It's Called a Rainforest for a Reason
Greetings from rainy, green, red and seemingly abandoned Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. The 16 hour overnight bus trip that landed me in town this morning was quite tolerable, with the exception of having to sit through ¨The Breakup¨and ¨Click¨and unknowingly choosing the seat with the least amount of leg room (though still ample) on the entire bus.
The tropical climate up here, only a stone's throw from southern Paraguay and Brazil, is such a welcome change from urban Buenos Aires. Despite the torrential rain and thunderstorms that began early this morning, it's refreshing to be surrounded by dark red soil - much of which is running in liquid forms down the streets of Iguazu - and lush green forest.
In addition to the weather it's low season in terms of tourism, so the town is three quarters shut down and barely a soul (or open restaurant) can be seen in the centre of town. It all gives me the impression that I somehow missed the memo re: Iguazu in late May. Nevertheless, it's supposed to stop raining by noon tomorrow, so I'm going to test my luck (not the greatest on this trip so far) and spend the day in the Iguazu National Park to check out the falls that apparently made Queen Elizabeth quip, ¨Poor Niagara...¨.
The owner of the place I'm currently residing reminded me, in a very motherly tone, how important it is to know Spanish when traveling in South America, especially for situations such as when one loses one's bank card, etc. I think she was just trying to be helpful, but it wasn't necessarily something I needed to be reminded of at this point. German might also come in handy in Puerto Iguazu and parts of Brazil (she, for one, speaks fluent German), but alas, I lack that one, too. It certainly makes basic tasks quite challenging, but not insurmountable.
That's all I have for you at this point. Wish there were more, given the fact that I have nothing else to do with my afternoon but write blog entries (I've finished my one English book and am desperately seeking another, which is proving quite difficult), but perhaps something else will come to mind later today amidst the downpour.
The tropical climate up here, only a stone's throw from southern Paraguay and Brazil, is such a welcome change from urban Buenos Aires. Despite the torrential rain and thunderstorms that began early this morning, it's refreshing to be surrounded by dark red soil - much of which is running in liquid forms down the streets of Iguazu - and lush green forest.
In addition to the weather it's low season in terms of tourism, so the town is three quarters shut down and barely a soul (or open restaurant) can be seen in the centre of town. It all gives me the impression that I somehow missed the memo re: Iguazu in late May. Nevertheless, it's supposed to stop raining by noon tomorrow, so I'm going to test my luck (not the greatest on this trip so far) and spend the day in the Iguazu National Park to check out the falls that apparently made Queen Elizabeth quip, ¨Poor Niagara...¨.
The owner of the place I'm currently residing reminded me, in a very motherly tone, how important it is to know Spanish when traveling in South America, especially for situations such as when one loses one's bank card, etc. I think she was just trying to be helpful, but it wasn't necessarily something I needed to be reminded of at this point. German might also come in handy in Puerto Iguazu and parts of Brazil (she, for one, speaks fluent German), but alas, I lack that one, too. It certainly makes basic tasks quite challenging, but not insurmountable.
That's all I have for you at this point. Wish there were more, given the fact that I have nothing else to do with my afternoon but write blog entries (I've finished my one English book and am desperately seeking another, which is proving quite difficult), but perhaps something else will come to mind later today amidst the downpour.
posted by Per at 2:17 p.m.
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