Ok... first of all I want to apologise for the huge delay in updating the blog. For one reason or another (being in the desert with no electricity, computers working no faster than a snail in Bolivia, being too tired to string a sentence together etc etc) I haven`t been able to spend much time on a computer but after a 4 day hike on the Inca trail I`m having a lazy day and have set up camp in an internet cafe!
So here we go...
Iguaçu Falls is incredible!! Wow! In fact I`m not sure I can describe it in words. You can`t appreciate the enormity of the falls until you`re there, feeling the spray and hearing the roar of the water. It`s deafening! The falls consist of 275 waterfalls spreading over Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. We spent time on both the Brazilian and Argentinian side of the Falls and they really are indescribable. As well as the falls the wildlife and surrounding jungle is gorgeous. Just take a look at the video, although that doesn`t even do it justice!
Sadly it was after visiting Iguacu Falls that Melissa left us and headed home :-(. We wanted to send her off in style and have a relaxing last day together so had a lovely day of sunbathing and swimming in the hostel pool planned, only to wake up to terrential rain. And I mean terrential! I`ve never seen anything like it! After taking a wander around Foz do Iguaçu (the town) we found shelter in a bar and dried off whilst enjoying a beer or few. We got chatting to some local Brazilian guys (Fernando, Roberto and Douglas (what a typical Brazilian name???!)) who, when I asked then for some advice about where to go in the evening, decided to take us under their wing and show us how the locals party! I can most definately say it was one of the more random nights of my life!
After sampling pineapple caipirinhas (most definately the most disgusting drink I`ve ever had misfortune to put in my mouth) and going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant with a showcase of South American dance and music (crazy women dancing with pots on their heads, glitzy costumes and far too many naked bum cheeks for dinner time...) we found ourselves clasping our passports and crossing the border into Paraguay for a night of clubbing! The club was awful and full of 15 year olds but we had a great time all the same and at about 3am, just when I thought the night couldn`t get any stranger, the worlds worst U2 tribute band came on stage! We think they were singing in English but can`t be sure! After a drunken border crossing back into Brazil we finally rolled in at about 4.30am, giving us just enough time to get a couple of hours sleep before having to pack, check out and move on to the next destination... we had an emotional goodbye and Melissa headed to Sao Paulo to catch her flight home, whilst Kat and I took another trip into Paraguay. Sobre this time!
I can`t believe our month in Brazil is already over. I`ve finally got the hang of Portuguese and now we`re going to have to change to Spanish! ahhh! Brazil really has been fantastic... it`s like a hundred different countries in one and no 2 places are the same. The people are friendly, the atmosphere is buzzing and - thankfully - we haven`t witnessed any of the horror stories you so often hear about.
We had never planned to stay in Paraguay, it was just the quickest route to from Brazil to Salta in Argentina, however we hadn`t expected to hate it quite so much! We arrived in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, at about 11pm, tired and keen to book our onward bus to Argentina. The people at the bus station were horrible and completely unhelpful and for a little while we thought we might be stuck in Paraguay forever as no-one could (or would) give us any information about how to get out of the god forsaken place. We decided to check into a hotel opposite the bus station and try again in the morning. The `Royal Hotel` was a treat... pretty much a prison cell containing 2 concrete slabs with duvets on and, rather weirdly, 2 bathrooms. One with wires hanging out of the walls where bathroom fittings should have been and one with, surprisingly, hot running water! Yippee!!!
Needless to stay we got out of Paraguay as quickly as possible. After a hectic couple of days on numerous buses, border crossings, delays and wrong tickets we finally arrived in Argentina in one piece! Phew!!!
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