Last day in Brazil

Today is our last day in Brasil. We just had to travel over the bridge to the Argentina side of Iguazú which is a 15 min drive, but before that we decided to visit 2 more places in Foz Iguazu.

We had seen several signs and pictures displaying Itaipu dam and a Buddhist monastery while we were here. So we hired a taxi for the half day and explored these 2 places before crossing the border. 

The temple is a vast area with multiple Buddha statures with some quirky statues that you couldn’t take pictures of. It is a Mahayana Taiwanese temple built in the 90’s, but I am not sure what the need was as we did not see a single monk there, but the area was serene and calm.

Next stop was the Itaipu dam, until yesterday we hadn’t heard about this place but it is one of the man made wonders in the world. It was a joint venture between Paraguay and Brazil built in the 70’s and opened in the 80’s. It is the second largest dam in the world.  It supplies electricity for whole of Paraguay and about 70% of Brazil, the excess generated in the  Paraguay side is sold to Brazil. You get on a double decker bus with a guide who gives you information about the dam. It is quite magnificent to see the whole place, the dam itself spans over the 2 countries for 2km. Unfortunately the spillway was not open as it would have been a splendid sight to see, it is open about 10% of the year. If Eleanor Roosevelt saw this place I am sure she old have said “ Poor Hoover  Dam”

Next we crossed the 2 borders, which fortunately was quite quick as we saw droves of cars lined up on the Argentinian side waiting to cross to Brazil.

We took a stroll through the Puerto Iguazu town which is quite small compared to the other side and reached the Tres Fronteras (the 3 sides monument) which borders the 3 countries Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. You can see 3 small columns on all 3 sides separated by the rivers.

The kids were so hungry by now so headed off for dinner in the town and headed back to hotel so the kids could attend their classes.

So glad that we visited the Dam as it was a highlight for all of us, and made even better by seeing Capybaras on the side of the road.