Foz do Iguacu and Parque do Nacional do Iguacu

Thursday, January 29 - Thursday was Jessica's birthday and we celebrated after we arrived in Londrina which was after I completed the writing for the previous post.  We didn't forget her.  Carol, the person who did much of the scheduling for Syngenta, made sure we had a cake when we arrived at the hotel.  Thanks goes out to Carol from the group.  It was a delicious chocolate cake even with sparklers.  We sang happy birthday Brazilian style, Jessica cut the cake and gave the good luck piece to Brittany.

Friday, January 30 - Syngenta coordinated a small research show mostly focusing on crop protection of corn and soybeans (miniature Farm Science Review).  We saw several organizations and research plots in the morning.  Syngenta took us around the grounds and explained many of the projects they are supporting.  The group got to try corn popsicles.  They either loved them or didn't like them at all. Syngenta then graciously invited us to a Brazilian barbecue lunch that was delicious!  No one walked away with an empty stomach.  Thanks so much Syngenta!!  In the afternoon we visited Embrapa's National Soybean Research Center.  Embrapa is governmental and private industry supported research across Brazil.  I believe there are 47 stations each focusing on a different area of agricultural research (ie. soybeans, corn, livestock, crop pest management) specific to that region. One of the faculty members presented on soybean research and the growth of soybean production across the world.  Brazil is a top producer of soybeans.  We then had a tour of the facility.  We were able to taste sugar cane, jack fruit and We finished up about 4:00 and were not scheduled to leave until 10:00 pm.  We planned to drive all night and sleep on the bus.  Unexpectedly, we went to a local mall, did some shopping, ate supper and then we all went to the movies and saw "The Interview".  Popcorn, "pipoca" in Portuguese was purchased by most to eat while watching the movie.   It was a neat experience for the group.  From there we had a seven hour trip to Foz do Iguacu, Parana.  Lets see how well everyone sleeps on the bus.

Saturday, January 31 - This will be my third time to visit Foz do Iguacu and the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant and Iguacu National Park.  Of all the places I have been in my life thus far, the Iguacu National Park is my most favorite place to visit.  The hydroelectric power plant is also  extremely interesting so I have been pumped for this weekend.  We stopped for breakfast first thing in the morning and arrived at the hydroelectric power plant when it opened.  We had a great tour of the facility sitting on a double decker bus on the top deck.  We stopped four times at different times on the tour.  We finally saw some cappy barra along the road.  The Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant is the second largest power plant in the world.  It took about 30 years to construct.  It provides 75% of the electricity for Paraguay and 17% of the electricity for Brazil.  It has three spillways to discharge the extra water and because of the low rainfall the last two years there was no water in the spillway.  The water was four meters below normal level.  The dam is 190 kilometers high.  Hopefully the pictures below give you some idea of its size.  It is pretty amazing.  After the tour we stopped for long and an all you can eat buffet and then we headed for the hotel to get cleaned up and rest a little.  Some of us took time to enjoy the sun and swimming pool while others napped.  At 4:00 we met again to take a side trip to the point where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay borders touch which is at the point where the Parana and Iguacu Rivers join.  We then drove into Argentina and stopped at a duty free store.  We stopped for dinner at a mall and were back to the hotel by 9:00 pm.  Most everyone was in bed by 9:30 pm to be fresh to enjoy Sunday.

Sunday, February 1 - Iguacu (Iguassu) National Park.  The Iguacu is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  "Iguassa" means "large water".  There are 19 main waterfalls five of which are in Brazil.  Therefore the best view is from the Brazilian side.  The total width of the waterfall in the Brazilian territory is approximately 800 meters and 1,900 in the Argentinean side. The height of the falls varies between 40 to 80 meters, depending on the river flow. The number of falls varies, reaching a little over one hundred during periods of average flow.  You have to see it to appreciate it. There is a 1 mile walk through the park along the falls.  We had two hours to enjoy the walk and the  only advice I told the students was  "take your time and keep your eyes and ears open and look, look, look".  Everyone sees something different.  As we started on the trail we immediately saw a monkey.  Everyone was pretty excited.  We also saw several coatis and iguana,  I also saw a second monkey.  I was the first to spot a toucan and I was so excited I couldn't get my camera out fast enough before it flew into the trees.  I was disappointed because it was a great view but I was excited just seeing it. We could still see it in the trees but none of my pictures turned out.  Someone else said they saw a baby cappy barra. Everyone was so impressed and many agreed that the falls is now their favorite site.  There were at least 1,000 pictures taken by the group.

After the tour we ate lunch and then came back to the hotel for a free late afternoon and evening.  Napping, swimming, reading, organizing pictures, communicating with family and friends, group projects and socializing were all a part of the activities for the rest of the day.

I will also try to add in some pictures I took on my telephone but not tonight.  My guess is it will be an early night again more many of the students.