Day 1: Travel to Foz do Iguaçu

22 February 2012

One of my advanced English students very graciously invited me to accompany her on a trip to the state of Paraná.  What a fantastic opportunity - I had wanted to do this trip, but it's so much better to have a friend to share it with!  We traveled to Foz do Iguaçu, home of a massive waterfall, and Curitiba, the state capital.

The first day was spent traveling; we went by bus to Porto Alegre - we took the "common" bus, which makes many stops along the way, and it took about three and a half hours.  Then we took the city train to the airport, got checked in and on the way.

Here we are on the plane before takeoff.  Extreme close-up... I really think my grandpa's nose looked better on him than it does on me.

Some amazing cumulus cloud formations from above.

 First view of the Parana River.

 Farmed land in the countryside - some things are the same everywhere.

 This is not a good photo at all, but this little girl was unbelievably cute, and so filled with joy that it was cntagious, as she played around in the airport followed by her parents.

The hotel was very nice.  An excellent restaurant, good service, and some really nice paintings in the lobby.

Here is our room:

View out the windows:

The green belt here is some kind of military owned land that was the size of several city blocks. There were signs warning against entry for fear of death (not just danger, DEATH).  Yikes.

 Is it just me, or... ?