boulder falls, 400 times over

I've finally left Buenos Aires, and am back on the road again. I enjoyed my stay there and loved the city, but it was time to be moving again. I'm writing now from the city of Puerto Iguazu, some 1600km (I think) from Buenos Aires, near the famed Iguazu Falls.

Before heading up here, I decided that it would be a good idea to take care of all of the requirements to enter brazil while I was still in Buenos Aires, so that it wouldn't be an issue later in the trip. Doing this was really pretty boring, and I normally wouldn't mention it, but the only reason I had to go through anything at all was to educate Americans about the process, so I figure it's fair to pass all this on.

On the trip so far, I've had no problem crossing any border. I've not had to pay any sort of fee or get any visas. It's been nice. Going to Brazil, though, is a different story. Brazil requires from US citizens the same thing the US requires of them -- a visa, a $100 "processing fee", and a set of fingerprints and a photograph at the door. The result? What would have been a pleasurable day trip to the other side of the falls is now no longer worth it, unless you're planning on spending more time in Brazil anyway. I was, so I figured it was worth the trouble of getting a visa before I came up here.

The Brazilian consulate in Buenos Aires is open from 10am to 1pm, weekdays. I showed up around noon, leaving me not too much of this three hour window. I completed my paperwork to the best of my ability, though I didn't have an address of where I was staying in Brazil, because, at this point, I wasn't even planning on staying in Brazil. After waiting in line for a while, I was told that I needed one to complete the form. I left to find the address on the other side of the border, and by the time I got back they were closed. *sigh*

Back the next day at the start of the day. Fill out the form again, with the address. Wait in line again, turned over the form, a photo of me, and my passport. Walk down the street to the bank that the consulate works with, and pay my $100 plus some other fees. The next day, I am to return between 4 and 5 pm to collect my passport.

This process is not difficult, but it did require being in a major city for 2 days (3 for me) and being free at specific hours during the middle of the day. Similarly, the border crossing itself, requiring fingerprints and photos, is not difficult but it is time consuming.

I can't claim to know enough about the reasons for implementing this program in the US, or weather or not it is actually useful, but I can say that it does make travel around the world more difficult. It sounds like my entry into Brazil was much, much easier than most people's entry to the US, and it seems like the results of the US program (US-VISIT) should be very obvious in order to justify the inconvenience.

Okay, rant over.

I went to sleep on the bus as it left Buenos Aires, and woke up a number of hours later to sunrise over lush, green vegetation. This was the sub-tropical rain forest. Green, wet, and warm. I had read that yerba maté farms lined the roads, but I wasn't sure what one would look like, so I really can't say if I saw them or not. The smaller towns and cities in the north all have a similar feel to them, through the window of a bus. Red stones pave the bumpy roads. The buildings are largely cement or stucco with large, painted signs on the walls. Old automobiles, palm trees, and families fill the shoulders and sidewalks.

It wasn't until I got off the bus in Puerto Iguazu that it struck me how warm and humid it was. High-90s, and quite humid (The bus went by a bank).

I made my way into Brazil to see the falls from that side first. It was strange to hear Portuguese, and I felt awkward any time I had to ask any sort of question. I didn't know what language to use, or how to begin. I hadn't even taken the time to read the "guide to Portuguese" that takes up two pages of my guide book. In the end though, everyone in Foz do Iguaçu spoke Spanish and/or English (no surprise there) and I made it to the park without any trouble.

On the crossing there, the bus driver didn't stop at the Brazilian immigration office, which was interesting. I wanted to get my visa validated, though -- had to use it within 90 days of getting it -- so I got out on the way back and spent a while trying to explain to a frustrated Brazilian customs worker that I wanted to enter the country, then turn around and leave. But in the end, that's just what I did. The next day, I checked out the falls from Argentina.

Both parks, the argentine and Brazilian, are quite nice. Lots of rain forest, and shaded trails (wide and paved) leading through it to the falls. The falls themselves are impressive -- like something out of an illustrated children's book. They just don't seem real. Green jungle and darker green and foamy white river combine with black and red basalt cliffs to form paradise.

Of course, this paradise is punctuated by the persistent chop of helicopter blades, the chatter of other people, and the whine of boat engines taking load after load of people to the base of the falls for a shower. I must admit, though, that as much as I wish the boats weren't there, it was a fun and impressive way to see the falls.

Whenever I see a waterfall, I'm amazed that it can keep running. I can explain the way the water cycle works (thanks, grade school science!) but to see it in action I always find myself in awe. The falls are amazing as a snapshot, but its their continuity -- the wind and the crash and the spray that continues 24 hours a day indefinitely -- that really amazes me.

Tomorrow I'm heading back south, hopefully (no bus ticket yet). I'm planning on going to Cordoba for a bit, before heading to Mendoza.

I'm still planning on finding a map to mark up for you guys, but I haven't done it yet. Sorry!

Posted by vanwie at April 3, 2004 02:02 PM