Day 8 Part 1 - Aves (Birds) ! - March 6, 2013

Today was a big day, starting out with an excellent breakfast at Pousada Bella Casa.  We discussed with Silvana our travel plans to Salta, Argentina, and she provided the contact information for a local (Brazilian) travel agent to help us figure it out.  The agency was open until 7 PM, giving us plenty of time to visit the nearby Parque das Aves (Bird Park) and the Brazilian side of the famous waterfalls Foz do Iguaçu first.  The directions were simple.  Walk down the street a couple of blocks to the McDonalds, staying across the street from that famous restaurant.  Catch the bus marked "Aeorporto - Parque Nacional" and pay about R$2.60 apiece (about US$1.25) for the ride, and take it to the next to last stop for the Bird Park.  The bus was quite crowded, and we had to stand the entire time (maybe 30 minutes), as did most of the Brazilians.  Even though the bus was full, there was always room at each stop for 3 or 4 more.  Packed to the gills and holding on to the rails with BOTH hands (as did most of the Brazilians), we finally arrived at the bird park and popped out into the bright sunlight.

The Parque das Aves, surprisingly, did not take credit cards, so I used up a lot of my Brazilian cash to get in, R$46 for both, about US$23.  There we we found a series of one-way trails that would take you around the park, beside some aviaries and inside others.  Silvana had told us about 2 hours, and she was spot on - we spent about 2.5 hours there exploring and seeing the birds.  There is not anything to write that can capture the experience, so I will leave it to the photos to do so.  As always, you can click on ANY photo in the blog for a larger version.  Crazy bird people (you know who you are), the comments section is just for you.  Enjoy!

  

 













































































































































































What? You want MORE birds? Seriously? Crazy bird people, your wish is our command!

Haha! Jaja! Some of those were not birds - the joke is on you!  Not to worry, here is a special message from some special friends here in Brazil:

Don't understand?  Maybe it's because you do not speak Portuguese!