Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Iguazu Falls are amazing falls that cover a huge area in this very wet and tropical area of Argentina. I was very impressed in 1969, and those were the first of the big falls that I had seen. Since I have been to Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls, and Iguazu are definitely the most impressive. Before the boardwalks were wooden and often shakey as one walked across them, now they are made of metal and concrete. They have done an excellent job of making it a very well organized and efficient park with good sidewalks and a small train. There is a lower walk where you are below the falls and you can often feel the spray, then there is an upper walk above the falls where you can watch them cascading down. One area is especially impressive where the falls are coming down in all directions and angles with boulders and very green grassy areas in the middle of some the cascades. Mist rises and if the sun is at the right angle there are rainbows. Another area, the Devil´s Throat, is where water crashes down in a a small circular area and the mist is huge. Across the Iguazu River is Brazil. The second day we did a hike and were rewarded at the end with waterfalls and a small swimming pool. After being hot and sweaty, it was great to take a dip in the refreshing water. Huge iridescent blue butterflies are illusive and refuse to be captured on film, but other green, orange, red, yellow ones with interesting markings are abundant. There are lizards and a raccoon type of animal called a coati.

People often ask the five adventurous grey-haired women who are obviously having a ball talking and laughing constantly where we are from. We smile and answer, The US, Canada, England, Scotland, and Chile. Some people are curious as to how we got together: 43 years ago we all taught together at Santiago College in Santiago, Chile. Erica, from England, married a Chilean and stayed on except for the military regime when they lived in East Germany (1973 to 1982). We are all great travelers and have been all over the world. None of us have stopped traveling. Four of us, Scottish Lynda, English Erica and Susan, and I, lived together in an apartment in Santiago, once we each had escaped the dormitory. Canadian Glenda was married so she and her husband lived in various places, often house-sitting in splendid houses. We often traveled together, usually hitchhiking on weekends to the beach or to other towns in Chile. We have wonderful tales of our adventures and often different memories.

We are staying in a lovely hostel, eating good food and drinking wonderful Argentine wine. After two days at the falls, today we are flying to Bariloche, the lake district of Argentina, and from there we will go on to Chile.