KoalaCat

At least that’s what the members of our group called Iquazu! ;-)

This was SO worth the 4 different flights it took to get here! Anyone making the effort to get here should plan to visit the falls from the Argentinian side as well as the Brazillian side. Just the walk out to the “Devil’s Throat” on the Argetinian side is spectacular. The boardwalk goes for about a mile and the water passing under you seems increadibly calm then — almost out of no where — you see the mist rising and hear the rush of the falling water. It is spectacular!

The view from Brazil is stunning. There are something like 275 individual water falls. Rainbows run amuck over the canyons and the wildlife and foliage is just enchanting.

We took a motorboat ride into the mist of the falls — unbelievable! The only “down” to this was having to climb back up the stairs from the canyon floor after being soaked by the falls. We traveled during the winter so it was colder but I wouldn’t have missed this for anything!

Manaus is a special place. Surrounded by the rain forest and jungles of the Amazon, travel in and out of Manaus is done by plane or boat. It is quite interesting to find a bustling, urban area literally inside the rain forest. A “must see” stop is the beautiful Manaus Opera House. Built by the wealthy rubber barrons of the late 19th and early 20th century, it has recently been beautifully renovated and is a spectacular sight to behold both inside and out.

With warm, friendly people Nagasaki is a lovely city. I would certainly plan on visiting again in the future.