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Published: January 14th 2008
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Bomb´s away
You wonder how I found a way to hurt myself Note: This entry was not written by Mike Bebernes, though the pictures are his.
Caparinhas. Sunscreen. Sunburns. Hammock naps. Açai (pronounced A Sie Ee) simple and Acai con granola. Acerola con laranja sucos. Snorkeling. High season prices. Paradise. Mystery Rash. This has pretty much been our life for the past month. Brazil has been one long beach trip, which is exactly what we wanted. After we left Buzios we went back to our beloved Rio for a couple more days before heading south again to Ilha Grande. The first night we arrived in Rio we went straight to Beach Sucos which was our favorite snack shop while staying in Ipanema. While there low and behold we ran into Ali once again! He informed us that the very next day was Ana´s birthday and we were of course invited to her birthday dinner. It was perfect timing to have our official last day in our favorite area in Rio spent with great friends.
Finally we decided that we had to let Rio go. We both would have been happy to spend our entire Brazil trip in what we later learned was the gay area of the city. Maybe it was
Beach Paradise
This is the beach you have to walk past to get to the "Good Beach" the flambouancy that attracted us in the first place, but either way we knew we would regret it if we did not see any other part of Brazil. So off to Ilha Grande. We took a bus a couple hours south, hoped on a boat, and arrived on the island. The legends were true and it truly was the most beautiful island. The entire island is covered with dense jungle that stops only where the water begins. There are hundreds of beaches dotted along the coast that meet with the emerald green sea. The next couple of days were spent hiking around the interior of the island. One hike in particular led to what we thought was a "waterfall." It´s not fair to the Ilha Grande "waterfall" because the only reference we have is Igauzu Falls which is beyond comparison. So this two foot "waterfall" was lovely, but I guess that´s the trouble with seeing the best of something. Another highlight of the trip: I went snorkeling for the first time! We took a boat trip one day to several different beaches and it was incredible. We went to the Lagoa Azul which is a marine sanctuary and the fish
A Marmoset
of Twins (get it?) we saw were so beautiful. The second beach we went to was public and unfortunately not as clean. Mike and I were heading back to the boat when all of a sudden at the same time we see a sea turtle! It was so massive and just peacefully wading through the water. And Mike was excited because he swam next to it for a couple minutes, close enough to touch it.
Our final stop on the Brazil tour was Paraty. Beautfil colonial town. The first day we spent on a beautiful beach, ya know, just to keep with the theme, called Trinidade. Mike and I both agreed that this was the best beach we had been to yet. It was enclosed with beautiful lush green hills, the water temperature was perfect, the waves weren´t too big, it wasn´t windy, there weren´t too many people which meant that it was still a well kept secret but enough people to bring restaurants that served our favourite...açai. After that was a boat trip to down the canal to yet another island and an enchanting lagoon. We spent an entire day yesterday lounging in front of the TV watching DVD´s. We´re trying to
Angra Dos Reis
From the boat crossing shed our lingering ailments before we head to Africa. More or less just a couple of coughs that started on New Year´s and have continued to bother us because we haven´t stopped moving since then.
Tomorrow we leave for Africa. I´m definitely going to miss saying that. It´s just a great conversation starter when everyone is at breakfast and the Australian girl casually asks "So where are you off to next?" Oh we just though we´d pop over to South Africa for a bit, and the entire table goes "OOOHHH." But in the end, Brazil was incredible. In some ways it was one of the hardest countries we have travelled in so far (Language barrier, high season prices, etc.). Also, considering how massive the coast of Brazil is Mike and I only saw a small percentage of what it has to offer. But we woudn´t have it any other way. If you haven´t notcied our days easily blend together with one amazing beach after another. But the fact that we only saw a few places allows us to keep the memories distinct, and not have all the beaches melt together. They deserve more than that.
So in conclusion
Life is hard
Travelling is such a strain to our first chapter of the trip we concocted a Top 10 list of South America.
10. Beaches. You know who you are. Montezuma, Vina Del Mar, Ipanema, Lopez Mendez, and Trinidade to name a few. As said earlier...all spectacular. When it´s not raining of course.
9. Zip Lining in Cost Rica. Definitely one of our most memorable days spent in La Fortuna. I´ll admit I was terrified most of the time, I couldn´t stop properly and risked running into a tree every time I went down line, I am certain that I hate hieghts, and my shoulder hurt at the end of the day. But all in all, I am so glad I did it because it was a great experience.
8. Palermo. Thank you John and Sarah. We absolutely loved BA! Your nieghborhood was by far the best. Even considering we were sick for the first 4 days, your living room proved to be a perfect get-well area and once we were able to see outside it got even better. The cafe culture is so enticing and really allows you to slow down and just take it all in.
7. Ipanema. The 10 days
Diving in the "Waterfall"
We hiked forever to get here. That´s the roaring cascade in back. we spent here could have easily turned into 2 months. We loved having the routine of going to our established spots, going to the beach between posts 8 and 9, hanging out with the new friends we made, and watching the sunset of the beach.
6. Argentine ice cream! SO SO SO good. So creamy that it can´t be scooped with a spoon, only with a ladle. Of course Dulce de Leche was the best of the best. Variations were good as well. Most importantly Brownie Tentacion from Heladeria Del Bosque in Salta. I´ll be the first to admit, good ice cream greatly enhances my experience of any trip.
5. Thanksgiving. Anthony and Katrina, you know it was the curry stuffing balls that put it over the top. Even though we couldn´t be at home, this was absolutely the next best thing.
4. Travel buddies. The Aussies, Sarah and John, Ali and Ana, Fanny and Joannie. You guys definitely made the time we spent with you so memorable! Travelling itself is incredible, but when paired with great friends it is that much more rewarding.
3. Machu Picchu. Our first big world wonder, and it definitely proved
Jenny relaxing as always
Really working off the stuff from the dessert cart itself worthy. The entire trek, the rancid hostel rooms, RAIN, a guide that is too drunk to walk, and the massive crowds. We toughed it out, and received such a rewarding experience.
2. Igauzu Falls. I think Mike´s blog on that one is all that needs to be said.
1. New Year´s on Copacabana. The BEST New Year´s to date! Last but not least we wanted to personally thank Ali and Ana for their generous hospitality. You guys were so great and we had so much fun with you. We won´t forget the Smirnoff, the attempted Bee movie, Ana´s wonderful family, applauding sunsets on Ipanema, all the information you passed along to us....thank you thank you thank you!
With that said, we´ll see you in Africa!
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Ana
non-member comment
About the "waterfall"
Hey guys! Glad you enjoyed Ilha Grande, Paraty and Trindade. We are back from Ilha Grande and I had the same feeling about that "waterfall". I know it's not the "waterfall" fault, but after an exausting hikking on the very first day we arrived (we took the 5:20 am bus), and after seeing the Iguaçu falls, I was quite disapointed! It was where I also got my souvenier: I slipped on the "waterfall" rocks and now I have a huge bruise on my left elbow. At least I managed to enjoy the rest of the trip despite the pain! Well, I assume you are now in South Africa, so enjoy it and blog as soon as possible! Ana x