So we crossed the border into Paraguay - the second poorest country in South America - to save some money after all of our indulgences in Brazil. On our first night we stayed in the worlds worst hotel it was only about £6 a night, we are sure this was still not cheap enough. Matt nearly died when he stood up as the fan was so low, all Paraguayans we presume must be dwarfs that also like being bitten by bedbugs. The next morning we high-tailed it out of there to the poshest place in town at an exorbitant £19 a night. Which we feel is easily justified after our life and death experience. We have also decided to behave ourselves now that we have seen what hell looks like.
Anyhoo this new hotel has a huge pool which is lucky as there is absolutely nothing else in Concepcion to do. After our night at the devil hotel we decided we should treat ourselves to a nice traditional Paraguayan meal out - which it transpires involves eating small intestine, tongue and large intestine. Harriet was not so happy - Matt was in his element.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Muito Bonito
So having left the Pantanal on a ridiculously hot day we arrived in Bonito - via one of the worst roads known to human kind. The journey was quite uneventful apart from the solitary lost bat that decided to pay us a visit inside the tiny coach in pitch black - however after some gentle encouragement i.e. all of the girls on the bus screaming their heads off, it flew away.
Anyhoo we arrived in Bonito and walked straight into a lovely Pousada, which we have decided is much too nice for backpackers. The family who run it are lovely, Harriet spent today learning how to count to 10 in Portuguese. We also met 2 crazy Frenchmen who are travelling all over south america in the coolest offroad jeep thing ever. They definitely haven't given us any ideas for the future - honest!
Bonito is famous for the rivers in the surrounding area, they are incredibly clear and full of hundreds of different species of fish. The first day we went to the municipal pool, where I - Matt - amazed them with my amazing tan (or lack of) and inability to snorkel. Also because the water is so "perfect" we were not allowed to wear sun cream cue horrific burns. Harriet also insists that she got sun stroke, I am sure it was just an excuse for her lack of fitness - we had to cycle 6km to and from the river.
Matt not really pulling off the snorkel look.
Harriet relaxing in the municipial river pool above, and some of the fish below.
The next day we went on what can only be described as the most expensive day trip ever, to a river a bit further out of town. But it was definitely worth it. We snorkelled for several kilometres down stream and saw a huge amount of different fish - it was like working at Tom's shop all over again. We also saw Capuchin monkeys in the trees and a huge scary looking Golden Dorado in the river - with a mouth not dissimilar to a T-Rex's, this is not even exaggeration.
Update - photos from Rio Prata, kindly sent to us by cool Brazilian guy Anderson.
Update - photos from Rio Prata, kindly sent to us by cool Brazilian guy Anderson.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
3 buses, 1 metro, a walk and an offroad truck later .... And we were in the Pantanal
Turns out that as narrow as Brazil may look on a map it kind of takes a while to get from the East of the country to the west - who would have thought.
But wow it was worth it. We had been told that the Pantanal was effectively like the Amazon but you saw more animals - that and it is not actually a jungle but a wetlands. We stayed in a Fazenda or Farm and went on several different excursions and saw shed loads of animals. The best way to describe what we saw and just how amazing it was is to look at the photos below.
Loads of parrots! The red one was really tame though and got grumpy with Harriet because she was doing the laundry where he wanted to walk! Also saw this blue one which is really rare!
Armadillo, Capybaras (largest rodents in the world) and a million monkeys.....
Sincere apologies for Matt's arty, farty sunset photos. Count yourselves fortunate that you only have to see two, there are nearly a hundred replicas, turns out that the new camera has a fast shutter speed so now he can actually take the same photo a gazillion times.
Probably the rarest and most amazing animal that we saw was the giant otter - there are between 2000 and 5000 left in the wild. Not exactly scared either, very curious and stayed really close to us!
By swimming with them! We swam in the river off a beach which when we arrived had caymen on it, to scare them off the guide dive bombed into the water, shortly followed by ourselves!
We also went Piranha fishing which was amusing, you literally put a bit of meat in the water and it was gone! Turns out that they were hungry, we decided against swimming with the piranhas, we caught quite a few as a group. I was a bit rubbish but eventually caught one which was deemed fat enough to eat, Matt seemed to be a natural and kept hoisting them out of the water and then playing with them! The guide was not that impressed with Matt for trying to hold it up and poising with it!
He also used them to feed the Caymen in a bid to get the 'money shot' (his words, not mine). Below is Matt making "subtle" splashy movement to mimic the movement of a Piranha in an effort to make a Caymen snap its jaws for a photo, meanwhile I was having a not so silent strop on the river side.
But wow it was worth it. We had been told that the Pantanal was effectively like the Amazon but you saw more animals - that and it is not actually a jungle but a wetlands. We stayed in a Fazenda or Farm and went on several different excursions and saw shed loads of animals. The best way to describe what we saw and just how amazing it was is to look at the photos below.
Loads of parrots! The red one was really tame though and got grumpy with Harriet because she was doing the laundry where he wanted to walk! Also saw this blue one which is really rare!
Armadillo, Capybaras (largest rodents in the world) and a million monkeys.....
Sincere apologies for Matt's arty, farty sunset photos. Count yourselves fortunate that you only have to see two, there are nearly a hundred replicas, turns out that the new camera has a fast shutter speed so now he can actually take the same photo a gazillion times.
Probably the rarest and most amazing animal that we saw was the giant otter - there are between 2000 and 5000 left in the wild. Not exactly scared either, very curious and stayed really close to us!
There are around 35 million Caymen in the Pantanal! So it obviously made sense to get as close to them as possible!
By swimming with them! We swam in the river off a beach which when we arrived had caymen on it, to scare them off the guide dive bombed into the water, shortly followed by ourselves!
We also went Piranha fishing which was amusing, you literally put a bit of meat in the water and it was gone! Turns out that they were hungry, we decided against swimming with the piranhas, we caught quite a few as a group. I was a bit rubbish but eventually caught one which was deemed fat enough to eat, Matt seemed to be a natural and kept hoisting them out of the water and then playing with them! The guide was not that impressed with Matt for trying to hold it up and poising with it!
He also used them to feed the Caymen in a bid to get the 'money shot' (his words, not mine). Below is Matt making "subtle" splashy movement to mimic the movement of a Piranha in an effort to make a Caymen snap its jaws for a photo, meanwhile I was having a not so silent strop on the river side.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Party in Paraty - Not really though
So long time no update, sorry about the lack of posts we have been on the road or in the middle of no where for the past week.
After having spent a couple of days on the beach Ilha Grande we thought why not go to some more beaches. A short 2 hour coach journey later and we arrived in Paraty - a cobbled colonial beach town. Cobbles and flip flops it turns out are not a perfect match.
After having spent a couple of days on the beach Ilha Grande we thought why not go to some more beaches. A short 2 hour coach journey later and we arrived in Paraty - a cobbled colonial beach town. Cobbles and flip flops it turns out are not a perfect match.
Not really much else to say about here, it was quite quaint and we also met some lovely people, unfortunately bad weather kept us from seeing the best of Paraty although we became much more acquainted with Caipirinhas.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
It's lucky that Harriet Loves me
So..... today Harriet and I went for a 20k trek in the rain up a not insubstantial hill to get to a deserted beach that was full of vultures. I couldn't see the attraction for the vultures or for ourselves. So it was a beach, so it was quite pretty, but it did not in anyway compare to Lopes Mendes, And the tropical rain for the entire journey did anything but help. To illustrate just how much it had rained we saw this huge cascade of water coming down the Parrot's Peak - the highest point on the island.
To vent her anger Harriet decided that the beach must be hers and hers only so she tried unsuccessfully to scare all of the scary vultures away. Cue ridiculous pictures... Well at least she said she was trying to scare them off, I am sure that she was actually trying to fly off with them.
Had a relaxing late afternoon and had a huge dinner, tomorrow we will leave for somewhere hopefully a little less wet.
Yesterday we went for a Kayak around the coast in the morning in glorious sunshine - what a difference a day makes. We saw lots of Zebra style fish and also a big red starfish. Harriet insisted on the horrendous posed photo below.
To vent her anger Harriet decided that the beach must be hers and hers only so she tried unsuccessfully to scare all of the scary vultures away. Cue ridiculous pictures... Well at least she said she was trying to scare them off, I am sure that she was actually trying to fly off with them.
Yesterday we went for a Kayak around the coast in the morning in glorious sunshine - what a difference a day makes. We saw lots of Zebra style fish and also a big red starfish. Harriet insisted on the horrendous posed photo below.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
It's a tough life - apparently
I (Harriet) knew there must be a catch to a paradise island for only £16 a night, turns out that to get to the world famous beaches you have to trek through mountainous jungle for a few hours.... Turns out I'm just that unfit that a retired lady in a bikini and trainers could overtake me but I would like to say in my defence that if you are having to climb over boulders and climb almost 1000metres high over a short distance-IT KILLS! But I got there with reasonably minimal complaining while Matt jumped around believing he was a mountain goat.
Everyone had said that the trek was worth it and despite many false alarms spying other beaches in the distance we eventually found Lopes Mendes (its worth a Google) and if its low in the top hundred of beaches worldwide I cannot imagine what the others must look like! Actually stunning. The sand is so white and fine that it squeaks when you walk on it and the sea is crystal clear. Turns out that it was worth the effort.
Our hostel is lovely and very cheap, with amazing homecooked food each night, and as much as you can eat (suits Matt perfectly). We have only booked 4 nights so far but it remains to be seen how long we stay as its pretty idyllic. There are only 3 or 4 streets in the whole town!
Everyone had said that the trek was worth it and despite many false alarms spying other beaches in the distance we eventually found Lopes Mendes (its worth a Google) and if its low in the top hundred of beaches worldwide I cannot imagine what the others must look like! Actually stunning. The sand is so white and fine that it squeaks when you walk on it and the sea is crystal clear. Turns out that it was worth the effort.
Our hostel is lovely and very cheap, with amazing homecooked food each night, and as much as you can eat (suits Matt perfectly). We have only booked 4 nights so far but it remains to be seen how long we stay as its pretty idyllic. There are only 3 or 4 streets in the whole town!
Monday, 8 November 2010
Copacabana = 2 Lobsters
So, it turns out that both Harriet and I underestimated the sun, even in the short two hours that we spent on the beach on our final day in Rio. We are now wonderful shades of pink and red - I think it complements my hair perfectly!
We stayed in a different place last night, with a Brazilian lady and her daughter, had a really nice stay there and it was well worth the amount she charged. Breakfast was huge and the fruit was amazing. The Mum, Noemia was a linguist and poet - www.mpbzona.com - and her daughter is hoping to study Biological Sciences at Rio University - (good luck in your tests).
We stayed in a different place last night, with a Brazilian lady and her daughter, had a really nice stay there and it was well worth the amount she charged. Breakfast was huge and the fruit was amazing. The Mum, Noemia was a linguist and poet - www.mpbzona.com - and her daughter is hoping to study Biological Sciences at Rio University - (good luck in your tests).
Saturday, 6 November 2010
When it rains it pours
So,,, thanks to a kind suggestion from Hannah Adams we shall now be using the first person pronouns rather than the apparently confusing and offensive third person. Matt and Harriet are sorry for this. Haha.
This is the view from our hostel window! Quite cool really! Photo is slightly deceptive though as there has been torrential rain for most of the day! Have literally only been able to run out to get food and got soaked as a result - no need for a shower tonight on the positive side though. Not understanding a word of Portuguese has made choosing food an experience but we did well today with meat pasties and sweet potato soup (much much better than it sounds!) Also even with our - (mainly Matt's) extensive grasp of the Portuguese language we had to resort to the universal scribbling on our hands gesture to ask for the bill, Harriet was not impressed - even after I succeeded. Apparently I (Matt) was supposed to have learnt basic phrases and am very much mistaken in thinking Portuguese is the same as Spanish.
So we were fairly lazy and chilled at the hostel and master planned where to go next.
We also tried to determine whether Coca Cola or Pepsi is best, Yes we still love you more Mr Coca Cola.
Sun is predicted for tomorrow though so back to a nice 36 degrees and away we go to the beach! Can't wait!
This is the view from our hostel window! Quite cool really! Photo is slightly deceptive though as there has been torrential rain for most of the day! Have literally only been able to run out to get food and got soaked as a result - no need for a shower tonight on the positive side though. Not understanding a word of Portuguese has made choosing food an experience but we did well today with meat pasties and sweet potato soup (much much better than it sounds!) Also even with our - (mainly Matt's) extensive grasp of the Portuguese language we had to resort to the universal scribbling on our hands gesture to ask for the bill, Harriet was not impressed - even after I succeeded. Apparently I (Matt) was supposed to have learnt basic phrases and am very much mistaken in thinking Portuguese is the same as Spanish.
So we were fairly lazy and chilled at the hostel and master planned where to go next.
We also tried to determine whether Coca Cola or Pepsi is best, Yes we still love you more Mr Coca Cola.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer and Matt's pack of biscuits
Which was Matt's favourite?? The biscuits would have to be discounted here as he succeeded in eating them so quickly they were forgotten even before they were started.
Seriously though, Rio is a rather incredible city. The weather today was perfect if a nat's tadder too hot at 36 C, and the skies were clear so we figured we would get as high as possible to take in the views of this beautiful city.
Taking the tram up the steepest hill known to mankind we began with visiting Christ. 2,000 feet further from the centre of earth Matt and Harriet's jaw dropped half way back down when we saw the view! In fact Christ not only paled in comparison but damn well near spoilt the view, and that's saying something as the statue itself is incredible.
Had a quick walk down Copacabana on the way to Sugarloaf during which both of us both wished we had been visually impaired. Thong bikini + what can only be described as "Rio Bottom" equals Yik Yak Yuk!!!
Fortunately once we arrived at the top of sugar loaf - after travelling up on a rather cool cable car - the Rio bum could no longer be seen.
All in all an awesome first day in Rio, what a way to start.
Seriously though, Rio is a rather incredible city. The weather today was perfect if a nat's tadder too hot at 36 C, and the skies were clear so we figured we would get as high as possible to take in the views of this beautiful city.
Taking the tram up the steepest hill known to mankind we began with visiting Christ. 2,000 feet further from the centre of earth Matt and Harriet's jaw dropped half way back down when we saw the view! In fact Christ not only paled in comparison but damn well near spoilt the view, and that's saying something as the statue itself is incredible.
Had a quick walk down Copacabana on the way to Sugarloaf during which both of us both wished we had been visually impaired. Thong bikini + what can only be described as "Rio Bottom" equals Yik Yak Yuk!!!
Fortunately once we arrived at the top of sugar loaf - after travelling up on a rather cool cable car - the Rio bum could no longer be seen.
All in all an awesome first day in Rio, what a way to start.
2 Hour delay equals
£10 off Wagamama's - YAY - plus an additional 2 hours for Harriet to persuade Matt that a digital SLR would be sensible - or maybe it was the other way round, my memory alludes me.
2 hours later than planned and one camera heavier we boarded the flight to one of the grossest injustices ever ever perpetrated by anyone ever!! - Matt's inflight entertainment was BROKEN - bearing in mind Harriet was almost deaf on the flight this left Matt to read the entire instruction manual of the new camera for which only one word can be used to describe its content - Awesome.
Eventually landed and we were met with a further delay- passport control- after over an hour we were free! By this point it was nearly 3am, having supposed to have landed at 10pm it was getting slightly concerning that the hostel may have forgotten about us! Concerns were right- turned up to find no lights on and everyone in bed, much knocking and shouting later we succeeded in waking up the hostel and got our room. After 21 hours of stress and panic the travels have begun!
Eventually landed and we were met with a further delay- passport control- after over an hour we were free! By this point it was nearly 3am, having supposed to have landed at 10pm it was getting slightly concerning that the hostel may have forgotten about us! Concerns were right- turned up to find no lights on and everyone in bed, much knocking and shouting later we succeeded in waking up the hostel and got our room. After 21 hours of stress and panic the travels have begun!
It begins... with chaos
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