Foz Do Iguacu - February 24th

Igaucu was so good yesterday that we are going back to the Argentinian side again before we go to Brazil.  By getting our tickets stamped on exit yesterday we are able to get in for half price.  This time we do it a bit in reverse, with the trip on the slow train to Garganta Del Diablo first thing.  This is even better this time because the weather is better (with sunshine we can see rainbows) and because we walked fast from the first train of the day we get there ahead of most of the crowds.

The one thing we didn’t do the previous day was take a boat trip up to the falls.  The trip over to the island didn’t count because the water was quite calm.  But after coming back from Garganta we buy tickets for a boat ride.  It is just as well that we didn’t leave the island for today as it is closed due to rising water levels making docking unsafe.   But our boat is running.  It is basically a fast speedboat, and it does two circuits, one in front of Garganta and San Martin allowing for good photos, and then you put away the cameras into waterproof bags as the boat then rides into the waterfalls.  First you go right up to the base of San Martin which is a little scary as it is quite rough.  It is like a roller coaster ride.  Then we go to three waterfalls which we are able to practically sail right under.  Needless to say we get drenched.  Now I know how clothes in a washing machine feel.

After that there is little left to do.  The sunny weather disappears again, so as it is as overcast as the previous day there is little point in taking more photos, so we decide to call it a day (or half-day) and head back to town.  There we change out of our wet clothes, have a bite to eat, and say goodbye to Argentina as we get a local bus to Foz Do Iguacu in Brazil.  This time we know the score on the buses leaving us at the borders, although the wait is longer than in Paraguay.  First impressions of Brazil aren’t great, but that is mostly because Foz is not a pretty historic town, it is just a tourist trap.

An example of that greets us as we get off the bus in Foz, we are met by an ‘official’ tourist information guide who tells us that our booked hostel is bad, but he has a list of other good ones.  We ignore him, and go to our hostel which of course turns out to be quite nice.  In the evening we go to a churrascaria.  This is an all you can eat grilled meat restaurant.  You get a buffet of salad on a plate (a mound), as much chips, rice and pasta as you can fit on the plate as well, and then you sit and wait for the meat to come.  Each waiter brings you a type of meat, and you can have as much or as little as you want.  I had roast beef, lamb, pork, two types of sausage (spicy and non-spicy), two types of ribs (beef and pork), chicken wings, and four different cuts of steak.  And also some grilled cheese, onion and pineapple.  There was probably more but by then you can’t remember it all.  And there was a server yourself dessert buffet as well.  As I was pretty full by then I only had about 7 items.  A decent start to Brazil.