You've never seen cataratas like these before!

That's right. Niagara Falls has officially been put to shame (by a couple of Canadians who never even heard of Iguazu Falls before coming to Paraguay!). All I have to say is "Poor Niagara!", like Eleanor Roosevelt did when she first saw them.

But first, let me tell you about the progression of our time here in Asunción because this is really where we're calling home for the summer. When I last wrote, it was the beginning of June and I really couldn't have imagined our 2nd month going by any faster than our 1st - but it has! Jonathan continues to work diligently at his business plan (with a few cultural frustrations along the way - I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige if you ask him about it). I continue to live a retreat-like lifestyle filled with yoga, Spanish, coffee, cooking and planning. Having to choose my courses for September has certainly reminded me, however, that I'll be back in the land of reality soon enough. And besides that, our wedding is now nearly 2 months away so I'm definitely putting the pedal to the metal on the last-minute plans.

"The semicircular waterfall at the heart of this site is some 80 m high and 2,700 m in diameter and is situated on a basaltic line spanning the border between Argentina and Brazil. Made up of many cascades producing vast sprays of water, it is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The surrounding subtropical rainforest has over 2,000 species of vascular plants and is home to the typical wildlife of the region: tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans." - UNESCO World Heritage Site description

To tell the truth, we have both really been missing Toronto these past few days. We've had our first bout of culture shock and at times we've had just about enough of the pollution, bureaucratic wastefulness and often-vast cultural differences. The things that made us smile those first few days now sometimes grate on our nerves. P.S. It's not cool to cancel classes or shut down early because there's a futbol game on or because it's raining. Thanks!

But this is only natural and doesn't mean that we are not still growing attached to Paraguay. The people and places here draw us in like magnets, and I've had a few nearly-tearful despedidas (farewells) with the friends we've made. Because most of our circle of friends includes foreigners, they eventually move on and that makes some days tougher than others. But all of the people and places make this experience memorable.

Take our World Cup qualifying partido between Paraguay and Chile. Andrew, Jonathan and I got into the spirit of the game by buying our red and white and excitedly setting out for the Defensores del Chaco stadium like everyone else in the city. As soon as we got there and saw the disorganized ‘lines' of people hording the streets and streaming into the stadium, we realized it was going to be an unforgettable experience. We were packed into our seats like sardines with people crowding the stairs beside us, but we had a great view of the field. The Paraguayan team (the Paraguayan national team, ‘Albirroja') played pretty horribly, but Andrew and I were giggling away at the awesome feeling of this gigantic, packed stadium filled with very serious fans. The atmosphere was what did it for me - like all other typical Paraguayan events (or un-events, as these vendors even work the city buses), vendors carried baskets full of chipas (delicious Paraguayan snack made from bread and cheese) on their heads and multiple thermoses full of cocido (charred tea and sugar) in their hands. The contrast between the traditional treats and the ‘Cocas' being sold alongside them is also a very characteristic Paraguayan feast for the eyes. When a few unfortunate (or perhaps unwise) Chilean fans who were seated in the "Paraguay section" dared to cheer at their team's first goal, all hell broke loose. The Paraguayan men in the seats around us immediately turned around to scream obscenities at these invaders. We're not sure why these two particular fans weren't seated in their own section, but were glad when we heard that the Chilean fans would have to wait 40 minutes after the game to leave the stadium. I swear I didn't see a single Paraguayan man crack a smile during that game.

The highlight of the past month, though, was our trip to Iguazu Falls, a short-listed candidate for the new 7 Wonders of Nature. We went with our American friends Nick and Rose and their Canadian friend Rita. June 12 was a national holiday here so it was the perfect 3-day jaunt away from the city. Iguazu Falls are approximately a 6-hour bus ride from Asunción, and can be viewed from either Brazil or Argentina. Our hotel was in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil but we also visited Puerto Iguazú, Argentina to get the full effect of these massive, gorgeous cataratas.

The first day was spent on the Argentinean side, which was a maze of well-kept pathways and miradores. It even included a short (30 second) boat ride to a few more pathways on an island complete with a sandy beach. The Argentineans definitely know how to maintain a natural wonder and make it attractive to visitors too. Because of the large sprawling space in Argentina, we had a very long trek, breaking mid-day for a tasty lunch buffet on the grounds. We realized that it was well worth the journey as we approached the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo) around sunset. The view of the Devil's Throat from Argentina is from directly above it, and words cannot describe the feeling you get from standing on that platform. In fact, all of us were speechless and smiling ear to ear.

Given the amazing vistas of Day 1, we set out on our Brazilian trek the next day only mildly interested. When we realized that the Brazilian trek was just one long path (instead of the multiple lolling walkways of Argentina), we just knew we weren't going to be as impressed. We all ate our words as we approached the Devil's Throat once again; however, this time from its lower base. A brilliant rainbow greeted us (and in fact, we had been experiencing many rainbows throughout the weekend) and stretched out over the plunging falls. I'm not even going to try to describe the experience of seeing the Brazilian side of these immense falls - and unfortunately, I don't even think the pictures do it justice. It honestly looked like nothing I'd ever seen before - like a painting or animation coming to life. I didn't want to leave! You should all go.

I was so thankful for the two beautiful sunshiny days we had for this fantastic adventure outside of the city, and we were all happy to head back ‘home' on the bus. The smiles never seemed to leave our faces. And they only intensified as we crossed the border back into Paraguay and caught our first glimpses of happy Paraguayan men (finally!) celebrating their professional futbol team's (Olimpia's) victory. Dancing, beer-guzzling and souped-up cars blasting the equivalent of German Schlager or Serbian turbo folk abounded.

Up next: This weekend, Jonathan and I are off to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 4 days!! And last minute, I've decided to travel with a friend over land back to Paraguay while Jonathan goes back by plane to return to work. We're pretty sure our path will be Argentina -> Uruguay -> Brazil -> Paraguay, and we're pretty sure it'll take around 7-10 days, but you never know as adventures never seem to cease here! :) Talk to you all soon!

R

P.S. For a wider variety of our Iguazu Falls pictures, you can follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=267202&id=511395595&l=526df2c225