Iguaçu

This week we were able to take a little break to visit Iguaçu Falls. Seven of us went: the Burkes, the Harts; Sister Cox, and the two of us.

We left Wednesday morning and flew to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.

Foz do Iguaçu airport

We arrived in the afternoon and caught a city bus that took us a few blocks from our hotel. We were a sight walking those few blocks with our luggage. We had enough time to take a tour in the evening to the Ipaitu dam, the largest dam in the world, which was built by Brazil and Paraguay.

Ipaitu dam

On the way back we took a catamaran ride on the lake formed by the dam to see the sunset. It was a nice relaxing ride and a beautiful sunset.

Our catamaran 

Time to relax a little 

Sun sets over Paraguay

The stickers are for the tour, not campaign buttons

The San Juan hotel was small, but comfortable, with a good breakfast.

Thursday was our day for Iguaçu National Park in Brazil. 

The group: Burkes, Cox, Wheelers, Harts

 Before we went into the National Park we visited the Bird Park, right outside the National Park. It is a nice peaceful park (except for the squawking birds, of course). The birds are caged, but in several of them we can walk inside the cages to be closer to the birds.

Yellow-headed parrot

Yellow-headed tropical flower

Yellow-beaked toucan

Yellow-shirted beauty and a banana plant

Yellow-winged parrots

Our first activity after entering Iguaçu National Park was a jungle walk and a boat ride. The jungle is actually part of the Atlantic Rainforest.

Walking through the rainforest

Waterfall in the rainforest

 The boat ride took us out on the river below the falls to see them from below. It was a good view until they took us right under the falls. All we could see was water as we hunkered down in our light ponchos to keep dry (it didn't work). It ended up being more of an adventure tour (let's see how wet we can get you) than a scenic tour.

Five of us went on the boat

Ready to get soaked

Iguaçu Falls from the river

The Iguaçu shower

 There are double decker buses to take us around the park. We arrived at the Iguaçu hotel too late for lunch, so we got very hungry before the day was over.

Iguaçu Hotel

The Brazil side of Iguaçu gives a grand panoramic view of the falls. You walk along a trail that gives one beautiful vista after another. Just as you think you have seen everything there is another view.

Iguaçu Falls

The falls without people

There are more than 250 falls

Approaching the Devil's Throat

Yes, you get wet from the spray

More of the falls

Many of the falls come in two layers

One of the wild animals that are commonly seen are the Quatis. They will grab any food available and even attack and bite if you are not careful. One tried to tear into my bag before I could even see it.

Quati

On Friday the van took us across the border to Iguazu Falls National Park in Argentina. This gave us a view of the falls up close and personal.

Iguana National Park

 The Argentine side uses a train to get from one site to another.

A train ride

We first went to see the Devil's Throat where a lot of water rushes down a small circular cliff.

To Garganta de Diabo

To get there you go along a pathway over the river for about 1.5 km. The water is very calm over a great expanse.

Crossing the river

 Suddenly the speed of the water picks up.

Water at the top of the falls

 And rushes down the Devil's Throat.

Sides of the Devil's Throat

 The spray is so great you can't even get a picture of the fall itself.

Missionaries in the lesser spray zone

We returned by train to a trail that took us to the tops of many falls. The views were spectacular.

Upper falls trail

View of the upper falls

A waterfall close up

We were able to experience the great power of flowing and falling water

A view up the river

A view down the river

Imagine standing on that rock

 Another trail led us between the upper falls and lower falls. 

The lower trail

There were many smaller falls, each contributing to the overall spectacle.

Combining falls

More water

A wonder in the jungle

 We finally made it back to the visitor's center. At least we were able to find some lunch.

I don't think I will take up chimarrão

We were able to get back to the hotel in time to get some rest before our big night on the town. We went to a churrascaria with a show of dances from Latin America. There was a lot of food as well as music. It made for a good cultural evening.

Dance from Chile

It takes two to tango

 Saturday was our last day. We only had time for a morning activity so we decided to visit Paraguay.

Foz do Iguaçu from our hotel window

Ready for Paraguay

 We stored our luggage and checked out of the hotel then took an 8am van ride to Cidad del Leste, Paraguay. The city is known for shopping.There are booth after booth full of clothes and other goods for sale along paved and unpaved roads. There are also stores along the streets selling electronics, perfume, and everything we don't want. They each have their representatives handing out ads and trying to get us to follow them to the store.

One of the market streets with booths and electronics stores

 Then there are several upscale malls and department stores. The Mona Lisa department store had many floors of merchandise, very expensive even on sale, but not as much as in Brazil because of the high tariffs.

The Mona Lisa

The top floor has chocolate

 The roads are in various stages of disrepair, but there are some nice murals along some of the roads. The center of town was really crowded with visitors and vendors.

A mural in Paraguay

 We were able to get a bite to eat at the hotel before going to the airport. We had a wonderful time, but it was good to get back to our own apartment.

Sunday - Mother's Day. Last year we were in Ribeirão Preto. I was able to find a little flower for Diane that goes along with our table top. Thank you women and mothers who do so much to make our lives better.

Happy Mother's Day

50 years

 On May 1st, 50 years ago the São Paulo stake was organized. I was on my mission back then. Tonight we had a special fireside at the stake center where 7 out of the 8 stake presidents spoke. There was a video presentation about the first president who has passed on. This was the first stake in Brazil and the first stake in South America.

Musical number by the primary

The new mission president for Angola

On Monday we were responsible for Family Home Evening. We were informed that the power in the building would be turned off at 6pm so we started at 5 pm with a quick lesson about the administration of Spencer W. Kimball. In his first conference talk after becoming the prophet he said that he didn't anticipate many changes in the church in the near future. The lesson was about all the changes that were made during his presidency. We then went up for a simple, but nice dinner of soup and cornbread. Diane always does a good job with the food.

We are preparing for a visit from Elder Holland in May. On one evening there will be three meetings at the same time broadcast to about 100 chapels in São Paulo area. We have never done anything like this in Brazil (actually neither has it been done in the church) so we need to find a way to use the new webcast in a massive way.

On Wednesday we went to the Polícia Federal to get our new IDs. We are now good for another year. We needed a copy of certain pages from our passports (which Diane had, of course), but we then needed to make new copies in the office. We went home a little early to work on some things in the apartment when Diane noticed she left the passports in the copier/printer on her desk. They would be OK until the next day, but I decided to go back and get them. It's a good thing I did because when we got to the office the next day the printer was gone (to be used elsewhere).

Diane had her last physical therapy session Thursday morning. There are some good views from the clinic which is just down the street from our apartment.

Our apartment complex

Penthouse garden

São Paulo view 

Diane's last treatment

 We are starting to clean out files on the computer for the Andersons, who will be our replacements. It is a slow laborious process, but needs to be done. On Friday we went to see Captain America and had a late dinner. We enjoy going out with the other couples.

Does anyone speak Japanese? 

Captains America

We are getting several new missionaries. On Saturday we decided to see some museums on the University of São Paulo campus. Other couples decided to tag along. We were delayed leaving, which was good because we were able to greet the Shumways who just arrived from the airport.

Burkes greet the Shumways

We picked out 5 museums which according to the São Paulo guidebook were open on Saturdays. We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which ended up being an empty building (the exhibit moved across town). We then tried the Geosciences Museum (closed on Saturdays) and the Oceanographic Museum (also closed on Saturdays). Striking out, we didn't try the other two, which were smaller museums.

Sculpture in front of the empty museum

 We were able to walk around campus a bit, which was nice.

The clocktower

Many nice shaded areas

Brazil's olympic ski team?

The academic crew strikes out

We had our regular church meetings today. After priesthood meeting I went outside for a breather and encountered two visitors from George Washington University who are here to give training. We took them into Sunday School then fast and testimony meeting. It gave me a chance to try translating for them. 

Friends from George Washington University

We had a webcasting test scheduled this afternoon. Everything went OK at Rio de Janeiro and from another chapel in São Paulo, but the CTS for our building had to go to the hospital for a birth of a baby and none of the rest of us could get into the system to test the webcast. At least we learned something - that's why we test.

How does this thing work anyway?

Area Seventy

When I turned 70 Elder Zaugg said we had another area seventy and if I stayed in Brazil they would have an area 71 next year. I'm over the hill now, I just don't know which hill.

We got back from Belo Horizonte on Monday and went into the office in the afternoon. Cintia brought her family by to get free flu shots. As we went to Family Home Evening on what to do when you get sick (since Elder dePaula suffered a heart attack). Several of the couples convinced us to get free flu shots and sure enough I got sick.

Cintiq and her family

Diane had another physical therapy session on Tuesday morning. One more week and she should be finished. We really like some of the Modernist art in Brazil. It has a more homey style than what you find in Europe.

Painting in the physical therapist's office

As we returned to the office they were tearing up the sidewalk in front to the temple. It is one of the best sidewalks in the city. Maybe it wasn't meeting the São Paulo standard of hazardous sidewalks.

Sidewalk reconstruction

Since my birthday falls on Tiradentes Day it is a national holiday so no one works. Diane asked if people would be in Friday so she could take something in to the office and found out many would be gone on Wednesday and others on Friday. When we got back Tuesday afternoon they had some cake, drinks and snacks to celebrate my birthday. They had three kinds of gluten-free cake: cheese, corn, and manjoca with goiaba. Fire regulation wouldn't let them put 70 candles on the cake.

Party time in the office 

How about some corn cake

We got a call on Wednesday that they are replacing the carpet in the bedrooms with wood flooring. By the time we got back from the office it was all done.

Wednesday food stands in Vertentes courtyard

I had some pains in the chest on Wednesday and also a reaction to the flu shot. By 3:30 am on Thursday (my birthday) it was so bad I couldn't sleep. Playing it safe I woke Diane up and we walked over to the hospital to have it checked out. They gave me a EKG, chest x-rays, and medication in an IV. No, I didn't have a heart attack, but they had no clue what the problem was. The medication helped it feel better.

My early morning birthday IV

After we got back from the hospital we got a call from Elder Zaugg asking if we wanted to see the Botanical Garden. Since it was a holiday and we had no other plans we went along with the Hales and Zauggs. 

The Hales, Zauggs, and Wheelers

Stream in the park

One of many small ponds 

Fish pond in a greenhouse

One of many lily pad lakes

Water lily

Bamboo tunnel

Don't drink the water!

Old man in an old house 

Monkeys in the trees 

Along a muddy trail

There is a fad in Brazil for all of the pregnant ladies to hire a photographer and come to the garden to take pictures of their bare bellies. We spared you the photos.

We invited everyone over to the apartment for cake and ice cream in the evening. I haven't had such a celebration for my birthday for many years, of course, I haven't turned 70 before. Elder de Paula felt well enough to join us. He has to take it easy and doesn't know if they will send him home after he improves from his heart attack.

Birthday party

Opening presents with Elder de Paula

 Later at night we were able to talk to the family on FaceTime. It was a delight. We miss each of them.

FaceTime with family

We were really tired on Friday. We are still recovering from our travels and we didn't get much sleep on Thursday morning. We went to the office and worked in slow gear and then went home a little early.

Diane has been wanting to return to Liberdade, the Japanese Town of São Paulo, to find some souvenirs. There is a crafts market on Saturdays in the paça and a couple of nice stores. Many of the stores are crowded, however. We stopped by a Chinese restaurant that was off the beaten track so it wasn't so crowded. There was a Choro band in the praça. It is an older type of Brazilian instrumental music that led to the samba. We didn't have time to linger, but it was fun to hear.

Choro ensemble

Buddhist temple in Liberdade

 Diane bought a lace shirt from an older lady at the feira. She really took a liking to Diane.

Diane's friend at the feira

We were really tired for our meetings today, but were able to rest in the afternoon. 

This evening we were invited for dinner with the Franco family. We have watched this family since we arrived with parents who were raised in the church and are raising their children in the church. It shows how Brazil has changed since I was here 50 years ago as a missionary.

Marcelo and Paula with Ricardo and Beatriz