Hello, it's me again!This weekend has been very exciting and very last minute. I had intended to try and go to the Chaco, which is the desert area in the north of Paraguay, but it just wasn't working out, so on Friday, my friend Diego, who is the second grade Spanish teacher, and with whom I have conversations consisting of one-word exchanges: 'Viernes?' 'Si, bien!' 'Ah, bien' 'Es caliente hoy' 'Si' 'Classe?' 'Si, tardes' 'Ah, muy bien' etc. reserved me a ticket to Ciudad del Este which is the Paraguayan border crossing into Brazil to get to the Iguaçu Falls. The Falls have two sides - the Brazilian and Argentinian, and apparently the Argentinian side is even more stunning than the Brazilian side, but I ran out of steam and money and didn't get there so I will forever insist that the Brazilian side is far superior.
I arrived in Ciudad at about 6am and easily crossed the border into Brazil, getting two very exciting stamps in my passport in the process and chatting to a very nice bus driver and his tereré mate who told me where to get the bus to the Falls. It was just me on the bus so it was like having a private border transfer. How exciting. It was still 6am though and the National Park where the Falls are doesn't open until 9am so I said to myself (and this is how I know travelling has made me slightly mad) 'I shall sit in a café until 7am, because that is a reasonable time for people to be getting into the swing of things.' 7am is not a reasonable time for anyone to be doing anything, but I seem to be starting fewer and fewer days before 6am. So I found a café and had a weird pastry cake thing and then jumped on a bus to the Falls.
When I got to the ticket place, which was also a UNESCO World Heritage site, but had no scary alarms, and had lots more people and maps and a post box and an incredible gift shop (Courtney) filled with the beautiest pretties I'd ever seen, I discovered that visiting the Falls the same day as me were around fifteen squealing, hot-pant wearing, party-going, peace-of-nature-ruining, long-legged, sun-glassed, sweepy-haired contenders for Brazil's Next Top Model who were clearly on a Go-See to a National Park that they could spoil for all the other tourists. I ran away from them as soon as I possibly could.
Now I know I've never been to any waterfalls before so I don't have anything to compare it to, but the Falls were amazing. I spent most of the time going round thinking wow, wow, wow! and taking photographs that all look very similar. The Park is really nicely done and the views are stunning and the sound is incredible and I got really, really wet because when a nice tourist helper lady asked me if I wanted a mac, my brain responded with YOU ARE NOT GETTING MY MONEY SKANKY LOCAL RIPPER OFFER which is often a sensible way to react, but alas, not this time. I was wearing jeans as well, but luckily it was a hot day so I dried. My camera got wet, hence the mistiness of the pics, but you get the gist of what's going on. Next time I go to a waterfall, the first thing I'm going to do is get ripped off by a mac selling tout.
I then came back to Foz de Iguaçu (the border town in Brazil) and having started very early now want to die a death, but my bus isn't until midnight so I have found the nearest shopping mall with food court, boosted my blood sugar levels and still have an hour to waste until I can go to the cinema to watch a film called 'Veronika Decides to Die' (Verônika Decide Morrer) which is based on a novel by Paulo Coelho, which is how I'm justifying doing it. Even if it has Sarah Michelle Geller in it, it is by a Brazilian author and is therefore cultured.
This last week I've also been helping out after school at the Anglican orphanage which is just round the corner from Raquel's flat. There are five children there - three girls and two boys - aged between 2 and 5 years old. Mostly I am a human climbing frame and rollercoaster, swing pusher and holder-after-bath-time and sometimes hair-comber, but the childrens' favourite game seems to say 'No!' to everything I ask from them. They don't like me for half an hour or so, and then realise I'm the only adult that can pick them up and spin them round and round so then they don't think I'm so bad after all. They're very sweet, a little naughty, and very well looked after, so it's all very rewarding.
I'm planning on moving on to Argentina next weekend via Resistencia and then Salta so I look forward to telling you all about that. I'm really enjoying your comments, btw, so please keep me updated on what's going on etc. Also, sorry if the format of this is all out, I still don't really get this blog site thing x
5 comments:
Hello Emma
It is Sunday evening, we have finished stripping the breakfast room and are going to have roast pork with vegetables and one type of potato.
For some reason whilst reading your blog the phrase 'No Juice' intoned correctly seems appropriate. How would it be said in Spanish? Would it have the same effect?
The waterfalls look absolutely amazing. The only one I have seen was in America - Yosemite National Park. It was very high but not nearly as magnificient as the falls you have seen.
Keep us up to date with your moving on date and destination.
Love you lots
Mummy xxx ........................
Emma! I have been thinking about you tons lately, and frankly it's no good living without you. Give up on Sudamérica and come to regular America.
My mom says hi :)
So glad you're having a good time, and even gladder that you are going to delightful gift shops and thinking of me!
xxx
It is just like 'No! Juuice'! In Spanish it would be 'No! Juuugo', but they don't say that.
I'm off to Resistencia in Argentina on Saturday - is Daddy plotting everything on a map?
Courtney - even regular America isn't as cheap as the Southern part, but don't worry - we'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when... x
Hey emma
it seems like your having a AMAZING TIME
the falls is amazing... have fun in argentinaaaa
xx chan
Hey Em! 'Veronika Decides to Die' is a fantastic book. I have been trying to make you read Paulo Coelho for years! I didn't know they had made it into a film, this is exciting information. I am going to youtube it!
Think of it this way - if you had let yourself be ripped off by the mac touting tout the first time you would have had a useful mac in your pack for next time and would not have to be ripped off again but would look fabulously well organised! x
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