Get me outta here!!!

I've walked up and down the centre of Cayenne, purchased a few french books and a gossip mag ( it is Christmas after all!!), even gone to the cinema (the latest Will Smith film is actually quite good considering he is the only one acting in the film!!!) and now the internet.

There is nothing left to do.

Cayenne...Pepper Perhaps

Ok I will say it, last night was a nightmare. After another two attempts at getting information out of the brazilians I finally made my way to the departure lounge at....wait for it...4.30 am. Yup in the end they left us hanging for 11 hours.

We left Belem at 5 am and arrived in Cayenne (Guyanne) a french territory between Venezuela and Brazil at 6.30 am (the only thing I knew about the country before arriving is that the French Gvt sends rockets into space from here!).

Luckily there was a representative of our airline waiting for us in the airport. She casually announced that we would not leave until Sunday night. Eh? I don't see beach, blue skies and sand here (nor my family for that matter°...this can't be ???

But it is.

So here I am in Cayenne for 2 days and it's delightfully french. Everyone speaks french, all the french shops are here, even the main sqare looks french ... I will now go hunt for some french bread and cheese...

Belem, Brazil

What do you get when you take a young female mochilando through South America and put her in Belem ("the mouth of the Amazon"..and not much else) ?

You get Nicole spending her night in a hostel completely ALONE! That might just give you a hint as to how lively the city is. Luckily I only had to spend 1 day there and well I am so excited about seeing my family that you could have put me in the dodgiest hostel in Haiti and it would have been fine.

Arriving in Belem was easy compared to leaving Rio. I left Rio having slept 3 hours in the last 48 hours and seeing two sunrises on Copacabana. Rio will now forever be associated to the Mellow Yellow hostel and the crazy Irish that just so happened to be staying there with me. I met up with three Irish girls who I had met (and got drunk with!) in Rurrenabaque (Bolivia). One of them (Ursula) had actually travelled through Australia with Chez (the scottish girl I travelled with through Bolivia)... the travelling world is extremely small !Anyway these gals are the best and I was sad to see them go.

Back to Belem. Belem is the starting place of many boat rides through the Amazon. That is the only reason I can think of why the Hilton would have a hotel here. I know this because I thought it would be the ideal resting place with free a/c. I didn´t especially like the city. It´s dirty and crowded and lacks the charm of more rural towns. It does have an interesting market with people trying to sell you magic potion for this and that...unfortunately my friend Harry Potter has retired from the profession so the best thing I could do was to take photos instead.


I am now in the airport waiting for my delayed flight to Cayenne (Guyana). Given this delay I will have to stay the night in Cayenne (i am assuming the airline are forking the bill as no one has been able to provide any information on the matter... I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Hilton or something similar!!! How naive am i?) . Tomorrow hopefully Point A Pitre (Guadeloupe).

I could bitch about my delays but having just spoken to my parents who were supposed to fly in from France today ... but due to STRIKES my parents are flying over on Sunday night (yes in two days!). I don´t deserve any sympathy. Give me Brazil anytime!

PS: I take the last sentence back. I have had a frustrating "conversation" with the desk man re: any update on flights. The end result is that after many manic hand movements up - down - sideways and very little understanding (on both sides seen as I don´t speak portuguese and they don´t speak english, french or spanish...) I think the flight has been delayed for another 3 hours, or was it all night..either way I think my theoretical new connection tomorrow from Cayenne is full. I was given a food voucher ... Humpf... f***ker...I have already eaten !

Pissed off me ?

From Copacabana to the "Rocinho" Favela: The two faces of Rio

I had got a little tired of lying on the beach watching the Brasilian Baywatch in action and decided to brave it and head towards the (in)Famous Favelas of Rio. I was told of a tour company called "Be A Local" that organises (safe) walks across the Rocinho favela and that uses the money we pay them to rehabilitate the favela in some way.



We were picked up by our guide, a young gutsy brasilian woman with a tattoo on her thigh (the things you remember!) and were driven to Rocinha (supposedly) the largest favela in south america. From the start I new it would be interesting. We were picked up at the bottom of the hill and told to climb behind the local taxi (ie. a guy on a motorbike). We then proceeded to Zoom up the hill, narrowly missing the local buses and odd pedestrian. The adrenalin was already pumping!


Before we made our way down into the favela our guide explained that it was completely safe for us to walk around with her. That eventhough there were many drug dealers around they were not interested in us. We were likely to meet a lot of kids who would know all of three words in english: "gringo, money and photo". And finally that was completely ok for us to take the camera out and take pictures.


The favela in itself was extremely dirty and cramped. There was no internal suage system and the many mountains of trash we saw lying around frequently took over the small alleys we had to walk through. The houses were nothing more than shacks, usually consisting of only one room. There are no real rules in terms of who gets what. The basic idea is that if you find a place to build then build your house and it´s yours. Hence the mess.



Although people were living in squalor, I could still feel that brazilian vibe that makes Brazil what it is. Due to the language barrier it was hard to make contact but my smile was always answered by a discreet smile back. Children were coming up to us shouting "photo, photo" and then making us take another one if they didn´t like the first one.


It was a humbling experience.

Rio de Janeiro, December 2007

For the french speakers: Sing Cloclo along with me..." je vaaais a Rio...de Janeiroooo"

For the english speakers who have no idea who Cloclo is..."Copaacabaaanaaa...lalalala"

So here I am in Riooo de Janeiro, Copacabana to be precise. I arrived having spent the dullest 2 days on Ihla Grande. Why dull you ask? Truth be told Ihla Grande is a paradise, a natural haven of beauty and peace. However, I was slightly unlucky in my endeavours to discover this incredible island spending most of my time staring out the window or being beaten down and battered by torrential rain for the whole day and a half I was there.

Rio on the other hand is a completely different story. I am staying in a hostel called Mellow Yellow, which is one of the best places I have stayed at. Ok, it's a little cramped and old but the bar is amazing and the atmosphere even better. It´s been extremely easy to meet fellow backpackers and let's be honest here...get hammered on Cairpirinha.

Apart from the hostel parties, I have enjoyed Rio. Although I find it somewhat unsettling and unsafe, it has a good vibe. There are few sites to actually see but I was told that I had to go the the beach and see the big JC. Both of which I have done.

Having spent a fair bit of time on Ipanema beach (which is far better than Copacabana!) checking the local talent, my cunning observations on the matter are as follows:

• The eye candy is plentiful. I mean all the men look like they live, eat and sleep in the 3rd Space. I find myself seeking out the fat bastard just for a little variety.



• The myth of the round bottom is true. All girls have round bottoms here. I have come to the conclusion that it cannot be natural.



• The waves are big and scary.

I will now go back to the Irish fest that is taking place in the local public drinking house, as you do in December!

Elma Chips

What do you get when you mix a foreigner in Rio (sporting a lovely ¨cafe au lait¨ tan..) having spent the evening with a group of craazy Irish... with too many Cuba Libre...in Mellow Yellow Hostel...and (thank the Jesusy Lord Almighty) an unlimited supply of Elam Chips...


(...)


a very happy traveller!

Sea, Sun and Samba in Barra de Lagoa, Brazil

A fine example of Brasil....

I left my scottish travel companion and headed north to Florianopolis (Brazil). My first impression of Florianapolis (bearing in mind I had taken yet another all-night bus) was mixed. The beautiful sea and natural background contrasted sharply with the Miami-like sea front. I was happy to find that I had booked a hostel away from the city on Ihla Catarina, a small island with over 40 beaches to chose from.

I stayed in a quiet hostel on Barra de Lagoa a good 20m away from the beach. The weather was perfect, hot (but not too hot) with a little bit of wind. The beach was erhem..brazilian...long white, sandy with big surf. I hit the beach straight away and was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of visible backsides on the beach.

I now officially and completely understand the meaning of the "brazilian bikini". These people love "le posterieur". Both the extremely fit and the extremely unfit find it necessary to wear the tiniest of bikinis that covers next to nothing of their behind. In the midst of all this bum exposure I couldnt help but feel a little like Bridget Jones wearing her granny pants.

On the men front, they are definitely "caliente". Most are beefed up on criatin and sport a variety of tattoos and I am sure dream of being the next Brasilian 2Pac. (I wish I had taken photos of all these lovely people but I had been warned of beach theft so I left everything locked up in the hostel).

I met a French girl from Nice (wooho...what are the odds) in the hostel who was travelling with a German (and portuguese speaking) friend. They had met some random brasilian girls during the day and were hitting the town that night. So having spent one night partying with the locals what have I learnt?

1. Decisions take a long time to make (ie there is a lot of hanging around)
2. Men stare A LOT ... think 180 degree neck turn
3. Men just dont give up (ie. perseverance is key)
4. It is seen as weird to have two guys at the front of the car and the girls at the back
5. It is seen as completely normal to ask some random guys on the street whether they have a car and would drive us lovely girls to a bar (which they did)
6. Cairpirhinha is potent...
7. Brasil is F.U.N

Ok this post is looking a little sad without a photo. So here goes a little somethin´somethin´for your eyes only. The most useless and unpractical invention ever; yes you´ve guessed it´s a turn-thingy to get on the bus. You can imagine how easy it was for me to get over that beast with my backpack this morning.

Iguazu Falls - Argentina to Brasil

Having endured another long bus ride from Chile we decided to hit the town (ie. Salta, Argentina) and sample the local grub (euh steak and wine anyone?). Salta is a pleasant, manageable city in the heart of wine country Argentina. We fought the locals for a place on the central piazza and endulged in a meal of steak and Argentinian Malbec (quite possibly my new fav´). We were so happy to be off the bus that Chez and I consumed a bottle of wine each and I (in my drunken state) agreed to a list of "Things I should do before I am 30". If anyone reading this knows Chez (unlikely) you will know that the list is a tough one and includes random items from "drinking a gallon of milk" to "diving with sharks" (I have politely avoided the crude scottish items!).
After a short stay in Salta we took another long bus ride (yawning yet?) to Puerto de Iguazu (the other side of Paraguay and the border with Brazil). Iguazu Falls (must be) the biggest and best falls in the world (don´t listen to anyone that tells you otherwise). They are just hugely impressive. We decided to splash out and take a boat ride into the falls. We twirled and swirled up river and approached the cascading water with fear in our eyes. It was amazing!

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

We left our adventure across the Bolivian Altiplano behind and made our way to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The road was paved and the bus air conditionned. Basically, it could not have felt more different to what we had been used for the past few weeks. Chile (with Brazil) are the most expensive countries in South America and my purse was given a reality check when I (easily) managed to spend over 150 USD in the mere 3 days we were in Chile. Ouch.

One thing to say:"Thank you strong Pound. Thank you".

San Pedro is a desert town in which you would expect some random South American version of the Sioux to come and ask you to eat in their restaurant. It has a chilled out atmosphere and a few unpaved dirt roads to add to that vibe. The restaurants are of European standard (ie. the food is brought out at the same time for everyone) and of European prices.

We didn't do much during our time there. Namely searched for Magnum ice cream (which proved impossible) and took a tour to the Valle de La Luna the (supposedly) driest place on earth.

But all too soon it was time to say goodbye to Joy and Trine the girls with whom I had been travelling with for the past month. I admit, it was a hard one, I had grown attached to those Crazy Danes. I left Chile with Chez by my side (the remaining member of Team XTreme) and we boarded an 18H bus to Salta, Argentina.


Team Extreme

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Having spent a week in the jungle, La Paz felt like another world altogether; crowded, noisy and polluted. We waisted no time in the urban high altitude jungle and made our way south to Uyuni to see the famous Salt Lake.

After another gruelling night bus, we boarded a 1983 4x4 Jeep for a 3 day excursion through Salar de Uyuni and the Bolivian Altiplano. I can honestly say that my eyes got sore from the beautiful vistas and never ending blue skies. We travelled up to 5000m saw some geysers and enjoyed a breakfast in hot springs.


Have you ever... wanted to see me attempt the splits ? Here´s your chance.

From Peru to Bolivia and the Amazon

This blog is long overdue an entry. It's been so long that I can hardly remember what happened in Bolivia ( i am now in Chile!). From Cusco (Peru) I travelled south to Lake Titicaca- the highest navigable lake in the world. We visited the Uros islands (aka the floating islands) with their indigenous families who kept on trying to sell us poorly made artisanal work (I actually bought something...i wonder who will be getting it as a christmas present!).

We then crossed the border into Bolivia via Copacabana. Although the border crossing was hassle free, the journey to the border was a nightmare. I quickly realised that it was useless trusting people here as they are only concerned in getting gringos to pay more for a taxi ride by explaining that it was impossible to get a bus into Bolivia from Puno. Erhem. My little finger tells me otherwise. You will also be happy to know that I am now the official translator of the group. Although i am quite proud of my spanish at the moment it also means that we are like the blind leading the blind. Oh well. The more fun for us.

We quickly made our way to La Paz (after a brief and somewhat disappointing stop on the Isla del Sol). My first impression of La Paz was that of a huge sprawling city, nested at the bottom of a valley which in itself creates a vaccum of pollution. We stayed long enough to organise a trip to the Amazon Jungle. We were unable to get a flight to Rurrenabaque so we had to endure an 18h bolivian bus (ie. no toilet) through the jungle (ie. unpaved roads).


We have started a tradition of asking everyone around me what they are grateful for that day. As the question came back to me I replied that I was happy that there were no indigenous people on the bus (erhem it seems that they do not favour bathing as much as we do). As soon as I muttered the word, the driver let in 3 indigenous people (although there were no seats left). They promptly sat down in the corridor next to me. I spent the next 6 hours trying to discreetly push a woman's head off my knees as she fell asleep through the night. That definitely taught me a lesson.


We arrived exhausted in Rurrenabaque and embarked on a 3 day Pampas (Savannah) tour. The journey started with a 3 hour 4x4 ride through the countryside followed by another 2 hours on a small boat in alligator infested waters. Although I am far from a nature person I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We saw turtles, birds, alligators, fished pirhanas and the best of all swam with fresh water pink dolphins. Our guide convinced us that we could swim in specific areas of the river - ie the dolphins would protect us. I foolishly believed him and enthusiastically jumped into the murky waters to swim with dolphins. Luckily for us both the alligators and the pirhanas stayed clear of the area and we all had a fantastic time.


The next day was spent thigh deep in swamp land looking for anacondas which luckily we didn't find, although we did see a baby condor which is cool enough for me. I have never spent so much time completely immersed in nature and at first I will admit that I was not that enthusiastic. But I can honestly say that most annoying animal is definitely the MOSQUITO (I hate them with a passion) and that everything else felt safe - even Pedro the camp's alligator was deemed safe enough.