.....Hannis Blog.....: Iguazu Falls, Itaipu Dam and the experience of three countries

Reaching the Iguazu Falls we decided to go straight to the Brasilian side, as Ciudad del Este is considered to be a little bit politically unsteady and really appreciated the service of a bus company looking after the formalities at the borders. In Foz do Iguazu we went to the most advertised hostel, nice one but we were confronted with the Brasilien prices and realized that now we were really out of Bolivia. In the evening the boys saw some grills so we decided for meat and wer looking around the city for cheap and good food. Fortunately we met Miriam, another German, who is doing a social year in Recife - so she could ask the restaurants in Portuguese. In the end we walked a big circle just to end up at the first restaurant where the security guard offered us some discount for the buffet, but we thought it would be too expensive and noble - we were wrong for Brasil... But the buffet was amazing, the waiter always went through the restaurant and cut fresh and different kind of meat right onto our plates. Until now it was the second best meat for Bernd (just beaten by the grill market in Montevideo).

For the next day we went for a tough scedule, going to the Iguazu Park on the Brasilian side, going to the Dam (because the hostel told us to reservate tickets and told us they could not do that around 5.30 the day before...) and then crossing the border to Argentina. What the hostel did not tell us, was that it was a holiday in Brasil, so we waited some time for the busses...

The Brasilien side of the falls was allready breathtaking, you get a good overview over the whole area as there is just one point where you can go kind of into the fall - anyway we got wet allready. And the hike is nice not too long and not too full of people.

The Itaipu Dam
Going to the Dam we had to pass by the hostel to get the voucher, waited almost an hour for the bus, thought we were too late for the tour allready and had to discover that the girl from the hostel filled out the voucher with the wrong tour. The girl at the ticket counter was too strikt to just look over the name for the tour (we wanted to do the special tour with going inside the dam not just the panoramic tour on top of it). After going around asking and calling the hostel again we had to get new tickets (while the hostel refunds us the money when we will come back) but we did not had the money, as we were prepared to leave Brasil after that. Moreover the only card that was working with the ATM was Christians with high charges... And even more, the tour were not full, there was no need at all to reservate tickets...
But in the end the tour was worth it, we went around the Itaipu dam, the second biggest dam (and most effective one) in the world. Went on top of it, saw how they built it by changing the river and daming it up and finally went into the heart of it. There we went down until one of the turbines, which produces electricity for a city of two million people. They just did not tell us how much nature and people were harmed due to resettlement or flooding.

Von Iguazu Falls and Itaipu Dam

The difference
After their big mistake with the voucher the hostel organised us a private driver (we had to pay him) and discount in their hostel in Argentina. There we enjoyed the feeling of security again. Just with comparing the hostels and Miriams stories we realized the security problem of Brasil. After getting some money out of the ATM she asked us, Arent you afraid of robbery? - No we were not, we were slightly concerned about pickpockets but that was it.
As for the hostels, while the brasilian was surrounded by wired fences and surveillance where they check your face before entering, the Argentinian was totally open to the road, decor fences and an always open door (sure Puerto de Iguazu is a small city but still the difference was impressive.

The Iguazu Falls in Argentina
For the falls in Argentina we had a full day to enjoy them and the park - and you really need the time. First we visited the mouth of the devil, a place where you stand in a circle of the most powerful falls of the park. Actually you do not see a lot exept of the spray but it is very impressive. As the walk was not very interesting we took the train back to the circuit walk. Now we walked around the more striking parts where you can see the row of falls in the tropical forest, visit smaller ones that where hidden and stand on the bottom of on of the bigger ones or on top looking down the way of the fall. I have never seen such power of nature before so it was really an awsome day and ideal before settling down the last week in Buenos Aires. For the evening we just had to take our last but very comfortable night bus. Some of the busses in Peru could compete (Cruz del Sur), but the food in Argentina was better ^^