The Fun Begins

  Iguazu National Park, Argentina
Sunday, March 23, 2008

The last twenty four hours were very full of travel.  The ins and outs, the good and the bad all seemed to be a part of it.  Through it all, to be a part of the travel experience again was exhilarating.  I am now snuggled into my bed, dreaming of what tomorrow may bring.  I have high hopes, no matter what happens, it will be travel, so it will be good.

The plane rides in, were full of delays, but somehow we made it into Argentina on Saturday morning.  It kind of blew my mind that just the day before I was with my students, learning about coordinate geometry.  Now I'm putting coordinates into action and diving into the southern hemisphere.  Charlie and I enjoyed the warm weather and peaceful afternoon of Buenos Aires, and then flew north east to Iguazu.  I'm a sucker for water falls. 
The trip up here is costing us a lot more than we wanted to spend, but that seems to often go along with the journey of traveling.  I tell myself that I can save my pennies, and not see this amazing world, or pay for the experience.  We are definitely doing that right now.  We're hoping we can make up for it later in the trip.  Who knows if that will happen.

In the mean time, we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves.  We're surrounded with beautiful people, incredible food (possibly the best steaks of our lives), and the insanity of not knowing what anyone is saying.  As we wandered around the BA airport I was ecstatic.  I felt like I could breath again.  So much has been happening in my personal life, that it has taken much effort to just live.  Now living is all I want to do and it's glorious.

Many moments jumped out at me, making me keenly aware of this amazing world which surrounds me.  I can't wait until tomorrow to enjoy it even more.  Charlie and I even think we will get up early so we have more time to take it all in.  We'll see how that goes.

Easter Sunday
 
Some days are just good, no matter how you look at them.  I think today may have been one of those days.  We woke up from a wonderfully comfy bed and rolled downstairs to a magnificent breakfast.  We then got ready for our first real day of sightseeing.  The roar of the falls drew us in.  We tried to see the cascading waterfalls from every angle possible.  It was a lot of hiking, but also an enjoyable experience.

My favorite moments were as I gazed over Diablo's Throat.   The power crashing downward, the mist striking my face, reminded me of so many things.  Intially I was struck by the sheer beauty of it, and then the thinker in me took over.  I started thinking about the calm water which led to the falls, and the peaceful creatures who were a part of that water system.  There were most likely moments when they were just cruising down their coarse of life, not realizing all that was ahead.  They had no idea that they were about to be sucked into this life changing experience, or what lay on the other side of the huge fall.  I can make many parallels with that image.

The part that struck me was not the disaster which was occurring, but rather the beauty which the observer experienced because of their calamity.  I wondered if I too could somehow experience beauty and grace in the midst of enormous confusion and catastrophe?  I prayed that I would.  That somehow the God that created this beauty before my eyes, would allow me to see immense beauty within my own life.  I prayed that as the water came crashing down, and the rocks stood strong, that I too could survive the difficult times of life.  I do not long to be tossed around by tragedy, but rather cling to the beauty that God can give in the midst of the good and bad.

Each shimmering waterfall was a pleasant reminder of the beauty of creation and the joy of Easter Sunday.  Although we've never celebrated the holiday quite like this, I feel God was honored in the midst of it.  The glory of His resurrection surely exclaimed the same satisfaction we were a part of today.  I am very thankful for that.
So, Iguazu Falls were comforting and creative.  They are different than other falls I've experienced.  My biggest frustration was the crowds, but that is sometimes just a nuisance of the travel journey.  Everyone wants to see the good stuff, can you really blame them?  Oh well, we stood side by side, trying to take it all in.

The long morning of the falls adventure left us longing for relaxation.  In the late afternoon we headed to the pool to bask in the sunshine.  Although the Argentine babes are a sight to see, I nestled up with a book and contentment.  Truly feeling the sunshine is energetic, and something I needed.  Charlie and I both took in just a bit too much sunshine, but we'll survive.

We battled various airlines trying to find a flight out of here tomorrow, it didn't happen.  The Easter crowds will be on the planes before us.  So we have one more day to enjoy the beauty of the falls.  Tuesday we head to Montevideo, Uruguay.  Another place we've never been, it will surely be another adventure to add to the books.  We can't wait.