All over

My tour is over now - and I have two months in Brazil to explore and relax before returning to Australia! It has been a month and a half of amazing times, and words can't really describe the experiences I've had. Thanks for reading!

=LOUISA=

Carnaval Time!

23rd Feb - 2 Mar

The past week has been a blur.

Last Thursday was our final journey on Frank, our truck, as we approached the spectacular Rio de Janeiro. There was a very happy vibe on board as we pumped up our favourite tunes which we have all come to love during this trip. We eagerly waited for the moment we could step out the doors and set foot in the city notorious for its night life, beaches, parties, music scene and beautiful people.

On our first night in Rio we enjoyed a buffet at a local restaurant near our hotel, the Granada. Huge posters on the walls informed us that Franz Ferdinand was playing at the aqua duct a couple of hours later. Unfortunately there were no tickets left but not everyone was dissuaded. A few people from the group went to listen from outside, while the rest of us went to check out the bars nearby.

We spontaneously decided to check out Ipanema beach by night. We ended up at a little bar called Lord Jim’s pub, where a covers band were providing the music for a laid back crowd rocking out to the likes of Pearl Jam, Eagle Eye Cherry, Nirvana and other such bands.

On Friday we went to Corcovado where we stood by the feet of Christ the Redeemer. I took photos from every angle, not wanting to miss a single detail of this intricately carved monument. I am in now way religious but this was one of the most spectacular sites I’ve seen yet. Net we went to Sugarloaf Mountain where we took cable cars to the top for breath taking view of Brazil. We saw the famous Copacobana and Ipanema beaches and many others spanning the coastline.

That night a 5minute walk from our hotel saw us to a set of arches spread across the street where the music was pumping. The street parties were off the hook, the Caipirinha’s were flowing, people were dancing in the streets and wherever you turned there were smiling faces ready for a big night out in Rio. I had my dancing shoes on ready and was not disappointed.

Saturday night was the Red and Black ball. Everyone in the group had made the effort to get decked out in their best, craziest outfits and we headed off for yet another all night party. It was wild. We walked in there to be greeted by the sounds of a live band and a crowd full of eager party-goers. As the wee hours of the morning drew closer, the party got wilder and I thought it in my best interests to evacuate before I collapsed from exhaustion.
Sunday night was the night everyone had been eagerly anticipating. A 20 minute walk from our hotel saw us to the Sambadrome. What a spectacle it was. We got there for 9 when the first samba school was coming through, and, equipped with a few beverages and a couple of Bob’s Burgers, I was ready for the show.

The samba schools were absolutely amazing. They had obviously put long hard hours into the designs for their floats, their costumes, their dance routines and general appearance as this was a competition that is taken very seriously. I sat there, unable to draw my eyes from the parade, marvelling over the colours, so many colours, swirling in front of me in time to the music, as the thousands of competitors danced on by.

It was 10.45pm and just when I thought this night could not possible get any better, the rain came. Pouring down on us by the bucket load everyone was drenched to the skin. This did not dampen spirits but in fact gave everyone the motivation to get up and dance harder than ever before, if not even just to keep warm. The vibe in the stands was that of complete exhilaration as people everywhere were gyrating to the music, together in one soggy, wet mass. It was a rain dance if ever there was one and I was in my element.

At 3am a group of us set off to take showers at our hotel before heading out to another club nearby to the street parties at the arches. I found a hip-hop club and rounded everyone up for an early morning dance. We didn’t leave until 6 in the morning. Trudging back to our hotel we sat in reception and watched Carnaval on television as the final schools finished their lap. 6.30 rolled around and breakfast was welcomed by ravenous party goers who were, by that stage, ready to eat our own arms off. At 7 I flopped into bed, knowing that nothing would wake me from the deep slumber I was about to reward myself with.

After 7 weeks on tour, having met many fantastic people and seen so many awesome sights all around South America, I am currently enjoying some quiet time on the beaches at Isla Grande which is 4 hours off the coast of Rio. It has been a fantastic trip and one I will never forget!

=LOUISA=

Foz do Iguaçu

13th - 20th February

Over the past week I can honestly say I have seen some of the most amazing sights which have made a big impact for me on this trip. We entered into Paraguay at the beginning of last week to face 35 degree heat and a humidity that made you feel as if you could melt into your shoes. We camped in Trinidad before setting off for the Ybicuy National Park. We spent a couple of hours lying in the sun getting nice and brown then went for a dip at a small waterfall which was lovely.

Next we drove on to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, where there is lots of clothes shopping and electronic goods to be bought. I made a visit to the cemetery which was quite impressive as it was a mass of streets lined with tombs and vaults, each unique in its own way. Very interesting structures. Crossing from Paraguay to Brazil, the trip over the border was quite exhilarating for me. Brazil is the country I was born in. I had not been back since I was six months old so naturally I was in awe, trying to take everything in all at once.

The border crossing alone was a hectic hub bub of life. With motorbikes speeding past, cars honking and people milling all around I wondered if this was indicative of the fast paced life of Brazil.

When we arrived at our camp site in Foz do Iguaçu things seemed to settle down somewhat and I felt I was able to breathe again... Camping in Foz was a lot of fun as we were not the only ones with this destination as our temporary abode. We were sharing the campsite with one other Tucan truck, an SAS truck and a Dragon truck. The other Tucan group came and sat with us over dinner and we all got to know each other for the next couple of hours, dancing to music we were pumping out of our truck and drinking Caiporinhas concocted by the tour leaders for everyone to share. I had a lot of fun that night and was happy to make so many new friends during my first night in Brazil.

We spent a full day at Foz do Iguaçu. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight. Unfortunately it rained quite heavily on arrival and 34 of us all ran like bats out of hell through the torrential rain on our way to the speed boats which would take us remarkably close to the pounding torrents of water. The boat ride at the base of the falls was absolutely smashing with about 8 of us to a boat we were all unable to stop ourselves from yelling in excitement as we got disturbingly close to the white cascades. The rest of the day was spent walking the various trails and seeing the ´Devils Throat´, the most magnificent thing I’ve seen yet. I stood mesmerised, pleasantly cooled by a fine spray of water, occasionally pulling out my camera and then returning to my daze as the water had me transfixed.

Next stop was the bird park where I had a couple of close encounters with the wildlife. We walked all around taking photos of the beautiful birds in their large cages and some which were free to wander where ever they chose, including a toucan which politely posed for me, perched on a railing for the perfect photo. We were able to enter into an enclosure which housed the biggest blue parrots I have ever seen. I was wearing my toe ring at the time and had one parrot come after me, it seemed attracted by the silver and waddled quite hastily towards me with its beak opening and closing furiously. I yelled and jumped about while everyone else laughed at me for the spectacle I was making of myself... It was all good fun and I came out still with ten toes in tact so I was happy.

My next encounter came quite unexpectedly as I was walking down the footpath with a few others towards the exit when I tripped over something. It was a rather large, round turtle which had been randomly ambling along oblivious to the people walking around it. I felt sorry for the poor thing as I had given it quite a kick when I clumsily tripped over it. I leant down and patted it to make sure it was ok and it went on its merry way again.

In the afternoon we were directed to the helicopters which would take us over the falls for a magnificent birds eye view. Having never been in a chopper before I was a little anxious to be in this small aircraft hundreds of metres up in the air. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite comfortable and the flight itself was smooth. The view was amazing and I blocked everything out of my mind as we sailed through the sky, looking at the valleys and mountains far below.

The past few days have been spent camping in Curitiba and Bertioga. We are now in Paraty camping with 2 other Tucan trucks at the same site. Tomorrow we leave for a full day trip on a boat cruise around the bay. It is only a couple of days now until we will be in Rio and the vibe on the tour is that of excitement and anticipation for the biggest party in the world; Carnaval. We are all itching to get to Rio and in the meantime we will no doubt have many more adventures in between.

Until then I will be seeking out my best dancing shoes ready for the party of a life time.

=LOUISA=