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Published: February 22nd 2012
Hello everyone,
14/2/2012
We survived our 17 hour coach journey from BA and arrived in Peurto Iguazu safe and sound. The coach journey was like nothing we have experienced, we paid a little extra for cama (2nd class) and we got wide and very comfortable seats which reclined to virtually flat. We were offered sweets on depature, a hot meal which was better than most airline food, with the choice of wine and or beer as an accompaniment and the choice of whiskey or champagne to finish. Needless to say we slept quite well, not as smooth as flying but for the price it was veyr reasonable.
We arrived in Puerto Iguazu around 2pm and booked into our hostel called Marcopolo Hostel, we were in a 6 bed dorm and lucky enough to be put in with two other kiwi couples who were travelling together and really friendly. It was nice to finally be around other travellers and to feel that we were actually roughing it! The hostel was clean, offered a great breakfast included in the price and had loads of facilities on offer, such as a pool, ping pong table, kitchen, tv room and free internet access. So for the first day we just chilled by the pool and got to know the town.
15/2/2012
We started early to catch a bus to the Iguazu falls as we had been advised to get there before 10am as that was when the majority of the tourist groups arrived. Our hostel was only 20minutes from the Iguazu national park, where upon entry, you were able to make your way around the park and observing the falls from many different view points. We were advised to do the ´upper´ walk first which gave an amazing panoramic perspective of the falls in all their glory. We have taken some amazing pictures but unfortunately the hostels we have stayed at do not allow guests to upload files onto their computers, but we promise we will get them up asap!
We then took the ´lower´ trail which let us get within touching of the falls themselves, getting suitably wet in the process. Which suited us just fine as the temperature was in the high 30s!
We then caught a train to the mother of all falls, suitably named ´The Devils Throat´ we had to walk a good 10 minutes of walkways stretching over really wide rivers to get to the viewing point but it was worth it. We are both in agreement that the falls are without a doubt one of, if not the most impressive thing we have ever seen! (Hence why they are in the natural wonders of the world) The sheer volume, speed and height that the water was falling from is inconprehendable and the spray it produced was drenching. But the day was so much fun, everyone was getting soaked and we felt like we were standing in the falls themselves.
The national park in itself was amazing, it had a maze of footpaths which led to small secluded waterfalls and huge rivers. It was a great day out and was our first taste of a tropical rainforest. The wildlife was also amazing, with an array of amazing butterflies in all different sizes and colours. Around the eating areas were possom-like animals which were trying to steal everyones food. We also saw a couple of large lizards like iguanas and in the rivers around the falls we saw the biggest catfish we have ever seen, plus a small terripin.
17/2/2012
We had booked our bus tickets to leave Argentina and head to the Brazilian city of Curitiba, a mid point between Iguazu and Rio. We had to take two buses to get to the bus station in Brazil, one of them stopping on the border, where we had to get out and have our passport stamped and proceeded into Brazil. We arrived at the bus station in the Brazillain town of Foz do Iguazu and went to board our bus where our passports were checked for immigration stamps. Little to our knowledge, the only stamp we had recieved on the border crossing was to confirm that we had left Argentina...there was no stamp to confirm our entry into Brazil. As a result, we couldnt take that bus, our luggage was unloaded and we were told to find ourselves some accommodation and to catch another bus in the morning. By this time it was 10pm, we had very little money on us and we were in a town that we were unfamiliar with, so we didnt even know where to start in terms of finding accommodation. After a bit of a panic we headed out of the station to see a tower block hotel (which looked very out of our price range!), but we thought we would try our luck anyway. At the reception there was a really nice guy who was able to speak english, they offered us a room for a discounted rate, and he called us a taxi and explained that we needed the taxi to wait for us while we went through immigration. It was a bit of a nightmare but we were able to go to sleep knowing we were a 2 minute walk from the bus station and we were legally allowed to be in the country!
As a result of this, we had to endure the 12 hour bus ride through the day which made it much harder as we werent very tired and had no food on us! After what seemed like forever, we made it to Curitiba and headed straight to the Hostel. On checking in we were upgraded from separate dorms to an en suite room which was very nice after the last 24 hours we had had!
We had booked 4 nights in Curitiba Eco Hostel, which is a really nice hostel with wooden lodges, lovely pool, BBQ and communal area. It serves a good breakfast and the staff are helpful and friendly.
19/2/2012
We had read up about the sights to see in the city so we headed to the centre which is about a 20 minute bus ride from the hostel, during which we met a girl who wanted to practice her english and was happy to show us round for about half an hour. She was really helpful and recommended some extra sights for us to see.
As its carnival time in brazil, the centre seemed quiet, with many of the shops closed, but this did not stop us from wondering around and conducting our own walking tour!
The city is famous for its sustainable ways and urban planning design - this was immediatly evident. The streets were paved in small white stones, and the city buildings were a contrast of traditional and modern. They were also lined with old fashioned street lights which gave it a very homely touch. Within the day we had seen most of the sights which the city had to offer.
We headed back to the hostel in the nick of time as every evening we have experienced a thunder and lightening storm (one of the evenings there was even huge hail stones much bigger than we have at home). We have been making good use of the cooking facilities and have made dinner every evening (to make up for the extra expense of the hotel in Foz do Iguazu!).
22/2/2012
Today we are leaving Curitiba for Rio de Janeiro!! We are taking another overnight bus at 8pm and are due to arrive at 9am where we are meeting 3 friends from uni and are all booked into the same hostel in Ipanima. We have ben reading up all about the city and have heard lots of great things so are really excited to arrive there!
We will attach some pictures as soon as possible to this blog but we wanted to keep you updated in the mean time!
Hope everyone is well,
love Jess and Josh xx
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Mum and Dad
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Hi Darlings, Was just beginning to think it was a while since we heard, I know not really but you set the bar high with the first really prompt one. It all sounds so amazing, even your first "adventure" ended well, even though the hotel was not in the budget! Writing this all down is going to make a great diary for you both to read back in years to come. Have fun with your friends and look after each other, we love you lots. Ma and Pa xxxxxxxxxxx