by Wendy Ceccherelli
Created upon completion of the
world's largest hydroelectric dam, Itaipu Lake stretches 250 kilometers
along Itaipu River, at the western border of Brazil with Argentina and Paraguay.
In eleven picturesque cities along the eastern shores of this lake, a series
of Olympic-style international athletic competitions were showcased September
27-October 5, 1997.
The vision of the first World Nature Games is ambitious and grandto transform Paraná, the west coast of Brazil, into an international tourist destination. Brainchild of Paraná governor Jaime Lerner, the World Nature Games are envisioned to promote eco-tourism, as outdoor competitions of man and nature, preserving Brazil's natural environment. Ballooning is one of the thirteen featured sports that include skydiving, rafting, cycling, sailing, fishing, and mountain climbing, among others.
The ballooning events are managed
by Brazilians Salvator ("Salvi") Haim and competition director
Jonathan Arthur Thornton. A British ex-patriot and current president of
the Brazilian Ballooning Association, Jonathan has been ballooning in Brazil
since 1972 and has served many years as competition director for the Brazilian
National Balloon Championships. Surprisingly, more than half of Brazil's
60 or so balloon pilots are active competition pilots. One of the goals
for the ballooning competition of the World Nature Games is to enhance Brazilian
experience as international balloon competitors and observers.
Thirty pilots are invited to participate,
ten top-ranked Brazilian pilots and twenty foreign pilots. Thirty international
observers, and three independent jurors are also invited, all expenses paid.
As this was not a FIA-sanctioned event, competition pilots were recruited
by invitation, competition rules deviated from model competition rules (MCR's),
and pilot briefings lacked pertinent information expected in other international
events. Maps of Paraná are virtually non-existent; pilots flew with
the most recent versions from 1971.
One of the most unusual and successful aspects of this ballooning competition was the support lent to foreign pilots by the Brazilian and neighboring Argentine ballooning community. Local pilots who were not flying in the competition offered vehicles, balloons, equipment and their time as drivers and crew to pilots who needed it. Aside from addressing obvious logistical issues, this creative solution brought the local ballooning community together in support of the event. It also provided foreign pilots with unique insight and perspective on Brazilian culture and ballooning.
The scheduled events are for competition
to be held in the mornings, with balloon tethers, fiesta flights and night
glows to be held in the afternoons in a variety of different locations.
The entire contingent of approximately 200 pilots, crew, observers and officials
will be transported over nine days to three different cities and hotels
in Paraná. With a country as vast as the United States and most of
Brazil's ballooning centered around Rio or São Paulo, this is an
area in which even the Brazilians have not flown. None of the cities at
which we stayed could accomodate this number of people within a single hotel.
(One can only imagine the logistical nightmares involved in simultaneously
juggling athletes associated with twelve other sports over this countryside
as well!) Hence, there was an enormous amount of time consumed in transport.
This is spring time in Paraná, a lush farmland
carved from rainforest by German and Italian immigrants in the 1950's. As
such, the weather was less than ideal for ballooning, with rains and strong
winds all week long. Only three competition flights and seven tasks were
actually completed, with two of these flights occuring late in the morning
and in winds of 20 knots or so. Landings took place in fast, variable winds
stoked by thermal heating.
As most invited pilots have a personal connection to the organizers, more than two-thirds agree to fly under these conditions. At these speeds it is difficult for the pilots to sight powerlines on the ground. Only the ability of the organizers to temporarily turn off the power to electrical lines surrounding a judge-declared target on Thursday morning prevented a potentially tragic incident.
Nevertheless, top-ranked pilots traded the lead
throughout the competition. After the first flight, Reginald Geerinck of
Belgium lead, competing in only his second international balloon meet. Following
his lead were Brazilian former champions Rui and Rubens Kalousdian.
With the windiest competition flight of the week on Thursday morning, Rubens Kalousdian edged out brother Rui, who was followed in third place by Mário Alvarez of Argentina. Sacha Haim of Brazil moved up from fourth place to first, in a late morning three-part task on Friday, that followed a two-hour bus ride for balloonists commuting into Santa Helena from the town of Toledo.
Strong winds force the cancellation
of a scheduled competition flight Friday afternoon. Sacha Haim, son of organizer
Salvi Haim, prays for fast winds on Saturday morning, the last opportunity
for a competition flight. And the blustery, spring winds cooperate. Despite
two ulcers, he tries to keep calm until the flight is officially cancelled,
one hour later.
"I'm in the clouds," says Sacha, a two-time Brazilian ballooning champion (1994, 1997) one week shy of his twenty-third birthday. This charming young architecture student, with 120 total hours of balloon time, says modestly of his achievements, "I just do my best...."
An Olympic-style awards ceremony, with the flags and national anthems of the top three finishers, is well-attended with journalists, participants, and well-wishers on Sunday. The first World Nature Games balloon champion is Brazilian Sacha Haim; second place finisher is Spanish pilot Angel Aguirre; Peter Blaser of Switzerland is third. Surprisingly, with $10,000 in prize money awarded to the winner and significant cash awards to the top eight finishers, there are no protests.
"I'm a happy man," says former world champion, American Al Nels, who brought his family along for a side trip down the Amazon River. "This isn't a competitionit's a promotion. I came here to have fun. In all my years of ballooning, this has been the most marvelous adventure."
Echoing the sentiments of most
participants, this is what will truly be remembered and valued about the
first World Nature Games in Paraná, Brazil. Where the logistics or
the communication of this major undertaking fell short, people pulled together
to make it work. When the weather was dismal, participants spent time with
one another, to form friendships and connections beyond language and international
boundaries, and to explore the delightful culture and country that is Brazil.
The next World Nature Games are scheduled to be held in 2001.
--Go with a spirit of adventure. Foreign travel is frequently unpredictable, and it is the surprise of these discoveries that add to its delight.
--Relax. Everything in Paraná seems to take a long time, and for mysterious reasons. Expect to find lines queued up for hotel check-ins and check-outs, airport and customs check-ins, and public transport (even when arranged by the locals). The bus that is supposed to arrive by 9 am "Brazilian time" will be there after 10, or may not show up at all.
--Learn and practice a little Portuguese. Brazil is the only South American country where Portuguese is spoken as the primary language. Tourism is a new industry to Paraná, and few natives can speak English. Fewer can speak it well. This includes workers in the hospitality industry, like flight attendants, restaurant waiters, and hotel clerks.
Brazilians, whether or not they speak your language, will try to give you the answer you want. Be forewarned, however, this may not be the correct answer. Because of this, it is best to confirm important information with many people. Lack of information or frequent misinformation is characteristic of a social network that must involve dozens of people in order to conduct business. Brazilians seem to put a premium on social interaction over task. Somehow things get done, though not necessarily on your time schedule.
Sharing of information is synonymous with power in Brazil, so don't be surprised by those who seem reluctant to share it. A bridge being built across Itaipu Lake in Guairá is aligned with the bridge across the lake from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. But for some inexplicable reason, they are at two different heights, just 200 meters short of completion.
--Leave your American Express at home. Unless you plan to shop in Paraguay, you will find that few places (outside major hotels) accept credit cards. There are few banks in Paraná, and it is unlikely that you will be able to get a cash advance on American credit cards.
--Enjoy. Brazilians are warm, generous and gracious peoples. They are vivacious, outgoing and animated. They will go out of their way to be helpful, and the friendships forged will remain a lasting treasure of your trip.
Iguacu Falls, located at the city of Foz do Iguacu, is the primary
reason to visit this area. More spectacular than Niagara or Victoria Falls,
the beauty and power of 275 cascading falls are awesome. Iguacu Falls is
located within Iguacu National Park in the Brazilian rainforest. There are
19 major falls and many remarkable viewpoints. While the view is considered
best from the Brazilian side, the Argentine side offers a close-up perspective
and a larger rainforest.
If you visit the Falls, you might want to include a Macuco Safari boat trip. The safari begins in Iguacu National Park with a bilingual, narrated jeep tour through the Brazilian jungle. The boats holds up to 20 people each, in sturdy, motorized rafts. This is big water--expect to get wet. Lots of mist, thunder, and perhaps a rainbow make this great fun on a warm day.
Foz do Iguacu offers several other tourist attractions. The Bird Park (Parque As Aves), next to the San Martin Hotel, is well worth a visit. Housing colorful birds and butterflies from the Southern hemisphere, its caged aviaries allow the visitor to get up close and personal with toucans, macaws, and other native birds.
Itaipu Dam, currently the world's largest hydroelectric project, is worth a visit, if you're in the neighborhood.
Guairá, site of 200 islands in Itaipu Lake, is located 250 kilometers north of Foz do Iguacu. Some of the islands are inhabited, some have sandy beaches, and some have tourist amenities. Well worth a quick trip on the little ferry at the Guairá boat landing.
Toledo, my favorite Paraná city outside of Foz, for the variety and quality of shops, its well-kept homes and nicely-appointed hotels. It is however, a long way from the lake.
Night Life
Samba club, dance clubs, Argentine casinos. While I can't personally vouch for the quality of the entertainment (balloonists are supposed to go to bed early, after all), I am told that these cultural experiences are well worth a visit.
Shopping--
Shop for leather in Argentina and electronics in Paraguay (although these may be a better bargain for Brazilians than for Americans. The taxes on Brazilian goods make the neighboring countries shopping meccas for Brazilians and for cigarette smugglers). Again, tourism is new to Paraná. Outside obvious tourist destinations, postcards may be difficult to find, and the lakeside cities were sorely lacking for shops of local goods and handicrafts.
Recreation--
Fitness buffs should know that
there were no fitness rooms in any of the hotel accomodations we visited,
and that it is not safe to walk or run in some sections of town. Water-based
recreational facilities for Itaipu Lake, created in 1991 by the hydroelectric
dam, have only recently been constructed. Four "nautical bases"
in Paraná provide staging, camping, and boat launch areas, restrooms
and showers, kitchen and meeting facilities. Concessions for boat rentals
and walking trails do not yet exist. Most hotels listed below do have swimming
pools.
Restaurants--
All the hotels listed below provide delicious, reasonably-priced Brazilian meals and buffets. Despite guidebook warnings not to eat salads and unwashed fruits, or drink certain fruit juices, all the balloonists did, and with remarkably few problems. Balloonists also went out to the local "churrascurias" (barbecues) for all-you-can-eat meat and for Brazilian pizza. There are many dining options from which to choose. Try the big golden fish known as "dourado" from the waters of Itaipu River, a local specialty. Be sensible about the local cuisine, drink bottled water and be religious about hand-washing, and you should have an enjoyable gastronomic adventure. Bom apetite!
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