About three years ago, I was under a waterfall for the first time. That moment was of pure happiness, a moment of fun and also a very cold moment.
I come from a line of travelers, so it was no surprise when my mother booked us into a flight to Brazil. I was ecstatic yet overwhelmed. What was I going to wear? What should I pack? Where the hell was I going to end up this time? Whenever I travel with my mother, there always seems to be some craziness going on. From the crazy van ride to the mystery factory in Turkey to the free tequila bottles we received for being “interested” in timeshare in Mexico. Yes, traveling with my mother has always been crazy fun. To say the least, an adventure!
When we arrived to Brazil, there was a man waiting for us. I wasn’t exactly sure what arrangements my mom made, but I trusted her connections. She always managed to get us the hook-ups to VIP lounges, free dinners and shows and even once I got to see the cockpit when I was about five years old. My days were planned ahead of time thanks to my mom’s friend and thus my adventure in Brazil began.
One of the first things I got to see while in Brazil was the Itaipu Binacional, which is the world’s largest generator of renewable clean energy. What I saw was this massive hydroelectric dam on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It was nice and interesting, but my attention started to fade as I thought of my next adventure in Brazil.
On a side note…
During one of my visits to a ticket center (at least that’s what I think it was), I found these beautiful painted Futebol balls.
(In the U.S., we call it Soccer. Every other place, it is called Futebol or Football).
My next adventure in Brazil took me none other to Iguazu Falls. Surrounded by plants, trees and wildlife, I took the path to the falls.
Along the way, I discovered a few creatures called Coati, which are part of the Raccoon family. The Coatis seemed very friendly and mostly approached humans for food.
After what seemed to be an eternity on the trail to the falls, my heart dropped with excitement as I heard water falling. I was at Iguazu Falls.
There are no words to describe how magnificent the falls really is and the photos do not do it any justice. I kept walking towards the falls to get a better view and as I stood next to the falls, I noticed a rainbow near the falls.
Now this is where my cold moment comes in…after what felt like hours of admiring the falls, my mother decided it would be fun to go under the falls. As an adventurer, I couldn’t refuse, but after seeing people wet and cold, I was unsure if to go through with it.
After much self talk, I decided to take my first few steps on to the dock, where the boat waited for me. I put on my life vest and sure enough I was on my way to the bottom of Iguazu Falls.
My time under Iguazu falls was amazing and being so close to the falls was a great experience – soaking wet, but an amazing adventure. After drying off and walking the trails back to the exit, we went into a restaurant and finally got what I wanted – Pineapple Caipirinha!
The Pineapple Caipirinha is a Brazilian cocktail consisting of lime, sugar and cachaca (a sugar cane hard liquor). I had always heard good things of the Caipirinha, but this was too good to be true and a perfect end to my day.
Iguazu Falls was amazing, but it was even better getting to see it from the other side – the Argentinian side. This, however is a story for another post.
So stay tuned!
-Hanny
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