16/1 Chopper ride over the Falls and a baby!!

Monday 16 January     Iguazu Falls and much more!!

Checked wifi from the tent first thing – no news from home L

Off to the helipad for a big Treat – its my turn for a helicopter ride over a major international waterfall. J had hers at Vic Falls in 06. I sat in the front with Tim and Koen with Sam and Colin behind. Not a strange feeling at all – we just lifted and went forward. The falls were only a couple of km away so we had plenty of time to do figure 8’s over the top. The great sweeping turns were quite exciting with the chopper turning on its side. We had the best view of falls which are over 2km wide, V-shaped pointing upstream and pretty high as well, in 2 steps.

Waiting, waiting - Gordon, Yvonne, Tim, Helen, Richard, Dave, Koen & Chris listening to instructions from Sam

Taking off

Heading off ...

Returning

All were abuzz with the excitement of it all

Wikipedia says there is no single index for the “biggest waterfall” but if anything you would go for Vic Falls for having the single biggest vertical sheet of water. But Iguazu is right up there. Niagara isnt that big anyway but of course its next to the USA so we hear about it all the time.

All too soon we were down and heading for the falls by truck. The Brazilians have done a first rate job of setting up their park, with a coach ride into the interesting bit, walkways with bridges jutting out next to the river and viewing platforms all the way up to the falls themselves. There is a bit of a rainforest effect, with permanent spray, but not as much as Vic falls.

Our first view of the falls - we are on Brazil side with the Argentinian side behind us

Hope the bannisters don't move too fast

Coati, area supposed to be thick with them, trying to steal our food, yet this is the only one we saw and he was very well behaved.

Pretty

Towards the Devil's Throat - awesome

Such power

The ultimate was when we got right up to the base of the falls, where they had an elevator to take us up to the top, where there were restaurants, fast food places with seating areas overlooking the falls and then the coach back to the start point. We didn’t choose any of the options but you could bungee jump, take a speedboat into the cauldron at the base of the falls or go rafting.

The brilliant elevator, just perfect on a hot humid day

From the lookout point at top of elevator, Devil's Throat to left behind the closest falls.

There is a bird park right next to the site but J felt that she had already seen the birds in the wild so we didn’t bother. Colin was working on the truck so we took the public bus back to the hostel. Dan the Sax managed to escape from Paraguay and turned up at the falls. We all had a lazy afternoon at the pool, saving energy for the big feast and latin dancing show tonight.

Actually, we didn’t go. We saw a lot of Latin dancing on the boat and we really don’t want to be exposed to a buffet banquet at this stage. So we had the kitchen to ourselves to do some chicken and salad.

J had to toil with the laptop for some reason but she eventually got Stephie on Skyp at Toodyay. Cass had been to hospital, got sent home, returned immediately and had the baby within an hour! So there is number 8!!!

9lb 9 baby boy named Ryan J and Janine’s 8^th grandchild. Well done Cass and John with their 5^th baby and first son.

J rang the hospital and told the nurses she was calling from Brazil and they put her straight through to Cass, within 2 hours of the Event. I am just staying up to share the good news with the returning hooligans. Tomorrow we move into Argentina.