Tim Version: * Climbed Roraima, the incredible Tepui near the border of Brazil and Venezuela. * Experienced its random weather patterns, bleak but colourful and beautiful landscape, and had a good hike getting there and back. The swirling, churning, constantly changing version: The drive from Caracas to Santa Elena is 24 hours by bus with few stops but its an easy ride. Once out of the city and more into the country it is also quite a beautiful ride. While I slept for a lot of it, what I saw out of the window was mostly dense bush/jungle all around us, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Landed in Caracas, changed some money on the black market. * Made my way to "Backpackers Hotel", an ex sex motel, and met 3 people - none in Venezuela more than 4 days, all had been robbed in Caracas. Decided to stick to my plan of hastily leaving Caracas. The version using lots of caution and taxis in this place...: Finally I got a plane with personal TVs, lots of good movies, games to play and all that stuff =) To bad it was only a 3 1/2 hour flight!! Where was this kinda plane on my way [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Flying to Caracas, Venezuela, via Lima, Peru, I got offloaded in Lima due to arriving late and missing my conencting flight. * Forced to spend the night for free at the Ramada Hotel, with free 3 course lunch and dinner and a gym, free internet and all the comforts. Missing the connecting flight, not so bad after all! The version with 2 double beds, free internet, a gym, and some 3 course meals: Leaving São Paulo (Brazil) for Lima (Peru) as the first part of the 2 flights I needed to take, I'd already had a fairly sleepless [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Took the lazy transfer to Ilha Grande, the giant fairly tropical really beautiful island. * Lazed around mostly, did one 4 hour decent hike to the other side of it to check out the surf beach, and mentally finished my time in Brazil here really happy with what Ive done! The happily lazing in the hostel version, with some beach time thrown in: Lazy but loving it. Ilha Grande I thought I may or may not go to but after a lot of time in Rio and a strong feeling that I need to get out of the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim version cant exist here - sorry Tim! Rio is too damn big and there is too much to do! I guess it could be... * Saw lots of stuff in Rio, too much to list. * Loved the place, but beaches too crowded for me and not as great as Florianopilis for living, so if I ever live in Brazil I doubt it will be here =) Hows that? Umm easiest way for me to write this for myself and my memory was in sections with little headings... Christo Located high up on a hill with a commanding view of [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Surfed and got very very drunk in Florianopolis and loved every minute of it. * Experienced P12 (an outdoors huge club pool party) in all its glory and didn't want to ever leave. I miss Aussie Sunday Sessions though=( ** An apology, a severe lack of photos here! Its a very photogenic place but as I spent most of my time either in the water or consuming tasty beverages, I almost never had my camera on me! I will try and get photos from others who were there with me ** The version dancing drunk as a monkey [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Saw Iguaçu Falls from the Brazilian side and got to stare in amazement from a distance. * Saw Iguaçu Falls from the Argentinian side and got up close and personal with the falls. The version that wants to jump in a barrel and roll over the edge: Arriving at Iguaçu falls with 2 people I knew from The Pantanal we found ourselves a hostel nice and early in the morning and by lunch time were off to check out the Brazilian side of the falls. The Brazilian side isn't far away and at a slow pace only takes [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Stayed in the Pantanal region a few days walking, boating and horse riding on the hunt for elusive wildlife. * Saw many animals, had both good and bad times and it all came down to the guide and the group. The version dangling above a very hungry Cayman like some of the poor piranha we caught: *** QUICK NOTE *** If you want Pantanal advice for tours from Campo Grande, though really it is just information on one tour group, then hopefully this entry will help you out... I couldn't find much info so will detail all I [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * I lived on a bus, well, 4 buses, for 77 hours as we got bogged, broken down, and shook all around. The long winded but will never feel as long as this bus ride version: 77 hours. It was meant to be 60. Flights out of Santarem are hellishly expensive, double the price of those from Manaus or Belem, but to get to either of those places I needed to travel by boat either 2 or 3 days and then pay more than my bus fare, so bus it was! I'd been warned by both Lonely Planet, my [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim Version: * Travelled to Alter Do Chau in it's flooded state and kayaked iit's flooded forests. * Went to Maguery staying with a local family and got to hike through the jungle. The version now under water coz the river levels are so high this year: Arriving in Santarem while it isn't a dead heap of a place, it also isn't one I wanted to spend any time in. Unfortunately arriving 12 hours late meant we had missed the bus to Alter Do Chao so I had to stay the night. Myself and some others found our way to a [View Full Entry]

---

---