Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest lake navigable to large vessels, lying at 12,500 feet (3,810 m) above sea level in the Andes Mountains of South America, astride the border between Peru to the west and Bolivia to the east. Titicaca is the second largest lake of South America (after Maracaibo). It covers some 3,200 square miles (8,300 square km) and extends in a northwest-to-southeast direction for a distance of 120 miles (190 km). It is 50 miles (80 km) across at its widest point. A narrow strait, Tiquina, separates the lake into two bodies of water.
In Inka mythology, Manco Capac and Mama 0cllo, children of the Sun, emerged from the depths of Lake Titicaca to found their empire. Like famous naturalist Jacques Cousteau, today’s visitors to Titicaca will surely feel the same emotion that captivated the symbolic universe of the ancient Peruvians. With lofty snow-capped peaks along its far shores, the vast blue lake at 3,800m is one of the Andes’ most enchanting scenes.
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Sunday, January 27th, 2008
The grand Iguazu Waterfalls sits on the frontiers of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Higher than the Niagara Falls and four times wider, Iguazu’s 275 cascades fan out over nearly 3.2 kilometers of the Iguazu River. A volcanic eruption once cracked open the earth, and formed what is now the Falls. Water thunders over the giant cliff, sometimes at a rate of 450,000 cubic feet per second.
Various islands separate the Falls into separate currents, the best known being Gargantua del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). Best seen from the Brazilian side, these fourteen falls drop more than 100 meters with such force that the spray rises up into a 30 meter cloud. Walk through the subtropical forest of Iguaçu National Park for a closer view of Gargantua del Diablo. Or meander through park’s jungle trails; plan a full day to enjoy the nearly pristine ecosystem. The Falls’ name, coming from the Guaraní word for “great water”, was aptly chosen. Whether it’s by boat, helicopter, or by foot, take in this site for all it’s worth…just be sure to take some dry clothes with you.
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