Las Conquistadoras

Just because our adventures have stopped doesn't mean that LewisFinley does....

We ended up extending our 4 days in Florianopolis (aka Floripa), an island off the coast of southern Brazil, to an entire week because we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. We began our stay in Banana Beach hostel in Barra de Lagoa in a hostel overlooking the lagoon, and just a stone's throw from the beach. After a few days we switched to and ended at Sunset Backpackers which, hence the name, was perfectly situated on a hill to enjoy the sunset over the bay. The copious amounts of beaches on the island were perfect to relax after a busy one and one half months of on-the-go sight-seeing and adventures. In addition to our favorite medium shrimp sequence visible in our previous blog we enjoyed acai every day (really more like twice a day) because it was just that good. It was also everywhere, and so much cheaper in Brazil than in the US. Oh and we might've thrown in a few crepe suicas in there as well! (Crepe suica = triple corn dog. Not really, but that's what it looked like).

View from our first hostel

Pool and view just outside our room at the second hostel, not too shabby!

Elaborate lifeguard towers and ridiculous outfits on every beach.

Sandcrabs everywhere! And clams!

Acai, granola and banana...our daily staple

Crepe Suica aka triple corn dog

Why not go for a sunrise swim after raging all night?

We watched a 4 v 4 sand futbol tournament

And enjoyed some Pre-Carnival street performances

After a 3:00AM breakfast of champions (jalapeno Pringles, peanut butter M&Ms, and extra cream Hershey Kisses) in the Sao Paulo airport we finally boarded the final leg of our flights to Foz de Iguazu, Brazil. Once in Iguazu, we proceeded to catch a cab back to Argentina to our hostel in Puerto Iguazu - the first of four Argentinian-Brazilian border crossings that day - only to throw our bags in a locker and head back to Brazil. we now have two whole pages in our passports of Argentina entry/exit stamps from a two-day period. At one point our driver stopped the car so that we could be halfway in Brazil and halfway in Argentina. Paraguay was just across the river.

The Brazilian side of the Iguazu national park was our first stop. Wearing the same clothes we had worn the day before (to the beach) and travelled in overnight, we were ushered into a van heading to the park only 15 minutes after arriving at our hostel. We hadn't even checked in yet. After entering the park, we took a double-decker bus to the main attraction, las cataracas (the waterfalls). In order to get full appreciation of the falls, one must visit both the Argentinian (for the close-ups) and Brazilian (panoramic views) sides of the park. As one fellow tourist put it, the Argentinian side is a marathon, and the Brazilian side is a blitzkrieg. By the time we appreciated all possible panaramic views our stomachs were rivaling the roar of the falls because of our nutritious breakfast so many hours ago. Because of this we of course ended with a never-ending buffet in the Brazilian side of the park.

Back in the Argentinian hostel after our few hours in Brazil, we were convinced to sign up for the moonlight tour that night. Since your only chance for this tour is during a full moon why not take advanta ge of our perfect timing to Iguazu? A few hours later we took a small open train through the dark Argentinian side of the park, a brief walk winding through the rivers and jungle of the park all by moonlight until we arrived at the Devils Throat - the gigantic ring of waterfalls where everyone sits and stares at hypnotically because it is just that impressive. So romantic especially because we were surrounded by couples. Once back to the main part of the park we were welcomed back with a buffet, yes our second all-you-can-eat buffet of the day, of Argentinian bbq and other neverending dishes.

The next morning we were awake after a few hours of sleep just to go back to the Argentinian park (where we were just a mere 5 hours before) to explore Iguazu during the day. We wound through different trails and circuits of countless waterfalls, sat and stared at the Devil's Throat for a day-time view (much more crowded during the day) and followed around all sorts of wildlife including the nosebear, one of our new favorites. In total, we spent 8 sweaty hours on this side of the park to cover so much ground, when really you could spend days.

Really, we have never sweat so much before in our lives. Not just a glisten, but full-on beautiful beads of saltiness covering our bodies. Not even in the humidity of Southeast Asia, in sports camps, or in saunas have we ever sweat this much. To put it delicately, We had sweat coming out of our kneecaps. But of course, well worth it. Iguassu Falls was amazing. It was Niagra Falls on crack. Devil's Throat during the day was mind-blowing. The hoarde of tourists? Not so much.

The highlight of the Falls was hands-down the boat ride, or "The Adventure Tour." On a speed boat seating 40, we took a trip down the river surrounding the Falls and were cooled down by getting blasted by their spray. Did we mention we got to go under them? Refreshing, ice cold water after hours of sweaty hiking. The weight of the water falling on us forced our eyes shut as the boat circled the falls. The driver also made sure to hit every wave so that it drenches anyone sitting within the vicinity. Following the boat ride, we trekked up a hill and into an open-top truck for a trip through the jungle. Per usual, Christina fell asleep 5 minutes after the start of the nature and jungle tour. No worries, one useful fact was learned: hearts of palm come from the thin tube-like top portion of palm trees.