when we had to walk out of the terminal to the awaiting bus - as it was still throwing it down with rain there was a little man outside opening a TAM airlines brolly for each and every one of us!!!

We had a short hop to Sao Paulo then a connecting flight to Foz do Iguacu. We had a very short wait before boarding our next plane to the falls. It was an exceptionally bumpy flight and an unnerving landing so again we were relieved to have our feet back on firm ground. We had booked into the HI hostel outside of the town and only a few kilometres from the airport. We took the local bus which was fine apart from the fact that the conductor insisted that everyone had to get through the bus turnstile, backpacks and all. Of course everyone got jammed in the turnstile and it would have been so much easier had they allowed the people with backpacks to stay at the front of the bus, but rules seem to be

rules and this idea seemed totally unacceptable. It is not only difficult boarding a bus fully loaded with backpacks but to have to then negotiate a full on old style turnstile whilst the bus in is motion really is taking the you know what! Thankfully the bus down to the hostel was both turnstile and cost free - which was pretty good we thought.

The hostel was amazing and we were very glad to have decided to stay out in the countryside rather than in the town itself. We had booked a double room and were delighted to find that the double rooms are actually cabanas - log style cabins. The place was great and far better than we had expected. The hostel was big not in terms of dorm rooms but the fact that it had a lovely swimming pool, bar area with free pool table and some other odd wooden table game. There was also camping available so the grounds were very pleasant, the kitchen was a bit of a