Our new blog

Oh, I forgot to update this blog with details of our new blog, here it is:

thebelgianandtheaussie.blogspot.com

Please check it out! I've been blogging about how we get to live this fantastic lifestyle. 

Moving on

As many of my readers will know, H and I have travelled now to Australia. We've been back a month and I've been very busy with the wedding planning in this time. 

Everybody seems quiet shocked that I'm getting married, but I've been as surprised as anyone. Just one week left. 

To finish up on the Brazilian travels, well, we left the camper with friends and took a bus to Rio de Janeiro. We really enjoyed Rio, but we left the camera safely in the hotel each day and I really believe that if you want to know about sightseeing or photos of Rio then there are lots of other writings on other blogs about that. 

After the wedding I'll be starting a new blog, and details of that will be posted as soon as I can. 

Travelling the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

From Curitiba we avoided the massive city of São Paulo by skirting along the coast as we headed North. The coast that is along side of São Paulo has what is said to be the busiest beach of Brazil. We didn't go there. But you can immediately get the picture that this area is quite built up.

At this point the road we followed mostly had a view of the beach on one side fronted by green spaces, and, on the other side tall buildings that seems to stretch on forever. But, despite the congestion, it was mostly nice. All in all we were pleasantly surprised. 

We sent a few nice nights camped beside or on beaches in different locations. We were headed for Ubatumirim, a quiet beach place recommended by some overlanders we'd met in Uruguay. 

We stayed on the Ubatumirim beach 4 nights. We bought prawns and mullet fish from fisherman. A stray dog adopted us, we fed her scraps and she guarded us and even stayed and guarded the camper when we went walking. 

I went walking inland twice and came across a different snake each time. H was disappointed to only see photos. 

The sea was shallow and calm so I went on daily sea walks. And one time I rescued what I think was a parrot fish from water that was too shallow. 

Ubatumirim is a lovely place to stop a while. 

Photo upload: Curitiba

Here's a few photos from our days in Curitiba. 

We didn't meet the people of the Brazilian camper,  but I thought it was one of the coolest looking campervans I'd ever seen. Or, as they'd say in Brazil: Legal!

I had seen the Curitiba transport system in a book years ago,  here's a bus shelter/paying/boarding tube for the buses.

We dined wonderfully well with our local friends in Curitiba.  This restaurant in the city centre didn't mess around,  the menu changed daily with Mondays alreadys being always the same,  Tuesdays always the same,  Wednesdays... you get the idea? You could order something else,  but it seemed noboby did. You had to wait for a table,  and everything was as basic as the menu, but the food was 'home style good'.

We met some people in Curitiba who were crafting wonderful things,  and buildings,  from Bamboo. H bought some bamboo pieces cut to size and made our bed more comfortable for me.

Curitiba: Serra Verde Express train to Morretes

I forgot to mention that while we were staying in Curitiba we did the Serra Verde Express train to Morretes, and back again. I guess I forgot because it just wasn't that memorable. 

We felt the experience to be quite pricey, with not enough to be experienced. The forest is so dense (which can be nice) that mostly you couldn't see anything. When views briefly became available you had to choose between looking or taking a photo, there wasn't time for both. 

The town of Morretes is a pleasant colonial town, but H and I get out of the cities and into the country towns a lot, so it wasn't exceptional for us. 

What we did like best was our lunch in Morretes. We went and had the barreado, which is a kind of slow cooked meat stew, served with banana. It was delicious. 

If you were bored in your travels and had to fill a day, the Serra Verde Express is okay... But there are more interesting days to be had. 

A brief stop in Curitiba

Curitiba was on my list of places to visit. Just because it, as a city, has been recognised as a good environmental example of how to operate things. We were also given a wonderful opportunity to visit some people we'd met on our last visit to Peninsula Valdes (Argentina, the places with all the whales, orcas, penguins, sea lions, and seals). 

Environmentally, all that stood out to me was the super efficient bus transportation system. Not just the energy use of the buses, but also the dedicated bus lanes and bus shelters where you entered and got your ticket. 

So far as a place to visit, we were glad to visit Curitiba to meet friends, but it's a city. Like most cities the attractions are churches, plazas, museums, gardens. It's nice, but I'm not a backpacker anymore so I can get out of the cities and see much more pleasant and interesting things. H feels much the same way.  

Brazil's Vila Velha park

Our destination, after Foz do Iguacu, was Curitiba. At our slow pace it was a few days drive and we wanted to break it up with something else to see. But, there wasn't much on offer. 

Online, I found one reference in English (on Insight Guides webpages) to Vila Velha state park. It was listed as Parana state's second biggest natural attraction, after Iguacu. It sounded good, although I couldn't find much else on it (not even on Wiki), and we couldn't find anything else to do, so we decided to do it. 

When we got there there was some kind of strike going on. No entrance fees were being collected at the gate and banners explained that staff wanted more pay. A young man who spoke English explained that we could still go in, but there'd be no guides. 

So we drove in. We watched a film about the area then got confused about the whole thing of where the walk started, but struck out anyway. We found the walk the long way around, by following the road of the parks buses. 

The parks main attraction is a lot of rock formations, sculpted by wind and water, kind of like a lost city. The forest growing around the rocks was intact and it was a very nice walk. Very much worth visiting. 

The other attraction of the park is to see a few 'Furnas'. These are a kind of big circular sink hole unique to Brazil. 

But, we couldn't figure out how to get to the Furnas (turns out you needed to walk a long way or take a bus, to which you could buy a ticket, which was still operating), so we drove out of the park. 

We had asked about overnight parking (we've learnt not to ask for camping, but overnight parking, as, to outward appearances, that's what it seems we do), and were told that if we ask the Environment Police we could probably park at their station on the edge of town. 

So we did, and they were very friendly. I tested out my Portuguese (very basic, but coming along), and we learnt a lot from them. 

Even better, their office is right beside the side entrance to the Park, at the point where the Furnas are. Just after the park has closed, but before night, they allow locals to enter, to walk. And they let us in too. This was a special bonus because at dusk thousands of swallows (the birds) come home to their nesting places in the Furnas. 

Seeing them come in and swoop down in mass is quite a treat. Not just for the sight, but also for the sounds of the swooping. We were utterly amazed, and very fortunate. 

The information I got online wasn't quite correct, it was long outdated. It said to bring your swimming costume as there is a lift installed to take people down into one of the Furnas for swimming. The lift is still there, but it hasn't operated for a long time (I think they said over 10 years). Anyway, who'd want to swim with all that bird shit?

Buying Tyres in Paraguay's Duty Free Cuidad del Este

Just across the Paraguayan-Brazilian border from Foz de Iguazu, on the Paraguayan side, is Ciudad del Este. You  simply cross a bridge to get there. Indeed, you can also get to Cuidad del Este by taking a ferry from the Argentine side, Puerto Iguazu, as the borders are made by the meeting of 2 big rivers, with each country having it's defined territory on each side. 

Being that we were in Brazil already, we entered by the bridge. 

Technically, as an Australian, I need a visa to entered Paraguay, but we'd been reliably informed that if we were entered for just a day, to Ciudad del Este only, we could skip immigration. Even if I didn't need a visa, why waste a page or more (of our passports) getting in and out?

So, at the border Brazilian immigration let us straight out, but the Paraguayans on the other side kept stopping us (we were in the campervan) and telling us we should do immigration. H just kept telling them that he didn't want to waste passport pages and refusing to go through immigration and they let us through. 

A note here: Paraguayan borders are known for corruption, so if you do get processed you have to be careful to get your paperwork correctly in order or they'll be trying to bribe you. 

The reason for going to Ciudade del Este is that it's a big duty free city. It's full of Argentines and Brazialians buying what they can get away with (without paying taxes on re-entry to their country). We were in need of new tyres and we had heard it was one of the best places to buy them in South America. 

I wasn't excited about tyre shopping, but Ciudad del Este isn't known as a safe place, so H needed me along to sit in the vehicle (guarding it) while he shopped for a good price.

It took H about 1.5 hours to find what he wanted at a good price: 4 new tyres that are Chinese but seemingly well made, fitted, for $US520. This is a great price for tyres for this vehicle, so H is very happy. 

While the tyres were being fitted H watched their work (we'd been told to keep an eye on everything) and I walked to the shops nearby. There's was everything you could imagine available. It was the sort of place where as soon as you paused to look at something you had a shop assistant right there offering assistance... I hate that!, so I'd always leave without anything. I bought AAA batteries and a camera memory card. 

On leaving Paraguay we drove straight through immigration, but were stopped by the Brazilian side who entered the camper and were clearly looking to see that we hadn't bought a truckload of stuff to sell in Brazil (if we had I guess we'd have to pay taxes).

And that was our Paraguay tire shopping experience. 

Iguacu Falls: Brazilian side

After 2 days on the Argentine side we then re entered Braxil to visit their side of the falls.  Everybody asks : Which is better? Honestly,  both sides are absolutely brilliant and everybody should do both.

The Argentine side is great for feeling more that you are in nature, and you get close and wet from many different vantage points,  but on the Brazilian side you get bigger sweeping views of the falls,  and a real impression of just how big they are. You also get wet on the Brazilian side. (On both sides getting wet is optional,  we took that option everywhere we could! )

We also splurged and took the helicopter over the falls,  which,  although it was expensive,  was well worth the money.  From above you get a even better idea of the scale of things.

Oh, and a note,  as an Australian I technically need a visa to enter Brazil (and I have one), but at immigration they asked if I was just going for the day (which I wasn't) so it seems that if I had wanted to enter for just the day,  without a visa,  it wouldn't have been a problem. And, getting a visa at Puerto Iguazu,  or Chuy (as I did), is easier and less expensive than many other options.

Iguazu Falls: Wildlife

Iguazu Falls isn't just about the incredibly awesome waterfalls,  it's also got plenty of wildlife.  We did the second day on the Argentine side so that we could do a jungle walk.

On the walk we got to see a troup of monkeys. These were cappachino monkeys (though I'm not sure about the spelling). Ironically,  despite advice to go early (which we did) we saw them as we were finishing the walk at about 11am.

The ever cute, or ever pesky (I'm sure if you worked at the park they are pesky), Coati are in all the food areas. We got lots of pictures of them, but this one was actually managing to unzip my daypack. I stopped him before he got to my lunch.
(In 2010 I was photographing one eating someone else's lunch and turned to find my lunch being stolen).

And birds,  I don't know what the bird with blue eyebrows is, but I like it's 1980s hair and makeup styling.  And,  toucans! , as we drove out on day 1 we saw about 8 in one area. Lucky eh!

Iguazu Falls: butterflies!

Our first day at Iguazu was cloudy and there were plenty of birds darting in and out of the falls.  But,  on our second day the sun was shining and there were butterflies everywhere. So much so, that at one point they seemed a bit like flies; they were that plentiful!

Some butterfly varieties are super difficult to photograph,  but we managed to get a few pictures. In one here I'm dancing among them.  Later I discovered just how annoying a butterfly can be when one decided to lick my face (it tickled!).

And one, although plain, I thought was neat for looking like it had a face at each end.

Iguazu falls: Argentine side

H and I spent 2 days visiting the Argentine side of the famous Iguazu falls. I also visited in 2010, but this was the first time for H.

We did all the walks possible, got wet on both days and enjoyed it thoroughly both times.... even walked to Devils throat on both days.

In one of these pics you can see a jet boat near the bottom of the falls (near considering the power of the water), I did the jet boat last time and we both did it this time.  I think H was a bit dubious about doing it,  but I didn't give him much choice,  and he loved it too.

Day one was all about seeing the falls, day 2 was more about doing a jungle hike and seeing monkeys,  and on day 3 we did the Brazilian side.

Roadside Eats in Southern Brazil

We had been seeing what we thought was something like the Asian Jack Fruit  being sold from roadside stalls,  so we thought we'd stop and try them,  but it turned out to be Pinhao.

Pinhao  is a type of pinenut, kind of like the Australian Bunya Nut. It takes about an hour of boiling to cook them,  which is too long for our campstove cooking (we could,  but don't want to). So we tried a few that the man already had cooking and found them quite tasty.

We bought, from the man, a delicious salami, and I got a tub of yummy pork crackle... I probably should start being more careful about what I eat since I hate clothes shopping and everything is getting tighter,  but hey!, I'm in Brazil,  and the Brazialian women dress in super tight clothes,  so I'm just dressing like a local!

Sao Miguel Jesuit Ruins

In Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay there are some fantastic old Jesuit ruins to be seen, from when they used to have reductions here.  Look it up on the Internet,  I did,  the whole history is very interesting.

We visited the very ruined (but still interesting) Sao Joao velho ruins (no photos, it was raining and we forgot), and the Sao  Miguel ruins, which were beautiful. 

In Argentina we also visited the San Ignacio das  Missoes ruins, which are extremely popular,  but we both liked the Brazilian Sao Miguel better... Although they are harder to get to.

Beach camping in Brazil

We crossed into Brazil from the Uruguay border of Chuy.  From there we drove up the coast until we went inland to the big canyons. For that first week it was all simple beach camping. Miles and miles could be driven on the beach and the sand is hard and even okay for little cars.

Each night it was just us. Nobody else passed the night on the beach and the latest and earliest people on the beach, aside from us,  we're fisherman.  One night the police knocked on our window, but when they found it wasn't an abandoned vehicle they left.

All and all it was very idealic, aside from the rubbish on the beaches.

Largest group of Canyons in South America

Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra.

The drive up to these canyons was a slow steep gravel road. And it was wet, so it wasn't much fun.  I imagine the views might be spectacular on better days.

We arrived late in the day,  too late to pay entry get any real value, so we parked the night at the gate. We also hoped for better weather the next morning.

But,  the weather wasn't any better the next day.  We went in anyway and enjoyed the hikes and got enough view through the mist to be impressed by the canyon. It certainly is an impressive cut.

We were also impressed by the numbers of people visiting early in the morning.  Although we had camped at the gate and were first in,  there were others right behind us and they must have driven about an hour to get there (entry was 8am). They were all brazilians, which shows a grand difference between them and the Argentines.... who we rarely saw out early unless working,  and rarely saw at National parks or hiking.

Total confusion in my head : Spanish and Portuguese

I finished my 4 days (12 hours) of private classes in Portuguese at the Sun 7 school of Barra da Lagoa, Florianapolis. So how was it?

Well I'm still really glad I took the lessons,  the school was great and I really liked my teacher. I am better at Portuguese now, but I have a long way to go. 

For me, I'm not sure if its a blessing or a curse that Spanish and Portuguese are so similar, but also so different. Sometimes it just creates extra confusion. 

And, at the end of every day there was a friendly argentine at the campground who we chatted to in Spanish for a few hours and so after spending time trying to switch out of Spanish, I'd put it all back in. Argh!

So, now I have a lot more work to do. And I sit in the passenger seat beside a notebook to write any words I want to look up later (I'm not good at reading while in motion, maps are enough) and a hand full of flash cards to work through for the day. 

As I write this, we are back in Argentina, finishing that last little arm that extends up alongside of Brazil and takes you through the ruins of the Jesuits Mission and to Iguazu Falls. So, it's back to speaking Spanish, and I've put the Portuguese notes aside until next week. 

Brazil! And I can't speak Portuguese..

So far, travelling as an independent overlander with H, we visited Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. These countries are all Spanish speaking, so, as I am rather fluent in Spanish and H is multilingual, we haven't had much bother. 

But now we are in Brazil and neither of us speaks Portuguese, although speaking Spanish helps. We been here a week and we are getting by, but I'd like to get by a bit better. 

So, I've signed up for some private Portuguese lessons, starting today. For this I am fairly excited. H isn't going to join me, he believes it is unnecessary and he'll get by without it. 

Of course, he will get by better than me without lessons. His native tongue is Dutch, and he also speaks the other 2 official languages of his country: French and German, and he speaks English and quite a bit of Spanish. This all helps. In Spanish, I am better schooled than him, so I speak more and have better grammar, but I take much longer than him to adjust to a dialect or an individuals way of talking. In a nutshell, he will understand more Spanish than me with new acquaintances, but not if I've had time to 'get' their accent. The same is likely to be the case in Brazilian portuguese. He'll just pick it up, (and mostly just keep talking to them in Spanish). 

Actually, travelling in South America as an overlander I've been surprised to find just how many overlanders don't speak Spanish, many couldn't even claim they had beginner level Spanish. And, many of them didn't speak English either; they'd get by using their native tongue, typically German or French. 

So, for me it's back to school. I don't have much time for it, just this week, because the Brazil visa is rather time restrictive, but at least I'll have something to work on. And H? He's doing mechanics on the car. 

Photo upload: Uruguay beaches

Uruguay has plenty of great beaches, and pretty rural countryside too.  Here's some pictures from the 2 places we passed nights at: La Pedrera and Punta del Diablo.

Photo Upload: Old cars on the streets of Uruguay

Uruguay has old cars, trucks and motorbikes everywhere. Many going still, but others sitting decaying in a street or paddock. Occasionally,  one is put to a more creative use,  like a cafe dining spot, as seen here.

Photo upload: Fray bentos meat processing

I mentioned our visit here in a post, but I think it's worth uploading some pictures.  The museum is definately worth a visit if you are ever in Fray Bentos (Uruguay).
Also,  note the massive pink hibiscus flower in my hair,  it's real!

Passing through Uruguay

For me, this was my second time in Uruguay, and the first time for H. It's a country I really do like. 

Touristically, it's not considered to have any super attractions, but I like it for the people. The countryside is also very pretty. 

On day one we visited the old meat processing plant in Fray Bentos. If you know Fray Bentos pies (in a can) and Oxo cubes... Well, once upon a time they were made here. 

The old factory has been nicely preserved and they believe that this year it will qualify for world heritage status with UNESCO. In its heyday (which was at about the time of the major world wars) it employed 4000 people in a shift.  

From there we went to Colonia de Sacramento, which is a fairly major tourist attraction. It's a sweet old town with plenty of ruins and cobblestoned streets to look at. 

Next we went to find a guy on a farm who will let you leave your vehicle there for $1 (USD) per day. As Uruguay allows vehicles to stay one year, it's popular to park there while you go home. The guy has the largest pencil collection in the world and a considerable collection of keyrings, open to public display in his private museum. 

After that we did a few nights on the side of the Uruguay river, which was too big to see the other side of, and then a couple of nights on the beach in coastal towns. Uruguay has a very nice coast, better as you go further North. 

And then to Chuy. As an Australian I need a visa to enter Brazil. The Brazilian Consulate in Chuy is friendly, helpful, and they issued my visa within a day (although, they said, at 10am, 'it will take a minimum of 48 hours, come back at 2.30pm'). 

And now, we are in Brazil!!!

Such a pretty scene, believe me.

I'm sitting having my morning cup of tea (made in the camper) at first light. I haven't brought my camera, so you'll just have to believe me when I tell you how pretty it is. 

The scene is mostly shades of soft pink. I'm looking at the water of the Uruguay river, almost where it all becomes sea, so the water stretches so far in front that I can't see Argentina. 

The water closest to me has reeds and to my right there is a daisy-like yellow flower growing in the water, and another plant with small white flowers. Next the water is reflecting pink, beyond that a soft blue. The sky is cloudy on the horizon and reflecting pink again, and above me the sky is a soft blue. 

Halfway through the scene there is a manmade breakwater of rocks (to guide the yachts into the marina, which is to my left), and at the end of the breakwater there is a bright red steel framed lighthouse which adds such contrast to the scene that it makes it all the more better. 

Large fish keep breaching the surface of the water, in the way that whales and dolphins gently do the same. And a soft yellow breasted bird has just come singing beside me (as I write this!). 

All in all, aside from the mosquitoes, it's a most pretty and tranquil scene. It's called Juan Lacaze. 

Eating river fish in Rosario

Read any tourist information on Rosario and it says to try the river fish. So, we left our camper at the Municipal Campground of Granadero Baigorria (a northern suburb) and took the bus to the city to go sightseeing and eat fish. Really there wasn't a lot to interest us for sightseeing, and we failed to find a restaurant with river fish and ended up watching a movie at a cinema (this made me happy). 

On doing some research I did find out about a recommended restaurant for a river fish dinner, which happened to be closer to our campsite than to the city. 

So, we took the bus back to the campsite and prepared ourselves for a late night. H and I are usually quite early to bed, but Argentines think 10pm is a good hour to have dinner. So, we joined them. 

The fish were good. The preserved specimens on display were 2 and 3 feet long. I had a particularly ugly (but equally delicious) fish called Surubi, and H had Boga. 

The restaurant, Escauriza, was big and popular. 

The next day we drove across the big river Parana towards Uruguay. I found the countryside to be interesting swamp and farmland, and the drive quite spectacular. 

Another day later, we arrived in Uruguay. 

A lot of miles with little to see.

After Peninsula Valdes our destination was Uruguay and there wasn't a lot we wanted to visit in between. So we did a lot of driving. We did stop at Las Grutas (a fun seaside resort place) overnight, and did 2 nights in Sierra de la Ventana (a hill hiking place), but aside from those stops there was just a lot of looking out the window at farm land until we got to Rosario. 

I actually quite like seeing the farm land and what is being produced, but it gives little reason to stop. We saw mostly Soya bean crops (Argentina is, I believe, the 3rd largest producer in the world), corn and cattle. 

Sierra de la Ventana was a 'fix things and laundry stop' as the campsite, belonging to the church, was lovely and trouble free. I intended to hike on the day we left but the fog was too thick to bother. Still, the town itself was lovely. 

Many people reading this and knowing the geography might ask 'but why wouldn't you have gone through Buenos Aires?' . City sightseeing is fine for regular travellers, but it's right painful in a motorhome. Even in Rosario we found a campsite in an outer suburb and took the bus into town to sightsee. Plus, we've both been to Buenos Aires and although I'd love to see a friend there again, I wouldn't drive in or ask H to. 

Back to Peninsula Valdes

We were last on Peninsula Valdes in October.  We stayed about a week, and had a great time spotting lots of Southern Right Whales right off the beach,  along with a lot of other animals.

Now it's not whale season anymore,  so why did we go back? Because it's considered to be the best time to see Orcas (in English,  Killer Whales.... but since they aren't whales, it's a terrible name), hopefully (!) snatching baby seals from the beach (gruesome, but nature can be).

In October I got lucky and saw Orcas, quite unexpectedly,  from the coast.  This time H also got lucky,  and we both saw an Orca... Although the photos are very disappointing, and they were just swimming,  not snatching baby seals.

We also had a much improved experience of Orca spotting by the chance meeting of a young man from New Zealand who is quite fanatical about Orcas, studying them, and visiting Peninsula Valdes for the second year in a row. He told us where he was going to look for Orcas that first day,  and so we went there too, and by doing so saw the Orca. We tried again in the prime spot for possible baby seal snatchings on both of the following 2 days,  but had no luck. 

Sean (the young man from NZ) taught us a lot though, and he was also able to identify the 2 orcas I captured in my photo last year.  (Sean, if you read this,  sorry we didn't get to say goodbye,  I really thought we'd run into you in town.)

As you can see from the following photos,  the other wildlife was much more cooperative.  I especially liked how the armadillo appeared under the information sign,  it helped me check the facts.  The funny rabbit thing is a mara, or at least I think that's the name.  And the pengiuns...lots of them!  Last year while we were on Valdes they were laying eggs, now the chicks seemed about as big as the adults and shedding the last of the baby feathers.

We also returned twice more to the fisherman's village and bought more seafood,  they had remembered me as the woman who eats kangaroo in her country (we'd had this discussion when I'd asked if people ate Guanacos).

If we ever go past Peninsula Valdes again,  I definately want to return again.

The Old Patagonian Express: La Trochita

From Esquel there's an old train, run just for tourists a couple of times a week. La Trochita, or, in English, the Old Patagonian Express, runs on tracks just 75mm wide. It was a fun experience to ride it up to the Indian village of Nahuel Pan, although we were dissappointed that the museum at the top was closed.

Inside the little train it was rather cramped.  H was too big to be comfortable in the seats,  but we found there was much more room in the cafeteria carriage and so we drank coffee going both up and down.