Rio de Janeiro Carnival !
As I land in Rio de Janeiro’s the vibe and energy of the Brazilian carnival is all around me. Streets full of people dresses up with any kind of costume from the professional colourful dresses of the Sambódromo parade to last minute make up, the same I will try to do for the next 4 days. I catch up with Nora, a very good friend of mine since the time of my Erasmus in Spain 12 years ago, and after 40 minutes of taxi for 3 km around blocked roads we finally reach home.
But the authentic carnival of Rio starts for me only the following morning when with a city bus we reach Cochabamba beach where a “bloque” is moving along the beach. What is a bloque? A bloque is actually a truck filled with speakers and either a Dj or a full band playing music. Attached to the back of the truck a rope defines the space for the band or costumes while everyone dance and have party all around.
We apply the rule of the “drink only with same double digit hour” and at 11 we’re drinking beer and frozen cachaca maracuya flavour. An application tells us the planning and location of the blocks around the town and Flamingo is the next one where a firemen’s truck spray everyone with refreshing water in the sunny day of Brazil. After 12 or more hours of dancing, drinking and happy people enjoying the party we finally crash on bed.
Together with Nora and me are Lia and Flavio, an Brazilian couple friend of Nora who also travelled here from Fortaleza for the celebration: we simply get along all together too well ! 🙂
The photos express better than any word the rest of the 4 days of music, partying and meeting of happy new friends! Days when even a wooden stick can make the magic to meet and enjoy with strangers in a limbo dance.
Taking off I sit on the right wing of the plane to enjoy a view on the never ending lights of the city and on the Christ on top of Corcovado mountain that I will have to come back to visit… I just couldn’t miss a day of Carnival !
urfers! (www.couchsurfing.com )
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Iguazu waterfalls !
Just the time to land in the Aeroporto Internacional das Cataratas (IGU) on the Brasilian side and I already make a new friendship with a english guy to share the taxi till Green hostel. Here we meet in the morning also Yoelle and Kory with who will share not only the room but also the day of visit to the waterfalls.. A bus bring us to the start of a small path in the forest from where immediately we can admire the magnificence and extension of this natural wonder that leaves me speechless.
Few years ago I visited the beautiful Victoria falls in Zimbabwe and I really remained impressed by their power despite the dry season, but the spectacle offered by Iguazu Falls is definitely better in extension and flow of the water. The complete mountain’s wall in front of us is a huge flow of water pushed down by the force of gravity and the consequent flow of the river who suddenly falls off the mountain.
We walk for a couple of kms on the path in the forest enriched by the amazing view on the waterfalls on the Argentinian side of the canyon. Butterflies and Coati (see the photo below) are all around of us till the end when we reach a walking path that actually allow us to get in the middle of the waterfall with a wall of water falling on top of us on the left to continue then more down on our right.
Love!
This apparently is at the origin of this natural wonder of our beautiful Earth: a man and a woman sailing down the river on a boat full of their forbidden love.. To stop this Love gods hit strong the lovers and the waterfall is the result of it!
We end up the tour with a visit to the “birds sanctuary” where birds are saved and protected, including various Tucans. With a bus at the entrance Yoelle, myself and our luggages arrive directly on the Argentinian city of Puerto Iguazu. As usual speaking with the locals and sharing a smile helps and bring Yoelle and me a great suggestion both for the dinner’s menu and the relative red Malbec wine (on top of solving my problem of lost immigration card).
The night is giving new good energy to explore the Argentinian side of the waterfalls that articulate in three different sections: the low route, the upper route and the Evil’s gorge. We will visit it in this order adding also a boat trip under the waterfalls. The experience is simply amazing and after admiring the fall from below in the low route, we climb on top of them through the upper route. One section in particular of the falls is showing all its power joining several falls in only one huge stream of water falling with all its power again to the bottom.
And at the end the great cherry on top with the small train that brings us up to the Evil’s gorge. This section of the falls can’t be seen from the Brazilian side since the complete section of the canyon is hidden by the water sprayed in the air by the falling water. A wooden path suspended on the river brings us on the edge of round hole where the river simply disappear off the mountain in a fog of water surrounded by a moving rainbow that grown and reduce with the flow of the river.
I remain once again speechless in front of the power
and beauty of nature.
Time to begin a long flight transfer to reach the start of my new adventure from Santiago de Chile to Punta Arena through all the Chilean Patagonia!
2 mini vans and 10 couchsurfers! (www.couchsurfing.com )
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