Waterfalls, Spanish & new adventures..

 

 

Another crappy day for weather meant we had no choice but to check out Argentinas side rain or shine, but not before I ran all over town looking for a bank, printing out my visa and looking for the bus (I tend to leave everything to the last minute). So finally we boarded "celeste' our bus from Brasil to Argentina. Now as I was leaving Brasil for good I had to say goodbye and stamp out (not a quick process for someone who has over stayed their visa). So time came to leave celeste and wait for another, we waited. And waited and waited. Nothing, until we finally jumped on a bus that actually stopped for us. Stamped in, 2 buses later we arrived at the falls. Still raining meant we covered ourselves in plastic or in Connies case a plastic garbage bag ( thanks to my story of my year 2 musical ) and heading into the good spots. It was unbelievable to see that amount of water constantly pouring off these cliffs into the river below. Purely incredible. Definitely a sight not to miss. And if you're lucky enough to do the boat ride through the falls, do it, just make sure your new mascara is waterproof; unless you want to look like a crying goth. We dried up, said goodbye and jumped on opposite buses.

Headed for buenos aires, it hit me that I was no longer in Brasil.7.5 months later I'd finally found the right time I could leave. Very hard but very rewarding. I know I'll be back. 18 hours later I arrived in a new city, new country, new currency everything, but not to forget a new language. I've just spent the last 7months learning Portugues and now Spanish. Just because they are close does NOT mean the language is similar. Not at all. I gave my best porteñol swing at a few lines for; wifi, water and directions and soon was on my way towards milhouse.  Here is the link to some of my Buenos Aires Photos; https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152456378911288.1073741847.576216287&type=1&l=0035d838d9

Now for all of those who have stayed or partied in the milhouse hostels in buenos aires will know there's no need for explaination. Didn't take me long before I knew I needed to get out of there and quick. I moved myself with a couple of English guys who had the same idea over to the area of Palermo. My favourite part of BA! Full of great restaurants, shops, hostels etc. the vibe in this area is perfect. I think I hung around here for 2 weeks before i met up with Niels, my Dutch friend I had met in Brasil. He was only a couple days behind me in arriving in Argentina and we decided to head over to Uruguay. Our purpose was to check some sights, prove some "legal myths" and get some more dollars before heading back. During this time id been thinking about an idea id heard from a good friend id met in São Paulo, about doing a road trip somewhere along my travels. And the more I kept thinking about the idea the more things kept coming together. Soon I decided Patagonia would be a perfect place for a road trip. There's a billion sights to see and long distances. Now all I needed was this idea to come alive. Buenos aires was a great place for me. I managed to meet some very amazing people whom I still call my really good friends. It's crazy how easily a stranger can become your best friend when you're travelling. It's honestly one of my biggest drives to keep going. So here in this city I met some really cool people and shared my idea of the road trip with them. After a few days of looking into the details etc, we managed to not only find a road trip team but also book ourselves a van. We would be leaving from Santiago chile, and spending 30 nights sleeping in the back of a van with our own kitchen and set of wheels to explore the beauties of the South - Patagonia.

 

Until next time..

Obrigada Brasil...

So Alli and I were lucky enough to get on the exact same flight and we made our way onto our next adventure, Salvador. From the moment we left the airport we were offered the most help we had seen in Brasil. From the lady who helped us find the bus and paying for our tickets to helping us find our hostel. But that didn't come easy. After trekking through the central historic centre of Salvador for over an hour in the disgusting heat with all out baggage (and for those who don't know the area, it's NOT flat) we finally found the Acai Hostel.

Salvador had plenty to offer us in all the categories. Culture, tastes, sights and entertainment all of which we made sure to dip our toes in. And this is where we met Adrian, a Frenchmen who had just begun the start of an amazing journey to 26 different countries for his project "humans of the world". From here we managed to lure him into coming with us to our next destination, chapada Diamontina. Stocked up on snacks and supplies (left over wine) we boarded the bus to wilderness. Our 6 hour trip west quickly turned into a 9 hour roll thanks to the well known brasilian traffic and road works. As we watched the sunset over our original arrival time, we thought it was be a perfect time to open the wine. Soon enough our idea became a problem as we realised we needed a bottle opener. With a quick look around the bus we spotted the most gringo looking pair; a Swedish guy named Paul and a kiwi Jamie who happened to have exactly what we needed and before long we were playing pass the bottle around the bus. Since our bus was delayed 3 hours we arrived in the middle of the night and we all headed toward the hostels. After a few attempts the 5 of us ended up in one room; a double bed, bunk beds and a mattress on the floor. From strangers to bed buddies, this is travelling!!!! The next day we decided to rent a car and go check out Brasils highest waterfall and book in our 3 days hike into the wilderness. The first day of our adventure involved a squishy car ride to the begging of the trail, and here we would walk up. In the heat. And up some more before descending into our camp for the night next to a rushing cold river who's water was stained bright red from the minerals in the soil. Here we dumped our stuff and carried on hiking until we reached a flowing river In between two giant walls. Here we stripped down and headed up the river for about an hour until we reached the beginning, a giant waterfall . Day 2. After a restless sleep from trying to hide from either Mosquitos or the rain we packed up to begin the next day. Crossing the valleys of the mountains onto the next, trekking through the heat of Brasil up and down mountains meant that nothing was more rewarding than the sight of another chilled waterfall and a pool to refresh in and this place is in no short supply. We finally reach our camp for the second night and begin to set up and prep dinner. Another amazing night under the stars away from the rest of the world. Final day arrived and we decended down from the beginng of a waterfall to the bottom where we swam in the pool. Sadly we had to head back towards town, but not before stopping at the huge natural water slide, where Jamie and I got plenty of fun use.  Another car hire decision later saw us all strapped in while I tried my hand at driving on the right hand side of the road, which finally saw us arrive at the poco azul. Stripped and washed we climed down in the earth and into the clearest bluest water. During different times of the year the water changes colour, but remains so clear you can see everything on the bottom 4/5 meters below. After Another extremely bumpy long drive we arrived at the poco enchanto supposed to be better than the last, but not at the end of the day when we finally arrived. With a discount and a free drink we were back in the car returning to town. After spending 4 days together with complete strangers in raw state i can say I have made some very great friends. Paul the most worldly guy ive ever met, who knows Australian slang and kiwi jokes and sounds nothing like a sweed has to be one of the funniest people I've ever met. Jamie my kiwi sibling has us all in laughter and was happy to share around the massages. LOVE THE BOOCOCK! But Sadly it was time to pay all the bills and return back to Salvador on the midnight express, but not before something had to go wrong. My bank card is canceled and I've been advised I need to order a new card, and surprisingly enough they don't sent international. Sooooo after a IOU and my last cash spent on the bus we arrived in the early morning to ACAI hostel.
My new second home. Here I had to wait for my emergency credit card so I had to say goodbye to my new friends and Allie who were headed off to Rio. Soon discovered I had an travel card I could apply money too, withdraw cash and shipped myself over to Morro de São Paulo. I spent 3 days sunning my already tanned skin, foam partying making new friends and more tanning. Amazing place to watch the days slip away and the sun to set. Back to mainland and onto a bus to Rio, My love.

        


33 hours later I arrived to somewhere familiar an greeted with friendly smiles and a home cooked Mexican meal. I was finally back in what felt like my lost love. What was even better was Dylan was back from the US. Back to the rio life of beaching, bike riding, parties and more beach. It felt great to be back. What was meant to be a week turned quickly into 2 weeks before I yet again said goodbye.

Another bus, Rio - São Paulo. The perfect 6 hour journey where I was greeted by 6Am morning rush hour in the subway. Something I recommend everyone to try. Definitely an experience with a huge backpack. Sometimes when travelling on a budget and in new towns you're not quite sure of distances on maps from places and when people write 10min walk they mean 30 especially with baggage, so it's hard to guess whether or not to tough it up, get a bus or a taxi. This morning I assumed the walk would be easy. I guessed wrong, specially for that hour walking against the peak hour traffic. An exhausting too early walk later I finally reached my hostel at 7:30am. Too early to check in, too tired to wander around. 5 minutes later in walked another guy, who looked like he just hiked the exact trail I did. Pierre from South Africa just touched down in South America and shortly we were off to find food. After stocking up our empty stomaches we were checked in and in bed. Short nap later I was dressed and inviting my new friend to come along to meet my old friend Talitha- my very own personal tour guide of São Paulo.

For the next 5 days I spent roaming around the city with her or Pierre and gareth,  getting lost, trying new foods and terrible artsy movies. And not to mention the crazy nights out. Along my journey I had heard very mixed reports about São Paulo, and I have to say it's one city that I really loved. It has so much to offer every day and not to mention some of the greatest people I have ever met.  Sadly I knew I had to keep my journey going and jumped on the next bus to Foz de Igauzu. Another early morning start, no internet and no idea I shared a cab with 2 kiwis to their hostel where I could use the wifi to check what was around, meaning to arrive at the hostel allie was arriving in, I ended up at the che lagarto. Tired and exhausted I crashed into my bed. Soon enough I was awoken by a German girl Connie who informed me she was going to the falls and invited me. We jumped on the bus and headed in. Like two kids in a candy shop we bounced around the park gushing at all the sights. From RAGENBORGENs to shemterlings ( rainbows and butterflies) oh and the falls the self hahaha. We had a lot of fun together before returning to the hostel. The next day I tagged along with 3 brasilerias I met in the hostel who were heading over to Paraguay for the day to so some shopping. Since the weather was terrible to see the falls I didn't see the problem, and hey, new country right? After a day of crazy shopping I was happy to return and prepare for my last night in Brasil. :(

Dont touch my chillies...

The day came for me to finally say goodbye to Kyle as he was jetting back to the US and I was about to take my first steps off alone. Another looooong bumpy car trip back to the windy town of Jericoacoara where id spend the next few days relaxing, crisping and meeting lots of new friends. Such a great town to really chill out and relax if you're not out kite surfing all day. Another lagoa trip, night of samba, interesting new game of cards, and great mix of friends from; France, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, UK & Germany we were sure to swap some interesting stories and knowledge.

Here is where I met my Mexican Minion - Allie who happened to be travelling to the exact same places as I am at the exact same time. Fate is a wonderful thing sometimes :) so after an hours sleep ive never gotten up and packed so fast in my life. With a 5:50am meeting time for the bus, and us sleeping through the alarm til 5:30 it was an experience, half asleep and extremely under slept we threw our bags on and trekked through the sandy roads of Jeri and made it in time. Exercise done for the day haha...

8 hours later we reached Fortaleza where we had a 1 hour wait before climbing back onto another 8nhour bus ride to natal.. Its like an instinct now to just automatically try go to sleep as soon as you climb into your seat on the bus. Pull the recliner all the way back, stuff something under your head and watch the back of your eye lids. Only problem is, after the first 8 hour bus ride your body knows it doesn't need to sleep.. second problem; iphone headphone hole is broken, third problem; laptop sound not working. NO MUSIC, NO MOVIES, NO BOOK Nothing.. so back to trying to sleep. After a quick stop and a piece of chocolate cake later my body decided it could sleep the cake off.

Hello Natal.. Raining. Something that seemed so foreign after almost 3 weeks of no rain. Never in Brasil did I think I would find myself back at a pretentious nightclub like I would find back in Aus but here I was paying $20 to get into this club called " Peppers Hall" which was hosting a "white night:". Everyone was dressed up and in white, and being a pretentious club no one was dancing of course except us gringos who made the most of our night in Natal.

With no idea on what Natal has to offer we ventured on a bus towards central, but again the working ways of Brasil it was a Sunday and NOTHING was open. We managed to see the tourist building which used to be an all girls orphanage, jail, WWII point and now a centre for tourist and forro based on top of the tallest hill in Natal Centro. As rain had once again graced us and ruined our plans to do an Acai tour we decided to head out to Pipa earlier. So 5 of us and all our luggage cramped into a cab and we set off for our "Brazilian hour" drive down the coast. We arrived in this gorgeous little cobble stone beach town that sits on  a hill sounded by beaches. The perfect place to relax and take in the sun.

So our first night we check into this very empty hostel which was the only place with room for us. Here we are 2 small girls with the whole upstairs room to ourselves. Ocean views and breeze the perfect setting for the location. Perfect.... well there a price to pay with having a open window facing the ocean , besides the blowing winds, there's killer mosquitoes and Bats. Yes, after awaking from the constant noise of mosquitoes buzzing around my head I decided to spray myself head to toe in repellent. In doing this I woke Allie, who was quick to inform me there was a Bat in our room flying around. Lights off I couldn't notice so if anyone knows me well, knows that I DO NOT like flying things. So like a frightened child I freaked, squealed and run back to my bed and hid under the blankets. So we quickly decided that this room was not safe to sleep in and so we snuck into one of the private rooms with air-conditioning and a closed window where we were able to decently sleep away the remaining of the night, before having to sneak back into our room early and catch the sunrise beaming through our window.

Pipa ended up trapping us with it's beauty and tranquil charm for more than a week. A week of rain, shine, hammocks, maconha, brownies, beaches, boys and amazing new friends. Every day just became harder and harder to say goodbye too as we were embracing the relaxed lifestyle a little too much. I clocked up some oval hours during my stay. So once we were able to leave, we were on the road again to a city called Joao Pessoa.

                    

As a traveller you tend to want your money to stretch out for as long as you can, so we decided since we were together to give couch surfing a go. We arrived at Pablos place where we were welcomed to crash for a few nights in this city who happened to be celebrating it's 429th birthday. The third oldest city in Brasil. In the city centre we celebrated by watching locals reenact a past tribel war with bright costumes and masks before being shown some professional samba.

   

Another sunrise and another plan to take on the next city. Jacuma; a small fishing town with some secluded beaches, a real non touristy area. This we found out after we waited around for 3 hours on the side of the road for a bus that decided to never come. So back up plan was to try get ourselves down to Olinda. After another bus ride back to the Rodavaria we found out that it was impossible to get straight to Olinda so with 2 minutes to spare we raced for the bus to Recife.

5 hours later we arrived in Recife with no idea of what we were doing or where we were going to stay, with Hostel world telling us that all the hostels were booked out, we lucked it out with one. A metro ride and bus in the dodgy parts of town we finally  found our way and were happily in bed after an expensive room and a shot of Cachaca. This is where we found out that we have terrible luck with buses. After a quick decision of where to check out next we decided to check out Porto de Galinhas, but this was no QUICK transfer. We checked out the bus times and headed to the stop with plenty of time to spare and waited. And waited, with the rest of Recife by the looks of things as bus after bus piled up after one another on the side of the road picking up and dropping off new passengers, so many that when our hourly bus finally came there was no where for our bus to stop, let alone see us trying to flag it down. So we decided to wait for the next.. which not to our surprise NEVER showed up.

  

  

Porto de Galinhas a beautiful local brasilian hotspot with gorgeous natural pools and beach as far as the eye can see.. and what happens when we arrive? It rains for 3 days straight. After being frustrated with the weather and driving each other insane the sun managed to grace us on the last day for long enough for us to swim with the fish and catch some rays. ( not the Steve Irwin kind). Here we met Lilia & Mani, two friends travelling from Denmark who had plenty of fun stories for us.


Soon  again we were on our way to Olinda, a gorgeous Heritage sister city of Recife with streets full of old houses all stacked upon each other painted in different bright colours lighting up the city full of emotion. For 2 days we spent wondering around the small cobblestone laneways snapping up memorabilia and inspiration of these mansion masterpieces. For a small city with 22 churches it wasnt long before it was time for me to leave back to modern life in Recife.

   

Back in Recife we were joined by a number of friends we had made along the way one of which was celebrating her birthday, which meant party time. We found the nicest clothes of what we have packed and headed out to a local club with a great group of friends. Happy Birthday Aimee. A early morning struggle and the best buffet all you can eat sushi i have ever been to we decided to lay low and spend the day in bed.

A missed alarm meant for another rushed morning to the airport where we were heading to Salvador..

Until next time.. 

Wind, Sand & Lagoons.

So i said goodbye to my home of 5 months, and hello to north Brasil to kick off my journey ( again). Arriving in Fortaleza at 3am where i met up with Kyle we found ourselves amusing ourselves with massage chairs and anything open in the small airport until the transfer kiosks opened around 6/7. This is where we met Neymar Snr. ( our transfer driver who just happens to look like a older Neymar, not a bad thing for the ladies haha ). Filling the 4x4 with our luggage in climbed a Frenchman, Argentinian, Australian, American and a Brasilerio as you can imagine the car conversation was interesting, lucky for me the lack of sleep caught up to me and i managed to knock out an hour or two of our 4hr bumpy journey.   
Before it was even lunchtime we were greeted by the amazing heat of the north (and for me this was the arrival of my fever, little did i know it was about to keep me bed ridden for 2 days. Great start to my arrival in paradise. But to be honest having to be bed ridden in a 5 star resort in paradise reeeeeeallly isn't to bad, and not to mention the amazing friend i had by my side whom i am very thankful for. not only did he put up with my cranky sick ass, but he numerous times went out searching for soup. Hehehehe Thank you again Kyle :)
Recovered or not it was time to check out these amazing places people literally dream about and have as their computer backgrounds at their jobs they hate and wish they were where i was. Picture; lagoon in the middle of sand dunes filled with fresh clear warmed waters. Paradise right? How about all of that but with Hammocks IN THE WATER as well. Yeah, to me i don't think you can find anything more beautiful, natural and relaxing. Yet to top it off even more, the only way to get there is by beach buggy. Such a great experience flying around the toasted sand under the blazing sun while your hair is knotted by the crazy famous winds of Jericoacoara.
This is Jericoacoara. Lobster, fresh fruits, pools, Jacuzzi, sand dunes, sun baking  & buggy rides. 4 days of feasting and relaxing & recovery.

 

Another phone call to our new friend Neymar and we were bouncing around the back of his car around headed to Lencois Maranhenses. The only way i can describe this place is to tell you to imagine hundreds of sand dunes, all shapes and sizes and then the rain of Noah's arcs coming in for a few months stopping and then here we have hundreds of fresh water pools. These amazing pools are not easy to get to either, but obviously hard work pays off. After the journey to the national park which includes a river crossing and a bumping 4x4 sand trial your dropped at the bottom of a enormous sand dune. Standing here with too many tones of sand and trees behind you, a sight and land scape very rare to see your guided to walk up the dune. View from the top is insane. More and more and more sand, sand dunes as far as you can see. Such an incredible sight. Turn around and at the bottom of this dune is a pool, filled with bright aquamarine waters. What else are you going to do? Run down into the refreshing waters of course. And then you're going to climb up and DO IT AGAIN!!!!! and again. and again. Then find around pool over the next dune, and do it again. If you were brave enough to wonder off, you'd find yourself exploring untouched dunes which lead you to more mystical waters while the winds were fast to cover your tracks back where you could watch the sun say goodbye to the land.
Now if your budget was lucky enough as ours was, or you literally were just too tight ass to do this experience then that sucks for you and you only, because we climbed into a 4 passenger plane which took us over the entire sounding area and national park where we were able to view these pools. These places don't even exist it your dreams because you cannot even imagine something like this exists. Not only was the view speechless, such a crazy time in this plane. Anyone who has been in one understands the feeling, now add the high winds speeds that are natural to up here and i can describe it like being on a trampoline inside the aeroplane. Free falling.

Another bad day of planning meant another activity we missed out on. so we headed back into the town to see what they had to offer. Now meat here in Barreirinhas is not a short supply, with butchers on EVERY single corner. Not something to enjoy when you're a vegetarian, but hey kyle enjoyed it. After what was a short Stoll through the not so big town we found ourselves on another tour to the dunes, this time it was too Lagoa Bonita. One hour long bumpy sandy drive we reached the biggest dune, staring at us like a angry bull in an Spanish area and we were the red material. not half a lie since it was so hot and im sure we all turned red halfway up the climb. But was greeted us at the top was another site unimaginable. How I can describe it is, to think about a Dr Seuss book. hundreds of Fluffy marshmallow hills; and at the bottom of those hills yummy warm blue liquid heated by the scorching tropic sun. With our amazing guide Neilson he took us away from the rest of the tour groups and to Lagoa Bonitinha ( little beautiful lagoon). Here we had our own not so little lake all to our selves. With so much sand and whistling wind everything else is silenced. The most relaxing, mesmerising place you can be. The perfect ending to my north Brasil experience.. Until next time.

 

 

My life in Rio..

So after finding my feet again after the craziness of Carnival and much needed sleep, I was lucky enough to stumble upon the right person at the top of my favourite view point. Next minute I had myself a job working 3 days a week in the reception of a beach front hostel in Leblon. Little did I know that this opportunity would allow me to stay an extra 4 months in this thriving city. Soon enough I was getting Portuguese lessons and making a ton of new friends. I will admit my memory and learning new languages don't go together at all, but hey I gave it a try. Parabens para mim!!! This job gave me the opportunity to meet so many great people and learn a lot. Not to mention World Cup, hello Carnival 2. I have to thank Brasil for popping my football cherry, before coming here I don't thnk I had ever watched a game let alone know any of the players, but now I can say im quite a fan of a few of those boys now.. hehehehe GO TEAM!

So after; many many; crazy bus rides, weekend trips away, soaking wet feet of the flooded streets, enough bolo to feed a city, mountain trecks to have buns of steel, Sunday beach perving sessions to compete with Johnny Bravo and far too many Caipirinhas I should apologise to my liver and lastly to the huge amount of amazing friends I have made here ( locals, residents and fellow travellers), it is hard to confess that it is time to move on.

Today Kyle and I are setting off to Pure paradise... Jericoacoara in the north of Brasil.

Heres some of my rio snaps..