Blogs from Pará, Brazil, South America - page 5

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South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém December 21st 2008

Day 1 (Wednesday) - I am dripping with sweat as I enter and am feeling late as there are already hundreds of hammocks about. I entered on the second class deck, so my only hope is that the first class deck (not much of a difference, primarily proximity to the engines as the first class level is above the second class) is not as full or that Dong Hwan has secured me a place. I try to make my way up to the next level but I am informed that I need to sign the register and there is a huge line to do so. Dripping with sweat, surrounded by hammocks and bags, I wait in line with my two backpacks and four bags of groceries. I have now discovered the third ring of hell, the ... read more
Fire in the Sky

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém October 18th 2008

Belem, Belem is a very nice city and there is a lot less poverty here than in many parts of Brazil. On the original flight over from London Stefano got talking to a woman from Belem named Alane and we meet up with her on our first night so she could show us around and took us for dinner. We ate steak as you do in Brazil - Stefano had the Sadam Hussain (which was bloody) and I had the Catherine Zeta Jones...she tasty!!! We spent 4 days in belem and Alane meet up with us to show us around. On day 2 we visited Ilha de Mosquiero which was just outside Belem and it was a big river that you couldn´t see the other side. We went out to the best night clubs in town ... read more
Friends in Belem
DSC01813
this woman...

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém October 6th 2008

A week later... The last 7 days have been mainly occupied by different persons we met and spent time with until today in São Luis. English speakers, don´t hesitate to give your comments! For the moment mainly french have reacted. End of Jerri(coacoara), Ceara: The first night was crazy (cf. previous article) as you remember. The followings were very interesting as well. It all started in a restaurant where there were 2 Brazilian musicians performing: Zerca and Suevinho. After the show, they started talking to us. As the restaurant was closing, it ended up on its terrace at the back having a beer talking about Brazilian music and waves... Yeah, they were a bit drunk... but so were we so it was fine. We had a lot of fun indeed and they took us to a ... read more
Zzzzzerca & Tim
Lençois Maranhenses (2/14)
Lençois Maranhenses (9/14)

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém September 2nd 2008

This place is like a bloody oven! The temperature floats around 37 degrees, but it's the humidity that is unrelenting! From sunrise to sunrise the intensity is unreal. We have found the retreat of the shopping centre a huge relief and I have made 3 visits to the place and I'm due for a follow up dose tomorrow. It reminds me of the Fishergate Centre in Preston. I know it's so tragic to nest near to one of the great wonders of the natural world and spend my time in the epitome of western consumerism, but the air conditioning feels soooooo good! My gringo body is struggling to cope with such massive water loss and considering that 20 degrees is considered warm in my far flung corner of Northern England, then I hope you can accept ... read more

South America » Brazil » Pará August 11th 2008

Alright. I've bought the one-way plane ticket. The backpack is out, and clothes are strewn all over the room. Camera and accessories are being cleaned and checked. Checklists full of crucial action items are being made. ... Action items are being subjected to severe procrastination. But the lists look nice and professional! Theme music from The A-Team is being played on an around-the-clock basis. On 22 August, I depart for Argentina. In the meantime, I thought I would write a bit about this part of Brazil. I should be off getting a Yellow Fever vaccine or photocopying my passport, but I feel I should introduce this less-visited part of the country. WARNING: This entry reads more like a dull travel guide than a personal narrative. Future entries will be more exciting....even if I have to make ... read more
Terra Nova Ranch
Fishing for lunch on Terra Nova Ranch
Terra Nova - The Master Bedroom!

South America » Brazil » Pará August 2nd 2008

Background Hi. For reference on everything that comes after, here is a brief summary of everything that came before: Big Bang, etc. 1978: I was born into an average middle class family in the Midwestern United States. First 23 years: Social and spiritual psychosis of suburban boredom ensues. Computer programming skills are somehow acquired along the way. 2001 - 2007: A successful and rewarding career in IT is sculpted, culminating in 2.5 years living and working in Madrid, Spain. The Spanish language is learned and reasonably mastered. 2008: Said career is summarily flushed down the toilet (European low-flow model) in order to do some traveling. And so I came here, Northeastern Brazil, where I've spent the past 8 months or so learning Portuguese and doing a little freelance work. And although my Portuguese is not nearly ... read more

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém July 18th 2008

Hey everyone!! Survived the 6 day boat trip up the Amazon and finally have internet again so will get up to date on my blogs!! first of all.... Belem!! Finally got to Belem after a 36hour coach trip, was quite boring but OK! Michi suggested eating the whole way there so the journey would be more comfortable on my extra padded bottom which i gladly did! Although my first pit stop to get sweets didnt really go to plan as all the "sweets" i bought turned out to be bubblegum!! :o( I thought the woman looked at me a bit strangely when i said i wanted 10 of them! After 5 hours i was bored of reading and the only other thing i could think of to pass the time was to try eating all my ... read more
Belem
Belem
Belem

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém March 4th 2008

Manaus era stata in un certo senso una delusione. Succede sempre così: uno va in un luogo sul quale ha fantasticato tanto (grazie all'aiuto di un eroe d'infanzia) e finisce inevitabilmente per trarne una delusione. Le atmosfere da far west sudamericano sembrano aver abbandonato Manaus secoli fà, più o meno quando quelle nordamericane abbandonarono il Texas o l'Oregon, immagino. Ma a ogni rovescio segue un successo. In questo caso si chiamava "Santarem", un battello fluviale, acciaio galleggiante che da Manaus mi ha portato fino a Belem, sul delta del Rio de las Amazonas. Un viaggio fantastico: si dormiva sul ponte, su di un'amaca, tutti insieme (apparte quei "ricconi" snob che dormivano in cabina sottocoperta) e si mangiavano riso, pollo e fagioli inclusi nel prezzo (bassissimo) del biglietto. I Brasiliani continuano a rivelarsi eccezionali compagni occasionali di ... read more
Igresia Catolica
Belenenses FC
Ilha Marajo

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém February 28th 2008

Our last morning in Paraty was an early start, after which we were divided into 3 separate groups to head into Rio (our trusty truck Jack was in need of some TLC so was sadly unable to transport us), split between another Tucan truck and 2 Budget Trucks. Enjoying a pub quiz along the way, several hours later we hit the outskirts of Brazil´s biggest city, signalling the end of the road for many of our crew. Upon arrival in the city, Jo and I hit the streets to get a feel for the place, stopping off at a comida por kilo vegetarian buffet along the way for a speedy lunch. The city had a palpable feel of excitement in the air, with everyone gearing up for the biggest party in the world, shops beginning to ... read more
The Backpackers return their keys - a sad day for all
Pao d'Azucar, Rio de Janiero
Rio from the Sugarloaf

South America » Brazil » Pará » Belém February 14th 2008

Sorry about the amount of photos. Please continue onto Page 2 to see the rest of them! We expected great things of Belem. It didn’t disappoint but neither did it really live up to expectations. Arriving on a Sunday morning it is like a ghost town. The taxi drivers (as always) asked far too high a price and we ended up walking 20 minutes to our hostel. There was a wonderful market in town but that was as lively as it got on a Sunday. We had a bit of a wander around and saw the new docks area which has been regenerated. The restaurants in there are not cheap but a beer in the microbrewery wasn’t too bad. Cheap eats come in the form of street snacks and close to the theatre we had some ... read more
Restored Docks Area
City Clock
Trish by the docks!




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