February 1, 2004
After making it through the fingerprinting and mug shots at the Brazilian Customs Office, we hopped in the car with our tour guide from Iguassu Falls Tours, Edson, at the wheel. We drove through the beautiful countryside with farms and thick rainforest on either side, with a few buildings and houses punctuating the deep green landscape.
As Edson drove us through the scenic farmland and rainforest and spoke lovingly of growing up in the area, moving away for his education, then coming back to the place he knew best. He taught us to say "obligado" instead of "gracias" for "thank you" while in Brazil. We pulled up in front of the entrance to the Brazil Iguassu Falls National Park, where there was a terrific visitor's center and gift shop. Alex liked the map of Brazil showing where all the National Parks were. Who knew there were so many?
We paid the park entrance fee, and did a little browsing in the shop. Edson told us he would bring us back on the way out of the park, so we didn't buy anything, just looked at all the nicely made knick-knacks, masks, and t-shirts with colorful embroidery on them.
We drove deeper into the park, where there are several lovely hotels, and parked at the Tropical Cataratas Hotel, and got out for a walk. At the entrance to the trail down to the main viewing platform, we spotted another coati (called a quaxti in Brazil), walking around, probably looking for snacks. He seemed unruffled by the busload of tourists around snapping pictures, and fairly tame. At times, he looked annoyed, looking at people with a glare that said, "If you're not going to feed me, get the heck away from me."
I don't think it would be a good idea to try to pet one of these critters, but it did seem like they weren't particularly ferocious.
We stopped for a few pictures at the first viewing platform overlooking the falls, and Edson kindly took pictures of the three of us, and I took one of him with Alexander. Alexander decided that Edson was his new best friend. Most of our pictures have Frank and Alexander in them, but I'm noticeably absent. It was nice to have someone take pictures of all of us for a change. Alexander was not particularly cooperative for thei photo opportunity, and wanted to head down the trail to see what was down below.
Frank ended up having to hold him to get a shot of the three of us together.
The path down to the falls was a series of steps, shaded by a think growth of trees and shrubbery with waxy, deep green leaves. It was wide enough for people to pass each other comfortably, either going up or going down. Edson said that Sunday was a popular day for tourists from other parts of Brazil to come to the falls.
There were colorful orange, yellow, and red butterflies flitting around, and we could hear sounds of birds and rushing water. One bird overhead in a tree had stunning yellow and black feathers and a crest that looked like a tuft of hair growing straight out of the top of its head. I wondered if these birds and insects had evolved with such vibrant colors to be able to see each other in the thick, dark green growth of the rainforest. There were quite a few people going up and down the pathway, but it was a very peaceful and serene place, with hidden treasures all around.
We didn't see any snakes on the trail, but Edson told us that he had taken a group of tourists on a hike on the Argentina side and they had encountered an anaconda. The group was terrified and wanted to run away. He asked if he should play with the snake for a photo or two, but they said, "Absolutely not!" and ran away. I think I would have been with them on that vote.
Along the way down, there were several other viewing platforms offering beautiful, panoramic views of the falls. We tried a number of times to get Alexander to cooperate with our photo-taking efforts, with mixed results.
We made our way down to the viewing platform at the bottom, where we donned rain ponchos. The water sprayed in every direction from the cool rushing water all around, and the slighted breeze sent water pellets flying everywhere. Despite his rain gear, Alexander got soaked and didn't like the water splashing in his face. Most of the pictures are of him scowling and looking fairly miserable.
Across the falls, we could see the Argentina side and the viewing platform we'd been on the day before, high above the falls. The view from Brazil was more panoramic and I could get the full breadth of the enormity of the falls, and the number of smaller falls below.
On the Argentina side, we could stand on the top of the falls and look down. This side, further downstream, gave you a better sense of the expanse of the falls. It was a breathtaking and gorgeous sight. You don't get the same sense of power as on the Argentine side, but the scene is still pretty amazing in its own right.
At the end of the path, there were several catwalks out to different viewing platforms where you could get a better look at the falls from different angles. We could see tour boats going up river from various points and taking groups into the mist. It would have been fun to take a boat, but we didn't have time and had a child prone to motion sickness, so we passed.
We were soaking wet, and Alex was getting cold and cranky, so we ended our viewing and found the elevator to take us back to street level. Unfortunately, the elevator was broken, so we had to hike back up the stairway to the top. It wasn't bad, but Frank ended up carrying Alexander most of the way, which made it slow-going.
After climbing all the stops out of the park, Edson took us to a wonderful buffet restaurant called the Porto Canoas that featured many different kinds of food in a huge buffet. Inside the restaurant, a trio of musicians played native music, which made the atmosphere very festive and fun.
The specialty of the house seemed to be a whole roasted pig with some kind of cornmeal stuffing. Frank was exhausted from hauling Alexander up the long flight of stairs, and devoured the roasted pork. They were out of it by the time I went through the line, but Frank said it was the best pork he had ever eaten. The spread reminded me of a luau, only without the poi and macaroni salad.
After lunch, we shopped in the small gift shop by the restaurant and purchased postcards, stamps, and t-shirts. On the way out of the park, Edson took us back to the main gift shop at the Park Entrance, where we purchased gifts for family members, and I bought a small backpack to hold my camera gear.
From just this experience alone, I had a wonderful impression of Brazil. People were friendly to us, the falls were spectacular, and the food was incredible. What's not to like?