Waterfalls Part 2 and Joyful or Draining Moments

What are the most daring and interesting walks you have experienced in life? Some walks are not for the faint hearted and then there are those walks that give you the adrenalin rush which become unforgettable. Recognising joyful and draining moments in life are critical. What to do and what not to do and how does that connect with waterfalls. Join me on this podcast as I discuss more and share a lifetime experience of getting close to the largest waterfalls in the world.

Transcript

Waterfalls Part 2 and Joyful or Draining Moments

Hello Everyone and welcome to the podcast of the Ordinary Maverick. This is Ajey, your host, an ordinary Maverick sharing real life thoughts and experiences and Maverick tips. If you haven’t hit the subscribe button yet, please do so, and you’ll not miss another episode.

So, waterfalls! Our connection with waterfalls runs strong. In one of the earlier episodes, I spoke about our experience with waterfalls in Jamaica and the famous Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Well, in this episode, I’d like to share about another famous one, the Iguazu falls, between Argentina and Brazil and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Awe inspiring, majestic, stunningly beautiful. We had an opportunity to see these falls a couple of years back. We actually treated ourselves….yes..ha ha…took off to South America, saw the falls, went off to the Amazon, to celebrate our 25th year as a couple…..not our marriage anniversary though…,.this is our couple anniversary. What’s that you may ask? Well…it’s from the time when we decided to spend the rest of our lives together…marriage came later. As journeys go, this has been amazing in so many ways, but for now, let’s talk about the journey of the water that flows into the Iguazu falls… do you know, there are over 275 individual cascades of water. And that the combined flow of these individual falls is the largest of any waterfall in the world. It is much taller than Niagara Falls and is twice as wide. In the rainy season, there can be 450,000 cubic feet of water cascading over the falls per second. 

These are the waterfalls of the Iguazu river, which starts in the city of Curitaba. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil, but most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Just below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu river forms the border between Argentina and Brazil. An interesting fact is that the falls were caused by a wide spread volcanic event in conjunction with continental rifting in the Early Cretaceous era.

Interestingly the falls are arranged in the form of a reverse letter J. In the case of these falls, the saying, ‘Seeing is believing’ is so true. They are one of the world’s most stunning sights. One is rendered speechless with their sheer size but what is the most amazing thing is that these are one of falls where you can get really close. And I do mean, real close. So close that you can feel the water on your face….yes! can you believe it….although it doesn’t feel like water…more like pins and needles…on your face.

And these falls have the most interesting walkways. These take you up and close to the falls and you feel like you’re in them! The most daring one is the Devil’s throat, super dramatic, where you walk almost over the falls. Walking here is not for the faint hearted….the adrenalin rush that comes is unforgettable.

We’ve done the Devil’s Pool in the Victoria Falls, again a lifetime experience, and I’ve spoken about that in another episode. And now here is the Devil’s throat. Guess the name signifies danger and daring…right? 

And then the iguzu falls has its own micro climate, it’s own eco system. There are over 2000 species of plants, various animals, birds that surround this area. We took a walk through this amazing eco system, the beautiful plants, trees and flowers, so calm and so peaceful. And then through this green carpet and green environment, one hears the sound of the waterfall first, roaring…and then you see the most majestic sight…275 cascades of water…all pouring down, all at once.

We learnt about a boat ride into the falls after reaching there. And we didn’t even hesitate…ha ha…being the Mavericks, we just immediately signed up. And what a boat ride it was! Will never ever forget it. We went through some rapids to reach the falls, racing over the water as the falls came closer. And then, the captain said keep all your stuff aside, we had small plastic pouches, and Hold on…we are now going to enter the falls…Are you ready!! Well, I don’t think anyone can ever be ready for what happened next….the engine revved up and the next few minutes will be etched in my mind forever. We went right into the falls, couldn’t hear anything except the roaring of water, and then the water hit us, our faces had pins and needles, we couldn’t open our eyes, the water was coming down so strong. The boat kept bobbing up and down, and it was the sheer genius and experience of the captain that kept us afloat. After a few minutes the boat emerged out of the direct hit of the falls, and the adrenalin rush is unforgettable. A life time experience. A must do…. You know….we’ve heard about ‘bucket’ lists..well, we have them too. And let me tell you, if the Iguazu falls are not on your bucket list of travel, then do put them there. 

The Iguazu falls have also featured in several films, Indiana Jones, Tarzan, Captain America, Black Panther…wow, these big hits, watch them and the nail biting scenes over the waterfalls – that’s the Iguazu!

That reminds me, there’s a really good book, it’s a Do It Yourself guide to the rest of your life., 2Do before 1 die. A very insightful read. I would recommend reading it if you haven’t already done so. It’s not a typical guide book as it also helps in making one think, and generates ideas. Read it at anytime in your life, younger you are the better actually. Helps in so many ways to navigate your life. And create the bucket lists…for various aspects of your life, travel, relationships, work, knowledge, experiences etc. We’ve done that and there’s nothing like a bucket list that makes you realize whats important in life.

A visit to the waterfalls makes one realize fragility and strength. The gentle eco system that exists, and then the power of water. The pebbles one find…shaped round with the water continuously flowing over them. The shape of the rocks determined with the flow of water. And I think of us, our lives. Such a mix of fragility and strength, of shaping and being shaped. As a waterfall carves it’s own path, so do we and so we must. Now what do I mean by that? You know this last one year and a bit more has been life changing for all of us. Sometimes, that’s what it takes, right, obstacles and challenges that one must cross. It all starts with a small drop, a stream, that gathers momentum and then thunders down over the rocks and slopes, crashing down as a waterfall….stupendous and magnificent. 

See that’s how we should view our days. Yes, I say days, because taking each step at a time, one day at a time is how a long journey passes by quickly. Remember, it’s a small stream that then thunders down as a waterfall. So, we should concentrate on our days, our hours, our minutes. And try and create the stream, the flow of joyful moments and not draining moments. Now what do I mean by that. You know, we hear of stress, of people dying young, of having massive cardiac arrests. And then we also hear of take it easy, find the work life balance, do not overwork yourself, and spend quality time with family etc. Easier said than done, right. Well, let me share something about how one can actually work this out. 

Take a paper and pen and jot down your key tasks for a typical day…you can also do this for a week.. Then think carefully about how you feel for each of the tasks and classify these as joyful or draining. If you have more draining tasks on your list, then that needs immediate attention. Find ways to have more joyful tasks, joyful moments. And of course that means that one needs to be aware of what gives one that joyful feeling. 

Yes, go with the flow…. like a waterfall but have more joyful moments. And fall freely, like the waterfall, creating beauty, creating magic. There’s a famous quote, if you’re flexible, falling will never hurt you’.

Write your comments, share your feedback, I would love to hear from you. This is Ajey, signing off and wishing you have an amazing day. Keep well.