travel

A question of taste becomes an international irritant

Iguazu Falls, a spectacular series of cataracts along the Brazilian - Argentine border, is a major tourist attraction for both countries but more so for Argentina because you can see much more of the falls from their side. On the nights when the moon is full or nearly so, one of the more popular things to do from the Argentine side is to take a cruise and see the falls in the moonlight.

But now the mayor on the Brazilian side has a bright idea --- he wants to illuminate the falls with colored lights at night. A lot of people on both sides of the border find the idea appalling for aesthetic reasons, some environmentalists have raised fish and wildlife questions that critics on the other side call spurious, and the moonlight cruise operators see bright lights as a direct attack on their business.

Turning the lights off when the moon is bright would be an obvious compromise to solve the business objections. Environmental issues can be studied and clarified. The question of taste, however, is something that would never be answered to everyone's satisfaction.

Photo by Mario A. Antonowicz