Iguazu Falls: The Most Impressive Falls on Earth ...and TOUCANS!

Oct 15, 2009

We had a very early morning flight to Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil out of Buenos Aires, so we decided that a taxi would be our best option. Taking the advice of some tourist information centers, we walked to a main street nearby and caught a taxi. Worried about being scammed, Rumi was very careful to ask the right questions and ensure we were getting a fair deal. Everything worked out beautifully and we were able to catch the flight with no complications.

We had to connect in Sao Paulo before continuing to Foz do Iguaçu. As we flew over the city, one of the largest in the world, we discovered that tall buildings completely filled the landscape. We mutually decided that neither of us had to see Sao Paulo (we would later find it was cheaper to fly to Rio and Brasilia than busing via Sao Paulo).

On our flight to Foz do Iguaçu, we were both anxiously searching for the great falling water of Iguazu Falls. We didn’t see the falls because it was very cloudy and we were probably looking in the wrong direction! As soon as we got off the flight, we were greeted with warm, humid, and partly cloudy weather. Despite the clouds, we were very excited because the airport reminded us of Rapa Nui’s (Easter Island) airport; it had a tropical island feel to it.

Again we decided to wait until arrival to book accommodations. We found a very informative tourist assistant at the airport who gave us great recommendations for hostels, buses, food, and the maps to locate them. We decided to take the local bus to the Hostel Bambu located on the edge of Foz do Iguaçu and about a 45 min bus ride to the Brasil side of Iguazu Falls.

The hostel was fantastic. Despite its higher price (the beginning of our realization that Brasil is very expensive) it had a great breakfast, internet, and a really friendly worker named Ster. Ster and the other workers recommended on touring the Argentina side of the waterfalls with their tour group. We debated the high price, but their sales skills sold us (85 real per person, which proved to be only 15 real higher per person by the time you switch buses many times).

Ster also recommended a Brazilian BBQ restaurant that is all you can eat for 13 real (about 7USD). It was very similar to the Brazilian places at home with the exception of the green/red signal block (you get vegetables at the buffet and the waiters constantly bring different meats around to you.) We loved the place, especially the food minus the chicken heart, so we went there three times during our four-day stay. It was also the cheapest place around, about half the cost of even McDonalds.
After dinner, we watched some ‘junk’ TV shows with Ster and some other hostel people. Rumi is making me put the names of the shows: Brazil’s next top model, Denise Richard’s It’s Complicated, Friends, Dr. 90210, Kourtney and Khloe take Miami, and Reality Hell.


Oct 16, 2009

Very excited for our first view of Iguazu Falls, we woke up early and hurried to the breakfast patio. The breakfasts at the hostels thus far were decent but lacked protein and complexity. We were happy to find ham and cheese, fruit, etc, and the best part was a grill (similar to a George Foreman). We would later discover that this is a common appliance to melt sandwiches in Brasil. At breakfast we met two German girls, Barbara and Darimus, who would go on our tour with us.

Because of all the bus changes and difficulty with Customs, we decided to go with the hostel’s guided tour of the Argentina side. We were split into two van loads and left around 0900. A lot of the group opted to do the boat excursion which takes you close to the falls. Because of the cost and everything else we wanted to do, we stayed with another group to tour the Lower Falls area by foot.

The Lower Falls walking tour was fantastic because there were fewer people and we were able to see great wildlife. Also our Brazilian guide was very knowledgeable and nice. We were also very fortunate to meet a Rio de Janeiro couple, Priscilla and Washington, who spoke English and were genuinely great people. Priscilla is an engineer and Washington is in the Brazilian Air Force.

The first wildlife we came across looked like a guinea pig. I realize that is not that exciting, but soon afterwards our guide pointed us to a Tiger Ant. This ant was the size of a grasshopper and apparently will leave a 2-3 inch diameter inflammation if you are bitten.

Upon walking along the Lower Falls trail, we came across many beautiful waterfalls - waterfalls that would be magnificent and an attraction by themselves if not for their close proximity to the gargantuan Iguazu. The setting with the falls surrounded by jungle was incredible. Additionally, the path intertwined with the falls in a great way to view and take pictures.

As we got closer to Iguazu, we noticed that fog and mist were blanketing the area. As with many of our destinations so far, we seemed to be plagued with rain. Brasil had been receiving lots of rain the past few days so the falls were brown, in high volume, and very powerful. Even the smaller falls appeared large. The water was so high and powerful that the island in between the Argentina and Brasil side, San Martin island, was shut down to tourists. Additionally the train to a view of the Devil’s Throat, the most powerful section, was closed because the water was flooding the tracks. We later looked at some post cards of the falls on clear days when there was less volume and we initially thought we were looking at different waterfalls! When the water is scarce, the falls look thin, peaceful, and you visibly make out many rainbows.

As we walked along the Lower Circuit, we came across the first of many Brazilian raccoons. They are not afraid of people and will pillage the trash cans and your food if it’s accessible. They are kind of awkward looking creatures - I prefer our North American variety. The tour guide warned me that they do carry Rabbies occasionally.

We were both excited to have the chance to view Toucans in the wild. Our guide feverishly searched for one for Rumi all day. We saw many birds including vultures, blue jays, black birds, and black/yellow birds, but were getting slightly disappointed about not seeing a Toucan with the bad weather. However, miraculously the weather temporarily parted and our guide ran over to Rumi excited about finally finding a wild Toucan. It was high in a tree in front of the falls - awesome.

After the first trail we stopped for lunch and I got my last Argentina steak. They had a chart of the world’s waterfalls with their corresponding heights and water volumes. Iguazu is very high on the list in both categories, but not the highest. I don’t think those measurements can truly capture how Iguazu compares to the others. Talking with everyone who have been to many of the falls on the list, they all agreed that Iguazu was the most impressive (even over Victoria Falls). I personally thought it was the most impressive, but I remember Niagara being more powerful, concentrated, and scary when I was a kid.

The group members who went on the boat tour met up with us after lunch to tour the Upper Falls. It was a larger group and the trail was much more crowded. However, the views were amazing and walking over the catwalks directly over the falls was quite an experience (especially with the high water and incredible force behind the water right below your feet).

The tour was pretty exhausting so we were glad to get back to the hostel and relax. By relaxing, I mean watching more TV. We watched mostly the same shows with the hostel crowd including a scary movie and the Wolf Man - a new show where a guy lives with wolves?


Oct 17, 2009

When searching for buses to Sao Paulo, then Rio de Janeiro, and finally onwards to Brasilia, we discovered that it was going to be about 3 days of traveling and almost the same cost as flying a flight from TAM airlines. We also decided to not go to Sao Paulo because of stories from travelers, lack of sights to see, the fact it’s generally described as “just a really big city,” and the desire to stay longer in Rio. Everything seemed to fall into place with our cheap flights and we were excited to stay in Foz do Iguaçu one more day (my favorite place in Brasil).

Because we had an extra day, Rumi wasn’t feeling well, and the weather wasn’t optimal, we decided to take it easy and stay nearby the hostel. We caught up on the Amazing Race and did some trip planning. We are finding that everywhere the show has gone in South America, we are also going or had gone.

Oct 18, 2009

Our last full day in Foz turned out to be very special. We went to the Brazilian side of the falls so we didn’t need to cross Customs. It was much easier to do this side on our own, so we found the local bus which stops at the airport and ends at the falls entrance. The bus was very cheap and easy to locate.

The Brazilian side of the falls is actually very different from the Argentina side. It doesn’t have long walking trails and only a few catwalks that go over the falls. However, the views were simply amazing. The falls were more concentrated and the overall view was better.

The most impressive was the Devil’s Throat, the most water volume falls here. It is also the location where some unhappy people plunge to their death (maybe that’s the reason for the name). We were able to walk on a catwalk right in the middle of the Devil’s Throat. As we were getting soaked, we tried to take a video on the camera (the G decided not to work the next few days…wonder why!?) Additionally, we also found a platform where you could get close to the rushing water and get drenched in the process. Rumi took pictures of me holding an umbrella. Then we rode an elevator up to another viewing platform overlooking the Devil’s Throat and the majority of the falls. I would say this is the best viewpoint from both the Brasil and Argentina side.

We had lunch and were almost raided by some raccoons. We quickly gathered up our packed lunch and moved locations. Then we found a cluster of yellow butterflies that seemed to be positioned and posing for pictures. Afterwards we caught the shuttle back to the park entrance because we wanted to save time for the “bird park.”

The bird park was located across the street from the park entrance so it was very convenient to catch the bus back to town. It was very affordable and was surprisingly one of the best attractions in Foz. Most of the exotic birds were caged just as any zoo, but the attraction to this park was the walk-through bird sanctuaries. We were able to get close to and even touch Toucans. They seemed to be very domesticated and approachable, but I still kept thinking what would happen if he snapped with his one-foot serrated beak.

In the butterfly cage, we were able to take great pictures of humming birds and butterflies eating. We tried to get some pictures of the Brazilian iconic blue butterfly, but they don’t like having their pictures taken so they sporadically dart away.

While Rumi was taking pictures and I was concentrating on looking at some Toucans, I felt an extremely sharp bite on my feet. It was a little miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex-looking wingless bird that was obviously starved for attention or didn’t like Gringos. The birds started teaming up on me and chased me around the cage. When we got to the Parrot cage they also seemed to charge towards me specifically (I was kind of glad they had closed that cage for visitors that hour). We also got to see some anacondas, crocodiles, monkeys, turtles, iguanas, and other jungle creatures. Outside the park were a couple of caged ostriches as well.

After returning back to the hostel, we decided we might as well go back to our favorite cheap all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, Tropicana. We came back early to say goodbye to Ster and pack for the next day.

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