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Well what an excellent week we have had since we arrived at Foz Do Iguazu (Brazil). 10 hours to get there and was well worth it. We set off at 9:30pm and arrived at 7:30am the following day. I slept the whole journey but Jonathan not being so lucky only managed 1/2 an hour so was Mr Grouchy Pants by the time we arrived! After managing to figure out 3 local buses we arrived at our camp/hostel by 11am to relax for the day. It was a pretty place with lots of very large Caterpillars and Humming Birds. Heading inland raised the temperature by at least 5 degrees and luckily where we was staying had a pool so this week has felt like a holiday. We pitched our tent and made plans to visit the waterfall the following day. The tent was cosy enough and only just managed to fit both of us in with our two hefty backpacks, however the heat was incredible! Not even a puff of wind till at least 3am so poor Jonathan who had rather burnt skin the first night didn't manage to sleep much again. Anyway the following morning we set off for the Brazilian side of Iguazu falls. We were recommended to visit both as the Brazil side gave a more panoramic view of the falls and the Argentina side was more up close and personal. All I can say is WOW! I have never seen anything as amazing as this waterfall! It was very beautiful and the water mixed with the air elements to create numerous rainbows. Absolutely fabulous! The photos do not do it any justice and I would have loved to have had my big SLR with me to try and capture it properly! Anyway the trail was around 1600 metres long and ended on a viewing platform called the 'Devils Throat'. This was where there are alot of the larger waterfalls crashing into the river and we was stood at the base of them all looking up and getting drenched with the spray! It truly was amazing and we was getting very excited to see the Argentinian side because we heard it was even better! We also came across some wildlife as the park itself is a reserve. We found many a host of Butterflies and the very cute South American Coati! No Jaguars though as I read in the book they can sometimes appear! Anyway after the waterfall we hopped back to the entrance and went to the nearby Bird park. We saw a variety of birds and also some Anacondas, Crocs, and other reptiles. A great finish to the day. The following day we headed to the Itaipu Dam! An amazing structure which is 8km long (3km made of concrete), 196 meters high and has 20 turbines generating 1400 megawatts per hour! We have never seen a dam before and it was incredible to learn about it. As the dam runs straight through the border of Paraguay and Brazil we learnt about how the energy is distributed and shared between both countries and many other interesting facts. Yesterday we headed to Puerto Iguazu, the Argentinian side. After trekking in the wrong direction (Jonathans map reading skills) for about 15 mins up a hill with 20kilos on your back in 35 degree heat we finally arrived at the hostel (after I took over the directions and made the U-turn)! We booked this hostel and was meant to be staying in a 4 bed dorm. Bonus... the woman gave us a private room instead! Yay! Again the hostel has a pool so we spent yesterday relaxing before visiting the waterfall again today. Double WOW! This side of the waterfall virtually feels like you are going to fall of the edge of the earth! The viewing platforms takes you right over the top edge of the waterfalls so you are looking down at the crashing water. Again completely amazing! I will try and upload the photos and in particular the video soon when I can get to a proper computer. The video is brilliant and we are glad to have this as a memory as it captures the ferocity of the water! An excellent week in all! We are now planning our next move leading into Argentina towards Buenos Aires. Tomorrow however we are off to Paraguay for the day as we are on the border so it will only take us an hour to get there. Also we have heard the buses may be a fair bit cheaper to Buenos Aires from there so we will have a look. I'm getting rather excited now as we are also planing the Patagonian adventure... Icebergs, Glaciers, Fjords, Whales and Penguins spring to mind! We cannot wait! Hayls and Jonathan x
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