I had been dreaming of visiting Iguazu Falls in Brazil/Argentina ever since I was a kid. One of my mother’s closest friends who was from Argentina told me about these spectacular waterfalls and said I must visit. I have always been fascinated by fast moving water, and I love watching the water drop over the edge. Since I was flying to Brasilia to meet my colleagues at the University of Brasilia, and give some lectures, this was the perfect opportunity. It was a great spring break escape.

I left a very stormy San Francisco, and barely made my connection in Houston, but luckily the flight crew knew there were 22 of us on the flight that had to get to São Paulo, so the flight waited for us. São Paulo is very far away, and then it was another jump to Foz do Iguaçu. I had booked a hotel on the Argentina side, so I found an airport taxi that took me to the border, and then the driver’s friend met me at the other side and took me to the hotel. Super friendly. I can communicate in Spanish, but not Portuguese, so it was a little easier for me on the Argentina side. I arrived in the evening, and walked to the Tres Fronteras landmark, where one can see Brazil, and Paraguay across the river from Argentina. Warm air, lively people, kids playing in the fountains, and a harpist playing some mariachi influenced music. It was a good ending to a long trip.

The next morning, I found a charismatic driver who took me and two Chileans to the waterfalls. I was lucky and got a spot on the Gran Aventura boat ride that brings the tourists close to and into the falls. This was definitely a wetpoint of the trip, and my first view of the falls. Everyone screams and laughs when the boat goes under one of the smaller water chutes. It was also a nice bus ride through the forest. Then I took the park train to the Devils Throat walkway and saw the falls from very close. I stayed there for a long time simply watching all those H2O molecules drop 80 meters. 

The next day was a lot of exploring. The friendly driver took me to Paraguay to show me the huge dam, but unfortunately, we missed the bus tour. Instead, we had a vegan lunch at Loving Hut in Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. Then back to Brazil where I saw the falls from the other side. I recommend going to both sides if possible. Parque das Aves was also on my itinerary. It’s basically a nice zoo for birds of the Atlantic rainforest. I wasn’t fond of seeing two huge Harpy eagles in a relatively small enclosure. The space for the parrots and macaws was better. It is a nice opportunity to see these birds, and they really emphasize conservation. I just prefer seeing these animals in the wild, or not seeing them at all, knowing that they are safe in their native habitats. Zoos are a little tough for me.

After my three days in the Iguazu area, I got on a direct flight to Brasilia. My friends at the university had arranged everything for me. The last time I was here was just a few months before the pandemic, in November of 2019. This time all I had to do was show up and give some lectures and talk to the students and faculty. The first day was an all-day vegan Brazilian BBQ at the tennis club. Swimming and sun. I am so delighted to know these professors who have become my dear friends.  I would give some lectures in the morning and then have fun in the afternoons. The University of Brasilia is a large campus with thousands of students. They have an incredible vegan cafeteria called Utopia. The facilities are excellent, and I am impressed by the motivated students.

The next day was an expedition to the National Park of Brasilia and the surrounding areas. We were in search of the elusive tapirs and other mammals of the region. We didn’t find the tapirs, but we did find their footprints. We went swimming in the river and looked for birds. At this point, I was simply enjoying the nature and friendships. We went to Japa Vegana and had incredible vegan sushi and Japanese delicacies. Delicious food, good price. 

The days went quickly and were full of my lectures and discussions. My last full day, we visited the Botanical gardens and had another wonderful vegan meal at a new restaurant there. In the evening visited an exhibit of the optical illusionist Leandro Erlich and heard some choro music. I left Brasilia knowing that I would come back again. I love Brasilia and I could easily envision myself spending some time there as a visiting professor.