Cam and Christine in South America

Our trip has come to an end...we are in Sao Paulo, Brazil and fly home tomorrow.

Thanks for reading along!

this computer won't let us upload. will post pictures soon!

RIO DE JANEIRIO was nothing short of amazing and magical. Both of our favourite of the cities we have visited.

After the city tour, we did a tour into 2 of the over 700 favelas there are in Rio alone. If you have seen the movie City of God, you have some idea of what it is like there. The tours are incredibly safe though. 80% of the proceeds of the tour goes to the favela, and there is a deal with the company and the drug lords and gangs that rule the favela to not harm tourists.

Rocinha, one of the two favelas, is the largest in Rio, and though the census said there are 60,000 people living there, they say there are 3 times that amount. In Rocinha there is one road only, and three streets. The rest is alleys winding up the mountain through all the housing.

It is interesting that people that live in the favelas have the best views in the city. They build up the hills because this is public land, and once you are there for 5 years, you then own that land. Apparently the government gets around to checking these thigns out very slowly, so the hills become covered in housing complexes built from under the ground with no windows, and upwards.

It was interesting to see how closely the rich and the poor live. Rocinha is on the same road as the most expensive international school in Rio, where parents pay 1500$ US per month to send their kid. Meanwhile, the minimum wage (what many people except the drug dealers in the favela make) is 200 reais/month, which is about 100$ Canadian.

SALVADOR was a 30 hour bus ride north, so we were happy to arrive. In the state of Bahia, Salvador is said to be the Afro-Brazilian center of Brazil because of the many African slaves that came to Brazil through the city.
We went downtown to the Pelourino, the historic area, where there are many churches, museums and artesans. Drumming, dancing and capoeira (a dance created by the slaves that resembles fighting) are everywhere and it is quite a vibrant place.

At the same time, not the safest place, as we learned. Cams backpack was ripped off his back as we were walking back from the Pelourino. His camera was in there, but fortunately no other valuables were in there, and no one was hurt. We decided to leave a day earlier (and the weather wasnt the best), and head 12 hours south to a small beachtown....

ARRAIAL D'AJUDA

We found paradise. We are staying in an incredibly nice but cheap (13$/night!) hostel with A/C and a pool! 10 minutes from the beach. As you walk down the beach, there are less and less people, and the water is really warm.
There are tons of open-air restaurants and bars under a canopy of trees that line the streets.

We will be here until we head home! Sort of a vacation within a vacation. Then the final long (26hr) bus ride back to Sao Paulo.

Check out some new pics!

First, an FYI - I think that some people that check the blog think that they cant find all of our pictures, but the truth is it takes so long to upload them that we cant really post more. But there are tons! We have almost filled 4gigs of memory.

So its been a while since we last posted! From the Falls we went to Paraty, where we heard there were beautiful beaches and a history and picturesque town. All of this was true. We stayed in a very homey hostel, run by Pablo, who made us delicious breakfast every morning and was very knowledgeable and friendly.

After the day boat trip, we took a bus 40 minutes away to a smaller village called Trindade and to the beaches there. For lunch we think we ate baby chicken parts. That was gross, but aside from that it was great!

ILHA GRANDE.

Departed to the island and arrived in paradise. We stayed at the nicest hostel/pousada (guesthouse) yet, with a blacony overlooking a pretty garden and the jungle. We saw a monkey out the window. Also had a hammock.

The town in Ilha Grande, Abraao, had no cars and used carts to get everything around. There were these huge sort of display cases of AMAZING pastries that people wheeled around everywhere. The place had a really laid back vibe - no one really seemed to be working much.

We did a 5 hour (round trip) hike to the other side of the island to the beach (Praia) of two rivers (dois reis). On the way we met a Brazilian traveller who said he knew someone where we were from in Toronto and told us his name. He was under the impression we would know so and so from Toronto. Haha.

Before we hit the beach on the other side, we walked through a really small and now dilapidated town that used to house Brazils most dangerous criminals. It closed in 1994, after the government blew it up. Needless to say, all the people who lived there and worked at the prison up and left.

Which means....the beach there was DESERTED! and stunning. When we arrived in the morning we were the only people on the beach.

RIO DE JANEIRO

Boat and bussed to Rio! Very nice lady running our hostel, and we went down to the beach for a swim! Well, Cam swam, Christine is a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold water. Apparently it was refreshing. Very different from the beach we had just seen in Ilha Grande - thousands of people lounging around. Kinda makes you wonder if they work? We think everyone just heads down there at the end of the day.

The name Rio de Janeiro, we learned, means River of January First. When the Portugeuse arrived here, they thought that the bay was a river, and they arrived on the first of January in the 1500s, hence the name.

The geography of the city is pretty spectacular - it is literally built on and within mountains and jungle.

Today we did a city tour, and went up Sugar Loaf Mountain by tram, saw the worlds biggest soccer stadium (from the outside), saw where the Carneval parade happens in February, visited a cathedral made out of concrete and stained glass (can hold up to 20 000 people) and then saw the BIG JESUS (the Christ Redeemer).

We are trying not to think about what comes after this trip, but despite some very good advice, have been thinking about life after backpacking.

Left Salta and took a 22 hour bus ride to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. Despite being long, the bus ride was smooth and comfortable as far as buses go.

Upon arrival we realized we would no longer be needing warm clothes. It was HOT. Luckily our hostel had a/c.
We did the Argentinian side of the falls for an entire day. There were 4 trails to various parts of the 275 waterfalls, and we were able to get super close to several of them. It was pretty unreal and beautiful. There were motorboats that went right up to the falls on both sides so we did that too - and got refreshingly drenched. Its hard to compare them to Niagara Falls. The volume of water at the Iguazu Falls has to be greater, and it was gorgeous because it is right in the jungle. Niagara Falls seems higher to us though, but is obviously a billion times more commercialized.

Lots of wildlife around as well. Saw tons of butterflies, some lizards, and coatis (like our raccoons but leaner. same mentality though and not afraid to come and take your food!).

We took a 1.5hr hike to a remote waterfall with a natural pool at the bottom. Swam in the pool and went under the waterfall. Way less tourists here which was nice. The trail sign warned that there were dangerous animals, but we didnt spot any jaguars fortunately.

The next day we crossed the border into Brazil (which was surprisingly lax - all the borders in SA are). No one asks you why you are here, what you are doing, they give you a stamp and send you on your way.

Went to the falls on the Brazil side. Very different perspective. It gives you a more panoramic view of the falls.

Hopped on a bus to Sao Paulo, then another bus to Paraty.

Paraty is a very picturesque town on the coast. It has a historic town center where no cars are allowed. The buildings are white and have colourful doors and windows. We are staying in a hostel in the loft, which reminds Cam of the old loft at Lake Bernard.

Today we took a schooner to some small beaches and islands in the area. It was quite beautiful and the water was warm enough to go swimming.

We plan to take one more stop to Ilha Grande before we get to Rio early next week.