Iguassu Cataratas (waterfalls)

The Iguassu cataratas split Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and is a huge number of cascading waterfalls. A complex that is bigger than Niagara falls. Of course this is quite a tourist attraction. The heart of the falls is the “Devil’s throat” which is shared by Brazil and Argentina.

I arrived by air from Sao Paulo (after taking a bus from Paraty), thanks to our friends at Azul airlines who were kind enough to give me a special rate :) Saying that, I was so tired when I arrived as we had a huge party in Paraty the night before we left and I didn’t sleep much on the bus or flight.

Foz is quite big for a city in the middle of nowhere and the surrounding landscape reminds me of the Transvaal. Quite dry with long grass and the odd tree. Ok, a bit more trees. After a shared taxi ride to the centre of town, I walked to a hostel with was quite nice. Their dorms were full, but they had lots of space for campers! Tent…check :) It seems to be more handy than originally thought, and cheaper. I didn’t have the strength to go out as it was after 5pm, so a quick meal and back to the hostel.

I’ve made it to Foz do Iguacu

My plans have changed a lot over the last week, which means that I now find myself in Foz do Iguacu. It is next to the Iguacu waterfalls, where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet. I'll spend a couple of days here and then head to Buenos Aires.

I recently realised that I want to get into nature and do some exploring. Patagonia…here we come!

New page showing where I have been

Having one map that covers the whole area of where I have been doesn’t work well. You have to keep zooming in and out. So, you know those links I’ve been posting? I’ve consolidated them all onto one page. Go have a look…

Paraty

Paraty is a small historic coastal town about 260km from Rio. The most interesting thing that I read about it, is that the cobble streets were designed in such a way that the sea floods it during high tide. Instead of getting the early start that I wanted to get, I had a bit of a lie-in :) No need to push myself like a soldier until I break. As soon as I walked out the posada, I was filled with joy and excitement for the road ahead. This is what travelling should feel like. I was very happy that I didn’t rush to get here the previous day, in the dark, as it was an exquisite day!

The ride to Paraty took mostly look me along the coast with some nice views (map). The roads kind of reminded me of Florida, not the typical narrow roads that I had gotten used to up until now. I soon realised that the reason for this is that there is a nuclear power plant halfway between Angra and Paraty. Jikes!

I read in Footprint’s guide about the Geko hostel, so when I got off the bus and walked to a little travel agent (which I though was tourist info) I asked about it. Well priced an right on the beach. To get some practice walking with my backpack, I trundled through town on my way there. This place has a great vibe! Relaxed and safe.

Geko hostel looked nice, so i booked myself in for 2 days (so I can enjoy the place a bit). The room was fine but what really convinced me about the place was the people working there. They were really helpful, nice and down to earth. The type of people that you would like around you. By the time I was settled it was too late to do any organised tour (which I later realised I have a dislike for), but I still wanted to do something. In the close by mountains there are a couple of waterfalls. Most people only go to these places with tour leaders, “because we don’t want to get lost.” It all part of the adventure :) Took a local bus and got off at the stop which is 2min walk from the waterfall. This waterfall is more of a slippery-slide then a waterfall, but SO much fun! I went sliding down it many times and met an Aussie guy that told me about another waterfall just down the road. A quick look at my map…7km. “I can do that.”

Still wet from swimming, I took a jog downhill to the other waterfall called Petra Branca. As I’m not fit I obviously didn’t run the whole way, but I’m getting in shape….slowly. Once I turned off the main road it was uphill, along a tarred rural road. Some great views. By the time I reached Petra Branca it was starting to cool, the sun was behind the hills and darkness was close. I had a swim in all 3 pools and felt like a child playing Spiderman. This day at the waterfalls really took me back to my childhood, when we used to go to Karatara near Sedgefield and spend the day at the waterfall. What great times those were!

It was dark as I left the waterfall, but I noticed 3 guys sitting under a roof drinking beer. So I joined them, none of them being able to speak English. This did not stop us having a great time. Fabio (the guys I was able to communicate best with), Marco and one crazy guys (I forget his name) ended up chatting for about 3 hours after which Fabio was nice enough to take me to my hostel (he had a car there). I was very surprised to hear him put on Dire Straits in the car, to which we had a bit of a sing along :) What a way to cap off an awesome day!

The next day I wanted to do a touristy type thing, so planned to take a schooner trip to the islands (recommended by another traveller). First I had to book a cheap flight at the travel agent as I don’t have a CPF (remember from the bike buying post?) to book over the internet. This didn’t go as fast a I thought it would. 90min later I had a reservation, as my credit card wouldn’t go through over the phone. I’m guessing it is due to my CC being a chip-n-pin type. I would pay when I got to the airport.

Now it was too late to go on the schooner trip. German (the guy who works at Geko, yes that is his name) said that there are kayaks to rent and this was also nice to do. I saw Barbara (a Dutch lady I met at Geko) in town and she was keen to join. Shopped for some supplies and off we went. The paddle was very nice, as we could explore as we liked. The highlight was a mangrove swamp with lots of crabs on the trees and lunch on a beach. As you pass by the mangrove trees, it looks like the tree becomes alive as they move.

The previous day I had stumbles across a puppet theatre in town which is, apparently, world famous. My mother always says I should get some more culture, so I went. There are no words spoken making it more attractive to me :) 7 scenes are performed, some of which are a bit controversial. Like a suicide and a piece called “conception” showing the conception and birth in a presentable way (only the female pupet). My favourite was an old couple re-igniting the spark. Very playful and funny.

Back at the hostel there was a big party going on. Some drinks later we all hit the town. Barbara and was dead-set on going to dance Foggo, traditionally Brazilian. Being Brazil, the parties only really get going at 1am! I was tired but pushed through. This nice lady at the Foggo club taught me, and others, to dance Foggo. Its much like a 2-step, I think. By 4am I was bushed and crawled into bed.

To get to Sao Paulo, where my flight is from, I booked a bus departing Paraty at 23:30. I was not too fazed to spend the day lazing around and catching up with the world back home. But when invited to go out, how do you say no? So netbook aside, I went walking around with Barbara. We missed the bus to Trinidade (a beach 40min away), but we still managed to have a nice day. Drinking beer at the beach and ending it off with supper of Mosqueca (a traditional Brazilian fish dish).

I leave Paraty having had a great time, made some new friends and most importantly, the realisation that to enjoy my travels I need to explore and spend more time in nature. Can’t wait for Patagonia and Peru!

 

The streets of Paraty (net vir jou Pappa :) ):

The same street before & after flooding

Tourist boats – more streets

Dead-end street – Leading the church – Plain in front of the church

Restaurant at the river – Deliveries being made – Restaurant tables outside

At night – My favourite two pics

 

  Random: I the guy dead?

Waterfall trip:

 
Nice church on the hill – Me – Went down there!

Admiring the strength of an ant – On the way to the second waterfall (cachoeira) – I got hungry along the way

  At the end of the day

Kayaking:

Having a swim – Lunch – View during lunch

 

This piece on observation really hit home. Kind of sums up my experience with the spider on ilha Grande

Ilha Grande (and Angra)

You could say that this is the start of my travels, as I will no longer have the luxury of a good friend who’s house is available as a base. Once I left Adriana’s place there was no looking back. For a first destination, Ilha Grande is a convenient destination as it is close. So no long bus ride. Score! (click for map)

Up till now I haven’t been able to get going early in the morning, so caught a fairly late bus (yes, you can remind me of Rule #3 later) to Angra do Reis. Since the peak season was over, I wasn’t too concerned about getting a bed for the night. And Angra is quite small, no problem to walk around a bit. After settling into a small posada for the night, I quickly got to grips with the town.

Day 1:
Early boat to ilha Grande (motorised catamaran) got the day started with a bang. It departed at 8am! I forget the distance a boat can cover (compared to a car/bus) and you can see the island from Angra. The scenery is great, except for the oil rig in the north side of ilha Grande. But we were heading to Abraao on the east side, so the view would not be cluttered by the machines of man.

There is a ban on vehicles on the island, so only the police have vehicles (quad bikes & 4x4’s). So the island has no proper roads. Cobble streets are the best you are going to get. This gives the place the feeling of a tropical island village…which it is. At the beach its quite commercial, catering for rich tourists, while the “hippy” places are in the back streets (not that its big. You can walk through town from the dock in 10min). Camping is very popular on the island, with hostels, hotels, posada's and camping sites next to each other. I haven't gotten rid of my tent yet, but rather re-packed it making it much less bulky. I can’t take it along and not use it, so I camped.

Tent pitched, I headed for Lopos Mendes, the beach that everyone goes to. Well, this island is basically beaches, boat trips and parties. The way to the beach is a 2-3 hour hike along jungle paths. All the paths on the island are like this as most people rely on boats for transportation. I can understand why, as hiking to get to the next town takes long. On the way to Lopos Mendes you get to Palmas, which is like something out of a story book. Almost no waves, palm trees 3 meters from the water, one low-key restaurant and a bar. Wish I had spent more time here, but of course I had a goal. I arrived there with a German couple (Felix & Coca). We met along the way and joined forces for the hike. Coca had fallen at a waterfall and her eye was bandaged up, making her look a bit like a pirate. Arrrrgghhhh! We had a laugh at her expense, but she’s a good sport. LM was like a beach in Plett, but with a vicious undercurrent. Quite a magnet for people, but not really what I was expecting.

There are water taxi’s all over the island. To avoid walking back, possibly in the dark, I took one that is an old schooner that has been converted to be a people carrier. It was packed with people from LM. I was quite tired as I fell asleep on the beach, partly in the sun and I think the flu was not quite out of my system yet. Talking to people in my broken Portuguese is very tiring, but Instead of just keeping to myself I ended up talking to an Argentinean girl sitting next to me, Claudia. That made the time pass a bit faster (the trip back to Abraao took approx 30min).

By the time we landed I was knackered, with a pounding headache the main culprit. I noticed that I had burnt a bit, probably while asleep on the beach. Quick supper, then to bed. I was wanting to climb the “Parrot’s Peak” the next morning.

Views of Angra

Abraao on Ilha Grande: Arriving – close to the dock – on the beach

The “path” to Lopos Mendes out of Abraao – on the way to Lopos Mendes (this is why most people use boats to get around – Looking back at Abraao

Me, on the way – Palmas

Day 2:
It started to rain during the night and was still pouring down. At this time I was happy to report my tent was still dry inside. A good sign. The sun burn to my face was a mild case of sunstroke. I was feeling weak. So a day in bed it would be, after breakfast. The peak would have to wait until the next day. Listening to the rain on the tent was very relaxing.

By nightfall I was feeling better, but not strong enough to join a island party yet. So I sat down to some planning for my trip. This continent is HUGE! How was I going to see it all? Some advice from the Footprint’s guide said that you should not try to see it all in one trip. Now I know why. The distances are just so big and there is so much to see. Since I didn’t get a motorbike, my whole approach to my trip had to change. Instead of following my nose down many “un-touristy” roads, I would have to stick to more conventional destinations.

I made a list of the places I want to see. Here it is:

• Cusco & Machu Pichu
  
• Nazca lines
  
• Lake Titicaca
  
• Iguazu waterfalls
  
• Buenos Aires
  
• Glaciers in Patagonia
  
• Lake district
  
• Mendoza – Wine country
  
• Altiplano & salt flats
  
• Possibly Ushuaia

This list meant that I was on the wrong side of the continent! I had the sudden urgency to move. “Slow down Ruan.” I was in a beautiful place and have to make the best of it. No rash decisions will be made. Back to bed to mull over all the information I had collected.

Day 3: I felt back to my usual chirpy self and to make it even better, it had stopped raining. I have been eyeing the parts north of Abraao. Today was the day to explore. Didn’t really feel up to walking up a mountain. I had an early start I got supplies for the day (there are very few, if not none, shops along the way I was going) then headed off…north.

A mountain pool and a small waterfall later (I swam at both), I came across a family heading in the same direction. I find that many times I end up being caught up in my own thoughts and don’t really notice what is around me. A big spider, the size of a small saucer, had spun a web in the middle of the path…my head height! I saw it but then realised I’m in the jungle & have to stay focused. I reached a secluded beach. It looked even better than Palmas. I arrived with a family of three and after a swim and a chat with the water taxi skipper I closed my eyes for a short while. When in such a place you expect to be woken by nature, but a island tour (transporting people to the island’s beaches via schooner) broke the silence and started to play their music quite loud. This is not what I wanted today, so off I went.

My aim was to get to the north shore. There is another small town there. However I wasn’t going to rush. After all, I am on holiday. So stopping on a couple more beaches on the way to enjoy nature and take it all in, a couple of people caught up with me. By the time I reached the last mountain to cross before the north shore, all of use were within earshot. It was already 3pm and the taxi boats have a way of stopping at 5pm. We weren’t even sure if there would be a taxi where we were going. To plat it safe (I was thinking of heading to Paraty that night) we bargained with a fisherman to take us to Abraao and off we went. What a great ride! 6 of us (excl. skipper) slowly making our way as the scenery passed slowly, with the low tuck-tuck of the engine playing the tune for the road.

When we arrived in Abraao, I figured that I had enough time to pack up my tent (hopefully dry by now) and make the last boat to Angra. In fact, I packed so quickly that I was able to catch up with Claudia and her cousin before getting the boat. Unfortunately the ride back took longer as this boat was a schooner. There is a bus running to Paraty every 40min, but the ride is about 2hours. Its also not a luxury bus. Looking at this, tired from walking the whole day, not wanting to break rule #3…again. I went to the same posada as before and settled for the night.

This was a great day for me! My spirits were high after exploring and reaching Angra as planned, I was ready to take on my trip with renewed vigour.

  Sights along the way: Pools – Aqueduct - Waterfall

  The old farmhouse, converted to a quarantine facility: Then and Now

The spider - The ideal beach – What passes for advertising on the island – My lunch stop

Our “taxi” – The crew (you can see the skipper in the cockpit – Some random guy. Keeps popping up in my photos :)

Movement update

Im on my way to Parati, leaving Angra & Ilha Grande behind. With a smile and a spring in my step I look forward to the road ahead.

I havent gotten to a WiFi hotspot yet, so proper updates to follow later.

Leaving Rio

After almost 5 weeks since I arrived in Rio, I'm saying good bye to this beautiful city.
I have to admit that it has had my ups & downs, but I have to especially thank Adriana. She welcomed me into her home with open arms and has been very supportive (even when I was sick)...and of course her good friendship :)
Feeling more settled I look forward to continuing with my trip. Next stop Angra (link to map will follow soon).

Why am I still in Rio?

Many of you have asked me or will be asking me this. There is no great story here. I’m sick :(
I came down with flu on my “Carnaval rest day” (Thursday), so my plans to get to Illa Grande before the weekend are out the window. It sucks to be sick!

However, I am well looked after. Adriana is taking good care of me, for which I am VERY grateful! I would hate to be stuck in a place where no-one understands me while I’m sick.

I am feeling better today, hence the blog updates, but not 100% yet. I’m hoping to be healthy by Monday and make a move.

Carnaval in Rio

I think my experience of Carnaval was different from most tourist’s. Most people head straight for the Sambodromo (where the main event is held). Due to my late decision to stay for Carnaval, I didn’t get tickets for the Sambodromo. This didn’t stop me from having a great Carnaval though :) I have been told that in the old days, Carnaval was a celebration in the streets with the local Bataria (band) providing Samba music for the people. These are called Bloco’s, as mentioned in a previous post. The whole competition (held in the Sambodromo) is fairly “new”. So if the streets are where everything is happening, then that is where I will be.

I met some of Adriana’s friends the previous week, and we were going to join them for Carnaval. Andrea, Kassia and 4 friends were going to dress up differently every day. Definitely the right crowd to hang out with!

Day 1:
I arrived in Rio on the Saturday that Carnaval started…at 7am. After a long bus ride from Ouro Preto. On my arrival I was quite tired. After a huge lunch, I rested for a bit. By this time the people I was going to join for the day, had partied too hard and were all man-down. To be honest, this suited me quite well as I stretched myself a bit thin the week.

Day 2:
All rested out, Adriana and I headed for a bloco at the botanical garden (close to her house). This was a bit of a disappointment as the bataria had stopped playing quite early and beers were nowhere to be found. Some people bring their own instruments and they got the party started, well at least for the people close to them.

Since the day was disappointing, we would hit Lapa that night to make up for it. There was just one small thing that we forgot to take into account. Carnaval was now in full swing with bloco's everywhere, making public transport VERY slow. A trip that would normally take 30-60min, took us 2.5 hours! By the time we met up with Andrea it was 11pm! The other girls had gone to another party and it seemed everyone wanted to do their own thing. So the party didn’t last very long. This was a bit of a blessing as I was going to join the girls tomorrow at 9am for a bloco in Santa Teresa.

Day 3:
We all overslept :) I got a call at 9:45am to meet the girls at 10am. I slapped some clothes on and off I went. On arrival in Santa Teresa…something was wrong. Where were all the people? We checked that we were in the right place…yes we were. But we got the time wrong, damn! The bloco was only starting at 3pm. Eish. Well we were there, so lets make the most of it.

Santa Teresa has a long road running through it with little centres (grouping of shops & bars) along it. We went to the next centre in search of an open bar. On the corner of the bar, a guy was dressed as a hooker…an ugly one. He was incredibly sharp and had a snappy comment for everyone…including me. He said I should leave the girls and take him. I hadn’t gotten my “Carnaval legs” yet so I didn’t play along. (Should’ve though) It was very entertaining to watch him dish out comments, with translation from Andrea. I’d say this was the highlight of my morning.

Afternoon was creeping up on us and we headed for the site of the bloco. More people had arrived and by the time the bataria started, the party was in full swing! The bataria doesn’t stay in one spot, it moves through the streets. In this case to the second centre where we had beers earlier. Wow it was really fun! Difficult to put into words.

The girls wanted to go to a show the night in Lapa and by the time it was dark, we headed for the ticket booth. It was quite a walk, but it helped get rid of the beer in our systems. Tickets in hand we headed home for a shower and food!

The concert was a famous Brazilian Samba band. The lead singer (who all the girls were gaga about) made me think about James Blunt. Great concert with another famous Brazilian singer (this time female) joining the band. Apparently her mother was a ridiculously good singer and even more famous. The band finished at 3am and there were 2 more acts to come. None of us had the energy to carry on, so we headed home.

Day 4:
The last day of Carnaval. No matter how tired I was, today was not a day for sleeping! Admittedly I did get up late & had an afternoon nap but as it is tradition in Rio, the party only gets started after dark. First a bloco in Ipanema (along the beach) then we went to a bar right around the corner of Adriana’s place…called Uncle Sam’s bar (yes like the American Uncle Sam). I had to chuckle.

Those of you that know me well, will know that I’m not the biggest party animal. By this time my batteries were running low, so I couldn’t work in another party…even if I tried. So my Carnaval ended as gently as it started, with pizza, beer and the company of a lovely lady. Without her (and her friends) I don’t think Carnaval would’ve been the spectacle that I had heard it should be.

 

For those of you always bugging me for photos, I didn’t take any as things like cameras have a way of disappearing out of you pockets during Carnaval. But Kassia did have her camera with her. Here are some crazy pics taken during Carnaval.