Itaipu and Three Americas - WTRD 49

Worrall Travel R Days  (WTRD 47-49) - Part 3

Friday, February 26, 2016, WTRD 49

Today we have chosen an easy day with only two sight seeing events, then home for lunch, dinner, relaxation, packing, and cards.

We were up early and our taxi driver took us to Itaipu which is a huge dam spanning the once Parana River, and now a mammoth lake between Brazil and Paraguay.  When my brother was here in 1982 as a foreign exchange student, the dam had just opened.  Prior to that, the Parana falls were the main tourist attraction.  They were 4 times the size and volume of the Iguacu falls!  They could have filled up Folsom Lake in two days!

Today the falls are a part of the huge lake and the hydroelectric dam that provides Paraguay 90% of its power, and Brazil 15%.  It is an amazing facility and the thunderous spillways, even when partially open, are spectacular.

Partially Open Spillways - Same volume as Iguacu

Russ would have liked to take the dam tour, but it required long pants and closed toed shoes.  Too bad we were wearing sandals! Not really!  Turbines are just not as interesting to me as falling water.

We were disappointed to learn that we could not get into Paraguay by land without a visa.  If you come via plane, you get it upon entry.  But to cross over the Friendship Bridge from Brazil to Paraguay, you must apply to the consulate and wait 3 days.  So we didn't get our passports stamped for Paraguay, but fortunately, we had the opportunity to  go to Paraguay anyway via the dam road which spans both sides of the river.  So yeah!  We can add Paraguay to our list of been there countries!

That brings our country count, I think, up to 77!

Our Taxi driver took us to the Three Americas Meeting Point.

The Parana River separates both Argentina and Brazil from Paraguay.  The Iguacu River separates Brazil and Argentina.  The markers are on the three land points at the intersection of the two rivers.  The boundry between the three countries is in the middle of the triad.

Brazil Marker

Argentina Marker

Paraguay Marker

Here is where the two waters meet.  The Iguazu is to the left and chocolate brown.  The Parana is not so brown.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Iguacu Falls and head to Salvador on the northern coast of Brazil.  Archie has a friend and her family here that we will visit and see a few sights before heading to Manaus on the Amazon River.

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's in Foz Do Iguacu.

Birds, birds, birds - Beautiful Park, Part II

Worrall Travel R Days  (WTRD 47-49) - Part 2 WTRD 48

When we finished with the Falls, we walked across the highway to the Bird Park with one of the largest collections of birds in the world.  It was an eco rich environment for birds and butterflies.  Here are a few of the birds we saw.

Parrots

African Grey Crowned Crane

Black Fronted Piping Guan

Brazilian Toucan

Black Faced Curassow

Our taxi driver picked us up at 4:30 after a full day.  We had just enough time to go home take a swim, catch up on email, and dress for a traditional Brazilian Meat Buffet and dinner show with dancers, singers, and Carnival type booty dancers.  It was very entertaining and a great way to end the day.

All is Well with The Worrall Travel R's in Foz Do Iguacu

Foz Do Iguacu - Brazil (Water, Falls, Dams, and Birds)

Worrall Travel R Days  (WTRD 47-50) - Part 1

Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - Goodbye Rio, Hello Iguacu WTRD 47

Today, we checked out of our apartment by 7:30, bid goodbye to Rio,  and headed to the airport for Faz Do Iguacu.  Iguazu Falls is on the border between Argentina and Brazil.  Our plane arrived just a little after noon.  We were picked up by a tourist taxi arranged by the owner of our AirBnB.  He had a sedan and it was quite a puzzle getting the luggage of three people into his car.  We made one stop at the supermarket before he delivered us to our house.

We have been in some great houses during our travels, but this one was outstanding with really modern, cool design elements.

Gated Entry Courtyard

Open hinged doors

Natural Light

Ambient lighting thoughout

Glass wall slides to open BBQ area to Pool

This three bedroom home was a wonderful place for us to hide away and relax when we weren't sight seeing.

Thursday, February 25, 2016 Faz Do Iguacu -WTRD 48

The primary attraction in Iguacu are the falls.  These falls produce 2000 cubic meters per second, an amazing amount of water.  Our quick conversion and calculation of the volume helped us to visualize the amount of 2000 cubic meters per second. Basically, in less than 8 days, this amount could fill Folsom lake from dry to legal capacity.

Here are some of the photos from both our walk along the falls and our helicopter ride over the falls area.

Watching these falls was mezmerizing.  The mist shrouded the falls giving an almost magical feeling.

I would be remiss if I didn't share a few other photos that we took in the Park which was abundant with flora and fauna.  Here is an animal we had never seen before, a Quatis.  They have big teeth and a bad bite.  One snuck up on my brother along a tall bank and tried to get into his backpack.  He jumped out of the way in the nick of time.

Baby Quatis

Add caption

Ted Cruz Quatis

Soaring Birds,

Flitting Butterflies,

and exquisite fungi

When we were finished with the Falls Park, we walked across the park to the Bird Park.  See Part II.