Travel Location: Parity,Brazil

Travel About: food-&-wine,festival,waterfall,carnaval,iguazu

We made it to Trelew and travelled by local bus to Gaiman where we were staying. We checked into the Gwesty Tywi and headed straight out for a ´Welsh tea´ or Te Cymreig. We found a small place aptly called Ty Cymraeg (The Welsh Tea House) and headed in. Nobody spoke Welsh there but i think the aim of the place was to see how many cakes real welsh people can eat as the waitress proceeded to bring out 10 slices of different cakes along with bread and jam and a gallon of tea. We hadn´t had a…snack like this for a while and we really enjoyed it until we started to feel abit sick. We spent a few days at the lovely guest house and visited the musuem dedicated to the Welsh settlers, the Taberncl and we even managed to have a few conversations with the locals in Welsh-they even understood some of my welsh, or maybe they were just being polite.

We moved on from Gaiman to the capital city of Beunos Aires. It was a long trip and we were lucky to have a really good hostel right in the centre of the city. We headed out and walked throught the old areas of the city and watched the street performers doing everything from the tango to contortionism. Over the next few days we travelled around the city taking in the sites like Eva perons grave, the water front (and the odd Irish bar).

“…ac eraill mewn gwisgoedd bach pitw – caeodd John ddim ei lygaid drwyr nos!”

Our next stop was Puerto Iguazu, home to the Iguazu Falls. They are supposedly 5 times bigger than Niagra Falls, and on inspection they were very impressive. We got completely soaked whilst walking along the viewing platforms due to the spray from the falls, but also it started to rain so hard that when we got back to our hostel we found that it was flooding! So we decided that we would head to Rio de Janiero as soon as possible and catch the last day of the Carnival.

It was a gruelling 22hr bus journey to Rio but it was worth it. We got in early and were pretty tired. We decided to get a cab with a guy named Fergus who was staying at the same place as us. The cab ride woke us up to say the least, this was due not only to the cab driver´s disrespect for other vehicles, pedestrians, dogs etc, but also because we got our first view of the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the stunning city, its a sight we will never forget. We spent the rest of the day walking around trying to get to Copacabana beach (unsucessfully), then we headed back to get dressed and went in search of the Carnival. We went to a couple of street parties and drunk and danced as much as possible, then at about 12midnight we decided to try and get into the Sambadroma, the huge arena that the Carnival parade goes through. We managed to get in with tickets we bought from a tout who swore they were genuine and spent the next 4 hours watching the samba parade with its thousands of people in different costumes and huge floats. We made friends with some Brasilians who allowed us into their gang only after we attempted the Samba, i thought they were gonna die laughing when i did it! We drunk and danced with them all night, one of them turned out to be a 7ft dutch guy in drag but nobody cared as it was carnival. We flagged at 4ish in the morning and got the tube back with people still in costume to our digs. We got to bed around 5…WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY!

During the next couple of days we went too see Jesus on the hill and took in the heat and the views of Rio. We also went down to Copacabbana, Ipenama and Santa Teresa for a look around. We went to watch a football match in the massive Maracan Stadium, Juninho turned out for Flemenco and they won 3-1. The crowd went mad when Flemenco nearly scored in the frist couple of minutes, but when they scored it was fireworks, flares and huge shirts all over the place! What an atmosphere!

We were completed tired out when we left Rio for the coast, our next stop was Paraty between Rio and Sao Paulo. Its a very beautiful place and we have just lazed around recovering and getting a bit of a tan for the last few days – its been very hard i”m sure you can all imagine!

We are heading on to Salta in Argentina and then into Bolivia and Peru.

I hope your all well and the weather as well as the 6 Nations isn`t getting you down too much.

See you all soon

.

FERSIWN CYMRAEG

Ar ol El Calafate, teithio dros nos ar fws moethus i Drelew ym Mhatagonia. Doedden ni ddim yn gwbod beth i ddisgwyl, ond reodd y profiad o fod yn y Wladfa yn un pleserus dros ben. Arhoson ni yn Gaiman, mewn gwely a brecwast or enw Gwesty Tywi gyda Brenda a Diego. Roedd hi´n 4 y brynhawn erbyn hyn a´r ddau ohonyn ni´n llwgu, felly mynd am de traddiodiadol i´r Ty Cymreig fel tourists da! Dwi erioed yn cofio cael te fel yma gatre – 10 cacen, bara, jam, caws, scons a´r pot mwyaf o de dwi eriod ´di gweld – ron i haner disgwyl i rhywun arall i ddod i eistedd gyda ni! Do`n i ddim moyn codi cywilydd ar Gymru, felly fe drion ni fwyta´r cwbl (yn ofer) ond nethon ni ddim bwyta eto tan amser cinio y dwirnod ar ol ´ny! Roedd Gaiman yn hyfryd o dawel a braf iawn oedd gallu gofyn am swper neu cyfarwyddiadau yng Nghymraeg, ond dwin credu ein bod ni wedi bod yn lwcus dros ben gyda faint o Gymraeg y llwyddon ni siarad.

Ond y peth rhyfedda i ddigwydd yn y Wladfa – cwrdd fyny a Catrin Morris, cyn athrawes cerddoriaeth Rhydfelen! Weird neu be??

Ar ol ymlacio yno am rhai diwrnodau a mynd am ddiwrnod i Puerto Madryn, lle glaniodd y Cymro cyntaf, teithio dros nos eto i Buenos Aires. I fod yn onest, reodden ni ychydig yn siomedig gydar ddinas ar y cyfan. Reodd gweld y fynwent gyda beth Eva Peron yn ddiddorol dros ben, a gweld y dawnsio tango ar gorneli styd, ond roedd y ddinas ei hun yn eitha brwnt a lot gormod o draffig, felly mlaen a ni!

Wedyn i Puerto Iguazu i weld y rheadrau enwog. Roedd rhain yn anhygoel, ac yn ymestyn am 2.5 km. Y diwrnod hyny, fe wnaeth hi dywallt i lawr a glaw, ond doedd dim ots gan fod y niwl or rheadrau yn ein gwlychu ni tabeth. Erbyn i ni gyrraedd nol ir hostel, roedd y stryd fel rheadr ar hostel o dan 3 modfedd o ddwr. Dwin credu eu bod nhw wedi arfer, gan mai rhoir panhigion allan yn y pwdeli wnaeth y staff.

Croesir border wedyn i mewn i Brazil a mynd ar y bws cyflymaf i Rio er mwyn dal diwedd y Carnifal. Reodden ni wedi penderfynnu ei bod hi yn rhy ddrud i ni fynd Rio amser yma`r flwyddyn gan fod prisiau llety wedi mynd i fyny 500%, ond dyma nin pendefynnu funud olaf i fynd, tabeth oedd y gost. Dyma un or penderfyniadau gore i ni wneud gan fod y Carnifal yn brofiad gwych. Miloedd ar filoedd o bobl wedi gwisgo mewn gwisgoedd mawr dros ben llestri, ac eraill mewn gwisgoedd bach pitw – caeodd John ddim ei lygaid drwyr nos! Fe wnaethon ni ffrindiau a chriw o San Paulo oedd wedi dod i weld y Carnifal, a gethon ni llwyth o sbort gyda nhw – wrth gwrs reodd ein Sbaeneg ni o ddim help i ni, gan mae Portugese reodden nhw`n siarad. Ond reodd hi`n haws cyfleu pethau ar ol dawnsio ag yfed, fel arfer!

Mae Rio ei hun, heb os, yn un or dinasoedd pertaf dwi erioed wedi bod iddi, ac o ben y Sugar Loaf, roedd yr olygfa o Corcodova (Iesu ar ben mynydd) ar favelas (ardaloedd tlawd) yn dringo fyny ochr y mynyddoedd yn hyfryd, ac wrth gwrs, y traethau bedigedig. Gethon ni sawl diwrnod yn crwydro`r Copacobana a Impanema a doedden ni ddim yn teimlo o dan fygythiad o gwbl. Roedd naws hyfryd a chyfeillgar yn y ddinas, a hyd yn oed pan es i mewn i`r Favelas, doeddwn i dal ddim yn teimlo allan o le. Wrth gwrs, mae dal porblem cyffuriau yno, ond ar ol bod yno a gweld mae pobl `normal` yn mynd wrth ei busnes yw 99% or bobl, dwi`n edrych ar y lle o dan olau newydd.

Fuon ni hefyd i weld gem pel droed mewn Stadiwm gwych. Reodd y gem ei hun yn iawn (dal ddim yn deall beth sy`n mynd ymlaen) ond pan roedd Flamengo yn scorio (neu bron a sgorio) roedd y lle yn mynd yn wyllt – roedd y naws yn anhygoel ac unwaith eto, yn gyfeillgar. Wnaethon nhw ddim stopio canu a dawnsio drwy gydol y gem! Wn i ddim pe bai pethau wedi bod yn wahanol pe bai nhw wedi colli?

Felly ar ol 4 dydd a 4 noson fawr yn Rio (a twll mwy yn ein poced) dyma ni´n anelu am dawelwch y traeth mewn pentref bach or enw Paraty, lle hyryd a hamddenol a henafol ar lan y mor. Fuon ni´n aros mewn Posada gwych a deodden ni ddim moyn gadael, ond dyma ni wedi ein llusgo ein hun oddi yno ac yng nghanol ein taith 3 dydd yn ol i Arianyn er mwyn mynd i Salta yn y gogledd. O fan yno, y gobaith ydy mynd i anialwch yr Atacama yng ngogledd Chile ac yna i mewn i Bolivia.

Mae´n Ddydd Gwyl Dewi heddiw, ond does dim cenyn pedr na het hen fenwy fach Cidwli mewn golwg (dim Steddfod chwaith, diolch byth) ond gobeithio eich bod chi gyd yn mwynhau nol yng Nghymru fach.

Hwyl am y tro

John a Ffionxx

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Travel Location: Curitiba,Brazil

Travel About: architecture,art-&-museum

Wow, Jema and I are in a new town, and it is a vast improvement over the stressful city of São Paulo. At 11:30 pm on the night of the 18th we boarded a bus bound for a town called Curitiba. After a 5 hour ride we arrived at our destination, groggy but ready for the day. I expected that we would encounter muito (much) stress as this is a new and different place. However, to my surprise we have been fairing wonderfully, and the stress level has been kept to a minimum. Curitiba is much smaller than São Paulo (1.6 million compared to 18 million. It is friendlier, cleaner, and more beautiful, too. We are loving this place and will be sad when we have to leave (which will be either tommorow or the next day). The downside to a smaller city is less facilities. For instance, we have been here for two days and this is the first internet cafe we have found. Also, we have yet to run across a lavandaria (laundry place). However, I would much rather be here than back in São Paulo. We are safer, and the pace of this city is slower and more relaxing. Curitiba has numerous city parks, all of which are beautiful. We are having an awesome time.

So, we didn´t do much yesterday. We took a nap in the morning because the sleep that we got on the bus was not adequate. Then we walked all the way across the city to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (he´s a famous architect), but for some reason it was closed on Mondays. It´s open on Sunday, but closed on Monday, weird. So we walked back through the city stopping at the parks and just sitting and taking in the new environment. Then we went back to our hotel and went to bed early. This morning we were up with the sun. After quick showers and even quicker breakfast we headed for the train station. We bought tickets for a train headed for Morretes. Morretes is a little town in the mountains, not far from the coast. The train ride was gorgeous, the tracks were literally cut into the mountain. We passed through a dozen tunnels, over several bridges, and the views of the mountains and valleys were breathtaking. The whole way Jema and I were smiling from ear to ear because we were finally in the outdoors. Once in Morretes we ate the local dish, which is called barreado. Barreado is a meat stew cooked over coals in a clay pot in a hole in the ground. The dish was originally invented so that the women could prepare an easy meal during Carnival so they could all party with the men. The dish has since become a popular attraction of the town. We mixed our barreado with rice, manoic flour, fresh-picked banana sliced into the stew, and a super hot sauce made locally. We ate this meal at an awesome restaurant that sat right on a river running through the valley. The food, atmosphere, and company (Jema´s, of course) made this meal the best I´ve had in a long time. After the barreado we walked through town, saw some awesome banana trees, stopped at a few little shops, and then boarded a buss back to Curitiba.

The train ride was gorgeous, the tracks were literally cut into the mountain!

When we arrived we realized the Oscar Niemeyer Museum was probalby open, so we started walking in that direction. We got there in time to spend two hours looking at all sorts of art: some was fascinating, some was bizarre, but it was all interesting. The Museum is shaped like an eye, it looks awesome. After the museum we walked back through town (it was dark at this point). The parks here are so nice, and the street lighting is vintage. And with the old buildings and cathedrals it gives you a feel of peace and relaxation. After enjoying the sublime feel of it all, we bought an ice-cream cone and started back to the hotel. On the way we spotted this internet cafe. So here I am.

On a side note. All of this walking is wearing us out. Seriously, we walk everywhere because we are too cheap to take a taxi or ride the bus. Only for really long distances ( 3 km or more, do we take a bus). By the end of the day (like right now) we are both complaining about how exhausted we are and how much our feet hurt. It is sort of a catch 22 because we complain about it all the time but the excercise is good. Maybe by the end of this trip I will actually be in shape.

Tommorow we are taking a bus to a place called Vilha Vela. It is a park of some sore that has awesome natural sandstone formations. After Vilha Vela we will come back here to Curitiba, maybe see some botanical gardens, and plan for our next destination, which will probably be a town called Blumenau, which is farther south. Anyway, the next time you all here from me I might be in a different town, as interent is so hard to come by here. I hope you all are having a superb summer!!! It is great to get comments and feedback!!! Talk to ya later!!!

Patrick -:-)

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Travel Location: Rio-de-Janeiro,Brazil

Travel About: architecture,art-&-museum

(5.31.06) This morning I left Renato in Curitiba and flew to Rio de Janeiro. When I arrived in Rio, I found that fewer people spoke English than I thought. I followed what my guidebook said and took the Real Auto Bus which was operated by no one who spoke English. I made it to Botogofo where my hostel is, but the bus dropped me further away so there I was with my huge suitcase trying to find my street. I finally found it and checked in. The people here are so friendly and all young of course. They showed me the hostel and all their facilities. I have a private double which is up this very narrow spiral staircase so I had to pull my giant suitcase up there. I guess they usually don’t see people like me traveling with such big cases.

After I settled in, I quickly left for the Museu do Indio (The Indian Museum), which displays exhibits on the indiginous Brazilians. The exhibits were in Portuguese but I got the gist. After that I walked further down Rua Voluntários da Pátria, the main street with lots of shops and restaurants. At the very end (about a 30 min walk from the hostel) there is an indoor market where I had some dinner at Rota 66, a Mexican and American restaurant. Again, not many spoke English which I was surprised considering Rio is a heavy tourist area. I headed back to the hostel and decided to relax. Many people here are going to a futebol match but I think I need a break from my non-stop journey. It is nice to meet people from places like France, Lousiana, USA, Ireland, Austrailia, and other parts. I also have seen some nice views of Christo Redentor which I will be visiting tomorrow.

I felt like Jason Bourne zipping through the streets of a third world country on a motorbike!

(6.1.06) What an exciting day today! This morning I had some breakfast and met a couple more people, one from Italy and another from Miami. At 9:30 I left for a favela tour organized through the hostel with an excellent group called Bealocal. They picked up ten more people and we headed to the base of Rocina, the largest favela in Rio. 200,000 people in Rio live in these favelas or shantytowns which are technically illegal land but since Rocina is so big it even has its own bus route and post office. We each rode up the mountain on the back of a motorbike. I felt like Jason Bourne zipping through the streets of a third world country on a motorbike! At the top our guide lead us down the hill through the narrow streets and passageways. This tour is very safe and the company has been leading them for three and a half years. They take the same route and our guide knows everyone! Yes, drug lords may hide in favelas but everyone that lives there has a job or opens up shop. Most can’t afford to live elsewhere but they get by. In Rochina there are four high schools which is not enough for the number of residents.

Everything, even the living on the land is illegal. But, the favela is 75 years old and buildings are just built on top of one another. People tap into the electric poles for free electricity. It looks like any poor neighborhood, but the reality is quite amazing. We stopped at an art studio in case we wished to buy some of owner’s paintings, then we had a bite to eat and off to a local daycare! The children were so cute and the daycare was in quite good condition. From that point we walked down some more and were shown some graffiti that said “ADA” which stands for the drug gang that controls that favela. Again… very safe. Our guide Marcio is an expert when it comes to navigating the favela. The people there are very friendly and nice. The tour company donates some money from their revenue to the daycare from time to time. Even to the local favela residents if they need something like a repair to their house. It’s sad, many children play in bare feet near the open sewers and often contract disease.

Afterwards I walked a bit on Copacobana beach but it was so rainy and foggy it wasn’t that exciting. I had a bite to eat and then took a taxi to the Cristo Redentor monument which is 710 metres high. What a huge statue of Christ! And, gorgeous views of the city. I then took a taxi back to the hostel. Tomorrow it’s off to Belo Horizonte!

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Travel Location: Rio-de-Janeiro,Brazil

Travel About: architecture,art-&-museum,tour

Flew into Rio and decided after 10 months of roughing it we could spoil ourselves for the last four days of our trip so checked into a very nice hotel on the beach in Ipanema.

Spent a fair bit of time watching pay TV in our room and ordering room service partly due to the fact it started pissing down rain the first day we got to Rio and didn’t stop for about a day and a half.

Managed to catch the final of the Cricket World Cup and cheered on with a few other Aussies in the pub as Gilly dismantled the Sri Lankan attack….although we did catch Jo a couple of times having a bit each way and cheering for Sri Lanka as well.

For our penultimate day in Rio (and South America for that matter) we thought we better round the trip off with some touristy things which we have been so notoriously bad at so far. Booked a tour to see Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain (or bread mountain as we had been calling it). Both were great, The hill of Christ the Redeemer at 700m high gives a truly great view of all of Rio which can only be truly appreciated from on high with the huge bay, hundreds of ritzy high rises, Favela’s sprawling over the surrounding slopes and of course the iconic bread moun…Sugar Loaf Mountain. The statue itself at 38m aint bad either, too bad there is a constant stream of tourists all trying to take the same photos up there as well.

Next stop was two different cable car rides up to the top of Sugar Loaf which affords a similar view as before except of course now we had a view of the iconic Christ the Redeemer instead, stayed up there for sunset which, due to the slightly overcast weather, was not that spectacular but imagine on a good day it would be pretty bloody nice.

That night went to a fancy restaurant for our final dinner in South America (any excuse to eat like pigs basically). The place was fantastic – a fancy all you can eat place where the waiters walked around with every different type of meat you could imagine (except maybe for cat, rat or dog which they were out of at the time) and providing the little disk they give you at the start is green side up they will keep piling meat on your plate, needless to say mine was on green for nearly the entire time. Jo was actually starting to get a bit shitty about not getting any meat until I explained the highly complicated red/green disk system and a quick flip of the disk to the green side solved the problem.

Well our last day was devastatingly sad and deliriously happy all rolled into one. Sad to be leaving a continent that has been the source of so many new friends, amazing sights and crazy experiences that we will never forget. Being fully aware we probably wont get the chance to do something like this again we can only hope the rest of our lives can be so full of amazingly good times (and a few tough ones to add perspective).

On the flip side we were happy to be heading back to a country that’s native tongue is English, you can walk the streets without fear of being pick pocketed, you can wander the city at night with little fear of being mugged and has sufficient plumbing to allow you to put your toilet paper in the dunny.

Finally would like to thank all the people we’ve met along the way who have literally made the trip and if any of you are actually still reading this….you’re mad and we hope to catch up with you again one day.

Craig and Jo

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Travel Location: Rio-de-Janeiro,Brazil

Long have I desired to see Brazil’s southern states.  I just hadn’t realized it before arriving.  As with many other countries, I had conjured fantastic visions and imagined unique adventures prior to receiving my admission stamp.  However, only after crossing the border and learning more about the country’s geography did I realize all of my memories-to-be were set in the south.  I knew little about the north except that it contained the massive Amazon River, a stunning Atlantic coastline, and the Afro-Brazilian capital of Salvador.  As I traveled through it, I learned and liked more of the north’s varied cultures and landscapes.  I didn’t penetrate it as deeply as I would have liked, because each time I lengthened my stay somewhere or added a new town to my itinerary, a voice would speak to me.  “Make sure you save time for the south,” it said.  Sometimes it came from other travelers, sometimes from my earlier fantasies.  Regardless of the source, it was right.  By the end, I wished for more time, but I did manage to include three of its gems – two expected and one wonderful surprise.

I spent a week in Rio de Janeiro (pronounced HEE-oh day Jah-NAY-roh in Portuguese) with Jamie, but we did not room together.  Thanks to Adriana, a friend I met months earlier in Egypt, I had a welcome break from hostel life, my first since landing on the continent.  But Adriana was not the only familiar face in Rio.  Jamie and I reunited with our three California friends from Salvador as well as a carioca (local) named Ricardo whom we had met in Belém.  We flew into the cidade maravilhosa on Ricardo’s birthday, and after a brief phone call he picked all five of us up and treated us to a memorable evening that included sipping drinks from his plush apartment balcony, hunting for “acceptable” (read: cheap but good) clubs, and crashing a neighbor’s house party.

No city in the world can compete with Rio de Janeiro for most outstanding natural setting.

The rest of my time in Rio was more touristy, but not in a negative sense.  There is simply too much to see in a city this large, diverse, and so beautifully set.  It would require a week just to see the city from its innumerable vistas, one of which would have to be from the barrio of Santa Teresa.  Coupled with a self-guided tour through the Centro and Lapa districts to see their notable architectural achievements of the Petrobras Corporate Headquarters, Catedral Metropolitana, and Arcos da Lapa, strolling around the tranquil streets and quaint neighborhoods of Santa Teresa was our team activity for an afternoon.  This older, quieter area of Rio offered respite to the big city hustle below, and with the west-facing views from its hilly perches it was easy to see why sundown had been the recommended hour to visit.

Thanks to the metro, Rio is a walker’s city.  There may be quite a bit of it, but it is walkable no less.  On some days, Jamie and I would stick to our home district of Catete.  On others we’d stroll through a greenbelt like Parque Lage, around a lake like Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, or atop the fine, warm sand of the Praias do Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana.  But our greatest pedestrian adventure came when I suggested we walk from Enseada de Botafogo to the base of Corcovado mountain, home to the World Wonder Cristo Redentor.  What seemed like a trivial distance on the map became over an hour of walking before we reached the train at the mountain’s base.  Had one of the city’s key attractions not been waiting for him at the top, I’m certain Jamie would have abandoned me then and there for making him walk so far.  True to his status, Christ indeed was the savior.

After Cristo, Jamie and I sped over to another of the city’s notable landmarks, Pao de Açucar.  We exited the second cable car atop the Sugarloaf just in time for the warm spectrum of oranges, pinks, and purples that nature paints best.  It was here watching the sun depart and the city’s lights spark to life that I made a claim which I will now share: No city I’ve seen in picture or actuality can compete with Rio de Janeiro for best natural setting.  Sydney’s and San Francisco’s harbors fall short as do the Alpine towns of Europe or the beach resorts of southeast Asia.  With islands dotting the waters, sugary white beaches fringing its various bays, and dozens of peaks from which to see it all, I consider it lacking nothing.  The Cristo’s status as a World Wonder still strikes me as bizarre, but Rio’s harbor deserves every bit of its Natural World Wonder title.

Sao Carlos was not on my must-see list until the last minute.  Several Brazilians hadn’t even heard of the town until I mentioned it, so it is unsurprising there are few tourists there.  What the city does have are credible universities, thousands of students, and one special English teacher.  Lucimara is one of only half a dozen people I’ve seen on this trip who knew me before I became a world traveler.  For this reason, it was important to visit her, because she represented some of my home.

Most of my time in Sao Carlos would seem uneventful and uninteresting to you, my blog readers.  It centered around simple comforts like lazy mid-morning brunches, bike rides around the college campuses, and evenings of either billiards and bars or just “Friends” episodes at home.  Once, Jamie and I assisted in one of Lu’s classes as the native English speakers; and on his final day with me, Jamie and I were treated to an authentic Brazilian barbecue.  The real blog highlight of Sao Carlos, however, did not occur in the city.  It took place an hour away in Brotas.  From this tiny town, we satisfied our desires for outdoor activity.  In little more than 30 hours, we rappelled down three waterfalls, rafted down a Class II/III river in a “duck” (two-man raft), and zip-lined over two canyons.  It was a fun-filled weekend, to say the least.

With time running short, I chose to visit just one more place in Brazil – a place I was going to see come hell or high water.  Just how high, I had no idea.  The seven Wonders of the World were voted upon months before my departure from the U.S.  The Swiss organization that conducted the voting is now doing a similar poll for the natural wonders of the world, and Iguazu Falls is a main contender for the title.  Niagara’s torrent is impressive, and I hear the cascades of Victoria and Angel Falls are not to be missed, but Iguazu has my vote.  Long ago, the earth’s plate movements created a series of stepped cliffs at what is now the triple frontier of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.  When the Iguazu River flowed over it, thus was born hundreds of waterfalls requiring at least two days to appreciate.

Most travelers say the Argentine side of Iguazu is better than the Brazilian, but I disagree.  Both sides are necessary to fully comprehend this spectacular place.  Argentina gives visitors the opportunity to walk above the cascades, be sprayed by the swirling mist, and be deafened by the churning roar.  It is the park’s intimate experience providing hiking trails, catwalks, and a boat trip to San Martin Island.  Brazil’s side is not as sensual, but is the only way to appreciate the water’s collective magnitude.  It is often called the more photogenic side because the panoramas of the smaller saltos, the Tres Mosqueteros, and the Garganta del Diablo are unparalled.  Only from Brazil can you stand atop a tower hovering above the falls and observe what a fantastic sculptor Mother Nature can be.

As if I hadn’t written the words “World Wonder” enough in this blog, it wouldn’t be complete without mentioning one more.  Itaipu Dam is the largest hydroelectric plant in the world (by output, not capacity).  It is a binational effort creating power for both Brazil and Paraguay.  Its 14,000 MW production supplies Brazil, the world’s fifth most populous country, with 20% of its total power and Paraguay with 100% of its needs.  Unfortunately, this came at a high environmental cost.  A series of falls rivaling Iguazu and hectares of subtropical rain forest were destroyed in order to achieve this, but as part of the $12 billion price tag, many animal species, trees, and new spawning streams have been introduced.  There are several options for touring Itaipu, and, being the engineer that I am, I chose the “technical” (i.e. dork) tour.  Luckily, I had company in my dorkiness.  Two Portuguese guys whom I had befriended the day before came with me.  Andres, Nuno, and I traveled from top to bottom, inside and out, never ceasing to be amazed at the size of the dam, its components, or the workforce required to create it.

By now, you may be tired of reading this entry, as it is one of my longest.  However, this should only reinforce the draw of the region.  I had no time to visit the enchanting colonial town of Paraty or the carless island of Ilha Grande.  I didn’t get a chance to experience the savory foods or expensive nightlife in Sao Paulo, the continent’s industrial center and one of the world’s largest cities.  And I’ll have to try the prime surf spots and experience the laid back atmosphere of Florianópolis on another visit.  But for what I’ve seen and everything I haven’t, I know this – you should put aside plenty of time for the south of Brazil.

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Travel Location: Florianopolis,Brazil

Travel About: island

After hearing so many great things about Florianopolis we finally got here to see it for ourselves. Floripa, as people call it, is located on the very large island of Santa Catarina in the very small state of Santa Catarina. Our experience here was very kick back, unlike what most people get to see when they come in the high season. We spent most of our time in the eastern side of the island in the little fishing village of Barra da Lagoa where most of the tourism revolves around water sports like surfing and kite boarding. We were able to rent a little apartment for $15 a day and with a little kitchen we were finally able to make our own food. After eating out everyday, this was definitely a treat!!! With the local buses we got to go around the island exploring some of the other beaches and the downtown area of Floripa. It was definitely a very slow paced visit and it is hard to imagine this place when it comes alive in the summer. We were happy to just hang out and spend some quality peaceful time together.

Português:

After eating out everyday, this was definitely a treat!!!

Depois de ouvir tantas coisas boas sobre Florianópolis, nós finalmente chegamos aqui para ver com nossos próprios olhos. Floripa, como as pessoas a chamam, é localizada na bem grande ilha de Santa Catarina, no bem pequeno estado de Santa Catarina. Nossa experiência aqui foi bem tranqüila, diferente do que as pessoas costumam ver quando vêm na alta temporada. Nós passamos a maior parte do tempo no lado leste da ilha, na pequena vila pesqueira de Barra da Lagoa, onde a maior parte do turismo envolve esportes aquáticos como surf e kite board. Nós conseguimos alugar um pequeno apartamento por 30 reais por dia e com uma pequena cozinha nós finalmente pudemos fazer nossa própria comida. Depois de comer fora todo dia, isso foi definitivamente uma alegria!!! Com os ônibus locais nós passeamos pela ilha, explorando algumas das outras praias e a área central de Floripa. Foi definitivamente uma visita com um ritmo lento, e é difícil de imaginar esse lugar quando ele se torna vivo no verão. Nós ficamos felizes em apenas passear e passar algum tempo em paz juntos.

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Travel Location: Niteroi,Brazil

Travel About: food-&-wine,shopping,garden

So… Niteroi was much like a pause in time. We recently had our camera break while we were in Petropolís and getting a new one proved to be a very long process. You see, like most countries in the world, you have to pay taxes for imported electronics. However, Brazil has taken this to an extreme… cameras here are sometimes 2 or 3 times more expensive than in the US. So, our idea was to buy a camera online, have it sent to Andre´s mom, and have her send it to Brazil. All of that pretty much worked as planned, except that when it got to Niteroi we had to pay 60% of the cost of the camera!!! Fortunately, it was still cheaper than buying a new camera here, and we had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Andre´s family.

We got to tour Niteroi and enjoyed its diverse cuisine. Picnic at the beautiful Botanical Garden, fabulous Japanese food at Gendai with Mario and Noely, fancy Botiquim São Nunca with Thiago and Ana, not so fancy but delicious botiquim with Luis, Australian food at Outback with Hugo, Vóvó Justa mingau at 11am every morning, homemade food at Cristina´s house, some delicious stuffed hashbrowns at Batata Roastie and many dinners at Filipe and Marina´s house (Note: all of the while, Filipe and Marina where there with us in our eating frenzy). Ok… so we basically ate lots then waited for camera, then ate some more!!! At least we can say that our Niteroi experience was very delicious.

Ok… so we basically ate lots then waited for camera, then ate some more!!!

We also got the chance to go to Rio a couple of times and there we met up with Andre´s father´s side of the family with tia Conceição, tio Durval, Regina and her boyfriend, Rogerio and Andreia, and yes, we ate there too. Another encounter that was really special, was meeting with Arly. He is the guy that helped Andre´s mom take care of the children while she had to go to work. He is much like a brother to both Andre and Aline. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to meet up with Ana, Andre´s sister, due to some scheduling conflicts.

So with happy tummies and with our new camera we were once again ready to hit the road. We arranged to stay at the Andre´s uncle house in Santo Antonio and with Filipe and Marina we headed up to the Mountain ranges of the state of Minas Gerais.

Português:

Então… Niterói foi como uma parada no tempo. Recentemente nossa câmera quebrou enquanto estávamos em Petrópolis, e conseguir uma nova provou ser um processo bem longo. Como na maioria dos países do mundo, você tem que pagar impostos por eletrônicos importados. Entretanto, o Brasil levou isso ao extremo… câmeras aqui chegam a custar 2 ou 3 vezes mais caro que nos EUA. Então, nossa idéia era comprar uma câmera online, enviar para a mãe de André, e ela mandar para o Brasil. Tudo isso funcionou como planejado, exceto que quando ela chegou em Niterói, tivemos que pagar 60% do valor da câmera!!! Felizmente, ainda assim foi mais barato do que comprar uma câmera nova aqui, e nós tivemos a oportunidade de nos divertir com a família de André.

Nós passeamos por Niterói e desfrutamos de sua cozinha diversa. Pic-nic no Jardim Botânico, comida Japonesa fabulosa com Mario e Noely, um arrumado Botequim São Nunca com Thiago e Ana, não tão arrumado mas delicioso botequim com Luis, comida Australiana no Outback com Hugo, mingau da vovó Justa às 11 da manhã todo dia, comida caseira na casa de Cristina, deliciosa Batata Roastie recheada e muitos jantares na casa de Filipe e Marina (Nota: em todos os outros, Filipe e Marina estavam lá conosco em nosso frenesi gastronômico). Ok… basicamente nós comemos muito, esperamos pela câmera, e então comemos mais um pouco!!! Pelo menos podemos dizer que nossa experiência em Niterói foi muito deliciosa.

Nós também tivemos a chance de ir ao Rio algumas vezes e lá nos encontramos com o lado da família do pai de André, com tia Conceição, tio Durval, Regina e seu namorado, Rogerio e Andreia, e sim, nós comemos lá também. Outro encontro que foi muito especial foi com Arly. Foi ele que ajudou a mãe de André a cuidar dos filhos enquanto ela tinha que ir trabalhar. Ele é como um irmão para André e Aline. Infelizmente nós não tivemos chance de encontrar com Ana, irmã de André, devido à conflitos de horários.

Então, com nossas panças felizes e com nossa nova câmera, estávamos novamente prontos para cair na estrada. Marcamos de ir para a casa do tio de André em Santo Antônio e, com Filipe e Marina, rumamos para o lado das Montanhas no estado de Minas Gerais.

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Travel Location: Recife,Brazil

Recife had been in our minds ever since we had decided to take on this journey through South America. Back in Washington we once watched a documentary that spoke of the dangers of shark attacks in Recife and it showed some awesome footage of this large city with sky scrapers everywhere you looked! Well, there is much more to Recife than all the fuss about sharks and it´s tall buildings as we found out with the help of Pedro and Martha. Once again our luck went beyond just having a place to stay, for Pedro and Martha lent their time to take us to all the best spots in Recife, Olinda, and Porto de Galinhas.

Português:

…dangers of shark attacks in Recife

Recife sempre esteve em nossas mentes desde que decidimos fazer esta viagem pela América do Sul. Em Washington, vimos uma vez um documentário que dizia os perigos dos ataques de tubarões em Recife e mostrava algumas imagens impressionantes desta grande cidade com grandes prédios por todos lugares que se olhava! Bem, há muito mais em Recife do que essa conversa sobre tubarões e seus edifícios altos, como descobrirmos com a ajuda de Pedro e Martha. Novamente, nossa sorte foi maior do que ter um lugar pra ficar, já que Pedro e Martha nos levaram para todos os melhores lugares de Recife, Olinda e Porto de Galinhas.

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Travel Location: Juazeiro-do-Norte,Brazil

You can’t talk about Juazeiro do Norte without first talking about Padre Cícero. This priest became well known throughout the Sertão after one of his caretakers, during mass, claimed to bleed from her mouth after receiving the host. Soon there after, he was being credited with all kinds of miracles and began to take a leading role in the social and political upheavals of the Northeast. Despite the Catholic Church’s unwillingness to beatify him, the claims and adoration of his followers seem to be getting stronger every year.

Padre Cícero was born in the city of Crato, a neighboring city to Juazeiro do Norte. In later years he completed his schooling in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza. Upon returning to his home town he began his life of priesthood. On one evening he was invited by a small congregation to perform Christmas mass at the, back then, small town of Juazeiro do Norte. Enchanted by its people, Padre Cícero continued to return to this little village year after year until he decided to remain there permanently. It was here that his number of followers began to grow.

As great of a Saint as some claim him to be, there are always two sides to a story.

According to the people of Juazeiro do Norte, it was from an early age that Padre Cícero began demonstrating his miraculous abilities. Having to walk a long distance to get to school, he would often arrive late to find that all of the hooks to hang hats were already taken. Without any hesitation, young Cícero would simply put his hat on the wall, and there it would stay. As the adults began to notice his peculiarities they began talking about how he would one day become someone very special.

Living up to their hopes, Padre Cícero became a source of salvation in this God forsaken land. The knowledge of his greatness spread far and wide. People began flocking to his church in large groups to witness his powers and be cured of their illnesses. There were, however, some that were less willing to believe in Padre Cícero; including a man, who in an attempt to make lite of his powers, sent a roll of cash to purchase some rain over his dried crops. In response, Padre Cícero claimed that the man had sent too much and sent most of the money back. With the arrival of the returned money came a storm like never before, washing a away all of his crops and cattle….After that little incident, he became one of Padre Cícero’s most faithful followers.

As great of a Saint as some claim him to be, there are always two sides to a story. Along with his fame, Padre Cícero gained great political power, but this came at high cost to others. It is said that he had many spies assigned to gain knowledge of the doings of some of the most powerful men in the Northeast. As you may expect, these men did not always behave in the most proper manner. With his “little” box of secrets, it was easy for Padre Cícero to gain unrelenting support for his convictions. Regardless of the validity of his miraculous stories, undoubtedly Padre Cícero was a very smart man well ahead of his time.

To this day his fame continues to grow……and the small town of Juazeiro do Norte is now a big city that expects a pilgrimage of thousands of people to visit it every year during the month of November. It is here where you can find the 4th largest statue in the world (of course it is of Padre Cícero). Also, there are several museums, recreational clubs, and lots of friendly people. Even though this visit did not quench our thirst for the dry Sertão, it was a visit that we will never forget.

Português:

Não se pode falar de Juazeiro do Norte sem antes falar sobre o Padre Cícero. Este padre se tornou conhecido por todo o Sertão após uma de suas empregadas, durante a missa, alegou ter sangrado pela boca após receber a hóstia. Logo após isso, ele estava sendo creditado por todos os tipos de milagres e começou a ter um papel importante nas mudanças sociais e políticas do Nordeste. Apesar da Igreja Católica não querer beatificá-lo, as rezas e adorações de seus seguidores parecer aumentar a cada ano.

O Padre Cícero nasceu na cidade de Crato, uma cidade vizinha a Juazeiro do Norte. Anos depois, ele completou sua educação na área metropolitana de Fortaleza. Ao retornar para sua cidade natal, ele começou sua vida de padre. Uma noite, ele foi convidado por uma pequena congregação para apresentar missa de natal na pequena cidade (naquela época) de Juazeiro do Norte. Encantado por seus habitantes, Padre Cícero continuou a retornar a esta pequena vila ano após ano, até que decidiu permanecer lá permanentemente. Foi aí que seu número de seguidores começou a crescer.

De acordo com os moradores de Juazeiro do Norte, foi desde pequeno que o Padre Cícero demonstrou suas habilidades miraculosas. Tendo que andar uma longa distância para ir à escola, ele frequentemente chegava atrasado e encontrava todos os cabides de pendurar os chapéus usados. Sem hesitar, o jovem Padre Cícero simplesmente colocava seu chapéu na parede, e lá ele ficava. Quando os adultos começaram a notar suas peculiaridades, começaram a falar sobre como ele iria um dia se tornar alguém muito especial.

Vivendo estas esperanças, Padre Cícero se tornou uma fonte de salvação nesta terra abandonada por Deus. O conhecimento de sua grandeza se espalhou longe. As pessoas começaram a ir em sua igreja em grandes grupos para testemunhar seus poderes e serem curadas de suas doenças. Haviam, entretanto, alguns que não acreditavam no Padre Cícero; incluindo um homem, que, na tentativa de fazer pouco dos poderes do padre, enviou um rolo de dinheiro para comprar um pouco de chuva para suas colheitas secas. Em resposta, Padre Cícero disse que o homem havia enviado muito dinheiro, e devolveu quase tudo. Com a chegada do dinheiro de volta, veio uma tempestade nunca antes vista, levando toda a colheita e o gado… Após esse pequeno incidente, o homem se tornou um dos seguidores mais fiéis de Padre Cícero.

Apesar de alguns o acharem Santo, sempre há dois lados de uma estória. Junto com sua fama, Padre Cícero ganhou grande poder político, mas isso veio com grandes custos para outros. É dito que ele tinha vários espiões designados para obter conhecimento dos afazeres de alguns dos homens mais poderosos do Nordeste. Como era de se esperar, estes homens nem sempre se comportavam de maneira correta. Com sua “pequena” caixa de segredos, era fácil para o Padre Cícero ganhar suporte para suas convicções. Mesmo sem considerar a validade de suas estórias miraculosas, sem dúvida Padre Cícero era um homem muito inteligente, bem à frente de seu tempo.

Até hoje, sua fama continua a crescer… e a pequena cidade de Juazeiro do Norte é agora uma grande cidade que espera uma peregrinação de milhares de pessoas para visitá-la a cada ano durante o mês de novembro. É aqui que se encontra a quarta maior estátua do mundo (é claro que é do Padre Cícero). Há também alguns museus, clubes de recreação, e muitas pessoas amigáveis. Mesmo que esta visita não tenha extinguido nossa sede pelo Sertão seco, foi uma visita que nunca esqueceremos.

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Travel Location: Natal,Brazil

Forte dos Reis Magos, the biggest cashew tree in the world, reefs, beautiful dunes and beaches are just some of the main attractions found in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. We ended up staying here longer than expected because Andre got Dengue Fever, or that´s what he has been telling everyone. Luckily we were staying at a pousada where we could use the kitchen and make our own delicious meals without having to go out in search of food. Ok, so Andre really didn´t get Dengue Fever….everyone we have spoken with has told us that Dengue comes with horrible muscle pains all over your body, really high fever, and it lasts a couple of weeks. Andre had a fever, and that was about it. Yet he´s going around telling everybody that he for sure got Dengue! The reason being is…. he captured, in a box, the type of mosquito that transmits Dengue. He kept it in there until it died and was ready to take to have it examined, but then realized he was being silly, and we gave the mosquito a proper burial.

We did get to do some sight seeing in and around Natal. For the first couple of days we stayed at the beach Areia Preta, where we walked along the beach and visited the Forte dos Reis Magos……….We then moved on to the beach of Ponta Negra where we spent pretty much everyday at Pousada Express waiting for Andre to get better. From Ponta Negra we took a local bus to the town of Pirangi where we came face to face with the biggest Cashew tree in the world! Did you know that cashew nuts grow on top of yellow and red fruits? We didn´t….the nut is inside a hard shell that is baked and then cracked open to present a cashew nut.

We ended up staying here longer than expected because Andre got Dengue Fever, or that´s what he has been telling everyone.

That´s pretty much all we did in Natal, but we really enjoyed our stay there. Natal is very beautiful, it has many trees all around the city and it is very peaceful. However, we did find that Natal is more pricey than other places we´ve visited and very touristy.

In Natal we decided we needed to visit the Sertão… the drought prone interior of Brazil. So we took an 11 hour bus heading to Juazeiro do Norte in the state of Ceará (again). That will be our next blog.

Português:

Forte dos Reis Magos, o maior cajueiro do mundo, recifes, lindas dunas e praias são apenas algumas das principais atrações encontradas no estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Nós acabamos ficando aqui por mais tempo do que o esperado, porque André pegou Dengue, ou pelo menos é o que estava dizendo para todos. Por sorte, nós estávamos em uma pousada onde podíamos usar a cozinha e fazer nossas próprias refeições deliciosas sem ter que sair pra procurar comida. Ok, André não pegou realmente Dengue… todos que conversamos nos disseram que os sintomas da Dengue são horríveis dores musculares por todo o corpo, febre bem alta e ela dura algumas semanas. André estava com febre, e só isso. Ainda assim, ele continua dizendo que pegou Dengue! A razão é porque… ele capturou, em uma caixa, o tipo de mosquito que transmite a Dengue. Ele o guardou até que ele morresse e estava pronto pra levar o mosquito pra ser examinado, mas percebeu que estava sendo tolo, e então fizemos um enterro apropriado para o mosquito.

Nós visitamos alguns pontos turísticos em Natal e suas redondezas. Nos dois primeiros dias, ficamos na praia Areia Preta, onde passeamos pela praia e visitamos o Forte dos Reis Magos… Depois fomos pra praia de Ponta Negra, onde passamos quase todos os dias na Pousada Express esperando André melhorar. De Ponta Negra, pegamos um ônibus local para a cidade de Pirangi, onde ficamos cara a cara com o maior cajueiro do mundo! Vocês sabiam que as castanhas de caju crescem em cima das frutas amarelas e vermelhas? Nós não… A castanha fica dentro de uma casca dura que é cozida e então quebrada para tirar a castanha de caju.

Isso é praticamente tudo que fizemos em Natal, mas nós realmente gostamos de ficar lá. Natal é muito bonita, possui muitas árvores por toda a cidade e é muito calma. Entretanto, nós achamos que Natal é mais cara do que os outros lugares que visitamos e é uma cidade muito turística.

Em Natal, decidimos que precisávamos visitar o Sertão… o interior do Brasil que está sujeito à seca. Pegamos então um ônibus de 11 horas de duração para Juazeiro do Norte no estado do Ceará (de novo). Esse vai ser o nosso próximo blog.

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