BootsnAll Travel Network



Archive for the 'Brazil' Category

« Home

Iguacu Falls continued….

Friday, March 16th, 2007

Back to the relative sanity of the Brazil/Argentina border crossing…

Friday the 9th we tool the rattley local bus that crosses the border to the Argentinean side of Iguaçu. A relatively straightforward process albeit tiring because you have to get on and off the bus and inevitable get left behind, at each side of the border crossing.

We checked into a hostel recommended by some friends in Paraty, never listen to Australian, they had us booked into a hostel not dissimilar to a disused mental asylum! As you can tell we are currently enjoying a downward spiral of hostel accommodation standards, I think we were spoilt by the amazing place we stayed in Paraty, we might also have bad karma for stealing their key accidentally!

Anyway, the town of Puerto Iguaçu in Argentina is much nicer than Foz, and despite the LP recommendation that the only decent place to eat in the bus station café (I ask you, did these people even leave any bus stations?!) we had our first Argentine meal of fabulous steak and red wine.

Header to the Argentine falls on local bus in the morning, no expensive tours for us! But the park is so well organized you really don’t need a tour and we spent the whole day following the trails and exploring the waterfalls. From this side you get a much better close up view of the falls, standing underneath some and walking across the top of others. At the end of the park you take a series of walkways to reach the top of the Devils Throat waterfalls, which is just incredible. The guide books all tell you it’s like standing on the edge of the world, although Tucky with his own personal philosophical bent, likened it more to being a spider about to be flushed down the toilet – such a romantic! Anyway, it was definitely a view worth seeing. I will post photos a soon as I can, unfortunately the computer won’t let me here.

Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend

Friday, March 16th, 2007

On Friday 9th March, we visited the ITAIPU DAM. This is the world’s largest functioning (China’s is still in construction) hydro electricity plant, providing 80% of all Paraguay’s electricity and almost 25% of Brazils. The dam itself is a joint project between Paraguay and Brazil and between them they could flood a large portion of northern Argentina if they wished! The dam itself receives over 1500 visitors a day and offers a range of free tours lasting from one hour to four hours. They offer free tours because they are happy for your interest. I recommend the powers that be in Guernsey visit the dam in order to discover for themselves the incredible power that could be harnessed in Guernsey through the awesome spectacle of hydro power!

We know all of this information from the brainwashing video (complete with nuns and small children) we watched in a packed auditorium. We are now believers that Itaipu is the greatest, most powerful and most benevolent company on earth and their increasing power can only bring good to the world. I would recommend you all go and visit the dam, the awe-inspiring power of water harnessed by the awe-inspiring power of Itaipu.

Remember, Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend. Itaipu is good, Itaipu is your friend.

Iguacu Falls

Friday, March 16th, 2007
After one night in Curitiba (in a hostel - recommended by the LP - which may have been renting rooms by the hour, in which we were bitten to death by mosquitoes) we took another night bus to Foz do ... [Continue reading this entry]

Curitiba

Friday, March 16th, 2007
From Paraty we took the night bus to Sao Paulo where we changed at midnight and took a second night bus to Curitiba, a small town in southern Brazil with a big University population, mainly as a stopping point on ... [Continue reading this entry]

Puppets in Paraty

Friday, March 16th, 2007
The puppet show was odd. Seven acts, performed by a mother and daughter team dressed in black holding small wooden puppets, ranging from a man playing the violin to a suicide to a women, well, `enjoying some alone time`. Anyway, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Really, I was on a bike!

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

really, I was ona bike!
Originally uploaded by [Continue reading this entry]

Paraty

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

Paraty Harbour
Originally uploaded by kathsmee.
After so ... [Continue reading this entry]

Rio and more football!

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

Maracana
Originally uploaded by kathsmee.
After a quick ... [Continue reading this entry]