Iguaçu

www.fotos.web.de/winfried.lichtblau/My brain does not get used to the fact that it is November, when every day it is getting hotter (around 35 degrees) and the sun is so strong that between 1 and 5 pm you have no ambition to do anything else than stay in your hotel room or somewhere else where it´s not as hot. From seven in the morning onwards you already try not to stay too long in the sun, since it gains force quickly. No wonder that the hormons go mad and suddenly most women are beautiful - spring greetings from Brazil! ;-) However it´s not only the sun but also the excessive use of push-ups and the lack of clothing - or let´s call it stimulus overflow (Reizueberflutung) that inhibits normal brain function.
But there are also other beauties that I could enjoy in the last two days on both sides of the famous Iguaçu falls. Since on Mondays the Brazilian side is closed, I visited the Argentine side first - which was really stunningly beautiful. A lot of water, a lot of green and a lot of butterflies and other animals. And above all unfortunately a lot of tourists (surprise!), which actually made it difficult to really enjoy the stuff in peace and let the impressions enter your heart.
Till next day´s morning I was insecure whether I should stay an addtional night on the Brazilian side and watch the falls from there too - or better go directly to Curitiba, near the Atlantic coast. The friendly woman at the Brazilian customs helped me with this decision. It was apparently the first time she filled in the ADMISION TEMPORAL form, so she needed more than an hour to fill it in (at the end she apologized a thousand times for the delay). I used the time for some motorcycle maintenance and then decided that it was too late for Curitiba - looked for a hotel in Foz do Iguaçu and visited the falls again. It was a very good decision - from the Brazilian side the falls are even more impressive - you get a broader panoramic view and addtionally there is a catwalk right in the middle of a series of huge waterfalls which is the most impressive of all. You get soaking wet and are surrounded by thundering water - I really loved it - not only because I urgently needed a some refreshment. Also you get a lot closer to the central attraction of the waterfalls - the devil´s throat - an almost 300 degrees waterfall boiling pot - which you usually can closely see from the Argentine side - but currently cannot due to inhundation of the catwalk.
After breathing this high-end wonder of nature, I decided to get to the other side of the city of Foz do Iguaçu, to visit the biggest construction of the 20th century and the world´s largest hidroelectric power plant: Itaipu (http://www.itaipu.gov.br/). Of course you can´t compare it to nature´s masterpieces (in plain english: it´s ugly) but however the sheer dimensions and the fact that this power plant covers 25% of Brazils and 95% of Paraguays power requirements with renewable energy is really impressive. (I believed you can cover 95% of Paraguay´s power requierements with a single cheap Diesel generator from the do-it-yourself store - but it seems that Karaoke consumes more energy than I expected ;-)).
Foz do Iguaçu itself is at least as ugly as the power plant. It´s a modern town without any historical buildings. At least it´s openly ugly and does not even try to be nice. Puerto Iguazu on the Argentine side also is a pure tourist town but has a certain charm - somewhat like a north italian beach town in low season: tranquil, cosy and relaxing - and you get more quality for your money in Argentina, both for eating and hotels. But I just started with Brazil - let´s see how Curitiba is like - and whether or not I find a BMW garage where I get an inspection, new chain and tyres for a reasonable price.