Foz do Iguaçú
Cataratas del Iguazú
This is a place where I believe that all should come and see the beauty of the falls. This is a place for all; from families to friends to backpackers. I truly believe that I can write and write about how amazing these falls are but it is not the same as actually experiencing them for yourself.
***MY OPINION: You don't need a tour guide for this experience. We didn't go on any tours here and we didn't miss anything that would have been mentioned in a tour. Save your money for water!***
We saw all the important falls and animals such as Garganta del diablo (Devil's Throat), Circuito Isla San Martín, Salto Bossetti, Circuito Superior, Río Iguazú, Circuito Inferior, Salto Chico, Sendero Macuco, La Ventana, Dos Hermanas, Amazona vinacea (which is very hard to capture!), coatis, lovely spiders, tarantulas, butterflies, bugs that will most likely not be found in the US, and of course cannot forget to mention the beautiful rainbows that you are supposed to look out for while there! It only takes two days to see the falls from both sides; Argentina 8 hours and Brazil 2 hours. The weather wasn't too bad. They say to see the falls in the Spring or Fall, but I can't think of any bad reasons why not to see them in the summer. Yes it was a little hot and humid but it wasn't not bearable. Maybe just bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and bug spray though I don't think the mosquitos really bite there. I survived there without a single bite, in the falls and in our area where we were staying.
Here are a few pictures taken from both sides:
Brazil
Argentina
Now for the Argentina-Brazil border argument. You will not go and leave the falls without hearing, at least once, someone's opinion about which side has the better view. My opinion, after viewing both sides, is that I enjoyed the Argentina side better. Brazil is more for the view of the falls and Argentina, has the closeness to the waterfalls. The views in Brazil were nice but in Argentina, I really enjoyed being closer to the waterfalls and overall I felt the views were nicer on that side. The pictures even came out better in Argentina. Now I'm not saying that Brazil wasn't nice because it was really nice; this is just my opinion! I will say that I like how you get a closeup of Garganta del diablo on the Brazil side while in Argentina, you see it up higher and not as close. See, I can be fair and show I'm not playing any favorites!
Besides the falls, we spent time mainly on the Argentina side of the border in a neighborhood near the cataratas del iguazú. I don't have any pictures of the area but we stayed at a hostel, in a room with 6 other people. And surprisingly, it didn't feel crowded at all! Our little neighborhood was pretty much deserted. There weren't many people out (and yes, this was on a saturday). We again didn't have to worry about those drivers who are rushing to get to their destinations when I'm sure they don't care if they are late or not (It's an Argentina thing to be late for everything; it's normal. Still I don't see why they have the need to drive so fast!) Anyways, the shops and restaurants were nice. I wasn't feeling too well and really didn't eat much so the only picture I have to show that is food-related is a banana split.
Three scoops of vanilla ice cream (I was given the option to choose my three flavors) laying on a split banana, topped off with whipped cream, a green mint syrup, and cherries. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was just good enough to cure my craving!
Cuisine there, in general, is similar to that of what we had in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and pretty much like the cuisine offered throughout Argentina. I may have regretfully not gotten the olive oil in Mendoza but this time I made sure to buy my favorite black tea before we left for our Brazil adventure.
And before we left Foz do Iguaçú for Manaus, I ordered a hambúrguer e batata frita that was served in between regular sliced bread, not buns. The hamburger was okay, nothing unusual. Quick bite before we got on the plane! And of course also had a bowl of helado de vainilla y helado de coco topped off with white sprinkles and mini meringues. The coconut flavor of the ice cream reminded me of why I am in love with everything the coconut has to offer!
I also grabbed água de coco, one of my favorite drinks, before we headed to the airplane. And quickly took a picture of one of the sandwiches at the café because I thought it was cute how they cut out hearts out of the turkey and cheese slices for the sandwich..creative!
Time to head off to Manaus and the AMAZON, the most exquisite and mysterious place in the whole world!
A little rain in São Paolo didn't spoil are fun because we were in BRAZIL and were pretty soon going to be in Manaus!
Up next, a recap of Argentina. And keep your eyes peeled for the AMAZON because it is something you won't want to miss!
Tentar alguma coisa, pelo menos uma vez e mais se você realmente gostar dele!
No comments:
Post a Comment