February 9, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
I was ready by 8:15 AM. I checked out and waited in the hotel lobby. The Van from Anavilhanas arrived at 8:25 AM. Myself and 2 other girls (from the UK) were the sole occupants of the van and I was the Portuguese expert of the 3! We drove for 20 minutes and then boarded a ferry to cross the Amazon (Rio Negro). The ferry accommodates Vehicles and passengers. Quite a few trucks, cars and vans (Including ours) along with 200 people perhaps. We had a 40-minute wait at the dock while our ferry was being loaded. The ride across the Amazon took 30 minutes.
From the other side of the River, we had a 170 Kilometre (105 Mile) drive to the Jungle Lodge. During the 2+ hour drive, I chatted with the driver in as much Portuguese as I could! We talked about cost of living in Manaus, Salaries in Manaus and so on. He told me that good housing in Manaus could cost US$60,000. I am still inclined to buy a place in PARAGUAY!
There is a very good road for most of the drive to the Jungle Lodge. About 5 Kilometres from our lodge, the driver took an unmarked turn to the right and drove for about 15 minutes before we reached the lodge. It was close to Noon when we reached the lodge.
February 9, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Brasil
=============================
I met Cassio (who spoke decent English) and who would be our guide for the next 2 days or so. We were provided with a welcome cashew drink which was quite good. One of the girls from the UK was a vegetarian as well. Both of us were quite satisfied with the vegetarian Options for Lunch. Both the girls from the UK work in corporate finance. They were on a 2-week holiday across brazil. One of the girls had visited the Pantanal. [The pantanal is supposed to be teeming with wildlife and I will see it during my next visit to Brasil]
I got back to the comfortable confines of my cabin and wrote some postcards.
The lodge is FANTASTIC. There are just 12 wooden Cabins. Each Cabin has 2 beds in a large ceilinged room. The rooms are air-conditioned. Each cabin also has a small veranda out back with a Hammock! There is no concept of having to share the room with someone you don´t know or having to pay twice the price because you are single. If a couple takes the room, the charge is US$950. If a single person takes the room, the charge is US$570. Each of the rooms is given an animal motif. My cabin was No. 1 and my animal motif was an Ant Eater. So when heading to the dining area, I need to sit at the table that has an "Ant Eater" on top of it!
We headed out at 3 PM for a "JUNGLE WALK". We had a short walk to a private dock and then boarded a canoe - fitted with an outboard motor. We sailed for 20 minutes or so before cambering on to land. I was bitten by all kinds of creatures during the 1-hour jungle walk (and I have the welts to prove it!) We did not see any wildlife or even butterflies. The tree canopy is pretty high and many of the birds nest close to the top. Cassio carried a wicked looking "Crocodile Dundee - That´s a KNIFE" - weapon. It had good heft and he used it from time to time to hack away at the Jungle to clear small paths for us.
He told me that in the event of a Jaguar attack, the weapon might at least help repel the Jaguar for a little bit. He also had a heavily splintered and bandaged right index finger. This was a result of a Caiman (that Cassio was holding while it was being tied up) slashing its head from side to side and the side teeth creating a deep gash on cassio´s right index finger! He seemed pretty sanguine about it.
I was drenched in sweat by the time we got back to the lodge at 5:30 PM. I borrowed the IPOD Charger from one of the UK girls to charge my IPOD (Not sure why I am doing this, as I discovered today that one of my headphone earpieces is broken - yet another Chinese made product!). I showered and then walked to the dock area and sat there for a bit listening to the sounds of the Jungle. Dinner was at 7 PM.
I shared a bottle of wine with an elderly Californian couple. Since we started chatting, the folks at the lodge moved our dinner tables together so we could have dinner and converse in a civilized way rather than having to shout across tables. Pete gave me his card and promised to show me around the wine region around his place (NOT NAPA - it was a different area) whenever I chose to visit him and his wife. As Pete and his wife were heading out the next morning, I may invite the UK girls to share my dinner table tomorrow.
As different people come in for different stays, the hotel people group different people for different activities. Since the UK girls were staying a bit shorter than I was, they were scheduled to go on a night time wildlife spotting (from the Canoe) tonight at 8:30 PM. I was scheduled to do the same thing tomorrow evening.
I spoke briefly to the lodge manager and she agreed to let me use the lodge computer to do some offline blogging for a few hours. The lodge has absolutely no Cell Phone reception and does not have internet connectivity. Thank GOD for BOTH! After 2 hours of blogging, it appears that I have lost whatever I had typed! DAMN - is all I can say.
I am scheduled to go on a Sunrise Walk and Contemplation at 5:30 AM tomorrow. It is 11:30 PM now and I am going to hit the sack.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
I woke up at 6 AM and finished breakfast by 7:30 AM. I had a cold shower (It wasn't too bad). As I had a bit of time to kill, I found myself watching "Law & Order" on TV for about 40 minutes. During a bit of clumsiness, I had dropped my cell phone and IPod charger on the Mosaic floor of my room and the result was that the charger had gone kaput. (yes, it was a Chinese made product!) As a result, I had my Phone recharged at the reception where someone had a charger that fit my phone.
I left the hotel and walked to the dock to board my boat for the 6-hour cruise. On my way, I purchased some additional credit for my Mobile Phone. Unlike Chile, the Brazilians charge for any and all uses of the Cell phone (Incoming, Outgoing, Text messages etc.). The boat was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. There was a good English (and Portuguese) speaking guide on board as well as a Videographer who was recording our every move!
We had a good view of Manaus from the river. We were also treated to a Welcome Caipirinha (Brazilian drink) and some watermelon on the boat. We reached the "Meeting of the Waters" in a hour. This is where the darker and slower moving "RIO NEGRO" meets the muddier and faster moving "RIO SOLIMOES". Negro moves at 3 Kilometres (1.8 miles) per hour while the Solimoes moves at 9 Kilometres (5.5 Miles) per hour. They travel separately for 18 Kilometres (11 Miles) before mingling. From this Meeting point, the Amazon travels 1600 Kilometres (1000 miles) east before emptying into the Atlantic. The Amazon is 96 Kilometres (60 MILES) WIDE at the Atlantic while it is 3-5 Kilometres (1.8 - 3 Miles) wide at Manaus. The boat captain stayed as long as possible at this point allowing us to take all the pictures we wanted.
We headed next to JANAURI Island. On reaching the Island, we walked on an elevated wooden walkway to see Giant Water Lilies. We also spotted a lone Caiman below our walkway. There were quite a few tourist stalls here but there was NO sales pitch whatsoever. We got into a couple of canoes and headed on one of the Rio Negro´s tributaries. It was a good trip of about 40 minutes. On our way back, we stopped at a floating dock, where a group of locals carried different creatures and offered it to tourists to pet them! Sloth Monkeys and a baby anaconda were among the creatures. Needless to say any picture taking or petting of these animals involved a "donation". I passed. I purchased a coconut and spent my time here by savouring Coconut water after a really long time. It was terrific.
We headed back to the JANAURI Island dock for Lunch. There were a few vegetarian options. One of my tour group members (A Brazilian from Rio) was a Sai Baba devotee and did not eat any meat. Her Husband and young daughter did! They spoke English and helped me with my food options at Lunch. I also chatted with an Australian (an Englishman who has been living in Australia since he was 6 years old) who works as a lawyer near Brisbane. We agreed to meet up for dinner later that night.
We got back to Manaus and the Sai Baba devotee gave me her business card. On my way back to my hotel, I walked into a few side streets and found a vendor selling chargers. I tested and purchased a charger for my Phone for R$10 (US$ 6). Knockoffs of almost anything can be bought here! These same folks wanted R$80 (US$50) for an IPOD Charger. I decided to go without Music for the rest of my trip rather than succumb to this highway robbery.
I rested a bit, spent some time at an Internet cafe and headed to a nearby post office to buy some stamps (for the postcards I had purchased). I headed to the TajMahal Intercontinental hotel and its revolving rooftop restaurant for dinner! Ricky (the Australian) was staying at this hotel and he joined me at dinner. Excellent view of the Manaus at night. Pity that I did not carry my camera or my Tripod with me.We had a good conversation. Ricky wanted to go to town. I decided to head back to my hotel as I had an early morning pickup tomorrow - to head to my Jungle Lodge.
I wrote the diary for a bit and then went to bed. The cell phone charger continues to work!
==========================
I woke up at 6 AM and finished breakfast by 7:30 AM. I had a cold shower (It wasn't too bad). As I had a bit of time to kill, I found myself watching "Law & Order" on TV for about 40 minutes. During a bit of clumsiness, I had dropped my cell phone and IPod charger on the Mosaic floor of my room and the result was that the charger had gone kaput. (yes, it was a Chinese made product!) As a result, I had my Phone recharged at the reception where someone had a charger that fit my phone.
I left the hotel and walked to the dock to board my boat for the 6-hour cruise. On my way, I purchased some additional credit for my Mobile Phone. Unlike Chile, the Brazilians charge for any and all uses of the Cell phone (Incoming, Outgoing, Text messages etc.). The boat was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. There was a good English (and Portuguese) speaking guide on board as well as a Videographer who was recording our every move!
We had a good view of Manaus from the river. We were also treated to a Welcome Caipirinha (Brazilian drink) and some watermelon on the boat. We reached the "Meeting of the Waters" in a hour. This is where the darker and slower moving "RIO NEGRO" meets the muddier and faster moving "RIO SOLIMOES". Negro moves at 3 Kilometres (1.8 miles) per hour while the Solimoes moves at 9 Kilometres (5.5 Miles) per hour. They travel separately for 18 Kilometres (11 Miles) before mingling. From this Meeting point, the Amazon travels 1600 Kilometres (1000 miles) east before emptying into the Atlantic. The Amazon is 96 Kilometres (60 MILES) WIDE at the Atlantic while it is 3-5 Kilometres (1.8 - 3 Miles) wide at Manaus. The boat captain stayed as long as possible at this point allowing us to take all the pictures we wanted.
We headed next to JANAURI Island. On reaching the Island, we walked on an elevated wooden walkway to see Giant Water Lilies. We also spotted a lone Caiman below our walkway. There were quite a few tourist stalls here but there was NO sales pitch whatsoever. We got into a couple of canoes and headed on one of the Rio Negro´s tributaries. It was a good trip of about 40 minutes. On our way back, we stopped at a floating dock, where a group of locals carried different creatures and offered it to tourists to pet them! Sloth Monkeys and a baby anaconda were among the creatures. Needless to say any picture taking or petting of these animals involved a "donation". I passed. I purchased a coconut and spent my time here by savouring Coconut water after a really long time. It was terrific.
We headed back to the JANAURI Island dock for Lunch. There were a few vegetarian options. One of my tour group members (A Brazilian from Rio) was a Sai Baba devotee and did not eat any meat. Her Husband and young daughter did! They spoke English and helped me with my food options at Lunch. I also chatted with an Australian (an Englishman who has been living in Australia since he was 6 years old) who works as a lawyer near Brisbane. We agreed to meet up for dinner later that night.
We got back to Manaus and the Sai Baba devotee gave me her business card. On my way back to my hotel, I walked into a few side streets and found a vendor selling chargers. I tested and purchased a charger for my Phone for R$10 (US$ 6). Knockoffs of almost anything can be bought here! These same folks wanted R$80 (US$50) for an IPOD Charger. I decided to go without Music for the rest of my trip rather than succumb to this highway robbery.
I rested a bit, spent some time at an Internet cafe and headed to a nearby post office to buy some stamps (for the postcards I had purchased). I headed to the TajMahal Intercontinental hotel and its revolving rooftop restaurant for dinner! Ricky (the Australian) was staying at this hotel and he joined me at dinner. Excellent view of the Manaus at night. Pity that I did not carry my camera or my Tripod with me.We had a good conversation. Ricky wanted to go to town. I decided to head back to my hotel as I had an early morning pickup tomorrow - to head to my Jungle Lodge.
I wrote the diary for a bit and then went to bed. The cell phone charger continues to work!
February 7, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro & Manaus, Brasil
February 7, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up on my own and the hotel´s wake up call came at 4 AM sharp. I was ready to head out by 5:30 AM. As the payment for my stay at this Hotel was always in advance, I handed my key to the night manager, thanked them and headed out. The driver (of the taxi) I had spoken with yesterday morning was waiting outside. He had been waiting for 15 minutes! He was an elderly gent so felt reasonably safe. [Taxis in Rio are known to take you on certain "Unforeseen routes" where you get mugged]
Chatted with him as we drove to the airport. Maybe it is the "consulting" profession I was in for a long time: I am able to pretend and give the impression of being "Knowledgeable" rather well! We reached the airport in 35 minutes. Used the electronic check in and had my bag checked-in and boarding pass in my hand in less then 5 minutes. The bag still weighed in at 18 Kilograms (despite the fact that I had given at least 4 Kilograms of stuff to my friend to carry back to the US)! Maybe there is a spell on the bag.
The flight departed on time. I had a window seat. The 2 seats next to me were empty. The flight headed to the Capital Brasilia (90 minutes) first before heading to Manaus (2 hours from Brasilia). The flight was scheduled to continue to Boa Vista (another 45 minutes) from Manaus. The only good thing about all this was that Manaus was 2-hours behind Rio.
I slept a bit during the flight, read my guide book and noted down places to see and things to do in Manaus. The plane almost emptied in Brasilia as all the Politicians and lobbyists disembarked! The flight fill back up to 75% of its capacity. We reached Manaus at 12:30 PM Rio time (10:30 AM local time). There were no locks broken on my bag this time!
February 7, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
A taxi cab with my name was waiting for me. The driver and a representative from the hotel sat up front and I sat in the back. The hotel rep (Wilson - Young kid) kept fishing for my plans in Manaus as he wanted to sell me some package or the other during the ride to the hotel. I did not bite.
I expected Manaus to be a remote jungle outpost with a handful of hotels located in a clearing near the Amazon Jungle. It turns out to be a thriving CITY of 2 Million People! I was definitely disappointed. I come to the Capital of AMAZONAS State, not to see a big city. I hope my stay at the Jungle lodge in the Amazon (for 2 nights / 3 days) will help re-establish my image of this place.
I was under the impression that the pickup from the airport was a complimentary one. Oh, how wrong could I be: I was asked to fork out R$40 for the ride! My ride in RIO was cheaper (at least from the Airport). The hotel (Dez de Julho) was passable. The room was clean and so were the sheets. The lighting in the room was horribly dull (I most certainly cannot READ here). The price was R$60 (US$35) per night. I headed out, bought a R$10 phone card (for making land line calls) and called my parents.
I headed next to meet the representative for the ANAVILHANAS JUNGLE LODGE with whom I had corresponded quite a few times during the booking process. Valdemar was thrilled to see me. He spoke reasonable English and we chatted for 45-minutes. He told me that my Jungle Lodge stay will not cover the "Meeting of the Waters" and that I may have to do that on my own. Valdemar is a very engaging gent. He advised me on safety issues in Manaus and told me not to venture out after 10 PM.
The Vegetarian restaurant (that I went in search of and finally found) was out of food by 2 PM! It was quite hot and humid - as a tropical place is expected to be! The Paraguayan shirt was not cutting it in his heat. It was wet and sticking to me (despite it being made of cotton). I headed back to Hotel, rested in the air-conditioned comfort of my room before changing into a T-shirt and heading to the nearby Eco-Cafe for a snack.
I bought tickets for the 4 PM English language tour of the Teatro Amazonas. This is a 110 year old Theatre built during the rubber boom of the late 19 century. Sadly, the theatre was not having any performances until February 20 :( In the early days of this theatre, the costumes worn by the performers used to be sent to France to be laundered!
I visited the Amazon Explorers office (a company recommended by Valdemar) to explore the tour options to see the "Meeting of the Waters". The company had a 6-Hour tour of the "Meeting of the Waters" for R$90 (US$55) and lunch was included. It sounded decent, so I booked myself on a trip departing the next morning. I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Brazilian SIM Card for R$15 - with a R$ credit included. I hope it works!
I headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The restaurant provided a mean hot sauce (I mean MEAN) that was made from Potato Juice and Pepper. The Pizza that I ordered was tolerable. The internet connection I tried was quite bad and I gave up after 15 minutes. I tried sending messages to friends (using my Brazilian SIM card) and it worked!
==============================
I woke up on my own and the hotel´s wake up call came at 4 AM sharp. I was ready to head out by 5:30 AM. As the payment for my stay at this Hotel was always in advance, I handed my key to the night manager, thanked them and headed out. The driver (of the taxi) I had spoken with yesterday morning was waiting outside. He had been waiting for 15 minutes! He was an elderly gent so felt reasonably safe. [Taxis in Rio are known to take you on certain "Unforeseen routes" where you get mugged]
Chatted with him as we drove to the airport. Maybe it is the "consulting" profession I was in for a long time: I am able to pretend and give the impression of being "Knowledgeable" rather well! We reached the airport in 35 minutes. Used the electronic check in and had my bag checked-in and boarding pass in my hand in less then 5 minutes. The bag still weighed in at 18 Kilograms (despite the fact that I had given at least 4 Kilograms of stuff to my friend to carry back to the US)! Maybe there is a spell on the bag.
The flight departed on time. I had a window seat. The 2 seats next to me were empty. The flight headed to the Capital Brasilia (90 minutes) first before heading to Manaus (2 hours from Brasilia). The flight was scheduled to continue to Boa Vista (another 45 minutes) from Manaus. The only good thing about all this was that Manaus was 2-hours behind Rio.
I slept a bit during the flight, read my guide book and noted down places to see and things to do in Manaus. The plane almost emptied in Brasilia as all the Politicians and lobbyists disembarked! The flight fill back up to 75% of its capacity. We reached Manaus at 12:30 PM Rio time (10:30 AM local time). There were no locks broken on my bag this time!
February 7, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
A taxi cab with my name was waiting for me. The driver and a representative from the hotel sat up front and I sat in the back. The hotel rep (Wilson - Young kid) kept fishing for my plans in Manaus as he wanted to sell me some package or the other during the ride to the hotel. I did not bite.
I expected Manaus to be a remote jungle outpost with a handful of hotels located in a clearing near the Amazon Jungle. It turns out to be a thriving CITY of 2 Million People! I was definitely disappointed. I come to the Capital of AMAZONAS State, not to see a big city. I hope my stay at the Jungle lodge in the Amazon (for 2 nights / 3 days) will help re-establish my image of this place.
I was under the impression that the pickup from the airport was a complimentary one. Oh, how wrong could I be: I was asked to fork out R$40 for the ride! My ride in RIO was cheaper (at least from the Airport). The hotel (Dez de Julho) was passable. The room was clean and so were the sheets. The lighting in the room was horribly dull (I most certainly cannot READ here). The price was R$60 (US$35) per night. I headed out, bought a R$10 phone card (for making land line calls) and called my parents.
I headed next to meet the representative for the ANAVILHANAS JUNGLE LODGE with whom I had corresponded quite a few times during the booking process. Valdemar was thrilled to see me. He spoke reasonable English and we chatted for 45-minutes. He told me that my Jungle Lodge stay will not cover the "Meeting of the Waters" and that I may have to do that on my own. Valdemar is a very engaging gent. He advised me on safety issues in Manaus and told me not to venture out after 10 PM.
The Vegetarian restaurant (that I went in search of and finally found) was out of food by 2 PM! It was quite hot and humid - as a tropical place is expected to be! The Paraguayan shirt was not cutting it in his heat. It was wet and sticking to me (despite it being made of cotton). I headed back to Hotel, rested in the air-conditioned comfort of my room before changing into a T-shirt and heading to the nearby Eco-Cafe for a snack.
I bought tickets for the 4 PM English language tour of the Teatro Amazonas. This is a 110 year old Theatre built during the rubber boom of the late 19 century. Sadly, the theatre was not having any performances until February 20 :( In the early days of this theatre, the costumes worn by the performers used to be sent to France to be laundered!
I visited the Amazon Explorers office (a company recommended by Valdemar) to explore the tour options to see the "Meeting of the Waters". The company had a 6-Hour tour of the "Meeting of the Waters" for R$90 (US$55) and lunch was included. It sounded decent, so I booked myself on a trip departing the next morning. I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Brazilian SIM Card for R$15 - with a R$ credit included. I hope it works!
I headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The restaurant provided a mean hot sauce (I mean MEAN) that was made from Potato Juice and Pepper. The Pizza that I ordered was tolerable. The internet connection I tried was quite bad and I gave up after 15 minutes. I tried sending messages to friends (using my Brazilian SIM card) and it worked!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
February 2-6, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
February 2, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up early and finished breakfast by 8:45 AM. I spoke to the Day manager (who spoke excellent English and was quite personable) about the non-arrival of my Carnival tickets. He told me that nothing had been delivered thus far and explained that there are delays at times and that they would eventually be delivered. Comforting words but I would prefer to have the tickets in my possession! One of the assistants at the front desk told me that there was a soccer game that afternoon at the Maracana. He also told me that given that the Carnival had commenced, there may not be much of a crowd at the game.
I walked to the Laundromat which was 2 blocks from my hotel. IPANEMA seems like Palm Beach! Stores like H.Stern, Tiffany and Mont Blanc abounded and here I was looking for a cheap Laundromat. The lady at the Laundromat spoke no English or Spanish. Fortunately a customer (who had come to pick up his laundered clothes) did speak Spanish and he told me that clothes given today (Saturday) will be ready for pickup on Wednesday (Feb 6th) evening as most stores are closed the next 3 days for the Carnival! I rushed back to the hotel and back to the Laundromat to hand over my clothes. The charge for 3.2 Kilos was R$22 (US$12 - a tad expensive).
I walked to the beach at Ipanema (3 blocks away). It was 9:30 and it was hot and humid. I was wilting. I popped into an internet cafe for 30-minutes. I found an e-mail there from RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES stating that the carnival tickets would be delivered today (Saturday) evening. I think they are cutting it a bit too fine (as tomorrow is Sunday and my Carnival program is on Monday Evening). At least, there had not been a missed delivery (Where they came to the Hotel and there was no one at the front desk to sign for it and accept the tickets on my behalf).
They had sent a link containing a whole set of documents pertaining to the Carnival. The traditions, sequence of events for each of the 2 days (Sunday and Monday), how to get to the Sambadromo (where the samba schools parade) and so on. I printed the entire lot. I headed back to the hotel and dumped all these documents in my room.
Ipanema does not have a metro station. There is a bus service that will transfer passengers to the nearest metro station. I wanted to head to the city centre to see the Teatro Municipal and other historic buildings. Two Brazilian girls (who spoke no English) literally guided me all the way (Choosing the right bus, getting off at the train station and taking the train going the right direction and getting off at the right station) to the Teatro Municipal.
The bus was excellent. Well air-conditioned with classical music being piped all the way (20-min ride). The Trains were also air-conditioned, with detailed announcements in Portuguese with the Station names alone being repeated in English ("Next Stop - BOTAFAGO"). After getting off at CINELANDIA Station, it took us close to 6-8 minutes just to get out of the underground station.
Carnival was in full swing and the area around Teatro Municipal and the Bibliotheca was taken over by the Carnival crowds. The crowd was packed so tight that I had difficulty squeezing by. I wandered for a bit around the side streets which were relatively empty. I was thirsty and had a drink at a McDonald's like cafe.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the plunge. I took out my fancy camera and the 24-70/2.8 lens. I attached the equally fancy flash on top of this. I hung the camera around my neck and started to edge my way into the crowd. And it was like Gopal's parting of the Bay of Guanabara! People assumed that I was a professional Photographer and posed for me. There were shouts from different corners from people asking me to take their pictures. They may be a tad disappointed when they do not find their faces in tomorrow's papers!
People are indeed quite uninhibited here. Your colour, body size or shape does not matter. People of all walks dress up and party. There were numerous food stalls set up. Needless to say they were all heavy on meat.
I spent over an hour 'posing' as a 'Photographer'. After having my fill of the street carnival celebrations, I walked along a quieter nearby street and saw old churches and the former parliament building (when RIO was the Capital of Brasil). I stumbled onto the Centro Cultural after about 20 minutes of walking. I had a late lunch of Pasta at the cafe there.
I continued my walk along Presidents Vargas. I saw people preparing floats for the parades. I took pictures of the floats and the people. Stores near Uruguayana station were selling all kinds of costumes.
I headed into the Uruguayana station and took the train to Maracana. I purchased a ticket on the upper deck (R$15). BOTAFAGO was playing VASCO. I walked into the second half of the first game (they were playing 2 games against each other today). I walked (purely by accident) into the BOTAFAGO stand. As I walked in, BOTAFAGO scored on a penalty kick (1-0). The stand erupted. Samba drums, sparklers, huge flags being unfurled and the BOTAFAGO fans jumping up and down. The Huge banners can and do cover an entire stand (of 10,000 folks).
Maracana (which has been given a big facelift in recent years) is a magnificent stadium. Here was yet another dream come true as I have always wanted to watch a game at the Maracana. The renovations to the stadium have been done as Brazil prepares to host the World Cup in 2014. A ticket to the finals (of the 2014 cup) with Brazil as a finalist would be something to dream for!
I digress. The word 'Passion' should ONLY be used to describe a Brazilian Soccer fan. The moment a player gets the ball, there are 10,000 coaches directing the player on what he needs to do next. Disappointment reigns if the player chooses an alternative play to the one that was proposed.
The first game ended and Botafago won (1-0). The second game started at 6:15 PM. A long trail of tourists (predominantly white) shepherded by a guide arrived at the Botafago stands and meekly sat down. One of the hotels in Ipanema was charging R$90 (US$55) for this game (transport was included both ways). The Metro tickets are R$2.40 each way and the ticket cost me R$15. For R$20, I was doing the same thing as these tourists. Then again, I am on an extended trip and watch what I spend. As long as I do not open my mouth (or am asked something), I am a Brazilian for all intents and purposes. As I do not dress flashily or do not stand out by wearing flowery shorts or a T-Shirt that says "ENGLAND" or "NY YANKEES", I am able to mingle easily. Getting sunburnt does indeed help.
In the Second game, Ze Carlos (of Botafago) scored a Magnificent goal. Hopefully it is on You Tube (BOTAFAGO vs. VASCO - Feb 2, 2008). BOTAFAGO was leading 2-0 well into the second half before Vasco scored (2-1). Ze Carlos then committed a dumb penalty and was promptly red carded. He was roundly cursed by the fans. Cursing and Passion are not limited to the men folk at these games. The women can unleash a verbal barrage as well and they do.
VASCO equalized shortly thereafter. Botafago fans were crestfallen. A little after the second half had commenced, I had started to walked around the stadium to take pictures from the different stands and by now, I had returned to my Original Botafago stand. As I settled into a seat (there is no numbered seating here), a Botafago player was bought down in the Vasco goal area and Botafago was awarded a Penalty kick and the offending Vasco Player was red-carded.
Botafago scored on the Penalty kick and regained the lead (3-2). The stand erupted. I was high fiving and hand shaking with complete strangers and rejoicing. This is Sport. Pure and Passionate. Botafago also has a beautifully rhyming song that is sun at frequent intervals during the game. The Samba drummers go on almost non-stop for the entire game. Botafago went on to win the second game as well (3-2) and the players (to a man) come before the Botafago stand and salute the fans.
A Singularly great experience. I cannot think of another to top this. As the game ended, VASCO fans were let out of the stadium through one exit. Botafago fans (including Moi) were shepherded to another exit (180 degrees away). To avoid any ugly altercations, Riot police are deployed in force. They patrol the stands during the game and are on hand shepherding the opposing fans to diametrically opposite exit gates.
It is an excellent experience and quite safe to walk around the stadium area and to take the train at night after the game. I would unreservedly recommend this to any soccer fan as long as you can let go and be passionate about one or the other team playing.
I took the train from Maracana to the last stop and then transferred to a Bus to get back to my hotel. I am getting good at this. I stop by to have a nice Yoghurt shake at a natural food place at 10 PM. I check with the front desk and the Carnival tickets have still not been delivered. I am really worried now as tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is our Carnival day.
I do a late e-mail check at the hotel and find out that RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES has refunded the money to my PayPal account! There were no explanations given for this. I write to them asking the reasons for refunding my money and telling them that my trip to RIO (at this time) was made exclusively for the Carnival.
I am not sure if we can even get tickets for Monday's Parade.
February 3, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
After breakfast, I talked to Philippe (the front desk manager who speaks excellent English) about my Carnival fiasco with RIO CARNIVAL Services (RCS). There was a German girl at the desk who experienced a similar fiasco (RCS refunded her money as well without explanations). Highly dubious company as there is no one to answer the phones at the number given in our e-mails.
Philippe called a few local travel agents to inquire about tickets for tomorrow. They had tickets for R$425 (US$ 250) - which was half the price of what RCS had charged us! I told Philippe that I would talk to my friend who was expected to arrive later this morning before confirming.
It had started raining and the steady drizzle showed no sign of stopping. Dark clouds were all over. I headed to an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 ports and backed up my memory cards containing the pictures from Iguacu and the soccer game from yesterday.
I got back to the hotel by 1 PM and found that my friend had checked-in. We chatted about the ticket issues and RCS and decided to buy the tickets from the local travel agents. After all we were saving US$250 per ticket even after spending R$425 per ticket. Since the travel agents (who were selling the tickets) would only accept CASH, I headed to a nearby ATM to withdraw some money. After giving the money to Philippe and asking him to hold the tickets for us, we headed out to Lunch.
We went to NATRAJ (the Indian restaurant I visited on Friday) and had an extended lunch with a nice Brazilian red wine. To digest all that food, we took a leisurely walk along the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema. We saw quite a few street parties (block carnivals as they are called) on the way back and also waded into the waters for a bit.
After a short pit stop at the hotel (where we picked up our Carnival tickets), we started walking towards Copacabana beach. Leblon is to the West of Ipanema, while Copacabana is to the East of Ipanema. A leisurely 40 minute walk bought us to Copacabana beach. The rain had stopped.
We stopped to watch people playing beach soccer-volleyball! (Cannot think of an appropriate name to describe it). The "field"is a beach volleyball court. The server starts by placing the ball on a mound (just outside his side of the court) and kicking it. The ball sails over the net to the other side. The opposing team (composing of 2 players) use their head and feet and have to send the ball back to the other side in 3 tries. These folks are extremely skilled and it was quite fascinating to watch them play this.
Having had a heavy and late lunch, I settle for an Ice-cream sundae at a restaurant on the Copacabana beach front. We walked to the Marriott hotel to see the Super bowl and found that it was quite crowded. Copacabana palace hotel was not showing it. We headed back to the hotel in the hopes of seeing it there. The Hotel TV channels were not showing it!
I wrote my diary and watched the Samba Parade being shown live on one of the channels. Of the 12 Samba Schools that compete, 6 schools march today and the remaining 6 march tomorrow. The 6 top place finishers will have a winners parade on Saturday (Feb 9).
The weather has definitely rained on our parade today. All we can hope for is that tomorrow and the rest of our days in RIO are rain-free.
February 4, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
Murphy's law. It started raining early and continued. We wandered aimlessly from 10 AM - Noon around Ipanema. Being Carnival, most shops are closed and the few that intend to open do so after 12 Pm or sometime even after 3 PM. We visited a nice bookshop in Ipanema and then took a train to the city centre to visit a historic confiteria. It was CLOSED. The Poncho purchased at Iguassu was a life saver for me. We took a train back to Copacabana and headed to the Copacabana beach hotel to exchange Traveller's checks. American Express (surprisingly) does not operate in Brasil.
The Copacabana palace hotel (a very high class hotel - far better than the Marriotts' of the world) has an arrangement with Amex, wherein they exchange AMEX Traveller's checks for a nominal fee (0.38% of check value - So for $100 exchanged, they will deduct a fee of 38 cents) which was much better than paying the exorbitant ATM Service fees levied by the Brazilian banks.
We wanted to have lunch and decided to check out the Copacabana palace hotel lunch room. We were NOT dressed properly to be SEATED at the Restaurant but could eat the buffet lunch instead. I walked around and spotted 4-dishes out of about 50, that I could eat. The buffet was R$240 (US$ 140) per person! Now you know why I called it too classy and WAY above the Marriott! We made some excuse about my friend having a bad stomach and walked out. We settled on a nearby restaurant and I ordered Pizza for Lunch. It was Singularly the most disgusting thing, I have ever tasted in my life. Since the Carnival was scheduled to start at 9 PM and go on through the night into early Tuesday Morning, I had to eat something.
We walked back to Ipanema. The rain had more or less stopped. We stopped at a nearby grocery store and bought some cookies and water for the evening.
We left the hotel at 6:30 PM and took a bus to the nearest train station and then the train to Central Station. We had a 20-25 minute walk from here to the Sambadromo - where the schools march. The walk took 25 minutes as the crowds had started pouring in to the Sambadromo. All our tickets had Magnetic strips on the back. (Even the soccer game tickets had magnetic strips) Many of the stadiums and the sambadromo have installed card readers. We swiped and entered the Sambadromo.
We were at the Upper level of Section 7. Seats were unreserved. I glorify the situation by calling them seats. It was a long concrete slab! The slabs were all wet and some even had small puddles of water. Talk about a business opportunity. Vendors were selling cushions (encased in Plastic) for R$10 per cushion. We bought 2.
The parade commenced around 9:30 PM. The first school put up a terrific performance. Their music and song (that accompanies their dance routines) were excellent. The school took about an hour and 15 minutes to walk the length of the sambadromo. There are 3 sets of Judges situated on sections 7, 9 and 11 and the schools usually stop and perform for these folks. Being in Section 7 had its advantages.
When one entered the stadium, one was provided with a small packet. The packet had information on the Sambadromo, its facilities, the sequence of schools parading that evening, the songs being performed by each school as well as the School's presentation theme and so on. All of our packets had male and female contraceptive devices including pictorial instructions on how to use them along with a warning on how we ought to protect ourselves from diseases including Aids. Give them full credit for this. They know fully well that people here come to party and have a good time and they acknowledge it while ensuring that fun can be disease free. Knowing the American prudishness, I would be shocked if they did something similar at New Orleans.
There was a 10-15 minute break while the cleaners cleaned up the parade route that is usually strewn with streamers and other paper stuff. The next school started marching after this cleaning operation.
When each school commences their parade, there is a 10-minute fireworks display. My friend and I were spoilt by the American fireworks and were not impressed by the fireworks put up by any of the schools. The performances alone were fireworks enough for us.
The scantily clad women (that adorn most newspapers or magazine pages whenever they decide to report on Carnival!) dance in front of the drummers to motivate them. Each school has a large group of drummers and percussionists, singers, a dozen floats that depict the theme chosen by the school (could be slavery, global warming etc.) and dozens of folks who ensure that the entire school performs its choreographed routine to a T.
I used my SLIK AMT (Aluminium-Magnesium-Titanium) tripod along with my 24-70 /2.8 lens for most of the shoot. Since the performers were constantly moving, I needed a shutter speed of 1/100th of second to stop the action. Needless to say, I had to increase the ASA (Film speed - yes, it exists in Digital Cameras as well) to 800! I even shot some pictures at an ASA of 1600. Will see how they turn out. It is in situations like these that one missed the SWEETEST lens of all - the 70-200/2.8 with Image Stabilisation! If I get a decent tax refund for 2007, I can keep that dream alive :)
We watched all the 6 Schools parade. Each school takes anywhere from 60-75 minutes to complete their parade across the length of the sambadromo. Some folks (mostly tourists) leave after 1 AM or 2 AM as it is well past their bedtime. The winner from the last year's parade marches last and my friend and I were determined to stay until the end. For 2 folks who had been awake since 8 AM Monday morning, we did pretty well. By the time Beija Flor (Hummingbird in Portuguese) finished its spectacularly costumed and choreographed parade, it was close to 5:30 AM.
We got back to the hotel (trains run all through the night during these days) at 6:30 AM. I wrote my diary for a bit so I could stay awake until 7 AM. At 7 AM, I headed down for Breakfast! After a quick breakfast, I got back to my room and hit the sack by 7:30 AM.
Wonder of wonders: The weather was good throughout the parade - Starting from 8 PM until I hit the sack at 7:30 AM it did not rain at all!
February 5, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up around 1 PM, showered and headed out at 2 PM. My friend was still sleeping. We had agreed during our ride back (early this morning) that we would meet for dinner tonight! It was quite dull and grey to do any sightseeing. I sincerely hope and pray that tomorrow's weather is better as it would be my last full day in Rio before I head out to the Amazon on the 7th morning.
I headed to a local internet cafe and backed up all my Carnival pictures. I had shot over 500 pictures. I hope at least 50 are GOOD! My hotel manager had told me that Banda Ipanema was performing at Ipanema centre. After the excellent and grandiose performances at the Carnival, these performances were quite lame.
I visited a local bookstore / cafe for some tea and cake before heading back to the hotel by 6:30 PM.
We headed to a well recommended Italian restaurant nearby. For the food we had it was WAY overpriced.
My friend had decided to see another Carnival Ball nearby. The show was to start at 11 PM and go on until the wee hours of the morning. The tickets were R$200 (US$120). I wanted to spend tomorrow seeing as much of RIO as possible and that cannot happen if I go to this Carnival ball tonight. I passed.
I obtained my friend's laptop and transcribed my hand written blog to an electronic document. Sometimes I wish I had carried a small laptop. Then again, carry too many expensive items was not too appealing.
February 6, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up early but by the time I got out of the hotel, it was 10:30 AM. I took a bus (511) to Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). The mountain has a cable car to the top from where one can get excellent views of RIO. The cable car fee was R$35 (US$20). The cable car operates in 2 stages. Stage 1 takes you to a certain altitude where one gets off and can walk around. If one intends to go higher (which everyone wants to), you walk about 200 metres and take a second cable car to the upper most level.
The first viewpoint was quite good. It was not raining and one was able to see a lot of things around. Corcovado (which is famous for the "Cristo Redentor" statue) was being gradually obscured by the clouds. I met a Brooklyn chap (John) at the first viewpoint. We chatted and took the second cable car to the uppermost viewpoint.
By the time we got there, there was a thick cloud cover BELOW US. We literally felt like we were on CLOUD 2! It had started drizzling as well. Curse the weather gods! We tried to wait it out by having a coffee and chatting for 45 minutes to no avail. We gave up and headed back down. John was taking an early evening flight back to the US. He had spent close to 2 weeks in Brasil - 1 week in Salvador and 1 week in RIO). He had seen Corcovado already and even though that was next on my agenda, I decided to forgo it as the drizzle and the cloud cover meant that I would not be able to see anything from the top.
We decided to visit Santa Teresa and travel in an ancient Tram that would take us to an back from Santa Teresa. It was considered a Bohemian neighbourhood with lots of artists and cafes. It may even be a good place for Lunch. I still wanted to visit the famous confiteria shop and have a dessert there. We took a bus from Pao de Acucar to the city centre. Buses here are cheap and excellent to travel around. The journey took around 25 minutes and took us across Botafago, Flamengo etc. before dropping us close to the city centre.
We asked around a few time about the Cable car to Santa Teresa before finally finding it. During our search, we came across a Praha Mahatma Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi Plaza) and we both took turns taking our pictures there! The tram (single car) can take only 40 people at a time. We waited closed to 40 minutes before we could board a tram. The charge was R$0.60 (60 Centavos - 35 cents). The tram goes over an ancient aqueduct before climbing to the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. One can get a good view of parts of Rio from here. I took a few pictures.
My guidebook had also warned that I needed to keep all my belongings close to me as folks can snatch things and disappear into the alleyways. I kept my camera safe inside and had an iron grip on my backpack. During our ride we observed that most restaurants were full. On reaching the final stop, we decided to stay on and return back to the centre. We paid the return fare and got back 10 minutes later. A decent experience but definitely NOT a must do. I could have tried my luck at Corcovado instead!
We decided to head to the famous Confiteria for a bite to eat. I had an excellent waffle with Ice-cream and hot chocolate at Confiteria Columbo which has been in operation for the past 108 years! John explained in detail, about his nut allergy symptoms and remedies. Was quite interesting to hear it from someone firsthand. He repeatedly asked the waiter whether there were nuts in my hot chocolate before ordering it (there were none). I could not tell whether there were nuts or not, as I am all nuts and no veggies! He carried a Syringe with him all the time, in case he gets an attack. (it contains an adrenalin shot to ease the constriction experienced during these attacks)
We asked for the bill and left the money in the billfold provided by the restaurant. Like true Americans, we assumed that that was that (i.e: The waiter would pick up the billfold, take the money, post it against the bill and all would be well). While we were chatting and getting ready to leave, a waitress came to clean our table. After we got up, John checked the billfold and the money was not there. We assumed that the waitress cleaning the table had picked it up and we drifted out.
We noticed that there was an additional section of Confiteria columbo that was selling cookies and pastries prepared by the confiteria. We were both taken in by the fancy ceiling of this area and I took my camera out and took a few pictures. We each bought a souvenir from the restaurant as well. As we were getting ready to leave, a waiter asked us to follow him. He showed the billfold to us and asked us about the money. We told him that we had left the money in the billfold and walked and that we assumed that the waitress who cleaned our table took the money to give it to the cashier.
We even pointed our the waitress who cleaned our table. The head waiter asked her and she denied taking the money. The head waiter believed us and told us to carry on. John wanted to settle this at a higher level. We walked to the other side and explained this to the restaurant manager / owner. He spoke a bit of English. He asked me if I spoke Portuguese and I said no. He called and head waiter and there was a 5-minute discussion between them in Portuguese. At the end of it, the owner looked at us and said: "You can go. I want you to come back next time". John thought that was an oblique way of saying "don't come back"! I thought the opposite: He did not want us telling folks back home about how we were cheated at this famous restaurant! Bad publicity and he knows it.
We both think the waitress who cleaned our table took the money. John shared a few of his horror stories (that he had experienced in the last 2 weeks in Salvador and in Rio) during our train ride back to Copacabana. This was definitely a wake up call for me to be VERY Careful during the rest of my Brazilian trip. Most of the times, I pay by Credit card. There cannot be any sleight of hand there, as I need to sign a receipt - when I can ensure that the correct amount has been charged to my card. I should probably continue to do more credit card charges in the future.
On reaching Copacabana, we bid adieu and promised to catch up when I returned to the US in April. I took a bus back to Ipanema. As my friend was headed back to the US and had space in the suitcase, I packed up a few souvenirs, unneeded clothes, brochures etc. (about 4 Kilograms) and gave it to my friend to carry back home.
We headed to a different Indian restaurant for dinner as I want to have my fill of spicy food for the next month! We had dinner at RAJMAHAL at Botafago. The restaurant had a nice ambience. The food was so-so. The Vegetable Biriyani had way too much turmeric in it. Quite expensive for the quality of food we had. I would most certainly recommend NATRAJ (In Leblon) over RAJMAHAL, any day. The BEST Indian food so far was at the Indian restaurant in Santiago, Chile. Will have to see if I can find better Indian restaurants in Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires.
We took a taxi back to the hotel. I bid adieu to my friend as I would leaving very early tomorrow morning for my 7:20 AM flight. I packed and went to bed around 11 PM.
I had spoken to a taxi driver (many of whom hang around our hotel entrance) about a ride to the airport tomorrow morning. He will hopefully be there at 5:30 AM as I requested.
My Impressions of RIO, Carnival and more:
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Carnival is a terrific experience. Avoid RCS (RIO Carnival Services) like the plague. One can always come to RIO and buy tickets that are significantly cheaper than those offered by RCS. In a way the cancellation of our tickets and the refunding of our money was a blessing.
Most folks (including us) stayed at Copacabana and Ipanema. See if you can find a place farther down and stay there. DO NOT BOOK a 5-day hotel package like we were forced to do. Pay more per day but STAY for 2 NIGHTS ONLY. Since most places are closed for the carnival, leave RIO after your Carnival watching and head out someplace quiet. Come back a week after the Carnival when stores and museums open for business and hotels start charging NORMAL prices. San Marco Hotel (where we stayed) is not worth more than US$40 per night of stay. We paid close to US$200 per night!
As I said earlier. They know the desperation of the tourist (or more precisely the first time visitor to the Carnival) and they squeeze you dry.
If you even remotely follow soccer, a game at the Maracana is a MUST. Sit among the locals and experience the passion. Don't sit next to some blokes (or shielas) from back home and reminisce about traffic back home, or some local sporting team back home and other inane bullshit. You are at the Maracana. Experience it. [Yes, I met a fellow New Yorker today. We spent no more than 3-4 minutes exchanging information about ourselves. The rest of our time was spent experiencing RIO and exchanging information and advice on travel / places in Brazil. Not africa, Connecticut or Thailand! Here and NOW]
The beaches in my Opinion are OVERRATED. You need to be well out of RIO to experience GOOD beaches. So if beaches are your thing, there are FAR better places than RIO.
Carnival parties: Avoid the parties in Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana etc. They are filled with stuck up tourists (I include myself here) who know not how to party. Go to the city centre or other places where the locals party. THEY KNOW HOW! Even if you are stuck-up, the process of Osmosis can do wonders to your partying mood!
Outside of the Carnival and a game at the Maracana, I cannot see ANY REDEEMING qualities to visit and spend more than 3-days in RIO.
As I am travelling to at least 5 other places before the end of my Brazilian odyssey, I shall hopefully recommend better places to visit in Brazil to spend time (and money) in.
==============================
I woke up early and finished breakfast by 8:45 AM. I spoke to the Day manager (who spoke excellent English and was quite personable) about the non-arrival of my Carnival tickets. He told me that nothing had been delivered thus far and explained that there are delays at times and that they would eventually be delivered. Comforting words but I would prefer to have the tickets in my possession! One of the assistants at the front desk told me that there was a soccer game that afternoon at the Maracana. He also told me that given that the Carnival had commenced, there may not be much of a crowd at the game.
I walked to the Laundromat which was 2 blocks from my hotel. IPANEMA seems like Palm Beach! Stores like H.Stern, Tiffany and Mont Blanc abounded and here I was looking for a cheap Laundromat. The lady at the Laundromat spoke no English or Spanish. Fortunately a customer (who had come to pick up his laundered clothes) did speak Spanish and he told me that clothes given today (Saturday) will be ready for pickup on Wednesday (Feb 6th) evening as most stores are closed the next 3 days for the Carnival! I rushed back to the hotel and back to the Laundromat to hand over my clothes. The charge for 3.2 Kilos was R$22 (US$12 - a tad expensive).
I walked to the beach at Ipanema (3 blocks away). It was 9:30 and it was hot and humid. I was wilting. I popped into an internet cafe for 30-minutes. I found an e-mail there from RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES stating that the carnival tickets would be delivered today (Saturday) evening. I think they are cutting it a bit too fine (as tomorrow is Sunday and my Carnival program is on Monday Evening). At least, there had not been a missed delivery (Where they came to the Hotel and there was no one at the front desk to sign for it and accept the tickets on my behalf).
They had sent a link containing a whole set of documents pertaining to the Carnival. The traditions, sequence of events for each of the 2 days (Sunday and Monday), how to get to the Sambadromo (where the samba schools parade) and so on. I printed the entire lot. I headed back to the hotel and dumped all these documents in my room.
Ipanema does not have a metro station. There is a bus service that will transfer passengers to the nearest metro station. I wanted to head to the city centre to see the Teatro Municipal and other historic buildings. Two Brazilian girls (who spoke no English) literally guided me all the way (Choosing the right bus, getting off at the train station and taking the train going the right direction and getting off at the right station) to the Teatro Municipal.
The bus was excellent. Well air-conditioned with classical music being piped all the way (20-min ride). The Trains were also air-conditioned, with detailed announcements in Portuguese with the Station names alone being repeated in English ("Next Stop - BOTAFAGO"). After getting off at CINELANDIA Station, it took us close to 6-8 minutes just to get out of the underground station.
Carnival was in full swing and the area around Teatro Municipal and the Bibliotheca was taken over by the Carnival crowds. The crowd was packed so tight that I had difficulty squeezing by. I wandered for a bit around the side streets which were relatively empty. I was thirsty and had a drink at a McDonald's like cafe.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the plunge. I took out my fancy camera and the 24-70/2.8 lens. I attached the equally fancy flash on top of this. I hung the camera around my neck and started to edge my way into the crowd. And it was like Gopal's parting of the Bay of Guanabara! People assumed that I was a professional Photographer and posed for me. There were shouts from different corners from people asking me to take their pictures. They may be a tad disappointed when they do not find their faces in tomorrow's papers!
People are indeed quite uninhibited here. Your colour, body size or shape does not matter. People of all walks dress up and party. There were numerous food stalls set up. Needless to say they were all heavy on meat.
I spent over an hour 'posing' as a 'Photographer'. After having my fill of the street carnival celebrations, I walked along a quieter nearby street and saw old churches and the former parliament building (when RIO was the Capital of Brasil). I stumbled onto the Centro Cultural after about 20 minutes of walking. I had a late lunch of Pasta at the cafe there.
I continued my walk along Presidents Vargas. I saw people preparing floats for the parades. I took pictures of the floats and the people. Stores near Uruguayana station were selling all kinds of costumes.
I headed into the Uruguayana station and took the train to Maracana. I purchased a ticket on the upper deck (R$15). BOTAFAGO was playing VASCO. I walked into the second half of the first game (they were playing 2 games against each other today). I walked (purely by accident) into the BOTAFAGO stand. As I walked in, BOTAFAGO scored on a penalty kick (1-0). The stand erupted. Samba drums, sparklers, huge flags being unfurled and the BOTAFAGO fans jumping up and down. The Huge banners can and do cover an entire stand (of 10,000 folks).
Maracana (which has been given a big facelift in recent years) is a magnificent stadium. Here was yet another dream come true as I have always wanted to watch a game at the Maracana. The renovations to the stadium have been done as Brazil prepares to host the World Cup in 2014. A ticket to the finals (of the 2014 cup) with Brazil as a finalist would be something to dream for!
I digress. The word 'Passion' should ONLY be used to describe a Brazilian Soccer fan. The moment a player gets the ball, there are 10,000 coaches directing the player on what he needs to do next. Disappointment reigns if the player chooses an alternative play to the one that was proposed.
The first game ended and Botafago won (1-0). The second game started at 6:15 PM. A long trail of tourists (predominantly white) shepherded by a guide arrived at the Botafago stands and meekly sat down. One of the hotels in Ipanema was charging R$90 (US$55) for this game (transport was included both ways). The Metro tickets are R$2.40 each way and the ticket cost me R$15. For R$20, I was doing the same thing as these tourists. Then again, I am on an extended trip and watch what I spend. As long as I do not open my mouth (or am asked something), I am a Brazilian for all intents and purposes. As I do not dress flashily or do not stand out by wearing flowery shorts or a T-Shirt that says "ENGLAND" or "NY YANKEES", I am able to mingle easily. Getting sunburnt does indeed help.
In the Second game, Ze Carlos (of Botafago) scored a Magnificent goal. Hopefully it is on You Tube (BOTAFAGO vs. VASCO - Feb 2, 2008). BOTAFAGO was leading 2-0 well into the second half before Vasco scored (2-1). Ze Carlos then committed a dumb penalty and was promptly red carded. He was roundly cursed by the fans. Cursing and Passion are not limited to the men folk at these games. The women can unleash a verbal barrage as well and they do.
VASCO equalized shortly thereafter. Botafago fans were crestfallen. A little after the second half had commenced, I had started to walked around the stadium to take pictures from the different stands and by now, I had returned to my Original Botafago stand. As I settled into a seat (there is no numbered seating here), a Botafago player was bought down in the Vasco goal area and Botafago was awarded a Penalty kick and the offending Vasco Player was red-carded.
Botafago scored on the Penalty kick and regained the lead (3-2). The stand erupted. I was high fiving and hand shaking with complete strangers and rejoicing. This is Sport. Pure and Passionate. Botafago also has a beautifully rhyming song that is sun at frequent intervals during the game. The Samba drummers go on almost non-stop for the entire game. Botafago went on to win the second game as well (3-2) and the players (to a man) come before the Botafago stand and salute the fans.
A Singularly great experience. I cannot think of another to top this. As the game ended, VASCO fans were let out of the stadium through one exit. Botafago fans (including Moi) were shepherded to another exit (180 degrees away). To avoid any ugly altercations, Riot police are deployed in force. They patrol the stands during the game and are on hand shepherding the opposing fans to diametrically opposite exit gates.
It is an excellent experience and quite safe to walk around the stadium area and to take the train at night after the game. I would unreservedly recommend this to any soccer fan as long as you can let go and be passionate about one or the other team playing.
I took the train from Maracana to the last stop and then transferred to a Bus to get back to my hotel. I am getting good at this. I stop by to have a nice Yoghurt shake at a natural food place at 10 PM. I check with the front desk and the Carnival tickets have still not been delivered. I am really worried now as tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is our Carnival day.
I do a late e-mail check at the hotel and find out that RIO CARNIVAL SERVICES has refunded the money to my PayPal account! There were no explanations given for this. I write to them asking the reasons for refunding my money and telling them that my trip to RIO (at this time) was made exclusively for the Carnival.
I am not sure if we can even get tickets for Monday's Parade.
February 3, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
After breakfast, I talked to Philippe (the front desk manager who speaks excellent English) about my Carnival fiasco with RIO CARNIVAL Services (RCS). There was a German girl at the desk who experienced a similar fiasco (RCS refunded her money as well without explanations). Highly dubious company as there is no one to answer the phones at the number given in our e-mails.
Philippe called a few local travel agents to inquire about tickets for tomorrow. They had tickets for R$425 (US$ 250) - which was half the price of what RCS had charged us! I told Philippe that I would talk to my friend who was expected to arrive later this morning before confirming.
It had started raining and the steady drizzle showed no sign of stopping. Dark clouds were all over. I headed to an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 ports and backed up my memory cards containing the pictures from Iguacu and the soccer game from yesterday.
I got back to the hotel by 1 PM and found that my friend had checked-in. We chatted about the ticket issues and RCS and decided to buy the tickets from the local travel agents. After all we were saving US$250 per ticket even after spending R$425 per ticket. Since the travel agents (who were selling the tickets) would only accept CASH, I headed to a nearby ATM to withdraw some money. After giving the money to Philippe and asking him to hold the tickets for us, we headed out to Lunch.
We went to NATRAJ (the Indian restaurant I visited on Friday) and had an extended lunch with a nice Brazilian red wine. To digest all that food, we took a leisurely walk along the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema. We saw quite a few street parties (block carnivals as they are called) on the way back and also waded into the waters for a bit.
After a short pit stop at the hotel (where we picked up our Carnival tickets), we started walking towards Copacabana beach. Leblon is to the West of Ipanema, while Copacabana is to the East of Ipanema. A leisurely 40 minute walk bought us to Copacabana beach. The rain had stopped.
We stopped to watch people playing beach soccer-volleyball! (Cannot think of an appropriate name to describe it). The "field"is a beach volleyball court. The server starts by placing the ball on a mound (just outside his side of the court) and kicking it. The ball sails over the net to the other side. The opposing team (composing of 2 players) use their head and feet and have to send the ball back to the other side in 3 tries. These folks are extremely skilled and it was quite fascinating to watch them play this.
Having had a heavy and late lunch, I settle for an Ice-cream sundae at a restaurant on the Copacabana beach front. We walked to the Marriott hotel to see the Super bowl and found that it was quite crowded. Copacabana palace hotel was not showing it. We headed back to the hotel in the hopes of seeing it there. The Hotel TV channels were not showing it!
I wrote my diary and watched the Samba Parade being shown live on one of the channels. Of the 12 Samba Schools that compete, 6 schools march today and the remaining 6 march tomorrow. The 6 top place finishers will have a winners parade on Saturday (Feb 9).
The weather has definitely rained on our parade today. All we can hope for is that tomorrow and the rest of our days in RIO are rain-free.
February 4, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
Murphy's law. It started raining early and continued. We wandered aimlessly from 10 AM - Noon around Ipanema. Being Carnival, most shops are closed and the few that intend to open do so after 12 Pm or sometime even after 3 PM. We visited a nice bookshop in Ipanema and then took a train to the city centre to visit a historic confiteria. It was CLOSED. The Poncho purchased at Iguassu was a life saver for me. We took a train back to Copacabana and headed to the Copacabana beach hotel to exchange Traveller's checks. American Express (surprisingly) does not operate in Brasil.
The Copacabana palace hotel (a very high class hotel - far better than the Marriotts' of the world) has an arrangement with Amex, wherein they exchange AMEX Traveller's checks for a nominal fee (0.38% of check value - So for $100 exchanged, they will deduct a fee of 38 cents) which was much better than paying the exorbitant ATM Service fees levied by the Brazilian banks.
We wanted to have lunch and decided to check out the Copacabana palace hotel lunch room. We were NOT dressed properly to be SEATED at the Restaurant but could eat the buffet lunch instead. I walked around and spotted 4-dishes out of about 50, that I could eat. The buffet was R$240 (US$ 140) per person! Now you know why I called it too classy and WAY above the Marriott! We made some excuse about my friend having a bad stomach and walked out. We settled on a nearby restaurant and I ordered Pizza for Lunch. It was Singularly the most disgusting thing, I have ever tasted in my life. Since the Carnival was scheduled to start at 9 PM and go on through the night into early Tuesday Morning, I had to eat something.
We walked back to Ipanema. The rain had more or less stopped. We stopped at a nearby grocery store and bought some cookies and water for the evening.
We left the hotel at 6:30 PM and took a bus to the nearest train station and then the train to Central Station. We had a 20-25 minute walk from here to the Sambadromo - where the schools march. The walk took 25 minutes as the crowds had started pouring in to the Sambadromo. All our tickets had Magnetic strips on the back. (Even the soccer game tickets had magnetic strips) Many of the stadiums and the sambadromo have installed card readers. We swiped and entered the Sambadromo.
We were at the Upper level of Section 7. Seats were unreserved. I glorify the situation by calling them seats. It was a long concrete slab! The slabs were all wet and some even had small puddles of water. Talk about a business opportunity. Vendors were selling cushions (encased in Plastic) for R$10 per cushion. We bought 2.
The parade commenced around 9:30 PM. The first school put up a terrific performance. Their music and song (that accompanies their dance routines) were excellent. The school took about an hour and 15 minutes to walk the length of the sambadromo. There are 3 sets of Judges situated on sections 7, 9 and 11 and the schools usually stop and perform for these folks. Being in Section 7 had its advantages.
When one entered the stadium, one was provided with a small packet. The packet had information on the Sambadromo, its facilities, the sequence of schools parading that evening, the songs being performed by each school as well as the School's presentation theme and so on. All of our packets had male and female contraceptive devices including pictorial instructions on how to use them along with a warning on how we ought to protect ourselves from diseases including Aids. Give them full credit for this. They know fully well that people here come to party and have a good time and they acknowledge it while ensuring that fun can be disease free. Knowing the American prudishness, I would be shocked if they did something similar at New Orleans.
There was a 10-15 minute break while the cleaners cleaned up the parade route that is usually strewn with streamers and other paper stuff. The next school started marching after this cleaning operation.
When each school commences their parade, there is a 10-minute fireworks display. My friend and I were spoilt by the American fireworks and were not impressed by the fireworks put up by any of the schools. The performances alone were fireworks enough for us.
The scantily clad women (that adorn most newspapers or magazine pages whenever they decide to report on Carnival!) dance in front of the drummers to motivate them. Each school has a large group of drummers and percussionists, singers, a dozen floats that depict the theme chosen by the school (could be slavery, global warming etc.) and dozens of folks who ensure that the entire school performs its choreographed routine to a T.
I used my SLIK AMT (Aluminium-Magnesium-Titanium) tripod along with my 24-70 /2.8 lens for most of the shoot. Since the performers were constantly moving, I needed a shutter speed of 1/100th of second to stop the action. Needless to say, I had to increase the ASA (Film speed - yes, it exists in Digital Cameras as well) to 800! I even shot some pictures at an ASA of 1600. Will see how they turn out. It is in situations like these that one missed the SWEETEST lens of all - the 70-200/2.8 with Image Stabilisation! If I get a decent tax refund for 2007, I can keep that dream alive :)
We watched all the 6 Schools parade. Each school takes anywhere from 60-75 minutes to complete their parade across the length of the sambadromo. Some folks (mostly tourists) leave after 1 AM or 2 AM as it is well past their bedtime. The winner from the last year's parade marches last and my friend and I were determined to stay until the end. For 2 folks who had been awake since 8 AM Monday morning, we did pretty well. By the time Beija Flor (Hummingbird in Portuguese) finished its spectacularly costumed and choreographed parade, it was close to 5:30 AM.
We got back to the hotel (trains run all through the night during these days) at 6:30 AM. I wrote my diary for a bit so I could stay awake until 7 AM. At 7 AM, I headed down for Breakfast! After a quick breakfast, I got back to my room and hit the sack by 7:30 AM.
Wonder of wonders: The weather was good throughout the parade - Starting from 8 PM until I hit the sack at 7:30 AM it did not rain at all!
February 5, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up around 1 PM, showered and headed out at 2 PM. My friend was still sleeping. We had agreed during our ride back (early this morning) that we would meet for dinner tonight! It was quite dull and grey to do any sightseeing. I sincerely hope and pray that tomorrow's weather is better as it would be my last full day in Rio before I head out to the Amazon on the 7th morning.
I headed to a local internet cafe and backed up all my Carnival pictures. I had shot over 500 pictures. I hope at least 50 are GOOD! My hotel manager had told me that Banda Ipanema was performing at Ipanema centre. After the excellent and grandiose performances at the Carnival, these performances were quite lame.
I visited a local bookstore / cafe for some tea and cake before heading back to the hotel by 6:30 PM.
We headed to a well recommended Italian restaurant nearby. For the food we had it was WAY overpriced.
My friend had decided to see another Carnival Ball nearby. The show was to start at 11 PM and go on until the wee hours of the morning. The tickets were R$200 (US$120). I wanted to spend tomorrow seeing as much of RIO as possible and that cannot happen if I go to this Carnival ball tonight. I passed.
I obtained my friend's laptop and transcribed my hand written blog to an electronic document. Sometimes I wish I had carried a small laptop. Then again, carry too many expensive items was not too appealing.
February 6, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I woke up early but by the time I got out of the hotel, it was 10:30 AM. I took a bus (511) to Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). The mountain has a cable car to the top from where one can get excellent views of RIO. The cable car fee was R$35 (US$20). The cable car operates in 2 stages. Stage 1 takes you to a certain altitude where one gets off and can walk around. If one intends to go higher (which everyone wants to), you walk about 200 metres and take a second cable car to the upper most level.
The first viewpoint was quite good. It was not raining and one was able to see a lot of things around. Corcovado (which is famous for the "Cristo Redentor" statue) was being gradually obscured by the clouds. I met a Brooklyn chap (John) at the first viewpoint. We chatted and took the second cable car to the uppermost viewpoint.
By the time we got there, there was a thick cloud cover BELOW US. We literally felt like we were on CLOUD 2! It had started drizzling as well. Curse the weather gods! We tried to wait it out by having a coffee and chatting for 45 minutes to no avail. We gave up and headed back down. John was taking an early evening flight back to the US. He had spent close to 2 weeks in Brasil - 1 week in Salvador and 1 week in RIO). He had seen Corcovado already and even though that was next on my agenda, I decided to forgo it as the drizzle and the cloud cover meant that I would not be able to see anything from the top.
We decided to visit Santa Teresa and travel in an ancient Tram that would take us to an back from Santa Teresa. It was considered a Bohemian neighbourhood with lots of artists and cafes. It may even be a good place for Lunch. I still wanted to visit the famous confiteria shop and have a dessert there. We took a bus from Pao de Acucar to the city centre. Buses here are cheap and excellent to travel around. The journey took around 25 minutes and took us across Botafago, Flamengo etc. before dropping us close to the city centre.
We asked around a few time about the Cable car to Santa Teresa before finally finding it. During our search, we came across a Praha Mahatma Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi Plaza) and we both took turns taking our pictures there! The tram (single car) can take only 40 people at a time. We waited closed to 40 minutes before we could board a tram. The charge was R$0.60 (60 Centavos - 35 cents). The tram goes over an ancient aqueduct before climbing to the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. One can get a good view of parts of Rio from here. I took a few pictures.
My guidebook had also warned that I needed to keep all my belongings close to me as folks can snatch things and disappear into the alleyways. I kept my camera safe inside and had an iron grip on my backpack. During our ride we observed that most restaurants were full. On reaching the final stop, we decided to stay on and return back to the centre. We paid the return fare and got back 10 minutes later. A decent experience but definitely NOT a must do. I could have tried my luck at Corcovado instead!
We decided to head to the famous Confiteria for a bite to eat. I had an excellent waffle with Ice-cream and hot chocolate at Confiteria Columbo which has been in operation for the past 108 years! John explained in detail, about his nut allergy symptoms and remedies. Was quite interesting to hear it from someone firsthand. He repeatedly asked the waiter whether there were nuts in my hot chocolate before ordering it (there were none). I could not tell whether there were nuts or not, as I am all nuts and no veggies! He carried a Syringe with him all the time, in case he gets an attack. (it contains an adrenalin shot to ease the constriction experienced during these attacks)
We asked for the bill and left the money in the billfold provided by the restaurant. Like true Americans, we assumed that that was that (i.e: The waiter would pick up the billfold, take the money, post it against the bill and all would be well). While we were chatting and getting ready to leave, a waitress came to clean our table. After we got up, John checked the billfold and the money was not there. We assumed that the waitress cleaning the table had picked it up and we drifted out.
We noticed that there was an additional section of Confiteria columbo that was selling cookies and pastries prepared by the confiteria. We were both taken in by the fancy ceiling of this area and I took my camera out and took a few pictures. We each bought a souvenir from the restaurant as well. As we were getting ready to leave, a waiter asked us to follow him. He showed the billfold to us and asked us about the money. We told him that we had left the money in the billfold and walked and that we assumed that the waitress who cleaned our table took the money to give it to the cashier.
We even pointed our the waitress who cleaned our table. The head waiter asked her and she denied taking the money. The head waiter believed us and told us to carry on. John wanted to settle this at a higher level. We walked to the other side and explained this to the restaurant manager / owner. He spoke a bit of English. He asked me if I spoke Portuguese and I said no. He called and head waiter and there was a 5-minute discussion between them in Portuguese. At the end of it, the owner looked at us and said: "You can go. I want you to come back next time". John thought that was an oblique way of saying "don't come back"! I thought the opposite: He did not want us telling folks back home about how we were cheated at this famous restaurant! Bad publicity and he knows it.
We both think the waitress who cleaned our table took the money. John shared a few of his horror stories (that he had experienced in the last 2 weeks in Salvador and in Rio) during our train ride back to Copacabana. This was definitely a wake up call for me to be VERY Careful during the rest of my Brazilian trip. Most of the times, I pay by Credit card. There cannot be any sleight of hand there, as I need to sign a receipt - when I can ensure that the correct amount has been charged to my card. I should probably continue to do more credit card charges in the future.
On reaching Copacabana, we bid adieu and promised to catch up when I returned to the US in April. I took a bus back to Ipanema. As my friend was headed back to the US and had space in the suitcase, I packed up a few souvenirs, unneeded clothes, brochures etc. (about 4 Kilograms) and gave it to my friend to carry back home.
We headed to a different Indian restaurant for dinner as I want to have my fill of spicy food for the next month! We had dinner at RAJMAHAL at Botafago. The restaurant had a nice ambience. The food was so-so. The Vegetable Biriyani had way too much turmeric in it. Quite expensive for the quality of food we had. I would most certainly recommend NATRAJ (In Leblon) over RAJMAHAL, any day. The BEST Indian food so far was at the Indian restaurant in Santiago, Chile. Will have to see if I can find better Indian restaurants in Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires.
We took a taxi back to the hotel. I bid adieu to my friend as I would leaving very early tomorrow morning for my 7:20 AM flight. I packed and went to bed around 11 PM.
I had spoken to a taxi driver (many of whom hang around our hotel entrance) about a ride to the airport tomorrow morning. He will hopefully be there at 5:30 AM as I requested.
My Impressions of RIO, Carnival and more:
===============================
Carnival is a terrific experience. Avoid RCS (RIO Carnival Services) like the plague. One can always come to RIO and buy tickets that are significantly cheaper than those offered by RCS. In a way the cancellation of our tickets and the refunding of our money was a blessing.
Most folks (including us) stayed at Copacabana and Ipanema. See if you can find a place farther down and stay there. DO NOT BOOK a 5-day hotel package like we were forced to do. Pay more per day but STAY for 2 NIGHTS ONLY. Since most places are closed for the carnival, leave RIO after your Carnival watching and head out someplace quiet. Come back a week after the Carnival when stores and museums open for business and hotels start charging NORMAL prices. San Marco Hotel (where we stayed) is not worth more than US$40 per night of stay. We paid close to US$200 per night!
As I said earlier. They know the desperation of the tourist (or more precisely the first time visitor to the Carnival) and they squeeze you dry.
If you even remotely follow soccer, a game at the Maracana is a MUST. Sit among the locals and experience the passion. Don't sit next to some blokes (or shielas) from back home and reminisce about traffic back home, or some local sporting team back home and other inane bullshit. You are at the Maracana. Experience it. [Yes, I met a fellow New Yorker today. We spent no more than 3-4 minutes exchanging information about ourselves. The rest of our time was spent experiencing RIO and exchanging information and advice on travel / places in Brazil. Not africa, Connecticut or Thailand! Here and NOW]
The beaches in my Opinion are OVERRATED. You need to be well out of RIO to experience GOOD beaches. So if beaches are your thing, there are FAR better places than RIO.
Carnival parties: Avoid the parties in Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana etc. They are filled with stuck up tourists (I include myself here) who know not how to party. Go to the city centre or other places where the locals party. THEY KNOW HOW! Even if you are stuck-up, the process of Osmosis can do wonders to your partying mood!
Outside of the Carnival and a game at the Maracana, I cannot see ANY REDEEMING qualities to visit and spend more than 3-days in RIO.
As I am travelling to at least 5 other places before the end of my Brazilian odyssey, I shall hopefully recommend better places to visit in Brazil to spend time (and money) in.
February 1, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu & Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
February 1, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Brasil
==============================
For some inexplicable reason, I seem to be having sleepless nights the past few days. I wake up at 8 AM and was still sleepy (despite going to bed around 11 PM).
After breakfast, I got back to my room and reviewed my travel guides on places to see, things to do etc. in RIO. I should be able to accomplish all my activities during my 5-day stay there. Setting aside a full day for Carnival and recovery from it still leaves me with 4-days of time and I am not the type that likes to sit at the beach for hours and let life pass me by!
Despite the checkout time being 11 AM, I checked out at 10 AM as I had nothing else to do. My credit card was charges BR$180 (US$105) for 2 nights. Not a bad price for this hotel. I ran into Carla (or Denise as she prefers to be called). Denise and I had communication many times during the reservation process and she was the person I spoke to from Asuncion when requesting an extra night of stay at this hotel. Tall, Slim, Brazilian beauty. She towered over me in her heels. Even without them she would be slightly taller than me! As she spoke English we chatted for a bit.
A divorcee (with a 10-year old son) and a fish-eating vegetarian who happens to be a spiritualist. I met her Mom, dad (who owns the place) and Uncle (who runs the Hotel's travel agency) as well. Dad owns 2 other hotels in addition to this one. She has a couple of close Indian friends who live in Foz do Iguacu and is familiar with Indian cuisine. The Indian is a trader at Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). My hotel manager / driver at Ciudad del Este had also told me that almost the entire market at Ciudad del Este (which trades primarily in electronic goods) is owned / operated by Indians.
All of the Information was volunteered including the fact that she is NO LONGER married! However, looking and dreaming appeals far more to me these days :)
Both Denise and her mom were surprised that Footprint guides (South American Travel Handbook) had recommended their hotel. They were under the impression that one has to pay their way to get listed in these guidebooks. They were also unaware that most of the writers for guidebooks, stay anonymously and then rate the hotel or a restaurant. They said that if anyone mentions the guidebook (when making a reservation at this place) they would get a discount. I jokingly asked for my discount (as I had made my reservation based on this guidebook), but my question remained unanswered!
Denise and her parents headed back to work. The Hotel internet was R$10 per hour - no part-hour charge was possible. I asked her Uncle to take me to the airport. He had initially quoted me the same fare (R$40 - US$22) as the regular taxis for dropping me off at the airport.
He spoke good English and Spanish. I preferred to converse in these rather than Portuguese. He told me that the hotel business was quite good even in non-summer months. There are apparently 10,000 Arabs living in the Foz do Iguacu area. These folks are the descendants of the initial Arabs who came from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine etc 40+ years ago and were the first to establish trade between Brazil and Paraguay. In addition to the Arabs, there are lots of Indians, Chinese and Koreans as well. All engaged in trading at Ciudad del Este which was not surprising. Foz do Iguacu has a population of over 300,000 and over 200 hotels!
He described the corruption scale of the lower South American Countries. Paraguay is most corrupt, followed by Brasil and then Argentina. Chile is considered quite clean. Paraguayan police apparently dislike the Chinese and Korean folks. Is it because they are successful traders or is it because they sell shoddy products that break down on day 2? Don't know. Did not ask as we had reached the airport by now.
I paid the 40 Reais as we agreed. Looks like I have not been given any discounts! At the airport counter, I asked if I could travel on an earlier flight to RIO. No luck. Internet was expensive. I had 2-hours to kill. I browsed through some magazine shops. English language magazines are quite expensive here. Even a cheap Magazine like PC world costs around US$15 here. Some other magazines were more than US$20.
I ordered a Milk shake and wrote a bit of my diary. I still had another 40-minutes to kill! For all the time-wasting tactics and coming to the airport early, my flight departed an hour late! It is a good thing that I have a 2 1/2 hour gap at Sao Paolo (where I will change planes for RIO). As the flight took off, I did get a distant peak at Iguassu from the sky. Apart from that, it was an uneventful flight.
At Sao Paolo, I had to go through the International departures for the flight to RIO as it was eventually heading to Caracas (Venezuela). We waited close to an hour before boarding the plane. I had a window seat (I had requested Window seats for all my TAM flights when I made my booking). I watched my bag being loaded onto the Cargo hold of the plane.
A young kid sat next to me and we broke ice after an hour or so. He is a journalist working for the Brazilian tourism organisation and was headed to Recife (in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco) to report on the Carnival Celebrations there. He gets to travel around the country on an expense account and writes about cultural and tourism events. Nice gig and he loves it. He is 22.
We talked Soccer for a bit. He things the current coach DUNGA will not last long and that Ronaldo is fat. He thinks I should be fine by myself while travelling in RIO as I look like a Brazilian (until I open my mouth). Since he is based out of Sao Paolo, I will get in touch with him when I reach Sao Paolo. He has promised to shoe me around. All I would perhaps need are the locations of the Indian restaurants there and how to reach them :)
February 1, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I was waved through Passport and Customs as I told them I was coming from Iguacu. I obtained an excellent map of RIO from the state tourism agency at the airport and decided to take a bus to the area of IPANEMA where my hotel was located. I chatted with a Brazilian (who spoke English) who was also headed to Ipanema. We waited for close to 20 minutes and there was no sign of the bus to Ipanema.
A cab driver chatted the Brazilian up and wanted R$50 to carry any number of passengers to Ipanema in his mini-van taxi. We found 3 others (2 were Brazilian and 1 was a German Tourist). Apart from the German and self, the rest of them hardly had any baggage. So squeezing 5 people into the Mini-van along with our luggage was not a problem. All of the folks were travelling to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (adjacent suburbs). AT R$10 a person, it was R$3.50 more than what we would have paid as a bus fare (R$6.50).
The Van dropped me close to the hotel and I had to walk a block to get to it. Not an issue as my large bag had sturdy wheels and Ipanema is considered a very safe neighbourhood. I check-in and was shown a tiny-room with 2 beds and an attached bathroom. I was sharing this with my ex-colleague (who had called the hotel to inform them that she would be arriving on Sunday Morning). Would be a tight squeeze. Being Carnival time, we were being gouged and they knew it and we knew it and they knew that we knew it!
The Hotel had not received any tickets from RIO CARNIVAL Services. I was worried as they were scheduled to deliver the ticket on Feb 1 by 3 PM. The front desk clerk did not speak good English. I will need to talk to the day manager tomorrow morning about this.
The local map of RIO had advertisements on the observer side and an advertisement for an Indian restaurant caught my eye. It was located in Leblon (20-minutes by walk from my hotel). I started walking and stopped to ask a local lady for directions in Spanish. She took one look at me and told me in perfect English that I SHOULD take a BETTER lit road for the next 19-minutes of my walk before coming to the next street for the final minute of my walk. She told me to be careful and wished me luck. These ominous warnings are getting to be a real downer for me. I had none of these issues in Chile or Argentina and despite the warnings, I had a good time in Paraguay.
I reached the restaurant and gorged like this was my last supper. The bill was R$65 (US$38)! I did not care. I was tasting Indian food after 6 weeks and wanted to make the best of it. The quality and taste at the Indian Restaurant in Santiago, Chile was far superior! There were 4 Indians at the next table. All through their meal (and most of mine) they talked shop. Terms such as deliverables, project plan, change request, chargeability, statement of work and more! Now I really know why I need a CHANGE! I gathered that they were trying to con a junior guy into accepting more responsibilities. The poor kid had no chance. He was going to take the additional responsibilities and wreck his life!
After the group departed, I chatted with the rather enterprising manager from Kerala who had lived here for 10+ years. We talked about the local stock market, coffee growing and so on.
I walked back to the hotel on the brightly lit street. Wrote my diary and went to bed. The Carnival has commenced today. It will last for the next 5 days until Ash Wednesday (Feb 6).
Since my ex-colleague does not arrive until Sunday, I may use tomorrow to see some of the things on my list.
==============================
For some inexplicable reason, I seem to be having sleepless nights the past few days. I wake up at 8 AM and was still sleepy (despite going to bed around 11 PM).
After breakfast, I got back to my room and reviewed my travel guides on places to see, things to do etc. in RIO. I should be able to accomplish all my activities during my 5-day stay there. Setting aside a full day for Carnival and recovery from it still leaves me with 4-days of time and I am not the type that likes to sit at the beach for hours and let life pass me by!
Despite the checkout time being 11 AM, I checked out at 10 AM as I had nothing else to do. My credit card was charges BR$180 (US$105) for 2 nights. Not a bad price for this hotel. I ran into Carla (or Denise as she prefers to be called). Denise and I had communication many times during the reservation process and she was the person I spoke to from Asuncion when requesting an extra night of stay at this hotel. Tall, Slim, Brazilian beauty. She towered over me in her heels. Even without them she would be slightly taller than me! As she spoke English we chatted for a bit.
A divorcee (with a 10-year old son) and a fish-eating vegetarian who happens to be a spiritualist. I met her Mom, dad (who owns the place) and Uncle (who runs the Hotel's travel agency) as well. Dad owns 2 other hotels in addition to this one. She has a couple of close Indian friends who live in Foz do Iguacu and is familiar with Indian cuisine. The Indian is a trader at Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). My hotel manager / driver at Ciudad del Este had also told me that almost the entire market at Ciudad del Este (which trades primarily in electronic goods) is owned / operated by Indians.
All of the Information was volunteered including the fact that she is NO LONGER married! However, looking and dreaming appeals far more to me these days :)
Both Denise and her mom were surprised that Footprint guides (South American Travel Handbook) had recommended their hotel. They were under the impression that one has to pay their way to get listed in these guidebooks. They were also unaware that most of the writers for guidebooks, stay anonymously and then rate the hotel or a restaurant. They said that if anyone mentions the guidebook (when making a reservation at this place) they would get a discount. I jokingly asked for my discount (as I had made my reservation based on this guidebook), but my question remained unanswered!
Denise and her parents headed back to work. The Hotel internet was R$10 per hour - no part-hour charge was possible. I asked her Uncle to take me to the airport. He had initially quoted me the same fare (R$40 - US$22) as the regular taxis for dropping me off at the airport.
He spoke good English and Spanish. I preferred to converse in these rather than Portuguese. He told me that the hotel business was quite good even in non-summer months. There are apparently 10,000 Arabs living in the Foz do Iguacu area. These folks are the descendants of the initial Arabs who came from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine etc 40+ years ago and were the first to establish trade between Brazil and Paraguay. In addition to the Arabs, there are lots of Indians, Chinese and Koreans as well. All engaged in trading at Ciudad del Este which was not surprising. Foz do Iguacu has a population of over 300,000 and over 200 hotels!
He described the corruption scale of the lower South American Countries. Paraguay is most corrupt, followed by Brasil and then Argentina. Chile is considered quite clean. Paraguayan police apparently dislike the Chinese and Korean folks. Is it because they are successful traders or is it because they sell shoddy products that break down on day 2? Don't know. Did not ask as we had reached the airport by now.
I paid the 40 Reais as we agreed. Looks like I have not been given any discounts! At the airport counter, I asked if I could travel on an earlier flight to RIO. No luck. Internet was expensive. I had 2-hours to kill. I browsed through some magazine shops. English language magazines are quite expensive here. Even a cheap Magazine like PC world costs around US$15 here. Some other magazines were more than US$20.
I ordered a Milk shake and wrote a bit of my diary. I still had another 40-minutes to kill! For all the time-wasting tactics and coming to the airport early, my flight departed an hour late! It is a good thing that I have a 2 1/2 hour gap at Sao Paolo (where I will change planes for RIO). As the flight took off, I did get a distant peak at Iguassu from the sky. Apart from that, it was an uneventful flight.
At Sao Paolo, I had to go through the International departures for the flight to RIO as it was eventually heading to Caracas (Venezuela). We waited close to an hour before boarding the plane. I had a window seat (I had requested Window seats for all my TAM flights when I made my booking). I watched my bag being loaded onto the Cargo hold of the plane.
A young kid sat next to me and we broke ice after an hour or so. He is a journalist working for the Brazilian tourism organisation and was headed to Recife (in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco) to report on the Carnival Celebrations there. He gets to travel around the country on an expense account and writes about cultural and tourism events. Nice gig and he loves it. He is 22.
We talked Soccer for a bit. He things the current coach DUNGA will not last long and that Ronaldo is fat. He thinks I should be fine by myself while travelling in RIO as I look like a Brazilian (until I open my mouth). Since he is based out of Sao Paolo, I will get in touch with him when I reach Sao Paolo. He has promised to shoe me around. All I would perhaps need are the locations of the Indian restaurants there and how to reach them :)
February 1, 2008 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
==============================
I was waved through Passport and Customs as I told them I was coming from Iguacu. I obtained an excellent map of RIO from the state tourism agency at the airport and decided to take a bus to the area of IPANEMA where my hotel was located. I chatted with a Brazilian (who spoke English) who was also headed to Ipanema. We waited for close to 20 minutes and there was no sign of the bus to Ipanema.
A cab driver chatted the Brazilian up and wanted R$50 to carry any number of passengers to Ipanema in his mini-van taxi. We found 3 others (2 were Brazilian and 1 was a German Tourist). Apart from the German and self, the rest of them hardly had any baggage. So squeezing 5 people into the Mini-van along with our luggage was not a problem. All of the folks were travelling to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (adjacent suburbs). AT R$10 a person, it was R$3.50 more than what we would have paid as a bus fare (R$6.50).
The Van dropped me close to the hotel and I had to walk a block to get to it. Not an issue as my large bag had sturdy wheels and Ipanema is considered a very safe neighbourhood. I check-in and was shown a tiny-room with 2 beds and an attached bathroom. I was sharing this with my ex-colleague (who had called the hotel to inform them that she would be arriving on Sunday Morning). Would be a tight squeeze. Being Carnival time, we were being gouged and they knew it and we knew it and they knew that we knew it!
The Hotel had not received any tickets from RIO CARNIVAL Services. I was worried as they were scheduled to deliver the ticket on Feb 1 by 3 PM. The front desk clerk did not speak good English. I will need to talk to the day manager tomorrow morning about this.
The local map of RIO had advertisements on the observer side and an advertisement for an Indian restaurant caught my eye. It was located in Leblon (20-minutes by walk from my hotel). I started walking and stopped to ask a local lady for directions in Spanish. She took one look at me and told me in perfect English that I SHOULD take a BETTER lit road for the next 19-minutes of my walk before coming to the next street for the final minute of my walk. She told me to be careful and wished me luck. These ominous warnings are getting to be a real downer for me. I had none of these issues in Chile or Argentina and despite the warnings, I had a good time in Paraguay.
I reached the restaurant and gorged like this was my last supper. The bill was R$65 (US$38)! I did not care. I was tasting Indian food after 6 weeks and wanted to make the best of it. The quality and taste at the Indian Restaurant in Santiago, Chile was far superior! There were 4 Indians at the next table. All through their meal (and most of mine) they talked shop. Terms such as deliverables, project plan, change request, chargeability, statement of work and more! Now I really know why I need a CHANGE! I gathered that they were trying to con a junior guy into accepting more responsibilities. The poor kid had no chance. He was going to take the additional responsibilities and wreck his life!
After the group departed, I chatted with the rather enterprising manager from Kerala who had lived here for 10+ years. We talked about the local stock market, coffee growing and so on.
I walked back to the hotel on the brightly lit street. Wrote my diary and went to bed. The Carnival has commenced today. It will last for the next 5 days until Ash Wednesday (Feb 6).
Since my ex-colleague does not arrive until Sunday, I may use tomorrow to see some of the things on my list.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
January 31, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Basil
January 31, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Basil
=============================
I woke up at 8 and was done with breakfast by 9 AM. Buffet style breakfast. Had Orange Juice, some fruits, cakes, half-a-baguette and coffee. The long distance bus station (Rodoviaria) is right across from the hotel. I could potentially take a bus to Rio or Sao Paolo from here! I took a local bus to the city centre (R$ 2). The driver dropped me outside the main bus terminal. I had to pay R$2 more to enter into the bus station. The bus to CATARATAS do Iguacu arrived in 10 minutes. One enters through the front and has to pass through a NARROW turnstile before taking a seat (or standing if no seats are available). Definitely NOT for fat people.
The driver to the Park (on the Brazilian side) took round 30 minutes. On the way to the park, it stops at the Foz do Iguacu Airport to drop off or even pick up passengers going to the falls. I may explore this option (of taking the bus to the airport) for tomorrow's departure to RIO.
The bus dropped us off at the Park Entrance. The entry fee is R$20 (US$12). The entrance is situated 8 Kilometres (5 Miles) from the falls area. A Park bus takes you from the entrance to the viewpoints of the falls.
We were dropped off near the Cataratas Hotel. Similar to the Sheraton Hotel (located inside the park on the Argentinean Side), the Cataratas Hotel is located quite close to he viewpoints of the falls. I had spoken to these folks as well and they wanted to charge US$300 per night. Paying R$2 (US$ 1.2) and a 30-minute ride each way is NOT bad at all. One can see the Sheraton Hotel (Argentinean side) from the viewpoint near the Cataratas Hotel.
A 1.2 Kilometre (0.75 miles) trail from here takes one through all the viewpoint on the Brazilian side. The trail is mostly a concrete path with very few steps. Very easy compared to the lower trail or the climb up San Martin Island on the Argentinean Side.
The Argentinean side has the waterfalls dropping from the Rio Iguassu. The Brazilian side gives an frontal view of all these falls. The Brazilian side truly complements the Argentinean side of the falls. One is able to see appreciate the majesty of the falls without getting wet :) At the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat), the Brazilians have built a walkway that goes very close to the Gorge (aptly named Devil's Gorge). As I had purchased a Poncho after yesterday's random showers, I donned it and protected self and camera from getting wet.
Near here, one can take an Elevator or climb a set of steps (around 150) that puts you over one part of the Garganta del Diablo. I took the steps and walked up. It was a truly terrific view from the top overlooking the Garganta del Diablo. It was a perfectly Sunny day with blue skies and a few clouds. Great for Photographs.
As always the tour groups were here in force. Man of these dimwits take eons to 'Compose' and 'Shoot' their pictures. If all you have is a P&S (point and shoot) camera, what difference does it make? You'll still get a crappy picture anyways. Sorry, but this is the 5-D speaking :) One lady even went to the extent of COMBING (you cannot make these things up) her husband's and children's hair before letting a park photographer take their picture! (Park Photographers are for Souvenir Photographs for which one pays). I look as poor and sweaty as possible when someone takes my picture in these places :)
I had lunch at a cafe at Porto Canoas overlooking the falls. What a moment to remember. The Brazilian side also offers many options (yep, extra charges) that range from 4-wheel drive adventure in the jungle surrounding the park to hikes (for a few hours) in the Jungle. There is apparently good wildlife here. Will probably save it for the next time. The Brazilian side also offers Helicopter rides for 3-10 minutes over the falls. As the racket created by the copters are said to disturb the wildlife in the surrounding Jungle, the copters fly very high over the falls thereby lessening the experience. I skipped it.
I purchased a few postcards and stamps and mailed to family and friends. Hope they get to the recipients. I take a bus back to the entrance of the park. The Parque des Aves (Bird Park) is located very close to the park entrance (they know how to rope you in as well!). I walk the 10-minutes to the Parque des Aves. The entrance fee is payable ONLY in US$. I pay the $12 entry fee and enter. Knowing I was going to be visiting this place, I had carried my tripod with me.
The place was cackling and screeching with all kinds of birds. Flamingos, Peacocks, Parrots, Toucans, Vultures (King Vulture and one other species I cannot recall now), Macaws and more. The parque also houses Anacondas, Caimans and large lizards. Unlike the Anacondas and Caimans, the large lizards roam free. One needs to be careful not to step on any of the birds, animals or reptiles as the tourists enter the large (and tall) cages where they were housed. Vultures and vicious predatory birds as well as some rare bird species were in cages by themselves.
The Macaws created quite a racket when I entered their cage. I was warned by young park ranger to be careful with my tripod as they would shred the plastic and rubber (that surround the metal tripod) in minutes. There is a large sign here that says "One is advised to enter at their OWN Risk and the parque bears no responsibility (if the Macaws decide to have a go at you)"
After spending more than an hour at the Parque des Aves, I take a bus back to the City Centre. This time, the bus drops me inside the bus terminal thereby saving me 2 Reais! Within 60 seconds, a bus pulls up that is headed to the Rodoviaria (where my hotel is located). I hop on and reach the hotel in 20 minutes. I spend an hour reviewing (and deleting) pictures from the day.
I take the free bus to the shopping mall again. I have dinner at the Natural cafe again and copied the memory cards to my hard drives. I had to do this, as I had all my pictures from the past 2 days of the Iguassu experience, sitting in a single memory card. I checked my e-mails and noticed that my ATM W/d of BR$300 the previous day had resulted in my bank account being debited for $175 (including fees). The rough exchange rate was 1.7 Reais to a dollar.
I got back to the hotel by 9:45 PM and spent a bit of time packing up and writing my diary. I may leave the hotel by 11 AM tomorrow for my 1:30 PM flight. I may even think of leaving a 10:30 AM if I am planning to take the bus to the city centre and then another bus to the Airport.
It looks like Brazil may turn out to be an expensive place to visit. Cataratas do Iguassu are a MUST SEE. Iguassu following Antarctica. Pretty good nature spots.
=============================
I woke up at 8 and was done with breakfast by 9 AM. Buffet style breakfast. Had Orange Juice, some fruits, cakes, half-a-baguette and coffee. The long distance bus station (Rodoviaria) is right across from the hotel. I could potentially take a bus to Rio or Sao Paolo from here! I took a local bus to the city centre (R$ 2). The driver dropped me outside the main bus terminal. I had to pay R$2 more to enter into the bus station. The bus to CATARATAS do Iguacu arrived in 10 minutes. One enters through the front and has to pass through a NARROW turnstile before taking a seat (or standing if no seats are available). Definitely NOT for fat people.
The driver to the Park (on the Brazilian side) took round 30 minutes. On the way to the park, it stops at the Foz do Iguacu Airport to drop off or even pick up passengers going to the falls. I may explore this option (of taking the bus to the airport) for tomorrow's departure to RIO.
The bus dropped us off at the Park Entrance. The entry fee is R$20 (US$12). The entrance is situated 8 Kilometres (5 Miles) from the falls area. A Park bus takes you from the entrance to the viewpoints of the falls.
We were dropped off near the Cataratas Hotel. Similar to the Sheraton Hotel (located inside the park on the Argentinean Side), the Cataratas Hotel is located quite close to he viewpoints of the falls. I had spoken to these folks as well and they wanted to charge US$300 per night. Paying R$2 (US$ 1.2) and a 30-minute ride each way is NOT bad at all. One can see the Sheraton Hotel (Argentinean side) from the viewpoint near the Cataratas Hotel.
A 1.2 Kilometre (0.75 miles) trail from here takes one through all the viewpoint on the Brazilian side. The trail is mostly a concrete path with very few steps. Very easy compared to the lower trail or the climb up San Martin Island on the Argentinean Side.
The Argentinean side has the waterfalls dropping from the Rio Iguassu. The Brazilian side gives an frontal view of all these falls. The Brazilian side truly complements the Argentinean side of the falls. One is able to see appreciate the majesty of the falls without getting wet :) At the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat), the Brazilians have built a walkway that goes very close to the Gorge (aptly named Devil's Gorge). As I had purchased a Poncho after yesterday's random showers, I donned it and protected self and camera from getting wet.
Near here, one can take an Elevator or climb a set of steps (around 150) that puts you over one part of the Garganta del Diablo. I took the steps and walked up. It was a truly terrific view from the top overlooking the Garganta del Diablo. It was a perfectly Sunny day with blue skies and a few clouds. Great for Photographs.
As always the tour groups were here in force. Man of these dimwits take eons to 'Compose' and 'Shoot' their pictures. If all you have is a P&S (point and shoot) camera, what difference does it make? You'll still get a crappy picture anyways. Sorry, but this is the 5-D speaking :) One lady even went to the extent of COMBING (you cannot make these things up) her husband's and children's hair before letting a park photographer take their picture! (Park Photographers are for Souvenir Photographs for which one pays). I look as poor and sweaty as possible when someone takes my picture in these places :)
I had lunch at a cafe at Porto Canoas overlooking the falls. What a moment to remember. The Brazilian side also offers many options (yep, extra charges) that range from 4-wheel drive adventure in the jungle surrounding the park to hikes (for a few hours) in the Jungle. There is apparently good wildlife here. Will probably save it for the next time. The Brazilian side also offers Helicopter rides for 3-10 minutes over the falls. As the racket created by the copters are said to disturb the wildlife in the surrounding Jungle, the copters fly very high over the falls thereby lessening the experience. I skipped it.
I purchased a few postcards and stamps and mailed to family and friends. Hope they get to the recipients. I take a bus back to the entrance of the park. The Parque des Aves (Bird Park) is located very close to the park entrance (they know how to rope you in as well!). I walk the 10-minutes to the Parque des Aves. The entrance fee is payable ONLY in US$. I pay the $12 entry fee and enter. Knowing I was going to be visiting this place, I had carried my tripod with me.
The place was cackling and screeching with all kinds of birds. Flamingos, Peacocks, Parrots, Toucans, Vultures (King Vulture and one other species I cannot recall now), Macaws and more. The parque also houses Anacondas, Caimans and large lizards. Unlike the Anacondas and Caimans, the large lizards roam free. One needs to be careful not to step on any of the birds, animals or reptiles as the tourists enter the large (and tall) cages where they were housed. Vultures and vicious predatory birds as well as some rare bird species were in cages by themselves.
The Macaws created quite a racket when I entered their cage. I was warned by young park ranger to be careful with my tripod as they would shred the plastic and rubber (that surround the metal tripod) in minutes. There is a large sign here that says "One is advised to enter at their OWN Risk and the parque bears no responsibility (if the Macaws decide to have a go at you)"
After spending more than an hour at the Parque des Aves, I take a bus back to the City Centre. This time, the bus drops me inside the bus terminal thereby saving me 2 Reais! Within 60 seconds, a bus pulls up that is headed to the Rodoviaria (where my hotel is located). I hop on and reach the hotel in 20 minutes. I spend an hour reviewing (and deleting) pictures from the day.
I take the free bus to the shopping mall again. I have dinner at the Natural cafe again and copied the memory cards to my hard drives. I had to do this, as I had all my pictures from the past 2 days of the Iguassu experience, sitting in a single memory card. I checked my e-mails and noticed that my ATM W/d of BR$300 the previous day had resulted in my bank account being debited for $175 (including fees). The rough exchange rate was 1.7 Reais to a dollar.
I got back to the hotel by 9:45 PM and spent a bit of time packing up and writing my diary. I may leave the hotel by 11 AM tomorrow for my 1:30 PM flight. I may even think of leaving a 10:30 AM if I am planning to take the bus to the city centre and then another bus to the Airport.
It looks like Brazil may turn out to be an expensive place to visit. Cataratas do Iguassu are a MUST SEE. Iguassu following Antarctica. Pretty good nature spots.
January 30, 2008 - Puerto Iguassu, Argentina & Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
January 30, 2008 - Puerto Iguassu, Argentina
==================================
I woke up a bit later than usual. Post breakfast, I paid my bill for a night's stay ((ARP 110 - US$ 37) and checked out. I left my bags in the hotel's locker (somewhere close to the front desk). I utilized the free internet at the hotel to quickly check my e-mail and left the hotel at 9:30 AM. I took the local bus (A$ 8 round trip) to the falls. The bus was packed.
We reached the falls in 30 minutes. I paid the entrance free of A$20 (50% discounted). I took the train to the lower trail station. The trail here consists of hundreds of steps that take you to the Iguassu river (after it finishes its fall). Apart from a few areas where the descent (and ascent - when one comes back up) is steep, it is a pretty easy trail.
One gets to see the falls all the way during the descent. Simply magnificent and grand. The falls here are spread over a 4 kilometre (2.5 Miles) span. I can write reams about this, but one has to see it to believe it.
At the base of the steps, there are free boat trips to San Martin Island. There are also paid (speed) boat trips that take you NEAR the base of the San Martin Falls. One gets VERY wet during these Speed boat trips. I skipped the speed boat trip and took the free boat trip to San Martin Island.
At the landing of San Martin Island, there is a small beach consisting of the water flowing from the falls. One can also climb a set of steps to reach the top of San Martin Island and observe the different falls. I started my climb. These steps were STEEP but very safe. I was completely out of breath on reaching the top.
Rested for a few minutes and then started walking. The skies opened up and it started raining heavily. I cursed the rain gods! I could have cursed myself for NOT getting a replacement PONCHO (to the one I lost at Puerto Natales, Chile). I took shelter under a tree canopy. It rained for an hour before the clouds moved over and I saw a bit of blue sky. I walked around the entire Island of San Martin. One gets terrific views of different falls from all parts of Isla San Martin. The water spray near San Martin Falls in quite unavoidable. Made the best of it and tried to get a few pictures without ruining my camera.
CATARATAS do Iguassu - is quite majestic sounding and aptly so. The English 'Falls' is quite a limp description. I observed numerous birds (Eagles) nesting near the falls and the trees nearby. I need to get myself a good book on the bird and animal species to help me identify these creatures.
I walked down the steps and got to the landing area at Isla San Martin. The beach and water were inviting. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in for a bit. It was quite humid and hot and the cool water was very nice. Most folks who comes here, wear their swim suits underneath their clothes. Both yesterday and today, most locals (South Americans of all countries who visit the falls) were in their swimwear while wandering close to the falls. Men in swim shorts and women in 2 piece swimsuits. They love it.
I was carrying a large towel and had to stop and wipe my face frequently as I was sweating profusely and my glasses were constantly slipping off their perch! Oh, how I wish for the Humidity free climate of ANTARCTICA!
Excessive falls are like too many Icebergs or Penguins in Antarctica. You tend to move on after a bit. I took the ferry back to the main land and climbed back up the lower trail. It was not too bad. I accidentally came across the Sheraton hotel. It is situated inside the park and many of the rooms have good views of the falls. I did not have enough points to get a free room here and the cost per night was US$250 - a bit much considering that I would anyway go out of the hotel room to see the falls up close.
The clouds burst open again and I had to take shelter. It poured and delayed my departure from the park for close to an hour. I had lunch at 4 PM. I decided not to do the nature trail. I took the bus back to Puerto Iguassu and got back to my hotel. The hotel manager called up a friend of hers who quoted a price of 70 pesos to ferry me from this Hotel to my hotel on the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. It was a bit pricey (US$25), but public transport did not appear to be an option as my Hotel on the Brazilian side was located far away from the city centre.
The taxi arrived in 15 minutes. I did not even get out of the taxi on the Argentinean side as the driver took my passport and got it stamped. On the Brazilian side, I had to go in person. I hand the passport to the official. The page was opened NOT to the Brazilian Visa page (US Citizens require a visa to get into Brazil) but to the Indian Visa Page. The official blindly stamped it. He did not even look at my passport to see if I had a valid Brazilian visa! Could have saved myself US$100 (that I paid at the Brazilian consulate in New York). My cab driver had not heard of my hotel. He drove around a bit and we located it after being lost for 10-minutes or so.
January 30, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
==============================
Luz Hotel was a Tall Building that stood out from the surrounding buildings. I was given a room in the top floor (8th storey) of the hotel. I had a decent view from my room. I did not have a SINGLE REAL (Brazilian currency) in hand. I had paid my Taxi driver in Argentine Pesos (as he was from Argentina). The local shopping mall sends out complimentary buses to many of the larger hotels to get their guests into the mall (and hoping that they open their wallets in a big way). I took the 7:45 PM bus to the mall, as there is an exchange place as well as an ATM within the mall.
I reached the mall in 10 minutes or so. I exchanged all my Paraguayan Guaranis that netted me a grand sum of 70 Reais (US$40 or so). As it was not a lot, I went to the ATM and withdrew some more money. Will wait to see how much I am being charged as a service fee. By the end of this trip, I may have spent a few hundred dollars just on these service charges! The local Mobile company (TIM) could not answer all of my queries. I will perhaps try again in RIO in a few days time.
Portuguese is far different from Spanish. Pronunciation is very different especially to someone who does not even speak good Spanish. I may need to pick up this language fast as I am travelling in Brazil for the next 4 weeks.
There was a health food kiosk that had a decent garden sandwich. I had the sandwich and a chocolate milk shake. I also found an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 connections. I used their services and was up to date in regard to backups of all my memory cards.
The shuttle came by to pick us up at 9:30 and I was back at the hotel by 9:45 PM.
Luz Hotel is quite decent. My room has a mini-bar (Frigo-bar as it is called here), twin beds, Air-conditioning and Cable TV. I am paying R$90 (US$55) per night, including breakfast.
I may take a public bus to the Brazilian side of the Iguacu falls. If I have time, I may also visit the 'Parque des Aves' (Bird Park) that has live birds from all over brazil - including the Amazon.
==================================
I woke up a bit later than usual. Post breakfast, I paid my bill for a night's stay ((ARP 110 - US$ 37) and checked out. I left my bags in the hotel's locker (somewhere close to the front desk). I utilized the free internet at the hotel to quickly check my e-mail and left the hotel at 9:30 AM. I took the local bus (A$ 8 round trip) to the falls. The bus was packed.
We reached the falls in 30 minutes. I paid the entrance free of A$20 (50% discounted). I took the train to the lower trail station. The trail here consists of hundreds of steps that take you to the Iguassu river (after it finishes its fall). Apart from a few areas where the descent (and ascent - when one comes back up) is steep, it is a pretty easy trail.
One gets to see the falls all the way during the descent. Simply magnificent and grand. The falls here are spread over a 4 kilometre (2.5 Miles) span. I can write reams about this, but one has to see it to believe it.
At the base of the steps, there are free boat trips to San Martin Island. There are also paid (speed) boat trips that take you NEAR the base of the San Martin Falls. One gets VERY wet during these Speed boat trips. I skipped the speed boat trip and took the free boat trip to San Martin Island.
At the landing of San Martin Island, there is a small beach consisting of the water flowing from the falls. One can also climb a set of steps to reach the top of San Martin Island and observe the different falls. I started my climb. These steps were STEEP but very safe. I was completely out of breath on reaching the top.
Rested for a few minutes and then started walking. The skies opened up and it started raining heavily. I cursed the rain gods! I could have cursed myself for NOT getting a replacement PONCHO (to the one I lost at Puerto Natales, Chile). I took shelter under a tree canopy. It rained for an hour before the clouds moved over and I saw a bit of blue sky. I walked around the entire Island of San Martin. One gets terrific views of different falls from all parts of Isla San Martin. The water spray near San Martin Falls in quite unavoidable. Made the best of it and tried to get a few pictures without ruining my camera.
CATARATAS do Iguassu - is quite majestic sounding and aptly so. The English 'Falls' is quite a limp description. I observed numerous birds (Eagles) nesting near the falls and the trees nearby. I need to get myself a good book on the bird and animal species to help me identify these creatures.
I walked down the steps and got to the landing area at Isla San Martin. The beach and water were inviting. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in for a bit. It was quite humid and hot and the cool water was very nice. Most folks who comes here, wear their swim suits underneath their clothes. Both yesterday and today, most locals (South Americans of all countries who visit the falls) were in their swimwear while wandering close to the falls. Men in swim shorts and women in 2 piece swimsuits. They love it.
I was carrying a large towel and had to stop and wipe my face frequently as I was sweating profusely and my glasses were constantly slipping off their perch! Oh, how I wish for the Humidity free climate of ANTARCTICA!
Excessive falls are like too many Icebergs or Penguins in Antarctica. You tend to move on after a bit. I took the ferry back to the main land and climbed back up the lower trail. It was not too bad. I accidentally came across the Sheraton hotel. It is situated inside the park and many of the rooms have good views of the falls. I did not have enough points to get a free room here and the cost per night was US$250 - a bit much considering that I would anyway go out of the hotel room to see the falls up close.
The clouds burst open again and I had to take shelter. It poured and delayed my departure from the park for close to an hour. I had lunch at 4 PM. I decided not to do the nature trail. I took the bus back to Puerto Iguassu and got back to my hotel. The hotel manager called up a friend of hers who quoted a price of 70 pesos to ferry me from this Hotel to my hotel on the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. It was a bit pricey (US$25), but public transport did not appear to be an option as my Hotel on the Brazilian side was located far away from the city centre.
The taxi arrived in 15 minutes. I did not even get out of the taxi on the Argentinean side as the driver took my passport and got it stamped. On the Brazilian side, I had to go in person. I hand the passport to the official. The page was opened NOT to the Brazilian Visa page (US Citizens require a visa to get into Brazil) but to the Indian Visa Page. The official blindly stamped it. He did not even look at my passport to see if I had a valid Brazilian visa! Could have saved myself US$100 (that I paid at the Brazilian consulate in New York). My cab driver had not heard of my hotel. He drove around a bit and we located it after being lost for 10-minutes or so.
January 30, 2008 - Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
==============================
Luz Hotel was a Tall Building that stood out from the surrounding buildings. I was given a room in the top floor (8th storey) of the hotel. I had a decent view from my room. I did not have a SINGLE REAL (Brazilian currency) in hand. I had paid my Taxi driver in Argentine Pesos (as he was from Argentina). The local shopping mall sends out complimentary buses to many of the larger hotels to get their guests into the mall (and hoping that they open their wallets in a big way). I took the 7:45 PM bus to the mall, as there is an exchange place as well as an ATM within the mall.
I reached the mall in 10 minutes or so. I exchanged all my Paraguayan Guaranis that netted me a grand sum of 70 Reais (US$40 or so). As it was not a lot, I went to the ATM and withdrew some more money. Will wait to see how much I am being charged as a service fee. By the end of this trip, I may have spent a few hundred dollars just on these service charges! The local Mobile company (TIM) could not answer all of my queries. I will perhaps try again in RIO in a few days time.
Portuguese is far different from Spanish. Pronunciation is very different especially to someone who does not even speak good Spanish. I may need to pick up this language fast as I am travelling in Brazil for the next 4 weeks.
There was a health food kiosk that had a decent garden sandwich. I had the sandwich and a chocolate milk shake. I also found an Internet cafe with USB 2.0 connections. I used their services and was up to date in regard to backups of all my memory cards.
The shuttle came by to pick us up at 9:30 and I was back at the hotel by 9:45 PM.
Luz Hotel is quite decent. My room has a mini-bar (Frigo-bar as it is called here), twin beds, Air-conditioning and Cable TV. I am paying R$90 (US$55) per night, including breakfast.
I may take a public bus to the Brazilian side of the Iguacu falls. If I have time, I may also visit the 'Parque des Aves' (Bird Park) that has live birds from all over brazil - including the Amazon.
Friday, February 15, 2008
January 29, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay & Puerto Iguacu, Argentina
January 29, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
=================================
I did sleep well last night. Perhaps I was anxious about my bus travel to Argentina and then onto the Brazilian side of Iguassu 2 day later. I finished breakfast, paid by the hotel bill and was ready by 7:45 AM. I found that I had been charged 1,000 Guaranis ($0.22) by the hotel for requesting that my bread be toasted. I felt it was incredibly cheap on their part and I did not want to argue about it.
The front desk manager was already there and we loaded by bags onto his car. We headed towards the ITAIPU dam. We headed on the road to Asuncion before veering off towards the Brazilian side (and the dam). The dam is roughly located Northwest of Ciudad del Este.
Visiting are shown a 30-min film (in Spanish) starting with the initial planning of the dam, its construction, operation and the environmental impact it has and the protected ecological areas created on the Paraguayan as well as the Brazilian sides. The material used to construct this dam (the largest hydro electric project in the world) can be used to construct 200 MARACANA stadiums (Maracana, located in Rio de Janeiro - for those not in the know - is the largest soccer stadium in the world that can accommodate 200,000 people). There is no fee to visit the dam.
After the film, we were taken from the visitor centre on a special bus to the dam itself. The driver (my hotel manager) joins me in this tour as well. He is 31 and had worked in the hotel for 13 years. His wife has worked in the hotel for 16 years. They have 2 boys - 8 and 12. They life a decent life. Because of the power generated by the dam, Electricity is quite cheap in Paraguay. The hotel manager pays the equivalent of US$2 for his 2-bed room home. Housing appears to be cheap as well. A good ranch style house with a bit of land can be had for US$20,000. I have to seriously think of moving here. Renate (the owner of the Hotel) was born in Paraguay to German parents. She is married to an Austrian (hence the name of the hotel) and has 2 sons doing college in Germany.
The bus dropped us off at a viewing point and got our first glimpse of ITAIPU. It is quite grand. As the rainfall had been rather poor the past few years, the sluices were not opened. So we could not see the waters gushing from the dam. The ITAIPU dams the Parana river. We drove to the Brazilian side and finally over the dam itself before returning to the Paraguayan side of the Dam.
We headed next to the Salto Monday falls where the Rio Monday (Monday River) drops into the Parana Gorge. There is a 2000 Guarani ($0.45) entry fee here. The falls drop about 30 metres or so. Very nice and picturesque. Good thing that I am seeing the smaller falls before heading to Iguaçu.
Using the cell-phone of the hotel manager (my driver), I tried to reconfirm my TAM flights for Feb 1 (from Iguassu to Rio). After 10-minutes of conversation, we were getting nowhere. And this was with a representative who spoke English. I requested the drive take me to the local TAM office in Ciudad del Este. On reaching the office, I found out that I had spoken to one of the folks in this office! I showed them my E-Ticket and explaining the difficulty I had (15 minutes ago) in re-confirming my reservation, I requested them to re-confirm all my flights (all the way till Feb 27 when I head from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires). They did as I requested.
The driver dropped me off at the Bus station and I paid him 180,000 Guaranis (US40 approx.) and thanked him. He indicated the platform from which the bus to Puerto Iguacu would depart from. Since he was planning to show a German Couple the Iguacu falls on the Argentinean and Brazilian sides tomorrow, we agreed that if we meet up late enough on the Argentinean side, he could give me a ride to my Hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguacu.
The bus arrives 10-minutes later. The fare is 6000 Guaranis (US$1.3). As there is no separate luggage compartment, I carry my large duffel bag on board and place it in the seat next to me. The bus goes through the market in Ciudad del Este and picks up many folks. It then crosses the friendship bridge and heads into Brazil. I am wondering whether I took the right bus! (as I just paid my fare and got on the bus without re-confirming whether it was the right bus). After crossing the "Puente de la Amistad" the bus does not stop. It continues along Avenida Iguacu and Avenida Cataratas and after a 30-minute ride, I find myself crossing yet another bridge and disembarking at the Argentine border! I did take the right bus after all.
January 29, 2008 - Puerto Iguacu, Argentina
=================================
There were no issues at Argentine Migration. The customs official decides to gives my bags the special treatment. Of all the things in my bag, she picks up my 4-port USB Hub and my dual-USB Charger as electronic items and asks to see the receipt for these two. She ignores the $3000 Camera, $1200 lens, $500 flash, $200 IPod, $100 cell phone, the 2 portable hard drives which cost $200 and decides instead to charge duty on items that cost me less than $50 cumulatively!
I told her that these items were all purchased in the US several months ago and I was not in the habit of carrying receipts for such items. She lets me go. Weird experience! By this time, my bus had already left. There were a few taxis waiting near the customs station and I take one to my Hotel (10 mines away - Puerto Iguaçu is not a big place). I declined the taxi driver's offer to drive me to the Iguassu falls for A$50 (US$17).
I check into Casa Blanca Iguassu and am given a 4-bed room for myself. The cost is still 110 pesos a night (US$37). I dump my bags and head down to the reception. I obtain a local map and the directions to the bus station. I jump on a bus to the falls just as it is leaving. The cost is 8 pesos (less than $3) roundtrip! The ride to the park entrance takes 30 minutes.
The park charges an entry fee of 40 pesos. Entry on a second successive day (as I intend to revisit this place tomorrow) is 50% off. 2 days at the park for 60 pesos (US$20) is great. I pick up a detailed map of the park at the visitor's centre. Is it a little after 3 PM and I stop to have lunch. I have a Pizza and a soda for 15 pesos (US$5). Rather expensive.
Post lunch, I take the train (running inside the park) to Devil's throat. I am quite impressed by the grandeur of it all. On reaching the Devil's throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish) station, we have to walk on a wooden walkway (built over the River Iguassu) for 1 kilometre. IGUASSU is GUARANI for BIG WATER.
The Garganta del Diablo is truly magnificent. The waters drop 100 metres and there are frequent water sprays and rainbows. I spend close to an hour here. I spot an elderly couple and request them to take my picture. He replies "no" even without turning to look at me. I am offended because he thinks I am a local asking to take their pictures for a fee. I tell him (in English this time) that I am not SELLING anything and all I want is for him to TAKE a picture of me with my camera. He gives me a sheepish grin and does it.
The couple are Canadian. I am not sure why people comes to these places and bring their inherent prejudices as well along with them. Maybe if I had not been sunburnt and was whiter, he would have listened to me! Damn Norte Americanos. They don't even make an effort to learn or speak the local language. They assume everyone knows English and talk to everyone in English. A-holes.
I take the train to the Upper Trail. The Iguassu falls on the Argentine side has 2 trails. I decided to the Upper trail today and will do the lower trail tomorrow morning. My walk on the upper trails leads me over Bossetti and San Martin falls. My joy knows no bounds. I am still yet to take the lower trail on the Argentine side and view the falls from the Brazilian side. Iguassu is simply GRAND. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct when she visited Iguassu and said "Poor, Niagara". There is just no comparison. I noticed numerous rainbows and hopefully have some good pictures.
I take the train back to the park entrance. I get my ticket stamped for the 50% discount tomorrow. I take the bus back to the hotel and rest for a bit. I head to a nice restaurant and have a Vegetable Gnocchi for dinner. It was a good restaurant but I was given indifferent service. I did not tip. I walked back to my hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.
I will visit more of the Argentine side of Iguassu tomorrow and head to Brazil late in the afternoon. I will have the whole of Thursday to explore the Brazilian side of the falls before I head to Rio on Friday afternoon.
=================================
I did sleep well last night. Perhaps I was anxious about my bus travel to Argentina and then onto the Brazilian side of Iguassu 2 day later. I finished breakfast, paid by the hotel bill and was ready by 7:45 AM. I found that I had been charged 1,000 Guaranis ($0.22) by the hotel for requesting that my bread be toasted. I felt it was incredibly cheap on their part and I did not want to argue about it.
The front desk manager was already there and we loaded by bags onto his car. We headed towards the ITAIPU dam. We headed on the road to Asuncion before veering off towards the Brazilian side (and the dam). The dam is roughly located Northwest of Ciudad del Este.
Visiting are shown a 30-min film (in Spanish) starting with the initial planning of the dam, its construction, operation and the environmental impact it has and the protected ecological areas created on the Paraguayan as well as the Brazilian sides. The material used to construct this dam (the largest hydro electric project in the world) can be used to construct 200 MARACANA stadiums (Maracana, located in Rio de Janeiro - for those not in the know - is the largest soccer stadium in the world that can accommodate 200,000 people). There is no fee to visit the dam.
After the film, we were taken from the visitor centre on a special bus to the dam itself. The driver (my hotel manager) joins me in this tour as well. He is 31 and had worked in the hotel for 13 years. His wife has worked in the hotel for 16 years. They have 2 boys - 8 and 12. They life a decent life. Because of the power generated by the dam, Electricity is quite cheap in Paraguay. The hotel manager pays the equivalent of US$2 for his 2-bed room home. Housing appears to be cheap as well. A good ranch style house with a bit of land can be had for US$20,000. I have to seriously think of moving here. Renate (the owner of the Hotel) was born in Paraguay to German parents. She is married to an Austrian (hence the name of the hotel) and has 2 sons doing college in Germany.
The bus dropped us off at a viewing point and got our first glimpse of ITAIPU. It is quite grand. As the rainfall had been rather poor the past few years, the sluices were not opened. So we could not see the waters gushing from the dam. The ITAIPU dams the Parana river. We drove to the Brazilian side and finally over the dam itself before returning to the Paraguayan side of the Dam.
We headed next to the Salto Monday falls where the Rio Monday (Monday River) drops into the Parana Gorge. There is a 2000 Guarani ($0.45) entry fee here. The falls drop about 30 metres or so. Very nice and picturesque. Good thing that I am seeing the smaller falls before heading to Iguaçu.
Using the cell-phone of the hotel manager (my driver), I tried to reconfirm my TAM flights for Feb 1 (from Iguassu to Rio). After 10-minutes of conversation, we were getting nowhere. And this was with a representative who spoke English. I requested the drive take me to the local TAM office in Ciudad del Este. On reaching the office, I found out that I had spoken to one of the folks in this office! I showed them my E-Ticket and explaining the difficulty I had (15 minutes ago) in re-confirming my reservation, I requested them to re-confirm all my flights (all the way till Feb 27 when I head from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires). They did as I requested.
The driver dropped me off at the Bus station and I paid him 180,000 Guaranis (US40 approx.) and thanked him. He indicated the platform from which the bus to Puerto Iguacu would depart from. Since he was planning to show a German Couple the Iguacu falls on the Argentinean and Brazilian sides tomorrow, we agreed that if we meet up late enough on the Argentinean side, he could give me a ride to my Hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguacu.
The bus arrives 10-minutes later. The fare is 6000 Guaranis (US$1.3). As there is no separate luggage compartment, I carry my large duffel bag on board and place it in the seat next to me. The bus goes through the market in Ciudad del Este and picks up many folks. It then crosses the friendship bridge and heads into Brazil. I am wondering whether I took the right bus! (as I just paid my fare and got on the bus without re-confirming whether it was the right bus). After crossing the "Puente de la Amistad" the bus does not stop. It continues along Avenida Iguacu and Avenida Cataratas and after a 30-minute ride, I find myself crossing yet another bridge and disembarking at the Argentine border! I did take the right bus after all.
January 29, 2008 - Puerto Iguacu, Argentina
=================================
There were no issues at Argentine Migration. The customs official decides to gives my bags the special treatment. Of all the things in my bag, she picks up my 4-port USB Hub and my dual-USB Charger as electronic items and asks to see the receipt for these two. She ignores the $3000 Camera, $1200 lens, $500 flash, $200 IPod, $100 cell phone, the 2 portable hard drives which cost $200 and decides instead to charge duty on items that cost me less than $50 cumulatively!
I told her that these items were all purchased in the US several months ago and I was not in the habit of carrying receipts for such items. She lets me go. Weird experience! By this time, my bus had already left. There were a few taxis waiting near the customs station and I take one to my Hotel (10 mines away - Puerto Iguaçu is not a big place). I declined the taxi driver's offer to drive me to the Iguassu falls for A$50 (US$17).
I check into Casa Blanca Iguassu and am given a 4-bed room for myself. The cost is still 110 pesos a night (US$37). I dump my bags and head down to the reception. I obtain a local map and the directions to the bus station. I jump on a bus to the falls just as it is leaving. The cost is 8 pesos (less than $3) roundtrip! The ride to the park entrance takes 30 minutes.
The park charges an entry fee of 40 pesos. Entry on a second successive day (as I intend to revisit this place tomorrow) is 50% off. 2 days at the park for 60 pesos (US$20) is great. I pick up a detailed map of the park at the visitor's centre. Is it a little after 3 PM and I stop to have lunch. I have a Pizza and a soda for 15 pesos (US$5). Rather expensive.
Post lunch, I take the train (running inside the park) to Devil's throat. I am quite impressed by the grandeur of it all. On reaching the Devil's throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish) station, we have to walk on a wooden walkway (built over the River Iguassu) for 1 kilometre. IGUASSU is GUARANI for BIG WATER.
The Garganta del Diablo is truly magnificent. The waters drop 100 metres and there are frequent water sprays and rainbows. I spend close to an hour here. I spot an elderly couple and request them to take my picture. He replies "no" even without turning to look at me. I am offended because he thinks I am a local asking to take their pictures for a fee. I tell him (in English this time) that I am not SELLING anything and all I want is for him to TAKE a picture of me with my camera. He gives me a sheepish grin and does it.
The couple are Canadian. I am not sure why people comes to these places and bring their inherent prejudices as well along with them. Maybe if I had not been sunburnt and was whiter, he would have listened to me! Damn Norte Americanos. They don't even make an effort to learn or speak the local language. They assume everyone knows English and talk to everyone in English. A-holes.
I take the train to the Upper Trail. The Iguassu falls on the Argentine side has 2 trails. I decided to the Upper trail today and will do the lower trail tomorrow morning. My walk on the upper trails leads me over Bossetti and San Martin falls. My joy knows no bounds. I am still yet to take the lower trail on the Argentine side and view the falls from the Brazilian side. Iguassu is simply GRAND. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct when she visited Iguassu and said "Poor, Niagara". There is just no comparison. I noticed numerous rainbows and hopefully have some good pictures.
I take the train back to the park entrance. I get my ticket stamped for the 50% discount tomorrow. I take the bus back to the hotel and rest for a bit. I head to a nice restaurant and have a Vegetable Gnocchi for dinner. It was a good restaurant but I was given indifferent service. I did not tip. I walked back to my hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.
I will visit more of the Argentine side of Iguassu tomorrow and head to Brazil late in the afternoon. I will have the whole of Thursday to explore the Brazilian side of the falls before I head to Rio on Friday afternoon.
January 28, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay & Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
January 28, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================
Woke up around 9 AM. Checked the alarm to see if it was working. It was! I must have slept through it. I finished breakfast by 10 AM and paid the hotel charges for 3 nights - a fanciful sum of 423,000 Guaranis! As my flight was not until 4 PM, Graciela told me that I could stay until my departure to the Airport (Say 2:30 PM). I love this place.
I returned to my room, packed up and headed out at 11 AM. My first stop was to the hardware store across the street from my hotel. I purchased 2 sturdy locks for my bag (as the old locks were broken during the journey from Buenos Aires to Asuncion). They were YALE locks made in TAIWAN and cost 27,000 Guaranis (US$6).
The next stop was to a call centre to call up a hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguassu falls to add an extra night to my stay. This hotel appears to be far away from the falls (30 Kilometres). I called up a hotel that is right on the falls and they wanted US$260 / night. 30 Kilometres it shall be as I am paying US$50 per night!
I visit the old handicraft market next and buy a nice guarani top (similar to the Indian Kurta). I do see some nice shirts. I visit a shop run by an Orthodox jew. Got to give them credit for maintaining their traditions wherever they are. The designs for the tops or the shirts are not captivating enough. I decide to shop around and head out. I visit the Chinese Vegetarian place for an early Lunch. Will keep alive until dinner time.
I walked to the shop (in which I had seen an excellent shirt the day before). It was yesterday (being Sunday) and was still closed today. Mauricio Libster's jewellery shop was closed yesterday and today as well. I will have to send a card to the couple thanking them for their advice and hospitality. I exchange US$100 for Guaranis as I may need it in my next stop of Ciudad del Este. I stop at a shop on Palma street and see an excellent shirt (made in Paraguay, of course). It was priced at 100,000 Guaranis (US$ 22). I keep bargaining for a while (am never good at it) and the ladies stand firm on their price. I bite and buy it.
I get back to the hotel. Graciela had left a note for me at the front desk. She had arranged a transfer to the Airport through the same driver who was to take me on a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro". The cost would be 65,000 Guaranis (US$14). The van arrives at 3 PM sharp and we head to the airport.
During our ride a small stone kicked up by a car going the opposite way hit the rear window of our van cracking the window pane. It is completely shattered. I feel extremely bad about this, but I am in no position to spring $$$ for repairing the window pane. I notice very nice houses as we get out further from the centre of the city. We reach the airport and I thank the driver and pay him. My Spanish is not good enough to commiserate his loss (of the window pane).
TAM baggage allowance within Brazil is apparently 25 Kilograms. The customer service representatives at the airline counter are dressed to kill! The local soccer team is also travelling on the flight and there are 3 TV cameras recording the event and each player does the obligatory thumbs up as he passed the cameras. I am sure they have a picture of me as well :) The flight is headed to Rio de Janeiro after Ciudad del Este.
The stewardesses on the TAM airline are dressed to kill (by a significant magnitude as compared to the airlines counter ladies!). IT IS a BRAZILIAN Airline. Need I say more? :) The flight to Ciudad del Este is 40 minutes. By the time we reach our cruising altitude we start heading down to Ciudad del este. Only 5 passengers (including moi) get off at Ciudad del Este. The airport is located 30 Kilometres from the city and there are no shuttle buses. I pick up a taxi for 100,000 Guaranis ($22).
January 28, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
=================================
Paraguay is extremely green. Anytime you peek out of an airplane window all you see is green and lush growth below. And this is the SUMMER. Terrific. The drive to Ciudad del Este centre from the airport takes 30 minutes or so. As we near the city, I notice a long line of trucks (stretching many kilometres) parked by the side of the road. The driver tell me that these trucks are waiting to cross the bridge into Brazil. The trucks are allowed to cross only after 6 PM. Hence the long line and the wait.
My Hotel (AUSTRIA) is just off the main street of Ciudad del Este. I get a decent room with twin beds in the back of the hotel (so it is quieter). The hotel charges $30 (US) per night including breakfast. Asuncion Palace Hotel is still far and away the best place I have stayed thus far. The manager at the front desk offers to take me on a private tour of the Itaipu Dam and Monday Falls for US$40. Rather than haggle with taxi driver and research bus routes, I may take him up on that.
I ask him whether I can cross the Friendship bridge (Punta de la Amistad - connecting Paraguay and Brazil) that evening visit Brazil for 15 minutes and walk back on the bridge to Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). He tells me that during the daytime it is fine but not in the evening / night-time as there are "Banditos". I leave the hotel and walk to the Paraguayan side of the Bridge and take a few pictures. It is hardly 6:30 PM and all the shops are shuttered. There are many folks on motorbikes who offer to take me across the bridge and back. Although my guidebook has mentioned these folks and I am carrying my passport, I decide not to take up their offers.
I walk around a bit and am back at the hotel by 7:15 PM and decide to have dinner in the hotel as I did not find any place that could cater to a vegetarian. The manager gets me plain spaghetti, salad and break. I hate it, but it is better than starving. The bright spot of the evening turns out to be a decent Santa Helena (Chilean) wine. I log on the internet to check messages. Both the dinner and the Internet charges have been added to my hotel tab. Fine by me as I can pay it all by Credit card.
I tell the manager that I will indeed take his offer of driving me to Itaipu and Monday falls for $40. I also request that I be dropped off at the Bus station as I am planning to take a bus to the Argentine town of Puerto Iguacu. Breakfast starts at 6 AM and we will head to Itaipu at 8 AM. I hope to finish my tours by 11 AM and hopefully reach Puerto Iguacu (Argentina) by 1 PM or so.
The Guarani language and culture still thrive in Paraguay. All Schools teach children both Spanish and Guarani. Almost all adults can speak both languages. Good to know that the old languages and cultures are not being left for dead.
============================
Woke up around 9 AM. Checked the alarm to see if it was working. It was! I must have slept through it. I finished breakfast by 10 AM and paid the hotel charges for 3 nights - a fanciful sum of 423,000 Guaranis! As my flight was not until 4 PM, Graciela told me that I could stay until my departure to the Airport (Say 2:30 PM). I love this place.
I returned to my room, packed up and headed out at 11 AM. My first stop was to the hardware store across the street from my hotel. I purchased 2 sturdy locks for my bag (as the old locks were broken during the journey from Buenos Aires to Asuncion). They were YALE locks made in TAIWAN and cost 27,000 Guaranis (US$6).
The next stop was to a call centre to call up a hotel on the Brazilian side of Iguassu falls to add an extra night to my stay. This hotel appears to be far away from the falls (30 Kilometres). I called up a hotel that is right on the falls and they wanted US$260 / night. 30 Kilometres it shall be as I am paying US$50 per night!
I visit the old handicraft market next and buy a nice guarani top (similar to the Indian Kurta). I do see some nice shirts. I visit a shop run by an Orthodox jew. Got to give them credit for maintaining their traditions wherever they are. The designs for the tops or the shirts are not captivating enough. I decide to shop around and head out. I visit the Chinese Vegetarian place for an early Lunch. Will keep alive until dinner time.
I walked to the shop (in which I had seen an excellent shirt the day before). It was yesterday (being Sunday) and was still closed today. Mauricio Libster's jewellery shop was closed yesterday and today as well. I will have to send a card to the couple thanking them for their advice and hospitality. I exchange US$100 for Guaranis as I may need it in my next stop of Ciudad del Este. I stop at a shop on Palma street and see an excellent shirt (made in Paraguay, of course). It was priced at 100,000 Guaranis (US$ 22). I keep bargaining for a while (am never good at it) and the ladies stand firm on their price. I bite and buy it.
I get back to the hotel. Graciela had left a note for me at the front desk. She had arranged a transfer to the Airport through the same driver who was to take me on a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro". The cost would be 65,000 Guaranis (US$14). The van arrives at 3 PM sharp and we head to the airport.
During our ride a small stone kicked up by a car going the opposite way hit the rear window of our van cracking the window pane. It is completely shattered. I feel extremely bad about this, but I am in no position to spring $$$ for repairing the window pane. I notice very nice houses as we get out further from the centre of the city. We reach the airport and I thank the driver and pay him. My Spanish is not good enough to commiserate his loss (of the window pane).
TAM baggage allowance within Brazil is apparently 25 Kilograms. The customer service representatives at the airline counter are dressed to kill! The local soccer team is also travelling on the flight and there are 3 TV cameras recording the event and each player does the obligatory thumbs up as he passed the cameras. I am sure they have a picture of me as well :) The flight is headed to Rio de Janeiro after Ciudad del Este.
The stewardesses on the TAM airline are dressed to kill (by a significant magnitude as compared to the airlines counter ladies!). IT IS a BRAZILIAN Airline. Need I say more? :) The flight to Ciudad del Este is 40 minutes. By the time we reach our cruising altitude we start heading down to Ciudad del este. Only 5 passengers (including moi) get off at Ciudad del Este. The airport is located 30 Kilometres from the city and there are no shuttle buses. I pick up a taxi for 100,000 Guaranis ($22).
January 28, 2008 - Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
=================================
Paraguay is extremely green. Anytime you peek out of an airplane window all you see is green and lush growth below. And this is the SUMMER. Terrific. The drive to Ciudad del Este centre from the airport takes 30 minutes or so. As we near the city, I notice a long line of trucks (stretching many kilometres) parked by the side of the road. The driver tell me that these trucks are waiting to cross the bridge into Brazil. The trucks are allowed to cross only after 6 PM. Hence the long line and the wait.
My Hotel (AUSTRIA) is just off the main street of Ciudad del Este. I get a decent room with twin beds in the back of the hotel (so it is quieter). The hotel charges $30 (US) per night including breakfast. Asuncion Palace Hotel is still far and away the best place I have stayed thus far. The manager at the front desk offers to take me on a private tour of the Itaipu Dam and Monday Falls for US$40. Rather than haggle with taxi driver and research bus routes, I may take him up on that.
I ask him whether I can cross the Friendship bridge (Punta de la Amistad - connecting Paraguay and Brazil) that evening visit Brazil for 15 minutes and walk back on the bridge to Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). He tells me that during the daytime it is fine but not in the evening / night-time as there are "Banditos". I leave the hotel and walk to the Paraguayan side of the Bridge and take a few pictures. It is hardly 6:30 PM and all the shops are shuttered. There are many folks on motorbikes who offer to take me across the bridge and back. Although my guidebook has mentioned these folks and I am carrying my passport, I decide not to take up their offers.
I walk around a bit and am back at the hotel by 7:15 PM and decide to have dinner in the hotel as I did not find any place that could cater to a vegetarian. The manager gets me plain spaghetti, salad and break. I hate it, but it is better than starving. The bright spot of the evening turns out to be a decent Santa Helena (Chilean) wine. I log on the internet to check messages. Both the dinner and the Internet charges have been added to my hotel tab. Fine by me as I can pay it all by Credit card.
I tell the manager that I will indeed take his offer of driving me to Itaipu and Monday falls for $40. I also request that I be dropped off at the Bus station as I am planning to take a bus to the Argentine town of Puerto Iguacu. Breakfast starts at 6 AM and we will head to Itaipu at 8 AM. I hope to finish my tours by 11 AM and hopefully reach Puerto Iguacu (Argentina) by 1 PM or so.
The Guarani language and culture still thrive in Paraguay. All Schools teach children both Spanish and Guarani. Almost all adults can speak both languages. Good to know that the old languages and cultures are not being left for dead.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
January 26-27, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
January 26, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================
En-route to breakfast, I met Graciela at the front office. She owns the place and was the person with whom I had exchanged numerous e-mails before booking this hotel. She spoke good English. I requested her to call Intertours (tour company) to find out the possibility of doing the "Circuito de Oro" today. She dialled the number and handed me the receiver. I requested an English speaker to whoever was at the other end of the line. After being transferred half-a-dozen time to Spanish speakers (each of whom promised me to transfer to a English speaker next!), I finally got an English speaker. She told me that the tour was the day had already departed at 8 AM and that the next tour for the "Circuito de Oro" was on Monday!. As this is an 11-Hour tour (that returns at 7 PM) and since my flight on Monday is at 4:25 PM, Monday would definitely not work. Graciela offered to talk to a local driver about doing a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro" for me along with an English speaking guide.
The breakfast room was a nice, large ceilinged room. I had Orange Juice, a slice of Watermelon, toast, a piece of Chocolate cake and coffee. Perhaps the most decent breakfast since departing the Antarctica cruise ship!
Upon returning from breakfast, Graciela told me that the private tour with an air-conditioned car, a driver and an English speaking guide would cost me US$120. I decided to wander around town and explore other tour companies and options. I headed first to the TAM airlines office to confirm my reservation from Asuncion to Ciudad-del-Este. Until now I have been travelling on LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas while traversing Chile and Argentina. Starting Monday (Jan 28), I will be travelling on TAM (Brazilian) airlines for an entire month (within Paraguay, Paraguay to Brazil, within Brazil and my flight from Brazil to Argentina). After a 30-minute wait at the office, I got my reservations confirmed. It is a pity as neither Aerolineas Argentinas or TAM Brazilian Airlines have a frequent flier programme with any American Airline. It looks like I may have to reconfirm my flight with TAM 72 hours prior to every upcoming flight! The office provided me with a handy leaflet containing the Phone Numbers and addresses of the TAM airlines offices in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.
I went in search of VIP tours. I found it after a 10-minute walk. The folks at the office spoke no English. I, however, managed to express my interest in doing the "Circuito de Oro" or "A Tour of the Jesuit Ruins" either today or tomorrow (Sunday). Although both tours can be done tomorrow (Sunday), they require a minimum of 2 persons to run a tour. I could instead pay double the price and they would run the tour for me alone. I was not that desperate to do that and I thanked them and headed out.
While at the tour office, I noticed a large leather basket and a small cup with a metal sipper attached to the basket. I found out later that the leather basket holds a tall flash filled with Hot water while the small cup (with the sipper) contains MATE leaves. Looks like Mate drinking is taken quite seriously and stylishly here!
My wanderings bought me to the Plaza de los Heroes and the adjacent Plaza Independencia. I took a few pictures at both places and headed towards Plaza Uruguaya. I was heeding to the advice given my Mr. Libster and his friends and not walking around with the camera hanging around my neck. I did see a large police presence all over the place especially in the central area where I was presently walking. At Plaza Uruguaya I took a few pictures.
On one side of the plaza was the old train station that is currently a museum. The oldest train in South America used to run from this Station to the resort of AREGUA. The station is all its Victorian Glory now serves as a museum with a couple of Old carriages and a locomotive from the 1860s. The train to AREGUA now starts its journey from the Botanical Garden. The tourist office was right. The train to AREGUA now runs once every 2 weeks and the next train was on February 3 (when I would be in RIO eager for my CARNIVAL experience!).
I spent over an hour at the Old railroad station (museum). In addition to the coaches and locomotive, antique bells, clocks, ledgers and the waiting room have all been preserved for display.
I walked next to the Cathedral which opens only on Sundays for Service. I took a few pictures of the exterior. A young kid asked me for money and I said no. The kid walked away. Despite the scarcity of people around this area, I did not feel insecure as there was a large police presence around.
I visited the Cabildo situated on the banks of River Paraguay. In addition to containing some historical artefacts, it houses a ballet museum as well as a hall chronicling the history of Paraguayan cinema. It also houses a lot of memorabilia from the careers of 2 Paraguayan musicians (one a western classical musician and the other a crooner).
I wanted to head next to the Governor's palace. The girl at the museum asked me to take a longer route to the palace as it was more secure. The shorter route would take me 8 minutes to reach the palace. I heeded the girl's advice and took the longer route. I wound up on the central street (called PALMA) and came across the Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant that was mentioned by the tourist office the previous evening. There was a Chinese lady who spoke Spanish and assured me that all the food was Vegetarian. I had a few potato cutlets and Vegetable rolls for Lunch. Food here is charged by the weight and my grand lunch along with a bottle of coca-cola cost me 10, 000 Guaranis (US$ 2.1 approx). The potato cutlets along with the hot sauce (provided on request) was terrific. Goes to show how starved for spice I have become. The restaurant is open ONLY for Lunch and will be closed on Sunday. Will probably come here on Monday afternoon for Lunch before I head to the Airport.
The Governor's palace was a magnificent edifice. Guards patrol the building grounds and I was not allowed to even set foot on the lawn. I had to settle for pictures from the road which was not bad at all. I also took external pictures of Casa Viola (It was a pink building).
I walked towards the Port area and customs house. I started heading back towards my hotel from here. One of the buildings had numerous stalls and shops selling native Paraguayan handicrafts. They were quite reasonably priced and I observed quite a few Guarani women making necklaces and other artefacts next to their stalls. I decided to return here on Monday and purchase a few artefacts. My way of helping the local artisans.
I got back to the Hotel and briefed Graciela on my activities this morning and she, in turn, recommended a few places I had missed seeing. As the temperature was in the mid 30s (Centigrade), I rested up a bit (in my suite!) and headed out at 3:30 to "Manzana de la Rivera". It was a good museum that showcased old Photos of Asuncion as well as Aboriginal artefacts. All the descriptions were ONLY in Spanish. I made the best of it. In addition to the Photo and artefacts gallery, the Manzana also houses 2 art galleries that house paintings from Contemporary Paraguayan Artists. The paintings were for sale and ranged from US$200 - US$ 1800. Manzana de la Rivera telescopes into 2 other buildings and the last of these buildings was Casa Viola (that I had Photographer from the outside earlier today). Casa Viola houses the Ballet Institute and the local office of UNESCO.
There is a cafe inside the Manzana and it provides terrific view of the Governor's palace. I had a soda and spent 30 minutes admiring the view. As the cafe is open until 3 AM, I may return here to take pictures of the Governor's palace by night (it is lit at night).
My next stop was Palacio Legislativo. It was a gleaming glass and steel structure located opposite a Shantytown. This was the street I was warned not to venture into earlier today. I spent 10-minutes here taking pictures. No one approached me. Being the legislative chamber, there was a good police presence here. I felt safe.
I headed next to the Teatro Municipal. There were no performances tomorrow, but there was a performance currently underway and the clerk at the box office allowed me to go in and take a look (free, of course). I caught the last 5 minutes of "Hansel and Gretel" in Spanish. There were lots of children in the audience and they appeared to be enjoying the performance thoroughly.
I visited the "Casa de la Independencia" next. This was the place where the plot for independence from Spain was hatched.
As tomorrow was appearing to be a free day, I headed to the tourist office to get directions to the town of San Lorenzo. It was 45-minutes by bus.
I got back to the Hotel, showered and headed out for dinner. I spent an hour in copying the pictures from my memory card to my portable hard drive. My dinner at Restaurant BOLSI consisted of Ravioli with Almonds (dipped in honey) and served with Arabiata Sauce followed by an Ice-Cream. The grand bill was 60,000 Guaranis (including tip) which worked out to US$12 and was the most expensive thing in Paraguay so far!
All of the museums in Asuncion are free. I encountered a light, steady drizzle on my return to the hotel (after dinner). I skipped the photo shoot of the Governor's palace by night. I sent out a few queries to future places of stay and checked cricket and tennis scores (Australian Open). I was happy with Obama's win in South Carolina.
I will probably visit San Lorenzo tomorrow.
January 27, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================
I went to Breakfast at 9 AM. It was raining heavily outside. As the windows in my room are shutterred (wooden shutters) - to prevent outside noise from disturbing my sleep - I could neither see nor hear the downpour from my room. As the rain showed no signs of abating, I decided to use the Hotel's internet and blog for a few hours until the rain stopped. I was getting closer to being up to date with my blogs.
At Noon, it was still pouring and I did not want to spend the rest of the day in front of the computer (or) in my Hotel room. I asked the hotel if they had a spare umbrella I could borrow and they loaned me one. The Bus to San Lorenzo stops very near my hotel. I walked to the bus stop (50 metres away) and waited for the bus.
A bus came by in 5 minutes. I gave the driver 5000 Guaranis and he gave me back 3000 Guaranis and a ticket. No works were exchanges :) The bus system here operates on a flat fare from anywhere to anywhere (similar to New York's metro system). I took a seat and watched the streets go by. After 8-10 minutes of driving, we were outside my area of familiarity with Asuncion. As the tourist office had provided me with a pretty decent map of Asuncion, I was able to follow the bus route as the streets were clearly marked.
After 30 minutes of driving we appeared to be in the countryside. I requested a co-passenger to let me know when to get off for the San Lorenzo Cathedral (which I had come to see). He told me to get off a few minutes later and I did. The total journey was 45-minutes or so just as the tourist office had told me. It was pouring here as well. The cathedral was right in front of me and was closed. Maybe the services had ended (I assume they had services as today was a Sunday) and the cathedral had closed its doors. There was hardly any shelter from the rain for me to take out my camera and take pictures.
The streets were flooded. I had rolled up my trousers to my knees. I thanked my foresight in wearing sandals and not shoes! I waded in ankle to knee deep water and keep asking directions for Museo Boggiani (one of the other places, that is a must see in San Lorenzo). After 45 minutes of being told to do in different directions, I found the street and followed it to the door number as shown in my guidebook (888 Colonel Bogado). It was exactly as the guidebook said - 1 1/2 blocks from the cathedral and I spent 45 minutes walking around because the locals were clueless!
I rang the bell for the museum and waited. A door opened and an old lady told me to come back at 3 PM. It was 1:45 PM now. I went in search of food - Vegetarian food. As the umbrella given by the hotel was quite small, my backpack appears to be quite wet. I only hope that "Precious" inside, is dry! I found a restaurant close to the cathedral. I ordered CORN empanadas and a soda for a total of 7500 Guaranis ($1.6). I decide to follow my meagre lunch with 3 scoops of Ice-cream for 5000 Guaranis ($1.1). It was still raining heavily. I was getting tired of people watching. People coming in to order, maybe eating their food there and so on. I was getting bored as there were not many people around due to the heavy downpour. I saw the SECOND fattest person in all of Paraguay. The folks here are uniformly slim and healthy. Hence the rarity and oddity of seeing a fat person.
It was past 3 PM after all these musings and I decided to head to the Museo Boggiani. The elderly lady welcomes me. This is also a free museum! Boggiani was an Italian explorer who spent time with the Guarani people and over time documented their culture. The museum descriptions were all in Spanish. I once again made a conscious effort to read and comprehend the descriptions and was mostly successful. The museum exhibits included headdresses, weapons and tools used for hunting and fishing, utensils and musical instruments used, masks, talismans and even a few contemporary photos showing the Guarani people as they live today in their native areas.
The museum also has a shop selling handicrafts made by the natives. The shop is across the street from the museum and the lady leaves the museum unattended and walks across the street to open the museum shop for me. I buy a couple of wooden carvings for 30,000 Guaranis ($6.5). I thank the lady and head to the bus stop. The Bus to Asuncion stops at the end of the Museum street (Colonel Bogado). I wait for 10 minutes before one shows up. I give the driver 20,000 Guaranis and he returns 17,900 thereby charging me the correct fare of 2,100 Guaranis ($0.45) for the 45-minute ride.
It is still pouring here. I take a seat and watch Asuncion come up. The rain has now stopped. I get off a few stops earlier at Plaza Uruguaya as I feel like walking. During my walks in Asuncion and San Lorenzo and my travel in the local bus, I have not felt threatened at any point in time. Maybe the locals (read RICH people) are a bit paranoid here. Similar to folks living in the suburbs having fanciful visions of NYC where everyone is a mugger and everyone is mugged!
I get back to my hotel and dry the backpack and the contents therein. Fortunately, the camera and associated equipment is quite dry. I spend some time writing my diary. I head to yet another Italian place (recommended by the Asuncion visitors guidebook) for dinner. On reaching the place after a 15-minute walk, I find it closed!
A nearby Mall appears to be open. I walk in and wander around for a bit before hitting the food court on the 3rd floor. I spot a place with 'ARABE' in the title and head there. I see HUMMUS and BABBAGANOUSH on the menu and my eyes (and hopes) light up. I asked the manager for FALAFEL! He dashes my hopes my saying that they don't have it anymore :( I settle for a Spinach empanada as it is the sole vegetarian dish.
There is a multiplex within the mall and the Clive Owen flick "Shoot em up" is playing with ENGLISH Dialogues and SPANISH Sub-titles. The next show is at 10 PM. Perfect. I spent the next hour at an Internet cafe and get to the box-office around 9:40 PM. Apparently I am the ONLY customer (so far) for the 10 PM showing of this movie and they require at least 2 folks before showing the movie. I decide to hang around for a few minutes to see if anyone else will show up to see this film. Most folks who come by want to see Nicholas Cage in the "National Treasure" sequel (or is it a prequel?) as it has SPANISH Dialogues (No ENGLISH Subtitles). I could buy 2 tickets to the Clive Owen film (@20,000 Guaranis a ticket - US$ 4.8 approx) and they would run it for me. Somehow the thought does not go well with me. I give up and return to the hotel. I blog for 2 hours and my Antarctica experiences are up to date (I am still behind on the overall trip).
I receive a call from my brother and the hotel manager (whom I had told to expect a call where the only word from the caller would be "GOPAL") rushes to inform me. We chat (brother and I) for 10 minutes. All is well on both sides.
Asuncion is a dead place on Sunday with the exception of the Mall which I think must have opened late in the afternoon or early evening. Being a catholic country, I am sure opening the mall on Sunday morning would be severely frowned upon. Apart from News Kiosks and restaurants, there is nothing else that is open.
I go to bed around 1 AM. I hope to be up early to do a final round of Asuncion including a visit to Mr. Libster's store to update him of my visit and thank him for his advice.
============================
En-route to breakfast, I met Graciela at the front office. She owns the place and was the person with whom I had exchanged numerous e-mails before booking this hotel. She spoke good English. I requested her to call Intertours (tour company) to find out the possibility of doing the "Circuito de Oro" today. She dialled the number and handed me the receiver. I requested an English speaker to whoever was at the other end of the line. After being transferred half-a-dozen time to Spanish speakers (each of whom promised me to transfer to a English speaker next!), I finally got an English speaker. She told me that the tour was the day had already departed at 8 AM and that the next tour for the "Circuito de Oro" was on Monday!. As this is an 11-Hour tour (that returns at 7 PM) and since my flight on Monday is at 4:25 PM, Monday would definitely not work. Graciela offered to talk to a local driver about doing a private tour of the "Circuito de Oro" for me along with an English speaking guide.
The breakfast room was a nice, large ceilinged room. I had Orange Juice, a slice of Watermelon, toast, a piece of Chocolate cake and coffee. Perhaps the most decent breakfast since departing the Antarctica cruise ship!
Upon returning from breakfast, Graciela told me that the private tour with an air-conditioned car, a driver and an English speaking guide would cost me US$120. I decided to wander around town and explore other tour companies and options. I headed first to the TAM airlines office to confirm my reservation from Asuncion to Ciudad-del-Este. Until now I have been travelling on LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas while traversing Chile and Argentina. Starting Monday (Jan 28), I will be travelling on TAM (Brazilian) airlines for an entire month (within Paraguay, Paraguay to Brazil, within Brazil and my flight from Brazil to Argentina). After a 30-minute wait at the office, I got my reservations confirmed. It is a pity as neither Aerolineas Argentinas or TAM Brazilian Airlines have a frequent flier programme with any American Airline. It looks like I may have to reconfirm my flight with TAM 72 hours prior to every upcoming flight! The office provided me with a handy leaflet containing the Phone Numbers and addresses of the TAM airlines offices in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.
I went in search of VIP tours. I found it after a 10-minute walk. The folks at the office spoke no English. I, however, managed to express my interest in doing the "Circuito de Oro" or "A Tour of the Jesuit Ruins" either today or tomorrow (Sunday). Although both tours can be done tomorrow (Sunday), they require a minimum of 2 persons to run a tour. I could instead pay double the price and they would run the tour for me alone. I was not that desperate to do that and I thanked them and headed out.
While at the tour office, I noticed a large leather basket and a small cup with a metal sipper attached to the basket. I found out later that the leather basket holds a tall flash filled with Hot water while the small cup (with the sipper) contains MATE leaves. Looks like Mate drinking is taken quite seriously and stylishly here!
My wanderings bought me to the Plaza de los Heroes and the adjacent Plaza Independencia. I took a few pictures at both places and headed towards Plaza Uruguaya. I was heeding to the advice given my Mr. Libster and his friends and not walking around with the camera hanging around my neck. I did see a large police presence all over the place especially in the central area where I was presently walking. At Plaza Uruguaya I took a few pictures.
On one side of the plaza was the old train station that is currently a museum. The oldest train in South America used to run from this Station to the resort of AREGUA. The station is all its Victorian Glory now serves as a museum with a couple of Old carriages and a locomotive from the 1860s. The train to AREGUA now starts its journey from the Botanical Garden. The tourist office was right. The train to AREGUA now runs once every 2 weeks and the next train was on February 3 (when I would be in RIO eager for my CARNIVAL experience!).
I spent over an hour at the Old railroad station (museum). In addition to the coaches and locomotive, antique bells, clocks, ledgers and the waiting room have all been preserved for display.
I walked next to the Cathedral which opens only on Sundays for Service. I took a few pictures of the exterior. A young kid asked me for money and I said no. The kid walked away. Despite the scarcity of people around this area, I did not feel insecure as there was a large police presence around.
I visited the Cabildo situated on the banks of River Paraguay. In addition to containing some historical artefacts, it houses a ballet museum as well as a hall chronicling the history of Paraguayan cinema. It also houses a lot of memorabilia from the careers of 2 Paraguayan musicians (one a western classical musician and the other a crooner).
I wanted to head next to the Governor's palace. The girl at the museum asked me to take a longer route to the palace as it was more secure. The shorter route would take me 8 minutes to reach the palace. I heeded the girl's advice and took the longer route. I wound up on the central street (called PALMA) and came across the Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant that was mentioned by the tourist office the previous evening. There was a Chinese lady who spoke Spanish and assured me that all the food was Vegetarian. I had a few potato cutlets and Vegetable rolls for Lunch. Food here is charged by the weight and my grand lunch along with a bottle of coca-cola cost me 10, 000 Guaranis (US$ 2.1 approx). The potato cutlets along with the hot sauce (provided on request) was terrific. Goes to show how starved for spice I have become. The restaurant is open ONLY for Lunch and will be closed on Sunday. Will probably come here on Monday afternoon for Lunch before I head to the Airport.
The Governor's palace was a magnificent edifice. Guards patrol the building grounds and I was not allowed to even set foot on the lawn. I had to settle for pictures from the road which was not bad at all. I also took external pictures of Casa Viola (It was a pink building).
I walked towards the Port area and customs house. I started heading back towards my hotel from here. One of the buildings had numerous stalls and shops selling native Paraguayan handicrafts. They were quite reasonably priced and I observed quite a few Guarani women making necklaces and other artefacts next to their stalls. I decided to return here on Monday and purchase a few artefacts. My way of helping the local artisans.
I got back to the Hotel and briefed Graciela on my activities this morning and she, in turn, recommended a few places I had missed seeing. As the temperature was in the mid 30s (Centigrade), I rested up a bit (in my suite!) and headed out at 3:30 to "Manzana de la Rivera". It was a good museum that showcased old Photos of Asuncion as well as Aboriginal artefacts. All the descriptions were ONLY in Spanish. I made the best of it. In addition to the Photo and artefacts gallery, the Manzana also houses 2 art galleries that house paintings from Contemporary Paraguayan Artists. The paintings were for sale and ranged from US$200 - US$ 1800. Manzana de la Rivera telescopes into 2 other buildings and the last of these buildings was Casa Viola (that I had Photographer from the outside earlier today). Casa Viola houses the Ballet Institute and the local office of UNESCO.
There is a cafe inside the Manzana and it provides terrific view of the Governor's palace. I had a soda and spent 30 minutes admiring the view. As the cafe is open until 3 AM, I may return here to take pictures of the Governor's palace by night (it is lit at night).
My next stop was Palacio Legislativo. It was a gleaming glass and steel structure located opposite a Shantytown. This was the street I was warned not to venture into earlier today. I spent 10-minutes here taking pictures. No one approached me. Being the legislative chamber, there was a good police presence here. I felt safe.
I headed next to the Teatro Municipal. There were no performances tomorrow, but there was a performance currently underway and the clerk at the box office allowed me to go in and take a look (free, of course). I caught the last 5 minutes of "Hansel and Gretel" in Spanish. There were lots of children in the audience and they appeared to be enjoying the performance thoroughly.
I visited the "Casa de la Independencia" next. This was the place where the plot for independence from Spain was hatched.
As tomorrow was appearing to be a free day, I headed to the tourist office to get directions to the town of San Lorenzo. It was 45-minutes by bus.
I got back to the Hotel, showered and headed out for dinner. I spent an hour in copying the pictures from my memory card to my portable hard drive. My dinner at Restaurant BOLSI consisted of Ravioli with Almonds (dipped in honey) and served with Arabiata Sauce followed by an Ice-Cream. The grand bill was 60,000 Guaranis (including tip) which worked out to US$12 and was the most expensive thing in Paraguay so far!
All of the museums in Asuncion are free. I encountered a light, steady drizzle on my return to the hotel (after dinner). I skipped the photo shoot of the Governor's palace by night. I sent out a few queries to future places of stay and checked cricket and tennis scores (Australian Open). I was happy with Obama's win in South Carolina.
I will probably visit San Lorenzo tomorrow.
January 27, 2008 - Asuncion, Paraguay
============================
I went to Breakfast at 9 AM. It was raining heavily outside. As the windows in my room are shutterred (wooden shutters) - to prevent outside noise from disturbing my sleep - I could neither see nor hear the downpour from my room. As the rain showed no signs of abating, I decided to use the Hotel's internet and blog for a few hours until the rain stopped. I was getting closer to being up to date with my blogs.
At Noon, it was still pouring and I did not want to spend the rest of the day in front of the computer (or) in my Hotel room. I asked the hotel if they had a spare umbrella I could borrow and they loaned me one. The Bus to San Lorenzo stops very near my hotel. I walked to the bus stop (50 metres away) and waited for the bus.
A bus came by in 5 minutes. I gave the driver 5000 Guaranis and he gave me back 3000 Guaranis and a ticket. No works were exchanges :) The bus system here operates on a flat fare from anywhere to anywhere (similar to New York's metro system). I took a seat and watched the streets go by. After 8-10 minutes of driving, we were outside my area of familiarity with Asuncion. As the tourist office had provided me with a pretty decent map of Asuncion, I was able to follow the bus route as the streets were clearly marked.
After 30 minutes of driving we appeared to be in the countryside. I requested a co-passenger to let me know when to get off for the San Lorenzo Cathedral (which I had come to see). He told me to get off a few minutes later and I did. The total journey was 45-minutes or so just as the tourist office had told me. It was pouring here as well. The cathedral was right in front of me and was closed. Maybe the services had ended (I assume they had services as today was a Sunday) and the cathedral had closed its doors. There was hardly any shelter from the rain for me to take out my camera and take pictures.
The streets were flooded. I had rolled up my trousers to my knees. I thanked my foresight in wearing sandals and not shoes! I waded in ankle to knee deep water and keep asking directions for Museo Boggiani (one of the other places, that is a must see in San Lorenzo). After 45 minutes of being told to do in different directions, I found the street and followed it to the door number as shown in my guidebook (888 Colonel Bogado). It was exactly as the guidebook said - 1 1/2 blocks from the cathedral and I spent 45 minutes walking around because the locals were clueless!
I rang the bell for the museum and waited. A door opened and an old lady told me to come back at 3 PM. It was 1:45 PM now. I went in search of food - Vegetarian food. As the umbrella given by the hotel was quite small, my backpack appears to be quite wet. I only hope that "Precious" inside, is dry! I found a restaurant close to the cathedral. I ordered CORN empanadas and a soda for a total of 7500 Guaranis ($1.6). I decide to follow my meagre lunch with 3 scoops of Ice-cream for 5000 Guaranis ($1.1). It was still raining heavily. I was getting tired of people watching. People coming in to order, maybe eating their food there and so on. I was getting bored as there were not many people around due to the heavy downpour. I saw the SECOND fattest person in all of Paraguay. The folks here are uniformly slim and healthy. Hence the rarity and oddity of seeing a fat person.
It was past 3 PM after all these musings and I decided to head to the Museo Boggiani. The elderly lady welcomes me. This is also a free museum! Boggiani was an Italian explorer who spent time with the Guarani people and over time documented their culture. The museum descriptions were all in Spanish. I once again made a conscious effort to read and comprehend the descriptions and was mostly successful. The museum exhibits included headdresses, weapons and tools used for hunting and fishing, utensils and musical instruments used, masks, talismans and even a few contemporary photos showing the Guarani people as they live today in their native areas.
The museum also has a shop selling handicrafts made by the natives. The shop is across the street from the museum and the lady leaves the museum unattended and walks across the street to open the museum shop for me. I buy a couple of wooden carvings for 30,000 Guaranis ($6.5). I thank the lady and head to the bus stop. The Bus to Asuncion stops at the end of the Museum street (Colonel Bogado). I wait for 10 minutes before one shows up. I give the driver 20,000 Guaranis and he returns 17,900 thereby charging me the correct fare of 2,100 Guaranis ($0.45) for the 45-minute ride.
It is still pouring here. I take a seat and watch Asuncion come up. The rain has now stopped. I get off a few stops earlier at Plaza Uruguaya as I feel like walking. During my walks in Asuncion and San Lorenzo and my travel in the local bus, I have not felt threatened at any point in time. Maybe the locals (read RICH people) are a bit paranoid here. Similar to folks living in the suburbs having fanciful visions of NYC where everyone is a mugger and everyone is mugged!
I get back to my hotel and dry the backpack and the contents therein. Fortunately, the camera and associated equipment is quite dry. I spend some time writing my diary. I head to yet another Italian place (recommended by the Asuncion visitors guidebook) for dinner. On reaching the place after a 15-minute walk, I find it closed!
A nearby Mall appears to be open. I walk in and wander around for a bit before hitting the food court on the 3rd floor. I spot a place with 'ARABE' in the title and head there. I see HUMMUS and BABBAGANOUSH on the menu and my eyes (and hopes) light up. I asked the manager for FALAFEL! He dashes my hopes my saying that they don't have it anymore :( I settle for a Spinach empanada as it is the sole vegetarian dish.
There is a multiplex within the mall and the Clive Owen flick "Shoot em up" is playing with ENGLISH Dialogues and SPANISH Sub-titles. The next show is at 10 PM. Perfect. I spent the next hour at an Internet cafe and get to the box-office around 9:40 PM. Apparently I am the ONLY customer (so far) for the 10 PM showing of this movie and they require at least 2 folks before showing the movie. I decide to hang around for a few minutes to see if anyone else will show up to see this film. Most folks who come by want to see Nicholas Cage in the "National Treasure" sequel (or is it a prequel?) as it has SPANISH Dialogues (No ENGLISH Subtitles). I could buy 2 tickets to the Clive Owen film (@20,000 Guaranis a ticket - US$ 4.8 approx) and they would run it for me. Somehow the thought does not go well with me. I give up and return to the hotel. I blog for 2 hours and my Antarctica experiences are up to date (I am still behind on the overall trip).
I receive a call from my brother and the hotel manager (whom I had told to expect a call where the only word from the caller would be "GOPAL") rushes to inform me. We chat (brother and I) for 10 minutes. All is well on both sides.
Asuncion is a dead place on Sunday with the exception of the Mall which I think must have opened late in the afternoon or early evening. Being a catholic country, I am sure opening the mall on Sunday morning would be severely frowned upon. Apart from News Kiosks and restaurants, there is nothing else that is open.
I go to bed around 1 AM. I hope to be up early to do a final round of Asuncion including a visit to Mr. Libster's store to update him of my visit and thank him for his advice.
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