Tag Archives: Architecture

Crossing Borders – Tigre to Carmelo

27 Mar

Mention the words ‘South American’ and ‘border crossing’ in the same sentence and travelers will often take a sharp intake of breath.  They can be places of frustration and nervousness, with ramshackle government buildings, long queues, stern faces, bag searches and occasionally demands for bribes.  In contrast to this image, one of our most pleasurable border crossings in all of South America was from Tigre in Argentina to Carmelo in Uruguay by small passenger ferry through the beautiful Parana River Delta.  This crossing is not only simple and straight forward but also offers gorgeous scenery, a chance to experience local life and a taste of adventure.

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Wonder of the Modern World: Itaipu Dam

8 May

“Don’t look down” the man next to me said just before I lent over the ledge and looked down. It resembled a giant 483 metre waterslide with H2O in abundance lining up to take the ride. The gigantic reinforced concrete gates, above which we stood, were holding back the World’s seventh largest river and when the doors slid open, millions of gallons of water hurtled down the curved ramp at 60 thousand cubic metres per second with a deafening roar.

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