EC-Rider Travels

Well today has been a bit of a damp one but AMAZING! It has been a couple of weeks since I have been at the foot (literally, the last one!) of a ‘wonder of the world’ and to be fair Iguazu is/was one of the Natural Wonders of the World, voted in 2011, and I’m not sure if it is still recognised as such. However in my mind it is right up there. Guess what … it was AWSOME!

The Iguazu Falls (or Iguaçu as it seems to be in Brazil) are the falls of the Iguazu River which form a border between Argentina and Brazil. The river runs 820 miles through southern Brazil before joining the Parana River at the point where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet (I assume where I was last night?). The falls are 82m high and 2,700m wide, there are 275 individual falls which makes it the largest waterfall in the world. Higher than Niagara and though not as high as the Victoria Falls it is much more expansive and carries more water.

According to my friend on the buggy going down to the falls, after all the recent rain, the water volume in the falls is greater than it has ever been. Quite a time to see it, and on such a beautiful day. She also told me the legend behind the falls ….. they were created by a god whose beautiful girlfriend spurned him and went off with her mortal lover in a canoe. He was so cross he cut the river in half, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal ‘fall’ – must be true! Despite the Iguazu River flowing predominantly through Brazil, most of the falls lies on the Argentine side though there seemed plenty this side too!

So my day …. well it started quite promptly as one of the downsides of being so wonderfully close to the bird park, is that the birds wake up at sunrise with a lot of chat/squawking – it was more than reminiscent of being back in the Amazon – but quite annoying after yesterday’s 4.45am start! Anyway they are so beautiful, I forgive them and shoved my earplugs in! So after a delicious breakfast, at this very nice hotel (I would really recommend it) I headed off up the road, literally three minutes to the entrance of the park.

The Iguaçu National Park is huge and beautifully maintained, and once again a major conservation project. It is all incredibly well laid out, with trees labelled and brilliantly organised electric buses and buggies going in every direction. You buy your entrance to the park which gives you access for the day and the opportunity to see the falls from dry-land; and then you have the option of what is called the Macuco Safari. There did not seem to be many in this queue but I had been told by more than one niece and nephew that I had to do it …. Looking at the publicity photos in the ticket office, I wondered if it was a joke on the ol’ aunt. Anyway they were absolutely right, it did have to be done. It is a boat-trip under the falls and incredible. Like the best fairground ride you could possibly have but rather more beautiful. I think it must be half term in Brazil too, as there were so many children who were just loving it, as did I. Soaked through to your knickers, it was definitely one of the maddest half hours I have ever had and I made a lot of new friends!

I then did the walking trail which again is all very well (rather too well) organised along tarmac paths with various view points of the falls. Inevitable queues at each for people to have their photos taken! Nobody could understand that I just wanted a picture of the falls and kept asking me if I wanted them to take my picture – I gave in once or twice just to prove to myself that I was there, as I may not believe how lucky I was in a few years time!

Along the way there was also so much else to see, stunning orchids growing wild, like the ones we pay a fortune for at home and begonias too. Many different varieties of the most beautiful butterflies just everywhere. Giant geckos and a rather cute marsupial called a Coati which followed us for some time along the path. Everyone else rather ignored it so I think it must be quite common! At one point there was even a capuchin monkey just in the trees above the path. Lovely.

I returned to the hotel and spent quite some time with Fernanda trying to sort out my check in, and also my very early pick-up tomorrow morning. Anyway two hours later, there wasn’t much I didn’t know about Fernanda (I think she is probably coming to stay!) and we still couldn’t get the GOL website to give me a boarding pass! Anyway we decided it didn’t matter, as being so old, I was obviously priority and so they should be able to sort me out at the airport. After telling the Manager how great Fernanda had been, as indeed are all the staff here, I headed to my room to pack for the final time in Brazil!