Day 1 (1/13/17)
After two flights we made it to Foz do Iguacu around 3:30pm. We arrived at Mango Rosa hostel and picked which bunk bed we wanted. That night we got to lay out in hammocks, dance and listen to music. The hostel had a tight rope and we all got to be outside to play soccer. Joelton who was the hostel owner, had three dogs. Einstein was the most friendly dog who has been through a lot in his lifetime. The other two dogs were in a gated area at first but then were let out. We got to mingle will the locals and to relax in hammocks and practice our balance on the tight-rope. We had a late dinner however all of the meat and fruit was fresh from the market. I had the chicken, dragon fruit, mangos and passionfruit, What I miss most about Brazil was the fruit. I took back about 3 new Brazilian songs back with me to listen to. Day 2 (1/14/17) Today we woke up and left around 9:50am to go to Iguacu Falls. I took a picture in front of the falls with my Brazilian flag that I bought in Rio and Tait said I was being way too touristy. On our way walking to get to the falls we saw many Coati's picking at the trash. The falls were breathtaking and we got to go on a path that took us far into the falls. We learned that all of the sewage that goes into Curitiba runs through the river into Iguacu Falls. After getting pretty wet by the mist we headed back up. We were going to take the elevator then realized that the group can handle walking up. From there, we went to a hotel that had a hiking trail in the back, and met up with our tour guide. Our tour guide led us to a small waterfall and some of us went under the waterfall. I got a little rash from the surrounding plants. We kept hiking up until we reached the opening of the river that had all of our equipment. Here, we all dressed in life jackets and climbed down to receive our paddle board or kayak. I got in the kayak and started to head down the river. Our resting place was at another waterfall in the river where we all got to swim and take pictures. Heading back, we had to touch the Argentina border on the other side of the river. We headed back to our hotel and ate what was left of the food. Most of us did our reflections then as well. Day 3 (1/15/17) LAST DAY :( Today, we visited Itaipu Dam which is the most energy-producing hydroelectric dam in the world. Apparently not wearing pants was a safety precaution so almost all of the girls who were wearing shorts got pants to wear. An interesting fact about this dam is it is split between Brazil and Paraguay. We walked throughout the plant and see how the turbines worked. We were also able to see the main control room of the plant from above. They had a line on the floor we were on where you could place one foot on either side and be Paraguay and Brazil. After seeing the control room, we split the group up in half. We then went back up to see one of the 20 turbines. They only had 18 turbines running at the time. We left the plant and loaded the bus to go and see the dam from the outside. We loaded back onto the buses and headed over to another lookout onto another side of the dam. We made our way back to explore the gift shop and got lunch. I got a pillow for the plane ride back. We headed back to the hostel and then walked to our last dinner in Brazil. The churrascaria a giant buffet with a variety of meat. We saw a little girl take a live chicken to the kitchen. The group and I were so full after the buffet. We packed up and spend our last night in Brazil. Leaving this beautiful country was really hard. The flight had some turbulence especially when we landed in Sao Paolo. Our flight was a little delayed before getting on the 9.5 hour flight. I finally fell asleep during that flight until getting woken up by turbulence. Landing was bittersweet because I was happy I was back on land but sad it was not Brazilian land. This trip was 100 percent a trip of a lifetime. We met so many great people including our tour guides in Manaus. We saw so many wonderful places. Everyday I think about going back to this amazing country. I miss the people, the food, the fresh fruit, the Amazon Rainforest and all of the places we got to visit. This trip made me want to travel more and learn more cultures on the way. Obrigada Tait! |