My Travels

18th May: Itacare......I´m still here...next stop home!!!

justin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:05:00 GMT

Gallery: Itacare, Bahia...Brazil

justin — Wed, 6 May 2009 03:08:00 GMT

Itacaré

justin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:14:00 GMT

To get to the beaches one has to walk from the centre along the cobbled street for about half a mile. The beaches are fantastic, white sand meeting lush tropical forest. Warm waters with excellent surf...Together with clear blue skies and sun...it´s paradise.

Visited the first three beaches here;

Praia do Rosende... The beach is in a protected area, where construction is not allowed.
Praia da Tiririca is the place for the surfers to go. It has some of the best waves in Brazil apparently.
And Praia da Costa....very basic and deserted.

Itacaré!!!

justin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:59:00 GMT

We´d booked a taxi to the port, well not quite a taxi, but a local guy with a wheelbarrow to take the bags. I was in the company of Ron, and now Eyal and Yaron from Israel. The girls who we had rrived with have now gone their separate ways.

It was a swift speed boat ride from Morro De São Paulo to Valencia located on the mainland. From here a minibus took us southwards to Itacare. The roads soon turned to muddy dirt tracks as we drive through the jungle (Not too dissimilar to Asia)

Once at Itacare, checked into the Hostel International. (After the driver took us to another Pousada....probably his brother´s)

Itacaré is famous for it´s beautiful beaches, tropical forest, rivers, waterfalls, good waves for surfing, capoeira, and laid back life style.
Later headed to a few bars, including a beach bar where many locals were dancing Forro(pronounced Foho)..Baraka Bar in the main street had a great band playing and the place was packed. I think I´m going to like this place!!!

Gallery: Morro De Sao Paulo

justin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:11:00 GMT

Gallery: Rio

justin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:56:00 GMT

Gallery: Paraty

justin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:44:00 GMT

Morro de São Paulo

justin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:51:00 GMT

Spent the next few days on the beautiful island of Morro de São Paulo . Mostly on the beach, exploring the island, drinking caiprinhias, eating Moqueca, and frequenting the parties that were held every night

18 April......Went to an excellent club near the fort. Danced 'til the early hours. Despite the rain, and being out in the open air the partying never stopped.

19 April..... Went for a walk with Vyninka (Australian Olympic diver) and her father Bruce. Followed the beach round to Gamboa. Stopped for a body scrub in the local mud slide along the way! Really beautiful area away from the main centre of morro

20 April.....Beach, Morquca. Alcoholic Fruit Cocktails, Party.

21 April....Moved to a different hostel. The toilet situation in the previous one was becoming unbearable. Checked into The Black and White Hostel. Thought I was in Tel Aviv! The hostel was very much a focal point for those Israelies travelling after Military Service. A great hostel.

Went for a walk along the other beaches with Ron. Ron´s good company but sometime in situations like these I would have prefered the opposite sex!

That evening, Some of the guys at the hostel made a vast amount of cha. We'd all (75 people) previously chipped in 2 reals 75 pence. It was a great night. The drinks never stopped flowing.

22 April....Rained all day. Stayed in and watched dvd´s.

23 April....The weather had really turned for the worse. Grabbed a little sun in between the showers...and..what a suprise another beach party.

The island of Morro de São Paulo

justin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:58:00 GMT

The now five of us (Paula from the hostel in Rio joined us) left Salvador for Morro de São Paulo. Morro de São Paulo is one of 5 villages of the island Tinharé, 60km from Salvador by sea. Cars are forbidden on the island.

The boat trip should have taken 2 1/2 hours but instead took nearly 5. On account of engine failure. I´ve been in this situation before!!!....(Whakatane, New Zealand). The sea was really rough too. Amazingly I was ok, whilst many other passengers were being sick. I had taken a pill beforehand but normally they have no effect on me. Maybe I have overcome my seasickness.

Got to the island in the dark only to find there was no accommodation available. I had thought being low season there would no problem finding anywhere to stay. I hadn't realised that the locals had a 4 day holiday and clearly Morro was a favourite destination. Hunted around and found a place for the five of us. Put it this way it's all about location and beach two is renowned for being the best. The fact the toilet in the dorm was only screened from the room by an obscure glass shower panel was a minor issue. The morning´s ablutions would be interesting.

Dance club and another mugger

justin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:34:00 GMT

We spent the day down at the beach at Praia Do Porto. A really nice little beach near the old port. Again trying to avoid being sold anything. Except for Acai and grilled goats cheese.

In the evening a few of us from the hostel went to a Forró (I think that´s what is was) dance club in the Santo Antonio district. The club was in a basement and was packed. The locals dancing skills were amazing. Felt a bit left out not being able to dance but did my best..briefly.

I later walked Emma (one of the girls from the hostel) back, since I didn't consider it safe for her to walk back alone. I later returned to the club with Ron, only to be accosted on the way by a brick wielding mugger. No knives this time. Not sure how he was going to overcome the two of us, but he never had the chance. Ron rushed him, grabbed his arm and threw him against a car. Picking up the brick as we left, we continued the walk to the club.

An interesting evening.

Capoeira in Salvador

justin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Took in the local sights during the day. This place is full of people trying to sell you stuff to the point of annoyance!

In the evening went to a Capoeira show at a nearby theatre. Not the sort of thing I'd normally go for, but it was amazing. Basically Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that involves movements from martial arts and dance. It was created in Brazil by the slaves brought from Africa. Participants form a circle, and take turns either playing musical instruments or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The sparring is marked by fluid acrobatic play and extensive use of sweeps and kicks. I´d seen this at home on Brighton seafront and wondered what it was!!!

Later had some food and drinks in one of the many cobbled streets listening to live music, and trying to avoid the numerous street vendors and beggars.

Salvador de Bahia

justin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:06:00 GMT

Spent a couple more days dodging the rain in Rio before I headed North to Salvador. It was cheaper to fly with the low cost airline Webjet than it was to get the bus.

I was now in the company of Ron from Israel, Cassie and Danielle both from Melbourne. I'd arranged for a taxi to pick us from the airport and take us to the hostel. Given the fact that Salvador is as bad if not worse than Rio for crime, it was a new city, we'd be arriving late (even later then scheduled as the plane was delayed) and given my recent ordeal it seemed like a good option. Besides, I later found out that a bus on it's way to Salvador from Rio was 'held up' and all the passenger's belonging stolen!

Salvador de Bahia to give it it's proper name, is known as the African soul of Brazil. Here African descendants preserve their culture in music, dance and martial arts.

Checked into Hostel Galeria 13, a small yet cool hostel run by an English guy. It´s located in Pelourinho (The historical centre), an area renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture with historical monuments dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO

Robbed at knife point..probably some little s**ts from the favela!!!

justin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:03:00 GMT

Not a great day for the beach so went to the local market in Ipanema with some others from the hostel. Interesting stuff.

In the evening I popped out from the hostel with Tania to grab a quick bite to eat. On our return we were jumped by 5 knife wielding youths only metres from the hostel. Just before it happened we'd noticed that something wasn't right but by then it was too late. Tania was frisked by one, only for him to get a couple of Reals. Luckily she had the rest hidden elsewhere. Me on the other hand had the other 4 pointing knives at me demanding 'money money'. I was rendered helpless, as when I reached into my pockets to give them money, I had knifes thrust at me. So I just raised my arms, and thought 'take what you want'.

They went through my pockets but they couldn't find any money as it was hidden in a cigarette box. This made them even more angry, as hey, I'm a gringo, of course I have money. With them still demanding 'money money', I indicated that it was in the box. Then they were gone. It was at this point I mentioned 'card' and they threw back my cash card. Which most considerate of them I thought. The stupid thing is I never take out my card apart from a quick dash to the ATM. 35 Reals (10 pounds) down and extremely shaken, we just couldn't believe what had happened. The feeling was almost dreamlike; not a good one at that! The most incredible thing is that no one came up to us afterwards, and there were a few people around. That's Rio!

A stiff drink was needed. Several to be precise. Went down to the local bar 'Emporium' with a few people from the hostel.

Probably involved the beach at some point.

justin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:57:00 GMT

Cant remember what I did but it probably involved the beach at some point. Later watched City of God...this was based in a favela and indeed most of the young actors were teenagers living in the favelas at the time. Since the film's success these actors have become a lot more famous and wealthy. According to the guide we had on our Favela Tour the young actors have put a lot back into the favelas and many stories he told reflected the loyalty that people brought up in these areas felt towards each other.

A really good watch

Rio Scenarium...9th best bar in the world....according to the Guardian

justin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:37:00 GMT

Not sure what I did during the day but a large group of us went to the Lapa district and to the Rio Scenarium this evening.

Rio Scenarium, is a club, a restaurant, and an antiques warehouse covering three floors. The place was amazing, vibrant, and home to some amazing Brazilian music. There were two main areas for dancing and live music....no techno here!!!!!

The decor was incredible, Grand Pianos, beautiful art work, sumptuous classic furniture...I wandered how long it would remain in situ if back at home.

Anyway we all had a great night, taking it all in and dancing until the early hours.....my opinion of Rio has definitely changed over the last few days...you just need to know where to look.

Favela Tour

justin — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 09:36:00 GMT

A few people had recommended a tour of a Flavela and being a bit of an old cynic, I´d put off until now. I just saw it as a voyeuristic tour looking at those less fortunate. With an open mind and interested about different aspects of Brazilian society, I booked myself on Marcelo Armstrong´s Favela tour (suggested as one of the best).

There are close to 750 favelas in Rio. Mostly placed on former public areas on the hillsides. We visited just a couple, namely Vila Canoas and Rocinha, the largest one in the country.

On first impressions it wasn´t as bad as I thought. There has been alot of money spent over the years and the Favelas are now equipped with proper sanitation and waste disposal, and unlike how they used to be all the paths and roads are now concreted. It is hard to imagine what they would have been like with mud running down the hillsides into the Favelas every time there was a rain storm, not to mention the open sewers. But now life here is alot better, I was surprised how many of the homes have satellite TV. There are even Internet cafes here and there.

At the Vila Canoas Favella, we visited "Para Ti" community school financed by the tour. Besides regular classes, the school teaches local kids initial computer skills and the art of making handcrafts. The school has been a great success as previously only about 20% of children from the favela had grades good enough to continue to Secondary school whereas now it is nearly 90% who continue with their schooling. Recently a few students have achieved university places which are a wonderful testament to this family's work. So I am glad that the money I have spent on the tour is going to a good cause.

The buildings here were so close together that they were almost touching. There were tiny alleyways between the houses that were like a maze. I imagine, it is not actually not a bad place to live depsite the stigma. There seemed to be a good community feel as we were led through the passageways. The other interesting thing is the social divide, on one side of the road there was the Flavela and on the other, lovely privately owned houses.

To get to the Rocinha Flavela (Brasil´s biggest) we drove up the Estrada da Gavea which was a F1 race track in its former life. It must have been a bit like Monaco as the road twisted through the previously forested areas. The guide explained a bit of how the favela worked. I mentioned in a previous blog entry that there had been a shooting between two rival Flavelas, Rocinha is one of them. I saw several guys with large semi-automatic machine guns.....just in case there was a revenge attack. All scary stuff!!!!

We were not allowed to take pictures in the centre....so fearing that I may have my head blown off (joke) I kept my camera in my pocket. Again with the exception of the druglords carrying heavy guns the place seemed to function just like another town. With a few differences....

The rubbish is just dumped in a big pile at the bottom and the council pick it up, no wheelie bins here
Water and electricity is 'stolen' as the wires and pipes are connected to the city's water and electricity by residents of the favelas. the wiring reminded me of Asia....a bird´s nest of cables.
They do not have permission to build and there are no regulations covering the buildings which grow up.

All in all a interesting tour, for me personally it gave a good insight in to how the Flavelas work..it was definetly not a voyestic tour of the less fortunate.

Life´s a beach!!!!

justin — Wed, 8 Apr 2009 03:26:00 GMT

7th Beach, Volleyball, Football....Viva La Vida Loca

8th March Ditto. Beach, Volleyball. etc ....

Sampled the night life at Melt, a local night club. Went with Eric, a really interesting guy from the States who had been raised in Hippy commune, Katrina from Norway with great organisational skills, and James UK, with a humour dryer than mine!

There was a great Brazilian band playing and the club was heaving. Partied all night. The problem not with having a watch is I never know when it's time to go (no change there). . . left the club in the blazing morning sun. A nice feeling walking along the beach as everyone took their early morning run.

It´s a hard life!!

justin — Mon, 6 Apr 2009 03:35:00 GMT

Spent most of the day down at Ipanema Beach with Asif, Paula, Tania and Indi all from London. All the beaches in Rio are divided into numbered sections, near the hostel is Number 9 where all the beautiful people hang out. . . literally. It's true about the bikinis! Met up with some locals and Mexicans and played volleyball and football. . First time I'd played Volleyball since Asia!

`Tall and tanned and young and lonely....The girl from Ipanema goes walking`

justin — Sun, 5 Apr 2009 03:19:00 GMT

Checked into the Mango Tree Hostel in Ipanema. Another great recommendation from my personal travel advisor back home, Andy Peck. I wasn't long before I'd met up with a bunch of fellow travellers including Robbie and Carol who I'd met some weeks previously in Patagonia.

A large group of us (James and Corinna, a crazy Belgium and his Dutch girlfriend, and Asif, London) went to eat at an "Eat As Much As You Like" Brazilian BBQ/restaurant, where I ate so much I had roll out. After a relatively solitary day the people at The Mango Tree soon changed that.

After a few drinks at Shenanigan´s Irish Bar (ok not very Brazilian I know) I was off to Zero-Zero with Line and Malene (Norway), Holly (Barnes, London) and some Israeli guys. A good night although no one knew that Sunday night was gay night.

Time to say farewell.

justin — Sat, 4 Apr 2009 03:11:00 GMT

After a month of travelling together Clare had to return back to the UK today. Similar to before, a sad goodbye as she dissapeared through departures to board the plane back to Heathrow. After sharing so many experiences, the feeling of being on my own set in again, as it has so many times before. I returned to large hotel quite and made the most of the cable TV.

More Sightseeing in Rio

justin — Fri, 3 Apr 2009 02:59:00 GMT

Fortunately a good day to see Christo Redentor situated atop the Corcovado Mountain. The statue is a new edition to the New Seven Wonders of the World. Built in 1931 it stands approximately 38 metres high. We took the venicular train up the mountain rather than do the walk. Money well spent.

Once at the top, the place was mobbed with tourists as one would expect. Apart from standing at the base of Rio's most famous landmarks, the view was amazing. From here, geographically, Rio does look stunning. . . . socially and economically, a different story entirely. The vista gave a great views of Copacabana, Leblon and other various districts that make up the city. And of course the flavelas with their haphazard buildings clinging to the hills.

To get an alternative view of the city, went to Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain). A couple of swift couple car rides took us up to the viewing area of another famous Rio landmark. Again, another great view of Rio.

Sightseeing in Rio

justin — Thu, 2 Apr 2009 02:51:00 GMT

Just to get things straight Barry Manilow sang about the Copacabana night club in New York not the area in Rio.

The Sun was out in Rio so headed out to explore the beaches. They were amazing, White sand that stretches over 4 kilometres. Although one thing did bother me....where are all the Chicas....it could have been Worthing beach!!! Also, I was surprised by the fact the whole length of the beaches were lined by hotel, not a fish and chip shop or amusement arcade anyway; Cut through to Ipanema where the vibe was totally different to that of Copacabana mainly because it is the more affluent area of Rio.

Caught a taxi to one of Rio´s famous landmarks, Big Jesus also known as the statue of Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop the Corcovado mountain, now named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. By the time we got there the clouds had come down making the view over the city impossible, so we decided to do it another day. Later travelled across the city to the Centro area....a bit of a disappointment. It wasn´t the most attractive area and we struggled to find anything of interest, with the exception of the Cathedral (Seen one you´ve seen them all).

So far disappointed by a city that nearly everyone raves on about.

Rio de Janeiro.

justin — Wed, 1 Apr 2009 02:26:00 GMT

Our host at the Pousada in Paraty had sufficiently terrified us with stories of recent shootings and stabbings to make us feel at total ease for our stay in Rio. Apparently there was a shooting between two rival favela druglords only a few days before. Nice!!!!

Anyway our first taste of Rio was that our bags had been opened en-route. Luckily my dirty laundry was the first thing the would-be thieves would have come across......it must have scared them off!!!

Got to Rio Bus Terminal late evening in the middle of a rain storm. It wasn´t the best place to be in the dark, so to be on the safe side got a cab to the Best Western hotel at Copacabana. The area of Copacabana at night wasn´t great and not wanting to stray far in a strange area renowned for being unsafe at night, decided not venture out.

Paraty, Brasil

justin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:10:00 GMT

Spent a few more days in Paraty dodging the rain and looking around the town. Visited the old fort... Forte Defensor built in 1703 and complete with the original six cannons .

Failed to mention that some of Paraty was flooded during our stay particularly nearer the sea end. Once a month when there is a Full Moon and the tide is high, seawater rises from its normal levels, and pours into the Historic Center District through special openings in the seawalls that separate the city from the harbor. The streets are only flooded for a short time, until the tide recedes.

Paraty, Brasil

justin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:09:00 GMT

Had one the best breakfasts I've had since I've been in South America. In addition to the mandatory ham and cheese the owners even had home made peanut butter. Not many home comforts I miss but Sun Pat is one of them!

Clare and I took the advice of the owner and headed up into the hills to find some waterfalls. After a short walk in the tropical heat we found the falls. Not really much of waterfall just a little random recreational area with slides and a pool with water from the natural stream.

Later went into the town. The small coastal village of Paraty is a virtual museum within a tropical paradise. It is located 125 miles southeast of Rio and possesses one of the finest examples of classical 18th century Portuguese colonial buildings. All the streets are cobbled..big cobbles too. Quite difficult to walk down the street in flip flops after the rain showers!

There are no cars allowed in the main centre which adds to the charm. It was a shame that it was raining on and off for most of the day.

Sampled the Brazilian dish Moqueca (associated more with the Bahia state), basically fish stewed with green peppers, tomatoes and coconut milk, spiced with dende oil (palm oil). Plenty more to come me thinks.