2013-01-06 
【Aiden in English】
One good thing about plane flights was that I could sleep all the time, as much as I wanted, between takeoff and landing. However, I bonked my head against the seat in front, which disrupted my wonderful dream of dancing with bunnies. When the full blast of heat, like a sauna from the outside, started to melt me at Iguazu International Airport of Argentina (IGR), Mom quickly found a taxi to take us straight to the Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa in Iguazu National Park. The first touch of cool air made me feel alive. I expected we would stay in the cozy hotel room directly facing the "Big Water" from Iguazu to Parana River for the rest of the day and relax in the swimming pool down my balcony. But I was so wrong that I had to go out when Mom read the news about the local weather forecast that it would have a stormy rain tomorrow. Before I knew it, I was hulled into a jungle that resembled the Amazon Rainforest in the South Hemisphere. For example, both were hot in January and highly humid in mid-summer. Just as I started complaining, I hopped on the open-air Rainforest Ecological Train and marched through a natural wonderland that hosted many endangered species of flora and fauna. When everyone was aboard, I heard a buzzing sound from pell-mell directions. I looked around and found myself staring at a wasp with a pair of black eyes. That was my first mistake. Mom packed two bottles of anti-bug spray from Pennsylvania, but I didn't use them. So, in a matter of minutes, I was pelted by the little annoying pest. Fortunately, I forgot all my worries when my eyes locked on the world's widest waterfalls. At the end of the footbridge over the upper circuit of the canyon, I took a close look at such a phenomenal flow of water from "Devil's Throat." I was stunned by the grandeur of panoramic views. The Iguazu Falls extended over 1.7 miles/2.7 km in a semi-circular or horseshoe shape on the border between Argentina and Brazil. Nearly 80% of falls ran into Argentina. It made me think that the world had an edge. Of the 275 discrete falls, Devil's Throat" stood out at 269 feet/82 meters in height and became the tallest waterfall in the park. Early in 1984, Argentine Iguazu NP was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site. After the upper circuit, I had no other priorities on my priority list, so I followed the twisting catwalks to the lower falls. Since this trail came closer to the falls, the water made the metal walkways slippery as ice. Even though I almost fell and broke a bone, I was amazed to see the falls on the ground level. The waterfalls seemed to have grown arms of ice hanging from the ledge. The mist was even better than a pleasant shower to cool off my body. On the way, I took VIP seats up front to watch capuchin monkeys wrestling, banded iguanas rambling, yellow butterflies puddling, coatimundi stalking, Dourado fish wading, and the stork gliding. When I finally got tired of watching animals, I figured I would dive into the pool first if I returned to the hotel. But the plan couldn't catch up with the change! My thoughts were interrupted by a large gurgle from my stomach, which made me think of food first before doing anything else. As I hurried back, I was disappointed that dinner would not be served until after 7:00 pm. With a hungry and empty stomach, I waited for dinner to come soon. 【红霞译】
乘飞机的好处在于，我可以随心所欲地睡觉，从起飞一直睡到着陆。只是脑袋时不时会撞到前排座位，将我从美梦中惊醒，中断与玉兔共度良辰美景。
刚到阿根廷伊瓜苏(意指“洪水”)城，外面热浪袭来，机场被烤得像蒸笼似的，快要把我熔化了。妈妈赶忙打的，我们急速驶向位于洪水国家公园境内的喜来登洪水温泉度假村。一钻进配备空调冷气的地方，我才重新振作起来。这时，我开始憧憬未来：办完酒店登记手续之后，先呆在房间好好饱览对面从洪水河流向巴拉那河的“大水”，再去凉台下面的室外游泳池消停一阵。谁知妈妈带回的天气预报搅乱了我的如意算盘，明天恐怕阴雨连绵。因此，我们不得不抓紧今天所有剩余的时间，立刻游览阿根廷国境内的洪水大瀑布。 转眼间，我便消失在公园密林深处。这里很像亚马逊热带雨林，南半球一月仲夏闷热至极。尚未来得及痛发牢骚抱怨天气，我已经坐上开放式热带雨林生态火车，浩浩荡荡开进珍稀动植物自然王国。
车厢内等乘客各就各位，耳边传来“嗡嗡嗡”的轰鸣声，我举目张望，发现一只黄蜂正张大两只黑眼珠子，贼头贼脑地盯住自己不放，我真后悔没有随身把妈妈从宾州老家买来的防虫喷雾剂带上。说时迟，那时快，可恶的黄蜂主动向我发起攻击，好在本人的注意力被世界最宽的瀑布群吸引了过去。我站在峡谷顶部天桥末端，“魔鬼喉”尽收眼底。大水气势磅礴，飞流以雷霆万钧之势，陡然从我身边跳入峡谷。
洪水大瀑布位于阿根廷和巴西两国之间，呈半圆即马蹄形，幅度横跨1.7英里／2.7公里，将近80%的瀑布归阿根廷所有。触景生情，我突然感到地球不再无边无际。这一带大大小小的瀑布总计有275个，“魔鬼喉”以269英尺／82米的高度名列榜首。早在1984年，阿根廷洪水国家公园就被联合国教科文组织《世界遗产名录》视作自然遗产。
游完公园上游环线后，既然没有其它什么重要事情要做，我索性沿峡谷底部羊肠小道进一步包抄瀑布群。正因为这条路十分接近瀑布，所以用金属修建的通道表面湿得痛快，路滑得犹如走在毫无阻力的冰块上一样。虽说我差点跌倒，险些伤筋动骨，但还是由衷地庆幸自己身临其境，“无限风光在险峰”，近距离观赏跌宕起伏的瀑布群宛如冰柱垂挂悬崖，而且飞流狂泻所散发的水滴水雾毫不含糊地打湿了衣襟，浑身上下好像浇过水洗了澡，顿时让我凉爽不已。
往返路上，一些珍稀动物相伴同行，卷尾猴树间打斗，美洲鬣蜥丛林闲荡，黄蝴蝶泥潭嘻戏，南美浣熊善盯人梢，金鱼溪流淌水，鹳鸟河面滑翔，令我耳目舒畅脚下生风。 道别了动物，我集中精力考虑当务之急，赶紧返回酒店，一头扎到水里。计划没有变化快！未等我付诸行动，胃里传出“咕噜咕噜”呐喊声，民以食为天，先犒劳一下自己再说。我匆匆打道回府，不料，酒店餐馆非要等到晚上七点钟才肯开章营业。肚子空，肠子叫，我巴不得早点吃上晚餐。
Today in History(历史上的今天): 2010: 澳洲文化中心墨尔本(Melbourne) 
AEP-IGR @ Aeroparque Jorge Newbery 01-06-2013 (乔治·纽伯里机场——阿根廷首都飞往伊瓜苏洪水城 01-06-2013) 
Metropolitan Buenos Aires (阿根廷首都—顺风大都会) 
Buenos Aires Thoroughfare (顺风大都会街区) 
Downtown Buenos Aires (顺风大都会中心) 
The Marina of Buenos Aires (顺风大都会·游艇码头) 
Rio de la Plata (白银河)
Rainforest (热带雨林)
Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (阿根廷洪水大瀑布国际机场) 
Iguazu NP, Argentina (阿根廷洪水国家公园 01-06-2013) 
Green Train of the Jungle (丛林绿色火车) 
Catwalk (狭窄人行通道 01-06-2013) 
Iguazu River (洪水河 01-06-2013) 
Old Catwalk Destroyed by Flood in 1992 (1992年被洪水冲毁的老狭窄人行通道) 
Old Catwalk Destroyed by Flood in 1992 (1992年被洪水冲毁的老狭窄人行通道) 
The Garganta do Diabo Walkway in the Brazilian Side (巴西·魔鬼喉人行道) 
Devil's Throat (魔鬼喉) 
Iguazu Falls in the Argentine Side (阿根廷·洪水大瀑布 01-06-2013) 
Salto Bozzetti & Dos Hermanos (素描瀑布和姐妹花瀑布 01-06-2013)
Lower Circuit of Iguazu NP, Argentina (阿根廷洪水国家公园·下环通道 01-06-2013) 
Salto Mbigua & Bernabe Mendez (信赖瀑布和慰藉瀑布) 
Salto San Martin & Mbigua (战神瀑布和信赖瀑布) 
Twin Sister Falls (姐妹花瀑布) 
Iguazu Falls in Distance @ Argentina Iguazu NP Viewed from Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa (阿根廷洪水喜来登温泉度假村·远眺洪水瀑布 01-06-2013) 
The Tiredness of Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa (洪水喜来登温泉度假村·精疲力竭 01-06-2013) 
Pool & Spa of Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa (洪水喜来登温泉度假村·泳池与温泉)
Argentine Giant Tegu (阿根廷大树栖蜥) 
A tegu can drop a section of its tail as a distraction if attacked. （树栖蜥·受攻击时能自我截掉部分尾巴以分散掠食者注意力) 
Coatis (南美浣熊) 
Coatimundi (长鼻浣熊) 
Coatimundi (长鼻浣熊) 
Capuchin Monkey (卷尾猴) 
Cranes on the Iguazu River (洪水河上仙鹤) 
Crane in Flight (仙鹤飞翔) 
Bell Flower (风铃草)
Figs (无花果) 
Broad-banded Swallowtail (宽燕尾蝴蝶) Crosslinks(相关博文): Argentina(出游阿根廷)
South America(漂流南美洲) 小学四年级(4th Grade) |
