Backpacking around North Queensland!

 

 

Hmm so where can I go for 12 days? I was browsing internet months ago planning my upcoming Xmas & NY trip. My curiosity was leading towards Northern Queensland, Australia. The distance is actually not too far from NZ and the climate mostly quite hot there. Whitehaven beach? Why not! So I made up my mind to go to Australia’s number 1 beach, also been numerously nominated as one of the best beaches in the world! I don’t think I need more reason.

 

Arriving in Proserpine, Whitsunday Coast Airport to be exact on Christmas day, already I was greeted with scorching heat and it was only 8am. Took a shuttle bus that dropped me at my hostel’s doorsteps, YHA Airlie Beach it was. I always stay in Girls dorm if possible. I enjoy staying in the dorm coz it feels like a slumber party every night. Yes there’s lack of privacy, but it’s always fun and enjoyable to meet other travellers and sharing stories at any time of the day. The girls in my dorm at YHA Airlie Beach were full of life and characters. We had pizza night together, drinking wine from paper cup and, having one or two cocktails and feasting on seafood, tasting the goodness of what’s Airlie beach got to offer. Girls, it was such a great times that I felt like we’ve known each other before! Thanks for your company! #whenandwhere #room22

 
 

Airlie Beach is the gateway to Whitsunday group of islands, there are about 74 islands scattered around here. One of them is where Whitehaven beach located. I went there on a boat converted raft called Ocean Rafting. The weather was unfortunately pretty bad with wind blowing up to 40 knots. Everyone on the raft felt like we were flying on the ocean which I supposed made the ride more adventurous! We did short bush walk to get to the lookout inlet point where you can admire the view of Whitehaven. I could only see few of the sandy bars  from here due to the poor weather condition. Still, it was a memorable to be there and to step on sand that were so pure and white containing 90% silica!

 

We continued cruising around Whitsundays and made couple of stops to snorkel, chasing fish and sneaking on turtle! Lunch stop was next, we berthed at one of the quite bays of Whitehaven beach and there we saw tens of stingrays swarming so close to the shore! It was pretty intimidating! Though the captain told us that the rays would just go away if we went swimming. No pressure ha!

 

I went for my first ever Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef as part of snorkelling trip I took the next day. I must say that conquering fear felt really good afterwards. Yes I felt nervous and sh*t scared to dive for the first time, but the instructor was very calm and so after leaving the dive base under the Pontoon to the open sea, it was just effortless and I felt like I was entering a whole new world that I was about to discover. Then there was Wally! He’s a massive blue Maori Wrasse fish, local resident of the reef, I must say that he’s quite a “celebrity”. So happy to see and pat this friendly guy as he swam so close to us, at some point he just came out of nowhere right on my face! Wally, you truly made this dive much more enjoyable and entertaining! I miss you already, your sleek move and beautiful marble eyes.

 

 

Then I went hiking with Abi, a girl from my dorm as my Kayak trip was cancelled due to strong wind and choppy sea. As recommended by our hostel Receptionist, we made our way to Honeyeater Track. It was about 4 hours return hike with pretty steep incline on the way up to the lookout. This track was branching out to other different tracks that can be done on multiple days. We were happy enough to do until the lookout. The view was rewarding from the top, we had lunch while looking down on fifty shades of blue and group of islands that surrounding Airlie Beach. On the way down, we were walking faster as how the gravity works and we didn’t realize there was a snake just inches from Abi’s feet that she almost stomp on it! its colour was blended with leaves and dirt, sort of brownish and greenish colour, made it hard to spot from a distance. All I heard was Abi screaming then I was screaming too! The snake wasn’t that wide but it’s pretty long. Its also stopped and wobbled its head instead of made a run to the bush. Looks like this snake also stunned to see us or was our screaming deafening him? Funny to reminisce the moment now but not when we were there! Aussie bush is pretty wild aye.

 
 

After about a week in Airlie Beach, I took Greyhound bus further north to Townsville then ferry across to Magnetic Island aka “Maggie”. I chose Maggie as I read online that this little gem known  to be the biggest population of Koala in Australia and in the world. They said about 800 koalas are living here. There are also other wildlife, huge variety of birds, kangaroo and rock wallaby. There are plenty of walking treks all over the island ranging from half hour to 3 hours. I stayed at Arcadia Beach House which didn’t feel like it was a hostel as it felt so homey and even the dorm room that I stayed had only single beds instead of the usual bunk beds. It felt good for a while not to have someone on top or below you moving around in the middle of the night and wake you up haha!

 
 

I rode a bus on the first day and by looking at the timetable, the bus only runs every 45 minutes to an hour as their schedule was made to meet the ferry arrivals/departure from Townsville. It felt like a long wait already because when you missed one, it took ages for another one to arrive. I waited at the bus stop after finishing my walk at The Forts, but after got annoyed by a huge fly that wouldn't go away, I decided to hitchhike. I put my hand up and not long after these 2 friendly ladies pulled over, they were kind enough to give me a lift. As we started chatting, I found out that they were originally from Spain, one of them actually living in Melbourne. Since my day was pretty flexible, they offered if I would like to join them for the rest of the day. Without thinking I said yes! So we ended up spending the rest of that day together. Swimming in Horseshoe Bay, lurking on sleeping Koalas, feeding Rock Wallabies around the old jetty in Alma Bay. Before I met them, when I did my walk at The Forts, I was hoping to spot a Koala or two but didn’t see any. I was determined to do the walk again to have a second look but then a luck stroked by meeting these 2 lovely ladies and I was able to see the Koalas on different place. Amazing how the Universe works it magic. Be careful what you wish for, because Universe works in a mysterious way and it conspires to help you!



The next couple of days I decided to rent scooter and with my bright yellow ride, I went zooming around Maggie from one bay to another, exploring every nook and cranny of the island and spending a good “Koality” time going back and forth and just sat in silence watching these animals behaving, from lounging on the tree trunks, napping, pooping, scratching, moving about 50cm then went back to sleep again, to watching me as I was watching them. Hmm who's the spectacle now? Overall, I was so happy to finally see Koalas in the wilderness!

  

My four days in Maggie went too fast but it’s always like that when you're having good times. I took bus back to Airlie Beach, stayed for one night then caught my flight back to Auckland via Brisbane.

   

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” – Dr. Seuss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Short Affair With Eua Island

I was recommended this island by another traveler whom I met on my first visit to Tonga. Thank you, Maxim! Since I like to do some hikes, this place seems interesting for me to give it a go. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first visit in this country so called "Friendly Islands", so a return trip was always in the back of my mind. And thanks to Air NZ who always offers great deals to the Pacific countries, it made things easier. I love every time I'm heading back to any countries in this region. The beach, climate, people, food, blissfulness, ahhh need to say more?

After I did my research such as booking accommodations and other logistics like tourist visa etc, the days went by and finally it was time I headed to the airport. To get to Eua Island, first I flew to Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa which is in the main island of Tongatapu. I opted to stay at the same backpackers I stayed last time, NOA Guesthouse as I had wonderful time staying here and it was great place to meet locals and other travelers. 

When I arrived at the hostel, much to my surprise, my host told me that my flight to Eua Island the next morning was cancelled due to "maintenance" issue. Thanks for keeping that information until last minute, Real Tonga airlines! Anyway, she then advised me to take the morning ferry from the wharf. The flight that I was supposed to be on was only 8 minutes flying time which makes one of the shortest commercial flight in the world! As I was taking ferry, it took like 4 hours as the ferry left according to the "island time" in the end. As I found a spot in the corner of communal cabin, I realized that it was a good thing that my flight was cancelled, otherwise I would have missed to be with the locals altogether in this ferry crossing. I rolled out my picnic blanket on the floor and mingled with the them for a while. I went out to breathe some fresh air and enjoyed the warm sun on my face also secretly hoping maybe spotting a Whale or two out there in the Pacific ocean. With no whale in sight, I went back inside, ate my packed lunch and had a nap afterwards. 

Arriving in Eua, it was hustle bustle as predicted, everyone tried to leave the ferry, people with their massive luggage and boxes were all over. In the crowds I tried to spot someone from my backpackers holding a paper with my name on it, since it was only 3 accommodations in the islands, I thought it wouldn't be hard to find my driver. My thought was wrong! I tried to shout the name of my backpackers amongst the crowd but no one seemed to respond. I approached a lady who was in the ferry with me and asked if I could use her phone to call my backpackers, we waited for a while after making the call, then we were circling the wharf looking for a grey van which we were advised earlier. The van caught our attention as it was approaching the wharf. It turned out that the driver was the cousin of the woman whom I borrowed the phone earlier! It's a small island after all.

I pitched my tent up as soon as I reached the backpackers. The camping area was lush and it has ample of space surrounded with tall coconut trees, hibiscus flowers and few hammocks around the property. I found my camp spot and the owner's brother, Matthew helped me to pitch my tent. It was nice of him even though I'm used to set it up on my own. The name of the place I was staying at is called Taina's Place. There are 12 dogs, 1 piglet, and 1 cat in the property. The dogs can be quite noisy, especially at night. After I settled in, I asked Matthew if there was a nice walk nearby I could go to and he recommended to go to Ha'aluma beach which is about 5 km directly south from Taina's place. Perfect! He offered to walk me there and on the way he climbed a coconut tree and fetched couple for us. Glad to be back in the Pacific when I tasted that mouthwatering coconut juice in my mouth! also it was a refreshment on the go! When we got to the beach, I had a dip in a rock pool while Matthew tried to look for some crabs. The beach itself was pretty rocky and protected by reef around it. I saw some colorful fishes swimming and hiding between the rocks. We stayed for a while until sunset, the sky was beautiful and quite picturesque, it gave a great effect when I took some photos as the rocks made it even more photogenic.

We walked back to the hostel and to our luck, a pickup truck pulled over and assuming that we needed a ride, he just pointed the back of his truck gesturing us to get in. Sweet we got a ride back! On the way to backpackers, we saw the sky changing color with pink-y, orange-y colors throwing in the mix. What a fine evening it was.

When I was back to my tent to get my stuff for showers, I was horrified with the look on its door. The dog was vandalizing my tent and broken my mosquito net door! One of 12 dogs, what's my luck to guess which one?! I told the host and she apologies afterwards and I told her not too worry about it, as I can still zip the main door of my tent. She didn't want to take more risk, having more damage the dogs were capable of doing, she moved me to the dorm room for the 3 nights I was there for the price of the camping. That was very nice of her.

 

I arranged to do some Whale watching and swimming before arriving in Tonga as I only had few days there. So the next morning, Kiko or as I called him "Whale Whisperer" since he is the man when it comes to spotting Whales in the vast ocean, with no technology frills whatsoever. It comes down to his experiences over the years and eagle eyes. He picked me up in this very old truck that morning that he had troubled to start the truck back up again when we were ready to leave! Looking at the state of the truck, it might have been as old if not older than him! and he's quite old. He took me to his house first to pick up his 2 sons who were also joining us in the boat. One was helping him navigating the Whales and the other was our guide when we were in the water with the whales. His boat was pretty small so that made this trip quite private. It was only me and Sara, a French girl who was also a Solo Traveler. What a coincidence to have met her in this tiny island in the middle of South Pacific. Sara used to lived in New Caledonia, a French territory country in the Pacific which is not far from Tonga. I offered her to stay with me in Auckland when she told me she was heading to New Zealand afterwards as it's her en-route trip to Tahiti in French Polynesia(country she's going to live after NZ). We enjoyed our time together in Tonga and NZ. We also have a very special memory together, which is the moments we shared when floating with our new "Gentle giants" friends, Humpback Whales. 

Those moments with the Whales, both Mother and Calf were really made us speechless. They made our hearts beat faster. When we locked eyes with them, it just melt my heart. We were very cautious with our distance to them however the calf which already at least 12 meters long, seemed to be very playful and its fluke could be just inches away from our faces! The mother was gently drifting about 5-10 meters below us, watching us from a distance. After a while they both drifted away, swimming back to the vast blue ocean. We had few stops and were in and out with the other whales. Our guide, Kiko first read the Whales' behavior and signaled us when it was OK to jump in as they are wild animals after all. Female Humpacks take thousands of kilometers long journey from Antartica on an annual migration to much warmer water in order to give birth in the South Pacific. Tongan ocean has become their nursery for few months for the calf to grow healthily and relying solely on its mother's very rich milk. When they're strong enough about 4 months old, both mother and calf make a long trip back to Antarctica. Before it all happened, I thought experiencing moments like this was too good to be true and only something I could watch on National Geographic channel. Instead, it was very real and surreal to say the least! 

With only a day to spare, Sara and I along with Matthew who was our guide that day, went hiking around Eua National Park. During the hikes, we made few stops at a lookout that was overlooking spectacular cliffs and coastline. Another spots were couple of Big Banyan trees and few caves; couple of caves that were really stood out was the Rats Cave where we climbed down onto a ledge and as it was sitting on a cliff, from the cave's lookout we were presented with incredible view of the coastline. Some people stayed here overnights. Just don't rollover when you sleep that's all! The view was amazing however it could be tricky to get to the lookout spot of the cave. Another cave was worth a visit too as it has 25 chambers inside and the King used to live there. We had to bring torch and did rock climbing to get inside the cave. Beautiful chambers with lots of limestone caverns all around. 

On our hikes, Matthew cut a tree trunk and we had sip of water dripping from it. As for our lunch we were eating some paw paw(it's like mini papaya) that grows wildly in the national park. You don't go thirsty and hungry in this hike that's for sure! Sarapee was one of the dogs from Taina's place who joined us on this hike. She seems to be an explorer too! One time she did pick up a dead bird and brought to us. That's not dinner, Sarapee!

My ferry back to main island of Tongatapu left at a crazy hours the next morning, it was 5 am departure. In such a sleepy little island, it was a sight to see all the crowds showing up that early. My host dropped me at the wharf that morning, with sleepy eyes, I bid goodbye to her and boarded the seems to be "chasing sunrise" ferry. I had arrangements with Sara to get me my ticket too when she bought hers that morning as her hostel just across the road from the wharf. We had lovely sunrise from the ferry on the way to main island. I felt like even this trip was rather short, but it was plentiful and oh the memories will remain for a very long time. 

There was really a lot to do in Eua Island, the place that was so underrated among other Pacific countries and islands. Its eco-tourism definitely one of many potentials of this hidden gem. If you're looking for off-beaten track kind of destination, you might want to consider Eua on your list.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

 

*Scroll down for statistics(Added to give you indication that sometimes it's cheaper to go to another country than traveling within New Zealand)

Statistics (Local currency: Tonga Pa'anga or TOP, however all expenses has been converted to NZD):

Return flight Auckland-Nuku'alofa-Auckland : $330NZD (carry-on only)
NOA Guesthouse : $19NZD/night for 1x Bed in Dorm Room
Return Ferry Nuku'alofa to Eua Island: $16NZD
Camping at Taina's Place Backpackers, Eua Island: $13NZD/night
Whale Swimming: $129NZD (Cheapest in all Tonga)
Local guide for all day hike: $25NZD(This was split between me and Sara so around $13NZD per person)
Taxi from Nuku'alofa to Airport: $25NZD(This also split between me and another traveler I met during ferry crossing)

Wrapping up 2015!

 

We’re almost getting to that time again, the new year is approaching upon us and soon we’ll be saying ‘Au revoir’ to 2015. Feeling truly grateful for this year, for all the blessings, health, places I’ve left my footsteps behind, ’once in a lifetime’ experiences that I wouldn’t trade it for the world and destinations that swept me off my feet. These highlights gave me butterflies as well as affirmation for the choices I made in life. To live in the present. To live for these moments.

 

I couldn't be happier with how “Minimalism” way of living has helped me to open my eyes to see what’s important in life and what matters the most. It all make sense now. Because for this very reason, it’s possible for me to go to these dreamy places. Determination and some sacrifice here and there worth the rewards in the end. By not accumulating more possessions, I realized that I already have more than I need and really appreciate them instead.  More space equals clearer mind so I heard. This way, I can focus more on doing what I love the most.

 

 

First travel this year was a summer weekend away at a coastal place in the North Island of New Zealand called Mount Maunganui. It was early morning departure, weather was bit chilly and we were cruising away on the lookout for Common Dolphins who are known to be the local residents here. Then 1, 2, 3….. a pod started to appear from a distance, they  came closer to the boat and racing alongside us! Mothers and calves. Captain slowed the boat down and whoever wanted to snorkel with them can jump into the water. It was adorable to hear their squeaky noise. We had to make funny noises in our snorkelling gear too to entertain them. I guess it takes two to tango after all!

 

Then came Easter. I whisked myself away to the South Pacific country called Kingdom of Tonga. From soaking in fresh water pool in Anahulu cave to going around the island on local rickety bus, Tonga was indeed a place I longed to return.

 

Long weekend trip to South Island before Autumn was next. My mission was to do some walks at the national park and check out tallest mountain in NZ. Unlucky with the weather, Mt Cook was shy to come out and play. Headed to Kaikoura, it was again unlucky to spot any Whales however thoroughly enjoyed flying experience above the mountain ranges and over Kaikoura ocean.  Followed by a short trek afterwards to Ohau Falls, watching pod of seal pups jumping in and out of the water. Such a cute performance!

 

I was on the plane back to South Island the following month for another attempt of Whale Watching. Why not since it was a free attempt! Second time lucky this time, it was awesome to fly over a Sperm Whale finally! Then a day visit to quirky Akaroa, admiring a French settlement town on the peninsula. A night spent in 'Jailhouse' afterwards, it's not as freaky as  it sounds, it was in fact a jail converted hostel. Still lived up to the experience I'd say!

 

Few months passed by,  came the big trip that I had been yearning for in over a year. South America! 6 weeks filled with adventures, cultures, trying new things that enticing, mesmerising and challenging.

 

Then a return trip to Tonga. Eua Island has definitely given me more than what I bargained for. Swimming with Humpback whales in their natural habitat, its friendly calf who were curious to us as we were to him! Hiked around national park, drinking water from a tree branch, devouring papaya, exploring numerous of caves to name a few.

 

Hiking trip to South Island, New Zealand on the weekend of November. Off-roading the road to Lake Coleridge, driving through Alpine forest, hiking the Port Hills track, submerging in the thermal pool of Hanmer Springs.

 

To close off this year, I'll be heading back across the ditch. Always been intrigued to see one of the whitest beach in the world, Whitehaven in Whitsunday Islands, Australia. They said it was so pure and clean, you can wash your jewellery in it! Not that I have fancy jewellery to wash ha!  Then bus up north to Townsville and short ferry ride to Magnetic Island to do some hikes and hopefully spot some Koalas, my favourite animal, living in the wild chewing on some eucalyptus leaves or perhaps having a snooze on tree branches. As what they do best!

 

That is all folks! my wrap up of 2015 adventure filled year. I’d say bring on the new year! To you who believe in dreams; keep traveling, keep dreaming, keep on keeping on....

 

 

 

Keeping It Real in Brazil

After spending a week on my own getting to know some locals and checking out this fabulous city of Rio(previous blog), I joined up with Tucan Travel and for the next 28 days we were traveling overland with 'Rosita', she's a bright yellow truck-converted bus who took us on an epic journey to countless beaches, local villages, colorful valleys, mountain ranges all the way from world's famous Rio to one of highest altitude cities in the world, La Paz in Bolivia. Since we were only a small group, it was great in terms of space we had in the truck for each of us. The truck can hold up to 30 people capacity however we were only 7 at that time plus 1 guide and 1 driver. It was much better arrangements. Inside the truck there were couple of tables for socializing, eating etc while at the back of the bus there was a bookshelf from South America Lonely Planet edition to kinds of novel genre to name a few. We all can help ourselves with any book we fancied to read while on the road. 

Colourful town of Paraty

We divided our group in to two, alternating who's in charge for doing the cooking and washing dishes. If one team was doing cooking & grocery shopping, the other team was in charge of the dishes afterwards. Our Tour Leader, Virginia(V) happened to have a formal Cooking background, I remember when we had Pizza night, she could whip up homemade pizza from scratch. The verdict? it was a restaurant quality, delicioso indeed! The rest of the meals were enjoyable too, by cooking our meals, we were always eating fresh home made dish! We didn't cook every night though, only when we were camping. Speaking of Camping, this was one of our accommodation type, we camped for around 2 weeks in total on many various places of Brazil and Argentina. As for the rest of the duration we were mixing between staying in Hostel Dorms and Hotels.

Paraty baby!

"Rosita" caught checking out the view  :)

First stop of this Tucan trip was a costal town of Paraty, around 4 hours drive from Rio. It's known as historic town surrounded with beaches and mountain ranges. We pitched our tent here and stayed for 3 days however we were quite unlucky with the weather. Only the first afternoon we arrived, it was a nice day so we tried to make the best of it and went to nearby beach and hit the ocean. We enjoyed the afternoon before sunset with few of potent Brazilian national cocktails, Caipirinhas in hand. It was proven that the Cachaca(local white rum made of sugar cane) content were very generous! No one was complaining obviously haha! We took a day cruise the next day although it was overcast in the morning and showers came later in the day, we did manage to do some snorkeling and cruising around nearby islands before the rain got heavier. More Caipirinhas please!

Marajuca Caipirinha-Caipirinha Passion Fruit

Local lady weaving in Paraty

Some entertainment we got going on here!

Our next stop from Paraty was Pantanal. Due to the distance to reach this place, we had to break the journey and stayed the night in a small town called Brotas. It's known as an Eco-Tourism destination. However, since we only arrived here in the evening, we didn't venture much of what this place has to offer. After pitching the tent, we had cold dip in the pool and devoured on pasta dish afterwards. We wandered around the small town center, had couple of drinks before we all hit the sack.

What a welcome sight in Pantanal!

Hungry boys?

Leaving Brotas the next rainy morning, we continued our way to Pantanal. After around 10 hours on the road, the ride became more bumpy. We were driving on gravel road, which finally, we were crossing into Pantanal region. Pantanal is one of the biggest wetlands in the world that is famous for its wildlife like jaguar, capybara (largest rodent in the world), caimans, howler monkeys, piranhas, colorful and exotic range of birds such as Macaws and Tucan. This was our home for the next three days with hammocks as our bed. I really loved this place and its simplicity. The accommodation was quite rustic, we slept above the kitchen. Yes it gets quite smokey at times, also don't get me started with the mosquitoes, they were in fact massive and somehow mauled us alive! However I tried not to be bothered with these minor distractions. We were all there to switch off, connected with nature and eat amazing Brazilian food that the cook prepared for us every day. Those were literally the things we did for the entire time. There was a river behind our accommodation and it was infested with caimans and piranhas! It seems they were not a threat to us vice versa, some of the guys were brave enough to jump and swim in that murky river. I had my feet soaked knee deep only though. We did horse riding and jungle trekking with our lovely guide, Pedro, who were in fact, always bare feet. Then we had jeep safari during day and night on the lookout of some exotic animals that call this place home. We saw a family of capybara as they were submerging into the river, they were in fact much cuter than a rat! we also came across a snake tried to cross the road in the middle of the night, then there was Tapir, an animal looks like pig but with trunk; and more caymans along the river, both dead and alive, we saw vultures in action, scavenging some dead animals. Although we didn't come across Jaguar on both of our safaris, overall it was still amazing encounters with the wildlife! In one afternoon we were cruising the river with Pedro and made a stop somewhere to fish some Piranhas. When we caught them, they made this distinctive noise and I couldn't help myself to quickly touch its sharp teeth. We took some of our decent size catch back to our shack kitchen and handed to the cook to work her magic on them and served it to us. How often do you have Piranhas on the menu for dinner? It turned out to be very tasty and meaty for a small fish. We demolished it in no time! Right to the very bone. Oh wait, the latter was just me lol. I have obsession with bones! Sometime I even wonder why I have couple of fangs.

Piranha

River Cruising

Every night we saw capybaras and foxes gathered around our place, lurking in the distance. It was so surreal to be surrounded by these exotic animals. Also they were harmless if you don't disturb them. Every morning we were awoken by a choir of Blue Macaws and other birds that constantly singing above our hammock shack. Strangely they were all making noise at the exact same time. That was our alarm clock indeed. Ah for me, Pantanal was truly one of my favorite places of all time. 

After bidding goodbye to this gem, we drove to Bonito. It's renowned of river snorkeling destination in the world, where the color was unbelievably crystal clear blue with high visibility to spot many colorful fishes in the distance, some of its famous resident were group of big and scary, Dourado. We camped again here and did some excursions like snorkeling in Rio da Prata river, visiting Gruta da Lago Azul, a cave where we took 300 steps down to the deep cavern to reach the blue lagoon. Stunningly beautiful! We also did Tubing in the river, where we were floating on our own tube passing some waterfalls and rapids. It was more kind of relaxing activity to spend the afternoon. 

From here we made our way to Foz do Iguassu or easily translated as Iguazu Falls. Due to its far distance from Bonito, we had to make a stop and slept overnight on the road. Waking up with sore back, we continued on to our final destination across Brazil. I think we were all pretty excited to finally see one of the biggest waterfalls in the world. To get to the falls, from the entrance, we had to hop on the bus and ride for about 10 minutes and from there, it was where the trek to the waterfalls started. Even from a distance we can already hear the roar and thunderous noise, it built up our excitements even more! As we finally saw the waterfalls, we were just standing there in amazement, trying to comprehend this massive mother nature right before our eyes. To see waterfalls on that scale with rainbows everywhere, falls roaring loudly on the background was just overwhelming. A breathtaking sight indeed! We then continued our walk following the trek surrounded by lush tropical forest to get closer to the falls. Then we got to the place called Devil's Throat, which was a footbridge where we could get closer to the falls and ended up soaking wet from the spray. I opened my mouth widely letting the Iguazu goodness quenching my thirst and screamed for more! It was one of the most surreal feelings I could ever experience! My admiration of waterfalls was at its peak! I could stand there without a worry in the world staring at the gushing water before my eyes and soaking at that immense power forever. 

Majestic Iguazu Falls

Once all the excitements calmed down, we hopped on the public bus and made our way to the adjacent country of Paraguay. Funnily enough, you don't need visa or passport to get through the border. From town centre we each paid about $3 Brazillian Real which was nothing and made across the border in 20 minutes. Paraguay at the border of Foz do Iguazu is known as shopping destination for Brazilian and tourists who were in the vicinity. It caters from cheap clothes to electronics. You do need to bargain to get best price though. 

Such a delightful time overall in Brazil! I miss it every time my memory brings me back there. Just writing this gave me butterflies, cherishing those moments spent in this beautiful and diverse country. Foz do Iguassu was the conclusion of our time here then we drove to the border, said "Adeus" to Brazil and headed to our next stop, Argentina! 

 

Brazil, OBRIGADA!

Cave with Blue Lagoon

Brazilian Flag

Rainbows everywhere. So pretty!

Devil's Throat footbridge