IGUASSU FALLS


(Flags of Brazil and Argentina)


(Brazil Map)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009:

Wednesday morning it was off to the airport for our TAM Airlines flight to Foz do Igua�u, Brazil.

RIO AIRPORT VIDEO 1 minute video of the Rio de Janeiro International Airport.

All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.

As we landed at the small Foz do Iguaçu Airport it was pouring rain.
There were no jetways, so we got wet.
We were greeted at the airport by Wilson, our local guide.
It was a 30 minute drive to our hotel inside the national park.



By the time we had gotten to the park the rain had subsided to just a light mist.
We took a nice walk along the falls as they readied our rooms at the hotel.



The Hotel Das Cataratas Iguassu Falls is the only hotel inside the Iguassu National Park
and only a two minute walk from the viewing area from where you have a spectacular sight of the falls.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON FEBRUARY 11, 2009

Howdy all, The first part of the day was devoted to changing locations. Going to the airport with a large group is a bit of a hassle. There are 90 of us and it takes a lot of time to load and unload all that luggage. It was about a two hour flight from Rio to Iguazu Falls. We got to the small airport just in time for the skies to open up. And since the airport did not have jetways, we all got drenched. The weather in this part of Brazil changes hourly. Raining one minute and then bright sunshine the next. By the time we got to the National Park the rain had slowed to just a light mist. The first thing we did was take a 90 minute walk by the falls. Quite an amazing sight. Niagara is a mere trickle of water compared to this place. There must be a hundred waterfalls that extend along the 1.5 mile wide meeting of two rivers. It is hard to decide where to point the camera. There are falls everywhere and you would have to be in a helicopter to get them all in one shot. When we got to Devil's Throat, the most impressive part of the falls, we all got wet again. Not from the rain this time, it was the mist from the falls. We are staying at a classic old hotel inside the national park just inches from the falls. We had dinner tonight on the terrace at the hotel as the sun was setting behind the falls. It was a beautiful sunset as the clouds were breaking up after our rainstorm and the mist from the falls rising up. Also had dinner with some people who were also on the transatlantic cruise with me last September. I think we must have bored everyone else at the table as our conversation always seemed to come back the experiences we had shared on that cruise. We are right on the border of three countries, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Tomorrow we go Argentina to see the falls from there. 80% of the falls are actually in Argentina. I have attached a picture of me in front of the falls. The falls you see behind me is about 1% of the falls. I will attach a better picture of the falls tomorrow without that ugly dude blocking the view. It was quite gloomy today and it supposed to be sunny tomorrow. That is both good and bad news. When it is sunny it is also hot, around 110 with 95% humidity. No Internet tonight so this will be late. Hopefully I will be able to send it from Buenos Aires before getting on the ship on Saturday. More later, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009:

Thursday morning we drove across the border to view the falls from the Argentina side.
The Argentina custom officials go at their own speed and needlessly delay this process.
By the time we finally got to the Devil's Throat overlook in Argentina,
we had about five minutes to snap a picture before we had to head back.
It was a lot of effort for little reward as the view from Brazil is much better.



We had to repeat the long border check when we headed back to Brazil after lunch.
We got back to the hotel mid-day. I decided to take the same walk as we did yesterday.
This time there were clear blue skies and bright sunshine. The views were spectacular.



The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 1.67 miles of the Iguassu River.



The Devil's Throat, a U-shaped, 490-feet-wide by 2300-feet-long cataract, is the most impressive of all.



From the top of the elevator on the Brazilian side there is a nice overview of the falls.

IGUAZU FALLS VIDEO 10 minute video of the spectacular Iguazu Falls.

On our last evening in Iguazu we went into town for a dinner show at Plaza Foz.

PLAZA FOZ VIDEO 11 minute video of dinner show at Plaza Foz in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON FEBRUARY 12, 2009

Howdy! The first part of this day did not go too well. We crossed the border between Brazil and Argentina to see the falls from the Argentina side. We had to wait in line for about two hours going through customs. The wait was so long our tour guide almost got arrested because he was complaining about their incompetence. When we finally got to where we were going we had to walk over two miles round trip in less than an hour in the blazing heat. So all 90 of us run down the trail snap a couple quick photos and run back. We then had lunch and had to repeat the long process of crossing the border again. So we sat in the bus for about six hour to take one quick picture. The late afternoon and evening went much better. We got back around 3:00 and I was able to take a nice leisurely walk along the Brazilian side of the falls. Since most of the falls are in Argentina the view is much better from the Brazilian side. This is the Devil's Throat Overlook. From the top of the elevator on the Brazilian side there is a nice overview of the falls. Then in the evening most of us went to a dinner show in the town which is about 30 minutes from our hotel in the park. The dinner was delicious and the locals put on a nice show. More later, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

Click on the arrow above to continue to my next adventure, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

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