Kate & Monique's

NOTE: Please read this after you have finished all the other blog entries

Although our time has come to an end, it was everything we expected and more! It was an amazing life changing experience and we are closer than ever. We are sad to day good-bye but glad to be home. Hope this is cliché enough for you :P

Anyway here is our real good-bye note....

It has been great; we have made lots of mates;
On the toilet seats is wee and the continent smells like pee;
We didn't get mugged or shot; but were told we were hot!
We have climbed lots of hills and Monique has taken lots of pills; (prescription!)
We avoided the rabid dogs bite and learnt we can’t travel light;
We have stuck to all our rules, while zigzagging the country like fools;
We consumed a lot of pizza and chips and it’s all gone to our hips;
Thanks for reading our blog, it’s a pity you look like a frog (?);
Our trip went rather fast, but the memories will last;
It has been a blast!
Well our friends this is the end....

Written by Kate Griffiths and Monique Levesque

*All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the authors.

DISCLAIMER
Although the authors have taken reasonable care preparing this blog (when not tired or after a couple of drinks), we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Hi all this is sadly our final blog entry!

We arrived in Rio excited but a little bit apprehensive as Rio is one of the world’s most violent cities! Stepping off the bus we made friends with MORE Israeli boys (They all travel SA after their 3 year army stint). It was the perfect opportunity to share a taxi, thus saving money and it is much safer to travel in larger groups. Our EXPENSIVE hostel (they all are during Carnaval) was in the perfect location 200m walk from Ipanema beach.

The hostel seemed like a reasonably nice place. However as more and more people started arriving at the hostel for the Carnaval package (you have to stay 6 nights or at least pay for them) the CRAB started to rear its ugly head. They demanded that you pay on arrival, with no exceptions; of course no one had the cash on them as it was too risky to carry a large bunch of cash around Rio. It fast became obvious that the manager was harsh and inflexible. One Ausi girl didn’t have the money to pay as her card was stolen and they threatened to kick her out! This manager- who was known as the CRAB to all the hostel guests (named after the hostel- Crab hostel) and stories of her inflexible, evil ways grew and became almost comical over the six days we were there. It united all the hostel guests though, so at least something good came out of it!

Our first night in Rio we made friends with the hostel crew, who were a fantastic bunch of people, and headed out for our first street party in Santa Teresa. Unfortunately we arrived at the party just as it was winding down. This was surprising, after being in Buenos Aires where the party normally doesn’t start until 3am! We soon discovered that the festivities had moved to a near by suburb- Lapa. We followed a bunch of Aussi's (they are everywhere in Rio!) and locals to a pumping street party (Don’t worry they were safe streets in non dodgy areas). The party was crazy, extending for several km's with people standing and dancing shoulder to shoulder. It was a very amusing night, most of our crew were pick pocketed. We were particularly amused to discover the group losses for the night amounted to 2 hostel security cards, a pack of tissues and a disposable camera. We would have loved to see the look on the thieves faces when they realised that fat, juicy wallet was infact a bunch of snotty tissues!!!

We were awoken at 10.05 and realised we may have missed breakfast (considering it was served between 8-10am not many people made it!!!). Determined to nail the free breaki Kate ran down stairs and managed to load up a large plate before the spread was whisked away by the CRAB. At lunch time we returned to the cafe we had sampled the day before (Yes we are creatures of habit!!!). Deciding this would be our meal for the day, we ordered up big time. It was delicious food, we soon realised that this cafe may turn out like the one in LaPaz which we frequented 3 meals/day. During lunch we were treated to a continuous view of tight, revealing Speedos. It soon became obvious that these men were only hanging around with other men in tight Speedos. So it came as not surprise when we found out this very street was the setting for the gay street parades and parties.

That night saw us hanging out with the hostel crew again. We were keen to hit up the gay street party as this is all part of the experience of Rio, Ipanema and Carnaval. However our new found friends were not so keen. We suspect this was because they were all single and desperately wanted to pick up during this festive season. Instead we wandered around Ipanema beach looking for all the Carnaval action. We found a decent beach party and had a few beers and a dance. At this point we were a little disappointed as we had not yet seen the Carnaval spirit we had imagined, but luckily that was all about to change.

Tired and weary (having had a total of 6 hours sleep in 2 nights), the next morning we headed to the beach to take some photos and watch the street parades. We were soon engulfed by heaving masses of party goers following large groups of drummers, singers and dancers. Now this was the kind of atmosphere we had expected. It was a fantastic arvo. We obtained a million pictures of hilarious g-strings, Speedos and less being flaunted on the beach. Yes we know this kind of photography is illegal in Australia, but they love the attention here!!!!

Here started out exhaustive search for the gelo (ice), we needed something to cool our drinks as the CRAB had locked the freezer for the week (told you she was evil!!). We ended back at the hostel at 9pm with no time for our planned naps.

Everyone at the hostel had bought tickets to the Samba drome (where the official samba parade is held) so everybody bar us headed of to the festivities. After all our shopping the tickets seemed a little too expensive and having heard a rumour that you can get cheap tix at the door we decided to go for that option. So at about 12am we headed off to the Samba drome with another Ausi gal. After overcoming the language barrier we finally found the entrance and found ourselves tickets for 40 reais, everyone else had payed 100 reais, we were STOKED!!!

The Samba drome was like nothing we have ever seen. The atmosphere was incredible. The dancing was incredible, even the people in the crowd could samba amazingly. Our early attempts to samba received a fair bit of laughter from the people around us. Some kind women nearby came to our rescue. Their samba school was just starting and the music was pumping so they were more than happy to teach us their intense dance moves. Turns out it is much easy to shake your booty if you are moving your feet in samba style. After this everybody around us was keen to let us know which school was theirs and make sure we were dancing and cheering when they came on! By the end of the night we (almost) had our booty in rhythm with the music and we danced until 6am when we had to head home as we were low on fuel.

Once again having minimal sleep (we were now up to 10hrs in 3 nights!) we awoke craving lunch from our new favourite cafe We managed to sneak in a brief arvo nap before heading out to another street parade, the one before had greatly impressed. It turned out that this was a family orientated parade. This saw us gooing and garing over the gorgeous little children all dressed up in their Carnaval costumes. With the parade pretty much over, we headed to the beach for a stroll and some market shopping. We found some street food and decided to try it, a first for us. It was a tapioca and cheese pancake it was amazing and we didn’t even get gastro!!!

Due to our amazing experience the night before and the really cheap tickets, we decided to head back to the Samba drome again. We headed out with a Perth couple from our hostel. We were determined to get even cheaper tickets this time as we had heard rumour people got them for 20 reais. After MUCH haggling we bought 4 tickets for 20 reais each. As we walked towards the gate with our newly purchased tickets the seller chased us and insisted we had given him a back 50 reais note. At first we were drawn in and thought that the ATM must have given us a fake note. However we quickly realised that this was a big fat scam, as the notes could have been switched at any time after we walked away from him. He became quite aggressive trying to give us our money back and then throwing most of it on the ground in a hissy fit. A security guard stepped in to help and we managed to escape with 10 extra reais that he had handed to us during the fuss. Now amused by this dodgy character and how we ended up scamming him, we headed in to enjoy the show.

Once again the night was a spectacular show of dancing, colours and enormous floats. Monique did have a nap during one of the less exciting schools parades (a serious lack of sleep is blamed, not old age!!!). We returned exhausted to the hostel at 7am and crashed only to once again wake up a couple of hours later to do the touristy thing as we were running out of time in Rio (and SA).

Along with the other Ausi girl we jumped in a taxi and headed up to the Corvodora (large statue of Jesus) to get the best view of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro. It was an amazing view and also gave new meaning to the phrase DRIPPING with sweat!!

That night, after another brief nap, we got dressed up and headed out to Copacabana for our last supper! In true South American style it was a cheesy bonanza of death accompanied with a fine red, a fitting last meal. We walked along Copacabana beach and shopped at the art markets, while it was a great night it was a little sad We headed home at 2am and CRASHED, our earliest night yet!!

Our last day in Rio and in South America was very sad but we had little time to mourn. WE were in a panicked frenzy, doing last minute shopping and sight-seeing. Our itinerary included a quick dip in Ipanema beach (timed at 15 minutes!), final breakfast at the CRAB, shopping but the shops were closed so we came back to pack, then went back to shop but the shops were STILL closed! Rio really shuts down for Carnaval!

We made it to the airport with a little time to spare. Once again it was a quick and easy process, we expected border crossing and customs to be much more difficult in South America. But they were much easier than Australia (don’t even get Monique started on that, she had a hard time in Sydney at customs and is considering filing a complaint!!!). We are now writing this tired and stinky on the 4th leg of a 30hr plane trip but we will touch down in Aus in 30mins!!!

See you all VERY soon!!!!!!!

Hi all,

Here is a continuation of our stories from Paraty.....

Our first night in the beautiful beach town of Paraty we spent in a sweaty hot box hostel and had to pay quite a price for this 'luxury'. Throughout our adventures in South America out first question of any hostel is whether or not they have 'agua caliente' (hot water). When we arrived at this sweaty hot hostel all we wanted was a cold shower and ironically all they had was steaming hot water!!!!!

Finding this accommodation less than ideal, the following morning we were determined to find better accommodation at a good price. On the advice of a bumba we had met the night before we headed to jabawabarowarrawaba beach (ok we could not remember the name of the beach!!!). Very unsure of the correct pronounciation Kate set about asking the locals for directions. Much to Monique’s amusement she asked where we could find Jaguar beach (complete with a Spanish accent!). Despite the communication barrier we eventually got our point across and found our way (though we still couldn't tell you the name of the beach). It was a beautiful bay (the one in the previous picture) looking out to islands and surrounded by mountains and rainforest. Best of all it was away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

We found ourselves a cabin complete with 4 beds, our own bathroom and kitchen and aircon, best of all it was only a fraction more expensive than the hot box hostel. Unfortunately our first day in beach cabin paradise was rained out! We used this as an excuse to relax and eat at the hotels restaurant. As we enjoyed the meal, many beers and making friends with Canadians we were unaware of the attack being launched against us by Brazilian Invisible Death Mosquitos.

To our horror we awoke itching and scratching every part of our body. As the day progressed more and more bites reared their ugly heads, Monique ended up with literally 40 bites on each leg!!! All we can say is Thank God for yellow fever injections!

We decided to make this itchy day of doom our one and only shopping day in Paraty. We wondered around the circular streets of Paraty shopping, getting lost and being stared at continuously (to be fair it did look as if we had a bad dose of chicken pox). That day we also stumbled across Kate’s dream cafe - an ice-cream buffet!! You could make your own heart clogging, butt enhancing sundae from a selection of ice creams and toppings. You pay by the kilo as is a South American tradition. Yes you may not recognise us when we get back!!!

The next morning feeling like we needed a bit of physical activity we borrowed the hotels kayaks and went to explore the islands and the bay. The hotel staff had little confidence in our ability but Monique assured them (in fluent Portuguese!) that we were from Australia and were used to kayaking in 2m waves. It was amazing we kayaked around fro a couple of hours exploring the islands.

After lunch we realised we may have got a little sunburnt. After dinner the severity of the sunburn on our legs became apparent*. We were squealing in pain with every step we took. Kate had begun to feel the effects much earlier and was in a lot of pain. Monique told her to stop whinging as sunburn hurts and that’s life. Two hours later Monique was also whinging in pain!

*We wanted it stated for the record that we slathered on SPF 55 sunscreen but apparently the Brazilian sun is immune to sunscreen!

Awakening on Valentines Day (still in pain) with no boys to take us out, we decided to take a romantic boat cruise of the islands and beaches surrounding Paraty. It turned out to be more romantic than expected as we were the only ones on the cruise that day! It was like we chartered our own boat for 40 reais ($24) or at least that was our claim to fame for the day.

It turned out to be just what we needed. It was beautiful, heaps of fun and really relaxing. The beaches were stunning and we had lunch at a cute little island cafe, we even at traditional food and liked it! Our favourite part was snorkelling and diving with fish just of an island. The captain fed the fish while we swam with them. Using charades (our Portuguese is terrible!) we asked the captain about sharks and he assured us there were none. We have since found out that Brazilian oceans are full of sharks. Monique is very glad we did not know at the time as she is the designated shark bait (Kate is the street dog bait). Exhausted we had a little nap on the way back from our tour. Kate briefly awoke and realised that we were ALL asleep. Our driver was apparently a great multi-tasker, driving the boat and napping whilst a fag was alight in his mouth!! We returned to our cabin and had homemade pizza and Maracuya (passion fruit) cocktails.

Our last day in Paraty was supposed to be a relaxing and organising day. However our plans were disrupted when the hotel decided to paint the cabins for Carnaval. The day turned out to be a comedy of errors as the painters hung through our windows smoking and watching our TV and getting headaches from the paint fumes. Kate approached the hotel staff, their solution (in true South American style) was to provide us with incense to mask the smell. However this did not get rid of the fumes and by the end of the day Monique swore they had mercury poisoning (an internet self diagnosis).

The next day rested and relaxed we jumped on a bus to head to Rio for the madness of Carnaval.

xxooxx

Monique and Kate

Hola!!

After 6 weeks of zigzagging across South America, we have finally found a beach haven where we can rest & soak up some sun before the madness of Carnival in Rio.

Here are some pictures of where we will be for the next 4 days.

Lots of swimming, kayaking, island hopping, cocktail drinking & relaxing to be done...dont want to make u all too jealous!!

Well anyway, the beach awaits!!

xxox

M & K

Buenos Tardes Amigos!!

We arrived at the Iguazu Falls after another gruelling 19 hr bus trip to torrential rain, no power, no accommodation (all full) and no food being served anywhere!! Finally finding a room in a hostel in town, we set out in search of food...soon coming across a local deli where we stocked up on health food e.g. chips, cheese & wine.

We spent the afternoon/evening hanging out by the pool and napping. Going out for a late snack, we stumbled across our new favourite bar/cafe where we ordered hamburgers minus the meat ( to the amusement of our waiter) and 1L daiquiris!! This was one of our most satisfying meals yet! And we knew we would be back!!

The following day, we spent the morning running around town trying to find the Brazilian embassy to get our visas sorted. SWEATY & hot we finally found it & were delighted to have our visas processed in just 10 minutes!!!!!!! Of course, some bribery was involved!!

Having only had a light breakfast, we decided to splurge & treat ourselves to the Sheraton buffet lunch. This amazing hotel overlooks the falls & rainforrest. Arriving with 45 minutes to spare, we embarked on a 45 minute frenzy of plating up & stuffing our faces! Particularly Kate who took a particular liking/ obsession to the desserts & sampled at least 8 different cakes/desserts!!

Barely able to move, we decided to walk it off by following the various trails around the falls. The afternoon was spent admiring the beautiful falls, the wildlife, avoiding Jaquars & having a huge water fight (which left us dehydrated as we did not actually drink any of our bottled water!!)

The next day, we attempted to get to the falls early BUT didnt make it there till around 12, just in time for lunch We boarded the park train to the Devils Mouth falls, the most spectactular of them all!! HOWEVER, our plans were derailed by an evil south american jungle wasp of pain!! Photographing the native wildlife (including swarms of butterflies and large lizzards), Kate was viciously attacked by one of these cruel creatures! In the moments that followed....Kate started jumping around like a crazy woman, Monique was too scared to get the freaky pulsating sting out & strangers rushed in to help!! Unsure of whether or not Kates leg would fall off, we caught the train back to first aid. Ironically we received the same treatment here as we had from the first people who rushed to our assistance...ice & sting cream!!

Despite the palm sized swollen welt, we returned to Devils mouth and followed the trail to see the falls. On the way there, we saw more wildlife including an alligator like creature, a large turtle, birds BUT no toucans to our great dissapointment. The falls were incredible - absolutely mesmerising. We took our time taking it all in & then made a dash back out of the harsh harsh sun.

After a nap, we headed back to our favourite cafe, with our favourite waiter for more "burgers" and daiquiris...much to his amusement.

Our final morning, after seriously oversleeping, we found ourselves cashless as we came to pay up our hostel debts. Dismissing the prospect of doing a runner, Kate scored a ride with the helpful receptionist on his motorbike to the bank. Paying up, we set off to the bus station where we jumped on a local bus to take us across the border to Brazil - our 5th and final country. Crossing the border, the bus dropped us off & we went through a swift and uncomplicated entry process.

Onto another bus to take us to ANOTHER bus, we finally set off for Sao Paulo. On our brief tour of Sao Paulo, we managed to successfully use the metro system, have lunch and then get onto ANOTHER bus to the beach town of Parati.

Thats all from the falls.

See you all soon!!!

Love

xxox

M & K