Friday, March 5, 2010
Iguazu Falls-good things can come from earthquakes
We have just returned from an overnight trip to Iguazu National Park which is a 12 hour drive and 1 1/2 hour flight (our mode) and I need to report that it is absolutely spectacular. Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls have their own beauty but this is a collection of approximately 275 separate waterfalls - in the rainy season there are as many as 350 - that plunge, with a deafening roar, more than 200 feet at a bend in the Iguazu River where the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. They stretch along 2.7 km of cliff-face. Dense, lush jungle surrounds the falls. Apparently, a pine tree here, with the tropical sun and omnipresent moisture, can grow at a rate that produces a towering tree in two decades instead of the seven it would take, say, at home. By the falls and along the roadside, rainbows and butterflies are everywhere set off against walls of red earth. The falls and the lands around them are protected by the National Parks of each country. Iguazu means "big water" and was the name given to it by the indigenous Guarani people but 'big' doesn't come close to describing this wall of water. Taller than Niagara, wider than Victoria, it truly is one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have ever seen. Everywhere, there are falls ranging from picturesque cascades to immense cataracts and this is what makes it so incredibly special. The flora and fauna that surround them are amazing and know no fear of humans so authorities are adamant that none be fed, of course, but they also are intrigued with humans, it seems. We would have small mammals following us along the catwalks, butterflies landing on our arms and even faces and birds flying to land right beside us, including some most beautiful specimens. What an experience! The four of us walked about a 5km, fairly flat route as soon as we arrived in order to see the "Devil's Throat", one of the most dramatic of the falls and did a train ride through the jungle to get to the trail. It was 35 degrees and of course, very humid so we were all tired but Denise and I decided that we must do the boat ride that goes under the falls as we had read in every guide book and first-hand that it was not to be missed. We bought our ticket at a central point in the park and I have no idea what we were thinking but when we asked the ticket seller "ok, what now?" we must have thought a car and driver would be arriving to take us to the dock.....who knows? His answer was "well, just follow the trail down to the lower circuit and follow the signs to the boat, it will take about an hour". To capture the image, you have to remember that I mentioned the 200 foot drop of the falls and that we were at the top needing to get to the bottom to get the boat. Well, we succeeded in doing that and had an absolutely amazing time in the boat. We actually have it all on a video the guys made for tourists to buy and it is quite something to see ourselves. THEN, we had to get back to the top in order to get back to the hotel!!!! Well, I am writing this so you know we survived and Denise is thinking it might have been tougher than surviving the Chilean earthquake last weekend. lol... Our first clue that it was going to be a tough go should have been the fact that the rest of the people in the boat were under 35!! It was glorious and we are proud of ourselves! We both agree that it's not something we need to do again tomorrow, however. We got up this morning and walked the rest of the upper circuit that we'd missed yesterday but that was only a leisurely couple of kms return albeit with higher temperature than yesterday. I am going to try to upload a short video and a picture and if I've picked the right video I think you will be able to see how close they let people get to the falls and also how low the railings are that separate people from water. Not anything like what we would see at home but it makes for a very dramatic experience. We will just have another movie night tonight in Buenos Aires and re-adjust. lol.............love to all, Sally xoxo
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment