iguazu

Iguazu Falls - A natural wonder of the world

That little brown blob is a butterfly!

Problem solving is a big part of travelling. Before we could view the Iguazu Falls in Argentina, documents had to be found on the web, filled out for each individual and fees paid. We found out about this new tax just by chance. Only Australians, USA and Canadian citizens are charged US$100 for entering Argentina as they want the money and it's payback for Australia's entry tax on Argentians. I was grateful for Jessica's skills at processing and organising the documents and payment, otherwise we would have been turned back at the border like some other unfortunate tourists.

Iguazu Falls were magnificent. We went for a boat trip that took us under two of the falls. The roar! The turbulent water and spray! Wow! We got soaked in warm water. It was so much fun. The boat went down the rapids then we caught a ride on a jeep and a train through the jungle to another spectacular group of waterfalls called the Devil's Throat. 

At the viewing platform we stood and listened to the roaring sound, and watched fascinated as immense amounts of water cascaded over a huge U shaped cliff creating spray, mist and a rainbow. On the edge of one part, I could imagine two of our houses end on end, being smashed in a split second. The power of the water was awesome.

The next day on the Brazilian viewing platforms, I could see at least ten waterfalls at Devil's Throat. There were more around the corners creating seven kilometres of waterfalls. It truly is an exciting wonder I'll always remember.

The bird sanctuary nearby gave us a close up view of many South American animals. I even patted a toucan! 

I looked at magnificent hyacinth (blue coloured) macaws and rainbow coloured macaws inside the aviary then I walked outside to see many more wild ones sitting on the tree branches. 

The tarantula spiders were huge, hairy and scary but they like to hide when approached.

One curious toucan followed Katie and she jumped out of its way leaving behind her thong. (Flip flop!) The toucan thought about picking it up, then decided to pick on Kate. Its beak was so powerful looking so Kate got out of its way. 

We watched two other toucans having a sword fight with their beaks. 

Brazil is a country Alan said he would like to visit again. He said the people were happy. I think Katie was sad to leave. She loves her friends and host families and Brazil will always be her second home. At least now we understand some of what she misses about Brazil when she is stuck in Australia.