Today I went to Rio's two most famous lookout points: Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer - the big jesus) and Pao de Açucar (Sugarloaf mountain). Although it was a little cloudy, the views were great, and you can really appreciate Rio. This is my last night in South America, tomorrow I'm flying back home. See you soon. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today is my last day in Bahia. I got the ferry from Morro de Sao Paulo to Salvador yesterday, and went to a candomble show last night, which was pretty interesting. Everyone wearing white, dancing and making weird noises (supposedly in a trance). This was an "authentic" candomble ritual - "not for the tourists" - but even though there were more tourists than locals, it was still nice. Today I went to another capoeira practice, and I am flying to Rio de Janeio later. I will have 2 more days in Rio, and then home. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I arrived in Morro de Sao Paulo, a small island that is nowhere near Sao Paulo, but it pretty close to Salvador. The island has some amazing beaches called 1st beach, 2nd beach, and so on. The water is just the right temperature, and people sell açai (a tropical fruit, try it in Israel) right on the beach. I´m going to stay here 2 or 3 days, then head back to Salvador, fly to Rio, 2 days in Rio, and then home. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today I went to the highest waterfall in Northern Brazil. It was really fun - just look at the pictures. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today I took a tour with a jeep to several nice places in Lençois. First we went to a very nice waterfall, with red water (because of iron), where we swam around a little. Then we went to a big cave with stalactites and stalagmites, which was very nice. Then we went to another place, where we swam around, then saw a grotto with crystal blue water (because of magnesium). Then we went up to a famous mountain here, and saw some great views. All in all, a fun day. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I arrived in Lencois today, after spending a little more time than I planned in Salvador. Yesterday I went on a tour of Praia de Forte, where there is a sea turtle conservation project. I saw some turtles, and some sharks and other fish, and then spent a few hours on a nice beach. Also, I did a little more capoeira and had fun in Salvador. I am going to stay in Lencois a few days (it´s a nice place to spend Easter), seeing some nature (there´s nice waterfalls and grottos around here), and then head to Morro de Sao Paulo. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I spent the last 2 days in Salvador, doing a little capoeira, and having a good time in general. I went to the afro-brazilian museum, a capoeira lesson, a berimbau (musical instrument used in capoeira) lesson, a capoeira show, and some other things I can´t remember right now. Salvador had a fun vibe to it, with lots of music and capoeira in the streets, even though there are a lot of beggars and hustlers (people offer you a ´gift´ and then want a donation). I also got my luggage back from the airline, which was quite a nice surprise. I plan [View Full Entry]

---

---

I arrived in Salvador yesterday, after my flight from Manaus, with a connection in Sao Paulo (which is like going from Haifa to Jerusalem through Beer Sheva). Of course, my luggage did not arrive to Salvador (or actually the cover did, the backpack did not). I did not lose anything too important, so I am perfectly fine with it. Salvador itself is a very nice place. Everyone here is black, so it really is like a piece of Africa, and of course there is lots of capoeira stuff around. Mostly it is just tourist souvenirs, but there are some academies and [View Full Entry]

---

---

I came back from my visit to the Amazon jungle. I went to Mamiraua reserve, which is a really great place. I stayed in a floating lodge, which is useful, because the whole area is a flooded forest, and water levels rise 10 meters during the rainy season. The reserve is an hour and a half from Tefe (the big city), which is only accessible by plane or boat, so it´s really in the middle of nowhere. I saw quite a few different animals, including capuchins, squirrel monkeys, red howler monkeys (and they make a lot of noise), and one white [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today I went to Ipanema beach, which, much like Copacabana, wasn´t anything special. Tomorrow I´m flying to Manaus, the main jungle city of Brazil, where I will hopefully get a seat on a flight to Tefe, a smaller jungle town, from where I will take a boat to Mamaraui nature reserve, which is supposed to be the best preserved piece of jungle in Brazil. If all goes according to plan, I will probably be out of reach for 4-5 days. [View Full Entry]

---

---