The city of Buenos Aires is beautiful. It's so clean, European like, very green, cars don't honk :) We stayed in the hotel right in the center of the action. The owner of the hotel is Russian, so we made her learn Russian again :) We had a stupid moment in the hotel. The electricity in the room works from a card. You put the card into some reader, and the electricity gets turned on. We put it in, and only the light in the bathroom works, so we asked for a technician. He came in the morning, all dressed up. Then he pushed the card more firmly into the reader, and tada! All the light is on ... we stood there .... uuuu... thank you. A little bit embarrassing :)) But what? It's not completely our fault, how come in the bathroom the light worked!!?? ;)
We walked around, and there is nothing but cafes cafes and more cafes!! All the stores sell cakes and chocolates, and somehow everybody in Buenos Aires is slim and not even chubby! There are so many tango shows in the city, and of course we have to go!! On the street a bunch of people are selling tickets, so we went to ask in one of the agencies. Not only we got the show for $40 cheaper, they also included a free city tour with it.
In the evening we went to a restaurant, and every time we go to a restaurant we order nothing but beef! And I have no idea why, they don't do anything with the beef except grill it, but for the whole 2 weeks that I've been to BA it has never tasted the same. And every time I took a bite ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm O.M.G.!!!! I must be in heaven!!! It is soooo good !! The slices are thick, juicy, and easily sliceable with a spreading knife! You know how in cooking shows, they cook something, then try it at the end, and do the mmmmm sound? Well, I tell you, they're lying, they haven't tried the Argentinian stake !! :)) In the restaurant, there was a saxophone musician, playing saxophone to a popular music. It was so beautiful, that we had to order a desert just to stay there longer :))
Guess what?? Bon Jovi is coming to Buenos Aires !!! This is one of my favorite singers !! And last time he was in BA was 15 years ago... this MUST be fate :)) We went to the ticket master kind of office, and there are almost no tickets left, 2 good seats on the side of the stadium, and everything else in the front rows, we got the side seats. The tickets themselves where $125, and the ticketmaster fee was $40 !!! YYYYEEAAHHHH !! We're going to Bon Jovi !!! super exciting !!! :)))
The main street in BA is 140 meters wide, and is the widest street in the world. There are 4 lights to cross it, and good luck crossing it in 1 time. Only once we crossed it in 1 try, when it was cold outside, and we didn't want to wait :) There are 2 roads going 1 way. 3 lanes on one road, and 9 lanes in the other road!
Next day we went to the city tour. It was so boring, that I couldn't wait to get back. I can't believe people would pay for $17 for it !! BA is famous for street protests, and the day we took the tour of course one had to happen. The bus was going in all the zigzags that it could to avoid the traffic, but pretty much during the whole tour we were stuck in it. We stopped in Plaza de Mayo which is where the pink house is (similar to the white house in USA). We were given 10 minutes to run around the house, then we visited the famous soccer stadium with a coca cola commercials. The colors of coca cola are blue and red, which are the colors of the enemy team, so the coca cola signs were changed to black and white :) Then we stopped at caminito which is an Italian neighborhood of colorful houses, and finally came back. In the morning we went for our own city tour. It's so beautiful. All the buildings are restored, and there is a very interesting mixture of old and new. There is one amazing old church with new glass windows in it, another big old house, with a new tall house growing right in the middle of it.
This day we moved hotels. In our previous hotel they charged $40/night which was a good price, but then in 2 days, the price jumped to $100. In the evening we went to the tango show. We all had a tango class with a funny teacher who was weeping and giving high 5s to everybody, we learned 3 combinations, and then combined them. For 1 hour beginners class it was good, but the thing is, it's not right, you don't learn tango by combinations, the guy is supposed to lead the girl. Then we had dinner and watched the show. The show was very nicely done with dances, humour, singing, folk singing and dancing. One singer was singing "don't cry for me Argentina" in Spanish of course, with so much power and passion that I had tears in my eyes :)
We also went on a very relaxing boat tour in a near by town of Tigre, to the government house tour, and a flee market.
Going to the Bon Jovi concert !!!!! Whooohoooo !!! The tickets were for 5pm. We were waiting for the bus, and it just wasn't coming. So we took a taxi, got there, and the stadium is only maybe 10% full. We were wondering what had happened, and why in the ticket office they told us that there are almost no seats available. Waiting and waiting, and still no people, 3 hours later some band started playing, nobody's paying attention to them, people are still coming. 4 hours later it finally started. But I tell you. This 4 hours wait, was much easier than a 4 hour opera in Rio :) All the stadium was full !! Not one seat empty. We were doing waves and waving, or singing. Any time he would smile, and the whole stadium would go crazy :)) Nobody understands English, cause when he talked, there wasn't much reaction, but everybody knew all the words to all his songs :) and then they would leave and come back, and leave and come back. He has such a good and strong voice. There was this one song, where he let the public sing, and he's like louder, louder, and we just can't. The whole stadium in singing and it's so quiet. And then he started, with all his strength, I really don't know how it's possible ... so loud !! Our places were relatively close to the stage, but still we were looking at the big screens, and I thought since I barely go to the concerts anyway, so next time, front row!! On the way back, the taxi said, there are no buses so they charge 100 pesos. No thank you, I'd rather take the one for 30 pesos.
There is this one very famous cafe, it's in all the books, everybody knows about it, and I think it's the oldest cafe in BA. We went there, and there is a huge line to get in only to drink coffee or tea. We got the tickets to the tango show, and it was so boring! I didn't like the singers voice, there was no room on the stage for dancers, and I got bored after 5 minutes. I would've left at intermission, but decided to be bored 40 minutes more :)
Mom already learned Spanish, and gets along in the restaurants pretty well. She asks is this bbeeee eeeeee eee? He answers, no, it's oink oink. Very well understood :)))
Went to a tango practice, because everybody dances in there, so I figured that there will be less couples and I'll dance more than in a club. This turned out to be true, except that most of the people dancing tango are 60+. One grandpa asked me to dance, seriously, I don't know how he's still standing. We danced, and he asked me if I'd like him to take me back to my seat, and all the seats are around a dance floor which is 5 meters in diameter, and my seat is like 2 meters away, I have no idea what to answer and at the same time I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable or stupid, but I kinda got stuck with my reply :) Then I danced with actually someone who's 50- , and when he left, there was this 77 year old officer kind of grandpa. Usually I danced on a distance, and he's like, that's not how you dance tango, and pulled me up very very close. It was actually much easier to dance :) He was so strict though. Why did you move left, don't you feel the lead? I didn't move you left !!! YES SIR !!! But then during the break, he took care of me, brought me water :) Then he danced around the circle of the dance floor, and was bragging to everybody, look at her, it's only her 3rd time, she's from Canada! Look how she dances ! :)) I'm not going tango anymore! It's not fun walking back and forth, and yeah .. maybe I'll start dancing it again when I turn 50 :)
I met a really nice guy from Israel in the hostel. He made a short 20 minute film which won awards and now is shown around the world, and Israeli consulate pays for his plane tickets to go to the premier of his movie! Pretty cool !!
After a week, I got tired of Buenos Aires, people are way too rude in there. So all I did was sit in the hostel and caught up on my blogs.
Going to Toronto for 1 month+ !
I flew through JFK. The plane was so huge, I think it's the largest plane I've been on. It had 9 seats per row, and 50 rows. We had pretty good dinner and lots and lots of movies, but the seats didn't recline at all, and I couldn't really fall asleep. In JFK there was a huge lineup for passport control for about an hour, so I got out my book and started reading. 1 hour passed by, and I have my flight in an hour. I called the lady who stood there, and told her that I have a connection in an hour, and if it's possible to move to the front of the line. She told me that she was already going around, calling connection, connection. I said that I'm sorry, I didn't hear her. She said, well of course not, you are reading the book ! OMG ! That is so rude ! What am I supposed to do for an hour, stand and count flies?? They don't even fly in here !!
In Toronto, it took 10 minutes to get from a plane into the terminal. Super fast ! In the waiting area all the people were all by themselves. It was so strange to see that.
Overall impression on Toronto: people are stressed out, rude and gray with no life in their eyes, in a constant hurry, and too much by the book. The good thing is that none of my things got stolen yet :))) And fall colours are incredibly beautiful :)
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/BuenosAires#
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Ilha Grande and Iguassu
The bus to the town from where the boat leaves to Ilha Grande was going through a beautiful jungle left and right and up and down. I was ok, enjoying the views, and mom from lack of experience got a bit sick. With work deadlines, and too much moving I actually learned to work on buses, and on boats, and on planes :) Mom was getting worried a bit that we didn't book anything on the island. Mom, we don't need to book anything. How can we go and not know where to stay? It's ok, we'll figure something out. We got there, and as always boys where running around "posada, posada", and we got a beautiful posada 1 minute from the harbor for an excellent price... And that's how you get a posada. mom - unbelievable !! ;)
In the morning got a tour around the island. Went to a place with lots of fish, but after red sea, Bermuda and Galapagos, it wasn't super exciting. And there were too many people in the water. So I went to swim away from them. I would kick a few times, and swim far far away, I thought to myself, I must be getting better at swimming ... um .. NO! that's no the case, it's just the current. On the way back I would try to swim hard but wouldn’t move at all, and when I stopped paddling, I would actually go back ... Oh oh. That's gonna be one hell of a workout! We then went to another beach, and another beach. But to enjoy it fully, I wished I had my own boat :))
Next day we wanted to go to a very popular beach, people said that it would take from 1 hour to 3 hours to get there. While walking in town in that direction, we got offered a boat to get there. No thank you, we're walking. We asked a few people for directions, they all pretty much pointed, but some people said that it's 3 hours, and we have to go over that mountain to get there. What? It's over a mountain, it's not along the shore, in this heat ... thank you ... boat, BOAT ... WAIT FOR US !!! :))
The beach was pretty, but for me it was a chance to catch up with my sleep, so I slept through most of our stay there :)
The way back was a bit tricky because we didn't know at which time to catch the boat back. The bus leaves the terminal from the town at 12 pm. There is a fast and more expensive catamaran at 8, or a slow boat at 10, which I don't know how long will take to arrive at town (approximately 2 hours). But I figured that the bus company is not stupid, and the bus won't leave before the boat comes, because the capacity of the boat is like 300 people. And yes, I was right, it arrived there just in time to comfortably take a taxi, order a ticket and still have enough time to eat something. But just to make sure, I asked the stuff which door will open on the arrival, and was the first time to get out, the first one to get a taxi, and the first one in line to buy a ticket, before everybody else shows up and we'll be left without a seat. 8 hour bus to Sao Paulo, and in there we find out that the bus to the airport costs R$32!! What kind of prices are these???? It should be normal city bus prices of like $R2, ok, a special bus for maybe 5. So we got a taxi for 70 instead. In the airport we were so tired, we went to an expensive restaurant and sat there until the plane, can't wait until it arrived !! The time finally came, we went on a plane which is 1:20 hours flight. 50 minutes later, I barely understand in Portuguese something that sounds like that the plane is going back to Sao Paulo. There is no reaction from anybody, so I thought I misunderstood it. Everything is absolutely normal, when I asked the stewardess what was said, and he told me that the weather is too cloudy, planes can't see the runway, so the plane returns back to Sao Paulo. I could not believe it, people like were smiley, continued to smile. We almost arrived, and now we have to go all the way back :( When we got back, we received a message that please stay in your seats until they make a decision ... half an hour later, they finally let us out, 300 people and the order and silence is unbelievable !! We all got a hotel voucher for the night, and a rebooked flight for the next day. Finally finally finally we arrived at the hotel at 4am! I thought this day would never end !! The hotel was the best hotel I've almost ever stayed in, I would give it 5 stars :) Too bad we only stayed there for 5 hours :))
When we arrived exhausted to Iguassu at 4 pm the next day, I really had to finish working that day. So I went to sleep for 2 hours, got up, and with a "fresh" head finished the work !! Yahooo !! :))
In the morning we went to Iguassu falls, which are the most beautiful and powerful waterfalls in the world, and are one of the 7 wonders of the world. The trail to and through the falls goes through a park which is filled with birds, butterflies, raccoon like things and spiders! :S The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers of the Iguazu River, with a flow of 400,000 galons per second. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" The waterfalls were amazing, and very very powerful. I liked the waterfalls, but the driving there and back from hostel to falls, in the falls themselves was exhausting. After the falls we went to a bird park nearby. In the evening we went to Argentina side. In the border, they just opened a car window, the guy looked at us, and stamped the passport. I think all the border crossings should be that way :) The hostel in Argentina was so good! The room was huge, also with a kitchen and a table.
Next day it was supposed to be raining, so we didn't go to the falls, but it wasn't raining, so we just hung out in the town. The town is very pretty, it's small and extremely green. Now here's a difference between Bolivia and Argentina. In Bolivia: how long does it take to get there? ... Oh ... you'll never make it, it's like 5 minutes away, you must take a taxi !!! In Argentina: how long does it take to get there? ... Oh ... it's really close, it's 1 hour that way :)) We went to a 3 borders landmark. There a river crosses Brazil and Paraguay. Pretty cool.
In the morning we packed our bags, left them at the bus terminal and went to the falls on the Argentina side. I loved the Argentina side so much more than Brazilian. There is a 1.5 km bridge that goes over the river towards the falls, and then it stops right above the "devil's throat". You can't believe the power of that thing. You just look at it, and can't believe that it's real. There are also lower and upper routes which we walked through. The panorama is beautiful, the day was cloudy though, so the pictures are kinda gray :( There was a boat that goes beside the falls, but we didn't want to go, and then we debated debated and went there last minute. The boat went beside some waterfalls so we could take pictures, and then we hid everything in dry bags, and went right beside it, it felt like all over the sudden a strong strong rain began. We just sat with our eyes closed and screamed :)) And it did it 3 times !!! :)) We came out all drenched and happy :) And then I wondered why if we go voluntarily on the boat to the waterfall and pay for it, we get out happy, and when we walk on the street and it starts raining, we start cursing the weather and run away?
Guess what? Again we were late for our bus, we got there 5 minutes before it leaves, and we still have to change from all the wet cloths ... it's ok, they waited for us :) The bus was going to Buenos Aires for 18 hours. It was a nice bed bus. We were given pillows, blankets, candies and champagne. The movies where playing non stop. We got served a 3 course tasty dinner, went to sleep, and by the time I woke up, it was already 10 am. After breakfast and another movie we arrived in Buenos Aires.
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/IlhaGrandeAndIguassu#
In the morning got a tour around the island. Went to a place with lots of fish, but after red sea, Bermuda and Galapagos, it wasn't super exciting. And there were too many people in the water. So I went to swim away from them. I would kick a few times, and swim far far away, I thought to myself, I must be getting better at swimming ... um .. NO! that's no the case, it's just the current. On the way back I would try to swim hard but wouldn’t move at all, and when I stopped paddling, I would actually go back ... Oh oh. That's gonna be one hell of a workout! We then went to another beach, and another beach. But to enjoy it fully, I wished I had my own boat :))
Next day we wanted to go to a very popular beach, people said that it would take from 1 hour to 3 hours to get there. While walking in town in that direction, we got offered a boat to get there. No thank you, we're walking. We asked a few people for directions, they all pretty much pointed, but some people said that it's 3 hours, and we have to go over that mountain to get there. What? It's over a mountain, it's not along the shore, in this heat ... thank you ... boat, BOAT ... WAIT FOR US !!! :))
The beach was pretty, but for me it was a chance to catch up with my sleep, so I slept through most of our stay there :)
The way back was a bit tricky because we didn't know at which time to catch the boat back. The bus leaves the terminal from the town at 12 pm. There is a fast and more expensive catamaran at 8, or a slow boat at 10, which I don't know how long will take to arrive at town (approximately 2 hours). But I figured that the bus company is not stupid, and the bus won't leave before the boat comes, because the capacity of the boat is like 300 people. And yes, I was right, it arrived there just in time to comfortably take a taxi, order a ticket and still have enough time to eat something. But just to make sure, I asked the stuff which door will open on the arrival, and was the first time to get out, the first one to get a taxi, and the first one in line to buy a ticket, before everybody else shows up and we'll be left without a seat. 8 hour bus to Sao Paulo, and in there we find out that the bus to the airport costs R$32!! What kind of prices are these???? It should be normal city bus prices of like $R2, ok, a special bus for maybe 5. So we got a taxi for 70 instead. In the airport we were so tired, we went to an expensive restaurant and sat there until the plane, can't wait until it arrived !! The time finally came, we went on a plane which is 1:20 hours flight. 50 minutes later, I barely understand in Portuguese something that sounds like that the plane is going back to Sao Paulo. There is no reaction from anybody, so I thought I misunderstood it. Everything is absolutely normal, when I asked the stewardess what was said, and he told me that the weather is too cloudy, planes can't see the runway, so the plane returns back to Sao Paulo. I could not believe it, people like were smiley, continued to smile. We almost arrived, and now we have to go all the way back :( When we got back, we received a message that please stay in your seats until they make a decision ... half an hour later, they finally let us out, 300 people and the order and silence is unbelievable !! We all got a hotel voucher for the night, and a rebooked flight for the next day. Finally finally finally we arrived at the hotel at 4am! I thought this day would never end !! The hotel was the best hotel I've almost ever stayed in, I would give it 5 stars :) Too bad we only stayed there for 5 hours :))
When we arrived exhausted to Iguassu at 4 pm the next day, I really had to finish working that day. So I went to sleep for 2 hours, got up, and with a "fresh" head finished the work !! Yahooo !! :))
In the morning we went to Iguassu falls, which are the most beautiful and powerful waterfalls in the world, and are one of the 7 wonders of the world. The trail to and through the falls goes through a park which is filled with birds, butterflies, raccoon like things and spiders! :S The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers of the Iguazu River, with a flow of 400,000 galons per second. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" The waterfalls were amazing, and very very powerful. I liked the waterfalls, but the driving there and back from hostel to falls, in the falls themselves was exhausting. After the falls we went to a bird park nearby. In the evening we went to Argentina side. In the border, they just opened a car window, the guy looked at us, and stamped the passport. I think all the border crossings should be that way :) The hostel in Argentina was so good! The room was huge, also with a kitchen and a table.
Next day it was supposed to be raining, so we didn't go to the falls, but it wasn't raining, so we just hung out in the town. The town is very pretty, it's small and extremely green. Now here's a difference between Bolivia and Argentina. In Bolivia: how long does it take to get there? ... Oh ... you'll never make it, it's like 5 minutes away, you must take a taxi !!! In Argentina: how long does it take to get there? ... Oh ... it's really close, it's 1 hour that way :)) We went to a 3 borders landmark. There a river crosses Brazil and Paraguay. Pretty cool.
In the morning we packed our bags, left them at the bus terminal and went to the falls on the Argentina side. I loved the Argentina side so much more than Brazilian. There is a 1.5 km bridge that goes over the river towards the falls, and then it stops right above the "devil's throat". You can't believe the power of that thing. You just look at it, and can't believe that it's real. There are also lower and upper routes which we walked through. The panorama is beautiful, the day was cloudy though, so the pictures are kinda gray :( There was a boat that goes beside the falls, but we didn't want to go, and then we debated debated and went there last minute. The boat went beside some waterfalls so we could take pictures, and then we hid everything in dry bags, and went right beside it, it felt like all over the sudden a strong strong rain began. We just sat with our eyes closed and screamed :)) And it did it 3 times !!! :)) We came out all drenched and happy :) And then I wondered why if we go voluntarily on the boat to the waterfall and pay for it, we get out happy, and when we walk on the street and it starts raining, we start cursing the weather and run away?
Guess what? Again we were late for our bus, we got there 5 minutes before it leaves, and we still have to change from all the wet cloths ... it's ok, they waited for us :) The bus was going to Buenos Aires for 18 hours. It was a nice bed bus. We were given pillows, blankets, candies and champagne. The movies where playing non stop. We got served a 3 course tasty dinner, went to sleep, and by the time I woke up, it was already 10 am. After breakfast and another movie we arrived in Buenos Aires.
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/IlhaGrandeAndIguassu#
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Rio and Ouro Preto
We had a print out from the hostel saying that the taxi to it costs R$30, but anywhere we asked we got as high at 75 and as low as 50. I said that it's written 30, I'm not going for any higher than 30. Drivers were talking, negotiating between themselves, and we were already going to take the bus, somebody agreed to go for 30. When we got to the hostel, the owner said that almost nobody does :))
In the morning went to walk in the forest which is right in the city. Walked through a few waterfalls and river crossings, went up some hill to enjoy the views over Rio, and on the way back decided to take a shortcut without any signs, and thank god we didn't get lost :) Somewhere in the middle of the forest, went to eat in the restaurant, and we were so tired, it was getting colder and darker, and had no energy to take all this road to the exit, so instead we caught a ride :) The guy was funny, he was only speaking Portuguese and we barely connected the meaning of what we said. He started playing with his phone, and then called somebody, in the middle of conversation he gave me the phone and said "talk".
um ... hello???
- who are you?
I don't know, I'm just sitting in your friends car. & Who are you??
so we were having a 3 way conversation, where his friend would translate from Portuguese to Spanish and back :) Instead of letting us off at the entrance, he kept on driving and driving, asked where we live, but couldn't understand where it is. Then he got into a garage, and both me and mom started to get a bit nervous. Where are we? Where are we going? ... I live here. hm ... then we got to an elevator, it opened, I said that I'm not going in. But as it turned out, it was an elevator to a street, not a condo, and he basically walked us to the subway station :) And waited until we got on a train :)
The location of the hostel is not very comfortable. It's located in some artsy neighborhood on a hill where no taxi wants to go because they think they'll get lost. Instead there is a little tram that goes from the hill down. But the thing is that this tram is touristic, so it goes super slow, with the driver stopping and explaining what's around. 1st time it was fun, but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ... I think we need to change hostels!
Next day we went to beautiful botanical gardens. The gardens are huge with a view to the mountain with the Christ on it. Then walked around another beautiful lake with almost everybody doing some sort of sports, and went to another gardens where we saw an armadillo :))
Next day we went to walk in the city center. It's not what mom expected, so she wasn't too happy. Where is all the beauty she wondered? Walked through some modern church, a street market, a park with kind of big squirrels but without tails, then saw some cool library, and more buildings, buildings, buildings. It was Monday, so all the museums were closed, but mom didn't really mind that :)
Went to some crazy expensive buffet. First I thought that I don't understand Portuguese. Regular price buffet is from R$10 - 20/kg. Over 20 is expensive. So I asked how much it is, and she said 67.
What?
-67
67??
-yes, 67. 6.70 for 100 gr.
Holly *&^* !! But then I thought that if it's so expensive, it must be good. So we went :) And it was really good!! So many things that I haven't eaten for the longest time now like white asparagus, brie cheese, calamari, little cabbages, sushi !! yammi yammi :))
In the hostel they said that they're all booked for the next day, so we thought that if we had to pack anyways, it's a good time to go to Ouro Preto, which is a colonial town 6 hours from Rio. Ordered a taxi to the terminal and the driver charged us extra R$1.5 for each suitcase. What??? I told him that in a year of travel nobody charged that not even once. And he said that it's each drivers choice. I would've got out of the taxi, but we were already late. Like really late.
Ouro Preto is nice, it's a little town in the middle of the mountains, and since we were on the hill, we had a full window view on the whole town. so so pretty :) Everything was good, except that I got sick. And to get sick in a hilly town is not a good idea. I would take 5 steps, and sit for 5 minutes relax. And since our hotel was on the very top of the hill, every way up would be a real work out! 1 day in Ouro Preto is more than enough, so next day we went for a little walk in a neighboring town which is less hilly :) There we went to a gold mine, but that wasn't interesting, and it was hot, and we were hungry, and most of the restaurants close at 4, so good luck finding something until dinner time. Trying to get to the bus terminal. There are no taxis going in our area, so we asked the reception to call it. 20 minutes later, there is still no taxi, and our bus leaves in 5 minutes. We're getting very very VERY anxious !! but no choice but wait ... it finally arrived ! As it turns out, this bus terminal is like a minute away from us, just down the hill, although I'm still not sure how we would've gotten down that road with a suitcase.
Back in Rio ... our hotel is steps away from the very famous staircase. The whole steps are decorated in some colorful tiles. Then we went to a very beautiful church. Some ship captain got in a storm, and almost lost his life, and he promised to build a church if he gets home alive. He did, and built one of the most beautiful churches that I've seen. And it's not all religious, it has a lot of paintings from his journey, not only bloody Christ from all angles. Then we went to a super cool free navy museum. It had ships and helicopters, and the coolest of all a submarine!! Not only I've never seen a submarine ever, we got in it too !! :))) I think mom got a bit claustrophobic :)) In the evening went to a very beautiful cafe in some antique style. It was surrounded by huge mirrors and 1800 decor.
Matteus is in Rio !!! so we arranged to meet and go out to Lapa which is a crazy party places. Turns out, our hotel right in the middle of Lapa, you literally get out of the door, and you're already out :)) This place is crazy ! It's a bit scary during the day with all the homeless, and crazy/fun/safe during the night. We didn't want to go to any nightclub, cause they charge entrance fee, and then we'll just get stuck in there. So we danced beside the club :)) We ordered a caipirinya, and I ordered strong one, and the woman didn't even charge anything extra for it! I got drunk from 1/6 of the cup :) In one of the places I wanted to go to the washroom, as always there was a huge lineup to women's washroom, so I stood, and somebody came and asked if I want to dance. I said that I can't dance because I'll lose my place in the lineup. So we danced in the lineup to the washroom :)))
Next day we went up to the mountain with the Christ. It was all right. I've already seen these views, and of course they charge like crazy to go see it. And the whole city was in smog the whole time we've been there. Need to get better pictures from internet :) Above it, I felt very bad on the top, and I didn't have any pain killers with me, and there are no pharmacies on the top. So I asked some workers in the stores, apparently to get pills is not that difficult, lucky me! :)
In the evening went to a Romeo and Juliet opera in a beautiful opera house, for only $12! The play was ok, but it was looooooooooong 4 hours !! And we sat in a place from where we couldn't see about 1/4 of the stage. I liked 2 acts only where she's debating whether to take the poison or not, and when he took it, and she came back alive. But I don't think I'll be going to opera again. This is not something I'm willing to try 2nd time just to make sure :))
Things are changing slowly but surely. When I started traveling, I hand washed everything, I thought to myself, what am I crazy to pay $3 for a wash, I'd rather hand wash. Now, our hotel is in not a touristic area, and there is no per kilo wash, only some expensive wash by load. So now I'm thinking, what am I crazy to hand wash, I'd rather pay $15 for a normal laundry :)
Next day we walked on the beach, and nope, still didn't see hot Brazilian guys or girls. Maybe it's all hidden under the cloths, and it wasn't really a swimming weather :)
Next day we were leaving, but decided to go up the sugar loaf mountain. I think I got used to the views already ... why, is it supposed to look any different than that? :) We were in the hurry again to catch the boat from a town which is 2 hours away, so we got a taxi there, a taxi back, and a taxi to the terminal, it was an expensive day! When we got to the terminal the total was R$33, and the driver said, just give me 30. Really? That coming from a taxi driver??!! I must be dreaming !! :)
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/RioAndOuroPreto#
In the morning went to walk in the forest which is right in the city. Walked through a few waterfalls and river crossings, went up some hill to enjoy the views over Rio, and on the way back decided to take a shortcut without any signs, and thank god we didn't get lost :) Somewhere in the middle of the forest, went to eat in the restaurant, and we were so tired, it was getting colder and darker, and had no energy to take all this road to the exit, so instead we caught a ride :) The guy was funny, he was only speaking Portuguese and we barely connected the meaning of what we said. He started playing with his phone, and then called somebody, in the middle of conversation he gave me the phone and said "talk".
um ... hello???
- who are you?
I don't know, I'm just sitting in your friends car. & Who are you??
so we were having a 3 way conversation, where his friend would translate from Portuguese to Spanish and back :) Instead of letting us off at the entrance, he kept on driving and driving, asked where we live, but couldn't understand where it is. Then he got into a garage, and both me and mom started to get a bit nervous. Where are we? Where are we going? ... I live here. hm ... then we got to an elevator, it opened, I said that I'm not going in. But as it turned out, it was an elevator to a street, not a condo, and he basically walked us to the subway station :) And waited until we got on a train :)
The location of the hostel is not very comfortable. It's located in some artsy neighborhood on a hill where no taxi wants to go because they think they'll get lost. Instead there is a little tram that goes from the hill down. But the thing is that this tram is touristic, so it goes super slow, with the driver stopping and explaining what's around. 1st time it was fun, but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ... I think we need to change hostels!
Next day we went to beautiful botanical gardens. The gardens are huge with a view to the mountain with the Christ on it. Then walked around another beautiful lake with almost everybody doing some sort of sports, and went to another gardens where we saw an armadillo :))
Next day we went to walk in the city center. It's not what mom expected, so she wasn't too happy. Where is all the beauty she wondered? Walked through some modern church, a street market, a park with kind of big squirrels but without tails, then saw some cool library, and more buildings, buildings, buildings. It was Monday, so all the museums were closed, but mom didn't really mind that :)
Went to some crazy expensive buffet. First I thought that I don't understand Portuguese. Regular price buffet is from R$10 - 20/kg. Over 20 is expensive. So I asked how much it is, and she said 67.
What?
-67
67??
-yes, 67. 6.70 for 100 gr.
Holly *&^* !! But then I thought that if it's so expensive, it must be good. So we went :) And it was really good!! So many things that I haven't eaten for the longest time now like white asparagus, brie cheese, calamari, little cabbages, sushi !! yammi yammi :))
In the hostel they said that they're all booked for the next day, so we thought that if we had to pack anyways, it's a good time to go to Ouro Preto, which is a colonial town 6 hours from Rio. Ordered a taxi to the terminal and the driver charged us extra R$1.5 for each suitcase. What??? I told him that in a year of travel nobody charged that not even once. And he said that it's each drivers choice. I would've got out of the taxi, but we were already late. Like really late.
Ouro Preto is nice, it's a little town in the middle of the mountains, and since we were on the hill, we had a full window view on the whole town. so so pretty :) Everything was good, except that I got sick. And to get sick in a hilly town is not a good idea. I would take 5 steps, and sit for 5 minutes relax. And since our hotel was on the very top of the hill, every way up would be a real work out! 1 day in Ouro Preto is more than enough, so next day we went for a little walk in a neighboring town which is less hilly :) There we went to a gold mine, but that wasn't interesting, and it was hot, and we were hungry, and most of the restaurants close at 4, so good luck finding something until dinner time. Trying to get to the bus terminal. There are no taxis going in our area, so we asked the reception to call it. 20 minutes later, there is still no taxi, and our bus leaves in 5 minutes. We're getting very very VERY anxious !! but no choice but wait ... it finally arrived ! As it turns out, this bus terminal is like a minute away from us, just down the hill, although I'm still not sure how we would've gotten down that road with a suitcase.
Back in Rio ... our hotel is steps away from the very famous staircase. The whole steps are decorated in some colorful tiles. Then we went to a very beautiful church. Some ship captain got in a storm, and almost lost his life, and he promised to build a church if he gets home alive. He did, and built one of the most beautiful churches that I've seen. And it's not all religious, it has a lot of paintings from his journey, not only bloody Christ from all angles. Then we went to a super cool free navy museum. It had ships and helicopters, and the coolest of all a submarine!! Not only I've never seen a submarine ever, we got in it too !! :))) I think mom got a bit claustrophobic :)) In the evening went to a very beautiful cafe in some antique style. It was surrounded by huge mirrors and 1800 decor.
Matteus is in Rio !!! so we arranged to meet and go out to Lapa which is a crazy party places. Turns out, our hotel right in the middle of Lapa, you literally get out of the door, and you're already out :)) This place is crazy ! It's a bit scary during the day with all the homeless, and crazy/fun/safe during the night. We didn't want to go to any nightclub, cause they charge entrance fee, and then we'll just get stuck in there. So we danced beside the club :)) We ordered a caipirinya, and I ordered strong one, and the woman didn't even charge anything extra for it! I got drunk from 1/6 of the cup :) In one of the places I wanted to go to the washroom, as always there was a huge lineup to women's washroom, so I stood, and somebody came and asked if I want to dance. I said that I can't dance because I'll lose my place in the lineup. So we danced in the lineup to the washroom :)))
Next day we went up to the mountain with the Christ. It was all right. I've already seen these views, and of course they charge like crazy to go see it. And the whole city was in smog the whole time we've been there. Need to get better pictures from internet :) Above it, I felt very bad on the top, and I didn't have any pain killers with me, and there are no pharmacies on the top. So I asked some workers in the stores, apparently to get pills is not that difficult, lucky me! :)
In the evening went to a Romeo and Juliet opera in a beautiful opera house, for only $12! The play was ok, but it was looooooooooong 4 hours !! And we sat in a place from where we couldn't see about 1/4 of the stage. I liked 2 acts only where she's debating whether to take the poison or not, and when he took it, and she came back alive. But I don't think I'll be going to opera again. This is not something I'm willing to try 2nd time just to make sure :))
Things are changing slowly but surely. When I started traveling, I hand washed everything, I thought to myself, what am I crazy to pay $3 for a wash, I'd rather hand wash. Now, our hotel is in not a touristic area, and there is no per kilo wash, only some expensive wash by load. So now I'm thinking, what am I crazy to hand wash, I'd rather pay $15 for a normal laundry :)
Next day we walked on the beach, and nope, still didn't see hot Brazilian guys or girls. Maybe it's all hidden under the cloths, and it wasn't really a swimming weather :)
Next day we were leaving, but decided to go up the sugar loaf mountain. I think I got used to the views already ... why, is it supposed to look any different than that? :) We were in the hurry again to catch the boat from a town which is 2 hours away, so we got a taxi there, a taxi back, and a taxi to the terminal, it was an expensive day! When we got to the terminal the total was R$33, and the driver said, just give me 30. Really? That coming from a taxi driver??!! I must be dreaming !! :)
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/RioAndOuroPreto#
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Olina, Salvador, Lencois & Morro de Sao Paulo
Oh linda Olinda ... Oh beautiful Olinda. That's apparently what the Spanish said when first saw this town. I got to the hostel, and while I was checking in, Neto walked into the lobby ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!! I was jumping up and down !!! He changed his plans and decided to travel for a bit too, because he got a bit bored of Jeri ... well figures ... I left :)) kidding :))
In the evening we went to some party which was right on the street. Olinda is considered to be the happiest city in Brazil. There is music everywhere, and everybody's dancing. They have parties for no occasion at all, and I think the best carnival in all of Brazil as well. There were capoera circles, some schools of drummers, and a non stop latino African fusion with strange dances, like tapping the feet on the floor a lot. I learned it quite quickly and was dancing all evening long :) Here there is a popular food of tapioca. It's potato starch, and they cook it on a pan, and then stuff it with anything you want. So it's basically like a pita, but more chewy :)There was not much to do in Olinda, so I finished a lot of my work :) Me and Neto walked around 1 day, visited a bunch of churches. In one of the churches (the most famous one, and my least favorite), one guy started talking and following us. No thank you, we don't need a guide. He still walked and walked. And 5 minutes later, after not so much of useful information, he asked for R$5 from each. I basically thought screw you, I don't even understand Portuguese, but Neto still gave him the money. Olinda is pretty green, and in one place we saw little cute monkeys, and there were so many of them! I've never seen monkeys right in the city center! Amazing ! :))While I was working, Neto prepared shrimps with pineapple, onions and curry, oh so good :) home made food :) And then we went to a restaurant and had the worst service combined with even worst food.
Neto told me that I hope I don't think that he's stoking me. I said of course not, I'm so happy that I see him again! And he said good, because he bought a ticket on the same flight as I did to Salvador, and on a neighboring seat :)
Our flight was supposed to be at 1:45 pm. And in a nearby city there is a "do not miss" garden. Ok, we calculated the time that we need to get there, be there, and get to the airport. Thank god we included a 1 hour buffer. The traffic was crazy, and distances much larger than we expected. The gardens were amazing though ! It was huge, with hundreds if not thousands of weird statues, paintings, fountains, and beautiful lawns. Anywhere you go, there are these statues popping out of somewhere. The taxi driver waited for us while we were walking around the gardens, and drove us to a bus station. There we got a bus that got stuck in a traffic, and it was already 1pm. We got out of the bus, took a taxi to the hostel where our bags were, and drove to the airport. We were so hungry, we didn't eat the whole day. There is no time at all, but otherwise we would only eat not before 6 for sure. We found subway, I ordered quickly, and Neto is standing there choosing his toppings and then waiting for something ... Neeeetoooo !!! We got to go!! ... Oh wait wait, I asked for it toasted :)))) Anyway, 10 minutes before the plane leaves, we just got to the 1st security check. Running to the plane, we got on it, and there were still like 5 people in the lineup ... oh ! we got here too early, lets go do some more shopping :))
On the plane, I'm wasting no time, so I installed SQL Server database on my laptop :)
When we got to Salvador, on the bus station somebody told us that we probably need to go in some direction towards the center, and while walking there, somebody else stopped us and told us that we probably need to go that way. People are so friendly :) But it was scary walking to the hostel. This city is full of homeless people, and is considered to be very dangerous. It's the only city for which the guidebook recommends to dress down. It was freaky! And these homeless, they don't just sit there, they walk, and they come to you, and aggressively ask for money, you say you have none, and they start checking your pockets!... GET AWAY !! It's seriously scary, and ok in the center there are a lot of people, but just a bit outside the center, get a taxi and lock the doors! ... Oh oh ... my mommy will not like it here ...
Some crazy English guys came to the hostel, they drink and party and pretty much nothing else. I haven't seen anybody drink as much as they do. We walked around, saw some people sitting outside with live music playing, went there, sat right in the middle of everybody, as it turns out to be later, they're one group of Uruguayan tourists having a party :) ... What?? We want to party too :))
Next day Hans came !! Yeaiii ... the best people Neto and Hans! :)
That day I went to learn some capoera. The teacher was telling me to do the chinga for like 15 minutes (which is just a step from side to side to prepare for the real moves) ... ok ... I'm done with the chinga, teach me something else !! He was slow, so I just started repeating the moves the other group of people did. A turn with a fan kick, or getting away from the kick, or double fan kick. The teacher saw that I can do it, and started teaching me something useful ! What a great work out, 1 hour of non stop up and down, but at the end of an hour all the skin of my big toes on my feet has disappeared, I didn't even feel it :S
At night all of us went to some reggae party ... I really don't like raggae, well I had to try it again, just to make sure :) I wanted to go back to the hostel pretty quick, but it was Hans' last night in town, so I stayed longer. On the way back, we got out, and I didn't want to walk in dark, while we were debating, some guy came out of the club, who is actually the owner, and he gave us ride back. When he stopped at some intersection, a bunch of crazy homeless started running towards the car, I screamed so hard go go go !! meanwhile trying in panic to check if the doors are locked. When we got close to the hostel (the cars are not allowed to go there), there was some kid who joined to walk with us. Thank you, we don't need your help, and he said that with him we are safer... well ... ok.
Next day I could barely walk at all... I was limping and walking like a bear on the sides of my feet to somehow not to touch the toes. Woke up early in the morning to meet mom at the bus stop. When we were walking back to the hostel, Neto came to the stop to help us with the luggage ... the longer I know Neto, the sweeter and sweeter he becomes :)) Mom didn't like Salvador at all, called it a garbage dump, and the hostel OMG where am I?? Yep, I was right about her not liking it. But some time later got used to it :) We walked around the city, saw nothing that special, in the evening went to a folkloric dance show, that was good. The dancers were all black, and 1 white guy who was the only one who didn't know how to dance :) but they had so much energy, and you could see all and every muscle move. To the show came a large group of Russian tourists ... oh no ... not Russians again! None of them smiled of course, all had serious, bumbed out faces. Talked for a bit to some man, who I don't know where he's from. He asked if I know, I said no, he said "lady, did you learn any geography in school?" GRRRRR!!! I should've asked him about all the places I've been to, and if he knows exactly where they are! Seriously !!
Next day we went to another Bonfin church. "No more churches" my mom said ... we have to go, it's a very important church. We went there with Neto and Delia. I'm not sure why the church is famous, but everywhere there are colorful ribbons, they're sold everywhere, tied to everything, everybody has them on their wrists, and the stores are full of bonfin bags, and shirts, and dresses. Oh, yes I do know why it's famous. There were some miracles in there of people getting healed. And right now there is some room with human body parts made out of wax in need of a miracle which are hanging from a ceiling.
After, we walked to some fort and then to a restaurant where we bombarded Neto with 100s of questions of what's this and that and the other. Poor Neto, he got a bit stressed out :)
We were supposed to leave that night, but I didn't finish everything with work, so we had to stay another day, because the next place on the list doesn't have internet. We already checked out of the hostel, and when we came back the only double room was already taken, so my mom actually stayed in a 10 bed dorm ... very heroic !! :)
The next day I was working while mom went to the beach with Delia. At night we took a 6 hour bus to Lencois which is a national park to the west of Salvador. After sleepless night, we went for a hike with a Brazilian girl and Matteus from Austria. The hike was nice. We had to go down some wall to get to the waterfall, and it was a pretty vertical 90 degree 10 meter descent, mom started crying from fear, but got down with guide's assistance just fine :) Then we walked through beautiful pink canyons and rocks, river with natural pools and waterfalls between them, and then a "lake" with a natural 50 meter long slide. That was scary ! It was so funny hearing everybody scream and make funny sounds while going down it :) When I returned super tired to the hostel, I went to bed only to be waken up by Matteus, lets go out for capirinia (local drink of lime and sugar cane kind of vodka). Got back around 1, and woke up next morning for another 10 hour trip. We went to some waterfalls, jumped off cliffs, climbed a mountain where I took jumping pictures where my mom almost got a heart attack :) When mom was getting down there were 3 men offering her their help, all giving her hands for support, she got a bit overwhelmed saying that she feels bad that she doesn't have 3 hands :)) Then we went to some lake, which for me was a waste of time, not only it wasn't pretty, it cost additional R$10 to get in, because it's on a private property. But at least they had the best buffet. Me and Matteus swam so far away that we missed the time for another cool cave which supposed to have deep blue transparent waters. By the time we got there, there was already no sun, and thus no blue. After we drove to a large cave with stalactites and stalagmites. It was cool, all dark, with different shapes of the figures.
After a long day, we got on a night bus back. I think from this moment on, I was sleep deprived for the whole month to come. In the morning, we took a catamaran to Morro de Sao Paulo island. When we arrived, a bunch of shoeless locals with wheelbarrows came in running and yelling taxi taxi. They took our suitcases and brought it to the first economic posada. Mom couldn't believe that that's how you get a hotel. What, do you mean you don't have to book it a month in advance? :)
Morro de Sao Paulo is nice, it's streets are of sand, and because it rained, they turned to streets of mud :) The weather wasn't that great, so we hid in a restaurant and made up for it with amazing seafood lunch :) The water was grey and muddy, but still, it's a very beautiful island with a long beach and jungly surrounding. Went to a lighthouse to enjoy the view, and then to an expensive restaurant just for a juice to watch a sunset, but oh well, it was too cloudy and no sunset :( at least the juice was good :))
Next day we went for a walk, but all I wanted to do is sleep. The tide was so strong that on the way there we walked along the beach, and passed some palm trees, and on the way back the palms became an island, and on the beach you had to swim to get through, of course we didn't, I'm just saying :) When we were going to the catamaran, I decided that I don't want to pay for the luggage, so we walked, and somebody grabbed us, catamaran, catamaran. Great, he carried our luggage, so we saved on the "taxi" :)
Got a catamaran back, I slept all the way :)
In the morning got on a flight to Rio.
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/OlinaSalvadorLencoisMorroDeSaoPaulo#
In the evening we went to some party which was right on the street. Olinda is considered to be the happiest city in Brazil. There is music everywhere, and everybody's dancing. They have parties for no occasion at all, and I think the best carnival in all of Brazil as well. There were capoera circles, some schools of drummers, and a non stop latino African fusion with strange dances, like tapping the feet on the floor a lot. I learned it quite quickly and was dancing all evening long :) Here there is a popular food of tapioca. It's potato starch, and they cook it on a pan, and then stuff it with anything you want. So it's basically like a pita, but more chewy :)There was not much to do in Olinda, so I finished a lot of my work :) Me and Neto walked around 1 day, visited a bunch of churches. In one of the churches (the most famous one, and my least favorite), one guy started talking and following us. No thank you, we don't need a guide. He still walked and walked. And 5 minutes later, after not so much of useful information, he asked for R$5 from each. I basically thought screw you, I don't even understand Portuguese, but Neto still gave him the money. Olinda is pretty green, and in one place we saw little cute monkeys, and there were so many of them! I've never seen monkeys right in the city center! Amazing ! :))While I was working, Neto prepared shrimps with pineapple, onions and curry, oh so good :) home made food :) And then we went to a restaurant and had the worst service combined with even worst food.
Neto told me that I hope I don't think that he's stoking me. I said of course not, I'm so happy that I see him again! And he said good, because he bought a ticket on the same flight as I did to Salvador, and on a neighboring seat :)
Our flight was supposed to be at 1:45 pm. And in a nearby city there is a "do not miss" garden. Ok, we calculated the time that we need to get there, be there, and get to the airport. Thank god we included a 1 hour buffer. The traffic was crazy, and distances much larger than we expected. The gardens were amazing though ! It was huge, with hundreds if not thousands of weird statues, paintings, fountains, and beautiful lawns. Anywhere you go, there are these statues popping out of somewhere. The taxi driver waited for us while we were walking around the gardens, and drove us to a bus station. There we got a bus that got stuck in a traffic, and it was already 1pm. We got out of the bus, took a taxi to the hostel where our bags were, and drove to the airport. We were so hungry, we didn't eat the whole day. There is no time at all, but otherwise we would only eat not before 6 for sure. We found subway, I ordered quickly, and Neto is standing there choosing his toppings and then waiting for something ... Neeeetoooo !!! We got to go!! ... Oh wait wait, I asked for it toasted :)))) Anyway, 10 minutes before the plane leaves, we just got to the 1st security check. Running to the plane, we got on it, and there were still like 5 people in the lineup ... oh ! we got here too early, lets go do some more shopping :))
On the plane, I'm wasting no time, so I installed SQL Server database on my laptop :)
When we got to Salvador, on the bus station somebody told us that we probably need to go in some direction towards the center, and while walking there, somebody else stopped us and told us that we probably need to go that way. People are so friendly :) But it was scary walking to the hostel. This city is full of homeless people, and is considered to be very dangerous. It's the only city for which the guidebook recommends to dress down. It was freaky! And these homeless, they don't just sit there, they walk, and they come to you, and aggressively ask for money, you say you have none, and they start checking your pockets!... GET AWAY !! It's seriously scary, and ok in the center there are a lot of people, but just a bit outside the center, get a taxi and lock the doors! ... Oh oh ... my mommy will not like it here ...
Some crazy English guys came to the hostel, they drink and party and pretty much nothing else. I haven't seen anybody drink as much as they do. We walked around, saw some people sitting outside with live music playing, went there, sat right in the middle of everybody, as it turns out to be later, they're one group of Uruguayan tourists having a party :) ... What?? We want to party too :))
Next day Hans came !! Yeaiii ... the best people Neto and Hans! :)
That day I went to learn some capoera. The teacher was telling me to do the chinga for like 15 minutes (which is just a step from side to side to prepare for the real moves) ... ok ... I'm done with the chinga, teach me something else !! He was slow, so I just started repeating the moves the other group of people did. A turn with a fan kick, or getting away from the kick, or double fan kick. The teacher saw that I can do it, and started teaching me something useful ! What a great work out, 1 hour of non stop up and down, but at the end of an hour all the skin of my big toes on my feet has disappeared, I didn't even feel it :S
At night all of us went to some reggae party ... I really don't like raggae, well I had to try it again, just to make sure :) I wanted to go back to the hostel pretty quick, but it was Hans' last night in town, so I stayed longer. On the way back, we got out, and I didn't want to walk in dark, while we were debating, some guy came out of the club, who is actually the owner, and he gave us ride back. When he stopped at some intersection, a bunch of crazy homeless started running towards the car, I screamed so hard go go go !! meanwhile trying in panic to check if the doors are locked. When we got close to the hostel (the cars are not allowed to go there), there was some kid who joined to walk with us. Thank you, we don't need your help, and he said that with him we are safer... well ... ok.
Next day I could barely walk at all... I was limping and walking like a bear on the sides of my feet to somehow not to touch the toes. Woke up early in the morning to meet mom at the bus stop. When we were walking back to the hostel, Neto came to the stop to help us with the luggage ... the longer I know Neto, the sweeter and sweeter he becomes :)) Mom didn't like Salvador at all, called it a garbage dump, and the hostel OMG where am I?? Yep, I was right about her not liking it. But some time later got used to it :) We walked around the city, saw nothing that special, in the evening went to a folkloric dance show, that was good. The dancers were all black, and 1 white guy who was the only one who didn't know how to dance :) but they had so much energy, and you could see all and every muscle move. To the show came a large group of Russian tourists ... oh no ... not Russians again! None of them smiled of course, all had serious, bumbed out faces. Talked for a bit to some man, who I don't know where he's from. He asked if I know, I said no, he said "lady, did you learn any geography in school?" GRRRRR!!! I should've asked him about all the places I've been to, and if he knows exactly where they are! Seriously !!
Next day we went to another Bonfin church. "No more churches" my mom said ... we have to go, it's a very important church. We went there with Neto and Delia. I'm not sure why the church is famous, but everywhere there are colorful ribbons, they're sold everywhere, tied to everything, everybody has them on their wrists, and the stores are full of bonfin bags, and shirts, and dresses. Oh, yes I do know why it's famous. There were some miracles in there of people getting healed. And right now there is some room with human body parts made out of wax in need of a miracle which are hanging from a ceiling.
After, we walked to some fort and then to a restaurant where we bombarded Neto with 100s of questions of what's this and that and the other. Poor Neto, he got a bit stressed out :)
We were supposed to leave that night, but I didn't finish everything with work, so we had to stay another day, because the next place on the list doesn't have internet. We already checked out of the hostel, and when we came back the only double room was already taken, so my mom actually stayed in a 10 bed dorm ... very heroic !! :)
The next day I was working while mom went to the beach with Delia. At night we took a 6 hour bus to Lencois which is a national park to the west of Salvador. After sleepless night, we went for a hike with a Brazilian girl and Matteus from Austria. The hike was nice. We had to go down some wall to get to the waterfall, and it was a pretty vertical 90 degree 10 meter descent, mom started crying from fear, but got down with guide's assistance just fine :) Then we walked through beautiful pink canyons and rocks, river with natural pools and waterfalls between them, and then a "lake" with a natural 50 meter long slide. That was scary ! It was so funny hearing everybody scream and make funny sounds while going down it :) When I returned super tired to the hostel, I went to bed only to be waken up by Matteus, lets go out for capirinia (local drink of lime and sugar cane kind of vodka). Got back around 1, and woke up next morning for another 10 hour trip. We went to some waterfalls, jumped off cliffs, climbed a mountain where I took jumping pictures where my mom almost got a heart attack :) When mom was getting down there were 3 men offering her their help, all giving her hands for support, she got a bit overwhelmed saying that she feels bad that she doesn't have 3 hands :)) Then we went to some lake, which for me was a waste of time, not only it wasn't pretty, it cost additional R$10 to get in, because it's on a private property. But at least they had the best buffet. Me and Matteus swam so far away that we missed the time for another cool cave which supposed to have deep blue transparent waters. By the time we got there, there was already no sun, and thus no blue. After we drove to a large cave with stalactites and stalagmites. It was cool, all dark, with different shapes of the figures.
After a long day, we got on a night bus back. I think from this moment on, I was sleep deprived for the whole month to come. In the morning, we took a catamaran to Morro de Sao Paulo island. When we arrived, a bunch of shoeless locals with wheelbarrows came in running and yelling taxi taxi. They took our suitcases and brought it to the first economic posada. Mom couldn't believe that that's how you get a hotel. What, do you mean you don't have to book it a month in advance? :)
Morro de Sao Paulo is nice, it's streets are of sand, and because it rained, they turned to streets of mud :) The weather wasn't that great, so we hid in a restaurant and made up for it with amazing seafood lunch :) The water was grey and muddy, but still, it's a very beautiful island with a long beach and jungly surrounding. Went to a lighthouse to enjoy the view, and then to an expensive restaurant just for a juice to watch a sunset, but oh well, it was too cloudy and no sunset :( at least the juice was good :))
Next day we went for a walk, but all I wanted to do is sleep. The tide was so strong that on the way there we walked along the beach, and passed some palm trees, and on the way back the palms became an island, and on the beach you had to swim to get through, of course we didn't, I'm just saying :) When we were going to the catamaran, I decided that I don't want to pay for the luggage, so we walked, and somebody grabbed us, catamaran, catamaran. Great, he carried our luggage, so we saved on the "taxi" :)
Got a catamaran back, I slept all the way :)
In the morning got on a flight to Rio.
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/OlinaSalvadorLencoisMorroDeSaoPaulo#
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Life's a beach .. Jeri and Pipa
In Sao Luis woke up at 4:30am to go to the park Lencois Maranhenses. Drove there for 2.5 hours, and then got on another hour of very uncomfortable truck which goes on the sand to the sand dunes. The dunes were nice, everything is white with blue lakes in the middle of almost every dune. We had a 3 hour trip, where we walked and swam, and since it was my first sun in a long long time, of course I got burnt right away. I've seen this kind of landscape before, in a desert in Colombia and Huacachina in Peru, so it wasn't super exciting for me. And another hour back to the town, where the agency got me a taxi to get back to Sao Luis because I was taking a night bus. I asked the driver if he got paid already, he said no, I thought to myself, crap, now I have to pay for the taxi too. We drove back, got stuck in a huge traffic only because 2 roundabouts, last minute trip again. Got to the terminal barely on time. I couldn't understand the driver at all, and he couldn't understand me, but he helped me with the bags, and to get the bus (I think he thought it was my first day in Brazil :) ), and although we didn't get a word from each other, we couldn't help but hug each other at the end :) I also gave him R$40 for the taxi, and he said that the agency already paid him! In Bolivia that would NEVER happen, they would just take the money!! I had to take the bus right away. Again I didn't eat the whole day :( The bus went to Parnaiba, and got there instead of 6am, at 4am. Everything was closed ... obviously, so I went to sleep on the bench. I felt so comfortable and safe ... generally I feel very safe in Brazil. Slept until 6:30, and got another 2 hour bus to Camocim, and from there a 2 hour 4X4 to the village Jericoacoara. It was so funny, there was the driver who spoke Portuguese, and I couldn't understand a word he was saying, so I asked another Portuguese speaking person to repeat what he said, and understood everything :) Drove in the truck with again very rude French people. It doesn't get any better!!
Jericoacoara, named for simplicity - Jeri, is a very cute village in the middle of nowhere, situated on the longest beach ever. The 2 hour truck we took to get there, just drove along the beach all the time. The streets are of sand, and besides hostels/hotels and restaurants (each with live music), there is not much else. I didn't wear shoes for the whole week that I've been there :)) Met people right away, the super friendly Brazilian girl Tanya in the dorm, took me with her and people she met to the restaurant that night. There was another Brazilian guy Neto, and one guy from Singapore. I was supposed to meet Hans at the sunset dune, but I was late because of some very talkative dude in the hostel (Eugenio), who just couldn't shut up. But while we had dinner, I saw Hans passing by, so I grabbed him, and introduced him to everybody who I was with.
The next day we agreed with Hans to go to some rock with a hole in the middle at 9am. I woke up from somebody shaking me ... hey, there is a guy waiting for you in the lobby. Shit ... the alarm clock didn't ring !! Sorry sorry sorry, I got ready right away, ate breakfast with a super fast speed, but then the hostel had a tour to paradise lake, which was cheaper than to go there with an agency, so we went there instead. There is nice, but not super paradisy :) It has a beach with hummocks in the water, a restaurant, and that's it. The good thing about it, is that I got a massage :))) It wasn't a muscle massage, but just relaxing one ... but who cares, as long as it's not a massus from Cusco, a massage is still a massage, no matter which kind :))
In the evening, we agreed with everyone to go out, and to meet at the bar zone (which are fresh fruit cocktails on the beach) at 10pm. I thought that I need to get some sleep, and slept till the morning :S GGRRRRR, I have to buy a new alarm clock! This one is broken! As it turned out to be later, the alarm clock is not broken, it's just because I didn't sleep for 2 nights, I completely didn't hear it ! That was the first time in my life when I didn't hear the alarm clock, and it was right beside my ear !!
So that's the life in Jeri ... there is nobody on the streets in the morning or afternoon, then people appear all over the sudden to go to the sunset dune, and along the people come all the vendors of popcorns and drinks, some horses make their way there too :)) If the sky is clear, and the sun goes right into the ocean, everybody starts to clap :))) Then some people walk back, or jump/run down the dune into the ocean below :)) Guess which choice did I choose :)) After that there is Capoera performance on the beach. Capoera is a "dance" invented by slaves to practice martial arts, they made it look in a dance form so that the owners won't notice it, but all the moves are based on martial arts. There is a circle around the dancers, some musicians playing and singing some life songs, which could be absolutely anything. They repeat it twice, so that on the 2nd time everybody could sing along. The musicians determine the pace of the dance. The dancers usually "perekrishautsa" before getting in, because although there is no physical contact during the dance, the kicks can come really very close. After capoera, everybody either goes for a short nap, or to restaurants, and the later, the more people come, so 10pm, is the best time to have dinner. After dinner, everybody goes to the bar area on the beach. My favorite drink was kiwi with vodka :)) oh soo good ... and only for $2!! :)) After that there is a bon fire on the beach, and when the fire finishes (which is at 2am), the first night club opens !! I went once to that nightclub, and it sucks !! First of all, the music was bad, then, nobody dances, and nobody asks nobody to dance. You come with your group, and you stay with your group ! That is very strange, it's the first time I saw it ... tourists !! Also there is a bakery which is only opened from 2-6 am ! :)) Anyway ... I'm not going to these parties ever again, it's much better to sleep :))Tanya, and Singaporean guy have left the next day, Hans left in 3 days, and I was left with Neto and Euginio, who is the annoying Brazilian guy. We got along with Neto right away. Went to the rock with a hole in the middle. I don't know why, I started to get excited from absolutely everything! This is so great !! and this and this, look at that donkey, and at that hole !! :)) I was smiling and laughing, like I was on drugs or something :)) The rock was cool, and only in July and August you could see the sunset through the hole. The walk there was beautiful, and we got there just in time to take peopleless pictures, since after 10 minutes, so many people came, there was no order, and impossible to get normal pictures.
Also went surfing. Of course, the fist minute I got in, the wave took me up and down, and I landed on a sharp rock, and cut my foot pretty bad, with 3 deep cuts :(( Anyway... that didn't stop me from enjoying surfing :)) I tried it myself, but I could never catch enough speed to get on the wave, so I was pretty much just lying around :) Then one instructor asked me if I need help, well yeah, of course I do, so he pushed me to the waves, and I got up every time !! Yeeiiii ... 3rd time is the charm :))
In the evening, saw a free outdoor Brothers Bloom movie, which I thought was very interesting.
A week has passed by :(( It's time to leave :((( Everybody discusses their plans where to go, so I said that I'm going to Pipa (another beach), and Eugenio said that he wants to go there too. I went to get a ticket with Neto, and told him not to tell Eugenio when I'm going, but back luck, he got a ticket to the same bus as I did :S GRRR !!
Took an 18 hour bus to Pipa ... couldn't sleep again :(
Wanted to go to a hostel, but while walking on the streets, a buggy stopped with an owner of a posada (which is kind of bed & breakfast) and said that they have a room for a price cheaper than a hostel. Eugenio said that if it's ok to get a double room because it will be cheaper ... fine ! The pousada was the cutest little posada I've ever been too :)) And out of all the 100s of posadas that exist in Pipa, I met 2 Argentinian girls in there with whom I've been in the same room in in Jeri. Well, the town of Jeri is better, but the beaches of Pipa are unbelievable!!!! Not only they are ones of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to, there are dolphins in the water !! The beach is long, about 2 hours one way, sometimes with beautiful rock formations, sometimes with cleanest sand, and it ends with a 40 meter high pink cliff! At the end of the beach that cliff is not that steep, and a whole jungle grows on it! I couldn't stop walking on that beach, it is mesmerizing !!
Got in the water right away, and then a heard splash!! Eugenio is with his mouth open points on something, I turn around, and right beside me there is a big white circle, there was a dolphin who jumped like 2 meters behind me !!!! I can't believe I missed it !!!!! I saw another dolphin jump, but that was much much further away. Dolphin watching is fun! It's like a game, they resurface every 5 seconds, and you no idea where. Sometimes they come in your direction, and I started to panic a bit, after all they're animals, I have no clue what they're gonna do. They hang around there to catch the fish. It would be fun, cause they would torpid to the beach, not paying attention to any people, then splashing all over the place, fish is jumping out of the water, and everything goes back to normal.
While walking on the beach, I encountered a crab, of course I couldn't just pass by :) So I tried to pick it up, and it's not running away, like they usually do, it's just chilling on the beach. It tried to get me with its claws, so I squeaked and dropped it. And then when I tried to pick it up again, it would attack me!!! It would raise it's claws up, and run towards my direction!! That crab has some *&*$!!! :)) ... I won of course :))
In Pipa there was an ice cream heaven :)) So many different flavors of ice cream, and you could scoop them up yourself! A choice of like 6 containers, about 15 toppings, and then you weigh it ... OMG !!!! :)))
Got across the problem with travelling after 3 days in Pipa. sooooo ... dolphins are nice, but I want to swim with whales now :)
Now ... I don't usually do it, but a section about Euginio is obligatory :)
Basically everybody got tired of him the 2nd day. And I've spend full 3 days with him, plus an 18 hour bus ! Thank god I had to work. For these 3 days, I've heard nothing about how hot and sexy he is. How everyone wants him. He has a condo on the beach, and every week he goes there with different girls; he sits in a restaurant, looks down, then sees some shoes, a girl is asking him if she can sit with him, he looks around and all the seats are empty in the restaurant; his mother tells him everyday how beautiful he is; sometimes he can't walk on the beach, he feels like some exotic animal; (he is 40 btw), and how many 16 year old girl friends he has, but he only chats with them, and nothing else, and tells them to call him when they're 18, otherwise they're jail for him now.
Then he was dating some girl ( the only girlfriend he had ) for 2.5 years, and apparently he broke up with her, because she got to close to him. He said that he locked his heart, and threw all the keys to the ocean, and she started finding some of these keys. Some people said that he's selfish, and he said that it's his heart, and his decision if he wants to share it or not. Anyway, they broke up, and a while later he wrote to some other girl of his whom he dated for like 2 months and she's with a normal bf right now, so he wrote her that he wants her back as his wife!! What kind of bull***** is that???
on and on and on I've heard that constantly !
Oh, and on top of that, he told everybody in the posada that I'm his wife, without my knowledge. He said the reason was that they leave me alone, cause I had to work!
He tried to get closer and closer, bought me ice creams, soups while I worked, some "1 year travelling" present. I got to the room, and he's on my bed. "What are you doing on my bed?" -"Oh, it's more comfortable here" ... anyway, I turned off the light, lied on the edge away from him, said goodnight, and fell asleep. He moved to his bed in the middle of the night :)
Next day we went to swim with the dolphins again ... of course !!! They came so close that I stayed in the water longer, I saw him on the beach walking back and forth, figured he was looking for me ... Euginio, dolphins, Eugenio, dolphins, I mean, why am I even debating :) When I got out of the water, he wasn't there anymore. I bumped into him in the town on my way back to the hotel with all his bags on. He said he was leaving. I said ok, and went on. When I got to the hotel, he left a note that he paid for it, and left his facebook contact, I threw it to the garbage!
How do these people get born??
On Aug 25th it was my 1 year travelling anniversary !! :))
What I've learned after 1 year on the road:
Be more patient and understanding
Be more tolerant to difficult situations (being hot/cold/hungry/tired)
Learning to appreciate people/friendships more
Having more trust in people, they'd go out of their way to help you if you're in trouble
Being more assertive
Doing less of what I have to do, and more of what I want to do
Get out of the matrix, and actually live life
Understanding that nothing is impossible
Not being afraid
Learn to be more open
Overcoming shyness
Plan for the future, but don't stress out about it
Knowing that everything turns out to be fine, all the time
Not being scared of the endings, new exciting beginnings are just around the corner
Living up to the phrase "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"
Learning not to be lonely when being alone
Enjoying life's simple things
Finding beauty in anything
And so, with a better attitude, a new spark and a few more scars the journey continues ...
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/JeriAndPipa#
Jericoacoara, named for simplicity - Jeri, is a very cute village in the middle of nowhere, situated on the longest beach ever. The 2 hour truck we took to get there, just drove along the beach all the time. The streets are of sand, and besides hostels/hotels and restaurants (each with live music), there is not much else. I didn't wear shoes for the whole week that I've been there :)) Met people right away, the super friendly Brazilian girl Tanya in the dorm, took me with her and people she met to the restaurant that night. There was another Brazilian guy Neto, and one guy from Singapore. I was supposed to meet Hans at the sunset dune, but I was late because of some very talkative dude in the hostel (Eugenio), who just couldn't shut up. But while we had dinner, I saw Hans passing by, so I grabbed him, and introduced him to everybody who I was with.
The next day we agreed with Hans to go to some rock with a hole in the middle at 9am. I woke up from somebody shaking me ... hey, there is a guy waiting for you in the lobby. Shit ... the alarm clock didn't ring !! Sorry sorry sorry, I got ready right away, ate breakfast with a super fast speed, but then the hostel had a tour to paradise lake, which was cheaper than to go there with an agency, so we went there instead. There is nice, but not super paradisy :) It has a beach with hummocks in the water, a restaurant, and that's it. The good thing about it, is that I got a massage :))) It wasn't a muscle massage, but just relaxing one ... but who cares, as long as it's not a massus from Cusco, a massage is still a massage, no matter which kind :))
In the evening, we agreed with everyone to go out, and to meet at the bar zone (which are fresh fruit cocktails on the beach) at 10pm. I thought that I need to get some sleep, and slept till the morning :S GGRRRRR, I have to buy a new alarm clock! This one is broken! As it turned out to be later, the alarm clock is not broken, it's just because I didn't sleep for 2 nights, I completely didn't hear it ! That was the first time in my life when I didn't hear the alarm clock, and it was right beside my ear !!
So that's the life in Jeri ... there is nobody on the streets in the morning or afternoon, then people appear all over the sudden to go to the sunset dune, and along the people come all the vendors of popcorns and drinks, some horses make their way there too :)) If the sky is clear, and the sun goes right into the ocean, everybody starts to clap :))) Then some people walk back, or jump/run down the dune into the ocean below :)) Guess which choice did I choose :)) After that there is Capoera performance on the beach. Capoera is a "dance" invented by slaves to practice martial arts, they made it look in a dance form so that the owners won't notice it, but all the moves are based on martial arts. There is a circle around the dancers, some musicians playing and singing some life songs, which could be absolutely anything. They repeat it twice, so that on the 2nd time everybody could sing along. The musicians determine the pace of the dance. The dancers usually "perekrishautsa" before getting in, because although there is no physical contact during the dance, the kicks can come really very close. After capoera, everybody either goes for a short nap, or to restaurants, and the later, the more people come, so 10pm, is the best time to have dinner. After dinner, everybody goes to the bar area on the beach. My favorite drink was kiwi with vodka :)) oh soo good ... and only for $2!! :)) After that there is a bon fire on the beach, and when the fire finishes (which is at 2am), the first night club opens !! I went once to that nightclub, and it sucks !! First of all, the music was bad, then, nobody dances, and nobody asks nobody to dance. You come with your group, and you stay with your group ! That is very strange, it's the first time I saw it ... tourists !! Also there is a bakery which is only opened from 2-6 am ! :)) Anyway ... I'm not going to these parties ever again, it's much better to sleep :))Tanya, and Singaporean guy have left the next day, Hans left in 3 days, and I was left with Neto and Euginio, who is the annoying Brazilian guy. We got along with Neto right away. Went to the rock with a hole in the middle. I don't know why, I started to get excited from absolutely everything! This is so great !! and this and this, look at that donkey, and at that hole !! :)) I was smiling and laughing, like I was on drugs or something :)) The rock was cool, and only in July and August you could see the sunset through the hole. The walk there was beautiful, and we got there just in time to take peopleless pictures, since after 10 minutes, so many people came, there was no order, and impossible to get normal pictures.
Also went surfing. Of course, the fist minute I got in, the wave took me up and down, and I landed on a sharp rock, and cut my foot pretty bad, with 3 deep cuts :(( Anyway... that didn't stop me from enjoying surfing :)) I tried it myself, but I could never catch enough speed to get on the wave, so I was pretty much just lying around :) Then one instructor asked me if I need help, well yeah, of course I do, so he pushed me to the waves, and I got up every time !! Yeeiiii ... 3rd time is the charm :))
In the evening, saw a free outdoor Brothers Bloom movie, which I thought was very interesting.
A week has passed by :(( It's time to leave :((( Everybody discusses their plans where to go, so I said that I'm going to Pipa (another beach), and Eugenio said that he wants to go there too. I went to get a ticket with Neto, and told him not to tell Eugenio when I'm going, but back luck, he got a ticket to the same bus as I did :S GRRR !!
Took an 18 hour bus to Pipa ... couldn't sleep again :(
Wanted to go to a hostel, but while walking on the streets, a buggy stopped with an owner of a posada (which is kind of bed & breakfast) and said that they have a room for a price cheaper than a hostel. Eugenio said that if it's ok to get a double room because it will be cheaper ... fine ! The pousada was the cutest little posada I've ever been too :)) And out of all the 100s of posadas that exist in Pipa, I met 2 Argentinian girls in there with whom I've been in the same room in in Jeri. Well, the town of Jeri is better, but the beaches of Pipa are unbelievable!!!! Not only they are ones of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to, there are dolphins in the water !! The beach is long, about 2 hours one way, sometimes with beautiful rock formations, sometimes with cleanest sand, and it ends with a 40 meter high pink cliff! At the end of the beach that cliff is not that steep, and a whole jungle grows on it! I couldn't stop walking on that beach, it is mesmerizing !!
Got in the water right away, and then a heard splash!! Eugenio is with his mouth open points on something, I turn around, and right beside me there is a big white circle, there was a dolphin who jumped like 2 meters behind me !!!! I can't believe I missed it !!!!! I saw another dolphin jump, but that was much much further away. Dolphin watching is fun! It's like a game, they resurface every 5 seconds, and you no idea where. Sometimes they come in your direction, and I started to panic a bit, after all they're animals, I have no clue what they're gonna do. They hang around there to catch the fish. It would be fun, cause they would torpid to the beach, not paying attention to any people, then splashing all over the place, fish is jumping out of the water, and everything goes back to normal.
While walking on the beach, I encountered a crab, of course I couldn't just pass by :) So I tried to pick it up, and it's not running away, like they usually do, it's just chilling on the beach. It tried to get me with its claws, so I squeaked and dropped it. And then when I tried to pick it up again, it would attack me!!! It would raise it's claws up, and run towards my direction!! That crab has some *&*$!!! :)) ... I won of course :))
In Pipa there was an ice cream heaven :)) So many different flavors of ice cream, and you could scoop them up yourself! A choice of like 6 containers, about 15 toppings, and then you weigh it ... OMG !!!! :)))
Got across the problem with travelling after 3 days in Pipa. sooooo ... dolphins are nice, but I want to swim with whales now :)
Now ... I don't usually do it, but a section about Euginio is obligatory :)
Basically everybody got tired of him the 2nd day. And I've spend full 3 days with him, plus an 18 hour bus ! Thank god I had to work. For these 3 days, I've heard nothing about how hot and sexy he is. How everyone wants him. He has a condo on the beach, and every week he goes there with different girls; he sits in a restaurant, looks down, then sees some shoes, a girl is asking him if she can sit with him, he looks around and all the seats are empty in the restaurant; his mother tells him everyday how beautiful he is; sometimes he can't walk on the beach, he feels like some exotic animal; (he is 40 btw), and how many 16 year old girl friends he has, but he only chats with them, and nothing else, and tells them to call him when they're 18, otherwise they're jail for him now.
Then he was dating some girl ( the only girlfriend he had ) for 2.5 years, and apparently he broke up with her, because she got to close to him. He said that he locked his heart, and threw all the keys to the ocean, and she started finding some of these keys. Some people said that he's selfish, and he said that it's his heart, and his decision if he wants to share it or not. Anyway, they broke up, and a while later he wrote to some other girl of his whom he dated for like 2 months and she's with a normal bf right now, so he wrote her that he wants her back as his wife!! What kind of bull***** is that???
on and on and on I've heard that constantly !
Oh, and on top of that, he told everybody in the posada that I'm his wife, without my knowledge. He said the reason was that they leave me alone, cause I had to work!
He tried to get closer and closer, bought me ice creams, soups while I worked, some "1 year travelling" present. I got to the room, and he's on my bed. "What are you doing on my bed?" -"Oh, it's more comfortable here" ... anyway, I turned off the light, lied on the edge away from him, said goodnight, and fell asleep. He moved to his bed in the middle of the night :)
Next day we went to swim with the dolphins again ... of course !!! They came so close that I stayed in the water longer, I saw him on the beach walking back and forth, figured he was looking for me ... Euginio, dolphins, Eugenio, dolphins, I mean, why am I even debating :) When I got out of the water, he wasn't there anymore. I bumped into him in the town on my way back to the hotel with all his bags on. He said he was leaving. I said ok, and went on. When I got to the hotel, he left a note that he paid for it, and left his facebook contact, I threw it to the garbage!
How do these people get born??
On Aug 25th it was my 1 year travelling anniversary !! :))
What I've learned after 1 year on the road:
Be more patient and understanding
Be more tolerant to difficult situations (being hot/cold/hungry/tired)
Learning to appreciate people/friendships more
Having more trust in people, they'd go out of their way to help you if you're in trouble
Being more assertive
Doing less of what I have to do, and more of what I want to do
Get out of the matrix, and actually live life
Understanding that nothing is impossible
Not being afraid
Learn to be more open
Overcoming shyness
Plan for the future, but don't stress out about it
Knowing that everything turns out to be fine, all the time
Not being scared of the endings, new exciting beginnings are just around the corner
Living up to the phrase "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"
Learning not to be lonely when being alone
Enjoying life's simple things
Finding beauty in anything
And so, with a better attitude, a new spark and a few more scars the journey continues ...
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/JeriAndPipa#
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