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Hello from Uruguay!!
I have had a rather magical couple of days in South America! On Sunday we caught the night bus (which took a whopping 15 hours!) from Paratay all the way to Iguassu Falls which border Argentina and Brazil. All those hours cramped in a seat were so worth the pain! The falls are indescribable.
I first saw them with the rest of my tour group from the Brazillian side where you can get a really good overview of the falls. The tourist centre had some interesting native history concerning the falls. In the past the tribe who lived by river (the river was flat and calm in the beginning) sacrificed their most beautiful virgins to the son of M´Boy, their most important god, who took the form of a giant serpent. One day a young warrior learned that his sweetheart was to be sacrificed and so he stole her from her village and they paddled down the river to escape. But the snake god was angered by this and he took a huge bite out of the river which created the waterfalls. He then turned the warrior into a palm tree so that he could forever pine after his love but could never again touch her because she had been turned into a rock.
This is actually quite an accurate description of the falls. At the top, about 100m from the edge the water is completely calm and then all of a sudden it falls into this 60ft canyon with the most incredible roar and the spray from the water rises almost as high as the falls themselves. On the Brazilian side of the falls we were lucky enough to meet the locals; the Quati. These are funny looking creatures, almost like minature anteaters who have developed a fondness for sandwiches and crisps. They have no fear of people and actually walk right up to you and stand up supporting themselves on your legs!
The next day we woke up really early and crossed the boarder to Argentina to see the falls from the other side! There is much more to see on the Argentinian side and I had a fantastic time going on a tour in an open topped jeep through the Atlantic Rainforest where we saw sipders webs as large as 2 meters in diametre! We also took a boat which went right up to the falls, and then underneath them! We got absolutely soaked but as it was 35 degrees outside it was a welcome relief! That evening we headed to a BBQ at the friend of our tour guide which was brilliant fun. We had these thick, tasty argentinian steakes cooked to absolute perfection and as much Caciprianahs and local beer was we could drink, which went down very well indeed!
The next day we decided to take a little detour to Paraguay! We had to sneak across the border with the locals because Europeans and Australians need visas to get in legally! After dodging police and the military presence we drove over the famous Friendship bridge and into the centre of town. Paraguay is one of the poorest nations in Southamerica and the difference between Brazil and Paraguay is striking. The black market is huge and one of the main sources of income, so the morning was spent looking through rip off designer goods and ilegally imported electricals. It brought back memories of hunting for Gameboys in the markets in Singapore, although with twice the number of vendors! I tried my hand at bartering and got some lovely (albiet fake) designer sunglasses for fifteen US Dollars down from thirty! Despite how poor the country is I meet some of the most friendly and open locals so far.
After our sneaky antics it was back to Brazil where we borded another nightbus to Uruguay where I am now. Today a few of us went to the thermal baths and had a massage which was so welcome after another night spent on a bus (where the driver played such dreadfully loud brazillian dance music that I spent a good five hours teaching the local guy next to me about the Kings of Leon and some lovely folk music I picked up on itunes before I left, I recommend the Fleet Foxes when one wants to kill a bus driver).
I am now in Uruguay for four days and wil be travelling to Montevideo tomorrow morning. I will put up my photos from the falls as soon as I find a computer with a USB drive!!
Until next time
Charli xx
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