Bonus Footage!

Hey all!  I'm back to my computer so I can share some videos from my trip.

The first is a video from the head of the French Valley at Torres del Paine.  This was my favorite day of the trek.  The variety of features we saw plus the river we crossed several times were stunning.  The only attraction we couldn't see at the top was the French Glacier which is further down the valley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEY_GatRByQ

Second is the hang gliding video from Pedra Bonita in Rio de Janeiro.  It was awesome--the feeling of flight after running off the cliff is very powerful.  The beaches you see are San Conrado (where we landed) and Barr further to the West.  The beach faces South.  Sugar Loaf and Corcovado (where Cristo lives) are to the East.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRnEasBobg

The last three videos are from Iguazu.  The first is La Garganta from the Argentinian side, right at the rim.  The second is from Isla San Martin, looking over the cataracts to the southwest of La Garganta.  The last is from the Brazilian side and gives a good overview of the falls from La Garganta all the way to the south.  Plus there's a rainbow!  Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j07DoMIRI3s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPRf8BbvUaw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovM_iptMxjw


Work started yesterday.  We're busy getting everything ready for the students who start Monday.  I'm excited to see them all again!  Pray for teachers all over the Southern Hemisphere as school starts next week.  Watch for school posts soon!

Goodbyes

Today we bid farewell to Iuazu, Brazil, and travel for a while. The morning was spent on the Brazilian side of the falls. I really liked it--the panoramic and unobstructed views allowed for seeing the complete falls, including some very impressive curtains of water not viewable from the Argentinian side. And then there were, of course, the rainbows. With the sun at our backs the mist from the falls created vivid double rainbows all over the place, especially near La Garganta. It was a great morning. We brought all our luggage with us to the park then headed directly to the airport for our flight to Santiago via Sao Paolo. I'm taking care of a few logistics now then heading to bed--work starts in the morning! The quick turnaround will likely be exhausting but it also keeps me on my toes.

One last bit about my travels. Many have made comments on my hat. It's seen a lot of love in the last 5 years. It's stained, tattered and torn from mission trips, road trips, plane trips, and any physical labor I've done on any occasion. Some have suggested bronzing it, others throwing it in the trash. Yesterday it occurred to me--what if it happened to fall down Iguazu? I would never throw it over, that's illegal and involves fines. But...what if the wind just blew it off by accident?

http://youtu.be/aP2XdEfpxdM

It's been a good run.

 

Iguazu Argentinian Style

After getting into our hostel late last night in Foz do Iguacu Brazil we slept 5 hours and headed by taxi to the national park in Argentina. Both countries have methods to view Iguazu Falls and Argentina demands more attention so we gave it a full day. Our goal was to be in the park early to do the Macuco Trail which heads to a hidden waterfall where you can swim in the basin (awesome, right?!). It's closed for renovation (bummer) so we hopped on the train to the main attraction, La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat). I would liken this part of the falls, viewable from both countries, to the Canadian side of Niagara. It is also horseshoe in shape and is a continuous curtain of water. The energy and power coming from the falls is incredible. They're 50% higher than Niagara and much more expansive--the cataracts seem to extend forever. If you have a minute, google the geography of the falls. They're pretty spread out. The origin is interesting too: a basalt plateau that is continually eroding under and behind the falls making them taller. The mythology behind the falls is more interesting, that a jealous god created the falls so a young maiden trying to escape would fall to her death in her canoe. The falls would definitely do the trick.

After La Garganta we opted to walk back to the two other paved trails to view the rest of the falls. All are named, from Adam and Eve to the Two Sisters and a salute to unknown soldiers, and they're all spectacular. The "Lower Trail," which gives excellent front-views of the falls tot the southwest of La Garganta, is also access to Isla San Martin which sits in the middle of all the madness. There we hiked to my favorite viewpoint of Salto San Martin, a double waterfall with crazy flow rates. The mist was incredible. I have videos but they'll have to wait until I'm back in Santiago.

The wildlife we saw in the park was impressive. We saw lots of very friendly Coatis that apparently are very used to being fed and will scratch and bite to get food. There were warning signs everywhere. We also saw some giant spiders and one large iguana. There are also apparently large cats (panthers, jaguars) and monkeys roaming the park.

It was a great day. We finished it off at another Brazilian steakhouse where I ate my share and then some. It was delicious.

Unfortunately tonight is our last night on the road. We fly back to Santiago tomorrow afternoon and real life begins Wednesday. Caitlin has been an excellent travel companion! Thanks for following along for my summer travels. Posts will continue into the school year and will be very short daily posts for the remainder of Lent. I hope you'll come back often!

Chau, Rio

We spent our last night in Rio back in Lapa. Once again we had a blast. The arches look so pretty lit up at night. The purple-lit building in the background is the Cathedral. We danced samba until we were beat and headed back to the hostel around 4. This morning we packed and checked out then went to the "Hippy Fair" that occurs every Sunday. There was a wide array of crafts, food, and art all with a Rio flare. I got a couple paintings to decorate our rather bare apartment; watch out for pictures of them once they're hanging. I didn't get this painting of Ipanema but I liked it a lot.

We took a taxi to the airport powered by natural gas! I had heard about natural gas taxis in Asia but have never seen one. I saw big yellow tanks like this under some cars our first day walking around Santa Teresa and suspected natural gas but it was only today my suspicions were confirmed. Cool!

I will miss Rio and hope to return. It is a beautiful and fascinating place with lots of hidden gems. I would also love to see more of Brazil. We're headed to Iguazu Falls at the moment for the grand finale of our trip--watch for a post!

Tijuca and Lapa

Yesterday we slept in and took the metro to a bus to Tijuca National Park. We hiked up to Pico de Tijuca, Tijuca Peak, our highest hike yet. It finished with a set of 118 steps carved into the mountainside. Very cool. The views were incredible but it was a little hazy so pictures weren't great.

Last night was epic. We had heard about the craziness of Lapa, one of the northern Rio neighborhoods, on the weekends but you have to see it to believe it. It was like New Orleans without rules. With the beautiful backdrop of the arches, the street comes alive with samba bands, street performers, food and drink of every variety including caparinha, the lime-infused drink of Rio. I had one with fresh ginger--so good. We started the night with a nap since nothing happens until midnight. We walked the street eating and drinking and dancing for an hour or so then went to a samba club that had an awesome live band until 4. At that point we figured we should wait until 5 since the metro would be open again so we ate some more traditional food then caught the metro back to Copacabana for the sunrise. My only regret of the night was that I left my camera behind because I was worried about safety. We're going back tonight though and my camera will come along!

Today was very relaxing. I can't believe it's our last full day in Rio! I was hoping to waterski but they were all booked so I watched some wake boarders and just stared longingly at the slalom course. Oh well, just one more reason to come back to Rio. After the lake I went to mass which was a beautiful experience in Portugese then went to the beach to watch the sunset. A great lazy day. Watch tomorrow for pictures from Lapa!

Just Aim for Christ and Keep Walking

20 Feb 2013
Greetings again from steamy Brazil!

Yesterday (I know, I'm a day behind) morning I went hang gliding over Rio. It was unbelievable. Hang gliding was one of the adventurous sports I've wanted to try for a long time and it was awesome. I have pictures and video on a CD so watch out for clips after I'm back!

After the glide we walked Copacabana beach and came back to the rocks separating it from Ipanema for the sunset. The people of Rio really do clap when the sun goes down.

Our last item of the day was a football (soccer) match between a team from Rio and a team to the north. The atmosphere and energy in the stadium were great. The match itself wasn't stellar. 3-0 to the away team.

Today we walked from our hostel around the lake (which has a slalom water ski course!) to the north to Parque Lage. There is a very steep hiking trail to Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) that starts in the park. You can also access Cristo by car or train, but when hiking is an option, why not? As long as you avoid the poisonous snakes you're all good. After taking in the monument we hiked back down and saw some monkeys along the way!

The hiking guide that led us to the trail gave advice as follows: "Like on many hikes in Rio there are no real signs, just aim for Christ and keep walking." While this is good advice on many levels, we actually found the trail quite easy to follow albeit very steep. We passed the cog railway on our way up and finished on the road. Cristo is very huge up close and personal, even after seeing Him from all over the city.

Thanks for following along! More hiking tomorrow.