Belem: bye bye Brazil

27 May 2010, Belem (Para, Brazil)

Belem is our last stop in Brazil. We choose it mainly because it offers the only flight north to Suriname. It has its pros and cons. The pros: a nicely restored fun harbour area full of restaurants; a lively market displaying every tropical fruit imaginable and numerous variety of fish; the mouth of the impressive Amazon river and boat trips to get a small taste of it; a charming colonial square with an old fort; some interesting city parks giving you a taste of the not so far Amazon rainforest. The cons: definitely the dirtiest and most rundown Brazilian (maybe even South American city) we have been to; apparently one of the more dangerous ones judging by the constant warnings we receive about walking around; horrible sidewalks full of holes and garbage; hot as hell (though this is compensated by fancy air-conditioned malls where you can hide during midday). All in all we amuse ourselves and also enjoye our little charming French run hotel, especially the lovely pool in the garden.

Sand dunes and aqua coloured lakes

23 May 2010, Atins (Maranhao, Brazil)

We head for another national park, Lencois Maranhenses: an extensive area of large sand dunes, bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean. During the rainy season, lakes of crystal clear water are created between the massive dunes, resulting in a spectacular landscape of bright white sand dunes and aqua blue lakes. We decide to skip the main tourist entry point (Barreirinhas) to this national park, and head for the much more remote small town of Atins which is at the Southern end of the park next to the ocean.

Getting there turns out to be quite an ordeal. It takes several exhausting and confusing skype calls to arrange a minibus to the main town where a private boat will await us to take us up the river to Atins. The minibus turns out to be a disaster. We get picked up at our hotel at 7am as agreed. However, the guy in charge decides to make a huge detour in the city to pick up some last minute customers, which extends the 3 hr journey into 5 hrs; to make matters worse he does not even have the decency to apologize. Gaudi at first refuses to pay the full fare but there is no reasoning with this man. We decide to save our sanity and move on.

The private boat trip down the river is beautiful; we make a lunch stop along the way exploring our first dune right along the river, and enjoying the fresh fish. A second stop allows us to climb up an old light house, and enjoy the view of the surrounding landscape. Three hours later we get dropped of on a large deserted beach at the confluence of the river and the ocean, and receive some vague instructions on how to reach our hotel. We walk for 15 min or so through sandy trails in a tiny deserted village . . . and we arrive at our hotel, very pleasantly set in a large garden right next to a little stream (which leads to the ocean and is dry during low tide). The rooms are separate little cabins with a patio and a hammock. Ah it is perfect, and the food is yummie.

The highlight of our stay is our walk through the dunes to a little "restaurant" in the middle of nowhere. It is spectacular walking over the sand dunes. It is tough as we have to go up and down all the time and there is no shade to protect us from the blazing sun but we get to cool off in the wonderful cool and clear lakes. Also we enjoy the fresh fish and shrimp, and relax in the hammock before walking back.

Natasha did get slightly traumatized by these crazy birds that kept launching themselves at dizzying speeds at us when we were crossing certain grassy plains. We tried to protect ourselves by waving our arms, hats and water bottles at them and running like hell for the dunes. Only later did we learn that these birds lay their eggs in these grassy fields and so were actually protecting their nests.

Another special excursion leads us back to the dunes, this time late at night. The full moon provides a lot of light though, giving this landscape an even more surreal air. Only when a cloud moves over the moon the white dunes disappear into darkness.

We thought getting to Atins was hard, well leaving proved even more difficult. After numerous confusing discussions with the hotel manager, we decide to take the public ferry back to Barreirinhas, spend the night there and then take a bus the next morning back to Sao Luis. The day of our departure, we do a morning group excursion with some other hotel guests, have a lovely lunch, and are ready to go by 2pm. The ferry should arrive between 2 and 2:30; the hotel manager tells us just to relax in the hotel she will take us to the ferry. Around 2:15 we get a bit nervous so ask the hotel manager to check when the ferry is arriving exactly . . . she makes a call . . . and informs us that actually there is no ferry today . . . she cant believe it (imagine how we feel); moreover the hotel is fully booked tonight . . .

All of a sudden she realizes we have one another option: we can take the public bus to Barreirinhas which leaves NOW. So we are rushed off to the "bus" which is actually an old Toyota 4 by 4 transformed to have several benches for passengers in the back. As the truck doesn't start by itself, the male passengers have to push it. There is no side but luckily there is a roof to protect us from the sun at least. There is actually NO ROAD so we embark on a hugely adventurous (read scary) 3 hr ride across the sand dunes and through small lakes to Barreirinhas. We are the only non locals in the vehicle. Gaudi is having a blast, taking pictures and videos while Natasha is holding on for dear life. The last part of the ride is done by loading the truck on a barge across the river.

We arrive in Barreirinhas safe and sound, spend the night in a pleasant hotel on the river, where we have a refreshing dip upon arrival. But the return journey saga continues because we soon learn that there are not that many options to return to Sao Luis the next morning or at least so we are told (one of the biggest challenges while travelling is always getting the right information).

So the next morning we check out and decide to just walk to the main plaza to see what is going on there, and ask about shared taxis. As we arrive in the plaza we walk buy a minibus with lots of goods in it and some passengers and wonder where it is going . . . Gaudi takes a closer look, and at that moment the driver asks if we want to go to Sao Luis. They are leaving right now, charge a reasonable fare and can drop us in the historic centre. Some of the locals from yesterday's ride are also on the bus. It seems our luck just changed! Except for some scary speed-driving towards the last part of the journey, we arrive well in Sao Luis.

Historical Sao Luis

21 May 2010, Sao Luis (Maranhao, Brasil)

Sao Luis has a famous historical colonial centre, declared a UN World Heritage site. We decide to stay within the historical centre rather than in the more modern part of the city. Which means, very much like was the case in Salvador do Bahia, that we are in the middle of all the historical buildings but lacking all modern city comforts, like good convenience stores or good places to stay. We stay in a charming little hotel which is inside an old colonial building (we wonder if the a/c is also from colonial times as it hardly cools the room; it is 40 degrees outside and 90 percent humidity).

Despite the heat, we enjoy the charms of the colonial town, and join the locals for a refreshing drink at one of the many outdoor cafes.

Suprising Fortaleza

19 May 2010

We debate quite a while what our next stop should be as we move northwards from Salvador do Bahia. Normally we would just get on the bus and get off at the next best town after 6 hours or so but that is just not feasible in Brazil. The distances are tremendous with often not much in between, and most buses tend to be overnight, so we have resorted to taking flights, which actually feel more like buses as they are so often and go just about everywhere.



In the end we decide to go to Fortaleza as it made most sense in terms of ongoing flight connections. What we have read in our guidebooks about the city has been mixed and so our expectations are not too high. But we are pleasantly surprised!





A very modern city with its greatest asset being a wonderful beach promenade which stretches along the coast for several kilometres and is just teeming with life early in the morning (before 9am) and early evening (after 5 pm) i.e. the times when the temperature is bearable. Tons of people enjoy the promenade for jogging, walking, strolling, eating ice cream and various other street snacks.

There is also an interesting old town, which against all good sense, we decide to explore one day in the midday heat. Nevertheless, we enjoy strolling through the city and also come upon a lively plaza and shopping street.

Hiking in the Chapada Diamantina

10 May 2010, Chapada Diamantina (Bahia, Brasil)


Chapada Diamantina: Chapada means plateau, describing the many large hills. Diamantina refers to the fact that the area used to be an active diamond mining area until its abolishment in the 1990's for environmental reasons. Shutting down the mining industry led to an initial decline in colonial Lencois, but soon the town re-invented itself as a hikers' paradise. Today it is the entry gate into the beautiful Chapada Diamantina National Park, covering an area bigger than the Netherlands. There are lots of rivers, both with crystal clear water as well as black water (due to the foliage), waterfalls, caves and rock formations.

The trails in the area are not signed, so we need to hire a guide (it seems that for most tourist activities in Brazil one has to either contract a tourist agency, or a guide). We meet Marcelo, one of the few independent guides in the town - he's been hiking in the mountains for fifteen years and knows every trail in the park. Although he is considered one of the best guides in the area, he mentions that the people who know the region best are the old miners (the garimperos) that spent their whole life going to the most remote places looking for diamonds.

Marcelo convinces us to go for a three day hike, including two days of camping in the wild. Anything less would not get us far away from civilisation to enjoy the natural beauty of this place. So we set out, walking about 15km a day, not too difficult except for a few short steep stretches over rocks. The landscape is beautiful and varied. On our first day we cross a mountain range into a plane and get great views of the magnificent Morrao (large hill with plateau on top). We camp at a gorgeous spot known as Aguas Claras, a reference to the crystal clear waters in the river. There is no one else around. Only a few horses we crossed a few hours ago. Marcelo and Gaudi set up the tents and keep the fire going. We're lucky: Marcelo is not only an excellent guide, but also a good cook: after a day of hiking we get a delicious dinner for us containing a huge variety of vegetables. Natasha thinks not too bad so far but the sleeping part is not too comfy.

Waking up the next morning, the first thing Gaudi spots is a dark shadow sitting on the tent. It is black, about the size of a golf ball, and has eight long legs. Gaudi doesn't tell Natasha, so she can wake up peacefully. Only later, as we dismount the tent Marcelo identifies the hairy spider as a Tarantula (a small one, he says). He adds that it is not so dangerous, only small children and older people could die from its poisonous bite - but normally it would only lead to fever. It's another beautiful day and we continue our adventurous walk.

Setting up and breaking up camp is quite a process (part of the problem being that we don't have much of a clue). The other thing we have to get used to is carrying a load: Natasha has about 5/6 kg in her backpack, Gaudi about 8/9 kg and poor Marcelo carries all else must be at least 20kg!

The second day all was going too smoothly, Gaudi decided to introduce some drama: we were descending a very steep path down to a waterfall and suddenly right before reaching the river, Gaudi slides down the last few slippery rocks. Natasha gets such a shock she yells out and starts crying. But luckily Gaudi catches himself and is unharmed. Again Marcelo finds us a great camping spot by a nice river; we sleep a bit better but still Natasha is looking forward to the comfy bed and nice shower back in the pousada :-). However, nothing beats waking up in the pure nature, and taking a morning swim in the idyllic river, while the coffee brews over the fire.

The third day of hiking again is full of surprises, today we see a massive cave (entrance 50m high); we start out on top of the cave and hike down to its mouth, then along a beautiful river back to Lencois.

Salvador da Bahia

3 May 2010 , Salvador da Bahia (Brasil)

We visit Salvador during the rainy season - the city is almost empty during strong afternoon showers. We enjoy it nevertheless. On of the highlights: Tuesday night is party night in the historic old town Pelourinho. We see Dida, an all-female drumming band. The girls hit the huge drums while dancing to their own sound - what a great show.

Fotos of Salvador

The hike that was not meant to be

29 April 2010, Chapada dos Guimaraes (Mato Grosso, Brazil)

From Cuiaba, we drive on a good paved road with spectacular views to the cliffs of the Chapada dos Guimaraes. With no hotel reserved we end up staying at the town's top hotel, set on a cliff with wonderful views, a jungle trail and 3 pools, one of which was heated - the discount we negotiated means that this was just the best deal in town.

One of the activities we really wanted to do in Chapada dos Guemares was a one day hike along seven waterfalls. This can only be done with a guide and park rules dictate to enter the park before 9am. So our first day in town we go to an agency and book a guide to take us on this hike. The next day we wake up to incredibly thick fog, we even see it blow into our window. Well we think no weather for a hike so we take it easy at breakfast. At 8.45 the guide calls us in the room in a panic asking where we are. We explain that surely we cannot hike with this fog. He claims that the fog is very local and that it would be clearer in the park. In any case we are too late as we must enter before 9am and are nowhere near ready. So we agree to do it the next day. Just to be sure we call the park and the park confirms that also there the fog is very thick.

That same evening we decide to take our little rental car into town for dinner. And it refuses to start! Two nice Brazilian guys even give us a hand trying to push the car into action but it is not the battery (lights working just fine) and the car does not budge. Several phone calls and hours of waiting later, a mechanic shows up at the hotel and manages to kick the car back into action just by juicing the battery long enough. He has no clue what is wrong with the car but thinks (or rather hopes) it should work now.

The next day we are up early and getting ready for that hike! The fog is much less thick and clearing up quickly. So we have a quick breakfast, pack up all our stuff. Gaudi gets the car so we can get going. Ah but wait the car does not start. This must be a joke! So Natasha calls the guide in a panic explaining the trouble with the car. The guide says he will try to arrange a car but soon calls back that he cannot get a car (where the hell are we?). Then we ask the hotel if they can arrange a guide and car, they said they will try. Next thing Gaudi runs into the room: the car started let's go. Of course we are rushing because we must enter the park before 9am to be allowed to do the walk. We rush off to town to pick up our guide. Natasha runs into the agency: the car started let's go! Hmm, the guide looks very disappointed and starts to explain that he cancelled the reservation because he thought we did not have transport and now he can only make a new reservation for the next day.
We cannot believe this - after all this trouble, we have a functioning car, nice weather, and are just in time to enter the park before 9am, yet we are told that we'll miss out again. We make calls to the park, try other agencies, but finally we accept that this is just not going to happen . . .

Oh well some things are just not meant to be. Looking back, our hotel turned out to be a great choice: instead of hiking in the park, we spent time in the pool, and had a lovely time on the hotel's own jungle trail with stunning views from the cliff.

Fotos from Chapada dos Guimaraes

Nobres, off the beaten track

27 April 2010, Nobres (Mato Grosso, Brazil)

Based on just one paragraph in our Brazilian guidebook, we set off to this place described as having great potential for eco-tourism. The bus ride is pretty uncomfortable, hot (no a/c). We arrive at the bus station of this tiny little town of Nobres, and have no clue where the hotel is and it is about 38 degrees outside, so we happily get into the one cab that shows up. Hmm... soon we learn the hotel is about 500 meters from the bus station and the cab driver insists that we pay him 10 Real (about 5 USD) for the very short ride. Oh well at least our hotel is very pleasant. Soon we find out that we cannot do any of the excursions without a car. Although the sights in this region can only be visited with a guide, we have to provide the transportation - a very strange arrangement we find. Luckily the hotel arranges for us to rent a car.


The next day we set off early in what we soon find out to be a rather rickety car, we have to drive 75km on a pretty bad dirt road but the surrounding landscape is stunning. After 1.5 hrs we arrive at our first destination, where a young guide takes us snorkeling, first in a natural pool with crystal clear water, very appropriately called aquario, and afterwards we float down a river with crystal clear water.


After we have lunch, we drive with our guide in the back seat (not sure he is old enough to drive) to the next attraction, a waterfall. The drive is long and on a very bad road; the beautiful surrounding provide some compensation. Also we spot a few bright yellow and blue Araras in a palm tree. But we are thinking this better be a really special waterfall. And it is, with a large natural pool for swimming with clear water. Our guide is having the most fun though; since we arrive he is jumping and swimming around.


After dropping off our guide at his fazenda, we have to drive back one hour on the dirt road in the dark (no street lights). Luckily it is full moon, so we have a bit of extra light while driving, avoiding horses and cows on the narrow track (and the occasional truck). After 200km on dirt roads, we arrive happily in our hotel. In the end, our trip off the beaten track was well worth it.

Fotos from Nobres and Bom Jardim

Pantanal, the wild wild west

21 April 2010

Most of Brazil appears to be focussed on its coast, that is the east of the country. Visiting the Pantanal, a natural area of wetlands, we ventured over 2,000 km west inland. Our point of entry was Cuiaba a sizable city of around 500 thousand inhabitants, mostly an agricultural hub. At the airport, our transfer was awaiting to drive us to our chosen Pousada Rio Claro, a drive of approximately 3 hours. The first 1.5 hrs on a paved road and the rest on a dirt road - the Transpantaneira which leads into the Pantanal and ends in the wilderness. Soon after leaving the airport, all signs of the city and civilisation disappeared. All green around and wetlands, many watering holes with alligators and many water birds. We had our first sighting of the incredible Tuiuiu, a huge white, pink and black waterbird. Also we saw many locals fishing and swimming in the many watering holes, we wondered if they were not scared of the alligators . . .

Our Pousada was great, set right next to the river on huge piece of land (formerly a very large farm). A lovely garden full of birds including Toucans and a smaller cousin of the Toucan. A small pool which was great for cooling off. A comfy room with a veranda with two hammocks - we can spot an huge amount of animals from right there. The staff was very friendly and the food tasty. We had a great guide who took us on numerous excursions, he had actually grown up on the farm, at a time it was still a large active farm.

One of the best excursions was the early morning sunrise boat ride. We set out at 5am, rowing on the river, it was still dark and very quiet, but gradually the light and especially the sounds increased: all the birds walking up, especially the parrots are very noisy. So we watched the sun slowly rise, and watched the birds flying around.

Also the horse riding was fun. At first, Natasha was very reluctant to get on the horse (scared by reports on the internet of tourists falling off wild horses) but in the end we were convinced that the horses were very calm and well behaved. So we set off on our horses and they are indeed very calm, actually we can hardly get them to move. At first all goes well but then we enter the wet part of the ride, and our horses decide they'd rather not walk through the mud and water. Gaudi's horse just turns around and starts heading back, Natasha's horse walks around in circles, then stops to eat some grass. The guide is desperately trying to give us instructions on how to control the horses but to no effect. Then the guide changes horses with Natasha and goes over to Gaudi's horse to tell him what to do, and after a small delay we are back on track. The rest of the ride is lovely, in the late afternoon, beautiful light and a lovely view over the wetlands.

We ended our stay on a fun note with a big Peixada, a big lunch with only fish dishes, including a yummie piranha soup. It's a big party with lots of the locals attending, and the men playing the guitar.

Fotos from the Pantanal here

Belo Horizonte

16 April 2010

We spend a few days in the capital of the Minas Gerais state and decide to go to the theatre: we see "Avenida Q" - the brazilian version of the broadway Musical "Avenue Q". The cast is made up of puppets moved by actors - a bit like Sesame Street for adults. The songs were good, and some of the jokes must have been quite funny too, to judge by the laughter of the audience - the play was in Portuguese and we could hardly understand any of the dialogues.

Pampulha: a lake around which famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer was given the project to build a few landmark buildings by the then governor Kubitschek (in the 1940s). The buildings around the lake are several kilometers apart. We see the old casino, and the ballroom - so many beautiful curves in the building, you feel like you're dancing already. But the highlight is the Igreja Sao Franscisco de Assis: modern forms and a facade completely covered with blue painted tiles. Indeed one of a kind in the world.

The governor must have been impressed with Niemeyers work: two decades later, Kubitschek became president and recruited Niemeyer once again. This time to build an entire city: the new Brazilian capital Brasilia.

Fotos from Belo Horizonte and Pampulha

Ouro Preto

12 April 2010, Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

A beautiful little town in the hills of Minas Gerais state - loaded with history and colonial buildings: most famously its many baroque churches. It seems that from any point in town, you can at least see two churches, one close, and another one further away. Narrow cobblestone roads wind up and down the steep hills. Sightseeing is good exercise. And whoever manages to manoeuvre a car around the narrow corners is fit to drive anywhere in the world.

The town made its fortune with mining, mostly gold. We visit the nearby Minas do Passagem. We enter the mine on a little train on the old tracks. The mine is not as claustrophobic as the one we visited in Potosi, and even has an underground lake. Officially , 35tons of gold were produced from this mine which ceased activity in 1984, but unofficial amounts could be several times higher, as it was common for the slaves and workers to smuggle gold out of the mines.

During the rule of the Portuguese crown, a fifth (20%) of all gold produced was confiscated shipped to Portugal into the kings coffers. A group of local leaders and mine owners resented this arrangement, and organised a rebellion. They are known as the Inconfidentes with Tiradentes as their leader. The revolution failed, and Tiradentes was hung in Rio. Today, the rebellion is seen as the starting point of Brasilian independence and Tiradentes is a national hero. Other things have changed too: nowadays few people would oppose a 20% tax rate - it would be classified as a tax haven.

But there is more to discover than colonial buildings and a rich history: we also enjoy the cuisine the region is famous for. The town even has a few specialist chocolate shops - at least one of them makes excellent pralines. Gaudi forgets his loyalty to Swiss chocolate and becomes a regular at the shop.

Ouro Preto Fotos here

A literary journey

We don't only read travel guides - we also enjoy reading literature while on the road, or relaxing in a hammock. Our supply of literature depends on book exchanges in hostels, cafes, or book shops. The only thing is that these exchanges don't offer a lot of choice and we have to take what's available. As a result we are often positively surprised by new discoveries. Some of our books are funny (Bill Bryson) some are classics, (Herman Hesse and Kafka), and some written by Latin American authors like Paolo Cuelho. We enjoy this literary journey and wherever we are, we're constantly on the lookout for the next book-exchange for new material.
We were also eagerly awaiting the publication of the last book of Stieg Larsons triology, shortly after we left home. But as we couldn't find the English version, Natasha decided to read the nearly 1000 pages in Spanish.

Haiti or Hawaii?

3 April 2010, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)

...asks the headline of a local newspaper after the rainfalls in Rio. The answer: Rio is both. The effects of days of strong rain exposed the two faces of Rio: poverty on one side, and a fun and sport oriented livestyle on the other. The rain caused mudslides in the poorer areas with whole neighbourhoods being washed down the hills. Over a hundred people died in the few days, and hundreds lost their homes. The storms also caused unusually high waves on the beaches of the affluent neighbourhoods. While emergency rescue operations were underway in the north of the city, brave surfers in the south enjoyed riding the five meter high waves, spectators watching them from the beach.

Fotos of Rio de Janeiro

Getting to paradise by bus

25 March 2010

We get up at 5.30h, pack up, breakfast at 6h, settling the hotel bill at 6.30h, and at 6.40h, we're in the taxi to the bus terminal. A bit nervous, we arrive at 6.55h: 5 minutes left to buy the tickets and catch the 7am bus - we make it!

The bus drives out of the station, makes one turn, slowly joins the traffic and then we hear a slight bump against the bus. The bus driver starts complaining and pulls over. It appears that no one other than a police car has hit the bus. The bus hardly has a scratch, the police car slightly more damaged. Luckily the matter is all cleared up with 30 min and we continue on our way.

At 11.40h, we arrive in Sao Sebastiao, where we have to change buses - the next one leaves at 12h. But we are out of cash (the cash machine at the bus terminal did not work for us that morning). Gaudi runs along the main street of the town, and tries one cash machine after an other - the fourth one works, unfortunately it is at the other end of town, and so he sprints back in the midday heat. With no time to spare, we make the second bus. This one is a municipal bus: few seats, lots of passengers standing, no A/C (it is 33 degrees), no luggage compartment. We spend an hour on this bus. Natasha trying to keep our luggage from toppling over in the isle, Gaudi fending off his sleeping neighbour who tends to lean on him. The scenery is stunning though: green forested hills, and a coastline with many little beaches.

At 13h, we arrive in Caragua. At 13.40h, we need to board our next municipal bus. In the meantime, Tash runs to the next shopping centre to get some more cash, we realised that one withdrawal will not be enough for the next few days. Luckily, the busride turns out a bit shorter than expected: 40 minutes instead of 90 minutes: we're getting off at the turnoff to our destination: Praia Fortaleza. The Praia is 7km from here, down a small road. There is a bus service, but we don't know when. After Tash walks into a near hotel and makes a call to our hotel we know: the next bus is at 16.15h (in two hours), there are no taxis, and our hotel can't pick us up either.

Without a plan really we start walking along this 7 km road with all our luggage, figuring we will hail down the bus if and when it passes. The road is very windy and goes up and down, with the heat and humidity we our soaked within minutes. After 2 km we decide it is best to just wait on that spot (with a great view over one of the lovely beaches). Pretty desperate, we try to hitch a ride. The first car gives us a strange look and drives on, the second car smiles put makes clear that they are full already. Then comes a third car, a small truck. We dont bother waving this time, but the friendly man stops for us, and drives us very close to our destination but the last kilometer we still have to walk. By now, very hot, very sweaty and very tired, we are starting to wonder about this hotel, what if it is a dump then we are in real trouble. . .

But finally more or less 12 hours after we woke up that morning, we arrive and . . . it is a little paradise!

Praya da Fortaleza Fotos

Held up in traffic

25 March 2010, Santos (Brazil)

Our bus leaves the station on schedule at 7am. Not even two blocks from the station we hear a slight bump: a car has hit the bus in the busy morning traffic. A sleepy driver must have driven out of a garage, straight into the side of our bus. As I look out of the window, I am impressed: the police has already shown up and is blocking one lane of the road - barely a minute after the accident. Certainly, they would quickly decide that it was the other drivers fault driving into the busy road without paying proper attention, and hopefully punish him for holding up public transport.

After a few minutes, we decide to get out of the bus, stretch our legs, and investigate the scene of the accident. It becomes clear that the accident happened right in front of a police station - that's why the police was here so quickly. We also see the badly dented car that was involved in the accident...Oh boy, it is a police car!

Now we understand why our driver looks a bit nervous, we don't think the police will take his side...
Fortunately, our bus was not damaged, and 30 minutes later, we are on our way, in the dense morning traffic once again.

From Iguazu to Santos

8 March to 25 March 2010

Leaving Iguazu, we drive through the agricultural lands of southern Brazil to Curitiba, a city of two million. Curitiba is considered a model city in terms of urban planning and transport. It is safe and clean, has a pretty pedestrianised center, many parks and a botanical garden. We spend a week in Curitiba, to get to know the city, shop, and plan our next destinations.

Curitiba Fotos

A gorgeous train ride takes us through the protected Atlantic rainforest, to the small colonial town of Morretes, where we spend two nights in a resort in the middle of the green vegetation.

Trem Fotos

From the historic city of Paranagua, on the coast, we take a small ferryboat to the Ilha do Mel - a little paradise. Most of the island is a nature reserve, only a small part is occupied by small wooden houses, tucked away in the forest. There are no cars or other vehicles on this island - the only traffic is on foot, and by bicycle. Most of the beautiful beaches are without buildings, completely natural. We take long walks along the beaches, especially in the mornings, when they are deserted and we can observe the many birds. We only venture once and for a short while into the dense forest - the mosquitos prove to us that their reputation for being especialy agressive is fully deserved.

Ilha do Mel Fotos

Santos: a busy harbour town, with seven kilometres of sandy beach. The biggest attractions of its historic centre are electric trams and the old coffee exchange - the source of the past riches of the town.

Santos Fotos

Olá Brasil

6 March 2010

The bridge over the river Parana leads us out of Argentina and into Brazil. And even though this is just a 15 minute bus ride across a bridge, it is like entering a different world. Take breakfast, for example: while we had minimalist breakfast in Argentina (coffee and hard bread), across the border awaits us a sumptuous buffet of fruit, cake, savoury and sweet pastry, eggs, everything we could wish for - oh, and great coffee. The food in general in Brazil is the best we have had in Latin America, much more flavour, much more variety.

Also the diversity in Brazil is striking compared to the rest of Latin America. In Foz do Iguaçu, there are large Chinese and Arabic communities, and many black people. The small city even has a Buddhist temple and a mosque (marked on the city map). Nowhere else in Latin America did we see such ethnic and religious diversity.

No leaving home without maté

5 March 2010

One of the most typical sights in Argentina is the maté culture: most people carry a special cup of the bitter-sweet herbal tea with the special silver drinking straw. Special leather bags exist to carry a thermos with hot water for a refill. Friends share maté in the evening sitting by the river, we see people driving cars, the wheel in one hand, the hot mate in the other, and of course the assistant of the bus driver has a very important additional task in Argentina - looking after the driver's maté. Maté seems to be a private affair - it is never offered in restaurants. This tradition appears to stop at the border though. Once we crossed the bridge into Brazil, not a single maté drinker in sight - and if there is one, it has to be an Argentinian tourist.