Iguacu in the rain is NOT as great !
At 8am I was woken up by what I thought were truck drivers off loading stuff when it was actually thunder ! I was shocked. First day of rain in the last 10 days, I had almost forgotten the concept.... but it was pouring down... and of course I was stuck on the wrong side of the road to have my breakfast, wasn´t I ? and would have no spare hand with one suitcase, 2 bags and my camera bag to hold an umbrella... Thankfully there was a gap of 5mns in the downpour just when I needed to cross the road, thank you Lord !
I was even convinced that they would cancel my tour of the Falls as the weather was SO bad, but no, we went ahead as planned, straight across to Argentina (but I could not get the souvenir stamp in my passport this time as it was ´broken´). Another chance to practice my Spanish (my current driver is only just learning English so we have to communicate in Spanish as it is, good job I don´t mind at all !). I had braced myself for the worst of the weather, had left my raincoat and umbrella behind and felt I could get by with just my waterproof poncho which I had bought for such occasions but had, thankfully, never had the chance to use before... I thought I would be all right but boy, was I in for a shock (make that an understatement).
The rain just would not stop for 5mns and the drizzle got worse and worse and trying to take photos in such dire weather was mission impossible. Sometimes the Falls seemed to disappear in the mist altogether, I mean.... DIRE. I tried to rise above the challenge and had even brought my tripod as I knew the light was too awful to be of any use but do you think I could juggle my camera, changing my lenses and setting up my tripod with just 2 hands ? No way. Who was I kidding ??? I needed another 2 hands to hold my poncho over my head too so that water wouldn´t get into my camera or at least on my lens. I struggled like mad and got soaked to the bone... but I mean, SOAKED - down to my underwear. There was not ONE inch of my body that wasn´t drenched. It was just the worst photo shoot I had ever done. I would have never bothered in most circumstances but this was Iguacu... the greatest waterfall in the world... I would have kicked myself even more for not even trying. I had brought my tripod just for this moment!
My lens kept fogging up, rain drops kept falling on it too and, just as frustrating, I had not ONE spare inch of dry tissue or dry cloth to wipe it... I turned my trouser pockets inside out too just in case, but they were soaked throughout too... I just felt SO sorry for myself I cannot even tell you... I could see everybody with someone and I thought ´I just need one friend, one guide, somebody, anybody to help me out here for crying out loud !!!´ (well, when I say ´anyone´ please translate this as: minus the psychos and weirdos of this world!)... but no one cared to stop and offer help. I felt SO lonely and SO depressed and, I am ashamed to admit it: started to blob away like a big baby. Super Woman I was NOT. For a minute I thought ´I will never travel on my own again this is just too tough, I am not that strong... I just pretend to be´. My socks were so wet too (though my shoes were supposed to be waterproof and even they couldn´t cope) that I could hear the ploof, ploof, ploof every time I walked. Know what I mean ? :(
Then I had to wait 30mns for the train to take me back to the main gate (it is a bit like Disneyland where one train takes you to the Devil´s Throat -the waterfall with the most water- and one to the standard falls, and one back to the main gate). I was just about warm enough so long as I kept walking but the moment I stopped to sit on a bench on this open platform I was shivering. It was only 16C and a very wet bunny. I took my socks off, wrang them and could have filled half a teacup´s worth with smelly juice ! I felt sooo miserable. It is amazing what a difference 3 years can make. In truth, I am glad I did not drag a friend into this venture, they would have NEVER understood the Falls´ attraction on a day like today. In April 2003 I had had the BEST time, it was glorious sunshine, the water level was high so the falls looked spectacular and I had a cute enough guide to escort me everywhere... and in August 2006 it was a completely different story. It was cold, half of the falls were down to a dribble and I was all alone in my struggle.
When I eventually reached the main gate, at 2pm, I told my guide I could not possibly go straight to lunch as planned but had to go back to my hotel to put on some dry clothes lest I catch death. We put the heating on full blast in the car so that I could at least dry my hair and my top, but my cardigan and trousers were too soaked. I even had to hand over my shoes at reception when I got back and ask them to put them in the tumble dryer (desperate measure !) otherwise I will have to come back to the UK with very wet feet - either that or I will have to wear my water shoes, a strange fashion statement but this would be yet another desperate measure you understand. In fact, 1/4 of my clothes will be wet now. I have put the heating on in full in my room right now, as I am using the internet, to see if it will help a bit... at least.
Anyway, we had lunch at 3pm by the time I had finished (I badly needed a shower too as I had sweated a lot in the process!) so we didn´t make it to the Brazilian side before 4:00pm. Considering it gets dark at 6:30pm here I was wondering if it would even be worth it as we had set off in on a very cloudy afternoon (it looked like dusk already) but thankfully there was a silver lining in the clouds and by the time I got to the main display of water at Iguacu, it was the golden hour and I was able to take some fabulous shots... well, I hope. I was trying to remember what I had taken last time to make sure I didn´t take the same ones again... They had a new elevator which wasn´t there in 2003 and that takes you up above the falls. There is a lot of access for wheelchair users, 90% of the trails around Iguassu can be done in a wheelchair, they have really done a great job on that front.
The icing on the cake was that I managed to see about 3 dozens coatis... they were everywhere and they looked SO totally adorable and cuddly, I was in love... yes, that mushy feeling warmed me up all over ! :) I so wanted to stroke one but I didn´t dare as they can bite, but they are really cheeky and they will always try to get into your handbag if you put it down. But they are beautiful fluffy creatures and to see so many was a real nice way to end what had been a pretty disastrous day at Big Water (Iguacu means Big Water in the Indian language - simplistic, hey ? But it sounds very exotic when you have no idea it is so basic, right ?).
I still have to buy more postcards but I definitely will have no spare money to buy stamps by the time I have given my driver his tip, especially I don´t even know what the departure tax will cost me -- and sometimes it is a lot more painful that one would expect. So I can´t risk being caught out on that one either... lest I miss my flight. There are worst places to be stuck I give you that, but I feel as if I have been here 1 month already as every stop over has been so competely different from the next. I am really glad I came back to Brazil though as I had missed out a lot first time round. It is really a very diverse country with lots and lots of gems...
I shall now sign off to grab a sandwich and head for bed. I have a lot of sleep to catch up on and tomorrow we are starting at 8:30am to go back to the Falls (one last glance before I leave... since I have NO idea when the next glance will be -- if ever again?). It is supposed to be sunny... it is still pouring down right now as I am writing this (at 8:30pm) so I doubt it will be grand, but you never know... and I will stop on the way to the airport to the Bird Park as it is just around the corner from Iguacu and is supposedly the best in South America. I really enjoyed it last time so was keen to do it again. I am still hoping to do a decent portrait of a toco toucan and a pink spoonbill (if not, well, the book I bought will be my consolation prize).
I may have time to write again from Sao Paulo airport, but I am not sure... it depends in which part of the airport I land whether there is internet access in that particular terminal. I shall have another 3 flights in a row, i.e. another 40 hours of being on the go... phew. But as we all know ~ no pain, no gain. It works in every situation ! :)
Till next time... and may I dream of fluffy coatis all night...
At 8am I was woken up by what I thought were truck drivers off loading stuff when it was actually thunder ! I was shocked. First day of rain in the last 10 days, I had almost forgotten the concept.... but it was pouring down... and of course I was stuck on the wrong side of the road to have my breakfast, wasn´t I ? and would have no spare hand with one suitcase, 2 bags and my camera bag to hold an umbrella... Thankfully there was a gap of 5mns in the downpour just when I needed to cross the road, thank you Lord !
I was even convinced that they would cancel my tour of the Falls as the weather was SO bad, but no, we went ahead as planned, straight across to Argentina (but I could not get the souvenir stamp in my passport this time as it was ´broken´). Another chance to practice my Spanish (my current driver is only just learning English so we have to communicate in Spanish as it is, good job I don´t mind at all !). I had braced myself for the worst of the weather, had left my raincoat and umbrella behind and felt I could get by with just my waterproof poncho which I had bought for such occasions but had, thankfully, never had the chance to use before... I thought I would be all right but boy, was I in for a shock (make that an understatement).
The rain just would not stop for 5mns and the drizzle got worse and worse and trying to take photos in such dire weather was mission impossible. Sometimes the Falls seemed to disappear in the mist altogether, I mean.... DIRE. I tried to rise above the challenge and had even brought my tripod as I knew the light was too awful to be of any use but do you think I could juggle my camera, changing my lenses and setting up my tripod with just 2 hands ? No way. Who was I kidding ??? I needed another 2 hands to hold my poncho over my head too so that water wouldn´t get into my camera or at least on my lens. I struggled like mad and got soaked to the bone... but I mean, SOAKED - down to my underwear. There was not ONE inch of my body that wasn´t drenched. It was just the worst photo shoot I had ever done. I would have never bothered in most circumstances but this was Iguacu... the greatest waterfall in the world... I would have kicked myself even more for not even trying. I had brought my tripod just for this moment!
My lens kept fogging up, rain drops kept falling on it too and, just as frustrating, I had not ONE spare inch of dry tissue or dry cloth to wipe it... I turned my trouser pockets inside out too just in case, but they were soaked throughout too... I just felt SO sorry for myself I cannot even tell you... I could see everybody with someone and I thought ´I just need one friend, one guide, somebody, anybody to help me out here for crying out loud !!!´ (well, when I say ´anyone´ please translate this as: minus the psychos and weirdos of this world!)... but no one cared to stop and offer help. I felt SO lonely and SO depressed and, I am ashamed to admit it: started to blob away like a big baby. Super Woman I was NOT. For a minute I thought ´I will never travel on my own again this is just too tough, I am not that strong... I just pretend to be´. My socks were so wet too (though my shoes were supposed to be waterproof and even they couldn´t cope) that I could hear the ploof, ploof, ploof every time I walked. Know what I mean ? :(
Then I had to wait 30mns for the train to take me back to the main gate (it is a bit like Disneyland where one train takes you to the Devil´s Throat -the waterfall with the most water- and one to the standard falls, and one back to the main gate). I was just about warm enough so long as I kept walking but the moment I stopped to sit on a bench on this open platform I was shivering. It was only 16C and a very wet bunny. I took my socks off, wrang them and could have filled half a teacup´s worth with smelly juice ! I felt sooo miserable. It is amazing what a difference 3 years can make. In truth, I am glad I did not drag a friend into this venture, they would have NEVER understood the Falls´ attraction on a day like today. In April 2003 I had had the BEST time, it was glorious sunshine, the water level was high so the falls looked spectacular and I had a cute enough guide to escort me everywhere... and in August 2006 it was a completely different story. It was cold, half of the falls were down to a dribble and I was all alone in my struggle.
When I eventually reached the main gate, at 2pm, I told my guide I could not possibly go straight to lunch as planned but had to go back to my hotel to put on some dry clothes lest I catch death. We put the heating on full blast in the car so that I could at least dry my hair and my top, but my cardigan and trousers were too soaked. I even had to hand over my shoes at reception when I got back and ask them to put them in the tumble dryer (desperate measure !) otherwise I will have to come back to the UK with very wet feet - either that or I will have to wear my water shoes, a strange fashion statement but this would be yet another desperate measure you understand. In fact, 1/4 of my clothes will be wet now. I have put the heating on in full in my room right now, as I am using the internet, to see if it will help a bit... at least.
Anyway, we had lunch at 3pm by the time I had finished (I badly needed a shower too as I had sweated a lot in the process!) so we didn´t make it to the Brazilian side before 4:00pm. Considering it gets dark at 6:30pm here I was wondering if it would even be worth it as we had set off in on a very cloudy afternoon (it looked like dusk already) but thankfully there was a silver lining in the clouds and by the time I got to the main display of water at Iguacu, it was the golden hour and I was able to take some fabulous shots... well, I hope. I was trying to remember what I had taken last time to make sure I didn´t take the same ones again... They had a new elevator which wasn´t there in 2003 and that takes you up above the falls. There is a lot of access for wheelchair users, 90% of the trails around Iguassu can be done in a wheelchair, they have really done a great job on that front.
The icing on the cake was that I managed to see about 3 dozens coatis... they were everywhere and they looked SO totally adorable and cuddly, I was in love... yes, that mushy feeling warmed me up all over ! :) I so wanted to stroke one but I didn´t dare as they can bite, but they are really cheeky and they will always try to get into your handbag if you put it down. But they are beautiful fluffy creatures and to see so many was a real nice way to end what had been a pretty disastrous day at Big Water (Iguacu means Big Water in the Indian language - simplistic, hey ? But it sounds very exotic when you have no idea it is so basic, right ?).
I still have to buy more postcards but I definitely will have no spare money to buy stamps by the time I have given my driver his tip, especially I don´t even know what the departure tax will cost me -- and sometimes it is a lot more painful that one would expect. So I can´t risk being caught out on that one either... lest I miss my flight. There are worst places to be stuck I give you that, but I feel as if I have been here 1 month already as every stop over has been so competely different from the next. I am really glad I came back to Brazil though as I had missed out a lot first time round. It is really a very diverse country with lots and lots of gems...
I shall now sign off to grab a sandwich and head for bed. I have a lot of sleep to catch up on and tomorrow we are starting at 8:30am to go back to the Falls (one last glance before I leave... since I have NO idea when the next glance will be -- if ever again?). It is supposed to be sunny... it is still pouring down right now as I am writing this (at 8:30pm) so I doubt it will be grand, but you never know... and I will stop on the way to the airport to the Bird Park as it is just around the corner from Iguacu and is supposedly the best in South America. I really enjoyed it last time so was keen to do it again. I am still hoping to do a decent portrait of a toco toucan and a pink spoonbill (if not, well, the book I bought will be my consolation prize).
I may have time to write again from Sao Paulo airport, but I am not sure... it depends in which part of the airport I land whether there is internet access in that particular terminal. I shall have another 3 flights in a row, i.e. another 40 hours of being on the go... phew. But as we all know ~ no pain, no gain. It works in every situation ! :)
Till next time... and may I dream of fluffy coatis all night...
posted by Sylvie at 11:26 PM
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