In amongst the waterfalls

Waterfall time. I woke to chatter in the common area of my hostel... some snippets of English here n there. Maybe I will find a buddy to see this water display. Ended up talking with the girls I met briefly checking in the night before, and ended up going together with them to the falls.

This is the first really touristy thing I have done in South America (besides Carnaval, but that wasn´t too expensive in the end) so I knew I would go over budget. Am working out a new budget tonight. Anyway, we paid to get into the national park and got a nice touristy double decker to the falls.

We were told the Brazilian side of the falls - literally, the river is divided in two with the Argentina and Brazilian sides (the town itself borders 3 countries including Paraguay) - was more restricted in the boat rides than Argentina so we kept to the boardwalks. First lookout I thought quietly to myself... hmmm, this is alright... but actually thinking the view of the blue-eyed (yay for the blue eyes of the south), olive-skinned Brazilian selling abseiling was mildly more entertaining. You can sail my rocks any day, boy.

About this time, I got a tap on my shoulder and English boy from yesterday said a bright hello! So with my posse of 3 in tow, we moved on to the next lookout, and the next, and the next... all the while sweating up a storm and posing for photo after photo. I must get those email addresses for those photos... The butterflies were the tamest I had ever come across, which is awesome becuase at one time I had 2 licking the sunscreen/sweat combo off my arm (that would´ve been a treat for them, probably actually poisonous) and we got some nice pics of that too.

Then came the finale... da da DAAAA!!! There was the boardwalk, leading out almost INTO the falls with mist falling at a deceivingly rapid pace on all the tourists. L had said to me, "Oooh, let´s go there, I want to get some mist on me." Several minutes later, her hair dripping and eyes almost slits trying to keep sunscreen from seeping in, I asked her, "Misty enuf??" It was a quick snap-and-hide mission for all cameras too, for fear of ruining them in the wetness.

We came out, soaked but happy we were no longer drenched in sweat, and headed out of the national park. Having faffed around probably more than necessary - but enjoyed ourselves doing it! - we had missed the opportunity to go to the bird park where apparently you could have a toucan put on your arm for a photo, we jumped on the bus and fought off sun-induced sleep so we wouldn´t miss our stop. Still, I ran out and didn´t have time to ask J for his email. Bummer! Hope we run into him at the Argentinian side of the falls tomorrow...

I wanted to leave the hostel in Brazil tonight instead of tomorrow as it would be much cheaper to split the cab cost across the border to Argentina than get a bus - with a bus, although it´s cheaper, you need to get off at every checkpoint and therefore wait for another bus after your passport is stamped. So I gingerly asked my hostel for a refund and a day-early checkout, and surprisingly the same awesome lady that changed my original stuff-up around without dramas said it was not a problem. Woot woot! First and probably last time that will happen in my life, I reckon.

We got across the border without dramas - it was just 15 mins away - but when we got the girls´ pre-booked hostel there was absolutely no room for me so I went to the hostel down the road and found a room. Plan to meet the girls tomorrow to check out the Argentinian side of the falls. Maybe convince myself it´s not a waste of money to get the rapido boat ride into the actual falls... ahh fuck it, I´ll just do it. Now... to get some bloody sleep... have to make the most of this free internet but I am so tired. The sun has DRAINED me.

Oh, and in the meantime, I have found some CS accommodation in Uruguay and already have some parties to go to on the weekend... just gotta find a way to get there!