Life´s a Beach

Hello again,

I am currently sheltering from the hot sun and making the most of a break from the beach by updating the blog.

I arrived on the Ilha de Santa Catarina in southern Brazil last Friday to be greeted by beautiful sunny weather and deserted beaches.

The landscape is stunning with mile after mile of golden sand shadowed by great forested mountains. The surf is really good with consistent waves and few rips. Been long boarding quite a bit and making the most of the peaceful surroundings to relax.

A few observations of Brazil:

• Very few people speak (or try to speak) foreign languages, it must be similar for a visitor to the Uk! The version of Brazilian Portuguese that it spoken is so different in content an annunciation it is very difficult and is really a language of its own.


• Smoke is everywhere, after coming from smoke free Uk you really notice it!


• Toilet paper does not go down the toilet but in bins next to the toilet, helps the delicate plumbing system.
  

Just booked my bus for the next leg of the trip and as the journey is approx 17hrs overnight I upgraded to "leito" class of seat (fully reclining) all for the cost of around 65 GBP. I´m visiting the Iguaçu Falls (http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/index_en.asp and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls) that form a natural border for Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. I hope that I can experience both the Argentine and Brazilian viewpoints and would like to enjoy the nature reserve as well.

Then on Monday I travel down to Buenos Aires for a venture into the Cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. Here I´d like to sample all the city´s delights and hope to watch Tango, Football and Polo at some point.

I´ll feel sad to leave this hostel as once again made good friends and shared unforgettable experiences; Such is the life of a solo traveller, new places to visit and new friend to meet.

Hope that all the preparations for Christmas are well underway and the dark winter days are not too bad. I Haven´t got an advent calendar though and may have to see if I can find a Brazilian version.

JP

Christ, Buses & Paraty

Hello Folks,

Just a quick update as time has elapsed and I´ve had no time to get near a PC!
Now sitting in an Airport hotel (yes hotel!) in Sao Paulo after missing boarding and internal night flight yesterday, but more of that later.

Rio is now behind me and I can recommend it as a fantastic place to go. A city with so many attractions (rainforest, mountains, culture, outdoor pursuits, nightlife, beaches).
Make sure you go to the beaches at the weekends when locals are out, so much to see with the Volleyball, Football and of course the ¨body beautiful¨Brazilians.

Went out to a local Samba club in the Lapa district of Rio with a group of fellow travellers on Friday night, although most were severely outclassed on the dance floor. Beer and entrance were cheap and so a good night had for all of 10 pounds.

I have been making the most of different opportunities to view Rio from above. The first vista was taken from the SugarLoaf ¨mountain¨with great views back over the city and inland.
Second vista was my favourite, hang gliding off a high summit for a 30-40 minute glide down, landing on the beach. This being Brazil the whole thing was quite relaxed and lacked organisation. Instructions from the professional were as detailed as ¨put your left hand on my shoulder, look up and keep running¨, I did this (against my logical judgement) and ran straight off the makeshift platform. Enjoyed the experience and was very peaceful when gliding, good value at around 75 pounds.
Finally, I visited the famous Christ statue, which gave fantastic views over the whole region.

On Monday began the overland trip down to Sao Paulo and caught a bus for 5hrs to the beautiful beach resort of Paraty with the intentions of staying for a few days. On discovering that there was a Brazilian football match in Sao Paulo on Wednesday night changed plans. Tuesday was spend on a bus to Sao Paulo. Wednesday wandered round the sights of Sao Paulo (not many) and met the locals (more hostile than in Rio). Was approached regularly and hassled and advised by shop keepers to leave certain areas. Sao Paulo was very industrial and lacks character.

The search for football tickets was exciting with the Mumbai stadium located 40mins from the city. The game was a sell out and offered little chance of getting tickets. This match was the first time Brazil had played a competitive match in Sao Paulo for over 12 years!
Black market tickets on offer on the street to ¨gringos¨at 500 brl. Undeterred got a taxi in the direction of the stadium and walked when the traffic stopped. Wandered round outside the ground and eventually came across a tout (who looked like he´d been sampling a wide array of narcotics looking at his eyes and arms). The tout led us away from the crowds and police and we began negotiation by writing numbers on a piece of paper. Ended up paying 130 brl for a ticket worth 80 brl, so not too bad.
Getting into the ground was carnage and despite have seat, row and block numbers on the tickets people sat where there was space. We found a block and managed to sit down. The next two hours was a carnival of noise and excitement. Brazil beat Uruguay 2 - 1 and the atmosphere was amazing.

Thursday was spent entirely at the airport. Firstly I managed to get a ticket down to Florianopolis that left Sao Paulo at 21:25, next I arranged a hostel to stay in and they were picking me up from the airport.
Got to gate in plenty of time and my flight was showing on the board but not departing as yet. 22:15 and still no sign of flight boarding/leaving so went to get a drink. Got back to gate at 22:25 and plane had left without me. I didn´t hear any calls on the PA but they just went.
At this stage I wasn´t aware the plane had left and it disappeared off the boards. No one from the airline around to speak to and stuck through security not knowing anything. Thankfully some nice Brazilians understood my attempt at Portuguese and took it as a challenge to find out what was going on. Ended up going back through security to an airline office to be reunited with my bag and given a new ticket for tonight (at no cost!). Was now around 01:00 and I had nowhere to stay; decided to bite the bullit and found an airport hotel and checked in.

I now hope that I´ll get on the plane tonight and the hostel owners in Florianopolis are willing to have me still! I now intend to stay in Florianopolis for around a week and enjoy the Islands surf and outdoor pursuits.

JP

Raining in Rio!

Hello Again,

Thought that a quick update was in order as having spent a couple of days in Rio.

Overnight flight from London was ok and despite the cramped legroom in the cheap seats at the back of the plane was able to get some sleep. Rio was bustling on arrival and the taxi journey once again reminded me that driving in London is not that bad!

Hostel is good with about 30 beds in total. I´m in a mixed dorm with 10 beds and all other guests seem ok, a real mix of nationalities with mostly europeans. Body clock has settled into the lifestyle and wandering round Rio is really interesting. Haven´t felt put in danger as yet.

Amongst some of the highlights that I´ve done so far include lazing around on Copacabana beach, being the only ¨gringo in different Brazilian eateries (where I was charged based upon them weighing my cooked food) and a tour through one of Rio´s Flavelea´s (Slum).

The tour was amazing as a local guide took seven people on a three hour walk round Rio´s largest Flavela (population approx 200k). We started by having an exhilarating Mototaxi ride to the summit of the Flavela. The Mototaxi was simply a Motorbike where the pillion (you, without a Helmet) is strongly encouraged to hang on as tight as possible while the pilot steers you round the hairpin bends whilst trying to avoid Buses, animal, people and other vehicles all over the place. We then were guided through a maze of streets, up and down streets and all with shouts of gringo in our ears and people wanting their photo´s taken. I cannot describe in words the sights and smells experienced but it was very humbling. We only came across two soldiers (young teenage gang members) brandishing large automatic guns nearly as big as them!

At the moment it´s raining so Hang-gliding over Rio has been postponed till a break in the weather, as has a trip up to Christ statue and attempting to climb Sugar Loaf.

Plans are to stay in Rio till Monday and then begin to travel south overland towards Sao Paulo.

JP

Goodbye London, Hello Rio!

Good afternoon, the journey is about to start and I will shortly be heading to LHR to catch an overnight flight with BA to Rio!
Rio is the first destination and at present I only have accommodation for the first five nights of the trip.
In Rio I thought I'd spoil myself slightly and am staying in an old mansion overlooking the hustle and bustle of Rio (nightly rate is approx $20). If you want to have a look the website is www.riohostel.com , the specific Rio Hostel I'm staying is is located in the Santa Teresa are of the city.
Can't wait for the journey to begin and a will update this blog once I've arrived and settled into the Brazilian lifestlye.

JP