I often get to this point in a trip: where I’m two destinations behind the place I’m writing about.

So here I am in the Atacama desert in Chile  – the driest place on earth  – attempting to write about Iguazu Falls, a rainforest on the border of Brazil and Argentina. 

The Iguazu falls post is a simple one. We stayed on the Argentinian side at the Awasi hotel. It is a small lovely boutique hotel with the best service we’ve experienced on this trip. (I would add « so far » As a caveat were I not certain that this declaration would hold true when we touchdown back home.)

There is a debate as to whether or not viewing the Iguazu falls is better from the Argentinian side or the Brazilian side. I can’t weigh in on that argument since we saw it only from the Argentinian side. We walked the upper circuit and the lower circuit seeing the falls from the upper half and lower half before taking the train and walking to the “devils throat” – the point at which the river first makes its tumble. What I can tell you is that the walking trails through the two circuits are beautiful and easy.  And that the river at Devil’s throat was running fast due to recent rains, its color reflecting the deep orange clay sediment of the soil it carried. The photos don’t adequately reflect the contrasting colors, of rock, river and rainforest—black orange and green. 

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A teeny tiny bit of history: There are still indigenous people living in the area but the Province is named “Misiones” and the Jesuit missionaries succeeded in transforming many of the cultural norms. Jesuit influence is still present and there are former missions that you can visit. It’s good to remain mindful of the destruction of the indigenous culture and practices brought by the Spanish colonists and missionaries. But to their credit, the Jesuits later tried to protect the Guarani people and their villages. That history was made into a film with De Niro called The Mission.

Next up, two fuel stops! Woo hoo!