b'Carnival(continued from page 39)the worlds largest party. The festivities take place on the beaches of Copaca-bana and Ipanema, as well as in bars, nightclubs and restaurants. If you are looking for a peaceful vacation spot, I would suggest you switch your time schedules around. I continued my exploration of Rio, making my way to Sugarloaf Mountain. Accessibleonlybycablecar,many mountaineers have tried climbing the steep cliffs. SugarloafMountainlays450me-tres above sea level, and the views are fantastic. You can even see the 14 km bridge that connects Rio to neighbour-ing Niteroi. Before leaving Rio I stopped at the famous San Sebastian cathedral, builtOne of the many dancers at carnival.in1976andnamedforRiospatron saint.The cathedral is 96 metres wideentire falls.of some of the cascades, making you and 80 metres high. Twenty thousandThe area was settled by missionar- appreciate just how majestic they are.worshippers can fit inside the churchies, and had various owners. It was notDuringtherainyseason,whichis at any given time, and everyone has auntil 1907 that someone saw the touristfrom November to March, the rate of view of the suspended cross hangingpotentialoftheplace,settingupthewater plunging over the falls can reach in the centre. Stained glass windowsfirst hotel and creating roads for peoplealmost 13,000 cubic metres or 450,000 run from floor to ceiling, and the seven- to get to view the falls. cubic feet per second. The rainy sea-bell carillon creates a beautiful soundThe rainforests surrounding Iguauson is also the tourist season, because throughout the area.contain 2,000 species of plants, and isthe falls are so spectacular.Getting to Iguau Falls is a two-hourhome to the only marsupial found out- IguauFallswasbornmillionsof plane ride, but is well worth the trek. Iside Australia, the opossum. yearsago,likelytheresultofavol-stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, on theThewalkwaysandpathsonthecanic eruption, and the slow, but steady Argentineside,whichappearstobeArgentinesidearequitenarrowandmovementoftectonicplates.Itwas carved out of the jungle surrounding it.very rustic. They are extremely safe,simply but aptly named, Great Falls The hotel offers a little bit of civilization,however, it almost feels as if you areby the Guarani indigenous people. In amidthethousandsofacresofwildwalking on top of the water.1986, the United Nations declared the tropical forest.Iguau Falls is the border betweenFalls a natural heritage of mankind. Iguau Falls is made up of 275 in- Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. After dividual cascades, and the thunderingspendingtwodaysontheArgentine water can be heard from many kilome- side, I made my way through Paraguay, tres away.across to Brazil. If you would like to know more Devils Throat, the most spectacularEven though it is the same waterfall,about Rio or Iguau Falls, check out part of the falls, measures 82 metresthe views from the Brazilian side aremy latest travel show at Jonathan high, and is the tallest drop across thevery different. Visitors have an oppor- van Bilsens photosNtravel on tunity to walk along a path at the footYouTube and Rogers TV.40FOCUS - JANUARY 2023'