Blogs from Iguaçu National Park, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, South America - page 5

So... on Wednesday, I had my only day off that I'm going to have before the Christmas holidays. Did I decide to have a nice relaxing day? Of course not... off to Brazil I went! The waterfalls are AMAZING. The suspense is slowly built up before you see them. One bus from Foz do Iguacu to the park, another bus when in the park to the start of the trail, on the bus you can see the spray from the waterfalls hitting the windscreen, then you can hear this thunderous sound in the distance... get off the bus, walk a little bit, and there is your first view of the waterfalls... This first view is from quite a distance, and as you walk around the path there are various viewing platforms as you get closer ... read more

A whole series of waterfalls sitting on the border between Brazil and Argetina, the Iguazu Falls are even more amazing and spectacular than we imagined. After seeing many photos from friends who have been, we knew that they were pretty impressive, but nothing can prepare you for the sheer scale of them.  We spent time on both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the falls as we were told 'Brazil has the panorama, Argentina has the falls'... Or as they each say respectively 'our side is better'!  It would seem both offer a different view and experience and we had a brilliant time in each. Although it is true that in Argentina you can get more up close and personal with the falls... In a boat! We got completely soaked as we sped down the rapids ... read more

After seeing the waterfalls in Argentina, I stayed one more day in Puerto Iguazu, during which both Argentina and England had World Cup matches, so during the Argentina match the city was deserted save for a few American backpackers and a dog that had been dressed in the Argentinean football strip. On the edge of town is a viewpoint overlooking the confluence of the Iguazu and Paraná rivers, and thus the triple frontier with Brazil and Paraguay, which was about the only thing of interest to see in Puerto Iguazu. The border crossing the next day from Puerto Iguazu to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil was astonishingly easy and quick. Probably because it was a Sunday and both the bus and the roads were empty. I found my hostel without any problems, leaving all of the ... read more

It was time to leave Rio so we jumped on a bus to Paraty (Pronounced Parachee). 4.5hrs south of Rio on the Costa Verde (Green Coast). Paraty is an old Portuguese colonial town established around 1660 and became the major Port for exporting gold found in the area back to Portugal. The town centre is a World Heritage listed town and hence the buildings are untouched, the streets are cobblestone-paved and no cars or trucks are allowed in this part of town, only foot traffic or bicycles. The cobblestones are more like boulders and for someone with weak little chickenleg ankles (first name starting with J) walking around is quite an effort, actually it is an effort for everyone, heads down for all walking through the centro. We found a cheap Pousada and booked in for ... read more

A wonderfully luxurious air-conditioned coach took me from Paraty to Sao Paulo. The bus had large, comfortable reclining seats and was a very agreeable way to watch the glorious coastal scenery rush by. The coach meandered along the coast passing wealthy resort towns set beside golden sandy beaches. Before long the coach turned in land and wound up over a mountain range which is where the weather changed dramatically. The scorching blue skies of Paraty felt like a long time ago when rain began to fall as the coach approached Sao Paulo. I approached the city at dusk - the concrete jungle fading in the late afternoon light as the endless cityscape loomed larger. The traffic ground to a halt enroute to the bus station as the torrential rain caused transport chaos. Further ahead the river ... read more