Advertisement
Published: August 7th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Well I am having a very nostalgic day today - I am unexpectedly on a wet and rainy beach in Brasil. Unexpectedly, because I had planned to be in Buenos Aires instead but got sidetracked so let me explain…
After returning to Salta from our road trip I was in two minds as to what to do next. Anthea left to go to Bolivia and tried to persuade me just to dip into Bolivia for a week to do a trip around the salt flats with her and then go back to Salta. However it was my Grandmas 80th birthday on the 4th of July and I was afraid I would be stuck in the middle of nowhere without being able to call her on the day (I was already feeling terrible for not being able to be there). So instead I let Milena persuade me to go with her to Iguazu Falls over on the north east side of Argentina, on a little finger of the country which sticks up into Brasil and from there we would go to Buenos Aires. While we were on the bus I then made the mistake of looking at the map and discovering
we were not very far from Florianopolis - on an island off Brasil called Ilha Santa Catarina. And so here I am on the beach.
The waterfalls at Iguazu were absolutely fantastic and it was amazing to go from the dry arid hills of Salta into the semitropics with banana trees and red earth which reminds me so much of Jamaica. We spent one day on the Argentinian side of the falls walking around and over them on raised walkways and getting soaked by the spray, then the next day crossed over to Brasil for a completely awesome view of the whole thing spread out before us.
The two sides are amazingly different and both worth seeing, not just for the different view points but also the management of the parks. The Argy side was very laid back and you were left to your own devices once you got through the gates apart from a strange little train ride (or boring walk or dull-looking ‘ecological’ dinghy ride) to the furthest point a bit like a British amusement park, but the Brasil side was all very slick and organized. There was a very flashy display at the visitors centre and then
a bus ride (which they quoted as an extra price on top of the entrance fee but was in no way optional) through carefully groomed semitropical greenery, with recorded bird sounds and soothing bilingual instructions for when to get off. The trail then wound its way along the full length of the falls ending at a platform below the spectacular Garganta de Diablo - Devils throat, where there was a ‘panoramic elevator’ to take you back up to the fake birdsong bus.
Having decided to make a quick detour to the beach for a few days we caught the bus from Foz do Iguaçu to Florianopolis and then a local bus to the east of the island and found a pricy hostel in Barra de Lagoa.
The island is a surfers paradise, they even have surfboard racks at the back of the buses and on bikes and scooters plus there are loads of beaches to choose from. There are sugar cane and coconut milk vendors at the sides of the road and the caipirinhas taste great.
Brasil feels so different from Argentina, although maybe its just the fact that we are by the beach. Its like Run to the Sun
in Newquay everyday here, with hundreds of beatles and camper vans everywhere, the only bad thing about this place is that everything costs so much and the fact that I am back to sign language and blanks looks because I dont speak Portugese!
The island of Santa Catarina is gorgeous, with marshes in the north and more rugged landscapes and islands to the south and a big lagoon in the middle. Even the city of Florianopolis is pretty, despite its size, as it curves round the bay with high rises in pinks and purples and mint greens.
Our hostel is just across a footbridge from the beach at Barra and the dock where little fishing boats bring in the days catch and the old men play dominoes at stone tables. There is a balcony right outside our room with views along 8km of sandy beach. We managed to get 3 wonderful days of sunshine, walking on the beach, watching men fishing from the shore, throwing their nets into the surf - although we never managed to figure out how they spotted the fish first but they´d suddenly start running and shouting to each other. We also hired a scooter for
a day to ride around the island so we saw some lovely little places. Unfortunately the scooter had foot controlled gears which was a bit stressful and my hands and arms were aching from griping the handlebars too tight (although I have to admit the concentration problem was exacerbated by all the fit men we kept passing!).
We tried out sand boarding as the sun went down on a big soft white dune above Joaquina beach. I almost didn’t try it for fear of planting my face and getting a mouthful of sand, not to mention scraping off most of my skin in the process, but was surprised to discover I could actually do it!! Brilliant.
Then on the 4th day it rained, and rained, and its still raining. Proper wet rain, thunder and lightning, the hostel is leaking in various places and I am loving it. I laid in bed this morning listening to depressing songs looking at the rain soaked beach out of the window which is right next to my head. Now I am catching up on my blog and I might have a cup of tea in a minute!!
It reminds me of rainy holidays in
Cornwall which is maybe why I am liking it so much, we even went and caught a bus round the island yesterday because there was nothing else to do and it was the only way to stay dry.
It is also kind of a relief to not be able to do anything, to not feel like you are missing out on something if you spend the day lounging around and there is always something beautiful about being by the sea when its wet and windy.
Update; it stopped raining for a while so I went for a fantastic walk and found the most beautiful and rugged beach on the island, I caught the bus to Prahia Mole and walked back towards Barra round onto the nudist beach (no one there because of the weather though) and up over the hill along a short cut used by the local surfers with fantastic views. I ended up in Fortaleza de Barra where there were loads of houses to rent by the tranquil backwaters and restuarants of the canal and even a campsite - campingfortalezadebarra@hotmail.com ??
It was gorgeous and just the perfect end to a great stay on the island.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.106s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 16; qc: 86; dbt: 0.0638s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb