The Iguassu Falls Area Guru

The Marco das Tres Fronteiras (Portuguese) The Hito de las Tres Fronteras (Spanish) This is one of the most interesting places to see in the so called Triple Border Area. Triple Border because three countries converge here. In this corner of the world, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. Argentina is on the left bank of the Iguassu. Brazil is on the right. The iguassu flows between the two. Paraguay, if you are floating down the Iguassu River is straight ahead on another river, on the Paraná River. The Iguassu is about to end its journey. The exact border is when the Iguaçu River bed meets the bed of the Paraná. This is the real border for the three countries. If you are at that point, Paraguay will be ahead of you, Brazil will be on your back to the right side and Argentina will remain on your left side. The Three-Border Mark is a rundown park-like thing. Now and then Foz do Iguaçu-based Brazilians announce some big, macho project. The world's largest cassino. A Theme par...

Martin Travel, a local travel agency invited me long ago to talk about Guarani Spirituality a couple of days ago. My talk was part of a refresher course for guides and staff on the Guarni Indians and on how to sell the Indian Village according to the new rules for vistors to the village a few miles from Iguassu Falls. The Yryapu Village seems to be a model among Argentine and Brazilian Guarani villages as far as visits are concerned. The Indians are in control of the visit. Thanks to a project called MATE funded by the Canadian Government, with the participations of many oher stakeholders and donnors including the Niagara College, the Rotary, Caritas and the ITEC, native mgya Guaranis have been trained to be "interpreters" of their own cultural and environmental heritage. The photos above show Claudio Salvador from ITEC / MATE talhing to guides and staff of Martin Travel and also Elvio Barreto the local cultural and environmental interpreter who serves as gatekeeper both open...

The two photos above were taken by Vanete Brambatti, a friend of mine who has just returned from the Bonito, Jardim and Guia Lopes da Fronteira Area of Mato Grosso do Sul State. The state is mostly known for being the place that houses the Southern Pantanal in Brazil in constrast to the Northern Pantanal in the State of Mato Grosso, whose capital is Cuiabá. The Capital of Mato Grosso do Sul is Campo Grande also called the Cidade Morena or the Brunette City. The photos shows the Macaw's Hole or Buraco das Araras in the area of influence of the Bodoquena Mountains. An area rich in pristine crystal-clear water, caves and underwater rivers. The Buraco das Araras or Macaws' Hole is a sinkhole - a hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water causing cave roofs to fall. Sinkholes may vary in size from less than a meter to several hundred meters both in diameter and depth. This sinkhole in the Mato Grosso do Sul State is at least 65 met...