Itaipu

This is currently the largest dam/hydroelectric power plant in the world!  (The Chinese are working on a bigger one...)  We decided to do the full tour - inside the innards, as Cassio phrased it.  It was a two and a half hour tour but well worth it for people who like to see how things work. 

This thing supplies 90% of the power to Paraguay (8% of all it´s production), and the rest goes to Brasil.  Interestingly, it is owned by both countries and it is located on a `neutral zone` between both.  Even inside the control room there is a line down the centre - representing the equal division of ownership and labour as well as the border between Paraguay and Brasil.  Cool.

Plus, the river overlooking the dam was absolutely gorgeous!  If you look down from here, the drop is 180 meters (I think that´s what they said).

Each one of these tubes, (there are 20 of them) carries as much water as the total that falls from the waterfalls in Iguaçu at it´s current state.  They are 10 meters in diameter and the sight is impressive.  Our guide told us to put our hands on them - you could FEEL the vibration of the water and the massive power.

This is inside - the thing is just over a kilometer long! Can you see the tiny people working around one of the circles?  It is the ´lid´ of one of the turbines.  Workers use small trucks and bicycles to get around.