Paraty is a lovely colonial town with not a whole lot going on. It's main draw are the pristine beaches that surround the area. However, the weather was not that pleasant to go island hopping so I went for a cycle instead. The cycle was a lot more vertical than I expected but stopping off for a swim in the river was pretty sweet. Another bonus was the giant rock (about fifteen meters long) that doubled up as a natural slide. The layer of moss and the flow of the river over it made it super slippery. We had been warned not to actually surf down it as you will most definitely slip and split your head. Still, I acted like a kid when I sat down and slid into the river below.

With another solid twenty four hours of bus travel under my belt I arrived in the glorious town of Barra de Lagoa (oct 21st). It is a small town on the far side of Ilha de Santa Catarina (others might know the area as Florianopolis). Our hostel was in a great location overlooking a little cove and the staff were insanely helpful and friendly. There was a in-house chef that prepared delicious all you can eat dinners for about €7 each evening. No joke, the best lasagna I have ever tasted!

Life was pretty relaxed for the few days that I chilled out here for. Strolls to the beach,down to the village for lunch and ice cream and a few beers at night.

It had been a few weeks since we had done a major tourist attraction but our trip to Foz do Iguacu was just around the corner. You can view it from both the Brasilian and Argentinian sides. We had been tipped to visit the Brasilian side first as, hard and all as it is to believe, it is the 'less impressive' side. Even writing that sounds ridiculous but it does hold some truth.

I am basing this on the fact that on the Argentinian side you can stand on a platform over Garganta del Diablo (Devils Throat) and watch unimaginable amounts of water cascade over the edge. Additionally you can take a boat that brings you to the base of the second largest fall San Martin. Here you can experience the ferocity and mist created from the fifty odd meter drop. Words do not this place justice so I will put up some photos on the blog.

Pete and I also took a quick trip to see Itaipu dam. It was the largest dam in the world until the Chinese started construction on The Three Gorges dam. It was a really impressive tour but there was a shiny corporate glean to the presentation/tour. They neglected to disclose the fact that the flooded massive areas of land (including really impressive waterfalls), displaced a lot of people and ruined natural habitats for several animals. As it stands Paraguay do use ninety percent of their quota to power the country. I guess that justifies it..Hmmm

A little diversion from the original travel plan as the next stop is Buenos Aires. After all that travelling around I was looking forward to relaxing and taking it easy in BA. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.