Big Water (Part 2- Iguazu Falls, Brazil)

The next day, after having seen the mighty Iguazu Falls in Argentina, our family woke up, had breakfast with Connor and headed out the door.  Thanks to the Olympics we were able to cross over into Brazil without a visa!  As we waited in line at the border crossing I personally wondered if this day would be a bit of a let-down.  'I mean, how could today be any better than yesterday!?'  We were soon to find out as we entered into Portuguese territory.   Instead of a train for public transportation the Brazilian National Park had colorful double-decker buses.  Of course, as soon as they were able, the kids picked seats up high and towards the front.  It was fun watching the green tree tops go by as we neared the Falls.

When the bus stopped, we all unloaded, and our nine pairs of eyes were met with a wide panorama of the very falls we had walked over the day before.  We were looking across the river at the lowest section of Iguazu and from where we stood we could count dozens of water falls.  We could see the places where we had stopped, taken pictures and gotten wet with spray.  The elevated boardwalks on the Argentinian side appeared small and the people were barely noticeable and despite their distance the falls roared in our ears.  As we looked on, Haley posed with her mommy for a picture.

The natural beauty of the Falls with my girls made me start to think that today might just be as amazing as Argentina.  We were getting a totally different perspective of the Falls.  Being able to see them from a distance helped us appreciate their magnitude which we couldn't see when we were standing right on top of them the day before.  Over-sized power boats fought against the rapids to bring passengers as close as they dared to the Devil's Throat.  There were many other activities to be had by paying customers including rappelling, off-road safaris and even helicopter rides.  Our family, however, was quite content staying on the ground and sticking to the path.

At one point, while waiting to get a picture, I heard a rustle in the garbage can next to me.  I was surprised when a hairy animal emerged from the opening- it was a Koati.  Of course, they were here in Brazil also: this was their natural habitat. Here, man and beast had truly learned to co-exist.  Repeated signs warned us not to feed or pet the Koatis!  The raccoon-like creatures were a lot of fun to watch.

Because the walkway's were narrower and fewer in Brazil there was a bit of crowding going on. Our family of eight with Connor in tow repeatedly had to dodge tourists of all nationalities and duck under selfie-sticks.  Later that day Connor (who was usually at the back of our parade) informed us that he kept overhearing the people we passed say things like, "They have seven kids!" or "check out that baby-backpack" or "There's nine of them!"  Of course we only have six kids but, like the Paraguayans, people assumed Connor was my oldest son... am I that old?!  I was so proud of all my kids as they all kept up while walking for miles and never complained once (including Connor).

As we pushed onward the falls began to draw nearer.  Always in motion, clamorous and with countless channels- we never got bored of taking it all in.  We walked for over a mile and the falls just kept coming- scene after awesome scene being put on display right in front of us.

In time we came within sight of the impressive 'Devil's Throat'.  The previous day we didn't get to see the massive u-shaped waterfall at the head of the Iguazu Falls except for when we stood on it's very rim and looked down into it's depths.  Now we realized how big it really was.  We could also see our destination: a raised walkway passing between two waterfalls extending toward the Devil's Throat.  From where we stood the pathway seemed to reach out into the very center of the Falls.

Not surprisingly, as we neared the walkway we started to notice how wet people were.  Plastic ponchos were for sale at the entrance but our troop ventured onward without any rain gear.  We managed to get a family picture halfway out onto the platform but couldn't use the camera any closer to the Devil's Throat because there was so much mist and everything was getting soaked!

To end another incredible day we had just enough reals left to eat lunch at a riverside buffet.  Brazilian food is great and after days on the road we were very happy to get some meat and vegetables.  Our tabletops reminded us not to share our food with the Koatis.  For our hungry crew there was no danger of that happening!  We also got the best seat in the house- with the rim of the Devil's Throat right behind us.  As we enjoyed our meal the peaceful Iguazu river flowed past us.  Given the tranquility it was hard to believe that the world's largest waterfall system raged just beyond us.

Our day in Brazil was not any more amazing than that in Argentina the day before, nor was it any less amazing.  It couldn't be compared to the other side of the Iguazu Falls because we had gained a completely different perspective and experienced one of the greatest displays of God's creation in a whole other way.  God's beauty, power and majesty were so evident to me there at the end of our day.  Along with the waterfalls, the Koatis in garbage cans, helicopters and the selfie stick wielding tourists from all around the world seemed to come together and in some way declare God's glory.

We thought that was the end of our waterfall trip with Connor but as we crossed back over into Paraguay the next day we saw signs for Paraguay's own, Monday Falls!