February 21, 2025

IGUAZA FALLS - BRAZIL SIDE - DAY 4

Day 4 of our Adventure started early with a driver pickup to take us from Scott & Gary's AirBnB, through Brazilian Immigration to our Helicopter Ride above the Falls. Aircraft is only allowed to fly over the Brazilian air space of the Falls. We had to give our weight and I got lucky and got the one seat next to the pilot! WOW such a great way to see the Falls! Really see the power of all that water!

Views below from Helicopter fly over. So many rainbows!!

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    Our hotel Gran Melia - Argentine side 

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    Devil's Throat

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    Devil's Throat walkway on Argentine side

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    View thru helicopter glass floor

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    Belmond Hotel - Brazil side

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    View and  road on Brazilian side

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After the helicopter ride, we drove into the National Park on the Brazil side and walked the one pathway along the Falls. We parked at the Brazilian Hotel in the Park, Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel. Below are views as we walked from Hotel to the powerful Devil's Throat. There you could take an elevator up or climb out by stairs. I did the stairs! Feeling great!

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    Start of walk along Brazilian side - Scott, Me, Lori & Gary

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    3 tiers of falls

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    Lori & me

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    Outer edge of Devil's Throat

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    Bird at base of Devil's Throat

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    Lori & Gary - with no one else on platform -erased!

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    Devil's throat - time lapse mode

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    Devil's Throat - slow mode photo

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    Sunset view from Belmond Hotel by Trevor

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    Sunset photo by Trevor from Belmond Hotel

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GOOD BYE IGUAZA FALLS!!!

Such a special place!

Sadly our adventure had to end with another long wait in the airport for a 3:30a.m. flight back to join the ship!

HONG KONG

By Pat Patrick • September 3, 2026
So excited to get out and explore this huge city. Our Port is attached to a huge shopping mall - so it is a bit of a hike before we even get outside. When we do the heat hits us like a brick wall! There are typhoons, in the area and according to a local, when the storms come in, they first bring a wave of fog, heat and humidity to Hong Kong .

ENTERING HONG KONG HARBOR

By Pat Patrick • September 1, 2026
On Saturday August 29, 2026 we achieved another historic milestone on this circumnavigation of the World , we cruised into Hong Kong Harbor. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The land encompassed by Hong Kong is confusing. It includes part of the southern coast of mainland China, just below Shenzhen, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories . Looking at a map helps, but the rules changed so many times! I asked my buddy Chat several times, to tell me if what I was looking at was the Hong Kong that the British had owned for years. The answer was never straight forward!

HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 31, 2026
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is one of those bucket list places I have had in my sights for years. It's the iconic picture in my mind's eye, whenever I think of Vietnam . We had made plans to go with 8 others on a brand new, swanky Red Dragon Junk boat for a harbor cruise and overnight stay, but sadly the weather did not cooperate the whole 4 days we were in port. No ships were permitted to sail, per the local government. Many of us were bummed! This is typhoon session and there was a lot of rain and high winds our first couple of days - we were hoping it would blow out the last day and we could at least do a day trip but no luck!