We must be American – 3 countries in 3 hours! Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Brasil again then Argentina. Paraguay was very third world with a teeming city of duty free shopping, all guarded with macho gun toting security guards looking for robbers to shoot, and police who closed the road so you had to pay to get through or face a long detour. As far as we were concerned, the only robbers were the shopkeepers who were marking up prices for the touristas. But unable to make a fuss as we had entered the country illegally in a taxi over the Rio Parana bridge, which carried an assortment of life and a million motorbikes, we increased our shopping quotient negligibly. Brasil felt very different, more manicured and we had a theme park experience at the Brasilian side of the falls, which were none the less equally impressive as the views from the Argentinan side. Later the rapids were “shot” by Derek and Ant on a boat. We travelled up river to reach the bottom of the falls getting thoroughly soaked in an orgy of screaming and water. Remarkably we also found time whilst at Iguasu to walk, see the raccoon like chito’s, relax by the pool, and continue to work on our Spanish by ordering more caiparina’s. Shooting stars appeared in the inky South American sky above the hotel just as we were finishing dinner - a fitting end to a magnificent stay at Iguasu.
