Iguazu by Boat

Once inside the National Park in Argentina, you can take a Green Passport tour that include a slow boat ride above the falls, a ride through the rainforest on this gigantic truck and a final "fast boat" ride up the rapids and into the actual falls below. The upper slow boat ride was a bit boring, but we passed by some nice trees and flowers.

Now we're talking- fast boat!

The river appear nice and calm at first, but we quickly entered some very fierce looking rapids and watched as a group went upside down in their boat.

Continuting upstream, we were treated to spectacular views of the falls before the mist started making it impossible to take any decent shots.

It was also the first time we caught a glimpse of all the wonderful bridges and trails above the falls that we would soon be exploring.

Good camera away in the waterproof bag, but I've got my other camera ready for the water!

The boats then take you right into the falls and let the water pound down on you!

It's pretty fun and chaotic to first be misted and then be poured upon.

In we go!

Eventually visibility goes to zero because of the mist, and my camera gets water on the lens.

This is what I look like after visiting the inside of a waterfall.

Hubby had a great time too!

Now for the hike out of the canyon- at least there are some awesome views!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I've been getting a total kick out of this blog, just remember it's supposed to be funny. Stuff White People Like

The Devil's Throat

After seeing Iguazu from Brazil and from a helicopter, we headed out to explore the majestic falls from the Argentine side. Argentina also has a great national park, but they offer much more interaction with the falls since the falls are mostly located in their country.

We took a short walk (to bypass the first train) and then a train ride to the top of the falls. Up top, there is a huge system of catwalks over the Rio Plata and out to the edge of the falls. Couldn't pass up Google Earth to show you the catwalks & how tiny the observation deck (which we saw from the air) is compared to the HUGE falls.

It's a nice scenic 1km walk over all the side-rivers, and we saw birds and an alligator. Approaching Garganta del Diablo, the largest fall of the 275, you can see mist rising up 100' up to 500' high above the fall.

By far the biggest and most impressive of them all, the Devil's Throat is just a 260 degree wall of water that creates a deafening roar and douses observers with a fine, cooling mist.

You just want to stand there and stare and take in the monstrosity to appreciate it's size, but you are constantly bumped and jostled by the crazy tourists who are all flocking for a piece of the railing.

Much of the surrounding area is lush and green from the year-round mist that soaks everything.

BIG BIG BIG!

Of all the spots and views we had of the falls, the upper observation deck was one of the best.

You can see that the bridges are literally ON the edge of the fall and you can look straight down and see water cascading several hundred feet.

Love love love it! It was worthy of the trip to South America in and of itself.

Couldn't resist one more Google Earth photo, with the white area being the Devil's Throat falls and the rest of the falls extended up towards the top left corner of the photo.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Made it to the gym for the first time in months this morning!

Iguazu from Brazil

After our introductory helicopter ride over Iguazu Falls, we headed to the Brazilian National Park on the to see the falls from across the river, which was also a UNESCO world heritage site. Most of the falls are actually located in Argentina, but walking along the river in Brazil provides great panoramic views.

You can see on the the covered walkways in the photo above and those little specs on the beach are people.

I just can't even beging to tell you how captivating it was to just take in the falls. Each one was so unique and different. One set of falls would just flow into another set of falls.

This was looking back upstream towards the main falls called Garganta del Diablo.

The walking trail along the river's edge takes you progressively closer to the big waterfalls and at the end, there is a large platform that you can be surrounded by waterfalls and a LOT of mist.

Can't wait to be down there doing that!

A bonus of traveling with a group is that there is always somebody nearby to take a photo for you!

You can see the water pouring down on the left side and the observation deck in Argentina with all the tiny visitors in the background.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My study buddy cancelled this afternoon, so I'm going to be lazy and hang out with my husband.

Iguazu from the Air

A helicopter ride is the best way to start a trip to Iguazu Falls (or Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls) ! We left Buenos Aires early Monday morning and flew to the airport in Argentina. After a while changing buses at the border and going through customs, we went to tour the Brazilian side of the falls. Our guide offered us an optional 8 minute helicopter ride for $80USD and we jumped on it.

I don't think you can fully appreciate how BIG the 275 waterfalls are until you fly over them and see them all together.

The river appears to serene above and below the falls. It's incredibly deceiving that millions of gallons of water flow over the falls every minute.

They flew 2 helicopters, so there was a group going up every few minutes. We rode with another couple, but I got to sit up front next to the pilot!

This shot is flying over Brazil, but looking across the river to the Argentine side. You can see the catwalks extending out to the edge of the falls.

This photo gives some perspective to why all the actual falls themselves are on Argentina's side of the border, but the Brazilian side offers great panoramic views along the entire length of the canyon.

To give you an idea of the sheer size of the falls, the above photo is an enlargement of the one above it. These are the viewing platforms that visitors can see the Devil's Throat fall. See how tiny those people are!

There are literally hundreds of smaller, but still huge waterfalls, to enjoy.

In the lower left hand corner, is a hotel with a killer view and the rapids that you can go down are on the lower center portion of the photo.

I'm so excited when I get special treatment!

Note to other photographers- don't stick you big super zoom lens out the window when the helicopter is moving. The cross-winds are strong!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Finally back to church this weekend.

Historic Colonia

The main attraction of Colonia and our purpose for a Day in Uruguay, was to see the historic buildings and town that date back to the last 1600's. This was represents some of the oldest structures on the island and parts of it have been re-built to match the original.

What happy travelers in front of the old city gate!

Our tour guide explained this was one of the oldest streets, with original stone on the ground, which was slanted towards the middle and down toward the water for run-off.

Some of the older buildings are now home to artists and artisans.

These were the remains of a 17th century convent.

The lighthouse almost appeared to have been built without notice of the small, aging stone of the convent.

I had to wait a long time for all the tourists to clear out of this shot!

Can't miss a flag AND a lighthouse shot!

For just a few Real, you could climb up to the upper level or the very top of the lighthouse.

They even had a kind photographer stationed up top, even if he wore a guard uniform.

There is another beautiful old Church in town, which I think is called Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento.

It was beautiful on the inside & still operates as a church.

Around the each narrow street, stood incredible views with the water surrounding you on 3 sides. The locals maintained beautiful gardens and craftspeople had their wares out on the street for sale. We had a great day exploring this historical old town.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I'm off to meet my blog friend Amanda tonight!