Baltic in Brazil (briefly)

We took a short taxi ride into Brazil and Foz de Iguazu to see the falls from the ´other side´. You get up close and personal (and very wet) on the Argie side, but more of a widescreen view from Brazil. It has to be said however that Foz itself is a dump. Our first day was also extremely cold and not the best introduction to a new country. After an average visit to the local Churrasceria (Brazilian BBQ) we wrapped up in our thermals and went to bed with the temperature hovering not far above freezing.

Our trip to the falls the next day was however blessed with sunnier weather. It´s a shorter visit but you get a panoramic view. We followed this with a quick trip to the local bird sanctuary – home to 800 plus indigenous bird species, including a toucan that took a particular liking to Bryan´s feet.

Jenny then tortured her mum with a 16 hour bus ride to São Paulo. Whilst this in itself would not have been an issue as we took the really posh bus (just 3 seats in a row), we seemed to have been booked on the same bus as the Brazilian version of the Beverly Hill Billies, or in Jenny´s words a load of aging Brazilian chavs who did not shut up until 3am! Needless to say, we were not amused. We followed this up with a 6 hour wait in Sao Paulo bus station and a 7 hour bus ride to our next destination. Pat was not amused by that point.

Paraty however made up for things. We stayed in a fantastic pousada run by an American/Brazilian husband and wife, complete with 4 cats and 4 dogs and an amazing breakfast. Paraty itself was founded in 1677 and is a UNESCO world heritage site, recognised as one of the most important surviving examples of Portuguese colonial architecture. The historical centre is a mixture of uneven stone streets, colonial churches and squat white houses with brightly coloured doors and windows.

We spent a few days wandering idly, chilling out at the Pousada and saved the last day for decent weather and a schooner trip around the local bay which has 60 plus islands and 200 plus beaches. We however passed on the one $8million island which was up for sale! However we do have to confess to having a bit of a spending spree (25 quid in total) on 8 pairs of Havaianas flip flops between the three of us!