April 24, 2013
“On our way to Mocona Falls, we spent 2 nights at Don Enrique’s, a jungle lodge. We trekked the jungle. Hard to believe this is all that is left of a once vast jungle. The lodge cost more than anything we had paid so far, but it is for a good cause. Saving what is left of the rainforest.”
We hated to leave Iguazu. The scenery was incredible and our lodging was romantic. But we were anxious to get to our next destination with only a few days remaining before we needed to return to Uruguay and our dogs.
We had to hold our breath leaving Iguazu since we were running out of gas. ALL the stations were out of gas. The problem was, we are right across the border from Brazil and the gas is much cheaper in Argentina. So every day there are lines of cars with Brazilian plates waiting at the pumps. We made it to the next town only to find them out of gas, too. As we arrived on fumes at the next town, we found one rustic looking station with very old pumps . . . but they had gas.
We stopped long enough to take a picture standing where three countries: Paraguay (left), Brazil (right) and Argentina (beneath my feet) come together – just rivers dividing them.
As we came over a hill, we stopped to get a picture of the rain forest.
We drove 6 hours to our next stop. We had not made reservations for the night, so we went looking. As the sun was setting we drove down an incredibly bumpy, rocky road for about 45 minutes (felt like 2 hours, we had to so slow). Finally, we arrived at Don Enrique’s, a jungle lodge in the rainforest.
At first, they said they did not have a room for us on such short notice. But, I think they felt sorry for us and made up a bed.
Our cabin was incredible: cozy, wood, low lit, and romantic. I was no longer missing Iguazu.
Funny, they definitely had this room available, but were ready to turn us away. Sometimes, I don’t get the thinking here.
The bathroom had a large cement tub. I had never seen one of these, so I was excited to try it. . . . it will never become popular. The cement pulls all the heat from the water within minutes.
The lodge provided a guide who took us on treks through the jungle.
We followed paths through heavy foliage . . .
We spotted wildlife and insects . . .
learned to identify medicinal plants . . .
This is what happens when you give a guy a machete in the jungle.
found numerous waterfalls . . .
. . . and climbed a lookout tower. Tried Mate: still don’t like it.
What is a subtropical rainforest? Much like a tropical rainforest, it has fertile soils and high rainfall. There are shorter and fewer species of trees in subtropical, and it lies outside the equatorial region. But, there is no clear dividing line between tropical and subtropical.
The second day, we did another jungle trek . . .
and saw more waterfalls . . .
they just appear out of the jungle . . .
. . . we even walked across the murky river in in our bare feet!
Probably due to the trekking, I slept like a rock.
I took a few moments to enjoy the opaque turquoise river as it slowly flowed by and listened to the “jungly” jungle sounds.
Once again, we snapped a photo of the jungle. There is no way to get a good picture of its vastness.
Our lodging was expensive, but the owners were advocates of saving the remaining forest. We felt our dollars were going to a good cause. If you can, please fight to save what is left.
It is sad to realize that this small portion of the jungle is all that is left of a once vast rainforest stretching through Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Massive trees have been logged for timber and to make way for sugar cane, tobacco, and soy. The land is cleared for cattle and a continually expanding urban area needing more buildings and roads. Much of the land is under private ownership and therefore hard to control.
We stayed in an area called the Yaboti Biosphere Reserve. Slightly over half of the subtropical forest here remains. If that sounds bad, know that overall in Argentina, only 1% of the original rainforest survived. And from what we have learned, that is more than what has survived in other countries. It is hard to comprehend the damage done and continuing to be done. A huge part of it is gone forever. It can never be replaced. It is not just the green trees and other foliage, but all the living things within the forest.
Tomorrow we will visit Mocona Falls.