South America – Page 10

Exploring the Amazon Rainforest

My wife and I collaborated on this travel article about our July trip to the Brazilian Amazon. I also posted photos of our trip in a photo album. I was finally able to post them at last because I can finally access Spaces. Enjoy!

We spent five days in July visiting the Amazon Rainforest at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, the two tributaries that form the Amazon River. Our experience was nothing short of amazing. We were astounded by the vastness and diversity of the Amazon Basin. At the same time, we developed a healthy respect for the Amazon’s treasures – and perils.

We launched our Amazon excursion from Manaus, a gritty, industrial city carved out of the jungle on the banks of the Rio Negro. Manaus is a four-hour flight from São Paulo with a stop in Brasilia. If you plan to stay the night in Manaus and tour the city, be sure to stay at the Tropical Hotel, the best hotel in town. Manaus itself is an easy day tour; one can walk around the center and tour the historic Theater of the Amazons and São Sebastião Church, the Indigenous Museum, and the wharf. The Manaus has a couple free-for-all markets that sell a wide assortment of kitschy and knock-off goods. Nevertheless, we ended our Amazon tour wishing we had spent more time in the jungle and less time visiting the city.

We stayed four days and three nights at the all-inclusive EcoPark Resort located 20 minutes upriver from Manaus. The resort is only accessible by boat and is completely unplugged. Television? No. Internet? No. Telephone? Nope. Bring any electronics you might miss with you. The resort has plenty of amenities, including clean but spartan rooms, a cocktail bar, and plenty of ecotourist activities led by native and English-speaking guides to keep you occupied. Our activities included a two-hour hike in the Amazon rainforest, where our guides showed us wildlife and foliage with medicinal and other useful properties; a cruise to the “meeting of the waters,” where the black waters of the Rio Negro converge with the brown waters of the Rio Solimões; a visit to an indigenous village; a trip to a “Monkey Sanctuary” where monkeys roam freely and even crawl on your shoulders; piranha fishing (piranhas are tasty); and the best of all, caiman “hunting” on the Rio Negro at night. Our guide somehow caught a baby caiman – a relative of the alligator – after jumping from our boat in a murky alcove spookier than any Disneyland ride and catching it in the dark. Sitting at night on the dock at the resort, gazing up at the full moon illuminating the still black waters of the river, listening to the music of the wildlife wafting from every part of the jungle, will leave you in awe.

We left the Amazon with some amazing memories, and the nagging feeling that we had barely scratched the surface of this immense wilderness. We also realized that we experienced the ecotourist version of the Amazon. After spending a few days in the midst of wildlife and foliage armed with defense mechanisms that epitomize the phrase “survival of the fittest,” we were thankful our guides kept them at bay. Although our trip was expensive, it was worth it. Few people ever have the chance to experience the Amazon up close and personal. If you’re looking for an unforgettable travel destination, try spending a few days in the heart of the jungle.

Paraguayan Dancing

Last week my son participated in his school’s Paraguayan dance celebration. The dancing is a Paraguayan form of folclorico, a traditional style of Latin American dance. He participated with his kindergarten class; each class from kindergarten to sixth grade performed different folclorico dances for their parents and faculty. The boys dressed in black slacks, white shirts, straw hats donned with Paraguayan tricolor bands, and waist sashes also sporting the tricolor (the Paraguayan tricolor, its national color scheme, was inspired by the French red-white-blue tricolor flag). I thought the students all performed very well; the bottle dancing sixth grader did a particularly splendid job.

My son did an excellent job dancing and wielding a broom. He’s ready to tear up the dance floor. I posted some photos of the dance — they tell a much better story than I.

After the dance

More About Paraguay

Click on the icon below for more articles about Paraguay

A Great Travel Destination – Rio de Janeiro

Dear Reader, here is an article my wife and I wrote for our weekly newsletter on our trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I thought I would share it with you since I haven’t blogged about the trip yet. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a great great getaway, then consider visiting Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our family vacationed there for four days in July. We highly recommend it as a great diversion.

Rio is a city with stunning views. Flanked to the north by the Bay of Guanabara and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, Rio winds its way through valleys surrounded spectacularly jagged granite peaks and gorgeous sandy beaches. We visited two of the city’s “must-sees” attractions, the Christ the Redeemer Statue, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and Sugarloaf Mountain. We relaxed in Copacabana and dined in Ipanema, two of the city’s famous beachfront neighborhoods, and squeezed in a city center tour and shopping. Even though we doubted whether Christ the Redeemer Statue should have been included among the new Seven Wonders of the World, we left convinced that it is truly a wonder. The statue, together with unbelievably beautiful and sensuous landscape that it overlooks, is impressive. Sugarloaf Mountain, a granite peak rising dramatically above Guanabara Bay, offers some of the best views of the city, including Christ the Redeemer. The mountain is easily accessible by cable car.

Rio’s city center is dated but worth a half-day tour. The former Imperial Palace of Brazil’s Portuguese monarchy offers a great jumping-off point to explore the cathedrals and colonial-era buildings that dot the city center. The center is also home to the ultra-modern Rio de Janeiro Cathedral and the Arcos da Lapa, a defunct Romanesque aqueduct. Negotiate your day-trip with a hotel-referred taxi driver who can suggest some good sites to see. Although not touristy, the city center offers a window into the everyday lives of Cariocas (Rio’s residents) past and present.

If you visit Rio, consider staying in Copacabana, where your hotel will likely be across the street from the beach. While Copacabana may not conjure images of the New York club of the same name popularized by crooner Barry Manilow – we saw just one nightclub on the strip – it’s still fun. Visitors can entertain themselves for days on end riding the waves, sunbathing, playing beach games, or just people-watching. Or one can chat it up with vendors who buzz around and peddle kitschy knickknacks and fake fashion. Although livelier during Carnival, Rio’s beaches offer an eclectic mix of visitors and locals year round.

While Rio is a world-class tourist destination, security was our top concern during our visit. As a result, we avoided nighttime excursions except for visiting the tourist market on Atlantic Avenue in Copacabana. We only used taxis recommended to us by our travel agency or hotel. Negotiate a price before accepting a taxi ride. Don’t wear jewelry or flash cash. Stay in crowded, touristy areas. With the weak dollar, Brazil is not a cheap place to visit. Plan to spend three times what you would in Asuncion for identical items. Still, unforgettable moments in Rio could make your trip well worth it.

[table id=11 /]

[table id=9 /]

[table id=8 /]