Foz do Iguaçu

What a place!  I arrived to Foz do Iguacu with the help of three different buses after leaving Miranda.  I splurged and took a taxi to my hostel, Flavela Chic.  It was one of the cheaper places in Foz but had a great atmosphere. After getting settled in, I walked to the grocery store where I stocked up on things for lunch and dinner.  My groceries consisted of yogurt, granola, bananas, crackers and nutella.  A perfectly balanced diet!  I had been without yogurt for a month and was craving it.  Now, after eating yogurt for every meal for the last 2.5 days, I can say I’m satisfied!  

Picture from the hostel! 

So anywho,  after lunch I headed to the main attractions!  Foz do Iguacu is one the seven natural wonders in the world.  The falls are absolutely incredible and you can see them from both the Brazilian side and Argentina side.  I went to the bird park first because I was in a bit of a funk and I knew that me being surrounded by birds would be like putting a kid in a candy shop.  My great grandmother passed away recently and I was upset that I wasn’t able to be with my family.  I had tried to arrange to go home earlier but the cost of flights wouldn’t allow it.   After a small pep talk with myself and  100’s of parrots in the park I was good to go.  I whistled my way through the different areas and ended with a cappuccino.  

The park was amazing and I had to force myself to leave so I could go see the falls.  I walked to the park, bought my 50 Reis ticket, and got on the bus that took me through the Brazilian park.  The falls were incredible.  I knew they were going to be amazing but I was still caught unprepared.  I dumbly followed the path in awe, with my mouth hanging open, as I took in more and more of the powerful falls.  I swear, there’s just something magical about the place.   

I arrived back at the hostel and met the new people who had arrived.  I stayed in a bedroom with 17 beds but only had to share the room with two other guys, one from Israel and one from Texas.  We hung out that night with the guy working at the hostel, played cards, and drank caipirinhas. 

The next day I played it lazy and lounged around the hostel until noon.  I walked around the town of Foz and contemplated what I could/should buy.  I had to call my credit card company and figure out why it wasn’t working.  My debit card had expired and I was out of cash so I was playing with fire.  Thankfully, the compnay helped me and my card was good to go.   I eventually ended up buying a few things such as a new pair of funky pants.  For those of you familiar with my bright, hippy pants from Cape town then you’ll understand why I bought this new pair. Don’t worry, these are a wee bit less in your face.  I’m pretty much in love.  So excuse me if I wear them everyday for the next several months.  I also bought a hammock.  Yep, that’s right.  I fit that baby in my suitcase.  I just couldn’t leave without one.   All in all the town of foz is pretty cool.  I enjoyed exploring it.

Pao de Queijo  
(Of all the food I'm going to miss.  This cheesy bread sits at the top of the list!) 

That night, I met more people who had arrived at the hostel.  I also got the opportunity to tell someone about rabies.  The guy from Texas had been scratched by one of the Coati’s at the falls that day when it tried to steal his fries.  Coatis are similar to raccoons and are rabies vectors.  He was advised to get exposure shots.  We were discussing the need for him to actually get the shots because he wasn’t bitten and the thing was more just a nucience then rabid.  Yet, rabies is not a disease you want to play games with!  Since it was free to get an exposure shot in Brazil, he went ahead and got one. He needs to get around four more to complete the post-exposure vaccination series.  Aye aye aye.  Man.  1) I’m glad I have my rabies pre-exposure shots.  2) You never know what could happen on vacation.  3) Stuff like this happens when people feed animals and alter their environment.

So yep.  That’s my adventure at Foz do Iguacu.  I flew out the next morning to Porto Alegre.  I can see why it’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  If you get a chance to go, you should do it!