La Recoleta Cemetery - 02/02/2011

02/02/2011
We woke up the following day ready to explore this cemetery for the rich and famous. We had heard so much about it but yet we had no idea what to expect. As soon as we entered the cemetery we were instantly amazed. Unlike anything else we had seen, graves and tombstones were inexistent. Instead, these excessively grand tombs replaced them. At first we were so amazed just by these grand and intricately decorated structures that mark the life of these once famous people. Then we had a closer look. Expecting the doors of the tomb to conceal some kind of shrine or altar, we got the fright of our life when we peered in and saw the coffins just sitting there. An arms length away. They were literally modern-day mummies.
As we explored the streets of the dead, it took us a few hours to even begin to get used to what we were seeing. 
While we found it an extremely weird and exhibitionist way of burial, it did have a nice family aspect to it. Each tomb was designed to house a whole family. You could look down and and see endless racks for coffins going deeper and deeper into the ground. A lot of them were still well maintained, but lots had been forgotten about and had fallen into disrepair. The windows had smashed and fallen in on the coffins and water had got in and started to rot things away. Some coffins had fallen down and the lids were prying open. Extremely creepy. We spent the whole day exploring these streets, so amazed but so creeped out at the same time.
 After we had had enough in the cemetery, we moved onto this floral sculpture nearby. It was a massive, mechanical flower. It's steel petals open with sunlight and close when the sun goes down. Very cool. 
That evening we went on a pub-crawl through buenos aires nightclub district that the hostel organised. Thinking it would be a small group of people from our hostel, we weren't entirely impressed when we realised there were 100 odd people on it. It took away from the legitimacy of the clubs because everyone was tourists so we decided to split our ways  from the group. 

Buenos Aires - 01/02/2011

We arrived into buenos aires after the most amazing night bus. Our seats were like first class on a plane, personal tvs, seats that recline flat, and meals served with a vino. We navigated the subway and made our way from the bus terminal to our hostel. After we had settled in, we set for the streets just exploring the busy city centre and admiring the grand colonial buildings that line the streets. That night we decided to go a tango show as everyone said it was a must do. We arrived at the venue and were escorted down to this amazing basement theatre. The beautiful brick work was decorated with wine bottles. Included in the show was a three-course meal, so we sat down and ordered. Being in Argentina we had to go for a steak. Soon after we finished our incredible meal the show started. The show had live singers, a traditional band, as well as an indigenous band, this amazing guy who swung ropes and of course tango dancers. Never having seen tango before we were amazed at the intricate and sometimes dangerous (on the males behalf) footwork as the girls flick their legs so quickly between their partners legs, putting their manhood on the line. There were also lots of daredevil lifts that had the audience really applauding. It was quite serious and intense but so beautiful and amazing to watch. Although it wasn't quite Frano's cup of tea the overall show was a great experience, and the show definitely had it's highlights. 

San Ignacio 31/01/2011

The following morning after visiting the falls we hopped on a bus south. We decided to make a stop at San Ignacio instead of going direct to Buenos Aries. At San Ignacio there are a series of ruins from the Jesuits misionareis. We got off the bus, paid a guy to look after our bags and navigated our way to this abandoned civilisation. The roofs of all the structures had rotted away and fallen in so only the stonework wall remain in a similar way to Machu Picchu. The majority of the ruins were modest houses but the church and monumental buildings were really impressive. We walked around the ruins exploring all the overgrown parts with roots and vines climbing over them. It was a nice change as they were so un-commercialised and there wasn't a whole lot of tourists wondering about.
After we had finished we picked our bags up and got on a bus towards Posadas where we could get a bus to Buenos Aires from. A few hours later we were well on our way to the city that never sleeps. 

Iguazu Falls - Argentina. 30/01/2011

We woke up bright and early (partly due to the time difference from brasil) ready to explore the Argentinean side of the falls. We met up with the others at breakfast then set off on the bus towards the national park. It is a common tactic to see Devils throat first "to beat the crowd", apart from EVERYONE does that. So we took a gamble and did another part of the park and returned later. So far it paid off as for the majority of the morning we had the catwalks to ourselves. We set off into the bush and before we knew it, we were swarmed by a pack of Coatis, racoon like ferrets. These coatis go nuts around food, normally attacking. They often have rabies so it is highly recommended to keep clear of them. We didn't quite realise how crazy about food they were until they ambushed Necane for her bag which previously had an orange in it. Some nice lady got her bag off them and we continued our walk into the bush. We saw the most amazing butterflies, a squirrel and a couple of big iguanas. We finally reached the upper catwalks and made our way along the mouth of falls we were looking at the previous day. The walkways had been built so that you are looking right down the falls, providing amazing views. After we had explored the upper walk ways we made our way down to the lower walk ways to get a different perspective, looking up at them. This was equally impressive. While the Brazilian side had better panoramic views, because they curved around, you also got amazing views of all the falls while being in them from the Argentinean side. We then made our way down to the river to take a boat out into the falls. And by into, we literally mean into. We hopped into the boat and it took close enough to two of the falls to get photos without soaking our cameras. They then told us to put them away into the dry bags and next thing we knew it they had driven the boat right under the falls so we were getting completely pelted with masses of water. While we couldn't see much other than excessive amounts of water, it was so exhilarating to literally  be under the falls. After we dried off in the 35o heat we got some lunch and made our way to devils throat. Our gamble paid off as everyone was now exploring what we had done that morning and now there was no line for the train to Devils throat. A long catwalk stretches across the head of the waterfalls towards Devils throat. There was still remnants of the old walkway which was washed away in a flood. We reached devils throat, and it looked like an insanely big hole sucking millions of litres of water into oblivion. There was so much spray we often couldn't see much, we could only hear the roaring thunder of the water crashing down. It was amazing to look down on what we were almost standing in the previous day on the Brazilian side. Such an incredible site. Unfortunately like much of the falls, it was impossible conditions to get photos that do it justice, but it was more the experience of being there. 
We then returned back along the catwalk back to land and took a boat down river. After the amazon it was a bit too touristic and less impressive as it might be for others but we did see another caiman which we were not expecting. We then made our way back to the hostel after a full and amazing day exploring a truly mind blowing natural wonder. A definite highlight of the trip. 

Foz do Igauzu - Brasil. 29/01/2011

We arrived into Foz do Igauzu bus terminal after a night bus from Sao Paulo. While we are getting better at the whole night bus thing, even when you do sleep, it's not the same as good nights sleep in a bed. After a bite to eat and once we had sorted out our plans and orientation for the day we set off on a bus towards the Brazilian side of the falls. On the bus we met a traveller from Israel and ended up exploring the falls with him. The Brazilian side provided great panoramic views of the falls as the majority are on the Argentinian side. We could not believe the size and pressure of them. There was so much mist we were getting spray 50metres up, it made some pretty amazing rainbows. It took us a couple of hours to walk along the Brazilian side; taking photos, exploring and just observing one of the worlds natural wonders. At end of the path you get to Devils Throat which is  where most of the water falls. They have built a catwalk so you can walk right out, almost underneath it. While the water doesn't directly fall on you, we came out completely drenched from all the mist. It didn't make for the best photographic conditions but it was so incredible to be that close to something so powerfully beautiful. 

After we were satisfied with the falls we got on a bus and made our way to the Argentinean side. We were quite curious as how our first land border crossing would go, as this is where you hear the stories about corruption etc, but it was so smooth, one of our easiest yet. We arrived on the Argentinean side and our Israeli friend showed us a place to stay. Once we had settled in we cooled off in the pool. The hostel put on an all-you-can-eat pizza for dinner so we had a bit of a pig out and met a few people to do the Argentinean side of the falls with the following day.

Sao Paulo - 28/1/2011

We arrived into Sao Paulo late afternoon and took a taxi to a hostel with the two Swedish girls we met. After we had settled in, we went out for a pizza and drink with them before an early night. The following day we got up early to explore the city as we were moving on that afternoon. We soon discovered Sao Paulo isn't the prettiest of cities. In fact it was quite ugly. Most of the colonial buildings had been pulled down so it was just a concrete jungle of ugly office buildings. The people seemed to be very work orientated so the city didn't have a good vibe from a tourists perceptive. Our impression was just a big, dirty city with a high crime rate. Luckily we were only around for the day so we explored the city then made our way back to the bus terminal that evening to get us bus to Foz do Igauzu. 

Ilha Grande - 26/28/1/2011

After an extremely full on stay in Rio we decided we wanted somewhere quiet to relax for a few days. We met a kiwi traveler in Rio and he had just come from an Island called Ilha Grande (big island) so we hopped on a bus towards there. Three hours later we arrived at the closest town, we met a couple from London and sorted out a boat to the island with them. We relaxed on the roof of the catamaran as we sailed towards the island. We arrived at the village on the island and as we were getting our bags ready to go search for a place to stay we were approached by a local lady who was renting a house. We ended up staying the first night there along with the British couple and two Germans we had met on the boat over. We had a relaxed evening and all went out to dinner and had a few drinks after. The following morning we got up bright and early to find a place to stay for the second night. After we found a place we got straight on a boat to go to a remote beach on the island. After a 40 minute boat ride we were dropped at a small port and set off on foot into the bush towards the beach. 
It was well worth the travel, the beach was so amazing. Golden White sand, clear blue water, no boats and no crowds. Perfect.
We spent the whole day, right until 6, relaxing on this amazing beach. Lying in the sun and swimming in the completely transparent ocean. Just what we needed after our hectic time in Rio. That evening we met up with the others after dinner for a couple of quiet drinks, great way to finish our stay in Ilha Grande. 
The following morning we got up, packed our bags and got on the ferry back to the mainland to continue our travels down the coast towards Sao Paulo. With nothing booked we were hoping we would be able to jump on a bus without waiting all day. We had to walk from the dock to the bus terminal with our bags and all. In 38 degree heat it's not exactly pleasant. Once we arrived at the bus terminal, dripping in sweat, we saw a bus heading to Sao Paulo loading up. We met a couple of girls from Sweden in the same boat as us and we all managed to get on the bus without getting proper tickets. The whole free styling travel, booking as you go, was working out for us and seemed like a more enjoyable and exciting way to travel.