Matter Transference Beam

After flying into Iguazu from Rio, I was totally befuddled. Iguazu is a small frontier-like town, very similar to Livingstone in Zambia. We were there to visit a waterfall, like in Livingstone. Its streets were full of red dirt, like Livingstone. It was definitely difficult to get my head around. I needed salt and protein. We found a beer called Patagonia. That was the muscle relaxant. I eventually managed to stop thinking I was in Africa.

And so to Iguazu Falls. Both sides of the falls had coaties. They patrol in a matriarchal pack and steal food from cafe patrons. We watched one sneakily trying to break into a picnic bag while the bag's owner was taking photos. It's forbidden to feed them but people still do, so they get bold and cheeky. They are enormously appealing little creatures. We spotted a beautiful big lizard sunning itself in the grass on the Brazilian side; and also encountered a troop of capuchin monkeys. Thanks to Simon's superb big lens, I was able to get some great photos.

Lizard

Cormorant, Iguazu

Are they better than Victoria Falls? A difficult question, but I don't think so. I had so much emotional and cultural investment in Victoria Falls, they were always going to be an iconic destination. Iguazu is incredibly impressive - vast amounts of water cascading over a huge area, and unlike VF, we saw them at their peak water flow. The Devil's Throat, a huge circular fall down which a vast area of the river simply plunges is remarkable. The drop isn't as high as VF and the atmosphere that goes with Africa just makes them better for me.