http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mike-allen/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from mike allen en-us Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:36:10 +0000 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:36:10 +0000 Iceland is fantastic The weather has been great the sights amazing and all is well with the World. Access to computers has been challenging however everyone has their ownTo be honest Ive really enjoyed being disconnected from my website email facebook twitter youtube et al.Ive decided today to not bother with blogging for this trip. Im going old school pen and paper camera for lat http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/East/blog-414784.html Well here we go again.I am feeling stunned to be honest.It only seems moments ago that I was saying goodbye to Bob in Rio George on Fernando De Noronya. Yet here I am almost a whole year later distinctly melancholic retoothed fresh from saying farewell to my delightful students it's funny how little they actually are when you see them at a swimming pool working with them all year you http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Massachusetts/Medford/blog-411994.html Here it is in all probability my last post from Brazil. I suppose I should be summarizing the experience but I'm not convinced that is going to happen. I've been sitting around at the Maze Inn in the heart of the Favella Tavares Bastos for the last few days soaking up the atmosphere and the events. There have been many soap opera like elements many funny stories many fascinating events. Among http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/blog-311391.html The plane to Rio was delayed by three hours so I had the dubious pleasure of arriving in Rio at 100am I had organized a Hotel in an outer area up a gigantic hill called Santa Teresa an arty community perched above a favella. I had passed through it on my way to the Cristo statue thing on my first visit to Rio.I paid for a radio taxi the safest option but we got hopelessly lost trying to find http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/blog-309914.html Its been a bit like waiting for a bus since I got back from the Pantanal. First the Italians left after we had a fun last night together. Next to leave was Mark. Another last meal. Yesterday I was helping Joel and Laeso fish for tourists. They gave me a lift to the airport where I changed my ticket at a cost of 100. I spent the evening with Joel and two Slovenian doctors leaving on Joels to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Cuiab-/blog-309041.html Im back in Cuiaba after a neat few days in the Pantanal. It wasnt quite as wild as the Amazon trip but once again I met some nice people and had a very pleasant time with them.The group formed in Cuiaba when I met two Italian tourists a couple the cute and friendly if slightly wild Isabella and her giant motorcycle racing boyfriend with the unlikely name of Fred Innocent Frederico I http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Pantanal/blog-308252.html Im going off line again for four days for a safari to the Pantanal.Ill write again when I return to Cuiaba.See you on the flypapermike http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Cuiab-/blog-306498.html After the thrills of getting lost the grey dolphins the pink dolphins the sloth the caiman the giant lilies the mother tree the haunting forest dazzling with reflections that disorient completely the next day starts a little disappointingly. The Brazilian family are leaving. Ive spent some time chattting with Sami who turns out to be my age exactly and who has a life story almost identi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Cuiab-/blog-306344.html The camera has been foundElsos wife found it while cleaning yesterday.Elso has another tourist group going into the forest for 5 days so the next challenge is getting the camera here. Its a good job Ive got 15 days left before flying back to RioElso is a hero in my eyes not just in the forest where he protected me from the multiple perils I was literally like a three year old http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Cuiab-/blog-306061.html Im not going to beat around the bush Ive lost the camera. All the pictures from the trip are gone. Ive taken over a 1000 plus videos. I went to Elsos house when we got back to Manaus the first gringo hes ever invited to his home. I was quite honored. We sat together in the internet cafe while I did yesterdays entry then we got a taxi to his house where his wife Paula had prepared deli http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso/Cuiab-/blog-305644.html Im back in Manaus and so many great things have happened I have no idea where to start.First place to start is my amazing guide and friend Elso Lima. If it hadnt been for this guy I wouldnt have seen a fraction of the things Ive seen I would have put my hand on the pinktoed tarantula that was hiding behind a leaf on the tree I was about to rest my hand on at our base camp in the jungle inste http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-305264.html The dye is castThis will be my last post for about ten days or so Im going off line and into the jungle. I leave tomorrow and return to Manaus on the 27th. Ill try to do a post then if possible but it might not be possible since I have my next flight to Cuiaba and the Pantanal leaving Manaus at 300am on the 28th it was the only flight I could take that would get me to Cuiaba in the daylig http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-301528.html Well here I am sitting in the middle of the Amazon. The funny thing is that you would never know it from the city. Its a bustling busy place with tons of traffic and markets selling plastic toys and video games and cheap knockoffs of famous label clothing. The people here look different than out in OlindaRecife theyre shorter more typically South American looking I thought I was in Peru http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-301171.html It turned out that I couldnt stay the extra day on the island. So yesterday after a lovely day with George Bruno and Carol touring around to farms and eating with the same family as the night before Georges friends with the five year old triplets with sadness in my heart I said my farewells to Gabi the hero who saved me from the clutches of the evil Pousado NJanda Adrianna the delightf http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Olinda/blog-300604.html Im going to the airport in a minute to change my ticket to stay here an extra day. If I dont Ill have an extra day in Olinda that I dont really need whereas one extra day here will be excellent. What a fantastic day yesterday was. I saw the other side of George the skipper of the yacht. I realised that all these days hanging around but I hadnt seen one of the most important parts of the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-299999.html Yesterday was another solid rainycloudy day.In the early evening it started raining particularly hard. I did go for a swim in the port earlier where I followed a couple of turtles around for a while but it was getting late by the time I went in and with the waves coming in strong and not much sun it only took thirty minutes before starting to feel cold. The sky held banks of those flat bottom http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-299549.html Im only doing that to fit in with my buddies I know what day it is honest Its the day after I recorded the now 13 songs onto my camera used up the entire memory card and had to start transfering them to a flash drive I brought with me.The weather has been more than dubious here for the last three days so the fact that Ive been sitting in Georges house jamming these songs the 13 songs c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-299142.html Yesterday was a great day but it was not a day of beaches and snorkelling youll be relieved to read Dani and I went over to Georges house. I had my journal with me Today I was going to work on the Rock Opera we started the other night. Dani and George went out for a meal while I got started. By time they got back I had the first 3 songs written The first was based on a story George had t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-298796.html The friendly people at Your Way have a collection of photos on their computer that other tourists left for them and are free for what Adrianna and Gabi call clientsto use. Ive trawled through and found the following collection of things that Ive seen. This is only a fraction of the wonderful things Ive seen. There are so many amazing sights that I cant believe havent been stored here by f http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-298354.html Today I caught the first whiff of the next part of the trip. I still have five days left of the stay here. I got up made coffee fed the six or so cats that live here then sat around with Dani to close to midday. Last night George invited us over for a beer. Turned out he had two excellent guitars at his house and a set of drums. I hungrily grabbed a guitar and basically played an accompaniment to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Fernando-de-Noronha/blog-298140.html