Iguazu Falls pt. I
Friday, October 21st: Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
We woke up to the sounds of birds and insects in the forest and enjoyed our breakfast on the patio, including “Brazilian apples” – which were really just nectarines to Tim’s surprise. We headed to a nearby hotel and awaited our pick-up for a guided tour into the Brazilian side of the park. We watched a group of iguanas cautiously cross the parking lot one by one until the van arrived 45 minutes late. We drove into the park, collected our tickets and got dropped off at the start of the 1.5 KM trail. We strolled along the path that offered panoramic views of the waterfalls. The water was milky and stained brown from the recent rain, which raised the water levels and flow rate to 10x the average. It washed away the Devil’s Throat boardwalk on the Argentinian side, but everything else remained open for tourists.
As we approached the lower boardwalk and elevator tower, we anticipated getting very wet… and we did. The falls were roaring, and the mist created a curtain that we walked through and came back dripping.
At the end of the trail, we met the rest of the group at the tourist center with souvenir shops and restaurants. We transferred to the jungle trolly and followed our guide for an easy walk through the forest where we spotted several orange trees and a toucan take flight. Then we got ready for the Macuco rib boat ride. There were about 20 people on the boat, and we bounced up and down as we hit the chocolate waves of the Iguazu River. They steered us straight into the downpour of the falls, circling back three times, and everyone was soaked.
We stood in the sun to dry as we waited for the tour van and followed a coatis in search of his next snack, peering in the garbage cans on either side of the street.
Though Liz had some reservations about going to a “Texas” style BBQ joint in Brazil, we went to Black Bill Smokehouse for dinner. We shared a sample platter (chicken, sausage, brisket, pork ribs, burnt ends, baked beans, mac & cheese, bread, pickles, cole slaw, pound cake) with an extra portion of brisket and polenta fries. It was a feast that could have easily fed four or five people. We were uncomfortably full but convinced ourselves that we needed to a cup of acai before leaving Brazil, and this was our chance. We found one shop open and scooped various flavors of frozen acai and other ice cream that we ate on the car ride back to the AirB&B.
Accommodations: AirB&B, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
