before this trip, i had really high hopes for iguazu — so high, that i was expecting to be disappointed (yes, i understand the inconsistency in the sentence). the falls, however, were absolutely amazing. the place is hot, humid, touristy and crowded…but when you stare at the water, you forget about all that. for the last week it has been raining…resulting in two things: 1) more water (good); and 2) the devil’s throat path has been closed because of the higher water levels (bad). even without the extra vista, the park was very beautiful. you walk down jungle paths with birds, butterflies and coati (one tried to steal our cheese). as you approach the water, a quiet roar appears in the background, and then the falls open up in an incredible vista surrounded by lush greenery. standing in one area near the base of the falls, you are drenched in less than a second…without even realizing it, since it’s just a fine mist.

later in the afternoon, the devil’s throat reopened…and, the sensation from up there is practically indescribable. the path is a narrow steel bridge that crosses the top of the river — which is very wide, so you walk for several hundred meters over smooth, quiet water. then, the bridge abruptly ends directly over the edge of the falls. it’s incredible to see the silky water turn into a raging torment of white and brown as it falls into what seems like an endless abyss. the falls seem to be crumbling down before your eyes…but, miraculously, the water just keeps coming.

i can think of few things that elicit such a unique and powerful mix of emotions as iguazu does.

in other news, we just got an email from a hostel we slept at in cordoba (hostel art). the place is pretty cool, and the staff are incredibly friendly (we were offered free dinner and listened to an awesome guitar jam session on their rooftop). moreover, the owner just sent us an email asking how the car is doing,