Blogs from Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, South America - page 6

Hi everyone, So I haven't done many tourist activities yet here in Brazil as I have been saving them for my holidays in a week or so. However, I did break this pledge on Sunday as I headed to the Bird Park, situated near the Falls. The Bird Park surprised me for many reasons, not least because it houses a variety of animals who aren't birds! Before arriving at the Bird Park, I had received many warnings about the toucans, who reportedly like to stalk you and bite at your legs and ankles. Luckily for me they were happy to just wander around my feet, pose for photos and to attack other visitors instead! Unfortunately the same could not be said for the mosquitoes and wasps who were more than happy to sample me for dinner ... read more

And so I came from the buzzing city of Rio to the touristy town of Foz Do Iguaçu. It was a smaller, calmer place waiting to be explored, a fresh system and routine to adjust to, new people to meet and befriend and another strange supermarket to master. The hostel Paudimar was amazing! Friendly staff, a bar, a hammock, great beds, very laid back atmosphere and best of all: A POOL! I started to feel relaxed and unwound from the hustle bustle of busy Rio. I only spent one night here ‘alone’ (in terms of from the others in Travellers Worldwide team) until Teddy joined me from Rio. He is staying in Foz a whole month, which is really abnormal here because most people are in and out of this town in around 3 days; purely ... read more

Hello everyone, Well time flies and I have already completed one and a half weeks at the Special Educational Needs School where I am volunteering at the moment, I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed. Each day I have worked with a different class so by now I have met most of the pupils and staff. The pupils are all very different and have needs that span the entire range. Some of the pupils can do very little for themselves and cannot speak at all, others would not be out of place in our own school. All of them bring their own special contribution to the school and make each day incredibly interesting. In the morning sessions, they follow a timetable much as you would expect. They have specialist teachers for Music, Art, and ... read more

After having seen Iguazu falls from the Argentinian side, I was ever so slightly sceptical as to what the experience would be like from the Brazilian side. Most people you speak to will tell you that the Argentinian side is better and others tell you to not even bother with the Brazilian side. For us though, this seemed ridiculous, as how can seeing those falls again be a disappointment? I just hoped we would see enough difference in the Brazilian side to warrant the trip over the border. Either way though, we would get a day out, be able to see the falls from all the possible view points, plus, we would get to head into Brazil for the day. Bit of a no brainer really! Before we got to see the falls though, we needed ... read more

The last week has been our most hectic by far and it seems futile to try and remember every detail after the copious amount of rum consumed. So the following passage may not be entirely accurate or informative; merely what we can remember. Following two days of travel, staggered by nine hours in Sao Paulo bus station, we arrived at Foz with the intention of viewing the waterfalls that, seemingly, everyone that we met thus far had waxed lyrical about. Dumping our bags at the hostel, we ventured off under the morning sun in search of provisions. After an executive decision in the local supermarket (strongly influenced by two days of sleep deprivation), we returned with two litres of rum and a bag of ice. The morning flew by and, feeling invigorated from the premature drinking ... read more