Foz de Iguacu,
State of Parana,
Brazil
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Leaving Argentina behind, it was an exceptionally smooth border crossing into Brazil and we found ourselves on Brazilian soil and at the hotel 40 minutes after leaving Argentina. More than the obvious signs of being in a new country; new passport stamp, new money and in this case a whole new foreign language it also felt very different; a lot rougher, not as manicured and with more obvious signs of people desperately down on their luck. Our first mission was to get to an ATM and procure some of the new money and this was harder than we thought. Firstly money machines are hard to find and if you're lucky enough to find them then the next trial will be finding one that works. After beating the sweltering pavements over a hot sweaty hour we finally found an oasis, HSBC, and fortunately after trying over half the machines one actually dispensed the treasure. It's so incredibly hot here, close to 40oC and with no breeze we fully appreciate the need for a hotel with a pool but more importantly the siesta. We wisely chose to spend the afternoon by the pool or more accurately in the pool and to save the falls for the next morning when it's cooler. One thing about Brazil that they have in common with their Argentinean neighbours is their love of meat. The hotel recommended a Churrascaria (bbq) restaurant, Bufalo Branco, where there is a buffet salad bar and the meat is in endless supply. The waiters walk constantly around the restaurant offering the hottest, tastiest meat available on big skewers where they carve off what you want onto your plate. There were even some strange things on offer such as chicken hearts that looked like they may still beat and bull testicles, but we left those for the more adventurous diners.
It's true what they say, in that a trip to the Iguacu falls must be seen from both sides, Argentina and Brazil. The Brazilian side is more touristy. You take the bus in then follow a well marked and paved trail to view the falls. Tourist set up aside, it doesn't detract from how spectacular the falls are, the views are simply breathtaking. You get an entirely different perspective of the falls, fully appreciating their width (apparently the widest in the world) and their shear beauty and power. From the Brazilian side it looks more greener and lush. GT just mentioned that Christmas is in three days time, which is so hard to believe, so tomorrow Rio here we come.
