South America Destinations: Iguassu Falls

One of nature's magical kingdoms to experience is Iguassu Falls, a J-shaped area comprised of about 250 waterfalls on the Brazilian and Argentinean borders.

A view of Iguassu Falls from Brazil

My wife and I spent two days trekking at Iguassu National Park—one day in Brazil and one in Argentina. In Brazil, it's spelled Iguacu, and in Argentina, it's Iguazu. For English speakers, it's Iguassu. The word means "big waters" in Guarani, the language of the indigenous people.

It was rainy both days but tolerable as we were covered, for the most part, by the canopy of subtropical trees as we walked to the falls. And when we arrived to the falls, we felt the mist from the powerful cascading waters from the Iguassu River. Suggestion: Pack a raincoat!

At Devil's Throat

We were there when the falls were probably at their mightiest as the river current was swift and wide from recent rains. The national park has walkways leading to overlooks, including the thunderous Devil's Throat, and to the mouths of lesser, but still impressive, waterfalls.  For those who are more adventurous, and don't mind getting drenched, there are boat rides to the bottom of several falls.

A coati

Prego monkey

The parks were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in the 1980s. Besides the falls, they are nature preserves with many species of animal and plant life. Especially "friendly" were the coatis and prego monkeys, who weren't bashful around places where people get a bite  to eat. The monkeys would strike, without warning, on those unsuspecting folks sitting at tables by grabbing their sandwiches and leaping back up into the trees. Another suggestion: Don't feed the animals, intentionally or unintentionally.






Iguassu Falls was named as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World," and I certainly wouldn't dispute that designation. It's an unforgettable and magical place to visit.

Until the next time. . . .

South America Destinations: Rio de Janeiro

My wife and I spent 10 day in South America in early June, visiting Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls, and Buenos Aires.

Copacabana Beach

Our first stop was lively and colorful Rio, a city with nearly 7 million inhabitants. We stayed at a hotel located at the world-famous Copacabana Beach. It's fall there so the beach wasn't too crowded.

Christ the Redeemer

We made the usual tourist stops—riding cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain for a breathtaking view of the city, taking a train to the summit of Corcovado Mountain to see the majestic Christ the Redeemer statue, and walking up the 215 tiled steps of the Selaron staircase in the Lapa district. I thought I saw the "Girl from Ipanema" walking on the sidewalk near the café where the song was composed, but I'm sure it was my imagination.  It was still a nice thought.

So much to see and so little time.

Cables leading to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain

Our guided tour also took us past the multi-colored favelas (where many of the poor reside in shacks) and areas where the rich live in high-rise apartments overlooking the beaches. The tour even included an optional trip to a favela. We didn't go but several of our fellow travelers who did said they were amazed how clean and tidy the residents kept their homes.

Our local guide, Eduardo, told us that children only attend public schools four hours a day because of the economy. The rich send their children to private schools. There's not much of a middle class. Not surprising, crime is also a problem in the city. 

Municipal Theatre

We did try to venture out from the hotel during our free time but found it difficult to navigate the city. We're urban hikers and like to make our own discoveries. We didn't see as much as we wanted to, such as churches, government buildings, and parks.

Carlos Braguinha statue

We stopped in several downtown shops and found the merchants to be friendly and helpful despite the language barrier (Portuguese). We walked to the Riosul  mall, which compares to upscale shopping places you'd find in the U.S.

Rio, founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, has a rich history and shows promise for a bright future. Many may remember that it hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics.

But it's a shame that there is so much graffiti marring public buildings, walls, and other places (we've also seen that in Roma and Budapest).

A selfie on the Selaron Staircase

Regardless, it was an unforgettable two days in Rio. We'd like to return and really get to know and understand this dynamic and diverse city. We left knowing that it has much more to offer visitors. 




Until the next time. . . .