Iguazú Falls

After our two-month lease ended in Buenos Aires, we took off the same day for the famous waterfalls in the far north of the country. People talk about the falls as a must-do while in Argentina. I honestly didn't know if the 18 hour bus ride would be worth it, but when we first got a glimpse we were blown away. The amount of water flowing over the plateau is undescribable. Argentina has about 80% of the falls on their side while 20% is in Brazil. Because of the size of the river, there are hundreds of separate waterfalls to check out depending on the waterflow. We took an entire day to walk through the park. For a few dollars you can also take a quick boat ride under some of the falls on the Argentine side. Although the place is a tourist magnet and sometimes gives the feel of an amusement park, there is a great rail system that brings you to different sections of the park. In the heavy sun and humidity, this is a huge help. If you are ever in Argentina or Brazil, you have to go to Iguazu. There really is nothing like it. 

Hanging out on the trail

The coatis, very friendly but way too comfortable around people

First view of the falls

Getting closer

This was in that new Indiana Jones movie no one watched

Our turn to take a pic

One of the smaller falls

Getting soaked in the boatride

The boat going into the falls again

Seconds before the plunge

Looking across the Argentine side

It goes on forever

Looking past the first set of falls

The second important reason why you can't swim here

This catfish was huge

Walking towards The Devils Throat

Surrounded by 260 degrees of water

Water pouring out from the grass

La Garganta del Diablo

Popayán, San Agustin, and Mocoa

Before making it into Ecuador, we stopped in three small towns that other backpackers had highly recommended. Once again, we didnt have any plans of stopping until we spoke with some travelers who convinced us otherwise. The first stop, Popayán, was only two hours south of Cali and is usually a pass-through town since it doesn't have any major draw outside of its laid back atmosphere. We only spent two days there, however, we enjoyed this town since it had a genuine and non-touristy feel. We'll remember it for the whitewashed walls, great cafés, and the best empanadas we've tasted in a while. We'll also remember it for having some of the worst pizza we've ever had. They couldn't make a regular pepperoni pizza taste normal if they tried. It was our punishment for ordering American food outside the states.

Side street led us to this small square

Whitewashed walls and colonial architecture

Looking down the main street

180 degree view of the town

Common area at the top of the hostel

The mini empanadas that changed our lives

The second stop, San Agustin, started with an extremely bumpy five-hour drive through the mountains. Shanta was saved by her motion sickness pills, but we were still crammed in the back of the bus shoulder to shoulder in toddler-sized seats. San Agustin is an archaeology buff's dream in the middle of breathtaking scenery. The outskirts of the town are strewn with carved stone statues and tombs from the 1st to 8th century. While there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding the ancient indigenous people, it's widely agreed that they were one of the first complex societies in the Americas. We took a few days to explore the amazing statues and enjoyed our daily "menu del dia" from a restaurant in town. For $2.50, you get a soup, salad, entrée (rice, beans and beef/chicken/fish) and a fresh fruit drink. We explored the surrounding waterfalls and hiking trails the last day before taking off down the road.

The mountains on the way in

Looking upriver

Wish we went down this

Getting a tan with a view

Looking downriver

Good spot for swimming

This shows how narrow these roads are

...and how steep

Archaeology!

Ancient tomb

Interesting since no crocodiles were ever in the area

Tomb entrance

Tomb for a lesser important citizen

One of the smaller falls in the area

View from the top

Everyone wants to see the view

Quite a fall to the bottom

My lunch on the way out of San Agustin

We left our hostel planning on going straight to Pasto, a border town, but changed our agenda once we realized we'd arrive there well past dark. Mocoa is the midpoint between San Agustin and the border, but it isn't typically found in guide books. In the next few years, it will become a backpacker hotspot since the town is quickly building a reputation as a waterfall mecca. When we got off the bus, we ran into our friend Martin from San Agustin and opted to book a few nights at the same hostel together. The three of us took off the next morning to see Fin Del Mundo, a huge waterfall that drops hundreds of feet into the rocks below. While hiking to the waterfall, we passed by several smaller falls that people were jumping from. The drops were about 15 to 20 feet and we immediately joined in. This made the grueling hike worth it. Right before we made it to the end, I slipped on a rock and got a nice cut on my hip (which required a few stitches) but after a day or two it was water under the bridge.

Hanging out with the monkeys 

Eating the leftover food from the hostel

The bridge could use some help

Before the hike began

Pointing us towards a grueling hike up the mountain

After we reached the top, the way down was easy

First pool (jumping ledge was to the right)

Navigating the path to the ledge with Martin

First jump

 

Jumping off the second waterfall

Just before I slipped and took a tumble on the rocks

Taking the $1 taxi to town afterwards

After a few days in Mocoa, we took an early morning bus to the border, got our stamps, and hopped on a new bus to Quito.

After 7 weeks, it was time to say adios to Colombia!