8/6/2019 Into The Wild - Foz Do Iguacu

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Think Brazil and most peoplewould be instantly transport-ed to a land of pristine beach-es, littered with stunning fig-

s, the hedonistic carnival, sambaums, the magnificent Christ Thedeemer and perhaps the notori-

s favelas. It's what we've all imag-d Brazil to be like, courtesyllywood and lately, a bunch of lity TV shows. After spending aable amount of time in Sao Paulod Rio de Janeiro, I could vouch forof the above. But underneath thez and funk, I was determined tod more soul, more adventure,

ore of the real Brazil that we don'tto see back home. And with that

m belief in place, a number of d trips ensured.First among them was Foz Doaçu, a little town South of Brazilich shares its borders with both

gentina and Paraguay. I spent thext 10 days in the company of aldhood friend of mine which

de the whole experience all theore exciting.Without much ado, we set outour journey from Sao Paulo,

pping in Rio for a couple of days,oving to Curitiba for another twoys before hopping on to the nextailable bus to Foz do Iguaçu. Asuch as we both loved speed, wedn't want to rush our journey.ses in Brazil are extremely com-table and overnight buses evenve a toilet onboard. You mightve to ignore the fact that it costsmuch as an air ticket.After about 14 hours, we were atdo Iguaçu — a quaint little townich thrives mainly on tourism

anks to the popular 'cataratas'aterfalls). We chose a hostel close

the falls and wasted no time inading out to them. With an entirey ahead of us, we were excited toplore the national park wherey were all located.From the hostel, we took a bust took us right up to the gate of Parque Nacional do Iguaçu. Wed the entry fees to the nationalk and were immediately usheredo yet another open roof doubleker bus with bold animated char-ers painted on it. The 15-minuterney zigzagged through lush veg-

etation and was accompanied withambient sounds and an earthy smell,it was a delightful ride. At one pointwe zipped through a massive arrayof possibly a thousand butterflies.Where the bus stopped, morewildlife awaited — iguanas, monkeysand lots of grasshoppers. From thispoint on, we had the falls in sight.

Interestingly, the Foz Do Iguaçu

waterfalls are not only taller thanNiagara — they are also twice aswide! As we walked past the 'trilha'— the trekking trail, the sheerexpanse of the falls was spell bind-ing and photographs just couldn'tdo justice to what we had in sight.Closer to the center of the falls liesan extended viewing gallery thatallows you to soak in the experience(and yourself) in the screaming roarand brilliance of the majestic falls.

We spotted a few vultures cir-cling nearby and took it as a sign to

continue our journey towardslunch. Don't forget to wave to thegood folks in Argentina waving atyou from the other side of the bor-der though.

After a hearty full course buffet,we were raring to go. As soon as wegot out of the national park weheaded straight to the ItaipuHydroelectric Power plant. I'vealways marveled at Brazil's amazingindustrial might and this was a greatopportunity to get a closer look at it.

Run as a joint venture betweenBrazil and Paraguay, the dam at thislocation — thanks to the might of the Iguaçu falls, powers 90% of Paraguay and 20% of Brazil. Nowthose are some impressive facts. Thestructure's cost also makes it one of the most expensive manmade struc-tures ever built. The entire tour andmuseum was well worth it and we

stood in awe of both nature andman. On our way out, we lucked outby spotting the Parque Das Aves, abird sanctuary which housed someof the world's most exotic birds.

Some of these winged folks wereso friendly that you could often spota random toucan prodding, peckingand jumping around with visitors.They look like they have a wackysense of humour but I can't be sure.

All in all, it was a perfect dayspent exploring one of nature's moststunning wonders. Not to mention

the man-made mega structure thamanages to power up a large chunof two nations.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011 2www.mumbaimirror.com/leisure MumbaiMirrorISURE

TRAVEL

Those who go off the beaten track,write for us.

Going off track

aushal Karkhanisisure.mirror@indiatimes.com

FROM RIO de Janeiro, buses plyregularly to the city of Foz do Iguaçu.It is common knowledge that a majorpart of the falls are on the Argentin-ian side while Brazil enjoys a betterview. If possible, try to experience itfrom both sides. Border crossingsare nearby and easily accessible.Do not accept to carry any luggage ormaterial for co-passengers. I almostfell for this, had it not been for thealert bus driver who warned me thatit could be counterfeit or smuggledgoods being moved across borders!

GETTING THERE - LOCAL

THERE ARE no direct flights to Brazilfrom India. You may fly via Dubai/ Johannes-burg/ London, etc.Reach Rio de Janeiro city and fly/ take the bus to Foz do Iguaçu.

FROM INDIA 

Pint of beer (cerveja): R$2.50 (Rs 40)Budget Hostel: R$40 (Rs 800) -R$50 (Rs.1,000)Hotel: R$100 (Rs 2,000) onwards

COSTS

Into the wildExplore Foz Do Iguacu, a quaint town in South Brazil, known for its mighty

waterfalls and the lush trekking trails in its national parkKAUSHAL KARKHANIS

Foz Do Iguaçu

SaoPaulo Rio

Curitiba