http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mars3/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from mars3 en-us Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:06:39 +0000 Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:06:39 +0000 10th February 13th FebruaryParque Nacional Da Chapada Dimantina near the mining town of Lencois.said to be the most beautiful national park in Brazil...and for me a definite stop in BrazilAn overnight night bus trip 67hours from Salvador and we booked ourselves into the ever friendly hostel Pousada Daime Sono. The staff are nice and very accomodating.the first day we toured the nearby regi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Salvador/blog-129068.html 16th January 23rd JanuaryArriving in Rio was like a long drawn out dream finally coming true. it had played in my mind so many times. it was amazing that i had finally set foot in this wonderous city. Rio De janeiro definitely did not let me down. The capital of Samba the birthplace of the hypnotic Bossa Nova beautiful beaches full of hot tanned bodies. Christ the redeemer sugarloaf mountain http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/Copacabana/blog-119997.html 6th February 8th februaryLeaving Lucila was so hard. Her and her friends were headed back to Sao Paolo to fly back home and the Dutchies and needed to make our way north to get to carnival In all the excitement of the last few hours in Buzios we tried taking a photo that resulted in Yvanka and marco falling through the glass coffee table escaping with a few grazes. The landlady furious when s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Porto-Seguro/blog-129066.html 9th January 12th JanuaryIf you ever doubted there was a god then you just need to come to just feel the force of creation that thunders from the waterfalls of Iguazu.one of the 7 natural wonders of the world this place was nothing short of breathtakingI stayed at one of the best Hostels i had stayed in South America. Called Hostel Inn Iguazu this was a huge resort type acomodation with big p http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-118798.html 3rd January 8th JanuaryPARTY PARTY PARTY if you came to Punta del este then you are either a rich spoilt argetinianbrazilianuruguyan with too much money...or you are a backpacker in search for a PARTYthis place has parties going on 7 days a week. i thought the parties start late in BA but this place no one shows up before 3am. so u can understand i spent many of my days sleeping my hang http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/East/Punta-del-Este/blog-116828.html 2nd january 3rd JanuaryColonia is a little gem...filled with colonial buildings and cute little things...kind of makes u sick after a while really as to how cute it was. we met some cool people there and had way too many drinks all in the one night we were therewalked around the old town admiring the colonial architecture. but admittedly one day was more than enough. Its not as memorable as p http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/West/Colonia-del-Sacramento/blog-116827.html 28th December 2nd JanuaryI LOVE BAcoming back to one of my favourite cities in the world gave me goosebumps this was the 3rd time i come to BA in this trip and there was no better place to party for NEW YEARSElliot Ober and I checked into my favourite hostel in south America Milhouse Hostel party central. having survived the alcohol intoxication and party fa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-116826.html 27th DecemberDefinitely the most laid back capital that i had encountered in South America. checked into ALbergue Juvenil in the morning to catch up with Elliot and Obere. and after a few hours of sightseeing i was ready to leave that evening.Admittedly i didnt give Montovideo much of a chance. it was nice to see but not much to do. though the weekends are meant to be more happening. and walki http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/District-of-Montevideo/Montevideo/blog-116825.html 18th december 26th DecemberFlorionapolis and ilha de Santa Catarina had been whispered on every travelers route. arriving at the airport we were greeted by a black african guy with dreads who set us up in an appartment for us 5 boys to reak havoc. the appartment was left as though it had been bulldozed by mammoth pigs on steroids. and we never mentioned the broken window that one of us used to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Santa-Catarina/Florian-polis/blog-112189.html 13th december 17th Decemberand again12th January 16th JanuarySao Paolo...this is a city within a cityalmost 20million people now live within greater Sao Paolo. and most people you speak to dont even come from Sao Paolo. and although most people you speak to say that they disliked Sao Paolo people who live there cant imagine living anywhere else and i think im one of the lucky travelers that http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Sao-Paulo/blog-110774.html Maceio11th December 13th DecemberMaceios greatest gifts are the beach fronts of Ponta verde and Pajucara where jadecoloured water laps beaches lined with palms and brightly painted jangadas traditional sailboats and locals weave their evening walks between thatchedroof restaurants and futbol courts....sorry stole that colourful description straight from Lonely planet. Maceio was beautifu http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/blog-110649.html 4th December 11th DecemberArriving in Beautiful Olinda was like stepping back in time. Having arrived late a night i quickly checked into my hostel and took a wander around. Street lamps light up the cobble stoned streets reminding me of my travels in Prague in Czech republic.I stayed at Albergue De Olinda colourfully filled hostel...and has a pool woohooOlinda is beautiful. in striking http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/blog-108468.html 28th November 4th DecemberNatal meaning christmas in Portugese is called the sun city for its golden beaches and sun. However like many brazilian beach cities it has caved in to the populace need and erected edifices of tourism all along its shores. That said..i had a wicked time in Natal...mainly also because i partied my ass off in CARNATAL carnival in Natal which just happened to coincid http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-Grande-do-Norte/Pipa/blog-108067.html 20th november 26th NovemberFortaleza admittedly was probably once a very beautiful city. but huge skyscrapers and hotels now hover over the wide sandy beaches....so much so that after 4pm you cant help but be swimming in shadow as the sun moves behind the buildings...occasionally escaping through the dense buildings.That said...it has a killer nightlife i came in search of what has been deeme http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Cear-/Fortaleza/blog-105688.html Canoa Qebrada26th November 27th NovemberA quiet fishing village perched between white dunes and sienna ocean cliffs...postcard perfectI came her expecting secluded and quiet town but found another tourist trap. filled with pousadas restaurants and tourist shops.However there was a reason for that...it was indeed beautiful. i took a run along the beach and was puffed out by the time i covered http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Cear-/blog-106016.html 13th November 20th NovemberJericocoara nicknamed Jeri is without a doubt one of gods little gems of beauty....Imagine this. a broad cream sandy beach palm trees swaying above the beachside bars where you leisurly lay enjoying your caipirinha. turqouise blue waters but arent they all in North Brazil. and the mystical sand dunes rising from the left where all the sunset worshippers make a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Cear-/Jericoacoara/blog-102758.html 10th november 13th novemberWe land to Barreirinhas lounge in our hammocks in our pousada name given to the accomodation here in north Brazil. it was located by the riverfront...ideal for my continued life as a lazy traveller we headed out in the afternoon in a dune buggy traversing the sandy terrain crossing rivers on bargos that are man powered cant understand why they have realised the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Maranh%E3o/Barreirinhas/blog-102757.html 7th november 10th NovemberThe beautiful city of Sao Luis is blessed with the most feverish cultural presence of the upmost north of Brazil. Walking through the colonial city you could see its facades covered with azulejos portugese painted tiles. it had a timeless beauty. I stayed in a renovated old colonial building turned hostel called Solar das Pedras.Sao Luis is known as the capital of re http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Maranh%E3o/S%E3o-Luis/blog-101686.html 26th October 7th NovemberI loved Manaus. not a beautiful city by any means. It is the largest city on the amazon and used to a centre for industrial trade for the Portugese. Evidence of its european heritage clear through historic buildings most evident by its famous opera house. I have never seen a structure that is made out of material that has been brough from so many different plaecs around http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-98417.html 19th October 21st October Lima21st October 25th October Iquitos25th October 26th October triborder Peru Columbia BrazilI stopped in Lima long enough to get my Brazilian visa...for the second time how my plans have changed on this holiday.. have doubled my initial holiday period..i promise i will come back...maybe next year I dropped my passport on friday morning hoping to pick it u http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/blog-97185.html