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So the last few days at the hospital were quite boring!!! but I liked the clinic with my Prof as ever - with his long term Aids patients - I got all my forms & boring stuff signed off so that´s all sorted! Also on the last day the guy who "organised" my elective got me a book of postcards to try to help replace my camera & a book on Rio - which was really nice, & made me feel a bit sad to be leaving the hospital (up to then I´d been raring to go!!!!)
So, off to my mammouth trek to Foz do Iguaçu - unfortunately for me I started to get stomach cramps 6 hrs into the 24 hour trip (typically after congratulating myself on my superior constitution) number one prime suspect water from the flavella (out of a bottle - so I presumed it was ok!), b*gger! So, cue vast intake of all salty, sweet foods in preparation for the inevitable! Luckily I lasted out until the last few hours!!!
So, Arrived on saturday & got myself a nice hotel (under the circumstances I needed to feel better) & after a shower headed off to the Brazilian side of the water falls (pictured is the Argentinian side!) Bascially these are said to be one, if not the most beautiful Waterfalls in the world (& relatively unknown) ie bigger than Niagra etc, etc (lots of stats I could quote here!)
So remember I´m ill straight off a 24 hour bus journey & going to a rainforest/ giant waterfall & queerying my sanity, but I only have a little time here, so I stopped whinging & got on with it!!! So, I got off at one of the stops for the Rainforest & started the 3km walk to the waterfalls. Straight away I saw a toucan - which was beautiful but unfortunately my desposable camera would not have done it justice. I then had to stop myself from running to the falls - so that I could take in the rainforest & nature! There were loads of beautiful butterflies - Including a "unique" one that I thought I´d discovered - which had "88" on its wings (about 10 minutes after I marvelled at myself for my great eye for nature - I was surrounded by tens of them, oh!) Also some (too) friendly racoon type creatures kept following me! So, I turned the corner & saw the falls for the 1st time & audibly gasped as they were amazing!! A huge river falling in two main places with several other lateral smaller falls, with mist rising all up from the fallen water & a loud din coming from it aswell. As I walked closer - it only got more impressive, until I finally arrievd at "devils throat" & the platform underneath (not right underneath obviously!) the falls - got soaked, and a great view down the valley with completely sheer sides (I think these are formed by a former plate tectonic boundary at a constructive plate margin for you geographers out there - but I need to check this!) & up at the huge volume of water falling towards us. I must just point out that my words at describing this are just rubbish compared to seeing & hearing it - you have to go!!!
Further time was spent transfixed, staring at the waterfall (for 40 minutes without moving!!!), not being able to hear the people standing next to me, because of the noise. So after dragging myself away from this I got back to the room & decided to try some ffod - unfortunatley the only restaurant near was an all you can eat, so I thought I´d go & just have the salad... Yeah right Tom, who was I kidding, so after the 8th course of meat, salad, 4 types of carbs & lasagne I noticed there was a menu describing what I was eating (after a while I spotted chickens hearts & Bulls testicles - good job I wasn´t feeling queasy!!!) But I don´pt thinkI ate any of these delicacies!!
So, after paying in full for my stupidity with the meal the night before (a very unsettled night) - I was up early to visit the Argentinian side - I ignored the lonlely planets advice of going on a tour (which cuts out hastle of border control apparently) because I wanted to meet up with the English girls I met in Rio the week before. So, lady luck shined for me and provided a tourist guide trying to get to work on the same bus I was getting!!!! So, he sorted me out & helped me get there in perfect time!!!!
So, on the Argentinian side - we started with a jeep trip through the Argentinian rainforest & I again loved being in the rainforest, then off for a motor boat to get really close to the falls - too close as it turns out they soaked us including one time (at band camp) in an impressively large fall, after heading straight for the rock behind at full tilt - was I anxious? A little. Luckily I wasn´t fully clothed in jeans & a thick t-shirt - oh, I was. So, after this more trekking around all the smaller waterfalls getting a lot closer to the waterfalls on the argentinian side (the also have the lions share of the waterfalls), brief lunch included having a nut hit my head - having been thrown by a mischievous monkey & then off to devils throat again, from the other side (obviously), where it was simply awe inspiring - a perfect end to a crazy trip across Brazil!
I managed to negotiate my way back to the hotel, collapse into bed, & the next day clamber onto the bus (feeling a little better) & ready for the 24 hour trip back to Rio...
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