Iguazu Falls

Last year my brother, Levi, went to see the Grand Canyon.  I asked him about the experience and he said that he could show me pictures, but it would not show the full grander.  He could tell me about it, but his words would be inadequate to describe what he saw.  After visiting the falls at Iguazu, Brazil, I understand.  Iguazu Falls is over two kilometers of waterfalls on the border of Argentina and Brazil and only a short drive from Paraguay.

* Both the Grand Canyon and Iguazu Falls are on some seven natural wonders of the world lists.

Cassie and I planned our trip to Iguazu Falls when my parents visited after Christmas.  Our friend, Victor Gonzalez, gave us the name of a cab driver in Brazil, Daniel, who drove us for nearly two days in Paraguay and Brazil.  He picked us up from the bus terminal and booked our hotel (maybe not the best idea).  Having a taxi driver saved us money because he drove us around immigration in Brazil (it would have cost $140 each for Brazilian visas for my parents).

We stayed in a Hotel in Foz do Iguazu that had the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in.  The building, pool, and breakfast were decent but the room was horrible.  There was mold in the corner of the room (where my head was), the towels were so thin they had holes in them, my pillow was lumpy (as in only lumps of cotton no actual pillow, one of the windows was broken, and it cost $150.  Oh well.

We got to the park and purchased tickets to take a bus through the park to a paved walking trail.  The park is well developed and a very popular tourist destination.  We walked a short ways down the trail and the trees opened up to a panoramic view of the falls.  I had never seen anything so beautiful.  My throat choked up and my eyes blurred for a few seconds.  I cannot fully describe what I saw.  It was overwhelming.