More images from Iguazu and some from Paraty

Yes, she held a boa constrictor. No, I did not. No, she did not act comfortable doing so. Yes, the boa would have jumped out of his skin if I held him because I would have shrieked/cried like a little girl the moment I touched him.

Here is a photo of some of the falls from the Brazilian side. The falls were absolutely amazing and we were lucky to see them not just from both the Argentinean side and the Brazilian side, but also from a bird´s eye view as we flew over them. From the plane, all you could see was the undulating green jungle stretching forever and then all of sudden, it looked like somebody had taken an enormous bite out of the middle of it. It was an amazing sight, however, we didn´t get any photos because we opted to squeeze our armrests instead of the camera button as the pilot banked back and forth over the falls doing his best impersonation of Uncle Billy.

The picture below is of Lindsay in the cobblestone streets of Paraty. We arrived there on Thursday night after a long bus ride from Sao Paolo. We immediately fell in love with Paraty, which is a maze of cobblestone and car-less streets lit up by old-fashioned lanterns and filled with shops and outdoor cafes and restaurants housed in colonial buildings. Though we arrived around 11pm, there were many people out walking the streets and enjoying the nice weather, and we joined in at a cafe around the corner from us. We tasted the native caprinha drink, which is a mixture of tequila and a ton of limes. We added a splash of malarone (our anti-malarial pills) and it was a delicious treat after the long bus ride. However, the enjoyment didn´t last too long as we were overtired and the overabundance of acidic limes sent me into esophageal arrest, so we went home and went to bed because we had a big day the next day, which consisted of....

...cruising around the islands off the coast of Paraty on a 70-foot wooden boat. We shoved off from the pier at 11am and didn´t arrive back til 5pm, and inbetween we got to wash off our Iguazu jungle filth in the beautiful Atlantic ocean waters that were so clear that ripples looked like dancing white fireworks when the sun hit them just right. The picture below shows us doing some sort of synchronized diving routine in which we failed to discuss strategy before leaping off the railing of the boat. Our 3 judges from Rio (the only others on the boat with us) awarded us a total of 0.8 points for the combination of my bellyflop dive and Lindsay´s pencil dive. That definitely stung, but the pain didn´t last too long as were enjoying a day in the atlantic on the boat in the beautiful sun for under $70 total!

Tonight is our final night in Paraty before we head off to Rio tomorrow and we are very sad to see it go. Paraty is a must-see for anyone thinking of coming down to Brazil. In addition to the boat toar and frequenting the boutique shops and restaurants, we enjoyed a day on the beach in nearby Trinidade that was very relaxing and well worth the roller-coaster bus ride to get there. Anyway, time for some shopping (which consists of Lindsay perusing the shops while I sip a local beer in the street with some guys that just arrived on horseback with a beer in hand) and another fabulous and cheap dinner!!