Until the next adventure!

So now we are back in Dallas where we began our adventure a few short weeks ago. It is more than hot here and we are all missing the cool temperatures of Brazil. We had a wonderful experience learning so much about ourselves and our world. Thanks to all of you who followed us through Brazil and supported our journey with your comments and good wishes!

We invite you to follow our new blog at www.uadodge2011-12.blogspot.com where we will blog about all that is happening in the UA office of Diversity and Global Education.

The Bird Park at Iguassu

Our final official stop on this magical scientific journey was at the Bird Park at Iguassu. It is an amazing place where humans are able to enter the habitats of the birds and are allowed to interact with them. We saw hundreds of birds - toucans, parrots, macaws and more!

Iguassu Falls Video - Argentina

We invite you to check out the high water and force of Iguassu ....

Iguassu Falls - Argentina

The first Coati spotting of the day

On Tuesday we headed to Argentina to explore the Argentinian side of Iguassu. It was a VERY different day from the previous. The temperature had dropped to 45 (that's fahrenheit, around 8-10 Celsius for our international friends) and the water level had risen 10 meters overnight!! It was a massive amount of water and was a spectacular and forceful sight. Many of the trails were closed and so we only hiked along the superior circuit - That was fine because we were really rather chilled. Luckily, we did spot a few coatis and other furry friends along the trail so it was another exciting day for our group!

The Itaipu Dam

This thrilling blog entry is brought to you by our brilliant students who wrote and produced it all yesterday when we visited the AWESOME Itaipu Dam and saw, for the first time in UA Brazil Sciences history, the open Itaipu Spillway for the overflow of the mighty Parana River ....
Hey everyone!
Today, we visited the Itaipu Dam, the second largest dam in the world. Both Brazil and Paraguay use this dam as an energy source. Because it is shared by two countries the dam is equally split both structurally and by the number of workers. The force of the water in the dam is 20 times stronger than Iguassu Falls. Itaipu is also one of the seven modern marvels of the world and none of its massive components weighs less than 87 tons. A surprising addition to our visit to the dam included the open spillway which is only open 10% of the year. We were lucky to be the first UA Brazil group to see the spillway open! With the rain and strong winds, the water flowing from the spillway was also much more forceful than on an average day. After touring outside the dam, we made our way inside the most famous South American hydroelectric power structure. Inside the dam, we were shown a display of the construction process of Itaipu, from the Parana River to the diversion canal to the final product known today as the Itaipu Dam.
Other Fun Activities of the Day: -Hiked a nature path (saw a family of monkeys)
-saw Iguassu Falls (Devil’s Throat)
- took a boat ride to the Falls
- discovered a new type of buffet where pizza, pasta & chicken wings keep coming to your table
Love,
Jessica, Macheli, Rachel, Samantha & Emily
Lastly, we have a little video to share with you about the construction of Itaipu which began in 1975 and ended in 2007.

Life and Death, on Planet Plant …

Living in the tropical rainforest, is not just about colorful toucans and spectacular orchids… 

It reminds us a lot about Darwin, and survival of the fittest….

Trekking around Iguassu’s majestic rainforests, the casual observer, can easily spot evidence of the struggle of plants for space to grow, sunlight to gather and sourcing of water and nutrients to thrive on… One can see lianas ( woody vines) leaning, hanging, and climbing desperately on trees, reaching towards the forest canopy in search of full sunlight. Epiphytes (plants which use others as support, without actually being parasites) of  genera usually found far apart, such as gorgeous orchids, spiky cacti, friendly philodendrons and fragile ferns, here can be found side by side, elbowing each other for sunlight and waterfall spray on dry branches over the Iguazu river. Strangling fig tree saplings sprout as innocent ‘babies’ high up on other trees, only to eventually emerge as menacing adolescents once their roots touch ground base, whence they totally embrace their static hosts to finally uproot them and lift them off towards the heavens. If that were not enough, exotic invasive plant species to the park which have been successful in this global battle, are being condemned by attentive park biologists, who identify them and remove their barks so as to cause their death by sap depletion over time. During this process, local saprophytic species thrive on this dead wood and feed a host of insects important to the rainforest biodiversity and health. All considered, the forest is quite a busy thriving and many times aggressive environment...

Bromeliads growing on  a tree at Iguassu

One of the smaller waterfalls

Ferns thriving in the shadows

Lianas, with a twist...

Out of my way! - Orchids, cacti and ferns battle for position

Revertere ad locum tuum

Ghostly white saprophytes in action

The not so friendly embrace of a wild fig tree

 

Iguassu Falls (video on Brazil side)

Here are our fabulous five upon arrival yesterday at the Devil's Throat in Brazil....

Iguassu Falls (Brazil)

Today was a huge day for our group as we were lucky enough to hike along the famous Iguassu Falls, observing plant and animal life in addition to the gorgeous waterfalls. We actually saw a monkey family and our first coati! All of the photos that you see here are from the Brazil side of the falls (tomorrow we will go to the Argentina side). It was a beautiful and chilly day (we know it's hard to imagine if you're reading this in Dallas). Our group ended the day with a thrilling boat ride under the waterfalls and then we returned to our hotel for presentations on the natural resources of Brazil and on the Bird Park which we will visit very soon!