Beautiful Iguassu (or Iguazzu, or, in Portuguese, Iguaçu) Falls are on the Brazil-Argentine border. This scene is from the Brazil side looking up the river toward Devil's Throat, the main part of the falls.	Here Grace stands on the Argentina side directly above Devil's Throat. The spray was heavy - note that she is keeping her camera under her shirt so that it will stay dry - a little dry anyway.
Along the trail that led to the falls from the Cataras hotel, where we stayed, the two of us pose with the Devil's Throat in the background. The Argentina side had the majority of the falls, the Brazil side had the best views.	Actually, Igussu Falls is a large series of falls spread in a horseshoe shape. In all, there are well over two hundred individual falls in the chain. Somehow much of Grace got cut out of the picture. Go to the Top
There were long walkways on both the Argentina and the Brazil side of the falls. Here Grace stands on one such walkway on the Brazil side. Looking up the river behind her, it is easy to see the horseshoe shape of the falls.	For excitement, we went on an adventure - down to the river, and onto a high-powered boat which took us up the river to the base of some of the falls, and near to the main one. They warned it that we would get wet!
Cool and refreshing!!? Well, the wiser passengers wore swim suits for this trip. We were drenched by the time it was over. They provided plastic bags for cameras, and made us leave anything else that we didn't need back at the boat landing.	Looking up at the Brazil side of the falls, in the upper right quarter of the picture you can see the observation landing that sticks out over the falls. It was a dramatic view both looking up at the spectators, and looking down earlier while we were up there.
Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is the largest development of its kind in operation in the world. Built from 1975 to 1991, in a binational development on the Paraná River, Itaipú represents the efforts and accomplishments of Brazil and Paraguay. The power plant's 18 generating units add up to a total production capacity of 12,600 MW (megawatts) and a reliable output of 75 million MWh a year. The power plant is a major tourism attraction in the Foz do Iguaçú area, having received around 9 million visitors from 162 countries. The Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu, also home of the famous Iguaçú Falls, is located at the Western tip of Paraná State, right by the border with Paraguay and Argentina. The volumes of construction in Itaipú are also impressive. The volume of iron and steel utilized in the Dam structure would be enough to build 380 Eiffel Towers, and the volume of concrete used in Itaipú represents 15 times the volume utilized to build the Channel Tunnel between France and England. Itaipú is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, according to a worldwide survey conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Itaipu Dam crosses the Brazil-Paraguay Border. It boasts that it is the largest hydroelectric generating plant in the world, surpassing Grand Coulee and a number of others. It produces 78% of the power used in Paraguay and 25% of the power used in Brazil.	Here a couple of tired tourists pose in front of Itaipu dam. On the trip, we were driven across the dam and then back, so technically, for about two minutes, we were in Paraguay. By international treaty, the middle section of the dam is considered neutral territory.
Standing on top of Corcovado Mountain (in Portuguese the word means 'Hunchback') is the Christ the Reeemer Statue. The statue and base stand 125 feet tall and the distance from end to end of the arms is 92 feet. Note Grace in the lower left with her NCCE bag. We rode up to the top of the mountain on a tram-railway.	Stretching out below the Christ Statue is the city of Rio de Janeiro. We had an excellent view despite a bit a haze. Upper center in the picture is the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain where we had been the day before. Go to the Top
Of course, even at the top of the hill, in the shadow of the Christ Statue, were the ubiquitous souvenir shops. One could hardly pass them by.	Here, Grace is standing in the gondola which took us to the top of Sugar Loaf. The other car is returning to the bottom while we move up to the top. It took two steps in such gondolas to get all the way to the highest point.
Grace stands by the railing, camera at the ready, hoping the clouds will part and the fog go away so that we can see the view. Sadly, it didn't happen until after we had returned to the bottom.	So, this is the view we saw from the top of Sugar Loaf! Go to the Top
Our hotel window faced north, and from it we had a great view of the top of Sugar Loaf. Except for the day we went to the top, it was always clear!	The sidewalks of Rio are famous for their intricate mosaic patterns. Here, along the beach, they were at their best.
Another view from our room, people were only beginning to arrive for the day. On the weekend, the beach was so crowded that it was almost impossible to move around. And for the record, the water in the Atlantic around Rio isn't all that warm, despite the fact that the air temperature (January in the Southern Hemisphere is the peak of summer) was in the mid 90s.	Throughout the day, as we sat on the beach, vendors came along selling this and that. We rented chairs and two umbrellas and bought bottles of water. Grace read her book, and I took on the serious task of people watching. Go to the Top
Each of us did take a quick dip into the Atlantic. The waves were surprisingly active, and as mentioned above, the water wasn't all that warm.	Walking along the beach, there were multitudes of interesting sites. It was difficult to take all of them in. Yes, that's Paul enjoying some of the sights!
If you go to Rio, note that bikini thongs are standard for women (of all sizes and ages), and speedo-type suits are universal among the men. Sadly, the women did not go topless. You have to go to France for that.	We divided our time between the beach, and resting beside the pool at our hotel. Being shade worshipers, we found it comfortable under the awning that the hotel provided.
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