Foz do Iguacu, Tuesday

Tue 1020 On bus at Itaipu Dam waiting to be taken into the complex. Few linguistic and general fuckups but on the whole relatively smooth - getting here no trouble from TTO, nearly missed the v obvious stop despite reading solid advice on web but had correctly IDed hipster with massive ear piercings in front as fellow tourist and his getting up gave me the hint I needed.

1119 At the Mirante Central. Unlimited time here (bus comes by every 20 mins to go on to next stop) so milking it a little bit. The dam is very impressive though; it's hard to appreciate the scale, until you notice all the coaches parked up on the road across it and they all look like toys.

There's a short video running on a loop here; have watched it once. Oddly it seems to be only in Portuguese with English subtitles; given the repeated theme that this is a bi-national thing with Paraguay, I'd have expected a Spanish language version in rotation (maybe there is and I've just never noticed it) or Spanish subtitles.

I think there's a fair bit more to the tour but not rushing. It is sort of cool sitting here staring at the dam and it's mildly meditative; at the same time to be totally honest I am a bit worried how I will fill this afternoon if get back too early. But shouldn't worry, I *am* probably going to Argentina tomorrow and can go eat at place was last night and have a beer afterwards while trying to sort out accom/travel and then back to hostel for a brief lurk on bunk (as on first night) before free capirinhas and early night.

Didn't sleep super well last night, woke up from some vaguely bad dream but not quite a nightmare at one point, but not sleeping terribly.

Woman on lower bunk was of course sole other person in dorm when got up 0830ish. But I popped back after brief lurk down in internet area on 1st floor to get passport (tho no one has asked for it yet) and oldish woman who had been in bathroom last night was in there too, bed woman was actually maybe getting dressed and just possibly the two of them were speaking to each other.

Followed hipster and others into wrong area when first got off bus, think we went to a bus stop to take workers into complex. Maybe hipster works here and isn't a tourist, I dunno.

There's a dark brown and block mottled sort of cat which seems to live here; it has a collar on. Haven't had a chance to stroke it but did snap a photo of it.

Seeing hoverfly just now reminds me I did briefly see a bright green hummingbird feeding at the falls yesterday.

Feel a little sad end of trip is approaching but at same time it will also be nice to enjoy home comforts like being able to cook when I want and buy what I want from supermarket and have a predictable meal schedule and solid internet access etc etc. Plus I'm not going back to full time work of course.

1220 Annoyingly, for the "panoramic" tour, that's it. Bus just brought us straight back to entrance to visitor centre. I did wonder a bit at not being forced to wait for a big tour group. Do I really want to pay and wait for another type of tour?

The "special" tour is 128 on top of the 42 I've already paid. Next one is at 1pm and it lasts 2h30; there's no guarantee there is space on that tour anyway,

Hmm. Torn. This is not going to be a deathbed regret if I don't do the full tour. It is possible I will be back here in future at some point. I don't actually necessarily have enough cash, tho there are cash machines (no idea what type) and I could probably pay by card.

I'm really not feeling super keen to do the other tour; had I known I'd probably have gone for that instead, but I'm not completely gutted at having done the wrong one. I'm glad I milked it at the dam now anyway.

There is also a sunset cruise at 5pm every day and an illuminated viewing at 730pm on Fri/Sat. I am obviously not hanging around for those now but maybe pre-booking a special tour at say 2-3pm and the sunset cruise would help justify a future visit.

The money is annoying but it's not really about that, I think. Yeah, sod it, I'm going to go back to town and have lunch and a beer and look into how to get to Argentina and accommodation - unless it's super pricey I'd like a private room for a change.

Gah. Still a bit torn. But not really able to work up that much enthusiasm, I did see the dam and it was cool and it's fine, it's not as if this was a bucket list item (I don't have one, but still) or anything and it's more than possible I'll visit here again in future - the falls alone are probably enough of a draw after a few years. I'm thinking "fuck, but I'll be even older by then" - but strictly speaking, so what? Plus this isn't an activity which requires serious levels of fitness and must be done before my health declines or anything.

Yeah, fuck it, let's go back into town.

1335 At Cantinho da Brasil for same as yday. Popped into hostel to drop daypack off; had to go back down to reception as entry card mysteriously failed. Mirabile dictu, the woman on lower bunk was not there! Dorm empty in fact!

Getting coke zero with food, may well have beer after even if it is a bit early but not just now.

1358 Food pretty good though not quite as good as last night (eg last night's fried egg was completely white with no brownish burny quality). Feel quite stuffed. Prob will have beer but linger over rest of diet coke first. Need to sort out tomorrow but not rushing.

Was inside last night, sitting outside today. Street not beautiful or anything but pleasant enough. It's warm bordering on sticky but really quite comfortable.

1506 Booked astoundingly cheap (USD27 for 3 nights) apartment (?) in Puerto Iguazu. It's a couple of km from bus terminal but that's not a great distance really. Some shit about "arranging to collect the keys" which may be a problem as have no mobile data in Argentina but have sent e-mail and just hope it's OK.

Quick poke on web suggests border crossing can be a mild faff but doable via bus from TTO so really shouldn't be too epic.

Batt 27% and will prob struggle to top it up back at hostel but fingers crossed. May lurk here meditatively staring at street instead of phone to eke it out.

Yeah maybe a dorm might have been more social but there's no guarantee, I'm a bit dormed-out and be good to be able to chill (literally - air-con) and spend quiet evening in surfing web and do laundry and stuff and I can always stay somewhere more social in next stop.

1530 CdB is at corner Brasil and Rua Engenheiro Reboucas, FWIW.

1537 Just watched a small bird find and fly away with an enormous french fry on the floor, couldn't help laughing. Flew with it sticking out the front not sideways on, which somehow seems all the more impressive.

1557 Frustrating exchange via email w new accom; suspect it's all a non-issue but booking.com's original email says I have to arrange key pickup time, not that I can turn up when I want, so have to play that game. Finished litre, got coffee and will have much-needed slash shortly (toilet occupied when I asked). Batt 17%.

1610 Some sort of drama on TV, in Portuguese. Some guys were free-falling and fighting. Now some rainy place and saw a landrover with British-looking plates. Then a sign for "Torquay 2 Bells Beach" or similar. So presumably this is something British - which I don't recognise - dubbed.

2021 In bar for free drinks. Mana "Muelle de San Blas" on. Feel conspicuously lonely but meh. Bit caffeined up and pissed off re not getting any charge in powerbank either cos it's shit or someone unplugged it before it got any.

2026 Got fifth (only small and feel sober), will be last. Of course some wankers insist on sitting right at the bar and clogging things up.

Spent hour and half reading hostel paperback of Catch 22 in internety computer area charging phone (turned off to try to get power in)  before popping up to dorm to drop charger off and come down for freebies. Got 68% and one bar or two on powerbank and that's my lot for the night now. Have to be enough. Mana some other song now. Doh, "eres mi religion" , but not the studio version I am used to.

Rolling ad on TV shows a) smug young things partying it up at other hostels in same chain around Latin America (I'm well aware this is selling a fantasy to some and giving me that "everyone else is having more fun than you" vibe, neither is rational) b) that if you book direct (I didn't) you get free breakfast (I don't), which is annoying.

Woman on lower bunk spoke to me when dropped off charger (she looked like she had been lying there in dark but explained she hadn't, something to do with hotel-ish keycard entry to room (which isn't really suitable for a dorm) turning lights off when I entered) - think (also from book left on her bed earlier) she's German. Felt a  bit awkward but now she has actually spoken to me she is automatically less annoying. TBH wouldn't have been at all surprised if she had been lying there in dark, nothing wrong with that anyway plus since she has been a virtual fixture it would be doubly understandable.

Some oldish people here, at least one woman maybe my age with a kid who might be her 20ish son. Fuck knows. Old dude from Sun night sat alone at table near bar. Have to fight an impulse to automatically despise youngish dudes with beards and avoid projecting stereotypically tedious attitudes onto them. Not that I expect to speak to anyone, don't feel exactly sparkling and I am leaving in the morning.

Oh, I deliberately decided not to go to the three frontiers park. From what I read on the web it sounds incredibly dull, and since AFAIK you *don't* need your passport to enter, I suspect it isn't actually straddling the three borders (but maybe it is - though IIRC Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador makes a big fuss about being on the equator but actually isn't). But still, pointless box-ticking exercise and didn't seem worth the hassle.

2051 Bed, I think. Need to clean teeth so good not to go too late. Will shower in morning, expect to be up 8-9am whether I like it or not and checkout not til 11 plus new place in Argentina not checkin til 2pm so going to be stuck hanging around anyway. Not feeling at all drunk, FWIW.

Must say BRL42 for that look at the dam seems rather pricey; it was cool to see it, but 42 to be shuttled to a viewing point and back seems a bit excessive. Supply and demand I guess.

Letting ice melt and sucking up liquid in my plastic cup. Not tired but will go to bed once finished with this. Bit ridiculous the way been going to bed early simply for lack of anything to do lately but meh. It's a mild novelty.

Not had response to last e-mail to accom tomorrow. Fuck knows. Just have to hope. They're probably pissed off and struggling to understand how a tourist might not have a working mobile phone or mobile internet on their first day in a foreign country. Just imagine! Nothing easier than to research the available options on the internet in advance, find a newsagent or whatever selling SIM cards the instant you cross the border then stand in the street with all your worldly possessions while you juggle nano-sized SIM cards and top up your new SIM. Simply laziness not to do it.

2104 Dorm heaving - does no one else have a life either?? One chap making Skype call in foreign language which feels like minor etiquette breach but light is on (a novelty - defining characteristic of dorm life seems to be "it is always dark, even in middle of day with light on" ) and - fortunately for my social self-esteem - virtually no one talking to anyone else. Feh. Hope powerbank lasts, phone seems capable of eating most of a full charge overnight in a wonderfully untraceable "let me handle the details" Android fashion. Sleep/read time.