I think that Latin America is a good introduction to traveling. If I could do it all over again, I would have chosen to start traveling through Latin America before heading over to Asia. However, I did this backwards, so it’s too late.

Here’s the thing: Asia is crazy. Asia is intense. Asia is jam-packed full of loud noises, strange smells, and people, people EVERYWHERE. Asia is IN YOUR FACE. Asia will kick your ass the moment you step off of the plane, and will continue to beat you down with an array of unforgettable experiences until the moment you leave the place.
Latin America is very, very different. Yes, there are people. There are cars, there are houses, there is food, there are all of the necessities and basic essentials that you will see in every country. But Latin America does not LEAP out at you. Latin America is subtle. Latin America is bursting with flavor, but it’s all in the aftertaste.

And so little old me, who had grown accustomed to this ‘in-your-face’ kind of traveling, shied away from the subtlety of Latin America. I went through an array of amazing experiences; I did a homestay with a Costa Rican family for a month, I learned Spanish, I lived in Paraguay for two months and traveled all around the country taking interviews with natives, and I traveled to Panama, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru on top of all of this. But I didn’t FEEL the culture in the same way that I did in Asia. I felt that while I had many cultural experiences and interactions, I didn’t fully appreciate or understand the significance behind them in the way that I did while in Asia.

Transversely, my integration into Asia was much slower than in Latin America. I knew that I had ample time to wander around and understand Asia, and so I took my sweet time. I read all kinds of books about India, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey. I questioned what social services in these countries really meant. And I went on an array of experiences with Carpe Diem and with my school that challenged a lot of local traditions and customs. My head was always on level with what was going on around me.
Latin America was more of a solo trip. I had a plan to go in there, learn about micro-finance, and enjoy the sights while I was there. I plunged headfirst into the continent with no prior knowledge or experience, and hit the ground running. I didn’t have the TIME that I wished I had to fully experience the things in front of me, because there was always a thousand things to do: my current research project, learning spanish, turning in papers, potential job and internship opportunities for the future, and onwards. I went into Buenos Aires, Argentina armed with a laptop and a recording device to transcribe all of my interviews from Paraguay, rather than spending my time REALLY appreciating the city. I spent 5 days in a room on Easter Island furiously writing away my research project instead of exploring the volcanoes or various maori statues. I arrived in Peru exhausted and ready to collapse, thinking about nothing much except my plane ride back to the United States the next day.

Now it seems like I may be going off of a complain here, and I’m surely not: I know that I had unbelievable, unforgettable experiences that SO many don’t have the fortune of doing. I am truly, incredibly blessed. I can’t believe that I have had the opportunity to travel to seven countries within a mere four months, and have that count for my schooling.
Merely the point I’m trying to make here is that because of these factors, my experience in Latin America was not as potent culturally, or as significant as my experience was in Asia. And while I wish that one day I really WILL go to Latin America when I have the time to experience all that it can offer, my heart still pines to go back to Asia.

My senior year ends in a few months, and then I’m graduated. Let’s hope that I can keep the traveling up after that.

Latin America: You were beautiful. You were magical. I am sorry that I couldn’t fully appreciate all that you had to offer. I dearly hope that I can come back under different circumstances, to truly know all that you have to offer.

Much love,
Brittany

I know that this post is nearly a month late, and I’m sorry. I felt that I couldn’t give a post worthy of Iguazu Falls without showing pictures- and I just didn’t have the time to upload all of them until now!

So let’s start from the beginning. Iguazu Falls (or Foz de Iguasu, in Spanish). Iguazu Falls lies on the tri-border of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. I went there with my friend and fellow intern from Fundación Paraguaya, Polina. Her mother, Natalia, came with us. They are both incredibly amazing people and I’m really lucky to have had such an amazing experience with them.

Iguazu Falls was my first experience in Brazil!!!! Though I was only there for one day, I still got my passport stamped, and I got change in Reals (the Brazilian currency)- that’s proof enough for me that I was there!

There are two sides to Iguazu Falls- The Brazil side, and the Argentina side. Many people say that with the Brazil side there is a better view, and that with the Argentina side there are ‘more things to do.’ Most prefer Brazil. Before going, I didn’t really understand what that meant, or what ‘more things to do’ meant for Argentina. I almost didn’t end up going to the Argentinian side because after the first day in Brazil, I felt that I had seen enough.

I am SO glad that I chose to go to the Argentina side, because I ended up liking it more. While Brazil has a really beautiful panoramic view of the falls, there ARE more ‘things to do’ in Argentina- and by that I mean, ‘more waterfalls to see.’ First off, the view from the top of these waterfalls that you get in Argentina is absolutely breathtaking. I felt that I was literally at the end of the world. It is an experience I will never forget. Second, there are so many different waterfalls to see in Argentina, in so many varying ways. My other favorite experience was standing right in front of a massive waterfall with Polina, laughing hysterically with sheer joy at being alive- another moment I will never forget.

The best part about Iguazu Falls is that I got to experience every aspect of a waterfall that I had never thought imaginable- I saw the falls in a Panoramic view– hanging off the top of a massive waterfall, staring down below– standing two feet away from a waterfall 1,000 times the size of me, watching it cascading down… it was truly an unbelievable experience– but I won’t say anymore. You can see it for yourself HERE!

One enticing picture:

I also thought I would include some tips on how to navigate yourself around Iguazu Falls (i.e. not paying a visa to get into Brazil, etc.). Check them out below if you plan on going sometime soon.

Hope you all enjoy and much love friends!

Brittany

Tips for Iguazu Falls

So first off, if you are from the US (and sorry I can’t say for any other countries here as I don’t know), there is something like a $235 dollar visa to get into Brazil. I didn’t have this visa, so before coming to Paraguay I didn’t think that I would be able to go to the Brazilian side. However, I found out once I got there that you CAN go to Brazil to see Iguazu Falls, IF you enter from the Paraguay or Argentina border.

I thought that I would have a hard time getting in, or that they would be really strict and only issue me a day pass, or something– nothing. I walked right into Brazil with absolutely no problem. I could’ve stayed in the country for however knows how long.
Once you GET into Brazil, it’s a little complicated, since you’re basically dropped off the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. Tell your bus driver that you want to get off at ‘Foz de Iguazu’ (basically once you pass the border– we came from Argentina, and it’s a 40 minute ride from the town ‘Puerto Iguasu’ in Argentina to the border of Brazil– it’s not even a one minute drive until the guy will drop you off after you pass the border). You kind of get dropped off the middle of this highway- turn RIGHT (if you are facing the way that the bus is GOING) and walk down the road a bit, about 3 or 4 minutes (you’ll see a hotel on your right). In front of the hotel is a bus stop- wait there for a bus (sorry I forget what the name was, but it’s not hard to figure out- you can just ask ‘Foz de Iguasu?’ to every bus driver. We waited for about 20 minutes for a bus). Then the bus will take you right to Iguazu Falls.

You can take the same bus back to same area, and then another bus will take you back across the border to Argentina. It sounds tricky but it’s not nearly as complicated as it seems. We figured it all out without knowing beforehand.

I suggest on the BRAZIL side to take the nature trail, which is really fun and gives you a lot of sights of waterfalls.

If you are looking for a cheap place to stay in Argentina, stay at Stop Hostel in Puerto Iguasu. We first stayed at this AWFUL hostel (I won’t mention the name, though I got it off of Hostel World. It sounded really nice (talked about a ‘buffet breakfast and gorgeous pool’) and it ended up being terrible- we had booked a private room and the sheets obviously hadn’t been changed, the room was full of mold, and the breakfast was pretty bad. The dorm rooms also smelled like the most awful thing I’ve ever come across. Stop Hostel is MUCH better! The beds are really comfortable, there is a hot shower, free wifi, and the breakfast is great. It’s also more in the center of town, which is nice.

All in all, Iguazu Falls is a REALLY fantastic experience. Definitely go! And if you have any more specific questions feel free to email me!