In America, Bonito and Pantanal 2002 On  15/12/2002  No comments

The Recanto Ecológico do Rio da Prata is in Jardins, a town 54km far from Bonito. The trip was too far to be done with a moto-taxi. I end up getting a hide from a “carioca” couple and his son João. There, we got the equipment (wetsuit, boots, mask and snorkel). Then we hiked by the river for an hour and a half. Almost every tour in this region has this kind of hikes. I consider them important because it is when the guide explain about the environment and he give a class on ecological awareness. It is worth it, the places are so beautiful and it is necessary to preserve.

We went in the water at the spring of Rio Olho D´água and there started snorkeling. We came back to our starting point by the river, following the stream. We didn’t have to swim, neither move the legs, it was just lay down on the water and let the river take you. Good! The river was very clear and we could see a great amount of fishes.

Back to the farm house we had a lunch with typical food...

In + More..., Karla and animals On  14/12/2002  One comment

Blue Macaw – Rio do Peixe,  Brazil 2002

In Bonito and Pantanal 2002, Hiking/Trekking On  14/12/2002  No comments

At the arrival at Rio do Peixe we met Moacyr, the owner of the farm. After forming grups of 12 we left for a walk on the woods. Once in a while we stopped for a waterfall bath. The place was beautiful, clean water and lots of green. The trail ended in a whole in the rock. We climbed up and jumped in the water. We came back a small part by the river.

Back to the farm house, Moacyr and his wife waited us for lunch. It was lots of regional food. What I liked the most was a “sopa paraguaia”, hat it is not a soup, it is a sort of dough made with corn flour and cheese. Delicious. After lunch we took a nap on leather hammocks produced in the region.

In the afternoon we did another trail. We passed by some waterfalls, bathed and end up at a part of the river where there was a reel. We used it to jump in the water. It was interesting to see people from different ages become child again.

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In America, Bonito and Pantanal 2002, Hiking/Trekking On  13/12/2002  2 comments

After a 24h trip I got in Bonito really tired. I spent the afternoon in the pool sunbathing, something that becomes precious when you live in Europe.

On my second day I went to visit the “Gruta do Lago Azul”, 18km from town. I got Edson’s moto-taxi to get there. These taxi by motorcycle are very popular in Bonito. In the cave I met a group of students from Dourados, a city in Mato Grosso do Sul. I thought it was funny their curiosity towards me. I think all of them asked me where I came from. Some would get impressed.

The cave is beautiful. After going down about 400 meters we arrived at the “Blue Lake”. The clear water made possible to see the stones on the bottom. I liked to observe everybody wispering: “How beautiful!” or “It is really blue!”, “The water is so clear!”

The afternoon tour was Bonito Aventura, about 4 km from town. There I met the manager, Janaina, who explained me the tour. We tried on the wet suit and sandals...

In + More..., Books & Travels On  26/11/2002  No comments

The book, edited by the famous travel guide brand, is a collection of short stories (comic and tragic) about trips that “went wrong”. When I read the book, I wondered the difficult moments I had traveling. Yes, I had some very complicated, they would be good stories for the book, especially the ones involving army, airport and border security and being sick alone in a foreign country.

Unpacked doesn’t talk about disasters as the title suggests. It presents some awkward situations we all pass in a trip or another. The book takes us to a rafting in Alaska, trekking in Madagascar, trains trip in India and New Year’s in Boneo. I believe it is this king of adventures, things we did not plan on a travel, the inconveniences and surprises that test us and identify us as travelers and not only tourists.

“Every traveler has a horror story to tell: lost luggage, bad weather, illness or worse...

In Asia, Europe, Turquia 2002 On  24/09/2002  No comments

Recommended by a German friend I decided to see Ephesus. The city near by is Selçuk. I only slept a night there and could notice that they are prepared to tourism. Every time I asked for information they answered with kindness. Many of them spoke English, a sign that they are used to foreign tourists.

I woke up early to visit the ruins. The day was cloudy, ugly… It would be a difficult day, how could I photograph rocks without shadow and volume? Gray days always make me sad.

I walk around the ruins without a guide. Once in a while I would stop and hear a guide from a tour group. Sometime I would have the explanations in Englih, then in French or Spanish, even a Portuguese group I met. Brazilians unfortunately not. Germans, there were many, since I don’t understand the language I would wait for the next group. For me this is the perfect way to visit the ruins, I can go by myself at my own pace...

In Asia, Europe, Turquia 2002 On  23/09/2002  No comments

Pamukkale is a visually interesting place, from far away it looks like a white tip mountain. There are white terraces that were formed by the thermal waters rich in calcium bicarbonate. The water as they go down they deposit carbon dioxide in the soil. This creates some incredible white shapes. Scientist say the terraces started to be formed about 14 thousands years ago. The name Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish. For them the mountains looks like a castle made with cotton, for mi looks like made of ice.

In the same area there are ruins from an ancient city. I visited the amphitheater that it is behind the thermal baths. The place looked abandoned, unpreserved. I seams a piece of history was being left behind, being forgotten. Unfortunately I didn’t find much information on the place.

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In Europe, Traveled places, Turquia 2002 On  22/09/2002  One comment

One of the reasons to come to Turkey was to relax on the beach on sunny days. I chose Bodrum to do that. When I got there I was homesick. I missed the white sand beaches from Brazil. There wasn’t a sand beach but a pebble one, not comfortable to lay down.

I spend a day diving. I haven’t been diving for more than a year and I really need to. The dives were great, not for what I saw but for the fact of being underwater again. This make me happy. I decided I have to dive more often. I liked to see that in the boat there were many Turkish couples diving. It wasn’t like in some Asian countries that I had been diving and in the boat there was only foreigners. When I see local people also diving I have the feeling that they are also enjoying their country, not leaving only to the foreigners.

Next day I visited the castle in Bodrum. It houses the museum of marine archeology. I imagined the archeologist’s work diving and finding objects lost 2000 year ago. It must be incredible...

In Asia, Europe, Turquia 2002 On  20/09/2002  One comment

Once again I arrived in a new country with sore throat. Since I was really tired I decided to sleep the whole morning. In the afternoon I left the hostel to see the city. My lunch costed 7 millions, I realized it would be difficult to get used with the amount of zeros on the Turkish lira bills. The waiter told me to be careful in order to not be cheated. He said it is common to trick tourists that aren’t used with the money. I asked if I should be careful with him. He answered: “NO, not me. I’m talking about the others. I’m honest”.

I visited the Aya Sofia, a church constructed in 532 and during years it was the biggest in the world. There were times that its mosaics were covered because the Islamism prohibited the images. Today it works as a museum. The place is impressive…

After I went to see the Blue Mosque, a mosque constructed in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Its towers and domes made it the most famous one in Istanbul. The tourists enter through the side door...

In Asia, Europe, Turquia 2002 On  19/09/2002  One comment

I was invited by a travel agency to do a tour in Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish), I would go with two more Australian girls. We left early in the morning since the place is far away. After two hours driving we stopped to have breakfast and continued to Gallipoli. We did a quick stop in the small city, we saw the port and continued to the war museum.

This area is known to be a good defense place in Turkey. It is a peninsula easy to regulate the ships going in and out. The most important historical event was during the World War I when many Australians and New Zealanders (Anzac – Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) died. They landed on the wrong place and were vanished by the Turkish army who was waiting on the top of the hill. For me what it is interesting here it is the amount of monuments, cemeteries and museum commemorative to the world war I. Every few kilometers there is a monument explaining the war. They even have trenches on exhibition...