We got over some minor colds and headed off to Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil. The site itself is a world wonder (currently being voted on) and really takes your breath away! We were lucky to have time to visit both the Brazilian side of the falls and the Argentinian one. From my point of view, seeing the waterfalls from Brazil was more "panoramic" than Argentina with a bright rainbow over the water at all times. In Argentina, it is a bit more interactive than Brazil with a view of the Garganta del Diablo (the most powerful waterfall in the park) and more opportunities for hiking. Check out these pictures from both countries!
http://picasaweb.google.com/psprawls/IguazuFalls#
Look at our quick video of the Falls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOtu3JR8cqM
Now we are off to Buenos Aires!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
End of Our Month in Brazil
After Florianopolis, we headed to some smaller cities in the state of Santa Catarina to see the German influence in Brazil. We spent a night in Blumenau, a city that has a giant Oktoberfest celebration, and made a day trip to Pomerode, the ¨most German city in Brazil.¨ Lucky for us there was a little winter festival going on in this tiny town. Here are some pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/psprawls/Pomerode#
Then we took a stinky bus to Curitiba. Curitiba's claim to fame is that it is one of the best run cities in the world, where there are great public services. The city excells in public transportation, education, parks, environmental awareness, and internet access for all. We spent three nights with our host, Wanderson, who works for Exxon Mobil. He showed us around, taking us to the Botanical gardens and the Oscar Neimeyer museum. We met his friends and had a delicious meal at one of their houses. We also got to connect with Jen´s old floormate in Madrid, Carolina. She and her husband, Fabio, took us to other attractions in the city, including an outdoor theatre made of wire. Here are some photos we took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/psprawls/Curitiba#
http://picasaweb.google.com/psprawls/Pomerode#
Then we took a stinky bus to Curitiba. Curitiba's claim to fame is that it is one of the best run cities in the world, where there are great public services. The city excells in public transportation, education, parks, environmental awareness, and internet access for all. We spent three nights with our host, Wanderson, who works for Exxon Mobil. He showed us around, taking us to the Botanical gardens and the Oscar Neimeyer museum. We met his friends and had a delicious meal at one of their houses. We also got to connect with Jen´s old floormate in Madrid, Carolina. She and her husband, Fabio, took us to other attractions in the city, including an outdoor theatre made of wire. Here are some photos we took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/psprawls/Curitiba#
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
São Paulo/Florianopolis
Here is a link to some photos we took last weekend in São Paulo:
After São Paulo, we headed to Florianopolis on the island of Santa Catarina. We spent one night in the downtown area, where we saw some historical sights and walked around the Ritzy Beira Mar neighborhood. The quality of life in this city is among the best in Brazil, comparable to first world countries. We moved in with a Couchsurfing friend named Davi and stayed with him for three nights. Davi showed us around the island, taking us to some giant sand dunes and beautiful beaches. He introduced us to a drink called Caldo de Cana, which is pure sugar cane thrown into a juicer. We spent some good time hanging out with Davi and his friends and got to see how our peers live in Brazil. We even went to their ping pong night, where we ate Pizza Hut pizza! Phil went on a disastrous mountain biking excursion which was fun but muddy. Here are a few photos we took:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
São Paulo
There are many words that can be used to describe São Paulo: Enormous, dirty, smoggy, overwhelming, dangerous...the list goes on. Most Brazilians we met before the trip advised us against going, but the truth is...we LOVED it!
From the fast-paced lifestyle of the bustling city to the posh, fancy shopping malls lining the street, we enjoyed our time so much. We stayed in the house of a friend named Igor who is a devout Buddhist and gave us the best peek into the life of a Paulistano. One of his best recommendations being a restaurant called Estadão, a famous 24 hour hangout which offers every kind of juice imaginable. We tried juices including melon, papaya, carrot, strawberry, soy apple, açaí, and others that don´t have English translations. We also tried the Pernil sandwich, a very flavorful pork concoction with cheese, onion, peppers, etc.
Despite heavy rains we visited the fascinating Japanese neighboorhood which had streets lined with red lanterns and countless sushi restaurants. We even went back a second time, with our new Brazilian friends Leonardo and Aline, to see a Japanese festival. There, we saw traditional dancing, a flea market, and participated in a special tradition of writing a wish on a colored card before tying it to a nearby tree.
We also participated in a special Buddhist ceremony with Igor that was meant for young adults and divided by gender. The people in the meetings were so welcoming and interested in giving us a taste of their Brazilian/Buddhist culture. Although we attended the meetings separately, Phil and I later agreed that we had shared a similar experience and were both apprehensive about speaking Portuguese in front of so many people!! Regardless, our hosts were accepting and kind.
The weekend was exceptional!! Now we are off to Florianopolis...
From the fast-paced lifestyle of the bustling city to the posh, fancy shopping malls lining the street, we enjoyed our time so much. We stayed in the house of a friend named Igor who is a devout Buddhist and gave us the best peek into the life of a Paulistano. One of his best recommendations being a restaurant called Estadão, a famous 24 hour hangout which offers every kind of juice imaginable. We tried juices including melon, papaya, carrot, strawberry, soy apple, açaí, and others that don´t have English translations. We also tried the Pernil sandwich, a very flavorful pork concoction with cheese, onion, peppers, etc.
Despite heavy rains we visited the fascinating Japanese neighboorhood which had streets lined with red lanterns and countless sushi restaurants. We even went back a second time, with our new Brazilian friends Leonardo and Aline, to see a Japanese festival. There, we saw traditional dancing, a flea market, and participated in a special tradition of writing a wish on a colored card before tying it to a nearby tree.
We also participated in a special Buddhist ceremony with Igor that was meant for young adults and divided by gender. The people in the meetings were so welcoming and interested in giving us a taste of their Brazilian/Buddhist culture. Although we attended the meetings separately, Phil and I later agreed that we had shared a similar experience and were both apprehensive about speaking Portuguese in front of so many people!! Regardless, our hosts were accepting and kind.
The weekend was exceptional!! Now we are off to Florianopolis...
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Next stop...
After Ilha Grande, we headed to Paraty, a colonial town some two hours away. We stayed in a rustic hotel in the old quarter and walked around on the cobblestone streets while seeing the old architecture. One the second day in Paraty, we took a quick side trip to Trindade to enjoy the beach. Check out a few pictures we took:
Paraty
Quick video of the beach:
Cachadaço
Paraty
Quick video of the beach:
Cachadaço
Friday, July 10, 2009
Brazilian nature
Jen and I spent last weekend checking out Ilha Grande, an island near Rio known for great eco-tourism. We hiked, swam, and kayaked in a pristine tropical environment. Check out some of the pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com.br/psprawls/IlhaGrande#slideshow/5356839810973111122
Jenny on a rope swing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDCNUKux8IM
http://picasaweb.google.com.br/psprawls/IlhaGrande#slideshow/5356839810973111122
Jenny on a rope swing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDCNUKux8IM
Friday, July 3, 2009
First video post
Peter, Jen, and Phil enjoy a samba group on the way down from the Christ monument:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWscSNKsFLU
OK, I made this video public, so now you can watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWscSNKsFLU
OK, I made this video public, so now you can watch it!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
First week summary
Jen and I have made it through our first week in South America, and so far it has been a blast. We spent our first night in the grossest hostel room I´ve ever stayed in, but then upgraded to a full apartment for the remainder of the week. The apartment was totally worth the splurge, because it made a comfortable lauching point for our Rio exploration. Here´s a rundown of what we did over the past week:
Thursday - Flew into town and took the cab ride from hell to our dirty hostel. Jen and I were totally shocked. Later we met up with our friend Peter, who would spend the next five nights with us. Went to sushi and met a lady who would later rent us her old apartment.
Friday - Ran into some Tulane alums as we checked out of our nasty hostel and would hang out with them over the next week. Crappy weather so we all walked around Downtown Rio and had lunch at a fancy cafe which was from the early 1900´s. Hit up Lapa neighborhood at night and saw an awesome Samba show at Rio Scenarium. Then walked outside to a crazy street party. Hung out and drank and watched the madness.
Saturday - Walked around Ipanema beach and Arpoador, stopping to take a dip in the ocean. Still bad weather.
Sunday - Started the day by browsing at Ipanema´s hippy fair, where there was interesting arts, crafts, and food. Later took in a soccer game at Maracanã, the world´s largest soccer stadium. The fans were wild and the soccer was exciting.
Monday - Got up early and had Açai for breakfast at a juice bar (see the purple slushy in our photo album). Went to Corcovado hill and rode the cog train up to the gigantic Christ the Redeemer statue at the top. On the way down were entertained by an awesome samba group, of which we´ll be posting a video shortly. Then went to Santa Teresa neighborhood, where we rode the tram and had lunch. Many people would run after the tram and hop and hang off the side to avoid paying the cheap fare. Went out briefly at night.
Tuesday - Favela tour in the morning. Favela are the shanty towns on the hillsides of Rio that house the poor. We saw some of the more developed favelas on an optimistic tour. Went to Ipanema beach for a quick dip. In the afternoon, we rode the cable cars to the top of Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf mountain), where we got the best views of Rio. The sunset was amazing. At night we went out and had a last hurrah for our Tulane friends.
Wednesday - Went for a walk on Copacabana beach, when Peter realized he missed his flight to Buenos Aires. He quickly arranged to get on a later flight and quickly Jen and Phil were alone again. We rented bikes and rode on a bike path along Ipanema and Leblon beaches, watching the beautiful people and scenery. Had dinner at a Churrascaria, which was hilarious. It was a buffet, but also with guys coming around with gigantic skewers of meat which they shaved off onto our plates. We ate way too much and laughed at the absurd amounts of meat being served.
Right now we are planning how to spend our remaining time in Rio and where to go next. This place has been expensive, so we are eager to get to smaller more affordable cities in Brazil.
Thursday - Flew into town and took the cab ride from hell to our dirty hostel. Jen and I were totally shocked. Later we met up with our friend Peter, who would spend the next five nights with us. Went to sushi and met a lady who would later rent us her old apartment.
Friday - Ran into some Tulane alums as we checked out of our nasty hostel and would hang out with them over the next week. Crappy weather so we all walked around Downtown Rio and had lunch at a fancy cafe which was from the early 1900´s. Hit up Lapa neighborhood at night and saw an awesome Samba show at Rio Scenarium. Then walked outside to a crazy street party. Hung out and drank and watched the madness.
Saturday - Walked around Ipanema beach and Arpoador, stopping to take a dip in the ocean. Still bad weather.
Sunday - Started the day by browsing at Ipanema´s hippy fair, where there was interesting arts, crafts, and food. Later took in a soccer game at Maracanã, the world´s largest soccer stadium. The fans were wild and the soccer was exciting.
Monday - Got up early and had Açai for breakfast at a juice bar (see the purple slushy in our photo album). Went to Corcovado hill and rode the cog train up to the gigantic Christ the Redeemer statue at the top. On the way down were entertained by an awesome samba group, of which we´ll be posting a video shortly. Then went to Santa Teresa neighborhood, where we rode the tram and had lunch. Many people would run after the tram and hop and hang off the side to avoid paying the cheap fare. Went out briefly at night.
Tuesday - Favela tour in the morning. Favela are the shanty towns on the hillsides of Rio that house the poor. We saw some of the more developed favelas on an optimistic tour. Went to Ipanema beach for a quick dip. In the afternoon, we rode the cable cars to the top of Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf mountain), where we got the best views of Rio. The sunset was amazing. At night we went out and had a last hurrah for our Tulane friends.
Wednesday - Went for a walk on Copacabana beach, when Peter realized he missed his flight to Buenos Aires. He quickly arranged to get on a later flight and quickly Jen and Phil were alone again. We rented bikes and rode on a bike path along Ipanema and Leblon beaches, watching the beautiful people and scenery. Had dinner at a Churrascaria, which was hilarious. It was a buffet, but also with guys coming around with gigantic skewers of meat which they shaved off onto our plates. We ate way too much and laughed at the absurd amounts of meat being served.
Right now we are planning how to spend our remaining time in Rio and where to go next. This place has been expensive, so we are eager to get to smaller more affordable cities in Brazil.
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