After 18 hours on the bus from Rio, we finally reach Florionopolis. It is about 8am and we grab a taxi and head to our separate hostels. Nicola and I have decided to spend this time apart and meet again for the journey to Iguaco and Buenos Aires. I get dropped off first to Hostel Way 2 go. My room is not ready, but they have given me my own room instead of a dorm as it is full, for the same price, I am so happy. Already I like Florionopolis. I meet Roberta and she tells me all about the area and explains how to get to the beaches from here on the bus. Mainly this is a beach place. I am not really bothered too much about the beach which is why I chose to stay in town near the lagoon, and am happy just to chill out here and wander around the town, but she is insistent as it is friday today it is best to do the beach today as the weekend will be busy. I meet a couple of guys from London, who have just arrived here too and we head to Campeche beach together.
We make our way to the bus station, get lost, eventually find it, have missed the bus and wait for the next one in about 20 minutes! We just hang out and wait whilst chatting about various places we have been. These guys are only on a 3 week break from the UK so will be going home shortly. We are all exhausted from our travelling here and just crash out on the beach for the day before heading back to the hostel. On the way I stop at the supermarket and pick up some food. I want to save money now and am going to make meals myself while I am here as I have completely blown my budget so far. I am trying to budget on $50 US per day, but it is not easy as accommodation is around $20 and with transport, tours and meals it soon adds up. The bus from Rio alone was $100. I think to get to Iguaco and BA will be similar so that is $300 in a week on buses alone!!! :(
I get back, shower, and make a salad for dinner. I meet some other people from the hostel but it seems everyone is leaving tomorrow for Iguaco. Tonight everyone seems to be going out on the town, but I am a bit burnt from the beach and am exhausted from the carnival partying and the 18 hour ride here, so I just want some sleep now. I look up some stuff on Iguaco on the internet and go to bed and read for a while. The crowd are partying here until about 12ish…I am so tired but there is nothing you can do. I try and sleep through it, may as well have joined them after all, as was not going to sleep now!!! Eventually they go out to the town and then I get woken when they come back in the early hours of the morning talking loudly outside my room Agghhhhh!!!
I spend the whole day in bed, I am not feeling great and am so tired. Eventually I surface at about 4pm and Harvey, one of the guys I went to the beach with the day before pops into the hostel, as he has moved now to another hostel. He is collecting some things he left and asks if I want to join him for a walk. I need to get some fresh air and exercise so we head off and explore the lagoon. After about 40 minutes it starts raining and I am hungry and tired again as I have not eaten since breakfast, so I thank Harvey and head back alone while he carries on. I stop off and get some more supplies for dinner and go back to prepare it. Tonight is Roberta's birthday, she runs the hostel here and is lovely and so helpful. The vodka is flowing and a couple of the other residents here are playing music on the guitar and singing. They are really good and we all have a bit of a singalong and then head out on the town about midnight. Everyone goes out really late here! We end up in a jazz bar and stay a while, but I am still tired and not feeling great so am happy to head back about an hour later as the music is more like something I would eat my dinner to, with couples dancing together, not quite the party scene I was expecting. I walk back with a german girl, Sandra, who was also happy to leave and it takes about 20 minutes before we eventually arrive back to the hostel. We decide to go sand boarding tomorrow and agree to meet in the morning!
The next morning I am all ready for sand boarding, Sandra has got the information from Roberta about where it is and how to get there, or so I think!!! We leave the hostel and start walking to the bus stop. I ask Sandra where we are going and she says she doesn't know but it will be fine we will just ask someone where the sand boarding is!! Well that is all well and good apart from the fact that no one here speaks english, and if they do speak a bit I am sure sand boarding is not a word they will understand easily! Oh well, I leave us in Sandra's hands, and we ask some people who tell us which side of the road to get the bus and we go from there! Once on the bus we ask another boy who tells us to get off at lagoa beach, so we ride it out until we arrive. Once there we do not see any sand dunes!! Surprise!!! However we are hungry so we grab some lunch and ask the waiter who does speak some english to help us. He is fantastic and so helpful like everyone here tries to be, the other people we asked, I am gathering, thought we wanted to go to the beach!! We are in totally the wrong place, but anyway it is very nice here and we have our lunch and then do a bit of shopping as we are both looking for a new bikini. I successfully find one I like. Costs way too much at $40 but it is the only one I have tried on in months that really fits nicely, so I treat myself. Sandra is not so successful. We hang around for a while and then make our way back as the heat here is exhausting and as she has not got a bikini we cannot go to sit on the beach anyway!
I head back to the hostel and Sandra goes into town to look some more for a bikini. We have agreed to try the sand boarding tomorrow and I will get the directions from Roberta. I chill out in my room for a few hours, I cannot shake this tiredness and wonder if I am fighting a bug as I have not been feeling great. Eventually i get up and get some dinner, which consists of a sandwich from the supermarket, and just hang out with everyone until they all go out for the evening. I just can't be bothered and am quite happy just getting an early night and relaxing!
The next morning I am packed, checked out and ready to leave. We meet for the sand boarding and I have all the info this time, so we head for the 11am bus. Another guy from the hostel from Barcelona is joining us too, so should be a fun day! We board the bus and arrive there 10 mins later!! Sand dunes!! We have made it! Wow looks great!! We grab a board each, only costs about $5 an hour, which we think will be long enough, and head for the dunes!!! It is pretty hard going walking in this soft powdery sand and by the time we get to the top we are exhausted already. I wish I had bought my camera with me, but I left it at the shack where we got the boards so it did not get sand in it! The views up here are awesome, the dunes with the sea behind, beautiful!!
Anyway, I will get some later from the smaller dunes we passed on the way up here. So here we are at the top and we decide it will be best if we all go together. So down we go!!! OMG it is so fast, I get half way and fall off. Get back up and make it to the bottom. Then we have to climb up again to start over. Down I go again, same thing happens again, I just lose my nerve! Next time I am determined to get to the bottom, it is all a state of mind! This time I think positive and try and remain balanced and I make it all the way, so cool!!!
Now I think I have got the hang of it, I decide to try the bigger, faster slope. Bad idea! Most people are sitting on the board going down, but we decide to do it standing!! It all starts off so well and then it gets out of control and I can't stop. Faster and faster, I panic and lose my balance and go hurtling over in a somersault, twisting my neck and hurting my butt which I landed on pretty hard!! My head is pounding for a few seconds, so I just sit there in the sand until I feel ok again. Then decide to stick to the beginners slopes for today, I think it will be safer! However I think i kept the crowd amused at my antics. Shame we didn't have the camera for that one!!!
After a while we were exhausted from constantly climbing back up the hill to start again, so we called it a day! We were covered in sand from head to foot!! Quickly we went to get our cameras and take some pictures and then we hit the beach to attempt to wash off all the sand! I needed to get back so we did not stay long as my bus was leaving at 3pm and I needed to get showered too before I left for Iguaco Falls.
I said my goodbyes and started the long walk to the bus station with all my stuff. It was tough going and about 20 minutes later i arrived hot and tired out!! At least I would sleep well on the bus at it is 14 hours there. I meet Nicola at the main terminal and we both fall straight asleep on the 6.30pm bus to arrive the following day in Foz do Iguacu.
When we wake up, the first thing I notice is how different the scenery is here. All the mountains and hills have gone to be replaced by a flat landscape which is obviously used for farming. The sky is overcast, actually reminds me a bit of england! We reach our destination about 9am and catch another bus into town where we are staying on the Brazilian side for one more night to see the falls from this side, before entering Argentina as this sits right on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
We leave our things in the hostel, Pousada Natureza Foz, where we are staying for our final night in Brazil. It is lovely here, so peaceful. We quickly freshen up and make our way to the waterfalls after grabbing some lunch at the supermarket cafe. The bus takes us straight to the National Park where the falls are situated. At first view I was a bit disappointed, they were not as big as I expected and I thought maybe there has not been much rain. However we were only at the start, and as we went on they got bigger and then we saw the main falls!! They were huge, roaring and crashing onto the rocks below, covering us with a fine mist. It was so beautiful and powerful. I was in awe!! Just staring at it. Pictures can't really do it justice! I just wonder where all that water comes from and where it all ends up. Unbelievable!!! There was quite a bit of wildlife about here too, mainly lizards, butterflies and birds and a coate, which looks like a racoon.
We hung around for a while taking it all in and taking some pictures until my camera broke!!! Typical!! Just when I need it the most!!! Looks like more shopping in Buenos Aires then, will have to share Nicola's pictures in the meantime, although mine still takes video and pictures but you just can't see the screen when you are trying to take a picture, it is just black. I can take blind pictures which I did a few times but it is not ideal :(
We got the bus back to town and went back to the supermarket to find some dinner on the cheap. We were both still so tired and soon went to bed for our big day tomorrow crossing the border to Argentina!! The next morning we were up, packed and at the bus stop by 9.30am just as the bus was pulling in. Perfect timing!! After about 10 minutes we arrived at the border, got our stamps, left Brazil and entered Argentina :)
We were staying at the Hostel Inn, which is a huge resort type place with a massive pool and everything you could possibly need. We dropped off our luggage and went straight to the falls to see them from the Argentina side. We stopped off for lunch and arrived there about 2pm. The rainclouds were moving in and it was only a matter of time before the soaking was going to start!! We arrived by the little train in the park to the main part of the falls, and just as we got there the rain started to come down. Well as always forgot my waterproofs and had to buy another raincoat for the grand sum of £5, such a rip off, just like a bin liner with buttons!! Anyway, nothing else for it, so Nicola decided against it, and just set off in her bikini, and I am telling you it was not that warm in the rain!! So ignoring the odd stares and comments Nicola was getting for not being dressed appropriately, we trudged along the catwalk on our way to the falls. After about 20 minutes we arrived, we were right above the most powerful falls here and it was breathtaking!! The sheer size and power was mind boggling and just looking over the edge you realise how inconsequential we all are when up against the true beauty and power of nature. We were getting even more soaked by all the spray and nicola was cold so we headed back to the park. The rain was easing now and the sun was trying to shine, so I decided to go on the upper trail for a better view of the falls, while Nicola was cold and wanted to go! We parted ways and I headed up the trail just as the sun emerged from the storm clouds and brightened up the day. I was so hoping to see the rainbows over the falls, so I hurried on and was rewarded with some nice pictures and memories of a truly beautiful glimpse of nature at its very best. I just caught half a rainbow before the sun once again disappeared and it was time to head back and get ready for the BBQ tonight at the hostel.
Upon my arrival it seemed that there had been a power cut, apparently it happens every time it rains, so they were not sure what room I was in as the computers were not working. Nicola having arrived before me let me know that there was no beds available in the room we had been allocated, By now I just wanted to get showered and freshen up! I waited for I while and then was finally given a key to the room next door and Nicola was told to move as she was in someone else's bed!
Eventually we were all showered and settled in and went to the restaurant to enjoy the BBQ and entertainment which consisted of some Samba dancing with everyone joining in. Nicola went to bed and I soon followed, we were both still so very tired and fell straight to sleep. The morning soon came around and as we were packing our stuff ready to leave, as we had to check out by 10am, I felt something give in my lower back. I tried to stand up and could hardly walk. It was so painful and I panicked wondering if I had slipped a disc because I don't really know what else it could have been. All these months of carrying a heavy backpack from place to place was taking its toll, either that or I had injured it in my fall sand boarding a few days ago. I just felt like crying and giving up! I could see all my plans for riding and trekking and travelling alone going out of the window! I was so looking forward to spending the next month alone and now I was not sure what was on the horizon, or if I would have to go home, wherever that is? I was thinking worse case scenario, but when in so much pain all these things go through your head and you want to be around people you trust, who make you feel everything will be ok, your friends and family, and suddenly you feel so alone and vulnerable!! Nicola wanted to use the internet and go into town, to be honest I was a bit disappointed that she did not stay with me, but we said our goodbyes until BA and I was left alone to deal with it. Fortunately I met a guy from London as I was waiting at the hostel for my taxi, who said he would share the taxi and help me out. Unfortunately the taxi did not turn up!! With 30 minutes left until my bus was due to leave from the town centre I was getting stressed now and felt so helpless. I could not even lift my own bag! Graham offered to carry it for me and suggested we go out to the main road and get one from there. I had no choice! I grabbed the rest of my things and he carried our backpacks, and I know mine alone was 20kg, and we walked out to the main road with all the stuff, Graham left me with it and went to find a cab. Smiling he turned up in the car, yeyyy, we loaded all the stuff and off we went to town, only to find out when I got there that my bus was delayed. I said my goodbyes and thanks to Graham as he departed and was once again, alone and wondering what the hell I was going to do! I was then told 30 minutes later that another bus was coming to take me to the bus!!! Nooooo!! I would have to move all my stuff twice!! Somehow the bus turned up and I managed to get on with all my stuff and sit by the door, then 5 minutes later we got to the bus depot and changed to the night bus!! The driver helped me and I have never been so glad to be on a bus!! I am so pleased I paid the extra £10 for the VIP luxury ticket with full bed, tv, radio, all meals and champagne and wine, which I hoped would numb the pain!! This was like 1st class on a plane!! It was awesome and I felt I could just relax now for the next 20 hours to Buenos Aires!!!
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