I have always been interested in Capoeira, and Salvador is famous for it. There are many masters and groups based here.06-Jun-2009 19:34, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 10.0, 28.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 400
Salvador de Bahia is Brazil´s Capital of Happiness, and the third most populous city. We´d heard a lot of amazing things, although we knew they´d be curtailed by my knee injury. It has crazy weather, incessant begging and a high crime rate; it also has amazing parties, a magnificent historic centre and fascinating African roots. We stayed in three different hostels, hit the town for Samba, and I even got a haircut!
Check out my wheels…04-Jun-2009 00:41, Panasonic DMC-FX3, 2.8, 5.8mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
When looking to travel in Brazil, you’ll find the actual logistics of travel can be the most expensive part; and while the buses are fantastic (much better than UK) the are frequently as expensive as flights – which by reputation aren’t exactly cheap! However, we’ve just flown with Gol airlines and were so impressed I’m dedicating this entire post to them.
And then back to jungle boy, who makes it look spectacular with ease!31-May-2009 16:11, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 10.0, 105.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800
On Sunday we ventured from the main centre of Paraty to the famous local waterfalls, particularly the cascading Cachoeira do Toboga to do a bit of water sliding! Ironically, that part went exceptionally well, it was when I decided to do a bit of stretching that everything took a turn for the worse!
The stage! Definitely more lively at night… the first half was a talent competition.30-May-2009 05:57, Panasonic DMC-FX3, 2.8, 5.8mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
After torrential rain appeared in the paradise that is Ilha Grande on Thursday night, we decided to cut this trip short and move on quickly to Paraty; an old colonial town with a centre that is completely cut off to traffic and has been declared a national historical monument. Unfortunately, the weather here was also poor, but we still managed to have a cracking time!
You can't deny it, The Sugarloaf is pretty impressive!25-May-2009 18:34, Panasonic DMC-FX3, 5.6, 5.8mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
The Sugarloaf (in Portuguese, Pão de Açúcar) is a monolith which is instantaneously recognisable as a sight of Rio De Janeiro. That, coupled with the fact there’s a Sugarloaf elsewhere than Monmouth (Steve: Actually, Abergavenny )meant it was a must do on the Mace sightseeing tour. Sagui monkeys and fresh coconut water accompanied us on this Sugarloaf walk though…
We had to wait about ten minutes to get the stairs clear for this photo, its packed up there!23-May-2009 18:44, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 14.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800
The Christ the Redeemer statue is the largest Art Deco sculpture in the world, and one of the famous landmarks in Rio de Janeiro overlooking the city from the top of Corcovado mountain. When we heard it was possible to climb from Parque Lage, we thought we’d give it a go. Budget friendly exercise, plus it turned out to be a beautiful hike that meant we definitely deserved some large Caipirinhas in Lapa afterwards!
We’re even closer to heading off – more goodbyes have been said at Kelly & Ben’s amazing wedding this weekend and we’ve both now had our last day at work. Current weather in Rio as I write is a balmy 28°c! We’re now hopefully pretty close to actually knowing our route so all the details are below. Its still, and always will be, in flux, but that is the nature and fun of backpacking!
Introduction: Situated on the Atlantic coast in westernmost Africa and surrounded on three sides by Senegal, Gambia is twice the size of Delaware. The Gambia River flows for 200 mi (322 km) through Gambia on its way to the Atlantic. The country, the smallest on the continent, averages only 20 mi (32 km) in width.
We visited here for just a week on our honeymoon, and spent a whole three days by the hotel pool – it would have been great to relax but there’s just so much to see! The Gambia has on one side some beautiful beaches, absolute luxury, wonderful wildlife and amazing food. On the other, there is a high mortality rate, very low pay, low education, and everything else you might link to an poor African nation. However, the vast majority appreciate that tourism is one of their major incomes, and as a result are incredibly polite and friendly, and genuinely interested in you and what you do.
With great excitement Lynette & I opened our first big batch of travel clothing that we will be taking with us. You may not be aware, but it is incredibly important to take the right type of clothing – you know the quick-drying, odour-eating, mosquito-repelling, shape-retaining, long-lasting, air-breathing, fire-eating type of clothing. Otherwise you might as well be naked for all the protection that normal clothing will give you… apparently… Continue reading Proportionally, Americans are very different……
Just to let you all know, registration actually works now, the captcha was causing problems. So register & comment away, with no fear of doubting your eyesight during the registration phase…
Also travelling plans slightly amended, we’re heading off in May now instead of March, so we’ll be enjoying the delights of British spring-time before we disappear. Photos of our honeymoon in Gambia and the cream of the wedding photographs will also be going up shortly!
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)meant it was a must do on the Mace sightseeing tour. Sagui monkeys and fresh coconut water accompanied us on this Sugarloaf walk though…
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