The Amazon Jungle with 'Jungle Experience' tours

sDay 1: Wed 20th June
Our trip into the jungle started early at six in the morning, a ride through Manaus at Taxi speed Mach II and then a three hour bus ride 200km east to Lindõia. On the trip along with us was Marie, from Sweden, Merche and Iñigo from the Basque country and two guides Francisco and Leo. From Lindõia we hopped in a small boat and set off up the Urubu river to find the base camp. Since there was no wind the surface of the river formed a mirror reflecting the tops of the submerged trees and the clear blue sky. We had not gone more than half an hour when the guides spotted a rare pink dolphin crossing the river in front of us and brought the outboard motor to a stop. We drifted in awed silence as the peculiar looking animal surfaced to breath only a few meters in front. Another bum-numbing half an hour or maybe more and we arrived at what was to be the main camp during our trip; a collection of open, palm thatched shelters on the side of the river.

From Amazon jungle

After setting up our hammocks and a brief tour around the camp we chilled out and got to know each other before lunch was served. Marie was at Hostel Manaus with us so we´d already spoken to her quite a bit, but it was great to be speaking Spanish again with Merche and Iñigo after so many months of Portuguese. Good practise for our impending trip into Venezuela also!

After lunch Francisco took Leah and I out on a small canoe to explore the canopies of the submerged forest. We crossed the open river and then pushed through the branches in to a darker world of trees, spider webs, shadows and peculiar bird calls. Once again everything was mirrored buy the dark waters of the river.

From Amazon jungle

After a while of pushing through the branches and brushing off the cobwebs from our faces it was time to try piranha fishing for our dinner. We each had a simple rod with a length of fishing line and a hook with a lump of chicken for bait. Fransisco splashed at the water violently to imitate the sound of an animal in distress and then we lowered our hooks and waited. It took only minutes for the first bites and with a sudden jerk of his rod Fransisco had his catch and pulled aboard our first piranha. After taking it from the hook he demonstrated with a leaf it´s seemingly automatic biting reflex, which was very effective at taking large chunks out of the foliage, and no doubt would have done the same to our limbs had they gotten too close. Soon enough I felt the nibbles pull at my line and tried the same aggressive snatch I had just observed, and was rewarded with my own thrashing piranha fish, albeit a fair amount smaller that that of our guide. I think Leah was a little alarmed by the whole process, gnashing teeth and all, so we swapped places and she moved to the front of the boat to take some photos. We caught a couple mor each, moving the boats position once or twice once the fish got wise to our tricks, and then headed back to the camp with our haul...

From Amazon jungle

After dinner of more chicken, rice, and, you guessed it, Piranha (bony but very tasty) we headed out into the starlit night for some alligator hunting. Once again it was perfectly still which meant that the stars and the moon were also reflected in the now black water, adding a surreal depth to the scenery. This time we were all in the boat, occasionally shining our torches into the black forest edge to see if there was anything to see, which there never was! Our guides led the boat back into the the submerged trees from the open river, which was still, dark and exciting! I have to admit that I though we were looking for some two meter beast that could tip the boat and gobble us all for it´s dinner, but it turned out that the alligator we caught was pretty small, just over a foot I'd say and very scared looking. Never the less it was quite exciting to hold onto it and feel it's leathery skin in my hands.

After we got back to the camp it was time to sample our first night in a hammock, which turned out to be a lot less comfortable than I had imagined. I didn´t sleep very well at all, but poor Leah I think spent the whole night waiting to be eaten by some terrible jungle beast as she was awake every time I opened my eyes to try and find a comfortable, warmer position!

Day 2: Thursday 21st June

I got up before sunrise and left with Fransisco to watch the sun come up over the trees. I think Leah had finally managed to drift off so there was no way she was getting up to come along! We headed out onto the still waters and drifted in the silence as gradually the sky changed colour through the blues and reds and the sun rose up over the dark line of the trees. We spent a little while exploring the canopies again, eating a few more cobwebs, and then headed back to camp for breakfast. In the time we'd been out a thick mist descended and it was eerie and still back at camp.

From Amazon jungle

From Amazon jungle

After breakfast Leah and I headed out with Fransisco on a three hour jungle walk. As we went we were shown various trees and their medicinal qualities, which we got to smell, taste or simply look at. There was a lot of noise of birds and crickets, and we got to see some monkeys in the distance shaking the trees. I think my super jungle camouflage white shirt may have given us away though, and Leah and I were certainly not stealthy as we crashed through the trees, so we didn't really see them up close. Not that I minded, being there in the Amazon Jungle was enough for me! The scariest thing was when Fransisco poked into a hole and tempted out the tarantula that was asleep inside - Leah had run off to a safe distance, but I stayed to take to necessary tourist snaps. I wouldn't want one of those in my bed. After a few hours, tired and sweaty we headed back to the camp for lunch.

From Amazon jungle

After saying there was no way were were going to do it, we decided to spend a night out in the jungle after all - no point coming all that way a not doing so really. I felt very safe and in good hands with Fransisco anyway, so was sure that there would be nothing to worry about. Only the Amazon Jungle after all. So after lunch and a bit of a rest we packed our hammocks, some water and insect repellent and headed out once again into the trees, this time with Marie as well. We were lead back along paths we had come along that morning and then after a while Fransisco broke off and began cutting a new trail through the undergrowth. This was slow going and tiring even for us, and we didn't have to swing the machete or carry more than a small bag each. We reached a point near some waters edge and Fransisco decided that building a small bridge across would be better than going around due to the change in water level, so he set about cutting down some smaller trees to use as planks. At that point in time I think Leah had become a little anxious about the whole staying out a night in the jungle thing so we had a long talk about whether to head back to the safety of the camp. It was the no going back point, so a good time to decide if going on was what we wanted. Thankfully we decided that we would go through with it and made our way across the water and once again onto dry land and eventually back onto ta clear path. Soon enough we were at our camp for the night; a couple of lean-to shelters in a clearing in the trees.

Fransisco set about fetching some firewood and then headed off to a nearby stream to prepare the food. I helped Marie get the fire going and Leah busied herself inspecting for anything dangerous that might have been lurking in the camp waiting for us to arrive. Thankfully nothing was. It was great to watch our guide prepare the camp using only his machete and the green resources around us - spoons, plates and a table were made and the chicken and sausage skewered and hung above the fire. The only concession was a pan to boil water and make rice. We ate like kings under the forest canopy, with only glimpses of the moon and stars above to reassure us that it wasn't about to rain.

Leah and I shared our hammock that night and spent much of it awake listening to the sounds of the jungle around us and holding tightly to each other in case anything was sniffing us out for a tasty midnight snack...once again, we didn't get much sleep! The most scary thing was probably a howler monkey doing just what it's name would suggest and sounding a lot like someone in terrible pain.

Day 3: 22nd June

After breakfast was skillfully whipped up by Fransisco once again, coffee, boiled eggs, pineapple and bananas, we broke camp and headed back the way we had come to the main camp. It was a fantastic experience and I am very very glad we decided to go ahead with it! Getting back to the camp was like returning to a five star hotel and swimming in the river like a sauna and hot tub combined it felt so good. City slickers.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and learning how to make rings and handicraft stuff ,with only a short trip up river to the site of the new Jungle Experience base which is being built by the owner Antonio. It is a great location, slightly elevated and open to the river, creating a great view and spot to watch the sun go down, so that's what we did before heading back for dinner.

From Amazon jungle

That night we all slept well.

Day 4: 23rd June.

After waking up early there was time to pack, have breakfast and go for a swim off a boat out in the wider river before we gathered our things and headed back downstream the way we had come. I spent the time reflecting on what a wonderful experience it had been and enjoying the last views of the sunken forest.

Flight over the Amazon

Yesterday we took a three stop flight from Sao Luis to Manaus via Belem and Santarem. Belem is at the mouth of the Amazon river and would have been the principle port of trade for the rubber heading out from Manaus. The river is massive. No joke, it's big. Taking the plane proved to be awesome since the route from Belem to Manaus follows the amazon almost exactly, offering amazing views of the river, its tributaries and the seemingly endless Amazon Rain Forest. It's like a childhood fantasy to see the Amazon and tomorrow at six AM we're heading off for a four day adventure somewhere in the jungle, 200km from Manaus and up the river Urugu.

Today we've been hanging out in Manaus trying to sort out a few last details for the jungle (such as a raincoat...) and having a look around. It's a pretty run down city in truth, with loads of buildings in need of some serious attention. Since the Brits smuggled rubber tree seeds out to India and undermined the honey pot that was, the government introduced a tax free trading zone to encourage industry into the area. Subsequently there are loads of electronic goods shops, cheap looking clothes and pirate / cloned MP3 players etc. I nearly bought a camera lens, but realised it would be cheaper in the UK anyway - so much for tax free.

On another note, I've been wondering whether Facebook.com proves the old 'seven-degrees-of-separation' adage about people knowing people knowing people....? Anyone care to find out?

Lone dancer

This guy was well into the festivities...

Cant see it? click here

Chariot of Fire

Had to interject with this video we took back in Itacaré since we found it highly amusing. It's the town rubbish truck at about eight in the morning, you'll need sound to appreciate since it was blasting the Chariots of Fire theme tune as it cruised the streets. For the first few mornings we were completely baffled as to who would be playing that tune so proudly so early in the morning....

Cant see it? Click here

São Luis

After a two day stopover in Olinda, in which we stayed in the dampest, most cavey room ever, we flew up so São Luis with GOL airlines - our first flight in Brazil, and possibly the newest plane I've ever been in. Took a load more photos of Olinda since the weather was a bit better...

From Maracaipe and...

From São Luis

The old town centre here is a Unesco World Heritage site due to the excellent examples of old colonial architecture, although much of it is in a pretty dire state. Everything is covered in "Azulejos" a type of tile brought over by the portuguese which helps to protect and decorate the outside of the buildings.

From São Luis

We have arrived right on time for the Bumba Meu Boi festivities, which means there has been fantastic dancing and music in the streets every night till the early hours. There is a strong Afro-Carribean influence here, and due to the promiscuous Portugues there is every colour, shape and size or person you can imagine.


Cant see it? Click here
Here is a photo of some of the dancers, seeing as the video seems a bit dark...

From São Luis

Less than ten days left in Brasil now, with the Amazon jungle still to come!

Back in Olinda

This time we took the bus route, and it wasn't bad at all, and it cost almost three times less than the taxi...but then we did know the route, and that makes it much easier. In fact as we entered Recife I recogonised Olinda on it's hill and was able to ask the driver to stop and let us off, which meant no long metro ride or extra taxi costs.

Anyway, we're here for tomorrow and then the day after we fly up to São Luis. It's been raining a whole lot, which is a bit boring.

We never saw dolphins in Pipa in the end, mainly 'cause it was raining loads so we didn't go back to the beach. We did buy some art though.

There was a nasty incident last night though when one of our fellow guests at the pousada found that his room had been broken into and his camera and laptop had been stolen. Oddly enough the thieves took the time to go through his bag and empty it of his TAG watch, money and passports and just took the camera stuff. This lead us to believe that whoever it was knew what they were looking for, particularly as that morning he had taken the bag out and was showing me the photos on his laptop in the open communal area. Another reminder for Leah and myself about how important it is to keep your stuff as safe as possible, and assume nowhere is secure!

Bye bye board, bye bye

Well, we just sold the surfboard, bag leash an'all for 50 Reais - about GPB12.50! Kinda sad, but it served us well and it's going to make getting on buses much easier!

Olinda and on to Pipa

OK, we know it was lazy but it felt good; we took a taxi from Olinda to Pipa yesterday to avoid the 5 hour bus ride. We have to go back to Olinda by bus anyway, so cheating on one leg of the journey isn't so bad...

Olinda is a very pretty town/suburb of Recife, which is an enormous imposing city of skyscrapers - we didn't go there. Olinda is made up of narrow winding cobbled streets and colourful little houses, which double as artist studios, cafes and pousadas (like hostels). We stayed in a rather nice, if very overpriced place called Cuatro Cantos, which was based in an old colonial holiday home. It had high ceilings, polished wooden floors and plenty of character, the only down side being that the rooms we could afford would have previously served as a store room or something similar! Clean and pleasant enough though. Olinda is a great place for just wandering and taking photos and stumbling upon things; music, art, whatever. We'll be back there on tuesday to take our flight to São Luis.

From Maracaipe and...

From Maracaipe and...

Pipa is also a lovely little town, cobble streets etc etc. It also has pretty good surf and the beaches are different to everywhere else we've been in that they are backed by cliffs, though not very high ones. I've been out on the board a couple of times, but we're going to sell it now (or have to give it away) as it's too much of a pain to carry it through the jungle and up to Venezuela - plus the airline will charge us more than it's worth just to stick it in the hold!

Tomorrow we're hoping to go and see some dolphins that are apparently in great numbers just round the headland.

Maracaipe

After a three hour wait in the bus station due to ticket confusion, we split from Maceió and headed further north on yet another long bus ride towards Recife. We got off at Ipojuca and jumped in a Combi van to Maracaipe, which is a lovely quiet beach village just south of Porto Galinhas.

We were in an over priced pousada at first but after dinner on the first night we stubled upon a bunch of lovley little apartments, where the owner and some friends invited us to join their little party. Many whiskies later we had arranged to come and stay for the rest of out time here - it's great as we have a little kitchen, living space and a veranda looking out to the sea. The party was made up of a couple of doctors, a physcologist, a journalist, a stylist and a couple of other people, who were acting like teenagers getting drunk and falling over and generally having a good time. We felt right at home.

From Maracaipe and...

I've been surfing quite a bit here on the beach break and had some great rides the first day - really felt I was getting somewhere again. Yesterday though I managed to put a hole in the board and have just picked it up from the repair shop. I'm going to head out again this afternoon and tomorrow before we head off to Olinda for a couple of nights. Only a week or so more and we'll be selling the board before we board a plane to São Luis. :(

From Maracaipe and...

Rainy day in Maceió

The incessant rain hasn't stopped since last night, it could be Wales here. We arrived yesterday morning at 7.30 after a nine hour overnight bus ride on which we didn't sleep much at all. It was a beautiful sunny day and very hot, but we crashed out in the hostel for a few hours trying to shake off the journey.

We made it out for a short walk to the sea, which is an amazing green / blue and very beautiful, especially in the sun. I have a feeling it wont look so nice today, but we've not been down to have a look. After some crap spaghetti we headed back to the hostel. A bit of a nothing day really.

From Maceió and jo...

I was hoping to head to a local surf beach called Praia Frances today, but the rain has stopped play. Instead we're just hanging out and staring into computer screens. There is another traveller at the hostel called Tim who's coming to the end of a nine month trip on which he's been to Africa, Australia and South America. He's looking forward to being back at home and going to Glastonbury...

Tomorrow we're going to continue North. There is a Marine park fairly near by where there is supposed to be excellent snorkeling, but if the rain continues like this it wont be great. May be better to head on further north to Porto Gallinhas (another surf spot) or Recife, we shall see.

Salvador da Bahia

We made it to Salvador at the beginning of a very wet weekend, which nearly managed to turn all the brightly coloured houses of the Pelourinho into a boring grey. Mmmm, flip flops and wet cobblestones; Slip slops.

From Salvador

The Pelourinho sits on a hill over looking what's known as Ciudad Baixa (lower city) and the bay upon whose borders Salvador lies. It's super cultural up here, which also means it's super touristy and you get hustled to buy stuff or give out money wherever you go. On the upside there is music and dancing all day long and we are always stumbling upon a group of kids bashing out rhythms on the streets outside their school.

From Salvador

We got taken in by a scam last night when a street kid came and asked Leah for some money. We've read that it's best not to give out money since more often than not they don't use it to buy food but instead for drugs, or even worse for someone elses drugs. So instead we offered to buy him some food and he lead us off to some cafe. We ordered him a burger and a drink, which we paid for upfront and then we waited while they went about making it. When the kid realised we wanted to stay and wait with him while he ate he threw a tantrum and began huffing about outside the cafe, and when asked why he didn't want to eat with us he said he wanted to take the food home. Meanwhile we still waited for them to make his burger. I realised that the guy in the cafe was in on this scam and actually they expected us to go before we received his food, at which point no doubt they would have split the money we had handed over and he would have been off to hustle someone else for money. When he realised we weren't going anywhere he reluctantly took the burger and drink and then left in a huff. But when we left after him he was waiting round the corner and promptly ran back around into the cafe and we overheard him arguing with the owner, no doubt expressing his disappointment about having food rather than cash. What to do?

Tomorrow we're splitting North again to Maceio and in the next two weeks we've to make it right up to the most Eastern shores of Brasil before we turn the corner and fly West toward the jungle. Incredible to think that we just past the four month marker on this trip! A little under a month left in Brasil now and then we shall be in Venezuela.

Itacaré

Itacaré is a super cool little surf town where we have been since Sunday. It has cobbled streets and loads of restaurants and bars much like Arrial d'Ajuda, the difference is that it feels less polished and touristy, which is down to the more hippy / surfery crowd that hang out there.

The beaches are lovely, though the bay closest to the town is a bit poluted and stinky, however a 10 minute walk brings you to fantastic waves and clean water. I spent the first two days playing on our board, which was frustrating at first but I had one or two quite good rides in the end. Some of the waves are really scarey - massive and steep and they form those tubes you see people riding through in surf videos and photos. The thing is, when you're lying on a board looking down one it all gets a bit hair raising - and if you dont stand up you get mashed; welcome to my world.

From Itacare

On the third day we got up early and took a bus a little way out of town with a Swiss girl called Ursula to find some other beach that had been recommended for snorkelling. The bus dropped us by a muddy track and we had a feeling that they had shot past the proper path to the beach. However, some helpful locals pointed us in the right direction so off we went and were soon following a path through an amazing jungle forest which we hoped would lead to the beach. After some interesting and rather painful encounters with ants, a few river crossings and a squelchy walk through a mangrove swamp we finally arrived at what was indeed a pretty nice beach. Not sure you'd write a book about it though. There was no snorkelling to be had since the sea was rough (out of season apparently) so we wiled away a nice day reading and throwing the occasional Frisbee.

Back in Itacaré that evening we went to watch a Capoiera demonstration, which was pretty cool. Not sure I understand it all that well yet but some of the dudes where obvisouly really good, even to my untrained eye. We actually prefered some of the stuff we've seen individuals do on beaches when they're just practicing since the sand allows them to do some amazing flips and stuff without too hard a landing.

I had hoped for one last day of surfing before we left but yesterday the sea was a right mess and the lifeguards were actually stopping people from going in. Nevermind, reading the Lonely Planet it seems as though there will be plenty more as we continue up the coast past Salvador and onto São Luis. We're currently sat in a bus station waiting for our bus to Salvador - we started at 6 this morning so we're both a bit bleary-eyed, only 8 hours to go though....

Arrial d'Ajuda

We met a realy nice guy called David and his Brasilian step daughter Ueidi at our lovely pusada here in Arrial d'Ajuda (check the photos of the pool over looking the reefs and lovely blue sea!). They've left back to Salvador today but we've had a nice time hanging out with them for a couple of days -we'll hopefully be catching up with them in Salvador next week for a bit of local knowledge!

From Itaunas and A...

I've managed to upload a whole bunch of photos from Vitoria, Itaunas and here so take a look if you've a moment!

P.S Is Myspace dead in the face of Facebook?

North north north - Porto Seguro

Arrrgh, my head is fizzing after one of the worse bus rides yet - from midnight till seven in the morning rumbling along in a dark smelly box. At one point the over enthusiastic child in the seat behind noisily slurrped down it's Guarana drink (smells a bit like Tizer) and then threw it up all over the isle - thankfully though, not over Leah who was in the seat directly in front trying to get some shuteye. The journey started at 16:30 from Itaunas after there were no seats left on the bus that would have arrived here in Porto Seguro right as we eventually began our journey described above. Blah blah blah, I cant think straight, think I need to hit the lovely pool or take a dip in the calm blue seas that are making up for the nasty journey! We're actually staying in a town just across the estuary from Porto Seguro, which is much nicer but has a much more complicated name that I cant remember right now - I'll ask Leah and get back to you! It's called Arrial d'Aujda.

From Itaunas and A...

First though, I've got to call the Mexican embassy in Venezuela to try and work out how we are going to get home without it costing an extra GBP1500 to buy a flight from Venezuela. BA have decided they can be of no help. Thanks guys.

Itaúnas

After five hours we arrived at the deadest town so far; Conceiçao De Barra and had to run around knocking at doors to find an open pousada (Hostel). We debated not going to Itaúnas (which is where we were aiming for all along) as the bus connections are terrible and to get out of here we have to back-track for miles (and hours) but in the end we're super glad we did. Itaúnas is great - sure it's outofseason sleepy, but it's got personality. Personality goes a long way.

No sooner had we stepped off the (rickety) bus than a dude approached us asking if we wanted a pousada. We're pretty cagey about being approached these days after a few dodgy experiences, but this guy is super cool and genuine and is really looking after us here! This place has 35 pousadas as it balloons in summer from 1000 fishermen to 25,000 party people! We're actually pretty happy to be here in the sleepy hour as we had the beach almost to ourselves today.

From Itaunas and A...

There were just two of us surfing the waves - me and a guy called Marcelo who we've been hanging with ever since! We got chatting and after the beach Leah, myself him and his wife went for a canoe trip up the river here....then they invited us to dinner at their pousada - he's been coming here for 15 years! Travelling is fun!

From Itaunas and A...

Tomorrow I'm going surfing again :)

From Itaunas and A...

Vitoria

We splashed out for a day of luxury yesterday after leaving Guarapari and stayed in the Senac da Ilha do Boi in Vitoria...a place atop a hill with a Sauna, pool and cableTV. Last night we ventured into the happening 'Bermuda Triangle' of Vitoria and had the nicest Sushi of the trip!

This morning hasn't gone so well however....the bus we wanted was full so we have to wait around till 4 to leave. Then we walked into town to find this internet cafe so I could Skype Heddwyn for his birthday...the first computer crashed, on the second one the microfone didn't work and then to top it all the boss of this place seems to have sacked the guy who was trying really hard to help me out....what a w*nker. Got that wrong thankfully!

There's some nice architecture in this part of town though, I'll try and get some photos before we hop on the bus. I wont be sad to leave now, but it also seems as though a lot of the coastal places have shut down with the coming of winter...though it's still hot and sunny. We're trying to get up to a marine park for some snokelling....but currently it's hard to get in touch with anyone for advice on whether it's open. oh well!

Sleepy outofseason Guarapari

After a tiring 9 hour bus journey we arrived in a windy and rainy Guarapari yesterday evening. Today the sun is out again but the wind is whipping what would usually be a calm and beautiful great-for-snorkelling bay into a sea of white horses. And 90% of everythig is closed. I guess our snorkel and masks will be staying in the bags for the time being....

I think tomorrow we will head to Vitoria.

P.S I think it's Ben Lambert's birthday, Happy Birthday Ben!

Saquarema photos

From Saquarema

Super Surf at Saquarema

We've escaped from Rio and come to Saquarema where we've been watching a leg of the Super Surf Brasilian surf championship. This beach is allegedly one of Brasil's best surf beaches and when we arrived the waves were massive! However, today the swell has dissapeared somewhat, which has made for a dissapointing final for the surfers. However, for me it was great as I got to spend hours on our board playing in the waves. I went in yesterday too, but it was pretty scary for a novice like me!

Last night the town was heaving as some famous band were playing, never really caught the name though - sorry. We went to join in and after a steak that could have fed ten (we actually shared a portion listed as a single) and a fantastic banana and chocolate pancake we joined the heaving crowds in front of the stage. There was a cool fireworks display before the music that went off in front of the very pretty church that overlooks the town and the bay. We only stayed for a couple of numbers in the end though as it turned out to be a sort of Ska band and it didn't really butter our muffin.

On a final note: if you want to stay regular, forget fibre; drink coffee.

One last look....

Death of my Birks

It was with a tear in my eye that I had to say goodbye to my trusty Birkenstock sandals that have been travelling with me since the begining of this trip....Bye bye Birkies, bye bye.

Football, Snot and video rush

Man, I'm all snotty. Had to happen eventually I guess - a little bit of rain over the weekend and suddenly my nose is running all over the place. Nice.

On Sunday we went to see a football final between two Rio teams; Flamengo and Botafogo. We went with a whole bunch from the Hostel and were bunched together as token Flamengo fans in the sea of serious Flamengo football nuts that went crazy all around us. The atmosphere and vibe were great, but at the end of the day it was just football, innt?

From Flamengo Vs. ...

The video below should illustrate some of the maddness that overcame everyone...The other videos are from the Redbull air race and the Christ statue that I tried to post before but they didn't seem to work...

We're now staying with some family friends of Leahs' called Munira and Dilshad and their three young daughters, Nafisa, Tahani and Zahara. It's great to be in a home, though we're are getting far too comfortable thanks to their wonderful hospitality! I've got this cold though, which I'm keen to shake off as my head feels like a damp sponge.

Flamengo fans going crazy

Redbull plane madness

Redbull Helicopter madness

Rio from Cristo

Rain stops play

Aaawwwww, oh well, Sri Lanka lost to the Australians. What, as they say, to do?

Today we're working at half speed due to a few to many drinkies during the cricket yesterday and then the subsequent return to Lapa for a boogie. Ended up in an aweful club playing RandB at distortion levels with the clientele swaying in each others arms. However, we were with a really cool bunch from the Hostel so it was fun none the less.

Later today we're off to the footbal stadium en mass to see the regional final - should be fun as apparently the crowds go mental.

World Cup Cricket Final

Right at this moment Sri Lanka are bowling against Australia in the final of the cricket world cup competition, and Leah is going crazy for Sri Lanka to win! We're in a Hostel in Rio owned by an Australian cricket nut and the atmosphere downstairs is tense!

Go Sri Lanka, Go!

Christ, St George and Visa trouble

On Monday we hooked up with some Irish friends, April and Dan, who we met in Barriloche and incredibly enough bumped into at the Paraty bus station! Here in Rio it was a holiday to celebrate St Geogre, or Jorge as he's known here, which meant there was a huge concert on Copacabana beach. Never has the name been so widely celebrated I'm sure - all the artists were called Jorge, all the songs were about Jorge (well nearly), Jorge was written in lights as big as a house....well, you get the drift. It was kinda cheesy music to be honest, though they threw in the odd classic to keep the crowds happy!

The next day we went up to the statue of Christ the Redeemer who overlooks the whole city. Our host Eric in Santa Teresa assured us we could walk down to the cog train that winds its way up to the statue. Thankfully it was all down hill but the people who live round there must have legs of steel - at one point we walked down the longest stairs in the world, at least it felt like it and by the time we got to the train our knees were tingling. Weak flatlanders. The train winds it way up the steep hillside and then you emerge to some truly incredible views of the city.

From Rio de Janeiro

On a slightly more annoying note it currently looks like our plans they are a changin' due to the difficulty in obtaining Visas for Leah. We optimistically thought that we'd apply for the central America visas here in Rio, but it appears as though there will be no way to do this so the chances are we'll be heading for home after Venezuela. We've not given up hope yet, but the embassy/consulate people are pretty unhelpful in most cases. The Mexican consulate explained very helpfully how we'd have to return to countryof residence to apply, i.e London. From Brasil to London to get into Mexico. At times like this I realise how great it is to have a UK passport.

And finallee, Sri Lanka play Australia tomorrow in the Cricket World Cup final - go Sri Lanka go!

Rio de Janeiro

Well well well, we've made it to Rio - who would have thought? We're staying in the old bohemian part of town called Santa Teresa in 'Eric's place' - a really cool house right up on top of the hill. We have fantastic views over the city from the open living room. We found the place using 'Cama E Cafe' which has a number of rooms in residents homes up in Santa Teresa - a bit more personal that a hosel. Eric is a really nice guy who lives up there with his 7 year old son...we're not sure about the mum yet. They have two dogs too, including a three month old puppy who is a right character and has Leah wrapped around his tiny paw!

From Rio de Janeiro

Today we've been watching the Red Bull Air Race over Botafogo beach. I'll try and post some videos in the near future, but basically a bunch of crazy pilots fly at breakneck speed around a number of obsticals about ten feet from the floor! Botafogo is an amazing setting with the sugarloaf mountain in the background and thousands of people lining the beach. We got a bit tired though and split for some Sushi, and now we're just wondering how on earth we're going to get back home....

From Rio de Janeiro

Last night we went out in Lapa, which is a barrio at the bottom of Santa Teresa. It was like Nottinghill Carnaval down there - hundreds of people milling about the streets with all sorts of dffierent music blaring from bars, car windows and street corners. We had a few Caipairinhas and wandered the streets taking in the friday night flavour. Nice.

Paraty

On a Friday the 13th that lived up to it's reputation we fled São Paulo and have landed in a lovely little town called Paraty. It's a real breath of fresh air after the heaving city and we're both a lot more relaxed.

From Paraty

Yesterday we went on a boat ride that took us out around the surrounding islands and beaches. It is incredibly beautiful here with lush green rainforest covered mountains reaching right down to the waters edge. We passed some amaxing houses that sit in amongst the trees on their own little island.

From Paraty

From Paraty

Today we took a bus ride to a nearby town called Trindade in search of some surf. Unfortunately there wasn't much swell, with the only waves dumping heavily right on the shore. I joined some locals in about the only available surf area, but didn't really get anywhere. What is it with surfers anyway? They're about as friendly as a slap in the face...I dont see why everyone has to be so cool and full of themselves... It's so rare to receive a "hello", let alone a friendly piece of advice or tip about the water. Oh well - I'm just going to have to get better by myself!

Ilha do Mel and onto Sao Paulo

We made it to the ilsand Ilha Do Mel for the easter weekend and spent saturday night getting drunk with some surfer dudes from Sao Paulo and Curitiba. Leah and I went to a bar to get some food and in our inebraiated state found the menu translations a little too funny to bare - 'Chicken the Bird' has become a bit of a catchphrase for us...

On sunday the locals went home and it became very peaceful on the island. There were a number of great surf beaches so I spent Sunday and Monday playing on our board. On Sunday I spent most of my time flailing around in the white-water but on Monday the waves were great and I felt like I was finally getting somewhere! Gnarly.

From Ilha Do Mel a...

On Tuesday we found ourselves back on the boat to the mainland and after spending the morning in Paranagua took the 8 hour bus ride to São Paulo. The city is MASSIVE - third biggest in the world apparently with a population as large as Sri Lanka or Australia! It doesn't feel overly safe I have to say and I would rather be back by the sea! However, we happen to be staying in the same hotel as a lovely couple from Australia who we met on the boat over to Ilha do Mel (Ben and Clair) and so we've some tourist buddies to hang out with.

From Sao Paolo

Yesterday we followed the walking tour recomended by the Lonely Planet around the historic parts of the town, which was nice enough but not amazing. Incredibly we bumped into a dude (James) who we met on the bus to Florianopolis so last night the five of us went out for some fantastic Japanese style food - yum yum.

Today we're supposed to be heading out to a large park but the numerous Caiparinas last night have slowed us down a bit....should be heading out before too long though!

Moving on....

It´s very grey outside this evening, and it keeps drizling on us which is dissapointing. We are now in Florianopolis centre as our bus leaves very early tomorrow morning and a taxi form the island at 4am didn´t appeal.

I spent all day yesterday in the sea with our new surf board. It´s a really nice board and towards the end of the day I actually felt I was maybe getting somewhere. The beach we went to was called Armaçao and to get you it you park and then cross over a little river. It is a lovely little bay with a tiny island on the left and verdent hills curving round to the right. The waves were small but fairly consistent and clean, which was great for learning and trying out the new board.

From Florianopolis

This morning we went to a beach called Joaquina, but it was really busy due to it beaing Good Friday, there was also a surf competition going on. the waves were really messy and I didn´t enjoy myself much at all....I wanted my nice quiet bay at Armaçao! Anyway, as we left the clouds were rolling in and the day has gone all grey, so I wasn´t sad to leave the beach behind.

Tomorrow we´re heading north to another small island; Ilha do Mel, on which there are no cars. We´re hoping that places to stay aren´t so rare. What with it being Easter places seem to be more booked up. Oh well - hammock on the beach it is!

Florianopolis

We´ve made it to the sea! Last night we stayed in what amounted to a student halls of residence, so not realy our style. But we got our and now we´re in a cool little appartment, 12 mins walk from the sea.

Guess what? Today we bought a surfboard with bag and leash for 200 Reals - about 50 quid, and we got a hammock for a tenner! Road trip.

The island is beautiful so far...white sand beaches (the sand is like flour, but hotter), with green rolling hills. Loads of surf beaches, and many secluded quieter ones too we´re told. It´s going to be hard to move on, but then the rest of Brasil´s coast is like this too!!!!

From Florianopolis

Wooo Hoo we´re in Brasil!!!!

So wow, there went Argentina. An amazing two months that we´ll never forget and no doubt will be boring people with our stories for a long time.

Our last port of call on the Argentine side was Iguazu, where we stayed at Hostel Inn - a sort of resort type place a little out of the town. It was really nice there with a pool, a bar, cool people and a really nice room - so a good way to finish Argentina! We took the compulsorary tour to the amazing Iguazu falls...see photos.

From Iguazu

After a couple of days of meeting cool people and hanging out by the pool it was time to cross into Brasil, which we did in a taxi. Kinda made it easy really - you hop out once to show your passport and get a stamp and that´s it; you´re in!

So here we are, Brasil. The first thing we did was go and see the falls from this side, which we actually enjoyed more although there´s less to see. The difference is that you feel right in the midst of the ´Devils Throat´which is an awesome water fall. We´re staying in a really nice chilled out Hostel called Hostel Bambu before we head east to the sea....woo hooo!

Bus ride from Belén to Santa Maria

Check the music and the bumpy road that we went algon for hours to gat to Santa Maria before heading on to Cafayate. Some chump tried to pass our bags out of the window of the bus, but we caught them!

Corrientes

Man, it´s hot in this town! This is one of the oldest colonial cities in Argentina and it´s littered with really cool old buildings. But boy is it hot. This internet cafe is even hotter. Anyway, I managed to post a load more photos and have added them below - plus follow the Photo link if you want to see more....

One more stop in Argentina; Iguazu. And from there....Brasil!

Cafayate and on to Salta

Surrounded by vinyards which reach to the mountain foothills Cafayate is a wonderfully peaceful little town. On Wednesday we hired bikes and rode the six kilometers (uphill) to Rio Colorado. From there we hired a guide to take us up the mountain trail that leads to a series of waterfalls.

From Cafayate

In true Lee and Leah style we had set off at the hottest time of the day and with little shade the baking sun made the walking very hard work. By the time we made the first waterfall we were more than ready to jump into the refreshing mountain water. The first pool I jumped into wasn't as deep as I'd hoped and I landed with a bump on the pebble stream bed. There were three pools in total- one under the cascading water, the second a bubbling jacuzzi and the third where I miss judged the depth. Like goldielocks I tried all three, and while equally cool each had it's charm. We decided to have our lunch by the falls and the guide went on with the rest of our small party. After eating we made our way back up the precarious rock face and found our way back down the valley to our bikes. After pauses to fix the two punctures I managed to pick up we rolled back into town tired and happy.

The following day we went on a tour to what's known as the Quebrada, which as far as I could make out means river valley. The rock formations are incredible due to the oxidisation of mineral deposits in the rocks. There are brands of vivid colour; reds from iron, yellows from sulphur and greens from copper.

From Cafayate

From Cafayate we have come to Salta and it's odd to be back in a big city! We've met a cool couple who live in Milton Keynes who we've been out to dinner with and will be hanging out with later; Richard and Ayah. Their only experience of Buenos Aires was in a tattoo parlour where Richard got an enormous dragon tattooes onto is arm...a little bigger than he expected by all accounts! Last night we met up with Jimena's brother Gustavo and got drunk on Mojitos, so today we're feeling a little lame....

La Rioja and Belén

In truth we only stopped at Rioja en route to Belen, but we found the town agreeable enough. Belen is a lovely little town, and apparently the birthplace of the poncho. After checking in to our budget-butique hotel we took a stroll into town and ended up at the new handicraft marquee which was, needless to say, full of poncho stalls. After chatting with the friendly stall holders we found out that there was to be some kind of cultural show that evening and decided we would return later. After wandering around some more we returned to the hotel to freshen up in preparation for the evenings entertainment. When we got back to the marquee things we in full swing. A fair number of people were sitting in front of the low stage, and there were tables where we ate some local delicacies- some kind of stew and some mini pasties called empanandas. While the food was pretty nice the loud open mic style music drove us away in the end.The next day we were hoping to climb up to the statue of the Virgin with Child that over looks the town, but with a late start and the hot sun wed decided to leave it till the evening. Instead we explored the streets some more and ended up back at the crafts marquee looking for food. It turned out they were having a meal to celebrate 'day of the handicraft', and recognising us from the night before invited us to join them. It was great to sit and chat with these two firey women of indigenous decent about their trade, their hopes and fears, the nearby foreign owned mines, the country, the government and everything else. After lunch we chilled for a bit and then made the acsent up to the statue from where we had fantastic views of the town, the surrounding mountains and the flat lands beyond.

From Belén and Qui...

From Belen we had hoped to make it straight to Cafayate, our next port of call. Unfortunately the rumbling, shuddering bus that wound it's way to Santa Maria was too slow so there was no connection. Furthermore some guy at the back of the bus tried to rob our bags by passing them out the window to his acomplice! Thankfully we caught himin the act and we still have our clothes! Our night in Santa Maria wasmarred by this and our dissapointment at not making it to Cafayate, and we weren't sad to be on our way early the following day.

We took a taxi from SM to Cafayate so that we could stop off at the 1000 year old ruins of Quilmes, which were the stronghold of an indigenous tribe until the Spanish came along and shiped them off to Buenos Aires. Nestled in the hills it consisted of a number of small walls, which we were to asume as rooms, kitchens etc. We followed the paths that led up behind the settlement to what appeared to bewatchtowers, and from there the layout of the town was much more clear to see.

From Belén and Qui...

After a couple of hourse we headed off to Cafayate.

San Juan and Barreal

From Mendoza we headed up to San Juan en route to Barreal. We originally wanted to go straight to Barreal from Mendoza but there didn´t seem to be a way without hiring a car, which was too expensive, thankfully in the end San Juan turned out to be cool so it worked out for the best. We arrived some time in the afternoon, which is annoying in Argentina since everything closes between about 1pm and 5 for a siesta! However, we wandered out in search of lunch and ended up at the 'Syrian Lebanese' social club; a real touch of the middle east with mosaic tiled walls, high ceilings supported by arched columns and the best coffee we've had in Argentina! The waiters were decendents of Syrian or Lebanese immigrants, and the clientele looked not unlike the guys you see sitting around in the kebab houses along the Edgware road smoking on Hookers.

After lunch we continued our stroll through the town to a park on the far side, but there wasn't a whole lot to see and the dinosaur museum was closed. That evening we sat and watched 'Snakes on a Plane', which is very silly but kept us ammused none the less.

The following morning we had to get up early to catch the 8am bus to Barreal, which took us on a five hour journey along winding roads into the valleys of the Andes. According to the lonely planet Barreal offered the 'most beautiful town in Argentina'and 'dreamy laziness' as we were to stroll along the backstreets, so we had high hopes. Thankfully it didn't let us down in the slightest, being indeed beautiful and wonderfully relaxed. We had a small cabin all of our own to stay in with pear and apple trees on the front porch, and being a little out of the town it was very peaceful. Now we wished we had a little more time here.

From Barreal

Other than dreamy laziness the other things Barreal is known for is stargazing and land yachting, the latter of which I was very keen to have a go at. To this aim we got in touch with Don Toro and after a second morning of laziness found ourselves in a beaten up old Jeep heading out in search of wind with two land yachts on the trailer behind. He took us to a vast dried up lake of cracked white earth, too poisonous for anything to grow. When we came to a halt about halfway along it´s 12km length there wasn´t a breath of wind, but Don Toro had been doing this for 30 years, and, pointing to some gathering dust in the distance, ensured us that it was indeed going to be windy. No sooner had we taken one of the buggies of the trailer and started to assemble the mast than the wind began to lift, and continued to do so until you had to brace yourself against it to stand firm. By this point we were enjoying the exhilaration of flying over the land with nothing but the wind and the humming of the wheels filling the air. Woo hoooooo.

From Barreal

Upon returning to the Jeep I found Leah talking to a couple from Buenos Aires who who had been to see the nearby observatory and had come down to see what we were up to. There names were Josefina and Guido. We got chatting and, seeing there enthusiasm, offered them a ride with Don Toro on his crazy wind-car! Later, back at the Cabins, we came across them again and it turned out they were to be staying in one also. Furthermore they invited us to dinner with them and we spent the evening outside their cabin eating, you guessed it, a barbecue and drinking local wine which I bought cheaply from the charming and slightly eccentric manager of the cabin complex, Leonor.

That night we had to catch the 4am bus back to San Juan and then the 10:30 bus up to La Rioja. The first bus was hot and smelly, making the five hour journey pretty arduous. We tried to sleep but the windy roads and seemingly never ending stops to pick up passengers (at which point all the lights would come on) made it pretty difficult. I tried to keep the dreamy laziness of Barreal in my head.....After a brief stop in San Juan, in which we consumed the now customary coffee and Croissants, we got on the second bus to La Rioja and at about 5pm alighted stiff, smelly and hungry to the run down bus terminal.

Mendoza

We've been in Mendoza for a few days now. Staying at Lao hostel, which has the best breakfast of all the hostels we've stayed in so far. I'm writing this from the back of the mini van that has just taken us on the 'Alta Montanya' tour up to Punta del Inca on the border with Chile once again. We drove up the old mountain pass that used to link the two countries to a military base at about 4000m. From there I climbed up a bit further to improve the view and escape the crouds hanging around the statue of San Cristobal. From there I had a wonderful view of the mountain valleys; Argentina on one side and the road we had come along, and Chile on the other. The sky was clear and blue once again, but the mountains are a myriad of colours due to different minerals and deposits in the rocks. A long time ago it was all under the sea...

From Mendoza and P...

I must confess that the mini bus style of trip isn't my favourite, but maybe tomorrow we'll get out for a walk. It's not as easy here as the mountains are further away and seem to require guides.

The day before yesterday we went on a tour of some of the Vineyards and wineries near Mendoza. We managed to find a tandem to hire once again and set off, map in hand, to see what we could find to taste. The first bodega we came to was a modern winery called Tempus Alba with large stainless steel vats, computer controlled temperatures and such like. While not being particularly romantic, it did serve to enlighten us to the ways of modern wine production. I have to say that the 7 peso glass ofCaberbet Sauvignon that we tried wasn't really much to write home about. The next place was far more interesting, being one of the oldest bodegas in the area. It originally belonged to the Guevarra family (no relation to El Famoso Rebelde), then it passed to a Basque wine company called Euskadi before being partly bought back by the Tomaso family. This had rows of vast round brick vats of two stories; the top for fermentation and the bottom for storage. The original owner had bricks shipped from the UK, cement from Germany and builders from Spain to create the vats, which withstood a terrible earthquake which levelled the rest ofMendoza. Nowadays these are used for storing wine bottles since the fermentation takes place offsite. Our tour, which cost 10 pesos each, finished with a tasting of five of the famliy wines, including the desert wine made to the grandmother's secret recipe! Yum. We ended up buying a bottle of their Malbec wine, which we consumed later with our dinner. We had time to visit one more bodega before merrily riding back to the hire place, depositing the trusty tandem and jumping on a bus back to Mendoza.

From Mendoza and P...

On wine making:
Just in case you were wondering, or indeed thinking of setting up you rown bodega or vinyard, this is what I learned about wine making. First you harvest the grapes (no shit Sherlock) and remove them from the stalks (by ´aaand), taking time to remove the damaged or rotten ones. Then you put them in a big vat with yeast where the skin and seeds separate out from the juice and pulp. This has to be at a carefully controlled temperature depending on the grape variatal for it to work. The seeds and the skin are what give the body and the tannin to the wine so you leave it to circulate and gather itself. Then you drain off the juice and leave it for a time to mature. In good wines this is in Oak barrels, with French oak being preferred to American. The newer the barrel the more oaky flavour and body you get. If a bottle says 'Roble' on it then it's been in a brand new barrel. The barrels are used for up to four years before being recycled into Parque flooring, furniture or for making Whiskey (yum). The wine is transferred into bottles and left for another year before being sold. The reason you see 'crianza' on some wines is because it is the second use of the barrel, and as the barrel ages it needs constant attention to stop cracks and thus air getting into the wine. The word crianza is spanish for a young baby, hence somethingthat required a lot of care."

Bariloche Horse Riding

After a couple of very lazy days coinciding with rather cold and windyweather, we went on a horse riding trip out on an Estancia (farm) on the opposite side of the Nauel Huapi lake to Bariloche. The weather turned out fine and it was another cloudless day of infinite blue sky, I was happy for my sun hat. After we arrived our two guides, Alicia and Manuel, set about bringing in the horses. This entailed some incredible high speed bare-back riding that we watched in awe from the shade of the rickerty old wooden farm building where they had left us.

From Bariloche Hor...

Soon enough they were saddled and we moumted our steeds and set off into the surrounding hills. The pace was very relaxed and I spent my time chatting with Alicia about the 'Gaucho' life and enjoying being out in the country again. Manu didn't speak much, but tended to ride on ahead singing loudly to himself. He had the manner of an old hand, though he was only 17! We climbed up and over a hill (much easier onhorseback) and descended into a plain where we stopped to have lunch. Inevitably a barbeque was made and we hade huge slabs of beef to get through, as well as some chorizo sausage. The ride back was equally slow paced, despite the eager horses who wanted to be set free again and knew that the sooner we got back the sooner this would happen.

From Bariloche Hor...

The next day we were both very saddle sore and walked around like apair of worn out old donkeys. It was to be another lazy day inBariloche...

Our final excursion around lake Nauel Huapi took us out to the Llao Llao peninsula. We walked away from the golf courses and imposing hotel and into the national park. It was a beautiful afternoon and we could hear nothing but our footsteps and the calls of the various birds flitting around in the trees. We tried to stop for a picnic in a clearing, but wasps and flies drove us away. Then we were rewarded bythe site of a male woodpecker, just off the path, tap-tapping a tree to dig out his lunch. We stood and watched as he flew low over ourheads and landed on a tree even closer. His body was dark but he had abright red head and crest- which is the male plumage I think. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a great photo for not wanting tomake any sudden movements.

Back at the Hostel I got chatting to a couple of Argentinian brothers from Buenos Aires. The older was more chatty and is studying to be a theatre producer- apparently there are hundreds of theatres inBA, though it's hard to make it big as ever. He was a nice guy and it was good to be conversing in spanish rather than just booking rooms or ordering food!

The following day we took a touristy bus up the seven lakes with a tour guide who had a bad case of verbal diahorrea...

This bought us to San Martin de los Andes, and it was really relaxed after the tourism of Bariloche. It is also located by a lake, but is surrounded by much closer hills. We went for an easy bike ride up into the hills but that was about all. After two nights it was time to move on, this time a big journey north to Mendoza and the wine district.