Catching up

Sorry its been a while since our last posting. As Marie mentioned, we met up with her parents and brother, and visited Brazillian flood plains where there was no internet access (or TV).


Iguazu Falls:
- Coincidence? The world's 3 major waterfalls lie on sovereign borders (Niagara Falls - USA/Canada, Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe/Zambia, Iguazu Falls - Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay)

- Its pretty impressive; the best part was taking a boat ride up to and under the falls (and not surprisingly, get soaked). We wish someone would have told us to bring a towel!!!

- If you have only 2 hours, visit the Brazil side (great panoramic views). If you have a full day, visit the Argentina side (get closer, more activities, etc). The ideal is to allot 1.5 days and visit both. No views from the Paraguay side.

Rio:
- Safety: Many of the locals claim "Rio is like any other big city; you just need to know where not to go." We disagree -- its a lot more dangerous (you don't see residents walking around with pistols and sub-machine guns in other big cities). Apparently drug lords have a lot of power in Rio, and government corruption is rampant. Unfortunately, they severely limit the areas of the city you can visit.

- Fashion: Whether you look like Elizabeth Hurley/Brad Pitt or Mimi from the Drew Carey Show / Dom Deluise, the mantra appears to be "show the world what you're made of". Women wear (not a lot of) tight-fitting lycra, and on the beach, guys wear Speed-o's and nothing else.

- The locals worship the sun: Our first day in Rio was cloudy/rainy -- and the town really seemed quite depressing (no one outside, gray buildings, unsafe, etc.) But the next day, the sun was out and the city was transformed -- everyone was riding bicycles, rollerblading, walking, drinking capirinhas, etc. And on the beach, many people were swimming, working out, playing volleyball (both the regular version and a soccer-like hands-free version), etc.

- Recycling: You can't go 100 yards in Rio without coming across a set of waste disposal bins. Each set has a bin for organic waste, plastics, glass, etc. Its really a nice system that simultaneously reduces litter and encourages recycling.


Ilha Grande and Paraty:
- Marie disagrees, but to me, Ilha Grande appeared very similar to a Caribbean island in that its quiet, has decent beaches, and a few unremarkable shops and restaurants. While its certainly nice, if you already live close to or have access to decent beaches, its probably not worth a special trip (whereas Pulau Perentian in Malaysia is).
- On the other hand, Paraty is a very unique, historical town. While not a UNESCO site, it is protected from over-development by Brazillian law, and has a unique 16th century Brazillian/Portugese charm. The buildings are all one or two story and constructed of colorful plaster; only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed on the cobblestone streets; lots of art galleries, good restaurants, bars, music, and harbors with yachts that wouldn't be out of place in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Pantanal:
- We met up with Marie's parents and brother, and spent 4 days in Pantanal, a huge flood plain fed from the rains in Southern Bolivia and Paraguay. If you like sustainable travel (nature, bird watching and fishing, staff/guides are locals), this is the place for you. We went kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, and pontoon boating, during which we saw hundreds of birds, alligators, (capibar), cows, and horses. Also, to to Philippe's delight, in 4 hours of fishing, we caught roughly 100 piranhas and catfish.

Other stuff about Brazil:
- Brazillians love the soccer (football). Every restaurant, from the nicest to the dumpiest, has at least one television showing a football match.
- We thought Chile had a wide disparity between the wealthy and poor -- but Brazil takes it to another level. There are many Brazillian businesses that are doing very well (Banco Satander, Embraer, etc). In fact, according to Goldman Sachs, Brazil’s economy (in terms of size) will surpass Italy by 2025; France by 2031; UK and Germany by 2036. However, there is a HUGE community that is being left behind due to government corruption, lack of education, lack of security, and the influence of drug lords.