South America (Part I) - Iguassu Falls
The postcard shot of Iguassu - taken from the Brazilian side
Getting There
Getting to Iguassu wasn´t the easiest thing in the world but I got there and it was totally worth it! I caught the 8:30am boat from Caye Caulker. The boat happened to be the only one in the fleet that was uncovered so I started out thinking I´d get sunburned then as the trip progressed worried about me and my luggage getting drenched. The captain broke a few rules in the harbour though so we docked just as it started raining instead of us all getting wet. At the airport I caused a problem because they decided to check me all the way through to Rio (which I didn´t realise they were trying to do) but I´d given them my Australian passport which had no visa for Brazil in it so the check-in process wouldn´t work. When I realised what they were doing (no one had spoken to me to ask) I fixed it in 2 seconds by changing passports. Miami airport was super boring but I found nice ice-cream and other foods. Also got myself a book for the wait. There was a security scare on our flight so we ended up leaving an hour late and hence arriving in Rio an hour late too. The bags took forever to come through so I came close to missing my Iguassu connection. Made it though - TAM are pretty relaxed about how close to take off you can check in - the plane was boarding when I checked my luggage in. Arrived safely at Foz du Iguacu and caught the bus downtown. The bus didn´t stop at my stop even though I pressed the button so I had to trek back 5 or so blocks with all my luggage. Then the streets weren´t actually labelled as per the hostel´s directions. The staff at Maccas helped me though and I eventually found where I needed to be.
Argentinian side
Took a day trip over to the Argentinian side of the falls. It´s a very easy border crossing and the trip is worth it. There are lots of walking tracks on this side and all sorts of different places to view the falls so you get loads of different perspectives. I ended up walking about 7 or more kilometres. It was brilliant - leave it to the photos...
Brazilian side
I had half a day here before my flight to Rio. I loved everything about this side - the painted buses, the panoramic views, the souvenirs, the ease of getting here etc. This side offers you the postcard type views of the falls. Very nice. Lots of pictures again and I´ll let them do the talking...
A toco toucan - not the one that bit me.
The postcard shot of Iguassu - taken from the Brazilian side
Getting There
Getting to Iguassu wasn´t the easiest thing in the world but I got there and it was totally worth it! I caught the 8:30am boat from Caye Caulker. The boat happened to be the only one in the fleet that was uncovered so I started out thinking I´d get sunburned then as the trip progressed worried about me and my luggage getting drenched. The captain broke a few rules in the harbour though so we docked just as it started raining instead of us all getting wet. At the airport I caused a problem because they decided to check me all the way through to Rio (which I didn´t realise they were trying to do) but I´d given them my Australian passport which had no visa for Brazil in it so the check-in process wouldn´t work. When I realised what they were doing (no one had spoken to me to ask) I fixed it in 2 seconds by changing passports. Miami airport was super boring but I found nice ice-cream and other foods. Also got myself a book for the wait. There was a security scare on our flight so we ended up leaving an hour late and hence arriving in Rio an hour late too. The bags took forever to come through so I came close to missing my Iguassu connection. Made it though - TAM are pretty relaxed about how close to take off you can check in - the plane was boarding when I checked my luggage in. Arrived safely at Foz du Iguacu and caught the bus downtown. The bus didn´t stop at my stop even though I pressed the button so I had to trek back 5 or so blocks with all my luggage. Then the streets weren´t actually labelled as per the hostel´s directions. The staff at Maccas helped me though and I eventually found where I needed to be.
Argentinian side
Took a day trip over to the Argentinian side of the falls. It´s a very easy border crossing and the trip is worth it. There are lots of walking tracks on this side and all sorts of different places to view the falls so you get loads of different perspectives. I ended up walking about 7 or more kilometres. It was brilliant - leave it to the photos...
Brazilian side
I had half a day here before my flight to Rio. I loved everything about this side - the painted buses, the panoramic views, the souvenirs, the ease of getting here etc. This side offers you the postcard type views of the falls. Very nice. Lots of pictures again and I´ll let them do the talking...
Also went to the bird park next to the Iguassu national park. It was really impressive - loads of toucans, macaws, hummingbirds and amazons etc. They even had emus, rainbow lorikeets and cassowaries! Really good place to visit. There was one toucan there that got a bit violent if you didn´t pay him enough attention though - the bugger bit me!
I´m in La Paz, Bolivia now and about to start my 6 week Kumuka tour to Quito so am not sure how often I´ll be able to update this page so be patient!
posted by Louise @ 12:43 AM
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