I realize that as I post this, I’m taking a risk of sounding overly critical, pessimistic, or spoiled. I also realize I am in the minority in my opinion of the trip. However, this blog isn’t meant to sugarcoat my experience, so here it goes:
Everyone says you have to see Iguazu Falls when you’re in Argentina. So, this weekend (a long weekend due to an Argentinean holiday), some of my friends and I headed to see for ourselves.
First, there was the 20-hour bus trip. Twenty hours may not seem long upon first glance, but in that amount of time, I was able to read 50 pages of a scientific book and two magazines, watch about two and a half movies, and sleep for about 10 hours. To say the least, it was a long ride, and I was sufficiently stiff when I emerged. We stopped in tons of small towns to pick up other passengers and arrived about two hours after we were scheduled.
Then, there were the falls. Yes, they were majestic and beautiful. Yes, we saw toucans and monkeys. But something about the iron bridge and path made it so unreal. Not being able to set foot on the actual dirt surrounding the falls, not being able to touch the water ever so briefly as it rushed past made it seem so fabricated. It seemed easy to believe this was all manmade, not a natural beauty fashioned by a caring creator. At the time, I chalked it up to tourists. All those other people, scurrying through the park with cameras. And I think that was part of it. But I think the biggest part was how easily we could access it. Just take a bus, walk less than a mile, and you’re there. No climb, no summit–just another tourist attraction, like HersheyPark or Beaver Stadium. I wanted to be awed, and left uninspired.
The weekend proceeded to leave a bad taste in my mouth when I got back to the hostel. After a barbeque, the hostel decided to offer entertainment I would deem less-than-classy. I had no desire to partake and resigned to my room, frustrated that my experience had come to this.
Ultimately, I’m afraid this trip wasn’t everything I thought it would be. The falls were beautiful, but I hope not all of my trips are like this. I hope there’s something coming, only just out of reach, that will truly leave me amazed by Argentina.
Location: Iguazu Falls, Argentina
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I have a somewhat different opinion.
Growing up near Niagara Falls, I´ve been there to that natural wonder too many times to count in my short life. That said, Iguazú was the experience I always wanted out of Niagara. Sure, it´s going to be a little touristy, but I didn´t think it was so bad. I don´t think they exactly catered to the tourists much, either. An out-of-shape person would have a lot of trouble climbing up all of those trails!
As for the party at the hostel, I just took that as having a good time. Growing up with a Latino culture at home, I was wondering when we would finally get to dance a little bit to music that wasn´t electronica, and it seemed to me more than anything a way to reach out to foreigners and pull them into the fun. Having talked to a few Brazilians, the whole experience actually seemed like a pretty genuine way to share their ¨futbol and fiesta¨ lifestyle.
Of course, I could be wrong! But it´s the diversity of opinion that makes having these blogs great. I´m glad I got to hear the other side of this story 🙂
I think I understand what you mean when I look at your photo…an immense falls, but the bridge itself feels far away…different from Niagara where you can feel the rush of the water right beside you…
even so, a rainbow and interesting animals along the way
Hi,
If the picture you posted was what you saw, the falls look impressive to me. Could you not even feel the mist of the falls from the bridge?
A long bus ride with local stops is grueling, but not the same adventure as climbing a peak or backpacking in. I wonder if there are other ways to approach the falls.