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.
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.
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