Hello Argentina and their Iguazu Falls!

We crossed the border to Argentina with a friendly cab driver who got us through both customs in a breeze.

Our cab driver stopped long enough to snap this picture - the actual "boundary" painted on the cement divider between Argentina and Brazil - there is a friendly rivalry between the two sides here (which apparently also is fed from rival futbol teams)

Here is the close up of the Devil's Throat - massive and just not properly experienced via photo - but it will have to do :)

The falls are literally networked all over the Argentine side - above you, below you, next to you - it makes for great trails and fun ways to get wet.

Butterflies were everywhere in both parks - this one was friendly and decided to hitch a ride on Joe's shorts.

This is the San Martin waterfall - beautiful up close on the San Martin Island we were able to get to by a little (free) ferry.

Another view of San Martin and it's siblings spread out

These are their equivalents of raccoons - though definitely not nocturnal here - they were coming right up to people and "begging" for food.

A nice photo of the pool area at the little B&B we stayed in, the Riotropic - off the beaten path it was so peaceful and quiet - only 10 rooms and one night we were 2 of the 3 guests!

Next stop...Buenos Aires and we are excited since we get to see some familiar faces as some friends are coming to meet up with us there!

Foz de Iguacu, Brazil

Our last stop in Brazil - the breathtaking Foz de Iguacu, which straddles the boundary between Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian side is said to have the better panorama and it is hard to truly show the extensive curtain of falls that seems to go on and on.

This is one of our first views of a "lower" section of the falls, which was just the beginning - there are over 360 waterfalls in the park.

The biggest falls - "Garganta del diablo" or "Devil's Throat" is seen in the center - the roaring was deafening as you got closer and the mist cooled us off as it was probably near 90.

Rainbows spread over a rushing part of the falls - Joe caught this one

At the top of the falls closest to the Brazilian side the Iguazu river spills over.

After the falls we went to the nearby Parque de Aves (Bird Park) and these toucans were showing off. The park helps to protect endangered birds and also had a great butterfly "aviary"

After the Bird Park it was time to pack up and head over to the other side of the falls - and our next country on our stop - Argentina!

Good-Bye Rio!

Our last days in Rio we spent enjoying our favorite things- the beach and our favorites drinks. We'll miss the carioca lifestyle and our beach bumming days!

This is the Matte Latte with Limonada - our favorite non-alcoholic thing to sip on :) Matte tastes kind of like iced tea and mixed with lemonade it was pretty close to an Arnold Palmer.

Here is the Matte Latte guys that would walk on the 100 degree sand in bare feet all day selling the Matte Latte - one cooler had the Matte, the other the Limonada - you mixed as you pleased.

Our new friend - this guy makes the best caipirinha in all of Brazil and cheap too! It is right near posto 9 (in the background) in Ipanema the most popular part of the beach.

Carnaval 2009!

Carnaval officially started on Saturday (2/21) and we are just trying to keep up but it is a lot of fun. Thousands of people are everywhere all hours of the day and night. Each neighborhood has a "bloco" or two - a street parade with percussion and music and people just kind of join in and dance, drink, sing and MORE. Basically, if you want to find the fun you just follow the crowds.

This sand castle creation in Cobacabana was getting everyone in the mood.

This is from the "Banda de Ipanema" parade - one of the most popular - lots of people wear all sorts of costumes - some more glamorous than others :)

One of the floats from a street parade - they sing the same samba song over and over and people of all ages join in.



See one of the parades in the clip below.

Corcovado & the Christ Statue

Today we visited one of the most recognizable sights that identifies Rio - the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado. After 3 days of rain and fog we decided to take advantage of the clear weather and get some views of the city - it stands at 2300 feet. The statue itself is about 100 feet tall.

This pic proves that yes, we were really there - not just some postcard pic we ripped off :)

This is Ipanema from the back facing the Atlantic. To the right is Leblon - where you see the race tracks of the Jockey Club (horses, I'm guessing). The Lagoa (lake) sits behind Ipanema - it isn't clean enough for swimming, but people do recreational activities, like canoe, etc.

The pic below is the rival tourist sight to Corcovado - Pao de Acucar or "Sugar Loaf" - named by the Portuguese because it looked like the conical loaf in which refined sugar was sold(?). Apparently it also sounded similar to the indigenous Tupi people's name for it - "pau-nh-acugua" - which stands for high pointed peak. We'll probably take the trams to the top of this some other day.

Corcovado is in the Tijuca National Forest - an urban rainforest that was a reforestation project on what used to be coffee plantations. The spider below was enough to freak me out - the body was probably 3 -4 inches in length with legs just as long - have no idea what kind it is, but I'm just glad I haven't found any in our apartment!

A lot of beautiful butterflies twirled around us as we walked around the park - this one stayed still long enough for a picture - the wings were actually yellowish - the flash kind of washed it out.

These were the highlight of our walk. According to a website they are a kind of monkey called "marmosets" and are supposedly friendly, but these ones were too busy eating and chasing to be our friends. It was totally worth our long walk just to see these guys!

And lastly, Joe spotted this creature in the wild "urban" jungle - a classic Mercury - they were having some type of "50's" dance at a restaurant down the street and this seemed to be part of the festivities.

We have had a good time here so far - despite a few rainy days - and are starting to feel more like "cariocas" (locals) every day. Boa Noite!

Welcome to Rio De Janeiro

Well we arrived in RIO and we are settling into our apartment here in Ipanema beach. (Yes, another beach - we like them, can you tell?) It was a little cloudy on Tuesday afternoon when we got in. The Christ the Redeemer statue was dressed in fog so we couldn't get a good view of it on the way in. The weather is still hot and sticky, like Salvador, but at night it isn't quite so muggy. We had sun yesterday (see pics), but today we have had a heavy rain all afternoon.

Sunny Day on Ipanema beach

This is the main mixed drink of Brazil, the Caipirinha, (Ki-pay-reen-ya), a mix of cachaca -the local rum - lime juice, limes, and sugar - good on a hot day.

Joe in the background making some new friends as they had a football! (American not soccer Futbol) They had no idea how to throw it so Joe did a quick "how to" clinic - they seemed to enjoy it. Behind Joe, way in the back, is the Christ statue up on the hill

The waves at Ipanema beach are huge compared to what we saw in Salvador. We saw one person get rescued by a helicopter! They dropped down what looked like a big fish basket, picked him up and hauled him back to shore after being pulled out by the current - pretty crazy and the highlight of our first day.

We have had to kind of get used to "big city life" again. Ipanema has a much more intense vibe than Salvador and it is extremely beautiful in some areas, like the beach and the amazing shops and malls, but much grittier in others. Every day we encounter a new challenge (like laundry - good grief) that we learn from.

We have a lot of time here and things seem to be picking up for Carnaval. We hope to get to be a part of some of the great street parades that happen nearby as well as do some regular tourist-y things like seeing the Christ statue, etc., so we'll keep you posted.
Tchau!

The Pelourinho

On Sunday we visited the downtown historic district of Salvador, the Pelourinho, which stands for "whipping post" - as that is what the original square was used for carrying out punishments for crimes and runaway slaves. It grew into a sort of colorful city center and has been protected and revitalized. The colonial architecture is what stands out as well as the bright colors of the buildings. There were also many beautiful chuches that circle the main square. We were only able to tour one, but it was amazing.
It gave us a true taste of "Salvdorian" culture, including the yummy "moqueca" below (shrimp, peppers, onions fried in dende oil from the palm trees).

A cobble stone street scene- if no one else were around you'd think you were in the 1700's! The Afro-Brazilian women traditionally wore the finely made lace light colored dresses seen on the right.

The church we toured, the "Ordem Terciera de Sao Francisco" - the facade is made of carved Spanish sandstone - which our tour guide called "chalk". We couldn't take pics inside, but there was a sanctuary plated in gold - and we even got to go into the crypt!

This is a good example of the buildings and streets. This is the true historical center of the area - the Largo do Pelourinho.







Here is a video of a parade - playing the traditional drum beats and music you hear everywhere here.