The next day we headed out to the airport, picked up by the guide organised by our travel agent. She was the same one who had dropped us at the apartment two days earlier. Her English was good and her favourite topic was the traffic. At one point she turned to me, gesticulating expressively, and spoke about how a bus driver had had a fatal accident because he was always turning to talk to his passengers and taking his hands off the wheel. There was a moment when we both noted that she was looking at me and waving a hand around and she gave me a quick apologetic smile grabbed the wheel with both hands and continued the story whilst looking firmly ahead. The whole driving experience was further enhanced by the presence of literally hundreds of vultures watching you from their lamposts ... And waiting.
Of course, we arrived safely in Iguassu and were meet by one othe most intense, fascinating and generous people I have ever met -our guide for two days - Ortiz.
Ortiz took us straight to the falls, there being no time to book into the accommodation. There had been significant rainfall for the past week and later in the day the mist from the waterfalls would obscure visibility.
It turned out that the cloudy weather we had experienced in Rio had meant significant rainfall in the catchment of Iguassu. If we hadn't had this in Rio we would have missed out on what turned out to be incredible conditions in Iguassu. Only a month earlier the conditions had been so dry that the falls had dropped to one fifth of the size we saw them at.
We had two days planned in Iguassu and on the first day we were to see the falls from the Brazilian side. The day was cloudy but clear and Ortiz was thrilled that we were going to have good viewing and good levels of water.
Of course, we arrived safely in Iguassu and were meet by one othe most intense, fascinating and generous people I have ever met -our guide for two days - Ortiz.
Ortiz took us straight to the falls, there being no time to book into the accommodation. There had been significant rainfall for the past week and later in the day the mist from the waterfalls would obscure visibility.
It turned out that the cloudy weather we had experienced in Rio had meant significant rainfall in the catchment of Iguassu. If we hadn't had this in Rio we would have missed out on what turned out to be incredible conditions in Iguassu. Only a month earlier the conditions had been so dry that the falls had dropped to one fifth of the size we saw them at.
We had two days planned in Iguassu and on the first day we were to see the falls from the Brazilian side. The day was cloudy but clear and Ortiz was thrilled that we were going to have good viewing and good levels of water.
I do not believe that I have ever seen a more making natural sight that the Iguassu Falls. Their sheer size and force simply belie description. So much water. Enough water for every single person on the planet to receive at litre every few minutes! It is a scale that seems incomprehensible and yet there it is in front of you.
And to top it all off we saw capuchin monkeys up close, coati and agouti.
A word of warning though, Foz do Iguassu (the city near the Falls) was the first place that felt dangerous. All the houses seem to have high walls and barbed wire is common, as are security systems. Ortiz told us that up until recently 15% of local youths died a violent death before the age of 20. And you could believe it. The government had sent in extra military to try and bring some sanity back to the place.
That night we were dropped off at the hotel and the best advice was not to wander too far. We decided to eat in and we had an unexpected bonus. Our room had been upgraded to a suite, and it was pretty awesome.
The next day we headed over to the Argentinian side of the Falls. again we traveled with Ortiz and he continued to a source of fascination. He had grown up in incredibly poor situations in Paraguay. He had seen the importance of education and had left home at the age of 14, against the will of his father who wanted him to continue to be a wood cutter.
Ortiz now spoke a swag of languages, had a much better lifestyle than he would ever had had at home, but he never forgot his roots. Though only on a modest income he still had 8 foster children that he helping to educate back in Paraguay. What a man.
A quick note on how good we have it in Australia. There are just so many poor people in this country and things cost so much more. This is particularly the case in Brazil, where taxes are very high. For example, Ortiz was looking at a new Kia Rio car and because of taxes it cost the equivalent of $36,000 Australian. And I think the average salary of somebody in a good job is likely to be around $500 a week.
Back to the Falls. The Argentinian side is simply staggering. We took a boat ride to the Falls, and if you come this far it really is a must. Whilst the day before had been awe-inspiring, today was simply so much more. you end up right at the base of falls in the boat and the lookouts are literally right over the waterfalls. And there are so many of them and the sight and sound of them just cannot be captured in words. So, I will stop now.
Tomorrow we head towards Bonito and water of a different variety.
And to top it all off we saw capuchin monkeys up close, coati and agouti.
A word of warning though, Foz do Iguassu (the city near the Falls) was the first place that felt dangerous. All the houses seem to have high walls and barbed wire is common, as are security systems. Ortiz told us that up until recently 15% of local youths died a violent death before the age of 20. And you could believe it. The government had sent in extra military to try and bring some sanity back to the place.
That night we were dropped off at the hotel and the best advice was not to wander too far. We decided to eat in and we had an unexpected bonus. Our room had been upgraded to a suite, and it was pretty awesome.
The next day we headed over to the Argentinian side of the Falls. again we traveled with Ortiz and he continued to a source of fascination. He had grown up in incredibly poor situations in Paraguay. He had seen the importance of education and had left home at the age of 14, against the will of his father who wanted him to continue to be a wood cutter.
Ortiz now spoke a swag of languages, had a much better lifestyle than he would ever had had at home, but he never forgot his roots. Though only on a modest income he still had 8 foster children that he helping to educate back in Paraguay. What a man.
A quick note on how good we have it in Australia. There are just so many poor people in this country and things cost so much more. This is particularly the case in Brazil, where taxes are very high. For example, Ortiz was looking at a new Kia Rio car and because of taxes it cost the equivalent of $36,000 Australian. And I think the average salary of somebody in a good job is likely to be around $500 a week.
Back to the Falls. The Argentinian side is simply staggering. We took a boat ride to the Falls, and if you come this far it really is a must. Whilst the day before had been awe-inspiring, today was simply so much more. you end up right at the base of falls in the boat and the lookouts are literally right over the waterfalls. And there are so many of them and the sight and sound of them just cannot be captured in words. So, I will stop now.
Tomorrow we head towards Bonito and water of a different variety.
RSS Feed
