to get to the spot where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil form a border of water that is the greatest natural wonder I have experienced in my 21 years of life. It is a never ending network of rivers all coming together to create a beautiful area of waterfall after waterfall. The vegetation is so green ... tropical plants, birds and animals. Upon entering the park I got warned to watch out for the monkeys overhead ... they tend to pee on the visitors. The park is set up in several circuits to see the general area of waterfalls from above and below. I got soaked walking the lower circuit which we did the first day along with the upper circuit; the day was hot and sunny ... perfect environment for creating several rainbows over the waterfalls. Just beautiful. My night in the hostel was spent in a 5 person dorm with a few people I never saw and 2 really interesting girls from Scotland ... they were both about 30 and had worked together for a few years ... together decided to quit their jobs and travel the world and have been traveling for the last 9 months.
I woke up to a powerful tropical thunderstorm ... the power went out throughout the morning in the hostel and the rain did not seem like it was letting up. It was my last day in Puerto Iguazu and I hadn't yet seen the biggest attraction `Garganta del Diablo´ (The Devil`s Throat). I asked around the bus station and the buses never stop and the park never closes to cater to the tourists who might only have one day to see the natural phenomenon (despite the fact that there was thunder and lightening and the trails and bridges of the park are all metal and surrounded by water). I took a risk and decided to go. From my bus ride to the park, I got the impression that Argentines are not afraid of flash floods at all. The water was up to the curbs of the medians in the road ... and the bus just plowed right through. All of the rain water mixed with the naturally red soil of the area making it look like the earth is seeping with bloody mary cocktails. I arrive at the park with my umbrella, poncho and my double zip locked bagged camera. To take the first train into the park I had the train car to myself ... the second train to go to Garganta del Diablo was packed ... which I found surprising with the weather. The trail to see Garganta del Diablo is 1100 meters. Within the first 300 meters, the strong wind and pelting rain had folded my umbrella in two and ripped my poncho into shreds. The wind was so strong I was walking with little to no progress along the long metal bridges over extremely wide rivers that crossed small islands for a breath of semi-shelter. I could not believe the wind and rain ... I thought I was a pretty seasoned from my Kansas thunderstorms ... nope. I take wrap myself strategically in what is left of my poncho to best protect my camera and claw my way to the end. A massive pit that swallows all of the water and rain ... vomiting a mix of mist and rain back out. There were no rainbows this time. It appeared to be the image of what some sci-fi movie would show as the end of the world ... the name could not have been chosen any better. I stayed the minimal time to take a few photos and videos and trekked back to the train station to find that there is no way out. The park is set up very well for malfunctions ... the only way to get to Garganta del Diablo is by train ... there is no walking trail. Luckily the storm knocked down a few trees in the train tracks keeping anyone from leaving the park for well over 2 hours. The park officials did not do a very good job of letting the soggy and cold public what the status of the situation was. After the 2 hours of waiting for a way out of the park ... survival method had already kicked in and I didn't have it in me to stop in the gift shops.

The falls made me feel so small and powerless. A very humbling experience. It is amazing what God created and how the Earth is and continues to be so breathtaking. Thank you.

Apparently the park can always be a dangerous place. Yet I remember faking sick in elementary school to repeat the same image in my windbreaker pants sliding down the stairs really quickly.

Love.