Sunday, September 15, 2019 - Foz de Iguazu

Today, the alarm clock woke us up at 7 o'clock. After a quick shower, we strengthened ourselves at the average good breakfast buffet and armed ourselves with 3 liters of water and some snacks and headed to the bus station.

We had previously asked at the hotel which bus to take. Two gentlemen (apparently the bus drivers or something similar) were sitting in front of the bus taking a break. We quickly assured ourselves with the words 'Para Cataratas Iguazu' that this was indeed the correct bus and got on. Since the two men didn't feel like interrupting their break, they waved us in and we didn't have to buy a ticket.

The bus was already quite crowded at this point, and on the way to the waterfalls, more and more locals as well as a few tourists squeezed into the bus.

When we arrived at the waterfalls, we were almost shocked to see hundreds of people already there. The park had only been open for half an hour.

After buying a ticket, we had to stand in line again to get on one of the shuttle buses that take you from the park entrance to the waterfalls. You can also walk, but the distance is quite far and we didn't feel like doing it in 40°C heat.

We got off at the first stop along with almost all the other passengers. From here, you have an incredible view of the Iguazu waterfalls. It's hard to believe what nature can produce. I can't put this feeling into words, the sight is simply magical.

Less fun are the many coatis running around here because numerous (stupid) tourists have been feeding the animals for years, and they have lost all fear of humans. When leaning against the railing, you have to be careful not to have one of these little guys steal something from your backpack.

We followed the well-maintained hiking trail straight to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). The scenery is truly unique. Venturing onto the viewing platform, however, is just irritating. Incredibly many tourists crowd past each other here. Additionally, most Brazilian women use the platform for their very own photo story. By that, the Brazilians mean selfies, selfies, and even more selfies.

A much more pleasant experience is the visit to the high observation tower, which you can reach by a short elevator ride.

Overall, we spent half a day at the Iguazu waterfalls on the Brazilian side. Afterwards, we visited the bird park across the street, which passes the time but, in my opinion, is not really beautiful. You wander from one large cage to the next, and some of the cages are alarmingly full. I found it extremely shocking, especially in the parrot cage.

In the evening, we went to a lanchonete right next to our hotel and enjoyed really delicious home-cooked meals for a small price.