January 11, 2015
Day 10:
Today was another early morning but that was okay because we were going to Iguacu Falls! When we arrived at the falls we walked around and took a lot of excellent pictures. There was one point where you were able to walk so close to the falls that once you walked that path you were completely drenched in water. The views were absolutely breathtaking and once again my photos below do not do the falls justice. On our walk we encountered Quatis, which were animals that resembled something similar to a raccoon. They were a nuisance to the public and were often seen going through the trashcans. After our nice walk we got on a small bus that would bring us to our next excursion. The bus brought us and another group of people to the place by the water where we would board the boat that would take us to the falls. This was one of my favorite things we had done the whole trip! The boat hopped over waves and took us right under the falls! Nor my words or pictures could do this amazing experience justice. Once the ride was done, there was not an inch of your body that was dry. Luckily, one of our friends on the trip took his GoPro and was able to capture some awesome pictures.
Once we got back to the hostel, we took showers and got ready for dinner. For dinner we went to a local pizza shop. The rest of the night was very relaxing; another great end to an amazing day in Brazil.
January 12, 2015
Day 11:
Today we went to the Itaipu Dam! This was very exciting because in preparation for Brazil we were assigned several videos to watch regarding the dam. It was very cool to see it in person and see all the operating systems. We even got to wear those yellow construction hats on our tour, which was also very cool! Our tour guide took us around the dam and discussed how the hydroelectric dam worked and how and what it powered. He was also able to show us the turbines, which was also very interesting because in the US there would have been several regulations regarding what they would have been able to show us. It was also pretty awesome to see Paraguay and Brazil working together in the control room. Overall, the tour was very insightful and I believe we learned a lot about hydroelectric dams.
For dinner, the owner of the hostel took us to a local spot where they prepared us fresh fish and chicken. Some of the group went swimming in the river, however the rest of us spent our time trying to skip rocks. It was a very nice and relaxing night, everyone had a great time and we got to experience Brazilian culture.
January 13, 2015
Day 12:
Today was our last day in Iguacu. The beginning of our day was spent hanging around the hostel and by the pool, getting every last bit of sunshine we could. For lunch we went to the Churrascaria, which was very similar to the meals we had become accustomed to having. After lunch, we went to the airport and waited for our flight to depart back to Rio de Janiero! I was very excited to be going back to Rio because the atmosphere was different than the other cities we had been to. However, Centro Rio de Janiero was a very different part of the city. When we landed in Rio we had dinner in Lapa, which was a very different scene than we were used to. Lapa seemed to be a city filled with great nightlife and people that loved to party. After dinner we went back to the hotel and got ready for the next day.