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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Feb 05, 2009 07:00 PM Iguazu - the Magnificent
In the Paudimar Hostel they have junk bus with hard park-like benches inside to take you for the day tour to the Argentinian side of the falls. This costs (transport only) 25 reais.
It is definitely worth. They will arrange border formalities, and wait for you till 5 pm for to return.
Entry to the Argentinian park costs 20 USD, but you have included free ride on the mini-train and free sail to the island.
There are two trails to walk with amazing views (lower and upper) from Cataractas Train Station, but the main attraction is a close view of the main fall (84 m high - they say) Garganta del Diablo. From Brazilian side you can see it only from the distance. Here you are just by - sprayed with the clouds of water and happy to see such a wonder of the nature... Poor cameras - I protected them with plastic bag.
But hurry - if you want to see all- including great San Martin Fall - from the island you have to walk onward - I did cover all trails till 5 pm, but this was very busy (and tiring in the hot sun) day. Yes, I saw Angel-the highest, Victoria, Niagara, Calandula and the others, but Iguazu - the Magnificent - will be always no. 1 on my list!
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Feb 04, 2009 07:00 PM To the amazing Iguazu!
I know well this money changers from the airports around the world! They usually give lowest exchange rates in the town. In Brazil they will charge enormous commision. Try to bring reaais from abroad or change just little amount for the initial expenses. The rate on the free market is 2.3 reais for one USD.
I arrived to Iguazu Falls. Do not be confused - I declared I am going to unknown to me North Brazil but I just turned south! Well, you know that I am great fan of waterfalls. I always say Iguazu is the nicest waterfall in the world. I saw him more then 20 years ago, the walkways on the Argentinian side were destroyed by flood. How can I miss the opportunity to see my favourite again?
Paudimar Youth Hostel lies between the town and the waterfall. It is nice place, worth to recommed. I pay 66 reais for twin room with good breakfast. They have even irregular complimentary bus from the main town-fall road, but I was walkink these 2 km on foot... City bus to the junction will cost you 2,10 reais. Entry to the Bazilian park is like 10 USD...
Of course in the afternoon I went to the fall - Brazilian side - to enjoy the beauty of Iguazu. It is still amazing, powerful and exciting! I can´t see any changes - only the color of the water is different - white and silver this summer (it was like a cocoa years ago)... I stayes there till the evening enjoying the beauty of nature...
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Feb 02, 2009 07:00 PM Across the South Atlantic
Very few airlines fly this route. One of them is South African Airlines. A340 in not my favourite long distance plane - I prefere more cozy 767, but they serve on board SAA Amarula drinks... Hope you also like them... The flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil was 2 hours delayed and it toook me almost 10 hours... No much space to stretch the legs... But I earn 4500 miles for frequent flyer program...
In Sao Paulo I decided to spend the night close to the airport. I know this huge, crowded city from my previous visit - not much to see there!.
Apartament for the price of youth hostel? Yes, it is possible if you will find a partner to your twin room and if you will find well ahead an intertesting internet sale deal. I did! An apartment in Mercure Accor hotel close to the Sao airport cost 92 reais. They provide free transfer from the airport but they will charge you 5 reais pp for the way back to the airport. After 10 hours on the plane I had really good rest. Recommended! Welcome to the South America!
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Feb 01, 2009 07:00 PM Bye Congo!
How many controls can be in the airport? On the departure I went though 13 of them, I believe. Many officials expect a bribe. Some of them keeping your passport in their hand ask openly for money (-Do you have anything for me?) Only few of them speak English so I used the method "Sorry, I do not understand" - it works! They were searching 3 times my camera bag.
South African flight was on time - in the evening I landed in Johannesburg, RSA. Happy to see the fascinating Congo and happy to leave it...
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Jan 31, 2009 07:00 PM Last day on Congo river...
Sardines from the can and manioc bread for breakfast. Then we sailed through the "lake" with many little flat islands to the village of Lukunga. It is on one of the islands, the houses are built on poles. They have a policeman - he met us with old AK-42 gun on a shore. Once he received little bribe all problems disappeared. I took some photos and we departed to Kinkole - the suburb of Kinshasa. Again I was registered by officials at a dusty wharf (bureaucracy is hard to imagine in Congo - they always do hope that they will get "something" for their hard work) and I went to the hotel. Evening in the internet cafe responding all letters - they charge 100 F for ten minutes of slow connection at a junk computer - old windows and French keyboard - sorry for all my mistakes!
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Jan 30, 2009 07:00 PM Man-gen-gen-ge - can you repeat?
It is the time to say goodbye to the friendly black villagers of Mai Ndombe. They do not know when they will see again other mundele! We packed the tent on the boat and sailed down the Congo River to Mangengenge - little village on the south bank. Armed forces cruising by speedboad stopped us again to check who and where is sailing...
Mangengenge village is much smaller then Mai Ndombe - only 150 souls live here in the mud houses. But the village is beautifully located near the sandy beach at the mouth of little valley! The Chef allowed me to put the tent close to his house! Then he gave me the guide to climb the hill on the bank of the river... We were climbing in the heat if the noon! The view was great. Congo form here like a grand, wide lake with few flat, green islands! No shower! In the afternoon I decided to swim in the Congo river! Local kids had a great theater. -White man is swimming on our beach!
In the evening I escaped quickly to the tent - the village is very friendly and they even have battery radio, but the mosquitoes are terrible here!
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Jan 29, 2009 07:00 PM It is me - your mundele!
Do you remember dear friends how they called me, the white man - yovo in Togo, muzungu in Uganda, ferengi in the Arab countries... Here they call me mundele.
The barefoot kids in the village know me well. So their parents. They smile and greet me when I am passing by!
Today I took an epedition to the rapids on the Mai Ndombe - Black River or Black Water. Lower rapids are not far from the village -10 min by boat or 40 min walk by overgrown path.
They are picturesque, but do not expect organized viewpoints - it is the wilderness! Up from the lower rapids you can rent dugout canoe /21 000 F for the RT/ and two guys will paddle like 2.5 hours through the lovely jungle - upstream to the second rapids. They never been there themselves so once you land you feel like discoverer on the steep slope! They should bring their machettas to cut the way through the bush: but they did not - there is no single path! Yes, I saw second rapids - but the view was obscured by the trunks of the old trees and the bush...
Back in the camp: dirty, sweaty and extremely tired I was greeted by the friendly kids: Mundele!
Yes, it is me - yours mundele! MUNDELE MOKO - the lonely white man in the black Congo...
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Jan 28, 2009 07:00 PM Chef de village has the power
In the village Mai Ndombe, where I camp live about 2000 people! - said the chef when I visited him to ask for the permission to take the pictures in his kingdom. He weared traditional dress for my visit! I think that he lays to show, that he rules a lot of people!
In Mai Ndombe there is no electricity, no road, no supermarket! People live in tatched mud houses: they fish, they plant cassava and maze. They have very little income: they are very poor! But most of them are very friendly. I had opportunity to see their everyday life and to take a lot of great pictures! I also climbed in the heat the hill overlooking the village and the rivers. Great views!
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Jan 27, 2009 07:00 PM By boat on Congo River...
I decided to try the taste of the big river - one of the biggest in the world. The destination was village Mai Ndombe - located at the junction of Congo and Black River!
It is almost 8 hours upstream from Kinshasa by motorized boat! You can divide this sail by two going by car to Maluku and board the boat there - thats what I did. It was raining from the morning and Kinshasa-Maluku segment in the rain was not attractive. In Maluku you must go through the beaurocracy of the immigration and other officials! Paying some bribes will speed them up but only a little bit. Thanks God the rain almost stopped when we started at noon. It is really big river! Thousands of duguot canoes sails along the banks /the current is lower there/
I saw big public barges full of people sailing to Kisangani -4 weeks upstream: 15 days downstream, want you try? Good luck!
Great views: fishermen, green hills on the Brazzaville side!
We reached Mai Ndombe in the late afternoon. Local people pintch the tent for me just 20 m from the river. What a day!
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Jan 26, 2009 07:00 PM Apocalypse in Kinshasa
It is like 125 km from the capital of Congo to the colonial town of Kisantu. Such a excursion could be a nice one)day escape from the tonns of garbage, noise and polluton of Kinshasa!
Rented car with a local driver is the best idea since the regular intercity transport is nonexistent...
In the year of 1900 Jesuits from Europe established in Kisantu large botanical garden - it is still open and worth to see. Entry fee 500 F: but you have to pay extra 2000 for camera and twice for video!
I also saw in Kisantu enormous catolic church - probably the largest in Congo! Made of brick really huge builging remindind me the castle! Who knows today about Kisantu church? Unfortunately it was empty and locked! There was no time to wait - our driver lost the car key and it took him two hour to breake with primitive tools the steering station of the car!
In Kinshasa I stay in Apocalypse hotel ) half way from the aitport to the city! Apocalypse starts in the evening when the mosquitos start their battle - bring your own mosquito net! I did!
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