Misiones (Argentina)

View from El Soberbio (Argentina) to Brazil on the other side of the river

Between Iguazu and going back to Buenos Aires is a little bit of a blur because I had to pick up the travelling pace somewhat and get a bit of a move on.  My flight from Buenos Aires to Sydney was booked for the 24 January and I didn’t want to change it again because I needed a deadline.  It would have been so easy to stay longer in Argentina, and especially Buenos Aires, but I knew if I stayed longer I’d have to cut short my stay in Australia and my travels in South East Asia and India.

Mocona Falls (difficult to photograph because they are so long and we were so close my camera would've got soaked)

Part of Mocona Falls

View as we were driving through the national park

After Iguazu Falls were so amazing, and after spending most of my time in Argentina in the cities, I decided that I needed more nature and waterfalls.  I’d read an article in the Guardian at Xmas about places to visit around Iguazu and I decided that I’d like to visit Mocona Falls in Misiones Province and do another short stay in the jungle/rainforest.  There also wasn’t much information about this part of Argentina in my guide-book, so I liked the idea of getting off the travellers trail for a few days.

I’d arranged to stay at Don Enrique Eco-Lodge for three nights but to save money I opted to travel there by public transport as far as possible.  I got a bus from Puerto Iguazu to San Vicente and then I was collected by car for the drive to Don Enrique via Mocona Falls.  It was a real treat to travel by car and the guy who collected me had his own tourist agency in El Soberbio and knew a lot about the area.

First stop was Mocona Falls on the Uruguay River because once you are at Don Enrique it’s too remote to leave unless you really need to.  I joined a group of Argentinian girls and a couple of Brazilian tourists for the boat ride to see the falls.  The boat ride was amazing and we got really close to the falls.  The river has a submerged canyon beneath the water but this only becomes visible at Mocona Falls where the water runs over the rim of the canyon.  Mocona Falls are the opposite of Iguzau Falls in that they are long and thin and only a few metres high.  If it rains too much then the water level rises enough that you can’t see the falls.  Given the amount of rain I’d experienced in the past few days, I felt lucky to be able to visit them.

I then went on a self-guided jungle walk in the Parque Nacional Mocona.  I didn’t see any animals but I had the place to myself to enjoy the scenery and nature.  After driving back through the National Park, drinking mate on the way, swapping the car for a 4×4 jeep and stopping to take photos on the way, we headed down the dirt road to Don Enrique and I understood why we needed the 4×4 and why it wasn’t possible to reach the lodge by public transport.  I’ve never been on such a rough and bumpy road, especially in the pitch black dark.  I was very glad to eventually reach the lodge and be shown to the most beautiful wooden cabin I will probably ever have the opportunity to stay in.  I hadn’t realised quite how luxurious the lodge would be (though the price should have been an indicator) so I made the most of the next few days relaxing, reading, walking, swimming and taking pictures of the beautiful surroundings.  There are only three cabins at Don Enrique – I was staying on one and then two Argentine families from Buenos Aires in the others.  Luckily I spoke enough Spanish to keep up with the conversations and everyone was lovely in explaining things and including me in the meal time discussions.  A nice touch at Don Enrique is that they serve amazing food around a communal table each meal time, so you get to spend time with the other guests.  For me it was fascinating to spend time with two Argentine families, who each had two children (one teenage and one younger) to find out more about typical life in Argentina.  As always, I think they thought I was a bit mad to be travelling on my own.

View as we were driving through the national park

My walking guide and my cabin

The walks were guided by locals and fairly strenuous because of the heat and all the hills.  My efforts were rewarded though with spectacular views, lush green forests and beautiful waterfalls.  I’ve also never seen so many butterflies in my whole life, and there were always birds singing in the trees.  In between walks I lounged on the deck of my cabin next to the river or went for a swim.

During my stay I also had the opportunity to visit a Guarani community.  Many of these local indigenous communities are closed to visitors but some have opened up to visitors as a way to earn some income and sell their traditional crafts directly to visitors.  I am always in two minds about these types of visits as they can feel very voyeuristic and intrusive (and you often wonder who is benefitting) but after talking to the owners of Don Enrique (who work closely with the local communities) and reading a copy of a letter that the Guarani communities wrote to the government about their situation, I felt that I could learn more about the Guarani people and their current situation by making a visit.  The letter I read was one of the most sincere and heartfelt letters I have read and in it the Guarani communities asked that they be able to lead their traditional life and for their land and the forest to be protected because it meant everything to them and their way of life.

After another ride on bumpy roads through amazing scenery in the 4×4 we arrived at the Guarani community.  I was met by the cacique (head of the community) who totally looked like a South American crusty punk (shaved hair around the top with a long bit at the bag tied into a pony tail, old trousers and t-shirt (minus the punk patches) and bare feet).  It was impossible to tell how old he was because he had a young face but there was something about him you could tell that he was older.  The community was made up of some simple mud brick houses with thatched roof, including one temple, and an open shelter area used as a kitchen/communal area.  There were several kids and woman about but they kept their distance.  I did feel slightly uncomfortable at this stage as it was clear that there wouldn’t be any opportunity to talk to/interact with the women and children, and it was very obvious that they lived a simple life as subsistence farmers.  Although I was told I could take photos during my visit, I didn’t feel comfortable about doing this, so only took pictures of the landscape.

One of many beautiful spots on the walks I did

A type of tree (sliced) at the Guarani community, though it's too fragile to use to make crafts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cacique took me on a tour and explained in Spanish (with Guarani translations for the plants and trees) about their way of life, the forest and how the plants and tress could be used for foods and medicines.  They also had some examples of traditional traps set up, with different ones designed to catch different types of animals – they looked very effective (if a little brutal).  I also got to see the different types of crops grown by the community (enough to live on but not to sell) including yuca, corn etc.  At the end I had the opportunity to buy some crafts made by the village and got myself a necklace and woven bowl.  It was nice to know that the money went straight to the community that made the crafts.

My private, natural swimming pool

 

Walking, walking, walking...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My not very healthy but vegetarian dinner in San Vicente

One of many amzing butterflies I saw

After three super relaxing nights of luxury at Don Enrique it was time to leave the forest again.  I decided to get a bus from San Vicente to Corrientes and stay the for a night before heading off to Mercedes to visit the natural reserve of Esteros del Ibera.  The road out of Don Enrique by day was spectacular with the red clay road contrasting against the lush green landscape.  I was dropped off in San Vicente and my guide wondered what on earth I was going to do until by bus left at 11pm.  His suggestion was to go to the Casino because it was air-conditioned and safe.  I opted to take a long time eating another 1/4 kilo of ice cream, sit in the park (well, grassy area at the side of the road) reading my book until it got dark when I went to a cafe to get some food.  There are not really any gringos in San Vicente let alone female ones sitting reading a book in the park, so I was somewhat of a curiosity.  Finding something to eat was a challenge because the pizza place wasn’t serving pizza (the owners who could operate the pizza oven were on holiday so they were only serving burgers) and when I asked if there was anywhere I might get vegetarian food they all scratched their heads and told me it wasn’t possible.  Eventually I found a cafe where I could get cheese empanadas and chips (not exactly a healthy meal but vegetarian) and the owner even called me a taxi to get the bus station.  This turned out to be a total rip-off but it was dark and I didn’t want to walk.

I got a bit obsessed with taking pictures of nature

The deck of my luxury cabin overlooking the river and forest

My not very healthy but vegetarian dinner in San Vicente

 

Volunteering at Mashaquipe (Madidi National Park) – Part 2

Kantuta flower (national flower of Bolivia)

I was lucky enough to get out on a few treks during my stay at the Mashaquipe Lodge, generally when there were small groups of one or two people.  So when Darwin (one of the guides) was heading out on an overnight trek with a Belgian guy called Ralf, I got to go with them.  Our walk started off with us finding a kantuta flower (the national flower of Bolivia) and pretending to be toucans, and then 5 minutes later Darwin spotted a tick on Ralf’s neck from about 2 metres away.  Ralf wasn’t convinced at first because the tick was around some other small moles on his neck.  I had a look and couldn’t tell the difference so when Ralf eventually let Darwin remove the tick he showed it to us and we couldn’t believe our eyes (but Ralf was obviously grateful).

Darwin the toucan

During the walk deeper into the forest Darwin explained how many of the plants and trees could be used as medicines.  We tried the root of a plant that was a natural anaesthetic and made my mouth and tongue go tingly then numb but I declined to eat minty termites from a tree.  We also saw a large group of chanchos (wild pigs) that were so close that we had to be ready to climb up onto a large fallen tree trunk if they got too close.  As they raced past us, destroying everything in their path, you could see the hair on their backs all spiked up.  The reason we were also to view them so closely is because Darwin could literally smell the chanchos as we got nearer to them, so we could walk quietly and keep ourselves hidden.  Growing up and working in the forest must give you an acute sense of sight and smell because it never ceased to amaze me how the Mashaquipe guides could spot even the tiniest insects and animals from a great distance.

Macaws at the macaw look out

After stopping for lunch and a quick siesta in a hammock at one of the forest shelters, we went up to the macaw look out (and saw Capuchin monkeys on the way) before eventually reached our camp for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darwin cooking dinner

 

 

 

Darwin knocked out a delicious dinner and the three of us dined by candle light, with my job being to translate Darwin’s crazy stories and jokes for Ralf and to translate Ralf’s stories for Darwin.  When it was finally time to sleep, I drifted off to the sounds of the forest (unlike last time when everyone was snoring).

Candle lit dinner for three in the forest

 

 

The next morning we were up early to build a raft to float back to camp on.  Unlike last time when the boat came to take our bags back, this time Darwin built a raft to accommodate us and our rucksacks.  To me this was luxury rafting as Darwin steered us all the way back and even build a little platform for me to sit on.

Darwin finishing off the luxury raft

I joked with Reynaldo when we got back that Darwin’s raft was more luxury that the one he had built on my last rafting trip and him and Elly joked that Darwin’s mum practically gave birth to him on a raft, so this was his area of expertise!

 

 

 

Floating back to the lodge on the raft

Floating back on the raft in the early hours of the morning was completely serene and beautiful, with the sun coming up and the birds and insects creating a blissful soundtrack.  There is something special about Madidi National Park because every time I returned from walking in the forest I was full of energy and inspiration!

Me, Lauren and Norm also got to go on a night walk with Darwin and Ralf to look for jaguars.  Of course, we didn’t see any but we did see (and hear) plenty of frogs, toads and night birds, and Darwin did a great job of building up the suspense with his jaguar stories (he’s been lucky enough to see them on three occasions).  We saw a little shelter where a French woman spent almost every night for a month waiting to spot jaguars (though I still don’t know if she was successful).  Given that we were only there for a couple of hours, it’s not surprising we didn’t see anything.  That said, we got to cross the river at night and enjoy the beautiful clear and starry sky from the boat and it felt like a real privilege to sit in the dark in the middle of the forest, listening to the sounds and looking at the stars.  Amazing!

 

Walking on the beach

 

 

 

My other excursion (which turned into a bit of an adventure) was with Reynaldo and Austrian guy called Mattias.  They were going on an overnight trip to stay with a local family for the night so I got to join them as I was keen to visit a local family during my stay.  Don Alejandro took us down the river by boat to start our trek.  He kindly offered to piggyback us from the boat to shore (Bolivians are such gentlemen sometimes) but I was keen to get my feet into the river.  Our trek took us over the beach and across another stream.  As always, when there is walking and water involved, I managed to step in the wrong place and get my feet wet.  This time I got distracted for a second by the amazing scenery and didn’t follow exactly in Reynaldo’s footsteps and ended up stepping in some sinking mud, almost losing one of my shoes.  Imagine the shame at my uselessness when Reynaldo tried to help me clean up my muddy shoes in the river.

We crossed the pebbly river in our bare feet – me and Mattius stumbling across on our delicate European feet, while Reynaldo quickly crossed the river and kindly came back to take our rucksacks for us (probably because he knew there was a great chance, of me at least, falling over in the rover with my rucksack on).

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, when we arrived at the family’s home (and our camping spot for the night) it was obvious that no-one was around.  Then we remembered it was Sunday, which meant everyone was at the market in Rurre to sell their produce and buy supplies.  So after eating some wild bananas and sugar cane, and having a bit of a rest, we decided to head back to the Mashaquipe lodge for the night.

Waiting on the beach

 

 

 

As the walking route back to the lodge was too dangerous for me and Mattius to attempt so Reynaldo gave us strict instructions to remain on the beach while he headed off to get the boat.  In true Bolivian style we had no idea how long we might have to wait for the boat but we had no concerns at all.

View from the beach as the sun went down

Turns out we had to wait quite some time but once again I had the privilege to enjoy one of the most scenic and magical places on earth as the sun went down.  The sky and light were beautiful as the sun went down, and once dark, we were treated to an amazing clear sky that was full of stars.  As when I was in the Australian outback, it made me want to learn more about the night sky and the stars so I knew what I was looking at.

Beautiful night sky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just before I had to make a toilet stop on the beach, Reynaldo turned up with the boat.  Turns out the route back to the lodge was as bad as Reynaldo had told us because it took him hours and he lost his machete on the way (which I felt really bad about because each guide has their own machete and it’s vital to their job).  To top it all off, he then had to piggy back us into the boat (with our rucksacks strapped to our backs) through thigh high mud and steer us back to the lodge in the pitch black dark.  Of course, for me and Mattius it was an amazing ride down the river at night under an amazing starry sky but it must have been a nightmare for Reynaldo to navigate.  When we got back to the lodge everyone in the kitchen looked at us with horror and asked what had happened, as they were all worried about us and thought something terrible had happened and that we’d had to be rescued!  I didn’t realise this at first and casually told them that the family wasn’t there so we had to come back.  Despite the drama it was a great adventure!

One of the boats carrying the balsa trunks for raft building

As I stayed for almost a month, I got to experience the forest in various weather.  Another time I got to go to the macaw look out with a Belgian couple and a french lady during stormy weather.  As we went up the river by boat you could see the rain and fork lightning, and as we walked through the forest you could feel the power of the rain and weather.  We also had one day where it rained and rained all day, which strangely enough came after a ritual/party to ask Pachamama for more rain on behalf of the local farmers.  After some time, and after continually asking how people could tell what the weather was going to be like, I could start to read the signs for rain or when it was going to be very hot.  I loved the feeling of being this close to nature and starting to understand the patterns of the forest, even if only a little bit.