Backpacking with My Parents: Revisiting Iguacu Falls, Brazil
It was an incredible journey for me last year when I headed to Brazil for the football World Cup with my girlfriend Panny Yu. But even better that my parents were coming travelling with us for a week of it! It was my Mum and Dad’s first time to visit South America and I met them in Sao Paulo airport before taking an internal flight to Foz do Iguacu. I wanted to ensure they enjoyed themselves and didn’t feel stressed to be travelling with two backpackers!
Touring the awesome Iguazu Falls with Mum and Dad in Brazil
The main reason for going to Brazil was of course the World Cup, but I remembered back to my first time in Brazil in 2010 when I visited the marvellous Iguacu Falls and being so close to it, I didn’t want my parents to miss out on seeing this incredible waterfall.
Dad and Mum admiring Iguazu Falls
The thing is, Panny and I tend to backpack a bit hardcore and a bit less relaxed than we should, so we really needed to try and slow it down a notch when we got to Iguacu and that we did.
Touring Brazil with Mum and Dad – at Foz do Iguacu
But I also wanted to show the backpacking lifestyle to Mum and Dad so we booked into the Green House Hostel in Foz do Iguacu and decided on public transport rather than tours to get out to the main sights. We got the bus out to the Foz do Iguacu on the Brazil side, paid into the national park and then went to the main viewing points before getting up close and getting soaked at the waterfalls. It was amazing! Such a different experience 4 years on from my first time there.
Getting soaked at Iguacu
I was rushing around South America on my second visit and made good use of multiple #LANairlines flights to and from the main airport hubs. Indeed in my two trips to South America I have flown in and out of Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile.
Mum and Dad at Iguacu
With Mum and Dad at Iguacu
The experience of travelling with Mum and Dad is so different and refreshing and something I want to do more often. Recently I have also done the Belfast to Dublin train with my parents and we toured Hong Kong and Sri Lanka before. It’s important that your parents don’t have to rush around too much and can take it easy and relax. I think the time I went backpacking with them in Sri Lanka was a bit intense though, my Dad even hiked Adam’s Peak that time!
Getting soaked at the incredible Iguazu Falls
I will aim to get more typed up on travelling with my parents again soon.
Superb!!!
Hi Ivy, glad you liked it. Safe travels. Jonny
Travelling with parents is an awesome experience to have when you are older. You learn to appreciate it more. Now that both my parents are both retired, I hope to do some more trips with them in the future. BTW, my guess is that your next trip with your parents will be for Euro Cup 2016 for a Northern Ireland match!
Ray recently posted…U.S. Virgin Islands – Blackbeard’s Playground
Hi Ray, thanks for the comment. I’ve done quite a few trips with them but not written much about them yet. In fact I posted exactly a year after the day we visited Iguazu. My Dad would definitely be up for the Euros, just got to convince my Mum of it too! Safe travels, Jonny
I, as a Brazilian, feel very good to see things about my country in your blog. I am really curious about the opinions of foreigners about my country, and I also read a lot blogs that speaks about Brazil, specially to know about things that are normal for Brazilians but not to a foreigner. I found your blog researcging about French Guyana and Suriname and, even being neighboors of Brazil, fez people have visit this two countries. Foz do Iguaçu i ve beem once, and really enjoyed !!
Hi Joao thanks for your comment. Yes I had fun in Iguazu and have actually been twice now. French Guyana, Guyana and Suriname are also worth the trip – loved those three countries too. Safe travels. Jonny