South America, stop 2: Iguazu Falls

oh my goodness, y'all. i haven't started a new job in a long time, and MAN is it stressful/exhausting. don't get me wrong - new workplace seems pretty great and everyone there is absolutely lovely - but i had The Nerves for the first few days and it makes for a very tired alice. and since i feel i probably shouldn't spend my first week reading blogs, i still haven't even opened google reader since returning from south america, and seem to have stalled out after posting pics from rio. but lo! tonight i post more pictures, and maybe one day i'll read your blogs, too!

so our next stop after rio de janeiro was iguazu falls, the second largest waterfalls in the world. HOLY SHIT, PEOPLE. we almost missed this stop (another extra special gift from gotmyfare.com: when they finally rebooked our flights at the last minute, they changed our iguazu flights so that we were arriving at 7pm and leaving at 10am the next morning. AWESOME OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE FALLS with the parked closed at night and all) but i'm super glad we paid to change our flights so that we'd have some daylight hours here. this place is stunning. comparisons to niagara are ridiculous, even though niagara is the next biggest waterfall in the world; it's like comparing the grandeur of a mariott hotel to versailles.

this is the "small" end of the falls, our first sighting:

the thing that makes these falls so breathtaking is that in addition to the massive head of the falls - which is actually a lot like niagara - the waterfalls spill over a ravine almost 2 miles long, and the entire thing is actually made up of 275 individual waterfalls. so basically you walk along this pathway built along the ravine, where every few feet you get a more and more amazing view of more falls, peeking through lush rainforest vegitation.

we got there right as the sun started setting, which made for some even more absurdly stunning vistas.

i know, right??

we eventually made it to the head of the falls - the Devil's Throat - where 14 falls cascade down in a 350 ft high horseshoe.

you see that wee, rickety-looking bridge down at the bottom of the picture? it's neither wee nor rickety - it's about 8 feet wide, and made of concrete - and going out there is like putting yourself into a hurricane. from that vantage point you can hardly see the falls behind you, from all the mist - which is being blown at you with gale force winds. you're soaked through within moments.

but see the corner of the walkway, in this picture?

from there, you're basically standing at the bottom of the Devil's Throat AND standing directly above the precipice of a new tier of waterfalls. it's the most amazing view. and feeling. (and, sadly, not someplace you bring a 'spensive fancypants dslr.)

the SOUND of the falls here was ridiculous. even shouting, you could hardly hear anything else.

(please note we're soaking wet in this picture. this is post-bridge jaunt.)

if you ever find yourself anywhere near this part of the world, GO HERE. so very worth it.