Words can´t describe....

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So when I came to South America, I had a couple things on my list of ¨I REALLY want to do or see¨. One was go to Machu Pichu, which unfortunately, I think is out due to the mud slides. It wiped out lots of train track and paths, so I guess that just means I will have to come back in a year when its fixed. Another was go to Iguazu falls, and to see a soccer (football) game. I am lucky enough to have checked off 2 of my list of three. See a football match and Iguazu falls in the last 5 days has probably been some of the best days of my life. Most memorable anyways.

So footballl....I really cant even start to describe how insane that game was! There was 5 of us that went, two guys and 3 girls. I am beyond thankful that there was guys with us girls! It was on a wednesday night, and I just kind of thought it would be nice and we would have our own seats and sort of like a regular sports game. No no! First off, it was torrential downpore the entire 3 hours! I had water just rolling down my face and could ring out my clothes. SOAKED! By the end of the game, the ball on the field wasn´t even rolling. It would just stop, spin in the puddles on the field. But anyway, before we got into the stadium, we saw a line and clearly thought that was the place to go. After 2 check pòints of police and getting patted down, we realized it was the wrong line. They have a certain section in the stadium for hard core fans. When I say hard core, I mean singing, chanting, waving flags, yelling, and beating drums the entire time! The tickets for this section are much cheaper and I think the owners of the football team sometimes pay these fans just to come. And so here I am, in a line about double the length of a football field, with metal bars on the side surrounded by these local crazies! It was really odd because in the line no one was talking. It was like the calm before the storm. I think that was the most afraid I have been in SA. Because as we were nearing the entrance, they started banging on the walls and pushing. I now understand how people get trampled in a crowd. And it was all men...i think i saw 3 girls in the whole line up. I lost my shoe and trying to fight back to get it was quite the treat. Anyhow, I am alive and wouldnt change that experience for anything. Oh and the opposing fans had a separate entrance and there was police guarding it. Like swat teams with the helmets and shields. So after being in the wrong line up, we were sent to another line and it was right beside the opposite team. We probably would have been in trouble if we werent clearly lost and had been wearing the colors or jerseys. Richard, my housemate from england, said that he hadn´t seen anything quite like that, even at European games. Oh and the stadium had concrete wall blocking off the section for the other fans and a big metal barricade with police. Hahah so intense! But oh my, the game was amazing! So fun to watch and when the team scored, the whole place just went crazy! Í can´t quite describe it, but im pretty sure hockey fans need a lesson in how to be true fans.

So that was on Wednesday, and on thursday I took a 18 hour bus ride to see Iguazu Falls. The buses here are nothing like greyhound, thank god! The bus is three seats across rather than four, so you get a huge chair and it reclines almost all the way back. And they have a bus attendant or a steward. We start the trip, and he gives us all blankets, pillow, dinner with wine and champaign after. So, the trip wasn´t as bad as I originally thought it would be. I went with 21 other people from ECELA. I got annoyed during some parts of the trip, because with a big group, things take 5 times longer and I really dont like feeling like im in grade 7 on a field trip. Anyway, we get off the bus around 2 in the afternoon and believe me or not, it was 48 degrees!!! I thought that 35 degrees in the summer was hot, but I have never imagined that a place could get that hot. Thankfully, our hostel had a pool. The water was still hot, but it cooled you off for about 10 minutes.
Iguazu falls is actually on of the most beautiful places I´ve ever seen. Its in the jungle and so much water! It makes you speechless. So one day we walked around and some people took a boat really close to the falls. The next day most of the people went to brazil. These falls are like how niagra is. Half is canadian and the other half is US. This is half Argentina and half Brazil. Unfortunately Canadians need a visa before they can enter brazil and I dont have one. So me and a couple other canadians and a couple americans stayed in argentina. It was cool because I saw a section where brazil, argentina and paraguay meet (Ill post pictures on Facebook).
Needless to say, this has been quite the week! I cant quite believe I leave on Sunday to Peru. I have come to really like Argentina. Its much different than I thought. Its really flat outside the city, and so much farm land. Further north is jungle. So Amazing!

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Comments

[Jen R]

wow!
Darci, It all sounds amazing! I have hopes to go to S.A. one day because both of my grandmothers lived in Paraguay for awhile and I want to visit the little villages they lived in.... anyways, glad to hear you're having a blast! J