Pantanal Safari - Day 1 Mon 16/06/03   Rolled out of bed before dawn and joined the other 4 people leaving early for a mini breakfast which had been specially prepared for us. Caught the 6am bus to Corumba and some 4 hours later got off at Buraco das Piranhas where the truck from Green Trek was already waiting to pick us up. It took us almost an hour to drive the 40km of dirt road to the Green Trek Camp, where we started our 3day - 2night safari with a very good lunch. The camp was very basic with no electricity and only a large wood fired stove in the kitchen. There were 4 "normal" beds but practically everyone staying there was sleeping in hammocks, which appeared to be the safer and cleaner option. As an afternoon activity we undertook a "jungle walk" in the surrounding wetlands and subtropical rainforrest with our guide Max, where we saw a small snake, Coati, Capy-Vara, two types of monkeys and some blue and red macaos. Got back after dusk and tried to successfully fight off the mosquitos whilst enjoying a very decent dinner. The majority of people who had been staying at the camp had left that day, with only the employees, a French couple with whom I had arrived and me remaining. There was hence not much in terms of evening entertainment which resulted in practically everyone going to bed at around 9pm. In the bunk house I got mosquito-bitten on my back trough a hammock, cotton blanket and t-shirt, which left me in a slightly irritated state and resulted in a very poor sleep / night ratio. Pantanal Safari - Day 2 Tue 17/06/03   Got up before sunrise and walked up and down the dirt road outside of the camp for an hour or so, watching the amazingly red sun appear above the horizon. before returning to a nice breakfast with awesome home cooked bread. Went on a 3 hour horseback ride in the morning which turned out to be excellent fun and much better than my last horse riding tour in Tupiza, mainly because of my awesome horse! In the afternoon our tiny group was augmented by a new arrival from from California and together we set out on a boat excursion up the Rio Abobral where we managed to catch a few Piranhas and other fish. On the way back spotted a very beautifully colored ( black and deep orange / yellow) and rare bird yet didn't manage to take a photograph. Returned to camp just before sunset and after dinner ended up sitting around a camp fire which had been lit by the group of cowboys living/working across the road and listened to some songs and guitar playing. (Ally, the girl from California could actually sing really well) Pantanal - Safari - Day 3 Wed 18/06/03   Was a bit disappointed after I had been told that the horseback riding for that day had been canceled in favour of a "truck safari" along the dirt road towards Corumba. The road is apparently the best place to see animals as they lie there in the afternoon sun. Saw many Capy-varas, which look a bit like giant guinea pigs and on the way back walked for an hour and a half along the track before the truck caught up with us. Unfortunately our walking trip was not exactly blessed with animal sightings, as a local dog had joined us, successfully staying ahead of us and clearing the way of all animals. (Also the herd of 50 cattle and 5 cowboys on horses that was trotting along some 3km in front of us probably didn't help our cause) After our final meal at the camp we were again brought to Buraco das Piranhas where our quest had started some three days ago and from there caught a bus to Campo Grande, where we had to wait some 4 hours for the last bus to Sao Paulo, which coming from Corumba (350km), managed to show up with almost 2 hours delay.	no map Green Trek Camp Pantanal near Corumba
Green Snake (not dangerous) Coati Two Trees Sunset in Green Trek Camp Sunrise near Green Trek Camp Richard, Julien and Elodie on Horseback Alligator River Abobral Sunset at Abobral Water Lizard Capy-Vara
On the Road Thu 19/06/03   When travelling through such a huge country as Brazil, with limited funds at one point a long bus trip will be inevitable, so for me the longest I think I have ever spent travelling on a bus during my entire year would be the journey from the Pantanal to Parati close to Rio. On Wednesday I had already spent some 6 hours in the bus to get from Buraco das Piranhas to Campo Grande and from there it would take another 18 hours to get to Sao Paulo. The trip taking up pretty much all of Wednesday, finally arriving into SP at 7:15pm. At this point I was still travelling with Julien and Elodie, so on arrival and after having changed bus terminals, we found out that the last bus to Parati would be leaving at 10pm, not giving us enough time to go into town. So after having eaten our last dinner outside of the bus station in Campo Grande we dined this night inside of the Tete bus terminal in Sao Paulo, which turned out to be rather decent, for both food and drinks. Spent a short while on the internet and then stepped on the Paulista bus to Parati, for the last leg in this 36 hour travel odyssey. There the hotel Konquista was nice enough to pick us up from the bus terminal at 2:30am, and I was thrilled to finally have a shower, a shave and lie in a proper bed. Parati - A little Gem Fri 20/06/03   Quickly identified a quite expensive lavanderia and not so pricey internet cafe close to the bus terminal during a morning walk, after which I wandered around town to discover a variety of nice little handcraft stores and the Cachaca Emporium. Now the Brazilian national spirit made from sugar cane is pretty popular throughout the country, but Parati has a reputation for producing the most superior Cachaca in Brazil. Not surprising hence that the Cachaca Emporium had a large selection of local products augmented by an incredible variety (close to 500) from all over Brazil. I was impressed to the point that I had to return the following day to take a picture of the store with it's huge selection. The arts scene in Parati is pretty omnipresent, especially in the historic centre, with lots of people painting in the streets or selling practically any type of handmade work. In particular the type of art on display in the galleries struck me as very tasteful with quite a few interesting items, which I had not come across any where else during my trip through Latin America. In the afternoon had late lunch on beach with Julien & Elodie (which wasn't that great and relatively expensive) after which I spent an afternoon relaxing at the hotel as the weather had turned cold and cloudy. Went out for a surprisingly good and decent value for money dinner at Parati Sushi (on Jose Luiz) before continuing on round the corner to Cafe Parati where a live band was playing some blues and classic tunes. The guitar player practically blew everyone away with an amazing solo, which seemed to make a lot of onlookers wonder what the heck he was doing playing in Parati. That evening for the first time tried maracuja Caipirinhas and am now convinced that this is an even superior drink to the regular lime version. (Also tried a pineapple one which didn't score nearly as high) I liked the balance that Parati struck between being a fishing village with a beautiful historical centre and the abundant tourist infrastructure to go with it, yet on the other hand retaining a down to earth feel with "normal" shops and markets outside of the touristic areas. Boat tripping Sat 21/05/03   Started the day with a bit of a headache which soon passed after having lots of fresh orange juice at the breakfast buffet (which was quite decent) and shortly after started the five hour boat trip aboard the Escuna Filaboia to some of the islands and beaches just off the Parati coast. The trip which cost only R$20, included stops on two picturesque beaches and two islands and turned out to be very pleasant, especially as the boat was only quater full and the crew were really friendly and tried to help wherever possible. Everyone opted for the lunch offered on board, a very tasty and cheap choice with some extra shrimps and dessert thrown in for free! With the sun shining the whole day and the idyllic beaches and islands to relax on, I think we all returned happy to the Parati harbour after this 5 hour trip. Julien and Elodie then caught a bus to Belo Horizonte and I ended up spending the evening hunting around town for little presents and crafts and succeeded in finding some excellent stuff at the Atelier Araryba (R. Marecahl Deodoro 312) and of course the Cachaca Emporium. Due to these purchases the "Overflow Bag*" finally sprang into action and was loaded with some of the newly acquired goods. There seemed to be some local event going on in the town square as there were lots of food or game stalls around there, with live music and some dancing, which I watched from a restaurant close to the square, yet never found out what the occasion was. (If there was one at all) * The Overflow Bag is a bag that I always carry around in addition to my backpack as it provides easy overflow storage for items that are likely to be used rarely or to be sent home once the bag is full.	Hotel Konquista R. Janguo Padua 20, Parati Ph: (24) 3371 1308 - 30 R$ Single /w B
Cafe Parati Iglesia Santo do Rosario Iglesia Santa Rita Road and Buildings in Parati Road and Buildings in Parati Plaza Central Parati from Boat Hotel Konquista - Vista Terraza Lamp Store at Night Cachaca Emporium - Pano
The Last Stop - Rio Sun 22/06/03   Could have easily spent another two days in and around Parati, but since I was running out of time decided to make my way to Rio for some final days in the "cidade maravilhosa" - the marvelous city. On the same note, the "running out of time" sensation struck me as quite funny and exciting, since you don't often come close to concluding such a unique and rather extraordinary part of life. Anyway, arrived in Rio at 1:30 and bussed to Ipanema where I checked into the Casa 6 Ipanema, a very nice and upmarket hostel in a small and safe side street off Rua Barao da Torre, which is owned and run by a French / Brazilian couple. After setting down my stuff made my way to the famous and packed Ipanema beach and a short way down the road to the "Hippie Market" - a sunday institution in Ipanema with a few interesting crafts and paintings, but nothing really caught my fancy. After a light dinner at the incredible "New Natural" restaurant/lanchonete, right next door to the hostel sat down and carefully studied the Nomad free guide, an extremely useful little booklet on stuff to do and places to go in Rio (definitely get one right away if you visit). After having compiled a list of places to go to and stuff to see I got changed and walked to Leblon to have a look at the Esch cafe, a small Jazz place which was a little to "old school" for me, so walked back to Devassa, a pub I had passed earlier. Stayed there for a while tasting some of their different beers (Devassa is also a small brewery) the most interesting one being the "mulatta", a mix of dark and light beer with a tiny shot coffee. (all their beers are named after the hair or skin colours of women) Now I am really no fan of weird stuff in my beer, but this combination actually tasted very good. Met Gustavo and Marcelo two Brazilian lawyers and talked about places to go out in Rio, after which we tried to find a happening club on Sunday night, which was surprisingly difficult. During our quest we passed: Bombar (closed), Cozumel (closed), Nuth (too expensive and not much going on), Shenanigan's and finally ended up in Emporium right round the corner from my hostel. (Passed a bunch more but have forgotten the names) What a great introduction to Rio nightlife by some super friendly Cariocas, which I'll hopefully meet again Wednesday night. Ipanema, Copacobana and the Pao de Azucar Mon 02/05/03   After a good breakfast, spent the morning on the beach in Ipanema and the afternoon in Copacobana, which had a surprisingly residential and business feel to it, much more so than Ipanema which to me seemed more service and tourism oriented. Spent almost 2 hours wandering about, stopping off at a record store called "Modern Sound" on Rua Barata and Paula Freitas where I didn't find any local music worthwhile buying. (There you can't listen to stuff before you buy) Walked on towards the cable car station of the Sugar Loaf next to Vermelha beach and being faced with the lack of effectivo (cash) I had to quickly rush to the bank a and back by taxi in order to make it up the hill before the sun had completely set, which I barely managed. On the way back to Ipanema had a look round the shopping centre "Rio Sul", trying to find some swimming trunks to replace mine that were falling apart. From there hopped on a bus towards Copacobana and tried the recommended Cozinhero restaurant for dinner, which didn't really convince me. Walked back to Ipanema, past a recommended Sushi place called New Tokyo which seemed quite nice and decent value for money, before closing the evening in Shenanigans Pub just two blocks from my hostel, where Monday night is busy with an English/Brazilian crowd and a hugely popular pub quiz. Enjoyed some of the decent Caipirinhas on the nice little balcony overlooking the Praca Gen. Osorio. Rio by Bike Tue 23/05/03   Two more days left out of a year's travel with this Tuesday dedicated to culture and city exploration. Started off the day by renting a mountain bike from the hostel next door (R$25) and cycling along the Ipanema and Copacobana beaches on past Botafogo, Flamengo, Gloria and up into Santa Teresa, where after a steep climb I rested for a little bit in a nice cafe/pizzaria called Porta Quente(Largo do Guimares - Stanta Teresa). From there I criss crossed through the barrio before heading down to the Lapa aqueduct in the barrio of the same name which was more chaotic, and seemed harder to find oneself around. I was thinking that one would probably need local guidance to hit the right pubs and bars and it also seemed like a place where you would not want to get lost at night. A short while later reached the centre part of Rio, where I looked at the famous and beautiful opera house (built in 1912) and the "Centro Cultural Justica Federal" (Av. Rio Branco, 241 - Cinelandia) in the Cinelandia area. The latter has a stunning interior and stairways (see QTVR) and at the moment houses part of the Photo Rio exhibition which displays photographs not just from around Brazil, but from other North and South American countries as well. Many black and white pictures, with some particularly beautiful ones from Fernando de Noronha and some color images taken with a pinhole camera in the Amazon, which I am sure Kirsten would have enjoyed. Fought my way through some mean traffic to the Confeitaria Colombo which was bustling with people stopping off in this very picturesque historic building with late 19th century interior for a little and quick savoury baked snack. (very popular sweet snacks and coffee as well) From there continued on past the San Francisco and Candelaria Churches (the latter I took some pictures inside) to the Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil. Not just was this cultural centre located in another very beautiful building but it also housed a variety of very cool contemporary exhibits free of charge. One examined the interpretation of motion and it's capture especially in the last 10 years with more technological aides as a form of art, a second consisting of large and varied clay sculptures imitating ancient tools and artefacts and a thrid paying tribute to Jose Zaine who died in 2001 and was an internationally acclaimed self taught Brazilian architect, masterfully constructing wooden structures, furniture and sculptures. Located just behind the Centro Cultural is the Post Office Cultural Centre which currently is home to a larger and more extensive part of the Photo Rio exhibit. As I already liked the part on display in the Justicia Federal, I also enjoyed this exhibit tremendously, in particular a whole room dedicated to photographs from Bolivian Miners with their fascinating facial expressions. (Some of the mines I had actually visited myself) The sun was slowly setting when I left the exhibition and cycled past the Palacio Tiradentes (where I took picture with the last rays of the sun hitting the building) then on towards the praca XV where the historic ferry terminal is worth taking a look at and from there towards the Santos Dumont City Airport. This airport is quite extraordinary, since despite it's substantial amount of national air traffic it has a road leading past the end of the main runway to the naval academy on the far side of the peninsula on which the airport is located. This road is public and simply blocked off at both ends if a plane is about to land or take off. I hence cycled practically across the runway and took some pictures of the view and a plane taking off in front of the Sugar Loaf. Couldn't resist the temptation to have a look round the Museum de Arte Moderna (MAM), which I passed along the way, but wasn't that impressed by the temporary or permanent exhibition, did however find the architecture of the building in itself quite interesting. Also on the way back stumbled across a second world war monument, and the beautifully lit Gloria Church which unfortunately can only be visited until 5pm. Took a different route "home" through Catete, Laranjeiras, Botafogo and Copacobana on my way to Ipanema, where I had decided to treat myself to a Churrascaria restaurant that night. (All you can eat meat) The place of choice was called Carretao and happened to be one of the most amazing restaurants I had been to in terms of the sheer variety of food on offer there. The 40 different types of meat that were be offered directly from a large skewer by waiters shuffling by all the time would have surely pleased Holger and Ralf, two friends of mine with a healthy appetite for meat - a thought which seemed to predominate my whole meal. Spent the rest of the evening in Leblon where I stopped off at the recommended Bardot bar (which was closed) and peeked into the restaurant Zuka (next door) and the Leblon Sushi, both of which seemed to be "cookin". Ended up back in Cervassio where I tried their Caipirinha, (which gets my approval) before heading back home for an early night after an eventful day. Favela Tour and Corcovado Wed 24/05/03   Met Marcelo Armstrong in the morning and set off to the largest Favela in Brazil called Rocinha, a 20 minute drive from Ipanema. There is some speculation on the number of people living in this Favela, particularly after a very low count in a poll in 1998 at around 60.000, whereas many seem to think the true number lying closer to around 100.000 or more inhabitants. Rocinha is one of close to 800 Favelas in and around Rio, which often border quite expensive neighborhoods making for an interesting contrast. Unlike the prevalent wooden constructions in South African townships the houses in Favelas in Brazil are almost exclusively built of brick, due to a Brazilian law that if you have lived in a brick house on public lands for more than 5 years the municipality cannot evict you without compensation. Most of Rocinha has access to electricity, running water and sewage lines making for a quality of living comparable or better to some parts of Bolivia and Peru which I had visited. Supposedly the crime within the Favelas is quite low, as the drug lords which usually run the places do not wish to attract any unnecessary police attention. There are however lots of drug related shootings within and between Favelas contributing significantly to the around 700 murders in Rio every month. During our tour we also learned about the corruption that politicians were involved in during the 1970's and 80's, which lead to a rather interesting local election in Rio in the mid eighties, with "Macaco Tiao" - a protest candidate almost winning. This obviously isn't funny, apart from the rather humorous fact that Macaco was a monkey, who is remembered and honoured with a bronze statue in the Rio zoo. (The voting laws have since also been changed) In the afternoon headed to the Parque Lage at the foot of the Corcovado from where a steep trail leads up the statue of Cristo Redentor, blessing the city from some 700m above. The park was surprisingly well kept and beautiful, with an arts exhibition and a live music venue inside. Felt like doing some exercise and really went for it on the way up through the Tijuca Forrest, hiking the trail in a little less than one hour. Sweat drenched I sat down on the flat roof of a little concrete house some 100m below the summit next to the rail tracks and relaxed in the afternoon sun before heading up to the summit for a sunset view of the city and the Cristo Redentor statue. The views from the top are spectacular and after an extensive photo session made my way down by train and back to the hostel by bus, which took much longer that the bike ride along a similar route one day earlier. In the evening tried out the hip and expensive Leblon Sushi which had some very nice raw fish and interesting sushi variations, yet the service seemed a little disorganised for the steep price tag. Moved on a few blocks to the Bombar, a pub with a DJ and dance area, which was pretty nice but nothing too special. Met a group of Brits there who were on the same plane as me the following day! The End - Goodbye Rio Thu 25/05/03   Spent the morning at an internet cafe before picking up my bags at the hostel and heading to the road on the seafront to catch a Real bus to the airport. Felt a little weird standing next to the cycle lane and the beach with all my stuff, but it worked and some 5 or 10 minutes later got picked up by the bus and made it to the slightly run down international airport in plenty of time for my 14:35 BA flight to London Heathrow. On the plane I was sitting next to a Brazilian couple from Rio, who I told about the culinary delights I had encountered in Rio and how amazed I was by the Churrasceria Carretao (5 stars). They went on to tell me that the latter "is nothing" in comparison to Porcao, which supposedly has a much larger selection of warm and cold seafood and better meat. (I was so impressed by the Carretao that I didn't really consider whether there may be even better Churrascerias around) So next time I am in Rio I'll have to head straight to Porcao to sample their unbelievable selection of food. Talking about food, I sure don't know what BA puts in their airline food in Brazil but it allowed me to practically fart non-stop all the way from Rio to London, with the exception of 2 hours just before breakfast! Brazil really is a great place to visit, but it's also a huge and diverse country within which you could probably travel for half a year without seeing all of it. The people are friendly and helpful and one can find magnificent beaches, terrific food, interesting arts, crafts and culture and a huge variety of coins which look exactly the same but have different denominations. The natural beauty is truly amazing, and despite having seen many nice places during my years' travel two of the highlights of my entire trip I encountered in Brazil - Foz do Iguacu (which of course is half Argentinian) and the Caves in the Parque Chiapas Diamantinas.	Casa 6 Ipanema Barao da Torre, 175 #6 - Ipanema Ph: (21) 2247 1384 - R$45 Dorm w/ B Esch Cafe Rua Dias Ferreira, 78 - Leblon Ph: (21) 2512 5651 Live Jazz bonded with a comfortable and sophisticated atmosphere including the mandatory wide selection of Cuban cigars. Good variety of drinks and selection of healthy food which attracts a mature crowd in the late twenties and up. New Natural Rua Barao da Torre, 173 - Ipanema Ph:(21) 2287-0301 The best per kilo place I have come across in Brazil. Excellent selection of healthy dishes, salads and desserts. Unbeatable value for money. Interior unspectacular. Devassa Bar Rua Gen. San Martin, 1241 - Leblon Ph:(21) 2540 6087 Small brewery with comfortable interior and outside area. Share an excellent pizza and try some of their beers including the "mulatta" a mix of coffee, light and dark beer - surprisingly tasty. Cozinhero Rua Bolivar, 27 - Copacobana Ph: (21) 2548 7549 Nice little restaurant with interior design aspirations, and Northeastern / international fusion cuisine. Very good service and meat dishes, with not so great mixed drinks. Wine selection could do with an upgrade. Main dishes from R$20 upwards. Carretao R. Visconde de Piraja #112 - Ipanema Ph:(21) 267 3965 The best Churrascaria I have visited in Brazil. Unbelievable selection of Salads, Vegetables, Sushi, Fish and side dishes. Excellent Caiprinhas and fantastic service and value for money. You have to go here. R$17.90 plus drinks and desserts. Confeitaria Colombo R. Goncalves Dias #32 - Centro Ph:(21) 2232 2300 Cafe and Restaurant section in a historic building in the centre of Rio. Very popular for small baked items and a drink, or for a more extensive meal in the restaurant section. Sushi Leblon R. Dias Ferreira #256 - Leblon Ph:(21) 2274 1342 Very upmarket sushi restaurant, with a section in the rear to sit on the floor - Japanese style. Extensive selection of innovative sushi/temaki/makimono e.g. rolled in cucumber peel instead of seaweed. Yet the service is not up to par with the food served. Expect to spend at least R$50. Bombar R. Gal. San Martin #1011 - Leblon Ph:(21) 2249 2161 Nice and rather small bar with dance area upstairs. Friendly staff and decent service, good night to go Tuesday. Cover / Consumption R$40. Casa 6 Ipanema Barao da Torre, 175 #6 - Ipanema Ph: (21) 2247 1384 Friendly and helpful French owner, fair prices, very safe, excellent breakfast, great rooftop terrace, R$45 Dorm w/ B
Restaurant Cozinhero View of City from Morro da Urca View of City from Morro da Urca Pau de Azucar at Dusk Map of Copacobana and Ipanema View from Cablecar Panoramic View from Pau de Azucar View of Dumont Airport and Centre Panoramic View of Rio at Sunset Panoramic View of Rio at Sunset Panoramic View of Rio - QTVR Interesting Building in Gloria Typical House in Santa Teresa Centro Cultural Justicia Federal - Staircase Centro Cultural Justicia Federal - QTVR Centro Cultural Justicia Federal Confeitaria Colombo Igreja San Francisco de Paula Candelaria Church Candelaria Church - Interior Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil - Interior Carmo Church Ferry Terminal - Praca XV Palacio Tiradentes Panoramic View from Santos Dumont Airport Panorama Santos Dumont Airport - QTVR Pao de Azucar from Airport Second World War Monument Gloria Church Pano View of Rocinha School in Vila Canoas School in Vila Canoas School of Visual Arts - Parque Lage School of Visual Arts - Parque Lage Corcovado (Hunchback) from Park Panorama of Ipanema and Leblon Cristo Redentor - Behind Cristo Redentor Cristo Redentor Cristo Redentor - Panorama Cristo Redentor - Panorama Cristo Redentor - Closeup with 2 White Pigeons Cristo Redentor - Richard Cristo Redentor - Panorama at Sunset