We crossed the border into Brazil from the Iguazu Falls. It was a 45 minute ride using a Taxi and we went straight to the bus station. Crossing the border included showing our visas and filling out one short form. It was really easy and our taxi driver helped us. We caught an overnight bus to Florianopolis and it was the worst bus ride yet. The roads were really bumby and the bus was really cold (the girl in front of me may have thrown up).
We arrived at the hostel 18 hours later and immediately walked to the beach. It was overcast, we were tired, and we both fell asleep for an hour on the beach. Low and behold, we were burnt to a crisp when we woke up. Good start to Brazil.
We opted to stay in a girls only dorm room (7 beds yay) and there were only 2 other girls in the room. They're Brazilian and here to party (or prostitutes...they actually might be prostitutes. It wouldn't be the first time we stayed in a hostel with prostitutes). They speak zero english, we speak very limited and terrible Portuguese, but we get along with them really well.
Tip/Fact: When Brazilians tell you that something is 20 minutes away, add an extra 15 minutes.
The next day was a planned hiking day. The two trails were beautiful and both had amazing views of the water. It took us around four hours (we knew it would take that long) but we were hot and tired by the end. When we got back to the hostel we jumped into the pool and went to bed early.
Yesterday, the 19th, we visited a nice area and took a public boat across a lagoon. We made a friend at the hostel and she joined us for the day (Hi Lauren if you ever read this!). We got off at the other side of the lagoon and found a very small waterfall. After seeing Iguazu Falls we were pretty underwhelmed. We did find a nice stall with a person selling jewelry made from old coins and now we all have matching necklaces. It's pretty darn cute.
We had decided that we were going to make fish for dinner (it's very fresh and cheap here) and went to a fish market. The hostel staff here are amazing and helped us prepare the fish. We used lime, salt and banana leaves that are growing at the hostel. We grilled the fish and made rice. Everyone was making dinner at the same time and it turned into a party. People at the hostel make food together everynight and made curry (they shared it and now we're joining them for food tonight). It was a really fun night hanging out with people in the hostel.
Tip/Fact: Making dinner at the hostel not only saves you a ton of money but you meet people. Not only did I eat the best food I've had this entire trip but we also all talked about travel plans and ideas. A nice Colombian man wrote down every place we should go in Bolivia and Peru (including tips and tricks).
We were only planning on staying here for 3 days but we decided to extend our stay. We're now staying until Saturday.
I know I didn't write about at least a week of the trip but I didn't have great internet until now.Here are some key words and snippets from the past week:
-We made friends with 3 Israeli boys in Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina. We played a lot of Jungle Speed (amazing game) and made dinner with them. We might meet up with them later in the trip. We also went bowling when it was raining.
-We possibly exchanged money with someone in the mafia. It's a weird and wacky story for another time. We followed a man in a suit to a weird white room (we were with the Israeli boys...so it was safe) and a really nice lady exchanged with us. And we got a good exchange rate!
- We took a boat ride into the Iguazu Falls. We got soaking wet and it was absolutely amazing. The falls are beautiful. Completely breathtaking.
-On our second day in Puerto Iguasu we went to Guira Oga- an animal sanctuary. It was pretty relaxing and we saw a lot of beautiful birds. We took an hour long tour (in spanish) and learn a lot (that was joke, we understood very little).
Tip/Fact: Mao Backpackers in Florianopolis is fantastic and the staff are the greatest. The hostel we stayed at in Puerto Iguasu (Stop Hostel) was the absolute worse. Smaller hostels are better. A lot of backpackers take time to write reviews on HostelWorld and Hostelbookers (the best websites).
Tip/Fact: Slacklining is the best. There's one set up at the hostel and you immediately make friends when you do it. There was also one set up on the beach here. We ended up meeting and talking to a bunch of lifeguards who were teaching themselves (it was a slow beach day).
Thats sick!! Have a crazy time it sounds dope
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