Foz do Iguacu

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Rin: After the bus trip from hell - 23 hours with our eyeballs rattling around in our heads non-stop - we finally arrived in Iguazu Falls, Brazil early Saturday morning. Even hotter and more humid than Rio we spent the day in our skanky clothes (b/c we couldn't check in to our room prior) wandering around the Brazilian side of the falls. It was a great introduction to the falls as around every corner there seemed to be more and more falls. As you can see in our photos there are many waterfalls with a few main ones being the main attractions. After leaving Melbourne in a drought it was quite a shock to see sooooo much water! I think the best part about the Brazilian side was being able to walk out on a platform that went past some falls but stood at the top of another. Getting absolutely soaked (along with the hoards of other tourists) and making a wish each at the top - very amusing!

Nick: I have to admit having seen Niagra falls, Iguasu is certainly much more awesome. Perhaps because of the sheer scale of the falls, both in number and width and the effect at the devils throat where you get the massive churning and blasting of spray. Its not without its hazards though. There are plenty of wonderful little butterflies that follow you around the falls for a taste of your sweat. Unfortunately, we saw one little guy lose the battle with the massive wind sheers and down drafts around the falls and succumb slowly but inevitably to the face of the falls. We cheered him to keep his chin up but to no avail.

Interestingly he has not been the only victim of the falls. The LP guidebook states that in the early days of tourism you could hire are local boat owner to take you out to the edge of the falls, whilst he would row madly to prevent you from being taken over the falls. We'll you can guess the rest of this story as to why it isnt allowed anymore. Something to do with a boatload of 7 german tourists and a oarsmans greed.

As for the argentinia side of the falls, well you really do have to give them the credit for the better attractions, possibly not as panoramic, but much better in terms of activities and proximity that you can get to the falls.

As with many tourists we took the speed boat that takes you under the falls. You can see the picture attached, where its like being completely blasted with firehoses from every direction. Highly recommended.

Now, having left brazil we should probably take note of a few of the little things that we found interesting in Rio.
- the thumbs up - this is a critical hand guesture to get you out of any problem. It means ok, no problems, thanks, I hear you, no i dont want your sarong or beaded trickets - i have enough.
- the multiple handling for purchases - in stores you select what you want then you either pay somewhere else in the store and get a ticket to hand to get the goods, or you take the food with a ticket somewhere else in the store to pay for it. sounds complicated huh?
- the ability to not feel uncomfortable going topless pretty much anywhere as a guy. You feel hot, you take off your shirt. natural right! NOTE: we didn't go to any funerals in Rio and try this.
- The Acai - its a amazon fruit jam slurpy thats absolutely amazing - find it on your first night, not your last in Rio.

Next stop Buenos Aires

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Photos

nr 2008-02-24 9
Like a Racoon and just as cheeky