Brazilian town with mighty waterfalls

Think Brazil and most people would be instantly transported to a land of pristine beaches, littered with stunning figures, the hedonistic carnival, samba drums, the magnificent Christ The Redeemer and perhaps the notorious favelas. It's what we've all imagined Brazil to be like, courtesy Hollywood and lately, a bunch of reality TV shows. After spending a sizable amount of time in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, I could vouch for all of the above. But underneath the glitz and funk, I was determined to find more soul, more adventure, more of the real Brazil that we don't get to see back home. And with that firm belief in place, a number of road trips ensured. First among them was Foz Do Iguacu, a little town South of Brazil which shares its borders with both Argentina and Paraguay. I spent the next 10 days in the company of a childhood friend of mine which made the whole experience all the more exciting. Without much ado, we set out on our journey from Sao Paulo, stopping in Rio for a couple of days, moving to Curitiba for another two days before hopping on to the next available bus to Foz do Iguacu. As much as we both loved speed, we didn't want to rush our journey. Buses in Brazil are extremely comfortable and overnight buses even have a toilet onboard. You might have to ignore the fact that it costs as much as an air ticket. After about 14 hours, we were at Foz do Iguacu — a quaint little town which thrives mainly on tourism thanks to the popular 'cataratas' (waterfalls). We chose a hostel close to the falls and wasted no time in heading out to them. With an entire day ahead of us, we were excited to explore the national park where they were all located. From the hostel, we took a bus that took us right up to the gate of the Parque Nacional do Iguacu. We paid the entry fees to the national park and were immediately ushered into yet another open roof double decker bus with bold animated characters painted on it. The 15-minute journey zigzagged through lush vegetation and was accompanied with ambient sounds and an earthy smell, it was a delightful ride. At one point we zipped through a massive array of possibly a thousand butterflies. Where the bus stopped, more wildlife awaited — iguanas, monkeys and lots of grasshoppers. From this point on, we had the falls in sight. Interestingly, the Foz Do Iguacu waterfalls are not only taller than Niagara — they are also twice as wide! As we walked past the 'trilha' — the trekking trail, the sheer expanse of the falls was spell binding and photographs just couldn't do justice to what we had in sight. Closer to the center of the falls lies an extended viewing gallery that allows you to soak in the experience (and yourself) in the screaming roar and brilliance of the majestic falls. We spotted a few vultures circling nearby and took it as a sign to continue our journey towards lunch. Don't forget to wave to the good folks in Argentina waving at you from the other side of the border though. After a hearty full course buffet, we were raring to go. As soon as we got out of the national park we headed straight to the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power plant. I've always marveled at Brazil's amazing industrial might and this was a great opportunity to get a closer look at it. Run as a joint venture between Brazil and Paraguay, the dam at this location — thanks to the might of the Iguacu falls, powers 90% of Paraguay and 20% of Brazil. Now those are some impressive facts. The structure's cost also makes it one of the most expensive manmade structures ever built. The entire tour and museum was well worth it and we stood in awe of both nature and man. On our way out, we lucked out by spotting the Parque Das Aves, a bird sanctuary whichhoused some of the world's most exotic birds. Some of these winged folks were so friendly that you could ften spot a random toucan prodding, pecking and jumping around with visitors. They look like they have a wacky sense of humour but I can't be sure. All in all, it was a perfect day spent exploring one of nature's most stunning wonders. Not to mention the man-made mega structure that manages to power up a large chunk of two nations. Getting there - local From Rio de Janeiro, buses ply regularly to the city of Foz do Iguacu. It is common knowledge that a major part of the falls are on the Argentinian side while Brazil enjoys a better view. If possible, try to experience it from both sides. Border crossings are nearby and easily accessible. Do not accept to carry any luggage or material for co-passengers. I almost fell for this, had it not been for the alert bus driver who warned me that it could be counterfeit or smuggled goods being moved across borders!