brasil pantanal and foz do igazu

---

So it turns out I did not manage to get to Paraty or Rio de Janiero as the day i intended to go there was a HUGE flood in Sou Paulo and nobody could leave. Plus I only had like 2 days to spend in Rio anyway before the Pantanal. Another time I´m sure. I went to the Pantanal next, bussing all the way to Corumba on the boarder between Bolivia and Brazil and then going back 2 hours inland the next day for a 4 day tour in the jungle. I didn´t know what to expect but my tour group were really lovely! two Italian guys, two Swiss women, an English guy and a german-dutch couple who lived in majorka in spain. Everybody gelled really quickly expecially becuase Bruce the English guy was so funny and outgoing with everybody. We stayed in dorm rooms in a resort like place with a pool - it was so hot (30-40 degrees), a bar and even Macaw birds and local pig like things running around. the first day it was raining a bit and we did a tour in boat of the river and saw lots of Capybura - these strange giant rodent things that can weigh up to 100kg, some Caiman - small crocodiles, and monkeys far away and birds of course. the following days we did walking bush tours, safari and horseriding and saw many of the same animals. but i was happy we got to see lots of Tucans and even three snakes - well not so happy about that! the food was also pretty good and we´d drink beers, lounge around the pool and play games like table tennis. the competition got pretty fierce between the boys with relentless competitions of pool, table tenis, and soccar until one of the italians literally brike a nail! I was then intending on going over the boarder to Bolivia and down to Argentina to see Derick for Christmas but most of the group was going to bonita afterwards and convinced me it would be a better way to go and then through Igazu to cordoba. I agreed to come as travelling alone can be tiring and it´s great when you meet people who are actually like friends within one week.

Bonito was 6 hours down the bumpiest road ever away from Camp Grande - I was so glad and sore by the time we got there. I met the rest of the crew and there were 10 of us in total from the previous posada in the Pantanal. The italians were in the kitchen cooking up a fest of past so I was happy. It was a very touristic place with a number of different things to do from the hostel - all costing about $80 US for the day - not including transport. I made a deal with myself to do one activity - snokelling downstream with thousands of fish in the clearest water in a rainforest. the rest of my gang was also doing that activity and food was included. It turned out to be amazing! literally eye to eye with thousands of fish in their own environment. now im not a fish person but it was a pretty awesome day. the waters are so pure and you´re not even allowed ot wear sun block or mossie repellent in the waters.

the next day I heading to Foz do Igazu with the Italians, Fabio and Federica and Hilde from Holland. we had a change over of bus in one place that was supposed to involve a one hour wait but instead we had to wait until half past midnight - 3 hours more! we took advantage of this and went to the local mall to get some food and a 2 litre tower of Chopp beer. after devouring that we heading to the local fun fair with rolar coaster etc accross the road from the bus terminal. We thought mistakingly that if you bought one ticket it was good for the night but now it was only for one ride and Fabio and I ended up wasting ours on a crappy haunted house that was not acary in the least. oh well.

In Foz do Igazu, we had another cozy hostel with a pool and superb fresh fruit. We went to the Brazilain side of the fals that day - the price had just incread from 20 reals to 38 by the way ($32 Nz). It was still good though - we went on walkways (after taking a but halfway up) close to the falls with look out points. there were also amazing big and bright butterflies that kept landing on you. the falls were still a long way away but you got to appreciate the grandosity of them and got fairly close (i.e sprayed) at some points.

the next day we got a bus across to the Argentinian side. I was happy to be going back to a country where the wine is good and as cheap as a cola back home! we walked with the group from the hostel that included some Mexicans, and a Columbian too as well as an English guy and a German. The Argentinian side was managed by a company instead of the government and was comprised of walkways actually over the falls. there were hundreds of them and the highlight was the garganta del diablo - a culmination of about 20 waterfalls all coming together with so much energy and such power that you cannot even see were it ends. It´s like looking at the end of the world in those disater movies!

after this I had to say goodbye to my friends of one week but I was happy to be heading to Cordoba to see Derick for Christmas.

---