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Published: March 7th 2014
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I spent last week camping in the mountains about a 3 hour drive from Rio. Below are some excerpts from the trip...
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Tonight I am writing from a small wooden cabana in the mountains of Maua, Brazil. Andreia and I are staying up here with her family while the chaos of Carnival continues in Rio. It seems that a lot of Rio’s inhabitants leave Rio during the days of Carnival to avoid the traffic, crowds and general debauchery. We have done the same - and as I look around me I think, we have done it well.
So, I am sitting in a little cabin, underneath a flickering light globe, listening to the stream flowing past our cabin compete with the muffled sounds of the campsite. The water in the stream is icy and clear, straight down from the mountain. In the distance, I can hear thunder approaching from a brewing storm. If I was to describe this place in two words, they would be peaceful and pure…a far cry from the drunken looting taking place on the streets of Copacabana.
While its great here, getting to Maua was an episode and a half. Andreia picked
me up in a taxi at 7.30am on Saturday morning and we drove through Rio’s notorious traffic to the central bus station in Rodavaria. The traffic was appalling and a drive which should have taken us 20 minutes took over an hour and a half. We arrived to a bus station literally heaving with people and struggled towards the ticket floor with our backpacks, pillows and bus snacks. Once we (read Andreia) found the right ticket place, we made our way to the bus stop where we only waited for about an hour for our bus to arrive at 9.30. I say ‘only waited’ because there were people on the next platform over who had been waiting for a bus due for 5.10am.
The bus ride was largely uneventful however (again due to traffic) our 2 hour bus trip took us over 3. True to Rio form, our connecting bus was an hour late and there was only one bus that day, with too many people waiting for it. When it finally arrived, Andreia and I raced the others towards it and struggled through the masses to get on the bus. I fought my way past the driver and
Andreia got just inside the bus door as the doors squeezed the rest of the queue out. Given our destination was an hour away, I am not sure what happened to those who didn’t make the cut. To reach Maua, our bus took a narrow road winding up the mountain, the views were spectacular and as I couldn’t see where we were heading so too was my motion sickness. But I tried to focus on my breath and not the sweaty armpits of the man beside me who kept accidently knocking against my boobs accidentally. By accident. We were standing on the bus for an hour and a half and when we arrived here in Maua, we were exhausted. That’s the funny thing about travelling, you sit and wait for a day and when you finally get where you are going, you are exhausted. It doesn’t make sense to me…
We were met by Andreia’s beautiful family. Her sister, two gorgeous little nieces (13 and 10), her brother in law and the family dog, Perola (Pearl). They brought us to the camp site where we got the keys to our little cabana where I currently sit, after a long
days travel its really perfect here…The rain is just starting to fall in earnest outside, and it reminds me of a track from a meditation/relaxation cd of mine. Except, this is real. And it is pure. And I am happy.
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This evening, the 6 of us walked out of the campsite over a narrow, wobbly, wooden bridge to a little restaurant where we ate freshly caught trout with passionfruit sauce (I was dubious but it was fantastic), served with the Brazilian staples of salad, rice and beans. After dinner and hot chocolates, we braved the communal (and not-quite-warm enough) showers before I crashed out in the cabin and Andreia went to have a little family time with her nieces.
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We found out today that a girl fell from the bridge and broke her arm the night after we had crossed it... It would not have been a nice fall, the gap was about 2-3 metres and the stream shallow and full of rocks…
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We have a little cabin friend, I am not sure what the creature is but do know that it is about 2 inches long, and might be a
cricket/bug. Hopefully, he is harmless.
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Last night we found a cockroach the size of my palm doing something ungodly to my toothbrush….yuck…
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Today we took a 2hour trek up the mountain to some waterfalls and a trout farm, where we shared a whole trout, some chips and drinks. We then walked back down the mountain and arrived just before the heavens opened with the second big storm of the trip. I am trying to eat as healthy as Andreia, but I have decided this is impossible and just to embrace the fat gods while I am away…I will definitely be in need of a big detox on my return to Brisvegas.
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An interesting thing I’ve noticed with this trip is how late the Brazillians eat…Andreia’s family has had lunch no earlier than 4 and as late as 7 while I have been here…dinner is a light meal which happens much later at night (usually after I am asleep!) I of course, eat throughout the day, and I’ve noticed already I’ve put on about 2 kg from the trip…and the delicious food! Worth every gram.
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A little note on
Perla, the calmest, most patient dog I have ever seen. She is always around but I keep forgetting about her because she never makes a sound, she just sits under the table patiently while everyone eats. One lunch lasted about 4 hours straight (well, it was more like drinks with food) and she just sat under the table near Mum’s feet dozing the entire time. She is quite shy and timid, but loving her trip up into the mountains…
On second thoughts, I think she might have attachment/abandonment issues with Andreia’s sister, Yvonne, and follows her EVERYWHERE, including attempts to the toilet and even when Yvonne moves to the other side of the table, Perla is only a step or two behind… If Yvonne ever goes somewhere Perla is not allowed, the kids have to physically restrain her from following, even fried trout skin fails to distract her…
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Last night we came home to Rio. Andreia wanted to leave at 5.30pm - I was a little dubious given our trip there had taken 9 hours but we were home by 10.30. I have never enjoyed a shower more than that hot shower I had after the
trip.
Rio is starting to contrast a lot with the places surrounding it. Ilha Grande was quiet and peaceful and clean. Maua was green and fresh and pure. Rio is loud, a little dirty and packed to the brim with people -like all big cities I guess...nonetheless, I find myself holding my breath until I get out again. Another week of Rio, then Andreia and I are off to Paraty...then its over to Buenos Aires for me where I start my intensive spanish courses and home stay...very excited!!!
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