Iguazu Falls: Now it's the Water

It was all about the ice in Antarctica, and it’s all about the water here.  For two miles, Iguazu Falls forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil.  And it’s considered to be the most spectacular border in the world.  The system of waterfalls here, 275 of them in total, is taller than Niagra Falls and more than two times as wide.

What a crazy contrast this is, and not just the water.  For days my eyes had only seen pristine, endless white, along with some black, gray and blue.  And now it’s all lush, green subtropical jungle.  There is more color and variety of life in the form of  flowers, butterflies, birds, lizards and even monkeys.  Temperatures in the steamy 80s are a full 50 degrees warmer than what we experienced last week.  And I’m dressing in shorts and sandals, instead of boots and a parka.

Miles of trails, bridges, catwalks and stairs on both sides of the border take you high and low to see the water.  But I’ve found the bottom is where you best feel the enormity and force of it all, as you’re engulfed in clouds of mist and the thundering sound, and you see the occasional rainbow.

I guess that, in the end, it is all about the water.  Seventy percent of the world’s surface is covered by it.  And in Antartica, it’s just that the water has frozen.  It’s hard to square this with our drought conditions at home, but the good news is that in recent days water has been falling there, too.