Buenos Aires-Iguazu Day 4
Buenos Aires-Iguazu
Post Trip OAT Day 4 - Monday, December 17, 2007 - Discover Brazilian Side of Falls - Farewell Dinner
Our breakfast buffet was incredible this morning! We were treated to fresh fruits, cereals, meats, cheese, and over 20 kinds of bread and rolls, including pão de queijo, or cheese breads that I love! And - real Brazilian coffee!
We met our group at 8:45 and we were greeted by Nuxa and Maria Elena for another day’s adventure. We drove through the city of Foz Iguaçu to the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant, owned jointly by Brazil and Paraguay. This is the largest dam in the world until the Three Rivers in China is fully operational.
The city of Iguaçu is only 96 years old. Originally an Indian village, it did not become known until 1975 when they began the construction of the power plant here at the three corners of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
The power plant took 16 years to build and has 20 huge turbines, 10 for Brazil and 10 for Paraguay but Brazil buys the majority of Paraguay’s share of the power. This energy goes to only 10 of the 26 Brazilian states, mostly to São Paulo and to Rio.
We drove around the very restricted roadway of the power plant and were only allowed one stop for photos. Because part of the dam tour is on the other side of the Parana River, Nuxa welcomed us to Paraguay. On the tour she explained all of the technicalities of the politics of the daily operations of the dam and the control of the river.
We were able to drive over the top of the dam to see the turbines and spillways on one side and the immense reservoir that flooded the land when they closed the gates in 1983. It only took 14 days to fill the reservoir.
On our way out of the Itaipu Park, Nuxa explained the geology and the geography of the area as well as the natural formations of gem stones in this area of Brazil. That woke the women up!
We stopped at the Tres Fronteras Artisans Market where we were able to look at the beautiful gem stones and other crafts made here in Brazil. Many used this opportunity for their last shopping for Christmas.
At 11:30 we got back on the bus and headed to the Brazilian side of the Falls. Private cars are no longer allowed in the park and we noticed many changes since we were here with our son Eduardo 21 years ago.
We followed a concrete path leading to several platforms with spectacular views from different angles. It was jungle hot, 83 degrees in the shade and 73% humidity, but as we walked in the shade of the thick overhanging vegetation it did not seem so bad.
We were able to get close enough to the thundering torrents to feel the spray and feel the power of the water. For those of us from dry climates, especially Colorado, we were amazed at the amount of water going over the cascades in such a short time!
We saw a few animals, but the most frequent was the park’s resident coatis (raccoon-like animals). We also were amazed at the great dusky swifts who build their nests behind the water falls for protection from the predator toucans.
Our lunch was at the Porto Canoas, a very nice buffet. We had many of the traditional Brazilian foods so I finally felt at home! We left the park at 3:30 and dropped off those who were going on the water trip and those who were taking the 10 minute helicopter ride over the falls.
We elected to go back to the hotel where we had time to freshen up and then catch up on the photos and the journal for the day. I had time to enjoy a caipirinha and before dinner we joined our friends Carol and Judy for a Happy Hour, our last on this incredible journey!
At 7:30 we met our group for our Farewell Dinner in the hotel restaurant. We returned to our room at 9:00, sent out the journal and packed for our flight to Buenos Aires early tomorrow morning and then the US tomorrow evening.
Accommodations: Bourbon Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D
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Comments
Post a Comment!Beautiful shots of the waterfalls and the newly weds in front of them
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