"I can't believe you can do that...I'm so glad you can do that!"

Thursday, January 5^th, 2017

Iguassu Falls National Park, Argentina

The fourth day of our tour from Buenos Aires to Rio De Janeiro included what I knew would be the highlight of the week - an up close encounter with Iguassu Falls by boat!

After somewhat passively viewing the natural wonder for a day, I was eager to experience and interact with this piece of the natural world. To reach the boat we took a 25-mile jungle jeep ride which dropped us at the water level. This ride really opened up my additional senses as I progressively felt surrounded by the jungle and its native smells and sounds.

I took a front seat in the boat we were off toward the base of the Falls, my anticipation at its height. As we got closer and closer, and saw the boat ahead of us in the Falls, I recognized a sudden feeling: “This is crazy! Someone is about to drive this boat into the and under these massive waterfalls!” Coexisting with that small bit of apprehension was 100 times more excitement for the climax of the ride. It’s that threshold which makes an "experience" so valuable.

Our boat forged ahead, cut a couple sharp turns to raise the surprise level on board, and boom, we were in, under and behind the Falls! It’s loud, I could hear squeals from the boat, but mostly just the thunder of the water and splashing all around me. Then, “whoa” a thick sheet of water hits me from the right, then the front. By now I’ve realized I will be experiencing this mostly with my eyes closed because I have contacts and can barely wipe the water from my face, much less open my eyes without water flushing my contacts right out.

I’m laughing so hard and trying to hold on to my seat and “whoa” a wall of water hits from the left. The entire ride was just 12 minutes but it was instantly the highlight of the week and the most “in the moment” fun, free and somewhat unpredictable experience in a while. I exited the boat still giddy with excitement and the repeating thoughts, “I am so glad we just did that” and “I can’t believe you’re allowed to do that!”

On the ride back to the hotel, still in my damp clothes (!), I recognized that the progression of viewing to experiencing was curated by the tour company and the guide. This illuminated the value of guide and tour companies which I often have dismissed because I typically prefer to do my own research and planning when traveling, to avoid falling into organized mass tourism experiences. I came away understanding that at times there can be tangible value to enlisting the help of on the ground experts who may understand some nuances which can change the type of experience you have.

In addition, I remembered how many people we saw on the paths and the huge buses in the parking lots and I realized the majority of visitors only view the Falls. Maybe visitors don’t like to walk that much and may not even view the Falls as many ways as we did. Some visitors may be afraid of boats and/or water. Some may not be physically able to hike back up the hill after exiting the boat. Others may not be able to afford the ticket. There are limitations for going on this boat excursion.

Thinking about people who can’t participate or who for some reason had reservations reminded me just how important it is in my own life to be completely capable of choosing adventure and up-close experiences when traveling. Just seeing something isn’t fully satisfying for me if there are ways to more closely interact with the natural world.

Beyond recognizing how important that is to me was the question of why. I love being active, yet I also wonder if it is because daily life is typically so disconnected from nature, adventure, and unique experiences. Perhaps at this time in life I am an escapist traveler, looking to escape the regular and predictable. Or, alternatively, perhaps it is to reawaken the feeling of really living -- as an anonymous quote reads, “We do not travel to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”