Yesterday I arrived in Iguazú Falls after a 17 hour bus rude. The bus was pretty comfy: the seats reclined to a sleeping position, 1 TV for 2 people, dinner and breakfast. The only part that sucked was… well… it was 17 hours on a bus. I arrived in Iguazú at noon and got to my hotel at about 1.
After settling in, we went to do our half-day excursion. I had no idea what we were doing because… I’m on vacation… I let others think when my mind relaxes for a weekend.
We ended up on a tour of one of the native villages of the Guarani tribes. We were led on a tour (all in Spanish) of this native village. We saw vines and huts, tried some bread, watched our guide demonstrate some animal traps, listened to the village children sing, and bought handicrafts. In all of this, though, I couldn’t help but feel like I was intruding on someone else’s culture.
I just felt awkward being there. I felt awkward taking pictures, I felt awkward watching kids sing wearing old American hand-me-downs, I felt awkward buying goods from them. I felt like I was given a tour of live in poverty, an afternoon with the homeless, catching raccoons for food, and scrounging for clothing.
It wasn’t until the end of the tour that I realized that it’s just capitalism at work again. This tribe needs money, and, by exploiting its unique characteristics, it can make some money.
On a happier note....
After this tour of the "Indian Trail," our group was suckered into paying 95 pesos to go on a boat ride with great sunset views along the Paraná river. This river runs along the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Needless to say, it was worth the US$ 30. Once again there were members of the Guarani tribe who sang for the boat passengers. One of the members then came onboard to sell some of their merchandise.
On Saturday John and I and about 10 other students went to see the actual falls. John tells in his blog about our experiences that day.
This is a picture from the Paraná River
The next day we went to Iguazú Falls. Here is a little video of the falls. The water literally just keeps falling and falling and falling. Iguazú Falls are the widest falls in the world. Truly a spectacular sight. I can't believe I was NOT going to see them!
1 comment:
I have wanted to go to Iguacu falls ever since the 1980s when we hosted Brasilian students. I've only seen photos. This was the first video I've seen. Thanks!!!!
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