Friday night a group of 14 of us got together to have a goodbye dinner of sorts. It didn’t feel like goodbye since we will be back in Buenos Aires for two weekends in October, but it was great to have everyone together as usual. Matias, Nati, and Alfredo made me laugh to the point of tears. They take great glee out of the fact that I can’t pronounce the word maravilloso (wonderful in Spanish) properly. I should say couldn’t say because now I can, HA. We got home and packed madly for our departure Saturday morning. Not to point fingers at the person who wasn’t ready, but I was fully packed before dinner.
Our first plane ride together was a success. We flew from Buenos Aires to Iguazu International Airport right where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet. What brought us here were the Cataratas del Iguazu or the Iguazu Falls. The pilot flew over the falls twice so that each side of the plane could have a clear view. This was a major surprise and totally made paying a premium to fly opposed to taking a bus worth it! We got to our lodging and set up camp. It is perfect for our needs. The Wi-Fi is strong enough for Nico to make work calls and there is a small very basic kitchenette. The first night the power went out and we were left to cook dinner with our headlamps. I guess we are slowly downgrading in our cooking facilities so that by the time we are trekking in the south we are coordinated with just our Minimo stove.
The three major waterfalls that garner the most attention in the world are the Angel Falls in Venezuela (tallest in the world standing at 979 m), Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe (largest singular waterfall spanning 1.7 km with an average flow of 1 million liters per second), and Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil (made up of 275 individual waterfalls that span 2 km with an average flow of 1 million liters per second). In general Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls are considered the most impressive and largest falls in the world. Victoria Falls is less interrupted and thus considered larger. Having visited both, I feel one advantage of Iguazu Falls is that there are many more clear viewing points. I spent most of my time at Victoria Falls protecting my camera from the heavy mist sprayed from the tremendous amount of water plunging over the falls. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” upon her first viewing of Iguazu Falls. Niagara is still one of the largest falls in the world with roughly the same average flow as Victoria Falls, but it isn’t nearly as impressive. I have also visited Niagara Falls and for me the nature surrounding Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls greatly elevates them in the ranking of greatest falls in the world. Nico and I spent two days hiking around Iguazu and could easily have spent one more day.
Of Iguazu’s 275 falls the most impressive is “The Devil’s Throat” or “La Garganta del Diablo”. It is a U-shaped gathering of 14 falls sending water 350 feet down to a rocky basin. We visited the Devil’s Throat twice. Once at midday and again right before closing. I recommend either visiting it as soon as the park opens or at the end of the day. The crowds at midday were nuts. As usual we met some friendly people who were willing to jump with me. We even met some Taiwanese Americans who are planning on being in Taipei for New Years while I plan to be in their hometown of San Francisco for the big countdown to 2016. It is a draw which would be better. San Francisco will have three of my best friends and Taipei will have Taiwanese food. I guess you can see where my priorities stand. Just in case you haven’t been reading my previous posts, I love Taiwan.
Our two days were both hot and clear. We definitely noticed a huge difference in the number of tourists on Sunday and on Monday. If possible, visit during weekdays. One of the highlights of our time was a boat ride into the falls. It was an awesome experience and left us soaking wet. We were also lucky because the water level dropped enough for us to be able to visit San Martin Island on our second day. From the island you can get up close to one of the most powerful falls and a view of an almost Avatar like landscape. From the island you can closely view the rock faces that break up the falls, which are covered with brilliant green vegetation and provide niches for the Great Dusky Swifts to nest. Taking in the strength and force of the falls and watching the swifts swooping dangerously close to the water was awe-inspiring. There were many moments when I stopped to think how crazy amazing our planet is and how lucky I am to be able to explore it. Now I am “double lucky” not only because I get to adventure around the globe, but I get to do it with a great companion. My life has changed drastically over the past year. There have been highs and lows, but I am definitely feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment and thankfulness at the moment.
We saw a lot of South American coatis aggressively attempting to take tourists’ snacks, monkeys lazily straddling branches, a variety of colorful butterflies, and a very unique yellow and violet bird. The park is said to be home to over 2,000 species of plants and a plethora of animals. For those really interested in the wild life check out the nearby animal sanctuary.
Exploring the falls was a perfect way to begin our life on the road. Most likely there will be a day here and there where we are not in sync. We are human after all. If the first few days are any indicator though, I have a feeling that we are going to be excellent travel partners.
Our first plane ride together was a success. We flew from Buenos Aires to Iguazu International Airport right where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet. What brought us here were the Cataratas del Iguazu or the Iguazu Falls. The pilot flew over the falls twice so that each side of the plane could have a clear view. This was a major surprise and totally made paying a premium to fly opposed to taking a bus worth it! We got to our lodging and set up camp. It is perfect for our needs. The Wi-Fi is strong enough for Nico to make work calls and there is a small very basic kitchenette. The first night the power went out and we were left to cook dinner with our headlamps. I guess we are slowly downgrading in our cooking facilities so that by the time we are trekking in the south we are coordinated with just our Minimo stove.
The three major waterfalls that garner the most attention in the world are the Angel Falls in Venezuela (tallest in the world standing at 979 m), Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe (largest singular waterfall spanning 1.7 km with an average flow of 1 million liters per second), and Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil (made up of 275 individual waterfalls that span 2 km with an average flow of 1 million liters per second). In general Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls are considered the most impressive and largest falls in the world. Victoria Falls is less interrupted and thus considered larger. Having visited both, I feel one advantage of Iguazu Falls is that there are many more clear viewing points. I spent most of my time at Victoria Falls protecting my camera from the heavy mist sprayed from the tremendous amount of water plunging over the falls. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” upon her first viewing of Iguazu Falls. Niagara is still one of the largest falls in the world with roughly the same average flow as Victoria Falls, but it isn’t nearly as impressive. I have also visited Niagara Falls and for me the nature surrounding Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls greatly elevates them in the ranking of greatest falls in the world. Nico and I spent two days hiking around Iguazu and could easily have spent one more day.
Of Iguazu’s 275 falls the most impressive is “The Devil’s Throat” or “La Garganta del Diablo”. It is a U-shaped gathering of 14 falls sending water 350 feet down to a rocky basin. We visited the Devil’s Throat twice. Once at midday and again right before closing. I recommend either visiting it as soon as the park opens or at the end of the day. The crowds at midday were nuts. As usual we met some friendly people who were willing to jump with me. We even met some Taiwanese Americans who are planning on being in Taipei for New Years while I plan to be in their hometown of San Francisco for the big countdown to 2016. It is a draw which would be better. San Francisco will have three of my best friends and Taipei will have Taiwanese food. I guess you can see where my priorities stand. Just in case you haven’t been reading my previous posts, I love Taiwan.
Our two days were both hot and clear. We definitely noticed a huge difference in the number of tourists on Sunday and on Monday. If possible, visit during weekdays. One of the highlights of our time was a boat ride into the falls. It was an awesome experience and left us soaking wet. We were also lucky because the water level dropped enough for us to be able to visit San Martin Island on our second day. From the island you can get up close to one of the most powerful falls and a view of an almost Avatar like landscape. From the island you can closely view the rock faces that break up the falls, which are covered with brilliant green vegetation and provide niches for the Great Dusky Swifts to nest. Taking in the strength and force of the falls and watching the swifts swooping dangerously close to the water was awe-inspiring. There were many moments when I stopped to think how crazy amazing our planet is and how lucky I am to be able to explore it. Now I am “double lucky” not only because I get to adventure around the globe, but I get to do it with a great companion. My life has changed drastically over the past year. There have been highs and lows, but I am definitely feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment and thankfulness at the moment.
We saw a lot of South American coatis aggressively attempting to take tourists’ snacks, monkeys lazily straddling branches, a variety of colorful butterflies, and a very unique yellow and violet bird. The park is said to be home to over 2,000 species of plants and a plethora of animals. For those really interested in the wild life check out the nearby animal sanctuary.
Exploring the falls was a perfect way to begin our life on the road. Most likely there will be a day here and there where we are not in sync. We are human after all. If the first few days are any indicator though, I have a feeling that we are going to be excellent travel partners.
