Day 27

I woke up early this morning, excited to go to the falls. Heading there on the bus I expected to see the landscape open up into spectacular views, but like with the rest of Argentina, the roads were banked in jungle that doesn't share its secrets.

We entered the park, unsure of where to go, and a very sweet man encouraged us to start from the top and work our way down.

We walked on metal cat walks over many rivers, finally making our way to garganta del diablo (the devil's throat), which is the biggest of the falls, and the most magnificent. From the top, only part of the falls is visible- the rest is shrouded in mist from the falls. I wish that pictures or description could do the falls justice, but they don't even begin to convey the awe that you feel seeing them in person.

I can't even begin to imagine how much rushes over the edge every second! Here is just one tiny part...

On our way through the park we saw other wildlife: coati, which are like little mischievous racoons, monkeys, lizards, birds, and of course butterflies. I tasted guava that had fallen from the trees, and walked through mist created by the falls. There were so many rainbows everywhere!

Here is one of the jays that lives here. This kind hangs out all around the yoga shala at Mama Roja.

Looking out over the falls from catwalks...
The lizards in the park are much less shy than those at home...

The views were stunning, filled with waterfalls and rainbows.

Kayla taught us a fantastic waterfall game that you should do if you have a chance: stare at one point in the fall and count to 60 slowly. Your eyes will drift down with the water a bit, but try to just stare at one spot for the whole time. Then look to the side... you won't believe what happens! I found that the effects were the most striking when looking at far-away green fields and forests after the falls.

There were so many beautiful epiphytes in the trees! This one looked like a blooming cactus.
Many of these epiphytes are orchids and bromeliads...

I saw coati (pronounced kwah-ti), but wasn't quick enough to snap a photo. A family of 10 came up like a wave and stole all the food off of one woman's table and then whisked it away into the jungle before she even realized what had happened. So, I took a picture of this warning sign for you. I loved how basic it was: "Coatis bite. You've been warned."

We also saw two different groups of monkeys playing in the trees!
and more lizards...

We got views of the falls from above, from the middle, and from below, all beautiful.At the end of our journey we took a boat ride in a raft that took us under the falls while we all squealed and laughed and hooted, the perfect refreshment after a hot day walking in the sun.
Here's a boat headed underneath:
We were drenched and elated after our ride!