Day 86: Bonito, Brazil

“Who wears a hairnet into a cave?“ Lin looked at Saben as he stretched the gauzy white net over his head. “You look like a lunch lady,“ Lin teased. She put hers on, taking great care to tuck in the ears, invoking a serious bout of laughter from Saben. All he could manage to say as he laughed was, “Awesome.“ Yeah, we looked pretty awesome in our hairnets and plastic hard hats. The guide insisted they were for sanitary purposes but the helmets still smelled sweaty and felt damp like they hadn`t been properly dried from the day before.

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Day 85: Bonito, Brazil

After a much too long bus ride last eve, we were frustrated to discover that the hostel we where were planning to stay was fully booked. It was 9:45pm and we just wanted to crash after a long travel day. Luckily, the hostel guy knew a guy with a pousada nearby for only $2 more. He even drove us over there to meet the guy since it was getting so late. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 84: Pantanal, Brazil

Another early start at 6:30am for a boat trip down a part of the river we`ve not seen yet. On the drive to the launching point, we saw a small grey fox and a swamp deer. During our trip we saw a capybara resting on a bank beside the water, a couple of baby caiman about 6 inches long near a muddy bank, and plenty of caiman curious at our boat.

Capybara at the rivers edge

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Day 83: Pantanal, Brazil

There are certain times when we ´´acquire´´ stray travelers. Some are really cool people and some are really, really not. Our bunkmate whom we lovingly refer to as Frenchie since we never actually did proper introductions has decided to latch onto us. Normally we don`t mind these kinds of liasons and they often prove to be quite fun. This one is merely a frustratingly unattachable cling-on. Frenchie loves to talk but not just to people or about the weather or the tour. No, that would be too easy. The only things this guy talks about are (1) himself, and (2) how great France is compared to…the whole world. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 82: Pantanal, Brazil

Official Day 1 in the depths of the Pantanal: We have both already proved ourselves successful hunters. Bright and early at 7:30AM, we headed down river with our reed fishing poles and a big bucket of cow meat. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 81: Campo Grande, Brazil

As if it weren`t a big enough pain just getting to Campo Grande, when we arrived, the entire bus was stalled because of one guy who lost his wallet. It had already taken 17 hours instead of the scheduled 14 and now we had to deal with this guy. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 80: Foz do Iguauzu, Brazil

Somedays it feels like no matter what, you`re going to get screwed in every way possible. Today was one of those days for sure. After making it through the border back into Brazil within 5 minutes, we waited for 2 hours in the blistering hot sun for the next border bus to come by. Even standing behind the rickety metal bus stop in the shade (where some human had decided to take a big shit a few days earlier…thanks buddy) the air was so hot it was hard to breathe. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 79: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Get there early! That`s the best advice we can give you. Iguazu Falls is a huge tourist magnet (obviously–it`s amazing!!) and there are certain times during the day that sends waves of tour groups rushing in. The absolute best way to see the falls is on your own, at your own pace. Everything is so clearly marked and well laid out with walkways and maps and trail signs, there is literally no way to get lost even if you wanted to!

Us at the falls

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Day 78: Puerto Igauzu, Argentina

This morning we happily checked out of Foz de Iguazu and took a city bus (labeled “Argentina,“ cost 3 reals) across the border into Argentina. We walked around the tiny town trying to find a place to crash for the night and came across the Anahi hostel, about 15 minutes walk from the bus terminal. It`s a clean, well run establishment where we paid $7.14 (breakfast included) each for a couple bunks and a shared bath. The daytime manager speaks 3 languages and is a funny, hyper man who will make sure you are well taken care of. After a fabulous lunch at Il Fratello (the best calzones outside the States) and top notch service on a budget (come on, everything we do is on a tight budget!), we wandered through the town seeing it with news eyes without the weight of our backpacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 77: Foz de Igauzu, Brazil

Some people just don`t take rejection well. This guy was one of those people. In fact, he was so bad at taking rejection, he came within literally 2 inches of being smashed by the front of an indifferent city bus. Read the rest of this entry »