Church in the Largo da Ordem [cobbled historic quarter] (Curitiba, Brazil)
NOTE: Sit back with a cup of java for this entry... It´s long. I´ve included Curitiba, Brazil along with Foz do Iguazu (the town), and Iguazu Falls itself.
I originally created PART of this blog entry and then skipped it. The reason was that it almost felt like CHEATING the falls to put together a blog entry that would in only a very small way capture them. I have had a little more time to think now, and I hope that these pictures and text will give at least a small idea of what it was like.
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Iguazu falls was absolutely, completely, totally amazing. If you are ever "marginal" about going to visit Iguazu Falls, please give me a call and I will convince you to go. It is not just a pretty view or breathtakingly scenic: it´s an experience that´s difficult to put into words.
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But before I got to Iguazu, I was in Curitiba, Brazil...
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Curitiba is known for it´s eco-friendly design, historic buildings, and good urban planning. I found it to be a very charming city, and enjoyed my 3 days here.
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I arrived in Curitiba in the middle of the night and asked the very friendly gentleman at the rental car agency about buses, what taxis should cost, etc. He wound up giving me ride into town. Brazilians were consistenly surprising me with their desire to help me out!
Fountain in the Largo do Ordem. Very cool (Curitiba, Brazil)I REALLY liked my hotel in Curitiba. It was very old and maybe not maintained the best, but iI found it charming and the staff very accomodating. (they even found me a tango lesson IN BRAZIL from an Argentine teacher!)... And their breakfast was GREAT! This picture is of the desk/telephone and seat in my hotel room. SUPACOOL??? I LOVE THE DESIGN! It´s really old, but it´s simple, simple, and modern/awesome! (Curitiba, Brazil)
View from my room at the Golden Hotel (Curitiba, Brazil)
Outside the front of the Golden Hotel was the plaza Triadentes (Curitiba, Brazil)
Two really cool buildings: Both with curves (Curitiba, Brazil)
I thought this building was totally cool! (Curitiba, Brazil) This photo really didn´t come out well, but this building was REALLY cool looking. Interesting combination of finished & painted and exposed brickwork, but not square or boring at all. Interesting roofline, curvaceous! (Curitiba, Brazil)
Note: This special "Bathrooms of Brazil" subsection is especially for Dad... This is Brazil´s solution to the problem of wasting water while waiting for the water to get warm: An electrical showerhead. And if you think it looks dangerous, you´re right. Over the period of time I used these devices (in central america and Brazil too), they´re usually not grounded correctly. So that means if your head happens to be tall (like mine), and your head gets into the squirty section of the spray (before it turns to droplets), you actually get a bit of a shock. (Genius Plumbing, Curitiba, Brazil)
This one seemed like it MIGHT be a good idea. If your drain gets plugged, don´t call the plumber, just SQUEEZE it! (Genius plumbing, Curitiba, Brazil)
No toilet tank to have problems, no levers... No service calls! Sheer simplicity! Lovely! (Genius plumbing, Curitiba, Brazil
Special "Bathrooms of Brazil" subsection over...
I was very surprised to find that McDonald´s is EXTREMELY popular. This is the line to get inside (Curitiba, Brazil)
Curitiba is known for it´s eco-friendliness, and these are the tubes where people queue up to get on the buses. Seemed like a good idea to me! Note once again the beautiful design of mosaic on the sidewalk! (Curitiba, Brazil)
Mosaic sidewalk in Curitiba, Brazil. The artwork is of the Aracaria tree, native and iconic of this region (Curitiba, Brazil) In one of the parks in town was this wonderful Aracaria tree (Curitiba, Brazil)PS: I also saw a REALLY COOL art exhibit in Curitiba! If you´re ever curious, buy me a cup o´coffee, and I´ll tell you about it!
After my time in Curitiba, I took a bus to Foz do Iguazu.
The town Foz do Iguassu was nice--but somewhat unremarkable--and the hostel was quite a distance from the center of town. In fact, being at the hostel was almost like being on a farm. The hostel is on acerage outside of the city, and all its neighbors WERE farms. Because of the remote location of the hostel, there was a bus (paid for by the farmers and the hostel) which would pick you up and take you to the main road, where you could catch a public bus into the city. (Foz do Iguacu, Brazil)
One of the things I liked about Brazil was their love of MEAT. This photo shows the prices for the "Meat Parade" buffet, where the meat comes directly from the rotisserie to your table on a giant spike. The $12 reis equates to about $6.50US, and for what we got, it was a great value! The closest thing to this buffet in America is a very upscale restaurant I know of in Ahwatukee, and plates there cost $45US. (Foz do Iguazu, Brazil)
This photo shows the plates of food, and two waiters bringing Meat On Stakes (tm) to our table (Iguazu Falls, Brazil)
Iguazu Falls is located on the river forming the border between Brazil and Argentina. It is accessible from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. The Brazilian side provides a view of the entire falls that cannot be seen from the Argentine side. The Argentine side has many more vantage points, and the opportunity to stand at the edge of "Garganta do Diablo"--an amazing experience. Many say that to REALLY see Iguazu falls, you must go to both sides. Given my limited time and budget, I chose to just do the Argentine side.
On the way to see the falls. I´m standing on the bridge over the Rio Iguazu, with one foot in Brazil, one foot in Argentina. The bus ride was kind of fun. We had a few others from our hostel, and the driver was a bit crazy. He was singing songs in Portugese, and waving a Portugese flag out the window to all his Argentine friends because Brazil had just won an important soccer match (On the way to Iguazu Falls) The Left half of the map of the falls Right half of the same mapI was very impressed with the park. The signage was great, the walkways were stable, and the staff was all trilingual and very helpful and professional. Kudos, Argentina!
I broke up my visit to the falls: First I would visit the lower catwalks. Then I would go on the special hike to a hidden, isolated waterfall. Then, I would go take the train to see Garganta...
THE LOWER CATWALK
This beautiful creature is perched on some of the trees above the falls. I have been told by my bird-happy buddy Craig that it is the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
The camera cannot do justice to the falls! (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Sweeping view from straight down to across the gorge (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Although there was plenty of spray coming off of the falls, the reason I´m "glistening" is because it was also QUITE WARM! (Iguazu Falls, Brazil)
The view from the lower catwalk up towards the upper catwalk (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
On the upper catwalk looking across the falls (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
THE HIDDEN WATERFALL:
In addition to the typical falls tours, there was also a hike available. It was a 6km hike on a well-trodden path into the jungle. At the end of the hike, you can climb down a waterfall and go for a swim.
A "Strangle Vine" on the way to the hidden waterfall. (Iguazu Falls, Brazil)
This photo is of the waterfall that feeds the pool just below. It was like swimming into a movie. It was absolutely AMAZING. (Hidden Waterfall, Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
THE UPPER CATWALK/GARGANTA:
To get to garganta, one must take a train ride for about 20 minutes, then walk another 20 minutes on catwalks above the river, until finally... You´re suspended on the very edge of Garganga del Diablo--Throat of the Devil
Reminder to stay ON the catwalk... there ARE snakes (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
I´m not sure if this bird read the above sign or not, but you can see just a LITTLE in this image that there is snake hanging out of the bird´s mouth. We watched the bird eat the snake right there in front of us! (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Beautiful sky, calm waters. This is above Garganta. At this point in the river, it would be easy to imagine explorers heading downriver, completely unaware of what they were about to find (and nearly be killed by!)
No photo I have taken has really "captured" the amazing Iguazu Falls. It is so big, its majesty so great, my tiny lens can only recreate the smallest snippet of an amazing scene. Iguazu falls is so big and powerful it is nearly overwhelming. Garganta del diablo--Devil´s Throat--the biggest single part of the falls--is so powerful that you can feel the energy of the falls in your lungs and heart. The roar is loud and powerful, and the energy builds as you approach. It is absolutely, breathtakingly amazing.
Vertigo! (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Iguazu Falls is not just water falling over a bunch of rocks. It is an enormous, pulsating, powerful organism. It´s not just a waterfall: everything about it is so, SO gorgeous! There are thousands of birds swooping and soaring, there is the enormous mist that rises up from the pounding water, and there are millions of beautiful plants that have taken up residence where they can live in the presence of Iguazu Falls. (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Garganta Catwalk. I don´t LOOK like I´m in awe [sort of a mixture of trying to look cool and squint in the sun]. But I am! :) (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)A couple of notable things in this photo: First is the sheer size of the falls. Next, note the black blotches in the images. Those are the birds that swoop and dip through the mist of the falls to catch insects in the air. (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
I was and remain completely in awe of the falls. The energy of the place is at the same time frenetic and meditative. There is an electricity in the air. Everyone at the falls feels it. It is weighty and causes one to be reverential when under its influence.
A view down, then up and across Garganta (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
A view from Garganta. The mist changes: at times it is isolated around the foot of the falls. At other times, it inhabits all the surrounding air, depositing little droplets of water on you. (Iguazu Falls, Argentina)
Alternative spellings (From Wikipedia) Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls (Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu, Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú) 12/24/07 9:16am