25TH OCTOBER - 1ST NOVEMBER

We had to pay a deposit for our hostel in Iguazu falls before we left Rio. Fortunately Fausto was headed to the bank where we had to make the deposit, so gave us a lift and then put us in a taxi to the bus station. We weren’t too sure what to expect from the bus but were very pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a very modern looking coach which was more than comfortable enough for the couple of hours to Petropolis. Fausto had booked us a hotel there and we had a rough map from the internet, but when we arrived the area around the bus station didn’t look anything like the same. After a quick trip inside the terminal though we found a very helpful tourist guide who spoke English and told us that this was the long distance bus terminal, and we needed to get to the local one. A short local bus journey then got us to our Hotel, the Hotel York. It wasn’t the plushest place we’ve ever stayed, but it was more than acceptable, with friendly staff and a old kind of

atmosphere.

We decided to do our usual thing when we arrive somewhere new and ignore the guidebooks and maps and just wander around to get a feel for the place. After the uneasiness of Rio we were quite relieved to find a really safe and friendly vibe outside. We were a little peckish and were standing outside a bakery cum café kind of place wondering how to ask if anything was vegetarian when some random stranger came up to us and asked if he could help. This was the first act of random helpfulness that we encountered in South America, but it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. After having all the snacks explained to us we finally chose and our hunger was abated!! We spent the rest of the day just wandering around Petropolis. It is an attractive place for a city, with lots of trees and little rivers running in between the main streets that kind of reminded us of Chiang Mai in Thailand