Gulliver's Travels 08/08/2022

Dale Sievert (Gulliver)

​Argentina and Brazil 
​Part 2
February-March 2022

Part 2 - Iguazu Falls--Border of Argentina and Brazil

   Perhaps the greatest waterfalls in the world is Iguazu Falls (Spanish in Argentina), or Iguacu Falls (Portuguese in Brazil).  The Guarani indigenous group call it Iguazu, meaning great river.  The Rio Iguazu (the Argentinian name)  forms the border of Argentina and Brazil.  The falls is not the tallest, the most voluminous, or the most of anything else.  It is just so overwhelming in its entirety.  People generally take two days to visit it, as it is so spread out.  It is nearly two miles long when one adds up all its courses and channels.  It has 275 separate falls, the tallest being 270 feet high.  Many walkways allow visitors to walk above the river, especially on the Argentinian side.
   This was my second visit to the falls, the first being in February 2003 following my trip to Antarctica.  The water level was lower this time, but the falls were still spectacular.

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A map of the falls, with Argentina on the right and Brazil on the left

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Looking north upriver, with Argentina on the right and Brazil on the left

The Argentinian falls

Walkways over the water

Garganta del Diablo, or Mouth of the Devil, is 2300 feet long, 490 feet wide, and 270 feet high

Looking north to the beginning of the falls

The heart of Garganta del Diablo

Walking on the Argentinian side

Up close on the Argentinian side

Epilogue

   If you wish to see an amazing waterfall, visit Niagara Falls.  If you wish to see a waterfall that is ineffable, visit Iguazu Falls.  No words of praise can do it justice.  It reminds me of the old Japanese saying, "Don't say something is beautiful until you've seen Nikko Temple."  That means that a high percentage of Japanese people would say Nikko Temple is the most beautiful place in Japan.  A person who did not visit Nikko Temple but who saw another fantastic place might describe it as beautiful--but only out of ignorance.  I saw Nikko Temple, so I know what the Japanese man of olden times meant.
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   Next up: Part 3 of Argentina and Brazil, which covers the city of Curitiba plus the Atlantic coast area near the city of Florianapolis.