The Vagrant Gypsy Life

My photos dont quite do justice to the beauty and the majesty of Pantanal or the wildlife! I also managed to forget my camera on a couple of occasions.

Pantanal

Day 24 – 26 Wed – Fri 22/9 – 24/9, Pantanal

Pantanal is a wetland and is a great place to see wildlife! It is dry season and was extremely dusty the first two days in Pantanal. It was amazing how beautiful it looked after a night of rain (Thu night).

After breakfast, it was off to Pantanal in a van from the hostel. 4 of us, yours truly, a Frenchman and an Aussie couple in their late 50s/early 60s, who are travelling South and Central America, as well as the USA and Canada for a year or more. They told me about their trip to Kerala in 2006 (?) and their first long trip in 1972 when they travelled through South East Asia (Afghanisan, North India, Pakistan…) to Europe. They spent 2.5 years in Asia and Europe, most of the time in a van driving around Europe. It is great to meet people like this, as it lets me know that I am not alone in my madness!

After 5.5 hours, we get to Pantanal, and are picked up in an open truck by a sweet old man (60s? early 70s) whose only English is “Some moment, please”. Valentin luckily speaks a bit of Portuguese. We end up at the camp at 16:30 (an hour from the entrance to the Pantanal). Nothing much to do that night except walk around camp a little bit, rest and sleep. Choice of hammocks or tents to sleep in – I decide on the hammock. Hammocks are hung up in an open shed-like room with mosquite net covering. I am delighted to see a mango tree next to the sleeping quarter! I grab a couple of green (unripe) ones for the road.

Dinner (rice and beans, of course), chat with the folks and off to bed. An early start to Thursday. Bfast at 6 and then we head out trekking with our guide. Cayman here, cayman there, cayman everywhere. Our guide, Ronaldo, explains that we’d go looking for an anaconda after having our feast of caymen-watching. We walk around for 2.5 hours, seeing capiveras (water pigs), red and blue macaus (Arrara azul/vermelha), Tucans, herons, howler monkeys, deer, and a wide variety of birds. Lunch, a couple of hours of rest on the hammoc and it is out for a couple of hours on the boat. The group that were on the tour the day ahead of us had seen a jaguar and we were keeping fingers crossed. No luck, but it was a nice day out on the water . The Pantanal looked absolutely fabulous from the water. More animals and birds. We even fish for piranhas for an hour or so. I had never been fishing ever before, and land a piranha in about 10 seconds! Talk about beginner’s luck. The teeth on the piranhas!

It was pouring by the time we got back to the camp. t is a relief from the dry heat and the dust. However, it meant that we could see no animals or birds from the truck on the way back.

The third day was cooler and the Pantanal seemed greener and more beautiful. The lack of dust probably made it seem so.

The morning was spent on the van, on the lookout for more animals. It was a lovely morning and I see a lot of pretty small birs I had never encountered before. Sadly, I had forgotten my camera back in the camp. My photos dont do justice to what I saw, anyway. Maybe my eyes were more in tune with nature after a day in Pantanal. Spoke to the members of the next tour group. Met a Brazilian who had been on the road for 18 months, after quiting his job in Chicago and was headed home to Recife! Lunch, a bit of football, lazy time in my hammock and time to head back!

The bus stop is by the road, and there is no sign anywhere. I am however joined by 2 other Brasilians who are on their way to Miranda, an hour from Pantanal on the way to Campo Grande. After a 1.5 hour wait, the bus arrives and to my relief, stops! 5.5 hours to Campo Grande!

Day 27 Sat 25/9 Bus to Brasilia

I leave at 11:00 on a 22 hour long ride – gulp! I am glad I have Lord of the rings to keep me company!

It proved a long ride indeed! The bus wasnt the most comfortable either. They turn the temperature down as if there is no tomorrow. Got to Brasilia at 10:30 am Sunday.

Sao Paulo

Angra and Trindade

I had been to Sao Paulo in 2005 and didnt like it much! Now, after nearly 3 days here, it is starting to grow on me. Sao Paulo has 20 million residents and is the New York of South America. The economic centre, where the folks work incessantly and where the rich take to helicopters as their form of commute. Luis at the hostel informs me that there is a shopping mall with a parking lot meant for helicopters.

Day 20 Sat 18/9, Sao Paulo

Woke up at 6:00, had breakfast and went out wandering the neighbourhood. I walked around a cemetery located a block from the hostel, looking at the tombs and the sculptures, a lot of them interesting. Off then to a street fair in Benito Calixto square. I found some music CDs I liked; if it were nearer the end of my trip, I would have bought a few.

Back to the hostel to rest. As I walked in the door, I get a call from my travelling friends in Sao Paulo. Off to meet them in metro stop Sao Bento. It had 3 different exits and we missed each other. I decided to go to the Mercado Municipal, a giant market (oldest in Sao Paulo, maybe Brasil?). I get directions from some friendly college students, and head to the nearest juice stall. Who should I run into, but the girls I missed in the metro stop. We spend a nice afternoon sampling some wares, helped by Paula’s expertise. It is good to have a local show you around! We then head to Praca da Luz, Estacio de Luz. It is now dark and Paula decides it is too dangerous to be in Centro when it is dark. Time to head home. The girls decide to meet later to go out, while I, being the old man that I am, decide to stay in the hostel and get some sleep!

Day 21 Sun 19/9, Sao Paulo

I walk all the way down Avenida Paulista. It is full of shops, banks, skyscrapers on either side of the avenue. It is full of people even on a Sunday morning! I make my way to metro Paraiso and head to Tiete, the rodoviaria (bus station where I got in from Parati). After walking around looking for a bus company that sells tickets to Campo Grande, I was informed that I was at the wrong place. Apparently they have 3-4 bus stations in Sao Paulo. Off to Barra Funda, where I book a ticket to Campo Grande for Monday night – a 12 hour ride. Thankfully, most of it will be night and I’ll be asleep.

Then head off to Liberdade, where I stroll around the Japanese street fair in the Japanese neighbourhood. Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside Japan; a lot of Japanese folks immigrated to SP during WW2.

I had forgotten my camera (again!) and off to the hostel to pick it up and rest a bit. Off then to Ibirapuera along Avenida Brasil. It is lined with some nice buildings and houses. I pass some rich neighbourhoods. It is a good hour to Parque Ibirapuera, which is the equivalent of Central Park. I walked around the park for a while, watching adults & children walk, run, play football, basketball etc. There is even a section where you can hang up your hammock and rest!

I love parks; everytime I am in a park, I am moved in various ways. All the parks I have been to in the many different cities all blend, bring to mind various images! Sometimes I am happy to enjoy the life-force, the fun that people have. Sometimes it brings to mind mortality, for some reason and I feel nostalgic for some long lost world, which probably never even existed 🙂

Off to Avenida Paulista again on the way to the hostel. Stop by Galeria dos Paes, where there are many food items to entice me. I get a cookie and a croissant, drawing another smile from the lady with my broken Portuguese. I have another such moment with the lady at the check-out. I tell myself that it is my irrestible charm that draws the smiles from these pretty Brasilian women. So soothing my ego, I head to the hostel for a chat with Luis and James, a shower, some time with the computer and a nice night of sleep! Another nice day in Brasil comes to an end.

Day 22 Mon 20/9, Sao Paulo

Start my day, after breakfast, with a stroll in the cemetery. Then head back to the hostel to check out. Store my luggage in the hostel and head out.

Walk around a bit more, stopping at Parque Trianno (sp?) (near MASP), and continue all the way to Vergueiro. Met Amanda (she was part of my tour group in Rio) and had a nice lunch with her. A self serving pay-by-weight place, it had some really good food! This time, we had no trouble meeting at the metro stop – Sao Joaquim is much smaller!

A 2 hour aimless stroll to do some shopping, get some dinheiro and walk around the neighbourhood, taking unknown streets to Paulista.

Back to the hostel at 17:30 and then it is time to pack and walk uphill the 9 blocks to the metro. Luis was worried if I would make it. I had taken the metro and it shoud take only 30 mins at the most. I understood his concerns only when I saw the crowds on the street and on the metro. Wow! It puts Mexico City and NYC to shame, the crowds. Battered and bruised, I make it to the bus station at 19:00. Of course, the bus is late by 30 minutes. It is a long trek from Rio. Board the bus at 20:30 and off to Campo Grande!

14 hour bus ride. I was scared since I have a small bladder and need frequent breaks. It was muc better than I feared. A toilet in the bus that I didnt use, since they made 5-6 stops! I arrive in Campo Grande a bit tired. Luckily the guy from the hosel is there to pick me up!

Day 23 Tue 21/9, Camp Grande, Mato Grosso de Sul

It was unbearably hot and I was tired. I took a walk for about 20 minutes and was exhausted by the end of it! Outside of the indigenous museum, there isnt a whole lot to do in the city, so I took it as a day of rest. A rest from rest, so to speak. It is hard work being unemployed. I booked my ticket to Brasilia, surfed the web, wrote some emails and read my book.

Day 18 Thu 16/9, Trindade

Another rainy day drove me to Paraty with Jana and Coco, two other members of the Hostel Holandes touring party. We walked booked tickets on the bus to Sao Paulo and then walked around centro. Paraty is a small town and it has some pretty buildings. Most of the buildings were white with colourful windows and doors. Some of the buildings had balconies with flowers arranged; more Spanish than Brasilian!

Back to the hostel at 16:00 and an hour or so of ping pong & pool with Eli. A break for a shower and dinner and then onto chess at night with Eli and Elena. We wrapped up the night with a couple of anti-chess games. Trindade is the perfect spot to unwind!

Day 19 Fri 17/9, Trindade/ Sao Paulo

Woke up at 05:30! On the bus to Parati at 08:00. Sat around the Paraty bus stop for 40 minutes. Came across a couple of drunk, unsavoury characters. Wished they had tourist poilce at bus terminals!
The bus to Sao Paulo departed at 09:45 and after two stops for refreshments, 15:00 found us in Sao Paulo. Tiete is huge with a metro station as well. I say my final goodbyes to the girls as we all go our various routes – Iguacu, Florianapolis and Sao Paulo.

The hostel is 9 blocks from the Clinicas metro station and I am sweating by the time I get there. Check email, shower, take my laundry in and head out for a walk. Call it a day fairly early!

Day 15 Mon 13/9, Ilha Grande/ Trindade

Breakfast and goodbyes again. Aboard the ferry to Angra dos Reis at 10:00 sharp. 1.5 hr boat ride leaves a bunch of us tourists in Angra with a lot of locals. Most of the tourists head to the bus stop to catch a bus to Parati. Luckily, it is but a 30 min wait before the bus arrives.

I was lucky in that the bus to Trindade was at the station in Paraty when the bus got in at 14:00. Trindade is a small village with a hippie feel to it and plenty of beaches.

Check in at the hostel was supervised by a Brasilian from Santa Catarina who spoke English with a German accent. I thought she was German given she was tall and blonde till she told me otherwise. Elena was working on her thesis on marine biology while working at the hostel. There are a lot of Brasilians of Germanic origin in the south.

I head to the beach for an hour and run into the Irish lasses on the way to the beach to their surprise. Got back to the hostel to find Jordi and Buck waiting for me. We head off to the next pousada for about 1.5 hours of ping pong, joined by a couple of our Brasilian hosts. It was a lot of fun! I was amazed that nobody at the pousada complained that we played there even though we werent guests.

Dinner with the Dutch trio at a pizza place. Back to the hostel for a few games of cards with the girls.

Day 16 Tue 14/9, Trindade

A 30 minute hike up to a natural pool – all 6 of us, the Hostel Holandes group. A bit of adventure to get the blood flowing early in the morning. Jordi and Buck had gotten ahead of us. A police car went past us and then stopped. Two policemen got out and called out to the Ducth guys. Looking for “drogas, cocaine”. Jordi, Buck and I have our bags searched. Buck didnt have a bag and they searched his pockets. Poor Jordi and Buck: they had a similiar experience with police on a hike in Ilha Grande. The police werent very friendly and a bit rude. I am used to polite police in Seattle. They didnt even bother searching the Irish gals and sent us off telling us to be careful in the beach with our money! I guess I have to stop looking oh-so-very-dangerous!

Had a lovely time swimming in the pool and sunning on the boulders to rest. Off to the beach to dry and get a suco.

Lunch was a snack. I head off to the hostel since I feel a cold coming on, while the rest of the crew head to the beach, Jordi and Buck with surf boards. Watched a little bit of Indiana Jones movie in which they feature Indians eating snakes and brains of monkeys. Fall asleep and dont wake up till about 17:00 when it is time to play ping pong. 7 of us around the table. Great fun. Dinner with the folks finds us back at the pizza place where the Dutch duo continue to regale us with their (sometime tall) tales. Round off a good day with a game of cards with the girls.

Day 17 Wed 15/9, Trindade

Say goodbye to Jordi and Buck as they head off to Sao Paulo and Iguacu falls. I enjoyed meeting them and hope to run into them in Amsterdam.

Next up is an adventure hike with Elena as our guide to the waterfalls. We hike up not up the usual path, but take the adventurous route, climbing over rocks. Elena leaps from one rock to another like a gazelle. She is very good at getting everyone over the tough spots. She even pauses to point out some interesting birds, an insect and a pregnant beetle.

It had to be the coolest thing I have done in ages. Climbing up over rocks, going down a natural slide – side of a rock where there is a trickle of water, walking into the waterfalls into a cave, jumping into water from a rock! I probably did not do my cold much good, but it was a fabulous morning of adventure; well as close to adventure as it gets for your average, midldle-aged, book-wormish software developer!

The afternoon found all of us bundled in bean bags in front of the TV. It rained all afternoon, and there isnt a whole lot to do in Trindade when it rains! I managed to fall asleep and was told that they moved the bean bag I was on without me realising it at all!

Dinner was pancakes cooked by Mauricio. The food was so good that one contemplated proposing marriage 🙂

Photos:
Ilha Grande

Day 13 Sat 11/9, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

A warm sunny day. Perfect for a day out on a boat. I decided, with a group of flks frm the hostel to go snorkelling – my first attempt.

The boat was very comfortable and had about 70 – 80 passengers, with two levels. The guide was bilingual and a young guy in his early twenties. After a 2 min talk in Portuguese and a 30 second English translation, we were on our seafaring voyage. Great weather and sunshine. First stop Lagoa Azul for an hour of swimming and snorkelling. I put on the equipment and got in the water. Brrrr, the water felt about 15 deg C. I swam for a bit and came back to the warm sunshine on the boat. I made another attempt and then called it a day! I didnt see much sinc the water was a bit murky anyway.

We were served fruit and then it was off to Praia Santana for 50 minutes. A dirty beach, but a lovely little church.

Third and last stop was for lunch. Shared a meal with two other folks.

Our guide popped open his first beer (a can of Skol) after his introductory speech. He continued to imbibe at regular intervals and was quite blotto by the time we got back. His attempts at talking after the last stop for lunch were quite funny. He was giggly and started confusing his left and right. His English translations steadily became shorter, inaccurate and quite funny.

Back at the hostel, a shower to wash off the salt and headed to the hammck to try and read for a bit. Ended up talking to others. Dinner at the hostel and then it was off to the beach for a night of suco and some live Samba music.

While my attempt at snorkelling was short-lived and a failure, I had a very enjoyable day.

Day 14 Sun 12/9, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

Another assorted and scrumptuous spread for breakfast – fruit, fruit juice, milke, coffee, cereals, granola, oats, two cakes, biscuits, peanuts covered in chocolate and ham and cheese sandwiches.

Most of the folks I spent time with the past 3 days were off after breakfast. Jordi, Beck, Aoife, Karen and Claire were off to Paraty and then Trinidade. I am sure I will see them in Trinidade before we say our final goodbyes.

Off on a 5 hour hike to Saca de Ceu. It was an easy hike along the jungle, passing 3 pretty beaches, a mangrove marsh, restaurants and backyards of houses.

Back at the hostel, I got a surprise as I walked into my room after a refreshing shower. Two co-travellers from Rio were to be my roommates. After searching the village to find a locker for the girls, we walked around for a bit and then had dinner on the beach. The chairs and tables were set on a sand. We had peixa com banana (fish with banana) and bolhos de bacalahu. Delicious!

Wrapped up the evening with a suco on the beach at the same place I have been frquenting! Run into more hostel mates.

Day 12 Fri 10/9, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

Today I was an honourary Irishman. Went hiking out to the Praia Lopes Mendes with 3 Irish girls. Ran into more Irish folks (from Rio) before the start of the hike.

It was a tougher hike than the one to Dois Rios, but a more enjoyable one. We passed through 2 beaches before reaching the beach that people claim is the best beach in Brasil. I imagine they mean the world when they say that! It was lovely, but I dont know if it qualifies for the best beach in Brasil. The beach at Lopes Mendes is bigger than Praia Lopes Mendes, but scenery wise, it didnt have too much of an upper hand over Dois Rios.

I finally got to play football on the beach! 2 Dutch guys from the hostel, a Brasilian and I played 2-on-2. India doesnt have a good football team while the Dutch were WC finalists this year. It did show on the field as the Brasilian surely was the best player and I the worst! The first game, I was teamed with the Brasilian (Sao Paulo native) and we won. The second game was a tie.

Enough time for an apple, a unintended dip in the water and it was time to head back to the village, to get back before it turned dark. The hike back was fun, challenging at times. The last 10 minutes of going downhill to the village was the toughest bit of hiking I have done here!

Dinner at the hostel again; the ubiquitous beans and rice makes its presence again. Potato/carrot salad makes it a bit exotic! I am on track on my blog entries and it is time to head to bed a happy man after a fabulous day in Ilha Grande.

Day 11 Thu 9/9, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

“When from our better selves we have too long
been parted by the hurrying world, and droop,
sick of its business, of its pleasures tired,
how gracious, how benign is solitude”

I’ve probably got it all wrong and can’t remember who wrote that. I had a day all to myself today. Woke up early to more tropical rain. Headed out on a 2 hour (each way) hike to Praia Dois Rios. It was still raining when I headed out at 10:00. It was a much easier hike than yesterday and the views, while beautiful, were not quite as stunning. It reminded of my visits to my aunt’s village in Kerala. It probably had to do with the fact that I was walking along a road that connects the two villages, Villa Abraao and Dois Rios. Yesterday was a much more conventional hike with the jungle right in your face. Here the views were what you’d see as a passenger in a vehicle.

A vehicle did pass me. I was wrong when I wrote that there are no vehicles in the village. There is a military police pst here. They have vehicles; there are ambulanes and I imagine vehicles that carry supplies. There are no passenger vehicles.

I had a couple of hours all to myself on the trail and it was quite a welcome change. I like big cities & I do like seeing people around. I enjoyed hiking with others yesterday, but it was lovely to be on my own. There was just a couple at the beach when I got there. In the time I spent at the beach, 8 more people showed up. On the way back, I passed about 7 people, but still had a lot of time to myself.

I like beaches, but I am not a beach person. I like the sand, the water, the views across the water, the sound of the waves, and the women in bikinis. However, after a while I get restless and cant sit still at a beach. I have to get up and walk around. The beach was pretty, but my legs were egging me to walk after about an hour. Figured I’d update the blog while there is no queue at the computer. We have one computer with dial up for all the folks here. Dont plan to do much but lay down in my hammock, read, eat dinner and chat with travellers who are dime-a-dozen here!

There was a funny incident on the trail on my way back. I surprised a lady who was squatting down for a pee along the trail. I didnt see her till she screamed! I did the gentlemanly thing; turned and gave her a minute before heading back. Her husband, carrying a baby told me “Nao conosco” .. “I dont know her” as we exchanged our “boa tarde”s while she blushed and refused to look in my direction or return my greeting.

After dinner, I planned to go to my room and sleep like the old geezer that I am. However, my plans were scuppered and I ended up in a bar on the beach, under the stars, next to the waves and boats, drinking a suco de laranja naturais (natural orange juice). I dont like beer and didnt want to drink any alcohol since it slows me down. Last thing I need before a long hike! I havent had a glass of red wine since I left Seattle. I am saving up for Argentina and Chile.

Day 9 Tuesday Sept 7, Rio/ Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

Another (free) breakfast at the hostel with fruits, fruit juices, bread and cake. It seems like a Brasilian thing, cake for breakfast! I have been trying out all the fruits available to me, mostly in the form of fruit juices. Acai, with granola, has been my favourite so far. It is thick and heavy, but delicious, made of a purple berry from the Amazon.

10:30 and it is time to wait for the van to take 5 of us to Ilha Grande, an isand about 140 odd kms from Rio. It is where the Brasilians go on their holidays.

The van driver shows up at 11:00, bundles all of us in and zooms off. I managed to nod off; with his crazy driving, I wasnt quite sure if we would survive the ride – I quite fancy the idea of dying in my sleep! Woke up in time to see some beautiful scenery unfold around me – green mountains around a big lake. A ferry ride drops us off in Villa Abraao.

After checking in at the hostel (in a jungle setting), I wandered around the village and went on a 3 km hike. Praia Preta, fisherman’s cove, an aqueduct and a waterfall. I quite understand why Brasilians come here for their holidays. The weather is bad, with overcast conditions, but I can surely see how it would be heaven in sunny weather. A jungle island with lots of hiking and pretty beaches and no cars or motor vehicles in town.

Head back in the rain to the hostel and indulge in a dinner of rice, beans and salads. Sit around the table and chat with some folks. I am happy and content.

Day 10 Wed Sept 8, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)

9 hours of sleep to make up for the previous night. Breakfast was a lovely spread. The ubiquitious Brasilain ham sandwich is again on offer (no thanks!) as are fruits, juices, granola, cereal, chocolate cake, bisuits, peanuts in chocolate, salty crackers, coffee, bread. Having resisted the lure of cake at breakfast a week, I finally cave in. I’ve never been able to say no to chocolate cake!

A couple from the UK wondered if they could join me on my planned hike. We are crazy enough to head out on a hike in tropical rain. It isnt the Seattle variety. It had been pouring down all night and hadnt relented even by the time we headed out (our group had grown to 4 when another girl joined our group)at 10:00.

It was a lovely hike, in the rain forest, along beaches, stopping at a waterfall or two – throw in the odd bamboo trees. I had never before in my life hiked in flip flops, holding an umbrella! The path was challenging at times. Going uphill is easy, but walking down was tough in spots, the rain making the trails slippery. There were some parts where I managed to gather enough mud for a hut or two. Washed my feet in cold water in a running stream as I rejoiced in nature’s offerings.

Saw a monkey, which resembled more a koala, heard the birds call out to each other, were followed by 3 dogs for a while. Beautiful scenery to drink in made it worthwhile to brave a hike in this rain!

2 hours found us in a deserted beach, where we had some fruits to energise us and headed back home. 4 hours of hiking is plenty in th rain. Of course, the rain did subside by the time we got back to the village to a late lunch of fish, rice and beans.

The village is small and the hustle and bustle of Rio seems s far away and ages ago! Time does seem to stop here.

The Hostel Holandes is in a very nice setting, away from the beach into the jungle. Hammocks a plenty. I am in a 6 man dorm. It is clean and the staff are friendly, though communication has been interesting!

Chat around the table with more travellers. I have lost track of names and nationalities. I have been takn for a Brasilian so many times that my ego has grown the size of a football field! Off to bed at 10:00 for 8 hours of sleep, while it continues to pour down buckets! The forecasts predict Thursday to be a tad bit better and Friday to be sunny. I might extend my stay another night or two. I want a glimpse of paradise in sunny weather.