Rob and I had visited Itiquira Falls with the littles last year during Carnival break

We made a return visit with the whole family this past month and drug along our friend Tom that was visiting for the weekend

We have know Tom and his family for 15ish years

We lived a block down from one another in Fresno back when our twins were just bitties

The Martin family is like family and it was so wonderful to have him join our crazy clan for the weekend 

 What we didn't relazie was due to recents rains the river would be super crazy rushing

Last visit the kids got into the river in their swimsuits and swam in a calm river

This is what the river looked like this visit, there was no swimming

   

 Because it was so wet even approaching the falls soaked you completely

A few of my kids were smart enough to approach in swimsuits

Others didn't and "enjoyed" a wet car ride home

                                                                           

Enjoyed lunching at Dom Fernando's

Thankfully they allowed swimsuits :)

            

 Tired girlies sleeping off their lunch time consumption

Thanks for the visit Tom! 

Itiquira is Falling

The Itiquira Falls is a waterfall about 115 kilometers from Brasilia.  The falls have a height of 168 meter, making them the highest accessible waterfall in Brazil.  The falls are formed by a drop of the Itiquira River.

This selfie was taken before we approached the base of the falls.  Once we were right near the falls I didn't take my phone out of the backpack because the water was so intense.  We walked away dripping with water and the girls saying, "that was awesome!"

Flora along the trail

This visit we just walked to the base of the waterfall.  A short walk up a paved path.  Next visit when we have the big three with us we would like to attempt the hike that takes you to the top of the waterfall.  The guide said it's about 4 km and not recommended for kids under the age of 12.  Jo has some decent hiking experience under her belt so we hope to be able to give it a go.

Took the kids a little further downstream to play in the water, build mud castles and learn how to skip rocks

A view as we left the waterfall area.  Everything is so lush and green and beautiful

We stopped for lunch at Dom Fernando, a typical Brazilian lunch buffet.  Except this typical lunch buffet had horses for my equestrian loving girls to ride.  The lunch was also a delicious variety of Brasilian goods.  Beans, rice, pork roast, fresh fruits, breads, fried goodies and a live musician playing the afternoon away.

The Brasilian's often comment that my girls, "are good with a fork."  Meaning they eat well, not sure where they would get that idea from ;)

Every Brasilian lunch ends with a warm drink, it helps your tummy settle.  They always offer coffee and then a decaffeinated drink.  My favorite is milk with cinnamon.  Today we enjoyed caramel milk. 

"Sleeping" off some of the carb goodies