On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
A few pics from a trip several years ago.
Still life with insects.
It’s impossible to overstate the enormity of these falls, located at the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. From the Argentinian side you can’t even take in the whole scope – but we chose not to cross over to the Brazilian because that would have required another entry fee.
Aspens, Andes.
Roadside shrine to Our Lady of the 2-Liter Bottle.
The little foxes are unfortunately conditioned to humans and come up very close.
The guanacos are pretty skittish, though.
The road from Villavicencio to Mendoza is pretty straight. The road from Uspallata to Villavicencio, on the other hand, is shit-your-pants scary. I had visions of imminent death all the way down.
Gin & Tonic
Wow, I think Alain might have confused 5:00 pm and 5:00 am.
low-tech cyclist
Fill my eyes with that double vision
No disguise for that double vision
Ooh, when it gets through to me, it’s always new to me
My double vision gets the best of me
Aw rats, he fixed it. ;-)
rikyrah
Absolutely gorgeous ??
satby
@low-tech cyclist: it seems that the pictures are duplicated on the front page but not on the post itself. Weird.
But nice pictures!
low-tech cyclist
@satby:They are nice pix indeed! I may have to go see that waterfall someday, because even from the photo, it’s fucking awesome. I bet it’s way more awesome if you’re actually there.
You’re right, the string of photos is doubled on the front page but not here. One more thing to add to WaterGirl’s list, I guess, but not what anyone would call a high priority. Overall, I’m really really impressed with the new site, though – she’s done good.
Perensejo
The shrine is to the popular saint Difunta Correa. The bottles are full of water, to slake her unquenchable thirst.
Baud
Gorgeous.
JPL
Beautiful pictures!
debbie
@satby:
Twice as nice!
I would never tire of watching that waterfall and rainbow.
Gin & Tonic
@Perensejo: I actually know that, thanks.
Gin & Tonic
@low-tech cyclist: The falls are stupendous, but actually difficult to photograph because there’s so much spray that water gets all over everything. I have a couple of photos that might have been nicer, but there are water droplets all over the lens. As I noted, I think the vantage point for photography is better on the Brazilian side, but you get closer to the falls on the Argentinian side.
Thing is, they’re kind of in the middle of nowhere – it’s over 1,200 km from Buenos Aires, and Puerto Iguazu is kind of a nothing town, so you really have to go specifically there to see the falls – not like you’d be passing by.
The even larger falls along that same river system, Guaira, were submerged in 1982 as part of the Itaipu Dam hydro project (the largest hydroelectric capacity in the world.)
arrieve
Another place I’d love to visit. Beautiful pictures — I just want to hug that guanaco.
Raoul
Thanks for the photos!
Iguazu was one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen. Dude and I sort of joke that it has ruined us for other waterfalls. We also make reference to coati pretty often (usually teasing while rifling thru backpacks looking for our own snacks).
There is a bit of a wistfulness to see those falls again. I don’t know that I feel much urge to go to Argentina again, though Patagonia is a compelling possibility. Buenos Aires filled us with a pervasive melancholy
(We ended up spending 48 hours in Puerto Igazu, and stayed at a sort of rainforest lodge with a great pool, fairly cheap on one of the ‘hidden brand name’ sites. The town is not much, but we were glad to feel no time pressure on our falls day).
Gin & Tonic
@Raoul: We also spent two nights in Puerto Iguazu, so we really took our time at the falls.
I’ll put together my Patagonia pictures (different trip) for another OTR, maybe after Thanksgiving. Bariloche gets quite crowded in the summer, but the beauty is hard to match.
WaterGirl
@satby: Were you looking from the front page of Balloon Juice or from On the Road under Featuring?