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Before I get pulled up by the anal amongst you....no this blog isn't 'only' on Brazil....first there is a bit of Argentina to cover with a cheeky little sidestep into Paraguay along the way. The bad news (for you lot) is that it covers about a 5 weeks of travel so I'm afraid you're all in for another long ride, a bit like some of my upcoming (20+ hr) bus journeys.....altho the blog may, at times, seem longer.
Leaving Buenos Aires Iguassu falls, one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World, an absolute must for any trip to S America (acc to the guidebooks), way better than Niagara (acc to most travellers)....but annoyingly (for me).... a whopping 21 hrs by bus from B Aires. This kind of dwarfed my longest previous one at 'just' the 14hrs...
To take the edge of the journey I had opted for the best class of seat - Super Cama. This meant I would get a flat bed, blockbuster films, hot meals and hot/cold drinks including a nightcap....but sadly no xbox.....man they nearly thought of everything there (note to self: keep eyes open for a suggestion box).
When I
Giganto Diablo
Iguassu Falls, Argentinaboarded the bus, fiction became reality and indeed I had a flat bed, lots of room, blanket, pillow, servant called Giles (not really) and a rubbish film about an hour in. At least the 2nd one couldn't be worse. Something that I will never know as it was French with Spanish subtitles. Fruits de la mer!!! Time for bed then.
And with my ability to sleep in that was it - next thing I knew I had missed breakfast and it was time to roll off the bus. Easy easy.
The Falls I opted to do the Brazilian side first cos apparently it's not as good. For this you start off quite a long way away and can see the falls in all their glory...from a distance. You then get to snake down to nearer the water in a bit of an obstacle course insofar as carefully slalom-ing thro the saga tours on one side and avoiding the wild racoons on the other. It was pretty cool but how would the Argie side fair and Giganto Diablo....what?
For this there were a number of walks with different viewing points and a cheeky little island
in the middle....but I saved the best til last, El Giganto Diablo aka The Devil's Throat. It was noisy, it was misty, there were some great colours: blues, whites, turqouise, red, yellow, pink, green....yeah I kind of cheated there.... I saw a rainbow. Altho the pot of gold end of this particular rainbow had to be the most dangerous one to date. In addition to all this you could see the plebs on the Brazilian side who had a rubbish view in comparison.
After seeing the Argie side it was then time to cross to Brazil with my backpack this time and along with Stewart (Eng), a keen Huddersfield fan, we did the old '3 countries in a day' thing...with the third being....
Paraguay Sadly for Paraguay they don't get any of the falls to call their own but not wanting to hold this against them I decided to drop by, and it was an easy border crossing to boot.
Ciudad del Este is a bit of a border town with a huge market with most things imaginable including a load of decent South American footy shirts. And during my 2-3 hrs there
Inside the dam
...or a scene from James Bond I got offered viagara about 12 times - you had to hand it to these sales people, they had certainly done their homework.
Next day I headed to Itapau dam. Why? Well it was kind of there and just a short ride from Ciudad Del Este.
Inside tho, it was a bit like a level from 'Goldeneye' on the Nintendo....... But Goldeneye on 'pause' as nothing seemed to move when I was there. I had hoped (for their sake) that it wasn't broken as it apparently provides 75%!o(MISSING)f Paraguay's electricity and an equally impressive number for Brazil. Impressive stats then. More impressive than the tour in fact as the bus didn't stop at the good bits. But hey it was free..and there was no local footy on that day.
Brazil So now back to Brazil and towards the main cities, but would all the guidebooks and tales from other travellers be true - that Rio and Sao Paulo are SO dangerous and those that get out unscathed are the fortunate few? Anyway before I could report back to you keen blog readers I needed to get thro a stonking 24 hr bus
Sugar Loaf
Rio De Janeiro journey first.
As before, I opted for the best class of seat and even though it wasn't in the same category as the Argie one it was pretty good and only half full.....but annoyingly after 9 hrs we all had to change to a rubbish bus. The said rubbish bus consisted of seats that hardly went back, no tv and no lights but the a/c did work.....worked pretty well infact: full blast and couldn't be turned off. As we pulled away in our rubbish bus I looked at the decent bus that we left behind I wondered if it was how contestants felt on Bullseye after Jim Bowen says 'see what you would have won' then the dartboard revolves and they are left with Bully and some cash. We didn't even get that just another 15 hrs on the 'ice' bus with little chance of sleeping but on the plus side.....an 'evens' chance of freezing.
Rio Sugar loaf mountain, Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana ...''music and passion were always in fashion at the copa''.... ..whoah whoah hang on a sec Bazza what about the chances of gettng robbed there? Hmmm?...yeah you missed that bit out didn't
Vasco da Gama
Rio De Janeiro you......anyway despite protests from the big schnozzed crooner I had been warned off this district and opted instead for classy Ipanema.
First up was some beach footy altho annoyingly none of the locals wanted to join in our game. Firstly we thought this may have been cos they were intimidated but after we saw them play it was more a case of them not wanting to waste their afternoon with a bunch of plebs who couldn't play beach footy. Altho it is harder than u think but I did fly the flag for Cheltenham Town as 'we' beat Burnley in a peno shootout. Result.
Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) One of the 7 Man Made Wonders of the World and when you get to the top you're thinking rightly so. It is such an impressive statue as he towers over the city, with it's beaches and other landmarks. Seriously I loved the place. Impressive from top and also you can see from many places in Rio.
Vasco Da Gama Again, I was warned off going there as it was in a bad area, the usual. And as I was told it
was an hr in a cab I opted for public transport, altho this was tricky when, at the tube stop there were no buses...and the 3 taxis I stopped wouldn't take me and once again no one spoke English. After a brief conversation with a local (me in English, her in Portugese) a bloke at a hot dog stand overheard and said he would take me there on his motorbike. Potentially a bit dodgy but I had come this far so thought why not. It worked fine and soon I was there at the ground. It was the dodgiest area around the footy ground to date in South America but quite a cool stadium inside. The game was a bit rubbish (Vasco are now in 2nd Division) but the fans were in good voice....apart from when the away side got a late equaliser and it ended 1-1..
RTW Ticket update My original route was to fly home from Rio but as I was gonna change this route I needed to do Brazil before heading to Peru. The new route which had been worked on for weeks (and run by the previous 3 Qantas reps) consisted
Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. However when I called from Rio to implement these changes I was told it wasn't possible... If that wasn't bad enough it also meant I needed to get my next flight from....BA (40 hrs by bus), and my flight home from....you've guessed it.....Rio. As you can imagine, this news came as a 'bit of a blow'.
As the days passed in Brazil it hit me that the language was a bit of a problem (for me, not the locals) and it was probably one of the trickiest places to be travelling, esp when coupled with the continual threat of being robbed. A few days in tho and I had learnt 5 words which is pretty good by anyone's high standards. Ok ok, 2 were the same in spanish and another was 'Oi'. But hey, 2 words is a start. Impressed? Good, I thank you....or 'obrigado' as the locals say.
The following day was bar b q time with Eduardo (aka Duda) who I had met in Oz in Jan, and his pals which in addition to the amazing food also had the added advantage of building on
First the band
Maracana, Rio De Janeiro my vocab. By then end of the night my words had shot up to 18 which included a very useful sentence 'I don't understand Portugese, do you understand English'. This would no doubt be the answer to all my prayers. The trip to Christo Redentor wasn't a waste then..
Due to the ever present danger of going out after dark especially buses (where hold ups were not uncommon apparently) my ride home that night had an extra risk Why? Well the driver was drinking beer, which he handily hid in his bag in between swigs. A new experience chalked up.
Flamengo vs Botofogo, Carioca Cup Final, Maracana Timing, timing timing and on this occasion mine was perfect as 5 days after I arrived in Rio there was sell out (95,000) Cup Final at the Maracana which I managed to get tickets for. Same finalists as last yr. In the 'QPR away' corner we had Flamengo and in the 'black and white' corner we had Botofogo. Flamengo fans won the pre match battle, with more fans, more flags, louder chants and better choreagraphed hand moves. But were Botofogo 'bovvered' - seemed not. They were however when
Then the teams
Maracana, Rio De Janeiro at half time the were 2-0 down. I on the other hand continued my good fortune to be at the end where the goals had gone in (I kept this to myself tho as I was in with the Botafogo fans).
My 'luck' continued in the 2nd half when at my end I saw a missed pen and 2 more goals compared to the other end only having a sending off. And as it ended 2-2 it meant a pen shootout...and yep you've guessed it...at my end!! Class. Again not for the Botafogo fans who lost. As a neutral it was the best result as there were more fans to celebrate and light flares etc etc
Sao Paulo My language difficulties continued as I rocked up to the bus station....I mean you'd think some1 working in a bus station selling one product (ie bus tickets) would know the basics, like er 'bus ticket'...it wasn't like I was ordering a three piece suite or a burger (Tay, there were no Macds in sight). I ended up ordering in Spanish and pointing, and then I was armed with a ticket for a semi (Semi cama, you pervs)
Palmeiras fans
Palmeiras vs Cortiba that would take me to SP.
SP is supposed to be dangerous, well any place where it is an offence to stop AT a red light after dark kind of implies it isn't the safest.. and first impressions agreed with this. Altho I didn't have time to worry bout that as the first of my 2 games in 2 days started in under 2 hours..wooo
Palmeiras vs Cortiba Off to the ground then, once again without a ticket....so after a 5.30am start, taxi ride, 6 hrs on a bus, tube ride, hotel check in, another tube I kind of hoped I could get one at the ground. My luck continued as I found a tout ready to sell me a ticket and I was in. Interesting stadium as pitch is above ground level. Well maybe not that interesting then. Top game as Palmeiras fans continued to cheer their team on despite being 0-1 down at h/t due to a dubious pen. Stands continued to rock as they jumped and sang and rewarded with 2 goals in quick succession and held on to all 3 points. Result.
Corinthians vs Internacional Before the
Corinthians fans
Corinthians vs Nacional game I decided to check the city out. It was pretty intimidating....lots of homeless communities, lots of police with guns, and this was a sunday midday folks.
The area around the ground was pretty dodgey, really bad in fact. As I didn't fancy walking the last mile I flagged a cab. As I had come all this way hoping to see (Fat) Ronaldo, I was a tad disappointed when he wasn't listed on the teamsheet...he was still eating apparently (not really). 2 great strikers from Internacional (9 & 10) one scored a peach of an individual goal and that's how it ended. So after the first game of the season the mighty Corinthians lost their 100%!u(MISSING)nbeaten home record. That'll teach them to rest fat Ron then. Not that I was bitter.
The following morning and leaving hostel as 5.45am was nervy, in fact it reminded me of the first time I jumped off the highest diving board, you know when you keep going up to it and changing mind. Lots of dodgey looking people roaming the streets. Apart from the kid who was sleeping in the doorway who seemed to pose no threat.
Paraty As there had been delay with my volunteer application I decided to check out this cheeky little fishing village with an quaint old town with cobbled streets so hung out there for a few days before heading to Rio...for the 3rd time.....and I still hadn't visited Sugar Loaf..
Fluminense vs Corinthians, Copa Do Brazil Q/Final 2nd Leg Unlike my previous trip to the Maracana, this time I was in with the hard core fans after bumped in Duda's mate Felippe. Mad atmos. Tempered after they went 2 goals down and therefore needed 4 in 2nd half to go thro. Early in the second half Fluminense hit the post, then had a pen appeal turned down...then scored......then scored another....the atmos was amazing (altho they didnt chant 'you're not singing anymore' to the Cor fans below)...but would they get 2 more....? or would the ambling Ronaldo (who did less running than I normally do) pounce and get a 3rd goal for Corinthians? Nah, neither. It ended 2-2 and Corinthians went thro - that's football folks.
As we queued to leave the stadium, memories of leaving my last Boca game came for the fore...why? Piss on the
floor, and the hole in the crocs. In fact both now had holes (note to self: really need to buy some new crocs......and have shower when get back to hostel).
Volunteering at the Two Brothers Foundation, Rocinha My desire to do more volunteer work and my fascination with shanty towns (since doing A Level Geography and since every guidebook tells you not to go there) seemed a perfect combination to volunteer at the above place: Rio's largest favela.
After a drawn out application process I was finally accepted. As I met Rogerio (the co-ordinator) I was nervous and excited as we headed to the favela....'but would it be more dangerous than Swindon?' I thought to myself as we approached....
As we walked into the favela it was like nothing else I had seen so far. A mix of haphazard buildings seemingly growing from the ground, some with half finished (unsafe looking) extensions, people hanging out of windows (along with washing out to dry), small shops/stalls, a maze of electricity wires hanging overhead and a less than pristine river (a concrete canal, not natural) running thro it.....and 5 mins later down the narrow street to
the Institute.
As I was shown round the institute and introduced to the staff I was told that I would be helping out with a number of English classes namely those of Jeremy (USA) and Rosalie (Fra) and anything else to be honest. It wasn't long before I was painting some bits and doing some drilling (a picture frame, u pervs).
One project that they have is a new roof for the Institute which they are raising money for. One method is the sale of t shirts. At that point they had only sold 17 so I wanted to help out on that front too. I wanted to add a video of my route to the Institute to generate interest but was glad I checked with Rogerio first as this route takes in the drug dealing zone and it wouldn't have been a wise move. Anyway, at the time of writing (3 weeks on) I have sold 24 to friends and family so thanks loads for your support. If you haven't bought one or want to make a donation then drop me a mail. If not, no worries......tight arse...
One day I decided to walk home the
long way and thro the favela on my own. It was an interesting hour and a half and intimidating at time (see pics). Another time on the walk to the bus I witnessed guys with AK47s (no red dot sights COD4 fans), then a Priest (in the full gear) waving a cross being followed by his congregation like ducklings (in a line, not waddling) and then fully armed police on the outskirts....a bit different to walking past the admin team, the photocopier and the coffee machine at my last job...
As I had to head to Peru for the end of May I knew that I would be coming back to collect the t shirts and it was my plan to put an initiative in place to secure regular funds for the Institute so this chapter was very much on hold....but next up folks....is Peru and the Inca Trail.....
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fab storytelling - loving the bullseye reference. takes me back to my yoof! keep them coming! xx