Hello everybody! Welcome to the start of my absolutely epic adventures in South America! First stop…..Brazil!
DAY 1 LONDON TO RIO DE JANEIRO
I woke up SUPER early…5.30am! I think my mind was way too active and when I woke up I was feeling a bit anxious. Have I packed everything? Have I forgotten to buy or pack something important? Have I booked all the important stuff? Man, I really wish brains came with an off switch 😂
I had a coffee, checked all my tech again, sorted out my plants and added the last few things to my bags. I left home at 8.25am and headed to the tube station. I'm very lucky to live along the Piccadilly Line, which goes directly to Heathrow for just £3. Gatwick, Luton & Stanstead all cost around £20 to get to.
I always plan to be at the airport 3hrs early. That way, I can sit at the gate & worry about missing my flight instead of rushing, running late & missing my flight. Today I arrived at 9.10am, too early for bag drop even! The airport felt busy, with lots of people everywhere, but there were no queues for bag drop, and getting through security took 5mins. Woohoo, airside and its only 9.40am!
Next stop….breakfast! I was starving! I chose a café and had a nice eggs benny. It was nice, but typical airport pricing.
Then I took the inter-terminal train to the B gate and waited to board. British Airways board in zones, so it was very organised & not at all the typical huge boarding queues. When booking, I broke away from my normal window seat (A) and chose a middle aisle seat (D). Much easier to go to the toilet! It's 11hrs from London to Rio and it is a direct flight.
The flight was long but uneventful. I watched lots of movies, we had snacks, lunch was peri peri chicken, and we had plenty to drink. The sour cream & chives pretzels are so good! They also had Walkers shortbreads, which are my favourite shortbread biscuits ever! Dinner was also good, better than lunch! I had a tarragon chicken with potato & broccoli.
The immigration queue at Rio GIG airport was very long. Firstly it took 10mins to walk from the gate to the immigration then it took about 30mins in the queue, but finally, I was admitted to Brazil! This meant my bag was in the carousel waiting for me, which was awesome. I went and found my driver who took me to my car.
The drive into Rio de Janeiro was quite quick, about 25mins. One thing I noticed was police everywhere. Just sitting on the side of the road, lights flashing & the police officers standing next to their cars. My driver spoke only Portuguese, so communication was limited, but he did point out Christo (Christ the Redeemer), the Rocinha favela and another favela that I “no visit, no visit”.
At my hostel I checked in and headed straight to my room. I was tired and had early pickup so I got ready and went straight to bed.
DAY 2 RIO DE JANEIRO
I slept pretty badly. I think I was worried about missing my alarm, and whether my phone had updated to the right time. In the end, I gave up at 6.15am and just played in my phone for a while. Then I got ready and headed down to reception to await my tour pickup.
Today was a city tour, covering most of the major attractions in Rio. I chose this one as it was very comprehensive, and given I only have 2 days here, I thought it was the best idea. My guide Priscylla was a few minutes early, which was great. We had to pick up a few more people, and by 8am we were on our way to Christo. We had 13 people: 3 Aussies (the other 2 live in Argentina), 1 Spanish, 2 Panamanians, 2 Chileans, 2 Brazilians and 3 Bangladeshis.
There are 2 ways to visit Christ (Christ the Redeemer statue). One is by driving up a very steep and windy road, the other is by old fashioned mountain train through the forest. Naturally, I chose the train. We got our tickets and boarded the train. It is very steep! I was facing downhill and several times I had to hold the window ledge so I didn’t slide off my seat! The forest was beautiful! Once at the top, we were given a meeting time and place and set free. The statue is a total of 38m high (8m base, 30m Jesus), and Corcovado mountain is over 700m above sea level. This also means the views over the city are amazing. I walked around for a while taking plenty of photos (of course!). Then I asked the Aussie couple to take some pictures of me in front of the statue. Then we headed back to the meeting point and boarded the train back down. Here is a video of a small section of the journey. In total, it is about 15-20min trip.
Next was a stop outside Maracana Stadium, which is a famous soccer (football) stadium. I have zero interest in soccer so I took a couple of photos then went back to the van.
The Sambadrome was our next stop. This place is a long strip with seating on either side. During Carnivale, the top 24 samba schools (out of over 100), get to parade their floats and dancers down the Sambadrome with up to 73,000 people in the stands cheering them on. It starts at 9pm and finishes around 6am, and goes for 4 nights every Feb!
Our next visit was to the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sebastian. This has been made in the similar style of Chichen Itza in Mexico; hence it is pyramid shaped. My honest opinion? What the heck! It certainly does not look like any church I've ever seen, doesn’t look like Chichen Itza to me, and gave me post-apocalypse type vibes. Very strange to me. There are 4 sections of stained glass in the walls, which is pretty, but it wasn’t a place I would go back to.
Then it was off to the Selaron Stairs. These are 215 steps, covering 125m, and connect the upper and lower parts of downtown. They have been covered in the front edges with over 5000 mosaic tiles, which is why they are now famous. We had to walk down a small road to get there, which had some murals painted on the walls. When our guide let us go, she told us we must walk to the end of the road and go straight up the steps. Do not turn right, she said. Very curious, I looked right, but did not walk down the street. Looked pretty normal to me. I walked to the top of the steps, taking lots of photos along the way. The higher you go, the less people around, which was good. Then I turned round and went back down. I went to the souvenir shops at the bottom and got myself a shot glass. Only cost me 10 reals, which is around £1.70. Bargain!
Back on the bus, I asked Priscylla why we couldn’t turn right, and she pointed out a roller door behind us with a guy sitting out the front. That is a well-known drug dealer shop, and the whole lane, which connects to the ‘don’t turn right' street, is know for drug dealing. Fair enough.
Then it was lunch time. Yay because I was starving! I hadn't eaten since my last meal on the plane. We went to a churrascaria restaurant, which is those ones where the staff bring the meat to you table on big skewers and cut it off for you. Food was included, but not drinks. Most of us decided to have the Brazilian national cocktail, the caipirinha. It's made with cachaca, sugar and lime. It was very strong, but not bad. We had an unlimited salad buffet, and the meat just kept on coming. Plus, they gave us these little plates of sides to share, like fried plantain, chips, rice etc. It was delicious! I ate so much! We had these super delicious cheese and herb balls, which I really want more of, but only got 1. The chorizo was also good. Not spicy like back home, more like a ham steak in a chipolata sausage.
After lunch, it was time for Sugarloaf Mountain. The only way for normal people to get to the top is by cable car. The crazy people rock climb up! The first cable car takes you to Urca, which is just over 200m high. Here there is a nice walk from one side to the other, offering lovely views of the north of the city. There are also shops, some of the original cable cars from the early 1900s, cafes and a restaurant.
I was with Priscylla at one point who pointed out a monkey! It was tiny! Around 20cm high max I reckon. It was super cute! She warned me against touching it, as it was a wild animal and may attack. Just after, some tourist was literally 2cm from touching it when she told him off. There ended up being 3 monkeys!
At the shops at the top, I checked out the Haviana thongs. Very popular, very expensive back home, but relatively cheap here. Then I looked at the food place, and my guide told me one of the items on my food list (from the lab tech at school, who is Brazilian), was in the shop and bought one to share with me. It is called a brigadeiro, and is a ball made of condensed milk & chocolate. It was very sweet and oh so good!
Then we boarded the next cable car and headed up to Sugarloaf. This one is about 330m high and the views are even better, especially over Copacabana and Ipanema.
The top is much smaller, so it doesn’t take long to walk around. There are a few food places and some shops. One place is a jewellery shop, that has carved gemstone animals. They had a huge amethyst geode with several birds carved out of different gemstones. It was stunning! I'm fairly sure it would cost more than my salary, so I took a picture and left.
Another thing on my foods list was a drink called cha matte leo, which is Brazilian iced tea. I got a lime flavoured one. It definitely was not my favourite. I'll take a Lipton iced tea any day over that one.
Then it was time to head down and finish the tour. We took the cable cars down and boarded the van. We were dropped off in reverse order, so I was first to be collected and last to be dropped. I decided to go straight to the supermarket to get a drink and some snacks. There are 2 decent sized ones only a 1-2 minute walk from my hostel which is great. I ended up just grabbing an apple for breakfast tomorrow and a small bottle of Antarctica guarana, which is on my food list, and is a guarana flavoured soft drink. It was really nice!
I decided to keep being active, and after a stop back at the hostel to change shoes & empty my bag of valuables, I walked to Ipanema beach to watch the sunset. The beaches are very popular, even during the evenings, so there were lots of people around. It was only a 15min walk to the top end of the beach. I found a spot on the rocks to sit and watch. It was really nice. The colours coming through on the phone camera were beautiful purples and pinks. I don’t even have to do any editing or apply filters. They are perfect just as they are! There were hundreds of people all watching the sunset, amd lots of street vendors selling trinkets, snack food and drinks, including alcohol. This surprised me as our tour guide today said the law in Rio is that alcohol is banned in public places.
After sunset, I walked back along Copacabana to my hostel, visiting the local market along the way. Then I headed back to my hostel to chill out as I was knackered.
Brazil, and Rio in particular, was the part of my trip I was most anxious about. There is so much scaremongering on the internet, to the point that I read posts saying to never take your mobile phone out of your hotel! I mean, really? Even Priscylla today said that as soon as the sun sets, you must not go onto the sand at the beaches. Well, here's my first had experience: Rio is amazing. I have not felt scared once today. It was dark when I walked back from Ipanema after sunset, I had my phone in my hand the whole time, the beaches are lit with massive floodlights (MCG style), families and people were still surfing and playing in the waves and on the sand. If I had listened to the scaremongering, I wouldn’t be here, so I'm glad I didn’t. I think that taking normal safety precautions is needed, as we should do everywhere, but as a solo, clearly foreign female tourist, I have felt comfortable and safe the whole time.
And on that note, I'm off to bed.
DAY 3 RIO DE JANEIRO
This morning I woke fairly early, but given that I was asleep just after 10pm, that's ok. I had a slow morning and headed out for some breakfast at 8.30am. One food that was on my list was tapioca. They serve them like a crepe and you can have them sweet or savoury. There was a place nearby that had good ratings so I headed there.
I decided on a savoury one that had fresh grated coconut, a local cheese that I've never heard of & honey. I also got a special coffee with condensed milk. They are made to order so they do take a few minutes. I really didn't know what to expect, but I rather enjoyed it! The fresh coconut was really nice, and the combination just worked well. I really want to try a sweet one next!
Then I went to a nearby café on my way back to my hostel, that had something called quindium. It is a donut shaped egg & coconut custard type thing that sounded really good. I took it back to my hostel and to eat. It was also very good!
Next up, I decided to walk to a bakery that was highly recommended by my friend. This would take me further into Copacabana, as my hostel is right at the bottom end. I walked along the main shopping & food street for ages, just looking. The bakery was very busy & I wasn't hungry, so I didn't go in. They have buffets in some of the bakeries that charge by the kilo!
I kept walking and eventually went across to the beach. I decided to take my shoes off and walk back along the sand. The water was quite cool, but refreshing, given the sun was getting some heat into it. It took quite a while to get back, and I decided to keep walking and go to Ipanema. The beaches are so close to each other, which is great. The top end of Ipanema was filled with surfing lessons, and the waves were quite calm. Much different to Copacabana where the waves were crashing down! All along the beaches they have drink bars, who will rent you a chair & umbrella, and sell you drinks. There are hundreds of them along both beaches! They must make a killing on the beach chairs because they were all full! They also charge chicken feed for a caipirinha, just 10-20 reals, which is under $5 AUD. Ipanema unfortunately has no shade. I walked for an hour along the beach on the path, and was very hot and desperate for a cold drink & shade, but there was none. I ended up going to the supermarket and getting a drink and finding a park in town to sit down in.
Then I went to my pickup point for my walking tour. I was pleasantly surprised when the van pulled up to see the 2 Aussies from yesterday sitting in the van. They had asked me about this tour when we talked and decided to book it. The drive from Ipanema to Rocinha goes through some of the most expensive areas of Rio, and also Brazil. We passed another favela, City Park I think it was called, which is across the road from the posh fancy primary school in the posh fancy neighbourhood. Our guide said they have never had any issues.
A bit further along, we were in the posh fancy neighbourhood, went round a hairpin bend and entered the top of the Rocinha favela. The favelas are all in the mountains as the Government gave these areas to the slaves as a thank you for helping in the war, but refused to give them flat land. The top of the favela is open, airy & spacious. This specific favela has been receiving tour groups for 50-odd years, with over 5 million tourists visiting, so foreigners are a common sight for the locals. It is also considered to be relatively safe for tourists to visit. Our guide was born & raised in the favela, and still lives there today. He lives towards the bottom somewhere. We were allowed to take pictures & videos as much as we wanted up the top. Rocinha is also the largest favela in the world, with over 300,000 people living there.
First stop was a viewpoint, then up to a capoeira dance show in a rooftop, which had even better view of the city. We watched them dance, and they taught us some dance moves. It was entertaining. They said they have the capoeira project to give the favela kids guidance, so they don't turn to the drug dealers for jobs.
Then we got some info before heading into the favela streets. Basically, everyone gets along, they have their own mayor, the drug dealers make sure everything is running smoothly, they have 4 primary schools, 1 high school & 1 university, and they have all the shops they need. He told us that we take pivots & videos of everything, but if we see a drug dealer in a motorcycle then put the phone down until they pass and then keep filming. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I've never actually seen a drug dealer in real life, only in movies, so I wouldn't be able to tell a drug dealer from a normal person on a motorcycle, unless he has a flashing neon sign that said he was a drug dealer! Plus, many people has motorcycle and there are moto taxis (motorbike taxis) because it is super steep. I just filmed everything anyway and tried to point the camera away from motorbikes.
We slowly made our way from the top of the favela to the very bottom. We stopped frequently for more information, and twice we were told no photos in this area as this is a drug dealer location. We even saw a couple of drug dealers who had a table setup on the side of the road selling their wares! Right in the open! Yep, I was surprised!
As we went down, the alleys got narrower, darker, wetter, stinkier & steeper. We also saw a couple of cats! You could most definitely tell the difference from the top and the bottom. Each of the tall buildings is for 1 family, which is why there is no staircase on the outside. It is internal. It also floods heavily with the tropical rain, so being lower down sucks big time. It was also much busier and more congested at the bottom.
It was really very interesting to see how people live in the favelas. It is very different from life in Aus or the UK. The drug dealers basically control everything & it’s a basic way of life, which is why they want the kids to get an education & leave the favelas. I know the favelas have a reputation for being very dangerous & unsafe, and I’m sure that many of them are not ok for foreigners, but if you choose a good tour with a local guide, you will have a great time. I didn't feel unsafe or scared once in the whole 2hrs we were there. I know the boys at school are quite concerned that I am in Rio, and that I was heading to a favela, but I have felt completely safe the whole time.
Then we headed back to Copacabana. I walked back towards my hostel, and got a coxinha for tea. It's basically a big croquette. Then I went back to my room to pack and chill out. Tomorrow I am being picked up at 8am for my flight to Iguazu Falls, which is very exciting!
DAY 4 RIO DE JANEIRO TO FOZ DO IGUAÇU (IGUAÇU FALLS)
Given how much I walked yesterday (21km!!), I had hoped to sleep well, but alas, that was not the case. Again I was awake before 6am, and I tossed and turned for a while.
I got up, finished packing and went down to reception. My driver was meant to collect me at 8am, and luckily for me, she was early! The drive to the airport was fairly quick, only 25mins, and we passed 2 accidents asking the way including 1 car on its roof!
As per usual, I was very early. More than 3hrs early for a domestic flight. Oops! Fortunately, LATAM had already opened bag drop so I could send my suitcase and go through security. It was a very quick process, and I was hunting for breakfast in no time.
I decided to get a beef empanada and a shrimp empadinha (like an empanada but Brazilian not Argentinean). And a coffee from Starbucks as I needed something familiar. The beef empanada was good, although too cold for my liking. I wasn't fussed on the shrimp empadinha. Too much pastry (very short & buttery, pastry chefs would have been pleased) and combined with the paste type filling, it was just too dry and not good.
I sat for a long time uploading photos to my blog posts until it was time to get ready and board. I was near the front of the plane which was great. Window seat too!
It's 2.25hrs from Rio to Foz dos Iguaçu, which give an idea of the size of Brazil. That's the same as Melbourne to Brissy! We got a drink and a snack too, which is good. My first time flying with LATAM and it was a pleasant experience.
The bonus was that my side of the plane got to see the waterfalls as we were coming in to land! Here is a video:
After landing & collecting my bags, I went in search of an Uber. I booked, then waited forever for a drive to be assigned, but they couldn't find one and the last one cancelled the ride. It was nearly half an hour before one finally accepted and picked me up! This guy was lovely and spoke reasonable English so I could have a conversation. I have found very few people seem to speak any English here. Yes, I'm a bad tourist because I haven't learned Portuguese before coming, I know. None of the girls in my dorm in Rio spoke English either. Anyway, back to the trip.
The drive to my hostel was about 20mins. It is a little out of the main city of Iguaçu, but just off the main road, so a fairly good location. It's a big converted house, very open, has a pool and very modern. It’s definitely not a party place, but that's perfectly fine with me.
I sought some advice from the Uber driver and the guy on reception, and decided to go to the triple border point instead of Paraguay. I got an Uber (very cheap here by the way) which took about 10mins. The Brazilians have built a monument, story boards, gift shop & plenty of food outlets here. This means it costs money to get in. From here, you can see where the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay all meet. There is also a sign that everyone wants their photo taken in front of. So this is what my 50 reals got me:
Then I decided to walk back down the road and go on the Ferris wheel. According to the reviews it's a rip off but does give great views of the triple border. This one cost me 70 reals! The queue was relatively short so it didn't take long. I got a pod to myself and was pleased to find they are air conditioned. One revolution takes around 20mins. Your first views are over Brazil and Paraguay, and once you reach the top and head back down, you get the Argentina and Paraguay views. From the top, the views are definitely great. One good thing is that you can ride the Ferris wheel a second time by rejoining the queue, so I did. This was a good choice because it was getting dark so the views were different, with all the lights on.
Then I headed back to my hostel in another Uber. I was starving now as I hadn't eaten since 9am, so I walked to a nearby place for a burger. Not a lot is open on Sunday’s apparently, especially out of the main city centre. So, burgers it was! It was pretty good too!
I walked back to my hostel , trying to beat the impending downpour of rain, and met 2 other girls in my dorm. 1 is Chinese, living in Brazil teaching Mandarin and the other is Swiss, here in holidays. Both speak English so I finally have roommates I can talk to!
After a shower and some laundry in the sink, I went to bed. Here hoping to a better night’s asleep, especially since tomorrow I want to go to Paraguay, the bus park, the helicopter flight and walk around the Brazil side of the Falls, all in one day!
DAY 5 FOZ DO IGUAÇU (IGUAÇU FALLS) & CIUDAD DEL ESTE (PARAGUAY)
Well, sleep well I did not. All night on and off we had storms, then at 5am we had a big one with lots of rain that continued for more than 2hrs! This also meant I may need to reconsider my plans for today.
I got up and went for breakfast (free breakfast at this hostel which is great). I had some omelet, cocktail frankies in a tomato sauce, a bread roll with butter and a bread roll with dulce du leche (caramel). I talked to another girl in my dorm about the plans for the day, and we decided to still go. The weather radar showed it was meant to clear up a bit. So, we got ready, ordered an uber and headed into downtown Iguaçu.
Between Brazil and Paraguay is a bridge called the Friendship Bridge. The Brazilian border is on one side of the bridge, and the Paraguay border is on the other. That makes the bridge no mans land. We followed lots of other people through the cars and to the pedestrian pathway. As a foreigner, I had to go through immigration and get stamped out of Brazil. My dormmate has a Brazilian residence card as she is working here, so she can walk straight across. The border is open for Brazilian and Paraguayan people. Once cleared, we began our walk. Its about 8mins to walk across, and the road is very busy! Fortunate they have installed bars to separate the pedestrians from vehicles so it is much safer than it used to be. The view of the river was great on the walkover.
On the other side I had to go to immigration again. This time I got stamped into Paraguay. As we crossed the border, we had to switch from Portuguese to Spanish, and the time zones changed! We went backwards an hour! I also realised that this is my 60th country! Woohoo!
After the obligatory photos, we went in search of shopping. Brazilians come here because it is apparently cheaper to shop here than in Brazil. My goal was just to tick off the country and have a look. My dormmate wanted to buy lots of things. I also wanted a shot glass so that was top of my list. We went to Shopping Paris, a modern mall with lots of shops and popular with visitors. It was alright, but no souvenir shops. We walked a bit, then I decided I needed to head back. Not a single souvenir shop was to be found. This means no shot glass for me unfortunately. I may have to buy one online.
At the border, I got stamped out, and crossed the bridge on the opposite side. This gave views of Argentina as well. Stamped back in on the Brazil side and off I went to get an uber to the national park. I did get this photo of Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and the Friendship Bridge from Brazil though.
The uber took about 30mins to get to the national park. Here, the entrance to the park is closed to traffic. You park your car, buy your ticket and then take the free shuttle bus to the falls. The bird park and the helicopter tours are also located here, but outside the park. I did go to the helicopter place as I had a flight booked, but hadn't received the voucher. They told me they weren’t flying at this stage today anyway due to the weather. They also didn't have my booking, which means the company I booked through hadn't organised it! I was not happy at all with the other company. The helicopter people were nice and tried to help. In the end, I left and went back to the park.
I bought my entrance ticket and joined the bus queue. I got straight on, no waiting around, which was great. The bus takes about 15mins, and stops at the boat ride place on the way. I continued to the falls. The rain had stopped by now, so I risked taking my Sony camera out to use. It is a one way path that goes along the edge of the cliffs with views of the falls. The falls are in both Brazil and Argentina. I did a lot of research on each side. In Brazil, you get the best views. In Argentina, you can get closer and there is more to see. I decided I wanted to do both. I feel it is obligatory to do both sides!
There are several lookout points along the walk, and people were kindly helping take pictures of other groups. The roar of the falls is really quite loud! And we are still quite a long way from the main falls.
I saw a weird animal along the way too. Don’t know what it is, but you aren’t allowed to feed or touch them, according to the signs. A Google search later told me they were called coati.
When you get to the main falls, there is a big boardwalk that goes right out into the middle of the river. Prior to heading out, most people were putting on their ponchos. Smart move peeps. The mist from the falls is intense, and drenches everything! The roar is even louder of course, and it is truly an incredible sight to witness. Here are some pictures from the boardwalk.
Then you can take the elevator up to the viewpoint to get a panoramic view of the falls from slightly above. By now, I had realised my helicopter flight was not going to happen, so this was my opportunity to see them. It was very impressive. The views are just wow.
Then I decided it was time to leave and go to the bird park. I boarded a bus straight away and then walked the short walk to the Parque das Aves. It has thousands of reviews on Google (59,988 at time of writing) and a 4.7/5 rating so it must be good. Again, no queue for tickets or entry (winter travel is great!), and off I went.
Again, there is a one-way trail that you follow, which takes you in and out of the aviaries so you can see everything. I used a combination of phone and Sony camera for my pictures, so I only have a small selection on my phone. First was an aviary with an activity for the school holidays. They gave everyone a booklet with all the birds in the aviary and asked you to tick the ones you see. It was a bit of fun and the children certainly enjoyed it.
The next section had a ton of bright red ibis, aka the bin chickens! There was also a pink spoonbill and some weird things that kind of look like a stork.
They had a big range of owls, which were cute.
They had some toucans.
I had a snack: ham and cheese pastel and a chocolate brigadeiro. Yum!
I saw a cayman.
I saw a monkey in the trees.
I loved the budgie aviary. They might be tiny but they can screech so loud! It was feeding time and boy are these birds not scared of people. They fly right around you, clipping you with their wings, screaming in your ears, strutting up to you on the handrails. I got some great shots on my Sony.
I also loved the macaw aviary. They are such big and beautiful birds, although they are very chatty too. It was also feeding time here so some of them were eating, while the others were high up in the canopy. I especially love the blue macaws. Bright blue and yellow. Stunning!
Most of the birds in the park have been rescued from the animal trafficking scene, and some have been injured and can't be released. I do agree with the almost 60,000 Google reviewers. The bird park is definitely worth a visit!
I got an uber and headed back to downtown Iguaçu. I needed to get my shot glass, and found a souvenir shop on the map so that’s where I was headed. The actual places (falls, bird park, 3 borders centre) sell souvenirs, but outside those, it is very difficult to find souvenirs! I find it very unusual! I got my shot glass, and decided to walk back to my hostel via a supermarket. Took quite a while (40mins + stops),and I got a passionfruit Powerade, which was delicious, but I finally got back to my hostel just after 6pm.
I had a shower, uploaded photos to my portable SSD, and then to Facebook and chilled out. It started raining very heavily and storming again not long after I got back, so I was in for the night. Tomorrow, I'm going to Argentina for the day!
DAY 6 FOZ DO IGUAÇU AND IGUAZU FALLS (ARGENTINA)
This morning I got up and headed down to breakfast relatively early. I had some cocktail frankies again and a bread roll. I was due to be picked up at 7.45am as I was heading to the Argentina side of the falls today.
My guide was 10mins late, in a normal car, and it turns out, it is just me, so private tour. I generally don’t like private tours as I find it can be uncomfortable being with a strange man, especially if they don’t speak English. Oh well. The drive to the border was quite short, about 10mins. On the Brazilian side, we didn’t have to do any immigration. We drove across the bridge to the Argentina border, and here, we had to do proper immigration and customs. Passports, car checks etc. Then it is normally about 15mins drive to the national park, depending on traffic. It's one lane each way, 60kph max, and today, very busy, even though it was only 8.30am.
My guide dropped me off while he parked the car, bought my ticket and took me straight to the train. They have a jungle train here because the furthest viewpoint a quite a long walk from the visitor centre. It stops at the first station, everybody gets off, then another jungle train comes and takes you to the second station. It was very busy! My guide got me onto earlier trains than my ticket was for, so we literally got straight on each train. That was good.
At the top, there is a 1.1km steel walkway across the top of the river to the main area of the falls. He told me to not take photos along the way, go straight to the end to beat the big groups and take photos on the way back. The walkway is really only 2 people wide, so when you have people going each way, it is hard to overtake. At the end is a platform that is covered in mist and spray, and is right on the edge of the falls. You are so close you can feel it! I tried to take good pics but the hordes of pushy people kept getting in my way. The spray was also insane, it was like being caught in heavy rain at times. On the way back, I took some pictures of the river.
From here, we boarded the train and went back to the middle station. He took me to the start of the upper circuit trail, told me to go to one specific viewpoint and come back. So, I did. This trail was even busier than the other one! It's apparently one way, but he told me to go back to save time. The viewpoint is great, you can see the whole curtain of waterfalls.
Next up was the boat trip, but I had to meet my guide to get my ticket. I couldn’t find him where he said, so I went to the kiosk and got some empanadas. Delicious, especially the ham and cheese one. I also got my shot glass which is good.
I went to the boat place and my guide finally turned up. The boat can be taken from both sides, but I chose the Argentinian side. The boat takes you up the river to the falls for viewing, and then right into the falls for a free shower! I was rather excited by this! First, you board big jungle trucks and drive for about 20mins through the jungle. We saw a couple of monkeys high up in the trees on the way. Out of 36 people, only 3 of us spoke English.
At the drop off point, it is a decent length walk down hill to the boat dock. Halfway are some porta potties and a few changing tents, and they give you a dry bag for your belongings. Then it's all steps down to the river. Lots of steps. Going down is fine….coming back up, when you're soaking wet?
At the dock, we queued and whilst waiting, we saw 2 caimans on the river sunbathing, and many sets of wild cat footprints in the sand!
We were given lifejackets, and I put my poncho on. Fortunately, I was the third person to board our boat, so I chose the front row. I'm not paying $90USD to not get the full experience! I took off my shoes and put all my stuff in my dry bag, keeping only my GoPro out. It’s a lovely view travelling along the river. There are multiple sets of rapids along the way upstream. They were very fun, especially when our captain powered through them sideways!
As we approached the falls, we could feel the mist and spray. We first continued up the main river to those falls keeping far enough that we could use phones to take pictures, but still feel the power. Then we went around a corner to a side part for more photos. It’s incredible how powerful they are! There are 275 waterfalls that make up Iguazu Falls, and we are seeing not even half.
Then we got told to put all cameras away. I put my poncho hood on and got ready. Then he roared the engine and into the falls we went! I really wasn't ready for the sheer volume of water about to hit us! We didn't even go directly under the main flow, we stayed in the outer stream and boy was it intense! Oh my gosh, it was so much fun! The water was so hard, I couldn't keep my eyes open!
The captain pulled back, turned around and gave the other side of the boat a good drenching! As he did though, we went sideways into a wave which came right over the side of the boat and all over me (and everyone on the same side as me) and went right down my seat, soaking my shorts, undies, feet and poncho. Luckily the water wasn't cold but eww! Wet undies!
We went back and forth into the falls multiple times. It was so much fun! Then we went back to the main river to the other set of waterfalls & drove straight into them. These were even more intense! Maybe because they were shorter then the first set. I couldn't stop laughing, I was having an absolute blast! Could not see anything and soaked to the bone, but it was definitely the best thing I had done to date in South America. Turns out there are typically 13 million litres per second of water going over Iguazu Falls. This afternoon, the dam had opened its gates, releasing even more water. I sure felt every one of those 13 million litres, I can tell you! If you only do one thing in Brazil, make it the boat safari!
We made the return trek up those hundreds of stairs, gave the dry bags back and headed back to queue for the trucks. This time, I was the only one who didn't understand Spanish! That was a little embarrassing especially when the local guide sung a few lines from a song about being the only one. Oh well.
My guide collected me when I got back and drove me back to Brazil. The drive took longer as there were more people crossing into Brazil at this time of the afternoon. He had previously offered to take me to the helicopters on the Brazil side if they were flying today, if we finished Argentina in time. So, since it wasn't raining and the helicopters were currently flying, that's where we headed.
Fortunately, they were still flying when we arrived so I bought myself a seat on the 10min panorama flight. I only had to wait about 15mins for my turn. It was a lovely new helicopter, with plush leather seats. I got a window seat which was awesome. The distance to the falls is 13km but it took just a couple of minutes flying, and you can see them straight away. The pilot did about 4 circles above the falls, giving both sides a good view. They are amazing at eye level, amazing from below and even better from above! It is such an incredible sight!
I have a love hate relationship with helicopters. I love flying in them, I find it very exciting, but I'm absolutely terrified when I get in & out, that I'm going to get decapitated or lose a limb from the rotor blades, thanks to an ER episode many years ago!
Back on the ground, my guide drove me back to my hostel. He was very kind to take me to the helicopter and I really appreciated it. The company he works for is terrible though, with no communication skills.
I showered and put on dry clothes, then transferred an my photos and videos to my SSD.
I was hungry but didn't want to venture too far so I walked 5mins to a steakhouse. It was happy hour so I got the discounted burnt ends in homemade BBQ sauce, polenta chips & a strawberry caipirinha. I was going to order something else & dessert but the manager (and only English speaking staff member) advised against it as the portions were quite large. When the burnt ends came out, I was shocked at the portion size. He wasn't kidding! There must have been at least 500g cooked! It was huge! It was also delicious. I managed to get through half, then asked for a doggy bag.
I was so full! I walked back to my hostel to pack as I have a morning flight tomorrow. I think I'm alone in my dorm tonight which is actually awesome.
Tomorrow I leave Brazil and head to Uruguay. I have to work out if I can get an uber at 7.30am that will actually turn up! Montevideo is much cooler than Brazil, and I'm actually looking forward to some cooler weather.
This brings the end to my time in Brazil. It was the one country I was most anxious about, given all the ‘bad press’, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I haven't felt scared once, and actually felt safe & comfortable everywhere I went. If you want to visit Brazil but think it's too dangerous, I urge you to reconsider. I’m a solo female who looks like a tourist and I’ve had no issues whatsoever.
And on that note, I will say goodnight.
DAY 7 FOZ DO IGUAÇU TO MONTEVIDEO (URUGUAY)
I had a terrible sleep once again. I ended up having 4 new roommates, who kept coming and going at different times. Plus, I'm certain that 2 of them (travelling together) sprayed me with something while I was sleeping! I remember having my water bottle on my hands (why I don't know), hearing them giggle, feeling something misting my face and smelling something. Very strange!!
I had a quick brekkie and booked an uber. It was accepted quickly, which I was glad for, but then the guy messaged me and asked me to pay him an extra 50 reals because he “has no way to get back at that time of morning”. I said no so he cancelled. Finally, an older guy accepted and drove me to the airport. I was on time (not early!), dropped my bag and went through security. It’s just a domestic flight so it was quick and easy.
While I was debating buying a frappe, one of my yr 11 boys messaged me to check I was still alive. Many of the boys at school who knew about my trip were quite concerned about my safety in Brazil, and it was so sweet to get a message from this boy, checking I’m ok.
After a conversation with him, I bought the frappe and a quindium. I got a dulce de leche frappe with coffee and boy was it sweet! I think in the ingredients list, sugar would have been first. It was sweeter then the quindium. Massive early morning sugar hit to start the day.
We boarded on time and the flight to São Paulo was quick and uneventful. After landing, it was a long walk to go to the international connections. It took about 30mins to go from the arrival gate to the departure gate, and there were no queues at immigration & security either! Just a lot of walking.
I had a walk around terminal 3 while I waited, and noticed that our plane hadn't even arrived yet. Our boarding time came and went, and still no plane. The plane was quite late, and we didn't board until 1.30pm. The original departure time of 1.50pm didn't happen obviously. We took off about 20mins late so not too bad overall.
About half way, we got a big patch of turbulence. Yucky stomach dropping, seatbelt sign on, hold the arm rests kind of turbulence. I'm a good flyer, I don't get nervous normally, and I actually really enjoy flying because it means I'm going somewhere awesome, or I'm heading home from somewhere awesome. But turbulence scares me. It’s completely irrational, but all I can think about is that the plane is just going to drop out of the sky & crash and I'm going to die. This lasted for about 10mins, although the intensity did fluctuate. Then we broke through some clouds and all was well. Until about 30mins later, and we got another patch. This one had a few big stomach drops that made the passengers cry out. You could even see the plane shaking from side to side! Eventually we passed through this and began our descent into Montevideo. The pilot told us we had to make a 20min diversion to avoid weather & severe turbulence, which I was happy about.
Montevideo is further south then Rio & Iguaçu, and therefore it is experiencing proper winter. It's 12°C, pouring with rain and very windy. Just like Melbourne in winter! Ahhh just like home!
After immigration, which took only a short time, I collected my bag, cleared customs, exchanged some money & went in search of the public buses. I need to save some money after the uber trips in Brazil, so the bus is the cheapest option. Bus $3AUD, taxi $40AUD. I got on the first bus which took me to a bus stop. There, I got on a different bus which took me to within walking distance to my hostel. I had to walk 500m in the pouring rain & wind, in shorts & a jumper. I was so glad to get to my hostel!!
The receptionist didn't speak English (which surprised me) so she used Google Translate to check me in & give me all the info. Turns out I'm sharing a dorm room with a guy from Brazil. He had a shower while I searched for food options. The shower drain was blocked so the bath ended up being half full when he was done! I reported it to reception and went to a nearby place for some empanada.
I got blown down the street, the wind was that strong! It was only a 4min walk but it was miserable weather to be out in. I'm starving so I needed something. I chose the ham, cheese & pineapple one, the beef, salami, onion & cheese one, the chicken, panceta & cheese one, and a dessert one with dulce de leche. I got them & took them back to my hostel to eat. They were all really good! Definitely filled me up! Expensive though. They cost me $16AUD!
The lady at reception told me we are changing rooms, so my roommate & I got our things and went to a new room. I had a nice hot shower, put some of my tech on charge and then chilled in my room to write this.
It's quite late already, 10.20pm, so it is bedtime got me. Tomorrow I'm going to have a lazy day. My plan was to walk around the streets of Montevideo and see the buildings, beaches, market etc. If the weather is as bad as today, I think I’ll find an indoors activity instead!
DAY 8 MONTEVIDEO
This morning I woke up at 7am when both the boy's alarms went off (a second male roommate turned up during the night). Neither of them got up though and proceeded to go back to sleep! It was nearly 9am when one of them decided to get up. This meant that I actually had a good long sleep. Best sleep I have had this whole trip. I think it might be because it was super dark (roller shutters on the window), it was cold, the bed was comfy, and neither guy made any noise during the night. I snuggled up under my doona and slept peacefully.
I got dressed and headed out. It wasn't raining so that was good. I did discover when I went outside that it was very windy though, especially when I got down to the beach. I had decided to visit the Montevideo sign first up. It's about a 20min walk along the beach from my hostel. Holy moly it was windy! Hair flying everywhere! Grateful I was wearing my coat but wishing I had a hair tie or beanie.
I saw a Starbucks so I popped in for a coffee. Ok Uruguay is expensive, but dang! This medium sized caramel macchiato cost me $10AUD! Yikes!
I walked along to the Montevideo sign and took some pictures. I'm sure the view in the summer is lovely. Today, the water is as brown as coffee and the waves are all white caps.
I headed back to my hostel to grab my beanie, and to change out of my long-sleeved thermal top. It's cold, but not cold enough for thermals when you're walking and wearing a coat.
Next was a little castle nestled in between 2 apartment blocks. I took some pictures and continued to the lighthouse.
This was a small lighthouse on a point near a navy area and also a restaurant. It was nothing special, so I took a photo and went to find a bus.
I took a local bus into downtown Montevideo, a place recommended by one of the staff at my hostel for souvenirs. There was 1 souvenir shop, so I decided to head to the port instead, which he said was more expensive because it was more touristy. That's actually perfect, because it means they will have what I am looking for. It was a decent walk, about 30mins through town, but not bad. Montevideo isn't a particularly interesting place, it just looked like a normal city.
At the port, there is a market that is recommended for dining. I decided not to eat there given the prices! I bought my shot glass and a big alfajore (biscuit like a yoyo, but with dulce de leche in the middle).
I decided to head back towards my hostel as I was bored, and I realised I need to book airport transport for Saturday, sort out tomorrow's plans and also book activities in Colombia. I stopped and got some empanadas for lunch (beef, bacon & provolone, and a cheese & onion). Delicious!
Then I got a bus back to my hostel. I decided I needed to get my butt into gear so I grabbed a few things and went to the hostel common room. I put my Harry Potter audio book on and spent the next 4hrs planning & booking.
Then I headed back to my room and went to bed as I had an early start in the morning.
DAY 9 MONTEVIDEO
I slept poorly again. The guy in the bunk above me fell asleep with his light on, which was bright, plus his phone kept going off with a super intense vibration that he didn't hear!
I was up at 6.30am, got organised and headed to the bus terminal. It was about a 40min walk from my hostel. I had decided to take the public bus to Punta del Este instead of a tour as it was much cheaper. It's about 2hrs, depending on traffic, so not too bad.
The terminal is huge, with a lot of shops, and when I arrived at 7.30am, it was very busy! I got a bacon, egg & cheese croissant from Burger King then went and waited for my bus. The drive was alright, except the bus was freezing cold. I had to use my coat as a blanket. I also kept falling asleep as I was rather tired.
When we arrived, I headed straight to Playa Brava beach. There is a giant drowning hand sculpture that has become a tourist attraction. I read online that it serves as a reminder that there are strong waves & currents & people down at the beach, so be careful.
Then I walked into the main shopping area. Punta del Este is a luxury beach resort town. One is my students, who is Argentinean and British, spends every Christmas holidays here, and told me it was a must visit place, although he was disappointed I was coming in winter instead of summer.
Well, it's 11am and it is dead. Dead as a doornail. Almost nothing is open, about 10 people on the streets, very few cars. It seems Uruguay is very much and afternoon/night lifestyle place.
I walked around for a bit, then decided to go find a coffee as I was cold (it was 8°C). I found a little café, and got a latte and a jam tart thing. It was nice.
Then I continued walking around, along the seashore, through the streets and ended up back at the bus terminal for the toilets. Interestingly, I haven't had to pay to pee anywhere in South America yet.
I kept walking along a board walk by the beach, which had some nice views. I was rather bored by now. I decided to go to the hypermarket to get a bottle of water (the water in my hostel is gross, it tastes soapy!).
The hypermarket was huge and had everything. Milk, apples, TV’s, car oil, wherever you need, they would have. I like looking at supermarkets in other countries. I wandered the aisles for a while, and decided to get some plane snacks. I have 9hrs of flight time & a 3.5hr layover tomorrow. I got some a 100g bar of chocolate, 1 small bag of lollies, 1 bag of Doritos, 1 blue Powerade and 1 fizzy water. Cost me $24AUD 😯
I headed back towards the bus terminal to a place called Box Garden. It's like a food truck park, but shipping containers and indoors. One food that is everywhere here is called a Milanese, which is a beef schnitzel, with or without toppings. I decided to get one for lunch. I chose the BBQ one (cheese, bacon & BBQ sauce). Well, I was not expecting what I got! I got a wooden tray and the biggest schnitty I have ever seen. It literally covered the tray, and there was a pile of chips around the edge. Definitely more than enough for 2 people. It was very nice but I could not finish it. I didn't eat any of the chips and about ¾ of the schnitzel.
Then it was time to head back to the bus terminal to wait to board. This bus was much warmer fortunately. It took 2.5hrs to get back, and then a 40min walk to the hostel. I discovered both the guys in my room had left, both beds not cleaned & prepped for new guests, which means I am most likely going to have the room to myself tonight! There is 1 clean bed but fingers crossed. Even better since I have to be up about 3.15am in the morning.
I had a shower, packed and sorted my stuff and decided to book an airport transfer for Bogota. I'm not sure about the safety of the bus system after dark so better safe than sorry.
Then I headed to bed to try and sleep before my flight tomorrow. Bring on Colombia, very excited for this country!
Final thoughts on Uruguay….its a bit of a nothing place for me. Boring, nothing to do that interested me, no bucket list places and very expensive. I think there are better places to visit in South America, and would recommend coming here only if you have a lot of money to burn, come during summer and are content sitting on a beach for days.
And that's the end of this blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. I'm off to Colombia tomorrow so stay tuned for part 2.