TravelStream™ news feed for member joelrose on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/joelrose en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:36:48 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelrose/1/1247336617/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelrose/1/1247336617/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelrose/1/1247336617/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:36:48 -0400 The Long Weekend

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Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rose:

The next day we decide to explore the lovely cobbled-stoned Santa Teresa. This is a lovely part of town full of beautiful old buildings which you can get to in a bright yellow old tram that lurches round the corners. We are so taken by this part of town that we stay there most of the day. We both take loads of photos of the buildings but also of some very impressive/arty graffiti. We stop for a beer in an old atmospheric bar where locals catch up with each other. Lunch is a real find down a little alleyway. We have the traditional rice, black beans and meat – deliciously cooked followed by a homemade chocolate mousse. Later we go and see the ruined house. This old house is now completely gutted with a staircase going all the way up to a viewing platform. The views of Rio are excellent. On the way back to the hostel we check out Lapa which is nearby and famous for the aqueduct-like arches and of course the Friday night street party. But in the cold light of day it all looks a bit neglected and shabby.
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Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ROSE: The bus journey of 4 hours from Parati to Rio whizzes by as we chat to a Dutch couple. They are nearing the end of their one year trip and heading home just days after us. They tell us a about an orphanage they came upon in Siem Riep in Cambodia where they ended up working for a couple of weeks. It's so shocking to hear how little these kids have. They told us that they raised money from back home and bought various things amongst which a toothbrush and towel for each child – previously they had been sharing 2 toothbrushes among 72! A few kids were so proud to have their own towel that they wore it round their necks for days. Despite the country being abundant in wonderful fruits these kids have no fruit in their diet and one of the projects was to fund pineapple and apple for them. Everyday the kids perform traditional Khmer dances for the tourists who donate to support the running of this orphanage. The guy who founded it lives there in the most basic shack with his children sharing the dormitory where all the children sleep. He is Cambodian and used to work with the government before he decided to leave it all behind to set this place up. They told us how hard it was to leave the kids as they attach themselves hopelessly to people. Even though they were only there for 2 weeks this was long compared to the usual volunteers that stay a few days. To mark their leaving they organised a party. They went shopping with some of the kids who when asked what they would like said, without hesitation, "coke". They told him to put some in the trolley. The boy put one bottle in, and they asked him if he thought that would be enough for 72 kids and then the little boy said, “can we have more than one bottle?”. In the end they had a big party and got through 80 litres of coke!

I could go on and on but I will end with one last little story from this place. There was one kid with suspected polio who was unable to walk and the couple were trying to get him seen by the children’s hospital for a diagnosis and treatment. After a long day in hospital they wanted to give him a treat. They showed us a photo of this little boy behind a mound of ice-cream in a glass with a serious look on his face. He ate two spoons of ice-cream and said that he wanted to take the rest back to the orphanage to give to the others.



So after 4 hours and a lot of chatting and looking at their photos of Cambodia we arrive in Rio where we are picked up by our hostel. The hostel is spread over a couple of floors and is on the crammed side but very friendly and the food is great. There are dorms with three-storey bunk-beds thank goodness we have a small room just to ourselves.

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Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rose:

We meet up with the Dutch couple and make our way to the iconic Christ the Redeemer…it seems we are not the only ones. We decide to share a taxi up there as this means that you can stop off at the helipad which offers the chance for another great view. You can go up by train but today Christ is in the clouds and we fear we may not get a good view from the top.

The views form the helipad are indeed amazing and the sun is breaking through. Rio is such a dramatic city – with the Sugarloaf mountain rising almost vertically out from the sea, amazing beaches, buildings and dense forested areas. Then we get to the mighty statue that is Christ the Redeemer. There is a mist hanging around his head. The location is amazing placed on this cliff with a vertical drop. The four of us have fun taking photos of each other.

The afternoon is spent walking along the amazing Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. Everyone is out – young, old, body-beautifuls, and body-not-so-beautifuls. There is even a fenced off crèche on one of the beaches.

The people here in Rio are so friendly going out of their way to help us with directions even if we haven't asked.

I think Joel's right in saying it’s better to end the trip while we’re both enjoying ourselves so much and Rio is definitely a high note to end on.

We have mixed feelings about going back and returning to work and our old everyday routines but we are also pretty tired. We would love to still be away but settle somewhere for 6 months, get to know a place, put down some roots and take Spanish classes……maybe another time. The flight is confirmed and we’ll be on it. The two girls we met in Trinidade are on our flight so we’ll share a taxi with them to the airport and have some travel companions for our last flight.

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Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rose:

Our second day here is spent doing a Footprint-guide-recommended tour of the Flavellas. Our guide gives us some background on the flavellas where 20% of the population live – described as both the problem and the solution. Unlike in other cities the flavellas are not hidden from view in fact they occupy prime land – some right next to Rio's most affluent areas. We visit Rocina first which is the biggest in Rio – a city in its own right. A new development is its own hosiptal. They even have their own TV channel here. If you have visited some of the poorer developing countries the Flavellas will not shock you – ramshackle buildings at seemingly precarious angles and an endless maze of narrow streets. We are told that they are very well built. The metal rods in the structural walls sprout out of the roofs (sometimes covered by empty plastic bottles to protect them from rusting in the rain) waiting for the next generation to build another level. Our guide tells us that these communities are quite established and often generation after generation will live there even if some of them climb the social ladder in terms of their jobs. The amenities are not official here. Tonnes upon tonnes of rubbish are generated which, despite the city council’s twice daily collection, is ever-growing. We walk through a market where you can buy anything and everything – to us the prices seem comparable to outside. An old man grabs my arm and gives me a broad smile, "tell me is there a more handsome man than me in your country?" (the guide translates his Portuguese).

Our guide tells us that about 80% of the people living in Rocina are employed. Violence is a problem but not so much for those not directly involved in drugs trading. The gangs are keen to have the people living in the flavellas on their side. In turn they offer protection – their own type of policing. In fact the police don’t go inside the flavella. The shootings occur between rival gangs - we are told that most of the key players won’t see their 30th birthday as they will be shot either by rival gangs or by the police. So this all makes for some warped crime statistics…..too many murders for anyone’s liking yet no petty crime or theft as people are too scared of getting shot to nick a satellite dish. What is shocking here is, not so much the physical environment, as this is all pretty organised and cannot be likened to a shanty town, but the relative deprivation compared to other parts of Rio. Indeed when compared on international indices of health, education, etc Rocina levels with Ghana and Rio in general ranks quite high. We buy a couple of small paintings of the Flavella and have a caiperina cocktail from a little bar hidden in the maze of narrow alleys.

We go onto visit another Flavella which received international funding and consequently has an official electricity, water, and sewage supply. This place feels like a basic but nice residential area. We walk through the narrow streets (now officially named and registered) and find a church, houses, and shops. We visit the after school programme that is 80% funded by these flavella tours. Our guide tells us about the educational system stressing that Brazil’s development is not at a level where access is a huge issue but where quality of education is a concern.

Joel and I think the flavella tour provides a good insight into another side of Rio…and another reality which not only has its problems but also has a vibrancy and energy about it.

A girl on the tour tells us about the Hippy Market which is only on a Sunday afternoon in Ipanema…so off we go for some express shopping – I have never shopped so fast in my life. We are on a tight schedule today as we are headed off to see the football this afternoon– Flamengo vs Flumeneuse in the Maracana stadium which has held a mind-blowing 200,000 – now only some 100,000 are allowed seated. This afternoon it must be about half full. The samba beat is warming the crowd up. There are huge flags held above heads and the atmosphere is really lively – more like a concert. Venders weave through the seats to sell drinks, laden with huge bags of popcorn. For me the fans are more entertaining than the game! This is my first football match and disappointingly the score is nil nil. The players seem keen on dramatic displays of pain for feigned. A good experience but I have yet to be converted into a football fan.
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Trinidad, Bolivia

Rose:

Following up on a tip from a guy we met we check out
`Kaissara` hostel in Trinidade - a 40 minute bus ride out of Paraty.
It´s run by an English guy George who set it up about a year ago -
great atmosphere. The hostel is off a dirt track surrounded by jungly
vegetation. Breakfast is great and the curry he cooks for a group of us
- very sociable!

Trinidade
is something special - an old fishing village with beautiful sweeping
sandy beaches that are often deserted. The steep cliffs are covered
with lush tropical vegetation.
There are massive boulders on some of the beaches making for a
sculpture-like beachscape. Dogs are plentiful - many seemingly
attachment disordered and desperate to find an attachment figure. One
light brown dog follows us for about an hour as we walk along the
beaches then up through a windy path peppered with rocks and intricate
root systems in the jungle-like forest. We then enjoy the water and
lying on the rocks in the sun as does our companion who then rouses
himself as we head off.....following us all the way back to town.

There is a lot to explore beaches either side of the main beach. We watch the
amazingly skillful surfers ride the incredibly high waves. There are
icy waterfalls and for the adventurous / crazy a high rock you can jump
down from into a so-called deep pool which turns out to be about 1.5
meters deep - ok if you land right on the sand strip!

This is the
perfect place to relax everything is local and small scale....people
are friendly and you really can have a whole beach to yourself or you
can order a beer from one of the beach-hut bars. We really love it here and don´t want to leave....this place really grows
on you. We extend our two nights to four and decide to give Isla Grande
a miss although it too is meant to have amazing beaches. Today´s
drizzle and wind make it a bit easier to leave.

The weather has taken a turn unfortunatley ...tomorrow we are headed for Rio de
Janiero for our last few days before we fly back to London.
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Foz de Iguacu, State of Parana, Brazil

JOEL: We spent the afternoon visiting the fantastic Bird Park near to the Iguacu Falls on the Brazilian side. We walked though aviaries with all kinds of colourful birds. I had a parrot put on my shoulder and it started picking at my hair! Our favourite birds are the attractive toucans. Really tame and such amazing coloured beaks. The red jays are incredible too.
We also saw am anaconda in one of the ponds (behind a screen). A great afternoon.




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Foz de Iguacu, State of Parana, Brazil

JOEL: People advised us to go and see both sides of the falls. So we visited the Argentinian side on one day and the Brazilian side on the next. The hostel we were staying in Brazil offered organised day tours to the Argentinian side which we took up. This was great as we were there is under an hour and we got a guide to ourselves for the whole day as noone else had signed up. The Argentinian side is vast and you need to take a train from the entrance to get to the main viewing point. Even then you need to take a 1km walkway to get there upon exiting the train. It is huge! The Devils Throat is the undisputed highlight of the Argentinian side and si every bit as dramatic and spectacularly loud and impressive as all the descriptions we had heard about before visiting. I have heard it described as the best place in the world to get a sense of the fear that sailors had when exploring the world in the 16th century that they would sail off the end of the world. This part of the falls is so sudden steep and dramatic .....We then did a couple of trails in the park (upper and lower trails). You get to get quite close up to the falls but unlike on the Brazilian side you do not get an overall panorama. Then again the trails are excellent and well maintained. There is lots of wildlife too to be seen including various species of guinea pig (including one type with long spindly legs which looks hilarious) and amazing jay birds. We dnt spot a jaguar although these can be found in the park.

We spent the next morning visiting the Brazilian side of the mighty Iguacu Falls.
It is very different from the Argentinian side which we visited yesterday. You do not get quite as close to the famous Devils Throat, but you get a really good overview of the imensity and more of a sense of the entirity of the falls. They are spectacular and the constant flow of such a mass of water is mind boggling... how come it keeps on coming, where is it all from, ... The sight of entire rainbows formed in the spray formed when the crashing torrent hits the water below is really amazing too and makes you want to linger and linger.... Rose dragged me away after a few hours there. It is an incredible place and to appreciate it you definitely need to visit. However, to give you a sense of the magnitude here are a few facts and a couple of pictures:

For a good panorrama see
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls

Facts
- The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River.
- Two thirds of the falls are within Argentine territory.
- On the Brazilian side there is a long walkway along the canyon with an extension to the lower base of the Devil's Throat.
- Some of the individual falls are up to 82 meters (269 ft) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 ft).
- The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide and 700-meter-long (490 by 2300 feet) cataract, is the most impressive of all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil.
- The falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986, respectively

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Sao Paulo, State of Maranhao, Brazil

JOEL: We took a overnight coach from Bonito to Sao Paolo which took 16 hours. We stopped off for breakfast at a service station. Aftre 5 minutes or so as I was pouring some coffee Rose looks out the window and shouts ¨¨Oh No, the coach is leaving without us¨¨. At which I point I utter something not unlike a yelp, slam the coffee down and manically run at the exit, dodging people with fully loaded breakfast trays at each step. I charge at the turnstile expecting it to give way. It does not. I am basically enmeshed in the turnstile which turned out to be the entrance and not the exit. It is painful in both a physically uncomfortable and socially uncomfortable way as all eyes in the room look at the strange British man in the turnstile swinging arms and legs in different and unnatural directions. I finally manage to remove myself without loss of limb and try to maintain dignity as I stroll back to the counter. Rose then helpfully informs me that the bus was just turning around and parking...... I sit down and wait for my heartbeat to slow.
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Paraty, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rose:

After a 24 hour journey in 2 buses we arrive at Paraty. This is a beautiful old colonial sea-side town full of colour and charm. The old town has cobbled streets, cyclists - no cars and white-washed buildings accented with vibrant yellows, blues, greens and reds. There are several churches which look amazing against the blue sky and palm-tree backdrop.

The hostel is right by a sandy beach with it´s own restaurant and bar. Upstairs you can sit in hammock chairs and watch the world go by. We are both soaking up the relaxed vibe. Samba music plays all day long and the caprinhas are huge and extremely strong. This feels like a holiday place.....how does anyone get any work done here?

`Pistache´icecream shop is worth a mention - passionfruit and chocolate are divine. They are all made with real fruits which you can top it off with nuts and melted chocolate sauce.

There is alot on offer here - boat trips, horseriding, cycling, kayaking etc.......we choose to do nothing. Just wandering around the place is such a pleasure feeling the sun on your skin.
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Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil

Rose:





After 2 long bus rides with a 2 hour gap in the middle of the night and, a seemingly unnecessary one hour stop in another cold bus station at 5am, we arrive in the town of Foz de Iguaçu. Bambu hostel is so welcoming and friendly but it´s cold and after a tepid shower it chucks it down outside. So we decide to skip the Brazilian falls for today and head instead for an afternoon tour of the ITAIPU hydoelectric power station – the biggest in terms of output in the world. We would definatley recommend spending the extra Reis to do the full tour which includes the inside.





ITAIPU is the indigenous Indian name for ´the rock that sings`and decribes the rock in the middle of the Parana river that marks the boundary between Brazil and Paraguay. It is the biggest hydro-power plant in the world and produces the equivalent energy of 10 nuclear power stations. Everything is 50:50 straight down the line. There are two presidents - one representing each country. On-site supervisors rotate shifts so that a Brazilian is followed by a Paraguan. Importantly each country owns half the power produced. Paraguay requires only 7% of the electricity produced to meet its energy needs and sells the rest back to Brazil. About a fifth of Brazil´s energy requirement is met by ITAIPU.





The site is massive and you are taken around in a bus. There are three dams - one of concrete, one of excavated rock, and the third is the lowest and of earth. We get to walk up on the concrete dam and see how high it is as well as the reservoir to its rear used also for recreation with several man-made beaches.





Inside armed with bright orange hard hats we get to see the control station - now all digitalised still housing the more mechanical original controls which are now used only as backup. The size is dwarfing. The powerhouse area is 1km long and employees cycle up and down. We also see one of the huge spinning turbines, which along with feeling the outside cyclinders gives a real sense of the force of the water.



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