always keep a bikini attached to your carabiner

📍Iguazú Falls, 1 of The 7 Natural Wonders of The World

It’s so crazy to me that last week I was in the southernmost part of Argentina and now I’m in the northernmost part where I entered Brazil!

Saturday morning I caught a 5AM flight to Iguazú falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We went straight to the Brazil side and hiked along the falls for hours, taking in every view of the thousands of gallons of waters pouring over the rocks. It is baffling to me that crossing a border also means listening to a whole new language, and not a similar one at that.

Sunday we found a secret trail on the Argentine side through the rainforest to a little waterfall. After hiking through the mosquito filled, humid jungle for hours, we had lunch on a rock and basked in the beauty of the waterfall for hours. We scaled some rocks to be able to sit under the falling water and soak in every minute of this mystery. As I watched my friends climb on their hands and feet through rocks and tree limbs in nothing but their bikinis I became nostalgic. This right here is the exact life I dreamed for myself, one where no one is concerned about what they might step on, or how they’re going to get from one rock over to the next tree branch, and the only worry is about where we can change into our suits without anyone seeing us… and that wasn’t too big of a worry.

Later, we met up with the rest of our friends and walked along the advised path for another few miles. We encountered some pretty cute monkeys and other animals that I could not tell you the name of. It is crazy to me that we can walk for miles and see the falls at all times.

As I sit in the airport at midnight, knowing I have class at 8 am tomorrow, I reflect on how grateful I am for this life. Watching my friends fearlessly climb through the jungle without a care of any danger brings me so much joy. I know that I am creating a life for myself that is worth falling in love with.

I am also in awe of Mother Nature and especially the vastness of water. Water is healing, and vital to human life, but also powerful, divine, dangerous, and so beautiful. God’s creations are breathtaking. it feels good to know that the same God that created these beautiful views also created each and every one of us with just as much intent.