***CLICK ON THE PICTURES AFTER YOU READ THE STORY. IT TAKES YOUR VIEWING EXPERIENCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
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| Iguaçu River from the airplane |
We've been back from Iguazu Falls for two weeks now and I keep trying to think of some way to describe what an amazing sight they were. People say that when Eleanor Roosevelt saw these waterfalls she said, "Poor Niagara." I am not sure if that is true, but these water falls were definitely amazing. I won't even try to tell you about how beautiful they were, I will just clue you into the trip and all the fun stuff we got to do in Foz do Iguaçu. Our breath was first taken away when our pilot flew us over the Brazilian side of the falls on our final approach to the airport. It was worth the trip just to see that.
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| Devil's Throat, our first look at the falls |
Day One: On the Argentine side of the falls we got to hike around the national park all day so we could look at the falls from several different places. The first place we went was the Devil's Throat, the part of the falls with the heaviest flow of water. We were able to stand right at the edge of the falls (at the walkway, with a protective rail) and look over into the heavy mist. It was amazing to hear the water roaring over the edge and down into the river. After the Devil's Throat we spent the rest of the day hiking up and down the narrow walk ways along the bank of the river to see the falls from about a thousand different angles. Since there are 128 individual waterfalls at Iguazu, there is always plenty to look at. One of the best parts was getting in the boat that drove us up underneath the frigid waters. Looking up at the falls from water level was one of sheer amazement. You cannot imagine how gorgeous they are from the river looking straight up.
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| The Brazilian Side of the Falls |
Day Two: On the Brazilian side of the falls the walk was alot
shorter, but the view was amazing. From the Brazilian side we could see
the full panoramic of the waterfalls. We got up close and personal
with the Devils Throat from the Brazilian side on a walkway that sits
across the river from the, but right in the middle of the Devil's
Throat. It was an amazing day. I met a few people from Denver and
Washington D.C. and had a fun time telling them about my great
experiences in South America. After the Brazilian side of the falls we
went to a real live Churrascaria (Brazilian Steak House=Steak on
Swords+All You Can Eat). It was excellent.
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| Panoramic of Itaipu Dam |
After lunch, we went
to see the second biggest hydroelectric dam in the world. It was a
sight to behold. It was like we drove into a whole different world made
of metal and concrete. The dam is surrounded by a game preserve and
there were some really beautiful parts of the country there. The dam is
on Itaipu river (thus the name Itaipu Dam), which makes the border
between Paraguay and Brazil. We were actually able to cross into
Paraguay while on the tour, but technically it property owned by a
bi-national corporation so we didn't get our passport stamped. The dam
was a feat of modern engineering and I was really interested to hear the
story of the construction and electricity production. It was
unbelievable.
Day Three: Was our free day. We had
some folks in the group that were dead set on zip-lining in Iguazu (I
may or may not have been one of them) so we went to this tourist trap of
a ropes course, paid the 35 dollars for an afternoon of rock climbing,
canopy touring, and cat jumping. It was AWESOME. Emily and I decided
to pay the extra money to get to repel down into the gorge from a
platform 55 meters above the river. It was excellent. I wish I could
have hung there forever, looking between the top and the bottom of the
falls. I can't put that one into words. If only the harness would've
been a little bit more comfortable. After this afternoon our group got
back together for a dinner show at Rafian's. It was another all you can
eat buffet. Brazilian food is delicious. I am pretty sure I ate my
weight in sliced beef. The servers learned my name because I went to
their stations so many times. It was a great night, and I had worked up
quite an appetite repelling all afternoon.
We made it back safely the next day, in total we were in Brazil from Sunday to Thursday. But we had quite an adventure along the way.
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| Devil's Throat |
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| From the Boat |
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| Double Rainbow |
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| GET OFF THE WALL |
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| The Rock Climbing Tourist Trap |
Day Three: Was our free day. We had
some folks in the group that were dead set on zip-lining in Iguazu (I
may or may not have been one of them) so we went to this tourist trap of
a ropes course, paid the 35 dollars for an afternoon of rock climbing,
canopy touring, and cat jumping. It was AWESOME. Emily and I decided
to pay the extra money to get to repel down into the gorge from a
platform 55 meters above the river. It was excellent. I wish I could
have hung there forever, looking between the top and the bottom of the
falls. I can't put that one into words. If only the harness would've
been a little bit more comfortable. After this afternoon our group got
back together for a dinner show at Rafian's. It was another all you can
eat buffet. Brazilian food is delicious. I am pretty sure I ate my
weight in sliced beef. The servers learned my name because I went to
their stations so many times. It was a great night, and I had worked up
quite an appetite repelling all afternoon. 
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