Kathleen
May 2, 2014
Our last stop in beautiful Brazil is their number one tourist destination, The Iguacu Falls. Truly, the falls are unlike any other set of falls we have seen. Niagara is grand, but this seems somehow much grander, it is much more expansive and there are many layers to the falls. In all, they go on for miles, but the main area probably covers at least a kilometer’s worth. The Argentinians have once again built a very nice set of platforms for viewing the natural wonder, and you can wander over and around many of the falls. When we visited, the water was brown, almost like chocolate milk with a bit of a red tinge. We were told that this happens when there are heavy rains as sediment from the soil flows into the river. Unfortunately, we were also told that this is one of the results of deforestation. It certainly was fascinating to behold. Iguacu is right on the border between Argentina and Brazil and after staying a night on the Argentinian side and seeing the park in the morning, we headed over the border in a taxi (we had to stop at immigration, but there was no line!) to begin our adventure in Brazil. The next day we saw the falls from the Brazilian side, which is a whole different experience, you are more across from the falls than in and above them. Also extremely interesting and amazing to see. Not much else to do in Igazu (different spelling now that we are in Brazil) so we hopped on an overnight bus toward Campo Grande and the Pantenal. This 13-hour trip was not as gruelling as it seems. The seats folded way, way back to make sleeping and actual possibility, and Steve and I spent the first two hours watching Downton Abbey episodes on his computer (until it died). I was glad we stopped fairly regularly so I could use the bathrooms at the stations rather than on the bus (not sure how good the trade-off was here, because I never went on the bus). We arrived at Campo Grande a bit sleepy but in generally good spirits the next morning. We had to take a taxi from the bus station (which was way out of town for some reason) to the car rental place and then wait around for an hour or so for it to open. Luckily, the folks at a hotel nearby took pity on us and let us buy breakfast at their very nice buffet. This is only our second breakfast in Brazil, but we feel happily optimistic that the fresh papaya offering is here to stay! Delicious!! After breakfast it is time to drive to Bonito.
