2013-01-07

【Aiden in English】

        The calm wind blew in my face as a ferryboat zipped along with the water docking on the beach of San Martin Island. San Martín was a small, lush island in Argentina's Iguazu National Park, offering the closest views of the falls. The island was rough and strenuous to climb. The stairs never seemed to end! When Mom and I arrived at the top, I felt my legs were made of jelly, and crawling would be the next best option. Luckily, I spotted some seats, hobbled to them, and propped myself comfortably on them. When I gained control of my legs, I walked on and soon stared at the enormous falls. The waterfalls came in torrents, splashing against the granite rocks. What came next, however, completely soaked me like a drowned rat. 

        After we took the ferry back to the mainland, I saw another jet boat going into and under two medium-sized falls. It looked wild but exciting. I pulled my mom and told her that I wanted to go. When she finally agreed, I hopped with glee. But I was disappointed that she would rather stay dry. She decided to leave me alone, and I had to go on my adventure. She might chicken out, as I thought.

        The captain gave me an empty bag of shoes and a life vest. I was almost gagged by my vest and had to loosen it a lot. Before I knew it, I was blasting away from the shore. The first fall wasn't bad, and my boat didn't come under since this fall was too large. But I got soaked on the next one. The ship plunged into the waterfalls at top speed and stayed underneath for a while. Once it passed through the falls, I felt like I was being poked with ice bars. I wish I could do it again. The captain had his plans and steered the boat back to the dock. At this moment, I appreciated the heat for drying up my clothes again!

        We did not take a taxi until 3:3:00 pm when we crossed the border from Argentina to Brazil.

        Unlike Argentina, Brazil not only requested a reciprocal fee of $160 from each tourist but also required visas for entry into the country. Our taxi driver handed in our passports with stamped permission to customs while we were waiting in the car. In under 40 minutes, we arrived at a new destination: Hotel das Cataratas (Hotel of Cataracts) in another part of Iguazu National Park. On the Brazilian side, we would like to stay one more night in a Portuguese-style hotel before the falls and indulge in a serene world where Mother Nature thrives. The very Brazilian spot offered a better panoramic view of the Iguazu Falls, albeit with less close-up detail of Argentina. Although over 20% of the falls were located outside Brazil, UNESCO recognized them as a World Heritage Site in 1986.

        We did not plan any exploration until after the park closed at 5:5:00 pm. When the thick of tourists vanished, it became a perfect time to beat the queue without congestion!

        Mom and I came out to explore the park. We followed the only trail leading to the falls to the Devil's Throat. The spectacular scenery took our breath away. As I jogged along the footbridge, the mist densely showered me. The thunder ruptured my eardrums and made a pervasive rumble wherever I went. The closer I came to the falls, the louder the sound became!

        As I turned to leave, I heard another sound of raindrops hitting the ground. So, I ran full speed ahead without stopping to rest. Then, Mom spotted an elevator as a shelter. We watched the rainfall for a while and felt like the rain would never stop, like the Iguazu Falls. We decided to run to the hotel. So, in the blink of an eye, we were waddling in the rain as swiftly as fish in the Iguazu River. Halfway there, a terrible smell came abruptly from the trees. It was three times worse than an angry skunk. Luckily, I didn't just have a feast. Otherwise, my stomach would turn inside out. The last thing I did before returning to the hotel was promise to bring an oxygen mask next time.

【紅霞譯】

        涼風吹拂着臉頰，我們乘擺渡從瀑布一側來到阿根廷伊瓜蘇“洪水”國家公園中央聖馬丁“戰神”島沙灘，周圍綠木蔥鬱枝葉繁茂，堪稱近距離全方位觀察瀑布的最佳去處。小島面積不大，但山路迴轉，石梯盤旋，若想扼守“魔鬼喉”天塹峽谷，狂攬三千尺飛流直下，非得經歷一番艱苦跋涉。好不容易爬到頂端，我兩腿軟作一團，幾乎不聽使喚。不過有福之人不用愁，眼前出現幾個座位，我蹣跚而去，“坐看銀河落九天”。等體力恢復之後，我繼續從一個景點移至下一個景點，前面激流直瀉，後邊浪花飛濺，我出落得像只落湯雞。

        從聖馬丁島返回陸面，我發現乘坐橡皮艇去衝擊兩個不大不小的瀑布既刺激又好玩，我趕緊要求媽媽一起嘗試。媽媽倒不反對“沖瀑”娛樂，但並不想打濕自己的衣服，因此我只好耍單，一個人衝鋒陷陣， 其實我猜媽媽恐怕因為膽怯而不敢體驗這種挑戰。

        船長給了我一個空包用來存鞋，包里裝的救生衣穿在身上，憋得喘不過氣來，我只好鬆了一大節帶子，不一會兒橡皮艇猶如離弦弓箭，帶我疾馳而去。第一個瀑布沒把我怎麼樣，但第二個的確叫我嘗到了厲害，橡皮艇以全速衝進瀑布，先在裡面停留片刻，然後再跑一個來回，只覺身上仿佛被冰柱狠狠地戳來戳去，真想多玩幾趟，但船長另有安排，轉舵返回碼頭。上岸後，我頭一次喜歡這麼炎熱的天氣，至少可以烘乾身上打濕的衣服。

        直到下午三點鐘，我們才乘出租從伊瓜蘇國家公園阿根廷一側穿過邊境進入巴西另一側。

        阿根廷重視實際，只要每位來訪的美國公民事先在網上交付$160美元買路費，10年內隨你任何時候進出國門；巴西則講究原則，錢當然一分不能少，簽證手續更要行前至少一個星期提早辦理。此時，我們坐在車裡按兵不動，將護照簽證一併交給司機，由他全權負責海關過境檢查，大約不出40分鐘便又重新上路，頭也不回地奔赴位於巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園內的“大瀑布酒店”，到這裡打算多呆一天，好好體味造物主如何厚待這方土地。預定的房間面朝瀑布，頗具葡萄牙風格，即使足不出戶，我們照樣可以目睹窗外瀑布景致。儘管僅有超過20%的瀑布群散落巴西境內，但因其特殊的地理位置，巴西將整個自然風光毫無客氣地化為己有。如果說阿根廷獨擁近水樓台之美，那麼巴西則盡展遠觀全景之秀，正所謂肥水灌溉兩家田！繼阿根廷伊瓜蘇國家公園之後塵，巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園於1986年被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》。

        抵達下榻之後，我們稍事休息，成心等到下午五點公園關閉、遊人散去之後，才不着急不着慌走近各個瀑布景點。

        媽媽和我漫步公園景區唯一一條小路，對面的美景交相輝映，令人嘆為觀止。我站在通向“魔鬼喉”的天橋上，層層霧氣繚繞，串串水珠澆身，宛如淋浴一場。咆哮的水聲震耳欲聾，我無論走到哪裡，它就跟到哪裡，而且越接近瀑布，噪聲也就越大。

        遊覽過後正要轉身離去，我聽到雨點落地發出的另一種響聲，於是我不由分說拔腿就跑。恰在這時，媽媽發現電梯頂層有一了望台可用來避雨，既來之則安之，我們索性靜候其間，雨中觀瀑。雨水繼續嘩啦啦地下個沒完，如同眼前飛流的瀑布，看樣子一時半會停不下來，何不一鼓作氣跑回酒店？眨眼間，我們像伊瓜蘇河裡活蹦亂跳的小魚，在雨中飛速狂奔。半路上忽然樹那邊傳來一股怪味，比黃鼠狼發脾氣時釋放的臭屁還要難聞出三倍，幸好我尚未酒肉穿腸過，否則非得噁心地全吐出來不可。我發誓，今後出門一定要備好氧氣口罩。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2010: 澳洲大洋路(Great Ocean Rd, Australia)

Overlook of Iguazu Falls Between Argentina & Brazil, Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984

(鳥瞰阿根廷與巴西兩國之間的伊瓜蘇瀑布·1984年和1986年先後被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》)

Ferry Boat @ Island of San Martín, Argentina

(阿根廷聖馬丁島·渡船 01-07-2013)

San Martín Falls, Argentina

(阿根廷·聖馬丁瀑布 01-07-2013)

Chico Alférez Waterfall, a Hidden Gem of Argentina

(阿根廷奇科·阿爾費雷斯“年輕少尉”瀑布·隱秘的寶石 01-07-2013)

 Double Frontiers, the Bi-Border Between Argentina & Brazil

(雙重邊界·阿根廷和巴西之間的邊界 01-07-2013)

Garganta del Diablo, the Largest & Most Powerful Waterfall, w/ an Incredible Flow of Water Generating a Constant Mist due to the Force of the Water Falling 

(魔鬼峽谷·伊瓜蘇瀑布中規模最大、水勢最強的瀑布，水流湍急，水流衝擊力巨大，形成層層水霧 01-07-2013)

Adventure Boat, Argentina (阿根廷·探險船 01-07-2013)

San Martín, Argentina (阿根廷·聖馬丁大瀑布)

Salto Bernabe Mendez, Argentina

(阿根廷—慰藉大瀑布 01-07-2013)

Argentine-Brazilan Border (阿根廷—巴西邊界)

Iguazu Falls NP, Brazil (巴西伊瓜蘇瀑布國家公園)

Water Rafting @ Iguazu NP, Argentina Viewed from Brazil

(從巴西近觀阿根廷伊瓜蘇國家公園·水上漂流 01-07-2013)

2-Step Waterfall Formed by 3 Layers of Basalt

(三層玄武岩組成的兩步式瀑布 01-07-2013)

Chico Alférez Waterfall w/ the Serene Beauty, Brazil

(巴西奇科·阿爾費雷斯瀑布——靜美之地 01-07-2013)

Iguazu NP in Brazil w/ Magnificent 360 Panoramic Views, Taller Than Niagara & Wider Than Victoria Falls

(巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園·360度壯麗全景，比尼亞加拉“轟鳴洪流”瀑布更高，比維多利亞“勝利女王”瀑布更寬)

Lower Level of Devils Throat

(魔鬼喉底層瀑布 01-07-2013)

Trilha das Cataratas w/ the Spray & Roar of the Water Creating a Sense of Awe @ Iguazu NP in Brazil 

(巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園瀑布步道·水花和咆哮聲令人產生一種敬畏之感 01-07-2013)

Bosetti Waterfall of Iguazu NP Viewed from the Brazilian Side

(巴西伊瓜蘇瀑布·博塞蒂“小森林”瀑布 01-07-2013)

Garganta do Diabo or Devil's Throat, a Portal to the Afterlife & Cast the Dead Chieftains & Warriors for assurance of Their Immortality 

(魔鬼喉·通往來世的入口，並將死去的酋長和戰士埋葬於此，以確保他們的永生 01-07-2013)

Garganta do Diabo w/ About Half of the River's Flow Falling into a Long, Narrow Chasm

(魔鬼喉·大約一半的河水流量落入此狹長裂縫 01-07-2013)

Iguazu River Contributing to Brazil's Extensive Hydroelectric Network 

(伊瓜蘇河·為巴西龐大的水電網絡做出貢獻 01-07-2013)

Espaço Tarobá w/ Its Prime Location as a Viewpoint for the Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian Side 

(塔羅巴“鬥士”觀望台·巴西一側觀賞伊瓜蘇瀑布的絕佳地點)

Devil's Throat Canyon 80-90 Meters/260—300 Ft Wide & 70-80 Meters/230-260 Ft Deep 

(魔鬼喉峽谷·寬80—90米/260—300英尺、深70—80米/230—260英尺)

Waterfalls Flowing through Rainforest (流經雨林的瀑布)

Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, Brazil Viewed from Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa, Argentina

(從阿根廷喜來登伊瓜蘇溫泉度假村遠望巴西貝爾蒙德“美景”瀑布酒店)

Façade of Hotel das Cataratas, Inside of Iguazu NP, Brazil

(巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園內貝爾蒙德“美景”瀑布酒店 01-07-2013)

Belmond Hotel das Cataratas @ Iguazu NP Brazil

(巴西伊瓜蘇國家公園·貝爾蒙德瀑布酒店 01-07-2013)

Brazilian Girls from São Paulo @ Belmond Hotel das Cataratas

(貝爾蒙德瀑布酒店·來自巴西聖保羅“謙卑”市的少女 01-07-2013)

Dinner @ Belmond Hotel das Cataratas

(貝爾蒙德瀑布酒店·晚餐 01-07-2013)

Menu @ Belmond Hotel das Cataratas

(貝爾蒙德瀑布酒店·食譜 01-07-2013)

Argentine Giant Tegu (阿根廷巨型樹棲蜥)

Tegu, Dropping a Section of Its Tail as a Distraction If Attacked 

(樹棲蜥·受攻擊時能自我截掉部分尾巴以分散掠食者注意力)

Tropidurus w/ Sexual Dimorphism (熱帶蜥蜴·性別二態性)

Callicore hesperis (南美圖八翅蛺蝶)

Julia Heliconian (火焰蝴蝶)

Capuchin Monkey (捲尾猴)

Coatis (南美浣熊)

Plush Crested Jay (絨冠藍鴉)

Toucan (大嘴鳥)

Lapwing (鳳頭麥雞)

Red Dragonfly (紅蜻蜓)

Slug (蛞蝓)

Crosslink(相關博文):

2013: Iguazu Falls,the World Widest ARG(阿根廷伊瓜蘇瀑布·世界最寬)

Brazil(出遊巴西)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小學四年級(4th Grade)