Iguassu/Iguazu Falls

I learned about Iguaçu/Iguazú Falls thirteen years ago during my first visit - a business trip - to Brazil. I used to buy travel books of the countries I went to so when my business trip to Brazil was confirmed, I bought a Rough Guides book to give me an idea of what sights I could see while I was there. It was in this book that I first saw a photo of Iguaçu Falls. The moment I saw that photo, I immediately knew I had to visit this place.

Devils' Throat in Iguassu Falls, Brazil side

Iguassu/Iguazu Falls, which was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, is actually on the border of Argentina and Brazil. It is spelled Iguaçu or Iguassu in Brazil (I assume this is the Portuguese spelling) and Iguazú in Argentina (I assume this is the Spanish spelling). 80% of the falls is on the Argentina side but being on the Brazil side gives you a panoramic view of the falls. I figured that if I were to visit Iguassu, I should visit both sides. Our tour allowed us to do just that.

More of Devils' Throat

BRAZIL SIDE

Upon arrival at the airport, our tour guide picked us up and took us straight to Iguaçu National Park. When our tour officially began, my initial reaction was that of disappointment. There didn't seem to be a lot of water. Based on pictures I've seen in my book and online, I was expecting water to be pouring over the entire ridge. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case when we were there. I kept my disappointment to myself since I wasn't sure if my mom had any expectations of what to see here and I didn't want to douse her enthusiasm.

As we walked along the tour path, we saw several free-roaming coatis or coatimundis, which are members of the raccoon family and are native to South America. Seeing them actually lifted my spirits quite a bit. :)

coatis or coatimundis

As we got closer to Devil's Throat, which is the tallest part of Iguassu and where I think the largest volume of water courses through, my disappointment immediately turned into excitement. Even from afar, I could feel the power of the falls!

There are a series of walkways that allow visitors to get closer to Devil's Throat and have a much better view of it.

It started to rain but at that point, I didn't care. The views here were simply magnificent!

I took several photos under the rain before heading for cover. I wasn't the only one with that idea; there were several coatis also taking shelter.

The rain started getting stronger so even if we had just been in Iguassu for about an hour, we decided to leave and check into our hotel. Of course, before we left, I course had to have my photo taken a few more times. :)

ARGENTINA SIDE

The great thing about our private tour was that it took us through the Brazil-Argentina border via car. This made the logistics of our trip a whole a lot easier since we didn't have to worry about our luggage. We checked out of our hotel on the Brazil side, got picked up by our tour guide and the driver, put all our luggage in the car, got driven through the border, were taken to Iguazu Falls, and then driven to our hotel in Argentina afterwards. The downside was that the rain was a lot heavier on the second day.

We took a train to the entrance of Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat on the Argentina side. Once we got off the train, we walked for about 1.1 kilometers on a series of walkways over the Iguazu River. That 15-minute walk was well worth it because it allowed us to stand right over the mouth of Garganta del Diablo to catch some spectacular views!

Garganta del Diablo, or Devil's Throat, on the Argentina side

Standing over these majestic falls was just a truly incredible experience! Despite the rain, there were many people there. And amidst the crowd, we still managed to take some decent pictures.

For the first time, I got to use the waterproof camera I bought a few years ago. I decided to bring it because I read that there is always a spray of water at Devil's Throat and I didn't want my main camera to get wet.

In retrospect, I should have just used my camera phone. The problem with my waterproof camera was that the rainwater stayed on the lens and distorted the images somewhat. Nevertheless, I am happy that we were able to capture some very memorable moments, distortion notwithstanding.

Normally, after visiting Garganta del Diablo, visitors take a walk on the upper circuit and on the lower circuit for a complete experience of a trip to Iguazu. However, because it was raining hard, our guide said we shouldn't or couldn't go down the lower circuit anymore. Our tour was then limited to the upper circuit. We walked a short distance along the upper circuit and took a few photos before we decided to cut our tour short and just head to our hotel.

View from the upper circuit of Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side

The rain continued throughout the entire afternoon. My mom and I could have braved the rains and taken a taxi to the city center of Puerto Iguazu. I really wanted to visit the Triple Frontier Landmark which marks the border of three countries: Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. (Our hotel was maybe 20 minutes away from the center via taxi). However, if we did that, we would have gotten even more wet and we wouldn't have been able to dry our shoes and our clothes. It would be tough to pack wet clothes and wear wet shoes, especially considering our flight to Buenos Aires was the next morning. As such, we just stayed in our hotel, the Loi Suites Iguazú Hotel.

 Lobby of Loi Suites Iguazú Hotel

The other unfortunate thing was that we were unable to buy souvenirs from Iguassu/Iguazu. We didn't buy any at the Iguaçu National Park in Brazil because we thought we would have an opportunity to buy them at or near our the hotel or even the next day when we went to the Argentina side. Unfortunately, there weren't any souvenir shops in or near our hotel. We could've gotten souvenirs on the Argentina side but because we ended up being drenched, we just wanted to check into our hotel once our tour ended rather than spend time at the Iguazu souvenir shop. I also hoped that we could go to the city center and buy souvenirs there but alas, the rain kept pouring, making it very difficult to leave the hotel. The last remaining chance we had to buy souvenirs was at the airport but most of the items we saw there didn't appeal to us. The only souvenirs we were interested in were postcards but the shopkeeper told us that she didn't accept credit cards for postcard purchases. Unfortunately, we didn't have any local currency yet because we crossed the Brazil-Argentina border on the road and not through an airport so we didn't pass by any money exchange kiosks between Brazil and Argentina. And since the airport we were at was a local Argentina one, there were no currency exchange kiosks there either. (Our hotel also unfortunately didn't exchange money.)

Of course, the main purpose of this trip was to see Iguassu/Iguazu Falls and we did. This was a truly amazing and memorable experience.

Next: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I planned on taking a side trip to Rio de Janeiro after a business trip I had to São Paulo in 2005 but work got in the way. 13 years later, I finally got to visit this beautiful city. I am also very happy that I have now seen Christ the Redeemer.

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)

Christ the Redeemer, or Cristo Redentor, stands atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. It is a globally renowned symbol of Brazil and is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. You need to take the Corcovado Train at the base of the mountain to get to Christ the Redeemer. The entrance to the tram is decorated with what seems to be flags from all the countries in the world. I naturally looked for, and found, the Philippine flag. Can you see it?

Our tram tickets were for 10:30 AM but when we arrived at around 9:30 AM, our guide was able to get us in earlier, saving us about 45 minutes of waiting time. Cool! It takes about 20 minutes to get to the top. With Christ the Redeemer being a hugely popular tourist site, there are always a lot of visitors here, and the day we arrived was no exception.

Thankfully, the weather was good. We spent a lot of time at the peak of Corcovado Mountain taking photos of Christ the Redeemer and the amazing views of Rio.

The second main item on our itinerary for the day was a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain. It gets its name from its resemblance to a sugarloaf, which was how refined sugar was produced and sold until the 1800s. To visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you need to ride two cable cars. The first one takes you to a lower hill called Morro da Urca. The second one takes you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Sugarloaf Mountain

The very first Sugarloaf Cable Car opened in 1912 and was the third cableway built in the world. The older cable car designs are on display at the Morro da Urca stop. The yellow car (you can sort of see it at the back of this next photo) was the first one ever used before it was replaced six decades later. The updated car, which was in operation in 1972 and which has now also been replaced, was used in the James Bond film Moonraker.

We went around Sugarloaf Mountain at a relaxing pace, allowing us to take lots of photos. We even had enough time for a coffee break. You get a fantastic view of Copa Cobana beach from the top.

Awesome view of Copa Cobana Beach from Sugarloaf Mountain

While Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain were the two primary sights in our tour of Rio, our guide also took us to a few other places, including a nice spot where you can view Ipanema and Leblon beaches. In this next photo, Ipanema is on the right side which is further away while Leblon is on the closer left side. Around the bend of the island after Ipanema is Copa Cobana beach.

Ipanema and Leblon Beaches

Looking at the opposite direction from that same spot were you view Ipanema and Leblon, you get to see an interesting contrast in the landscape. In the front is the luxurious Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel. Behind it, you see the Vidigal favela or slum.

Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel and the Vidigal favela behind it

Before the day ended, our guide took us to two really interesting places. The first one was the pyramid-shaped Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. This church is dedicated to St. Sebastian, the Patron Saint of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

The highlight of the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, at least for me, are its massive stained glass windows that soar 64 meters from the floor to the ceiling of the church.

Stained glass windows inside the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

Our tour guide decided to extend our tour just a little because she wanted to take us to one last place: the Selarón steps, or Escadaria Selarón. This project, which began in 1990, was the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón as his tribute to the people of Brazil.

Selarón steps (Escadaria Selarón)

The stairs are covered with ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the Brazilian flag: green, yellow, and blue. Tiles also cover the walls and pedestals that flank the steps. These tiles represent, or are from, dozens of different countries.

The story behind Escadaria Selarón is written at the base of the steps. There is a version in Portuguese and another one in English.

To complete our experience or Rio, we also got to eat in a couple of Brazilian-style restaurants. Lunch during our tour was in Carretão do Lido, which is a churrascaria (barbecue) with rodizio service.

Carretão do Lido

This type of service is popular in Brazil. Waiters walk around the restaurant with different cuts of meant on large metal skewers. If a guest would like to have the cut of meat that a waiter brings, that waiter then slice some of that meat onto the guest's plate. There is also an accompanying buffet of appetizers, sides, and other accompanying dishes.

food sliced directly onto my plate

We also had dinner at what is called comida por quilo/kilo at Siqueira Grill on both nights we were in Rio. These types of restaurants offer buffets where food is sold by the kilo regardless of its kind. You just put food on your plate, go to the counter where they weigh your food (including the heavy plate, unfortunately) and you are charged for the total weight. Siqueira Grill was practically across the street from the Windsor Palace Hotel Rio which is where we stayed. Our hotel provided coupons that gave guests a free drink at the restaurant. On both nights, we were tired and didn't want to have to wait too long for food nor worry about communicating in Portuguese so the por quilo buffet set-up was very convenient for us. I did enjoy the food I had on both nights.

Siqueira Grill

The day after our tour, my mom and I got on the late morning flight to Iguassu Falls, which meant we were in Rio de Janeiro for less than 48 hours. Obviously, our stay here was a bit too short. While our hotel was just a block away from Copa Cobana, we didn't really have a chance to walk along this famous beach nor take photos there. I also realized in this trip that Rio really is such a beautiful and livable city, with mountains, beaches, and lagoons all located within city limits. Due to the shortness of our stint here, Rio is probably the city I want to revisit the most among all the cities we visited during our tour. Who knows, if I'm fortunate, maybe I will have another chance to see Rio in the future.

Next: Iguassu/Iguazu Falls

Cusco, Peru

Cusco used to be the capital of the Inca Empire. It continues to be an important city as it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With an elevation of around 3400 meters, it is significantly higher than Machu Picchu. We didn't have any scheduled tours here - there was an option to pay an additional fee for a city tour but I didn't take it - so my mom and I spent about two days just walking around and visiting some of the sights recommended online. The city center is quite compact, with most places of interest within walking distance of each other. Plaza de Armas is Cusco's main square and it was only a couple of blocks from our hotel so we went here a few times.

Plaza de Armas in Cusco

Cusco Cathedral, or officially the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, is the most imposing structure in Plaza De Armas. It also has a magnificent interior which we got to see on our second day there.

Cusco Cathedral

Tourists are not allowed to enter during mass. You also need a ticket to get in. Entrance is 25 Peruvian Soles but the integrated ticket costs 40 Peruvian Soles according to the website. (Since we planned on visiting the Archbishop Palace as well, we got the integrated ticket.) I saw a negative review on tripadvisor saying that the Cusco Cathedral ticket was too expensive but my mom and I both thought it was worth the entrance fee and we thoroughly enjoyed looking at, and being surrounded by, all the incredible religious artifacts, memorabilia, and displays. Photos are not allowed inside.

I managed to take this photo of the interior while the main doors were open during early morning mass

The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, or the Church of the Society of Jesus, is another church in Plaza de Armas, You also need to pay an entrance fee to go in but it isn't part of the integrated ticket so we didn't enter. My mom did buy a couple of souvenirs in the church shop. 

Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús or Church of the Society of Jesus

There was a lot of activity in Plaza de Armas on our first day there but I didn't know what it was about. A lot of people lined the streets... 

 

 ... to view parades of people walking through the square. 

 There were also kids dancing in the large open space in front of Cusco Cathedral. 

My mom and also visited the Archbishop Palace which was about a block away from the main square. It was built on the ruins of an Inca palace and houses several rooms that feature religious displays. The cool thing about the rooms here, along with the chapel, is that they all had motion sensor lights that would turn on when visitors would enter and turn off automatically shortly after visitors left. What a good way to conserve energy! Photos are also not allowed inside except in the main patio.

Main Patio of the Archbishop Palace

The wall outside the Archbishop Palace also features the 12-angle stone. I wasn't sure what this stone was since I couldn't find it online when I searched for it; I just kept seeing the stone wall of the palace. Since my map indicated that this stone was outside the Archbishop Palace, I just took a few photos of the wall itself. A man passing by gave me an unusual look as I was taking photos and I think he figured out that I was interested in the 12-angle stone because he stopped and told me that the 12-angle stone was further down the wall. He pointed to a spot where several people were gathered. My mom and I walked over there and we finally figured out what this 12-angle stone was. Here it is. It's a huge stone on the wall has 12 angles and 12 edges. This stone is proof yet again that the the Incas were exceptional stone masons.

The 12-angle stone

Another place we visited that further showcased the mastery of the Incas when it came to stone masonry was Sacsayhuaman, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is on the outskirts of Cusco. It was initially thought to have been a fortress but is now believed to have been a ceremonial center.

Sacsayhuaman

The views at the top were glorious. It was lightly drizzling a few minutes before I took this next photo so I'm happy the skies cleared. 

There were these really interesting rock formations.

Sacsayhuaman was about 1 kilometer from our hotel so we thought it would be manageable to walk all the way there. As it turns out, that was definitely not a good idea since it was a long uphill walk on cobblestone streets and rocky paths at an elevation of 3400 meters. Instead, it is recommended that you take a taxi to the top. You can ask your taxi to wait for you or you can hail a taxi there to head back down (which is what we did since we were already tired). There seems to always be quite a few taxis waiting for passengers at the top. Or you could also just walk back down. Just make sure that if you decide to walk, you have footwear that will make it easy to head downhill.

View of Cusco from Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park

Museo Quechua is a nice little museum right next to our hotel. Entrance is free so we decided to pay it a visit. Quechua refers to the indigenous people of Peru and other South American countries and this charming museum showcases the life and history of the Quechua people and of Peru. We were guided through the museum by Erika. She was very friendly and pleasant and she shared a lot of information about the beautiful displays. If you plan on visiting Qorikancha and the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo or if you are staying at the Palacio del Inka, I definitely recommend at least a quick visit here. There is also a shop and a cafe at the end of the museum. 

Beautiful wall display at the entrance of Museo Quechua

The Church and Convent of Santo Domingo is right in front of Palacio del Inka so we visited this church on our last day. It is built on the ruins of Qorikancha or the Inca Temple of the Sun, which was the most important temple in the Inca Empire. We only went into the church and not into the rest of the convent/temple grounds.

Church and Convent of Santo Domingo

My mom and I also got to have a fun photo op with a man dressed in traditional Inca attire. On our way back to the hotel to rest a bit, we saw this man in Inca attire step out of the hotel. He was too far away from us and walking quite quickly so we weren't have our photo taken with him at that point. However, on our way out of the hotel to get some food and do some souvenir shopping, we spotted him again in our hotel lobby. We asked him if we could take photos with him and he agreed and even did several poses with both me and my mom. (We of course handed him a tip.)

Cool photo op at the lobby of our hotel

We left Cusco in the evening of our second day there and although we boarded on time, our departure was delayed. We were on the plane but it didn't move for maybe an hour. We got back to Lima at close to 11pm and arrived at our hotel at close to midnight. We then needed to get ready because our flight from Lima to Rio de Janeiro was at around 9am the next day. This meant we had to be at the Lima airport by 6am which also meant we had to be up by 4am. As such, we had only a couple of hours sleep that night and we slept a bit more on the flight. Still, by the time we arrived in Rio the next day, we were quite tired so we just had a quick dinner next to the hotel and rested.

Next: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil