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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 08, 2009 07:00 PM Sun, sea and the beaches... Brazil...
Can you imagine that in the cold Europe? Yesterday at sunset time it was 31 deg. Celsius here!
I have 150 m walk from my Pousada Acacia to the Barra Beach. You will see there a lot of pretty local ladies. Oh, la la.... I was already swiming there and it was great despite of quite high waves... But this is just little, crowded city beach...
For those who want to escape from the crowd to ilyllic tropical location there are nice beaches out of Salvador. If you want to stay for a long time in the picturesque slepy village take a daily catamaran to Morro Sao Paulo. It cost 70 reais each way from Baixa Maritime Terminal so this is worth to go there if you plan to stay longer (there is youth hostel).
To have just a short marine excursion across All Saints Bay and enjoy the skyline of Salvador from the sea you can take a public ferry (40 min, 3-4 reais each way to the island of Itaparica). That´s what I did yesterday...
Today in the evening I´ll fly further north - to Sao Luis...
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Feb 07, 2009 07:00 PM The charm of Salvador -Bahia
Do you remember my adventures in San Salvador? Now I am in the other Salvador - Brazilian city located in the Nordeste, in The Bay of All Saints.
As a tourist destination Salvador with its colonial past, the afro-brazilian culture and its monuments can compete with Rio. The old part of the city called Pelourinho - the real gem - is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO...
Salvador - Bahia is located on the hills. I was walking whole day the stone cobbled streets visiting old churches (San Francisco is the most ornate and impressive - they charge 3 reais entry fee) taking pictures in the strong sun and enjoying the scenery. There are plenty of art galleries, souvenir shops and colour street stalls. Undoubtly you will find famous drummers in the streets - they are preparing for the carnival - it starts on 19th Feb this year.
But this gem has also a shaded side: poverty generates the crime. I saw many poor people sleeping just on the sidewalk. In the main streets there is plenty of discret Policia Militar and you feel safe. (It is still less of them here then in Kinshasa). But it is not advisable to go out of the main trails. I know the traveller who lost the camera in the middle of the day only a block away from the main square...
I survived... It is still the great place to be...
Boa noite! I am going to enjoy the sunset with my camera!
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Feb 06, 2009 07:00 PM Brazil, Brazil...
Brazil is a wide country. Once (years ago) I spent hours and hours on the roads, crossing country mostly by bus. But now I had no time to spend...
Did you hear about Brazil Air Pass? TAM airline (recently Star Alliance member) offers to the foreigners 4-segments ticket for their domestic network. The trick is to find the way fly as far as possible for the money you pay. They have many hopper flights: the plane starts eg in Iguazu, fly to Rio, onward to Salvador and then to Recife. As long as the number of the flight is not changed they treat it as one segment.
That´s what I do. I took a flight Iguazu-Salvador. Is is worth to know that they incuded all taxes (nightmare of the travellers) in the price of the ticket - on depature you pay nothing extra.
Service is good - they serve hot sandwiches and even free beer on domestic routes!
I landed in Salvador-Bahia at 8 pm. There is tourist info in the nice, modern terminal - The bus to the city has a stop just out of the arrival hall! - they said. I was waiting for this bus 1,5 hours. Sorry... It costs only 4 reais (taxi drivers wanted 80)...
It was not easy to find Pousada Acacia (Former Pousada Milagres) in Barra quarter. I landed there at 11 pm, it was still 24 deg Celsius. The place is worth to recommend - it is quite, clean, old villa. For 80 reais You will get queen size bed and king size breakfast with fruits, ham, cheese, eggs, unlimited home-made juices and cakes. Oh, mom! The only disadvantage is that nobody here speaks English - bring your phrasebook with you!
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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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