Getting to the end of my trip now, only 10 days left and despite looking forward to going home I also dont want to leave.

The last few days have been pretty amazing.

We arrived in Iguaçu falls on the morning of the 3rd of Feb. We had the best buffet breakfast here and showered and then at midday we headed to the falls. We saw the Brazillian side of the falls this day. Before we actually gotto the falls we had the option to fly in a Helicopter over the falls. It was relatively cheap and me and two others took the opportunity. Was the most amazing view! The falls are so massive! After our flight we went straight to the falls and walked along a trail and out onto the water. We all got extremely wet walking towards Devils Throat. (one part of the waterfall which is really huge and there is so much spray!). One of the girls in the group had a sandwich stolen our of her bag by a racoon. Extremely comic to watch. After getting completely soaked by the waterfall and taking a million photos we headed back to the hotel and some food. We found a cheap and tasty Lebanese place and I had Falafel. Later that night we went back to the hotel to celebrate one of the guys in the groups birthday. We had some yummy cake!

4th Feb: Today we were to see the Argentinian side of the falls. To get there we had to (obviously) cross the border into Argentina. Getting across the border was a slow process with s finally arriving in Argentina at around 11am (we set out at 8:30). We arrived at the falls and first went to see Devils Throat from the other side. The walk was about 3km all up and you walked out on platforms above the waterfall. The view was amazing. We got incredibly drenched here but it was so hot that nobody minded. We then took the little train down to have an incredibly overpriced lunch and everyone in the group apart from me and miriam got aboard a safari truck to take them through the jungle and down to a jet boat. Miriam and I walked down to the start of the boat ride we had chosen (shorter and cheaper than the other one but still covering the essentials). The walk down was breathtaking. Several places looked so unreal. Our boat ride was so fun. We had about 10minutes of going under the waterfalls and getting absolutely drenched. The others said that the extra money they had spent for the longer tour was a waste and that they wished they had just done the shorter ride. We then walked back to the top of the park and it was time to leave. Thankfully the journey back to Foz do Iguaçu was quicker than getting to Argentina. Some of the people in our group went to a BBQ run by our driver after we arrived back. They all partied like rockstars!

5th Feb: Woke this morning and decided to go see Itaipu dam all by myself on public transport. Managed to get the right bus there and then did a tour of the dam. The dam is the largest in the world and provides the whole of Paraguay and 12% of this region of Brail with power. The tour showed the panoramic side of the dam and I was lucky to see the spillover ramps working at full power with all the water from the lake pourring down the ramps. After the tour I headed back to the hotel and managed to make it back in time to go with the group to Paraguay. The border between Foz do Iguaçu and Paraguay is an open border so I didnt need a visa to get in but also didnt get a stamp. We looked around markets for a while and checked out the interesting things they sell. Including semi-automatic rifles and other guns. It was incredibly hot here also. Easily 40 degrees.

We arrived back at our hotel, had some food and then got ready for our 15 hour night bus to Sao Paulo and then 6 hour bus to Paraty. The night bus' air con was broken for the first few hours and this made thing rather uncomfortable, luckily I fell asleep easily and slept right through until we were about to get off the bus in Sao Paulo. Had some quick breakfast then straight onto next bus for 6 hours. We stopped for lunch at a per kilo buffet. You weigh your food and pay by the weight. We arrived in Paraty around 4pm. Showers and a meeting to decide the plans for the next few days and then we went for a look around the city. Beautiful place! We enjoyed dinner then the free concert being held by the water.

7th Feb: beach day today. got some snacks from the supermarket for lunch then had a 45 minute bus ride to Trinidade, a beautiful beach with warm water. We spent nearly all day here swimming and eating and sitting in the sun. Although the sun was really too hot to sit in and even just making it to the water burnt the bottoms of your feet. Everyone got a little sunburnt. Arrived back and had a shower and dinner before bed!

8th Feb: this afternoon we are going on a boat to sail around the beaches nearby and to swim off the side of the boat. This morning I am sorting out everything for Rio and then am going to have a look around the town.

Tomorrow we leave for Ilha Grande.

Not long until I am home now. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Amanda xoxox