Brazil

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Brazil baby!

Well what a way to spend your birthday at the Sambadrome- amazing!! Sorry no photographs to update you with as tourists are advised not to take cameras and valuables with them. The only way I can describe the show is imagine Notting Hill Carnival and then think bigger, brighter and generally more colourful procession with everyone in the procession Samba-ing, each Samba schiool is represented and takes approximately an hour for each school to travel down the length of the Sambadrone! The effort and the costumes are just immense. Last years winners, this year had a film theme with the Lion King and Godzilla as huge characters. The Brazillian´s certainly know how to party!

Every night there are street parties and there are just processions of individuals and groups dressing up and partying hard!

Sadly not able to upload photos at the moment but thought I would submit a blog as it has been a while and then upload photos when I can so bare with me!

In Rio joined a city tour to visit the ugliest Cathedral, it looks like an 80´s tardis, but beautiful inside with magnificent stained glass windows, then onto Christ the Redeemer, a gigantic Christ statue on top of a mountain. You can see the Christ on a clear day in many parts of Rio. Then took a cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain which is opposite Christ- to see the most spectacular views over the city. It was named Sugar Loaf Mountain by the first settlers as it looks like a large loaf of bread!

Next stop Parati, stayed in a youth hostel right by the beach, although as soon as we get to the beach each time it starts to rain! Visited a waterfall that you can slide down, but there were some crazy individuals surfing down the waterfall!!

Next stop Bonito, for the start of the free camping and then onto camp sites, I am surviving the camping, as its so warm I might even say that I am enjoying the camping!! I have been River snorkelling after the initial scaryness it was so much fun- several hours just floating down the river. Floating towards and through the many shoals of fish- the fish seem to be completely unperturbed to the invasion of humans snorkelling around! The river is protected so we were not allowed to put our feet down on the river bed so had a proper work out doing that one! The fish were absolutely massive and they just swarm around you- size of a full grown fish! I saw so many varities of fish it was such a blast! Then tubing down the local river basically shooting down a river in a rubber ring! Fabulous fun especially going down mini waterfalls! South America is certainly for the adventure seeker!

Then onto the Pantanal which is the largest wetland area in Brazil, the Pantanal was flooded and the area had not experienced flooding in the last 20 years like it! Not overly excited about the walking 1km in water up to my knees as the road was flooded and the vehicles could not get through though.

Took a boat cruise and saw Toucans, Howler Monkeys, Herons and Caimans in the wild! Was slightly worried that the place we had been taken to as safe swimming was the same area that we later Piranha fished and saw a Caiman float by! The mosquitos were extreme due to the wetlands but by now I am almost becomming used to the multiple bites and itchyness!

Went out in a canoe to see the wetlands close up and managed to capsize as we were laughing so much, although being stranded in water where there could be anacondas and being biten by mosquitos, ants and spiders soon was not so amusing- I certainly did look a very sorry sight when the leaders came back and rescued me and my canoe partner!

Next stop Iguassu Falls at the Brazillian and Argentinian side!

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