Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --- Mark Twain

Monday, October 1, 2012

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Day 590,
63 219 km since the beginning of the journey,
Argentina, Puerto Iguazú.

Iguassu waterfalls are at the border of Argentina and Brazil and are an important tourist attraction for both countries. The name "Iguazu" has come from the Guarani language and means "Big Water”. The place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and worth seeing.

A legend about the creation of Iguassu waterfalls tells us that God had planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, but she instead had fled away with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. The enraged God had cut the river into two, created waterfalls and cursed the loved ones to keep falling down as waterfalls forever.
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A picture tells us more than a thousand words. Only later, when you look at the picture, everything looks somehow much smaller. According to Wikipedia, depending on the level of water there are about 150-300 waterfalls covering the area of 2,7 kilometres.



To have all the waterfalls in one picture one needs a helicopter or airplane.


Brazil is on the left and Argentina is on the right. This picture is not made by me, it is from Wikipedia, link

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The prices of the tickets differ. Depending on whether you are tourists or citizens of neighbouring countries and Argentina . And you should always read the inscriptions through because there is also “Second Day Pass” and when to pre-register the ticket and show the passport - then the second day of visit will be for half the price, that is 65 AR pesos.

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Just by the entrance there is a pavilion which introduces the waterfalls, rain forests and local people. From here one learns that the Guarani tribes had arrived at this region already 700 years ago while looking for "The Land Without Evil". But now - more about the waterfalls.

The U-shaped "Devil's Throat" is the furthest, and it can be reached by train, and further on are the upper and lower trails (or – to be more exact - walking paths).

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First - the views from the upper road.

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Rainbows, and everywhere the roar of falling water

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And the photographers, they're everywhere. I wrote “Iguazu Falls “ in the google search, clicked on images, and the result was about 1,460,000 pictures. Anyway, I have now added a few dozen more.

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And, of course, butterflies.

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Eco-train, will take up to 120-150 passengers and uses propane as fuel. The train will take you as far as Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Gorge) Station, 7 kilometres away.

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Further on - along walking path of 1,1 km or along the bridge.

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The Devil's Throat - U-shaped waterfall - 82 meters high and 150 meters wide and 700 meters long.

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Taking pictures is complicated because there is water everywhere. The wind is blowing from the direction of the waterfall as well. I have taken waterproof clothing with, but more than 5 seconds the camera should not be to kept outside, after all, it is not waterproof.

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A couple of clicks and then quickly the camera back under the coat.

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The next morning – coatis, and all of them moving to the same direction tails up.

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Because the tourists are arriving, and it is more convenient to eat at fast food places than to look for food from the nature.

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Or just to look at the tourists.

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They really should not be fed and there are corresponding labels in several places, but time and again you will notice a few tourists giving them food.

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The lower walking path. Next, the images are mixed, as I walked through again the upper and lower paths.

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Ja liblikad

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In summary – the waterfall in Argentina could be looked over in one long day but two days are still two days. I had previously reviewed the images of Iguassu, but the sight was much more powerful than expected. 20% of the waterfall is on Brasilia side and 80% on Argentine side, and in the morning the view from Brazil was supposed to be extremely powerful.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia from October 1, 2012 Estonian citizens can go to Brazil visa-free.
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