We arrived in Rio De Janerio early in the morning and headed to our Air BnB in Copacabana. Since our room was still occupied by people sleeping off their carnival festivities from the night before, we headed to the beach. On the way we stopped at a casual cafe and quickly learnt that not many people speak English in Brazil and Spanish is not the same as Portugese, although there are similarities. We eventually managed to order some Joelhos for brekkie. At the beach temperatures soared and we were grateful for the sprinklers that wet the sand on the way to the water and the palm trees that provided some shade if you were too stingy (or 'elbows' as they say in Spanish) to pay for the umbrellas for hire. The water was refreshing but the powerful waves that crashed right on the shore were treacherous to those who wanted to keep their bikinis on! From the beach, there were views of Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain and more mostly naked flesh of all shapes and sizes than we have seen in our whole lives up to now! The rule seems to be the bigger you are, the less you have to wear....
We mastered the metro system and got our Carnival tickets. The parade in the Sambadrome was amazing - the costumes and floats were a colourful feast for the eyes and it was fun to be amongst the locals who threw themselves into the party, dancing and drinking the night away while dressed up in the spirit of things. After an overnight flight, we only lasted until the early hours of the morning, not dawn, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience anyway, even if the smell of piss on the streets was an ever present aroma at carnival time.
The next day we made it up to see Christ the Redeemer and to appreciate the stunning views over the city. Another world wonder crossed off the list - impressive but super busy and I think I was literally melting in the heat and humidity.
We again tried unsuccessfully to get money out in a city where banking is notoriously unreliable and even worse at Carnival time.
In the evening we met our Tucan group (28 travellers, mostly from Australia and the UK) and realised how lucky we were not to have been mugged in Rio as we listened to others' stories.
The following morning we got aquainted with our new big yellow mobile home for the next 112 days as we set off for Parati, a beautiful colonial town surrounded by mountains, beaches and islands. A boat cruise to the nearby islands was a highlight here, but some of our group enjoyed too many caiprinhas and things got messy! We also enjoyed a visit to a nearby waterfall where you could slide down rocks.
After 2 long drive days (made worse by sick travel companions who didn't realise that spewing out a front bus window is not a good idea because of splash back through open windows further down the line) we arrived in the Pantanal, one of the biggest swamps in the world. It was mostly flooded while we were there and the heat and humidity was incredible so the airconditioned room upgrade was a welcome alternative to our tent. On our jeep, walking and boat safaris we saw capybaras, caiman, an ant eater, toucans, jabawara storks, rhea (mini emus), hawks, kingfishers, monkeys and more. A nature walk educated us about the medicinal uses of plants in the area (including abortion!) as well as gave the bees a chance to attack us. The experience of having bees stuck in my hair is not one I want to repeat in a hurry! Most things in the Pantanal turned out to be an adventure, from having our safari ute break down (they eventually managed to start it with the help of an aerosol insect repellent) to walking through waist deep water to get anywhere, to having people bucked off the horses on the ride, to eating piranhas. Exciting times!
Our next stop, Bonito, is known for its crystal clear waters and giant fish but for us will be forever known as the place where our credit card got skimmed, leaving us $3000 poorer. We're still in the process of trying to get our money back and cards replaced, which is made trickier by dodgy wifi. A day tubing on the Formoso River and paddleboarding and ziplining were bright points here. We also loved the cheeky monkeys that hung around the campground stealing things.
Another day and a half drive brought us to our final stop in Brazil, Foz do Iguazu. The 275 falls over the 2 and a half km cliff face were spectacular but Josh was so busy fending off the plethora of colourful moths and photographing the quatis that I'm glad he remembered to take a few photos of the falls too!
The bird park across the road was a great chance to get up close and personal with local birds like tucans and macaws and to giggle as our travel buddies got chased by storks and swooped by parrots as well as to try an acai berry sorbet, a local specialty, which we enjoyed almost as much as their dulce con leite fudge and Crystal beer.
It's been fun, Brazil, but looking forward to the cooler weather in Argentina.
