Las Cataratas de Iguazu

Located in the tri-corner area where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet, the falls, more than 200 in all, are famous the world over. Our last major side trip was to fly up there for a few days. Certainly they are beautiful, but to be somewhat of a killjoy, they didn't blow my socks off. Maybe I have gotten jaded after all of the geological wonders of the past months. They are a bit like Niagara, though far less commercial and more extensive. At least on the Argentina side, they have done a nice job keeping away ugly commercial development. The wooden walkways are tastefully done and well placed, enabling you to get up close to the thundering water.

By spending as much time there as we did, I was able to take photographs at all hours of the day.

The Devils Throat

Looking Toward the Brazilian Side





Some "arty" black and white shots:

And a some close-ups.

Located in a jungle area there is a lot of wildlife around. The not so wild coatis (at least in some ways), are everywhere. They would rather eat your lunch then find their own, and seem to have a talent for stealing it if you look away.

For birders it is heaven. All kinds of tropical birds abound, including these guys, plush throated jays.








But there are many others:

We took the boat ride, their version of Maid of the Mist, except we were the only customers.

CLOSER,

CLOSER, we shouted, until it felt as if the boat might capsize and we were drenched.

We spent time at the falls with a couple from LA.

George is originally from the US, whereas his wife, Saraphina, is Bolivian. Although he doesn't look the part, George had a few adventures of his own to tell us about. It seems that a few years earlier, without knowing a damn thing about it, he and a couple of buddies went prospecting for gold in the Mato Grasso of Brazil. They spent several months without finding anything to speak of, and then towards the end one of them discovered a large nugget that turned out to be worth about 30 grand. I envisioned a scene from Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but apparently that didn't happen. They didn't kill each other and split the money. It paid for their expenses with a little left over, but did make a great story.