Iguazuuuuuuu

Les chutes d'Iguazu. Une des merveilles du monde.
Quelle chance de pouvoir les visiter et cela quelques semaines apres le Macchu Picchu. Quel luxe, vraiment!
Evidemment, ca n'a rien a voir. Le Macchu Picchu est une pure merveille construite par l'homme dans un lieu magnifique. La culture, religion et mystique y jouent un role hyper important.
Iguazu est une creation de la nature uniquement. Suprenant! Dame Nature demontre sa force. Un spectacle! La Nature nous surprendra toujours et toujours.

Bien sur, le site est hyper protege et comme tout site de ce genre, il est impossible de se perdre et de decouvrir les chutes par soi-meme. Tout est organise, les chemins prepares etc...et evidement les touristes en masse.
L experience seraitencore plus impressionnante si on pouvait arriver aux chutes apres x heures de marches dans la foret...de s'orienter grace au bruit de l'eau qui s ecrase dans le bassin inferieur...

...et puis de se baigner dans les multiples piscines arrosees par les chutes....C est vraiment un endroit paradisiaque dans son genre. Magnifique vraiment... On est tenu a rester sur les chemins et on ne peut se baigner qu a un encroit mais bon on fait marcher l imagination dans ces cas la...

La faune est assez impressionnante aussi. Les papillons superbes et puis on a eu la visite de petits voleurs. Les singes et les especes de rongeurs a queue rayee...mignons mais sans gene, ils m ont vole mes oranges....ceci dit....ce sont les uniques voleurs rencontres en amerique latine donc on relativise!

Apres avoir fait la courte visite des chutes cote bresilien, la visite du cote argentin est beaucoup plus impressionnate.....on a eu un peu du mal a traverser la frontiere avec les bus locaux mais on y est arrive. Argentine! Yeahhhh on peut reparler espagnol, se faire comprendre sans probleme. Quel luxe!

Apres les chutes, bus direct de 17 heures vers Buenos Aires. Je me rejouis de voir Francisco et Chiri et les enfants que je ne connais pas encore. Je me rejouis de voir Adrienne, et puis Connie et ses enfants (que ne connais pas encore non plus). Buenos Aires etait mon premier grand voyage...il y a 12 ans, la premiere fois que je prenais un avion toute seule. 12 ans plus tard, je me rejouis de (re)decouvrir la ville, une ville plus europeenne, plus culturelle que toute autre ville sud americaine.

Buenos aires...on y serait bien reste.... A voir dans prochain post.

Brazil - PARADISE

This is paradise.
From Salvador, we had to get here by boat, 2 illegal mini vans that then had to stop because of police check, made us all get on the official bus, another bus, a tiny boat...and when we arrived to this place, we were expected. Isra and the spanish band had rented a house for us all and were waiting for us at the port.
How good is that????

The week was perfect. Rest, relax, swim, read. White sand, empty beaches, warm sea. What can you ask for more???

Brasil - Boipeba (english)

At the end we arrived to paradise. After going from west to east, after travelling for more than a month and a half, after passing by New York, Peru, Bolivia and part of Brasil... we reached the beach!!!

But of course, it was not going to be easy. Getting to the island took its time. First a ferry, then an illegal van that left us on the road before a policy control, then a bus that we had to stop on the road, then another bus and finally a boat.

 

The island of Boipeba is exactly what we needed. There are no cars, only an ambulance just in case. All is moved by horse or donkey and of course boats.

When we arrived, there were a few spanish friends waiting for us that already rented a house for a few days.

We spend our days doing almost nothing but reading, going to be beach and eating... it was perfect. The day started with a great breakfast at the hostel followed by some reading on an hammac. Then after waking up slowly we faced the beach with some fresh fruits and the books. During the day, we were laying on the shade reading and reading, and sometimes even doing some exercise running in a deserted beach. At night and still being hot, we used to have some cold beers with one of the spaniards left from the group.

It has been long time that I did not feel sooooo relaxed!!!

Now we are back to civilization in the big city of Salvador of Bahia where we will spend christmas and later on we will leave to the Iguazu falls. Still a few days to go and a lot of things to do and beaches to discover and of course a bit of party...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Brasil - Boipeba

Al final llegamos al paraiso. Despues de cruzar suramerica de oeste a este, despues de viajar durante un mes y medio, despues de pasar por Nueva York, Peru, Bolivia y Brasil, llegamos por fin a la playa!!! 

Y  por supuesto iva a costar lo suyo llegar a esta isla. Un ferry, una furgoneta que nos dejo tirados cuando vieron que habia un control de policia ( y no tenian papeles), un autobus que paramos en el medio de no se donde, otro autobus y finalmente una barca.

 

La isla de Boipeba es exactamente lo que necesitabamos. Una isla donde no hay coches, solo una ambulancia por si acaso. Todos los desplazamientos se hacen en burro, caballo o carretas, y por supuesto barca.

Cuando llegamos estaban los espanholes esperandonos y ya habian alquilado una casa para unos dias. Israel y Matthais estaban esperandonos en el mini puerto y luego nos unimos a Gloria y Sergi. 

Los primeros dias fueron bastante relajados, pero despues de que el grupo se fue, fue aun mas relajado. Teniamos por delante una semana de relax.

El plan del dia era algo como desayunar tranquilamente, leer durante un rato en una hamaca e ir a la playa. Soliamos comprar algo de fruta para comer debajo de la sombra de una palmera. Antes de comer hasta hacia un poco de ejercicio corriendo sobre la arena de la playa desertica. Al caer el sol volviamos al pueblo para comprar algo de cenar y cocinar tranquilamente en el albergue. De noche y aun con calorcito nos ivamos a tomar unas cervecitas con Sergi, que se quedo unos dias mas que los otros. 

Entre una cosa y otra, leiamos, leiamos y leiamos, debajo de una palmera en la playa, en el albergue en una hamaca, en todas partes. Hacia mucho tiempo que no estaba tan relajado, sin preocupacion alguna.

Ahora estamos de vuelta en la civilizacion de la gran ciudad de Salvador de Bahia donde pasaremos los dias de navidad antes de ir a las Cataratas de Iguazu. Aun nos quedan unos dias por aqui y muchas cosas que hacer, playas que visitar y un poco de fiesta ...

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Brasil - Before paradise

Brazil.
I had really high expectations for Brazil.
My interest for this country started back in 2002 when I started Capoiera classes in London, then continued in Brighton. I loved the vibe and energy that these movements, rythm, music embraced.
Mateus has always talked about his home country in a very interesting way. When he left Brighton, I was sure I would go and see him one day....the funny thing is that 7 years later, here I am....but Mateus is not here....we did see him in New York though! This is the only country in our trip (and our quick pass in Bolivia) that we go without visiting a friend...

Marianna

I have to admit I was a little disapointed in the first week...maybe because I was tired, I just wanted to stop travelling for a few days, rest, enjoy. Instead we had rain. We entered Brazil by plane, landed in Sao Paulo, didn't stay, went straight to Ouro Preto and Mariana. A small colonial city. Interesting and buitiful. Acutallly very suprizing! We had the first really nice food in weeks and the best breakfast for ages. That made me happy...I am not a food person but I realise now how important food gets when you travel around.

ouro preto

We were happy we at last had a lonely planet to help us out. Being in Peru and Bolivia without a guidebook was a little frustrating sometimes but the first week in Brazil, we over-red it!! Went to places that weren't really worth it, spend too much time in buses etc...and the rain didn't help. Our walking shoes got completly wet for the first time and took 5 days to dry.
Plenty of good things though. Nice towns, new culture, new discoveries, as always. Complaining is a luxoury!!! when we get the photos out we realise how lucky we are to experience all this!

From Ouro Preto, we went to a national parck...a monks monastry in the middle of nowhere...to walk, and see wolves...

for Dionysis and Salome!

Il pleut bergere! I realised I had a kid's poncho only when I opened it!!! Yeah, I got wet...

Sanctuario de Caraça

I now know that what I imagined was Brazil, wasn't were we went to first...when we arrived to Salvador de Bahia, I thought........ah! This is it! Colours, noise, laughs, music, music, music (good music, bad music, christmas carols, etc...), people everywhere, and in all this, people that are really coooooooool.
We are in Brazil! Yeahh

Christmas in Salvador de Bahia!!!

Cusco - Machu Picchu

When you arrive to Cusco everything changes... but I did not expect that it would change so much..

this was Cat when waking up...

From the jungle to the ´sierra´ of Cusco. This time, to avoid 22 hours of bus we took a plane, it was not planned but we are a bit tight on time. Cusco is amazing, we really liked the city. You can really feel the importance of the city since it was discovered and destroyed by the spaniards. Shame on us!!!

Cusco is a city were you could stay a few weeks easily. It is friendly and easy going. We were lucky and we did not find too many tourists and the weather was quite good.

After a few days around the city, we took a day to visit the ruins close to Cusco. The closest to the city is the nicest ones, Sacsayhuamán and Qénqo. The day after we started our way to Machu Picchu, not the Inca trail, but the Inca train, what is f*** expensive.

All around Machu Picchu is business, but once you are there, you do not care anymore about the cost of it. The site itself is amazing but the location is breathtaking. After a guided tour we climbed the Wayna Picchu (the little montain behind the site in the typical picture) what was amazing. The way up is hard and beautiful at the same time. You go through a path between a jungle like forest, then the inca steps (I guess that the Incas had very strong legs), then through a series of very leaning terraces on the site of the montain, and finally through a small tunnel in the montain to reach the top. Over there and thinking about the mystic stories that the guide told us, you star feeling the magic of the place and you feel like praying to the sun, the moon, the condor, the puma and even the snakes, as these three animals were present all the time in the Inca´s lifes.

Stone with more than 22 borders well ensambled



top of Wayna Picchu



the way up



on the way up (or down)

It is really a pitty that this civilization is completelly gone, it was not that far away. We could have gone the day after to spend another full day but because of time and money, we prefered to keep going.

If anyone plans to do it and you do not want to do the inca trail, there is another possibility to avoid taking the train. You can reach Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu pueblo as it is called now) by taking a few ´collectivos´ until you reach Hidroelectrica (I think) and then walk for a few hours till Aguas Calientes. It will take the whole day but it can be very nice meeting the local people during the van trips and then walk through the valley till Aguas Calientes. The day after you can climb to Machu Picchu walking instead of taking the bus, what must be really hard and the bus only costs 15 dolards.

Slowly my muscles are working better!!! Was it brussels or the pills that I am taking?

WE ARE IN BRASIL!!!!!!!

Cusco et Bolivie

Nos derniers moments chez les incas et leurs edescendants.

C etait un peu triste de quitter si vite ce monde riche en culture et en echange mais on ne doit pas oublier que notre voyage en Amerique latine est un plus, on n a que deux mois et on doit choisir ce qu on veut voir, veut faire.

Je retiendrai de cette civilisation, richesse, spiritualite, fierte, force...choses qu on retrouve toujours dans la population, surtout les gens des villages. Ils sont timides et fiers á la fois. Les femmes portent leur vetements traditionnels et leur chapeau avec tant de style...Les couleurs sont folles, jaune et rose, turquoise et rose, vert fonce et rose. elles aiment le rose flash...et ca leur va vraiment bien.



Cusco etait une ville agreable, un peu comme une ville europeenne, propre, calme, sure...ca fait du bien de pouvoir circuler, plus ou moins sans danger...et lors de notre visite a un site archeologique, une fille est venue me demander de prendre une photo. Je me suis donc preparee a prendre cette jolie fille avec sa famille en photo mais non....son pere voulait prendre sa fille en photo avec moi...C etait un peu bizarre...j etais tellement surprise que j ai rien dit et j ai gentillement poser...mais apres un moment je me suis dit que j aurais du faire la meme chose, me faire prendre en photo avec elle...dans le centre de cusco, ca coute de l argent de prendre des photos des peruviennes....Pau etait aussi surpris que moi...et un peu frustre qu on ne lui ai pas demandé....il faut tout de meme quelques avantage a etre blonde hein!!!

La Machu Picchu, Pau en a parle, les photos en disent peut etre encore plus...



On a eu un tout petit avant gout de la Bolivie. Culture similaire a la peruvienne mais encore plus pure. Le tourisme est moins repandu, les gens nous accostent moins, il y a plein de fleurs, des femmes en chapeau melon, le lac titcaca, qui ressemble vraiment trop a la mer. On a marche sur la Isla del Sol, ca nous a fait du bien...

On a rencontre une catalane avec qui on voyage trois, quatre jours. C est gai de faire des rencontres comme ca...et puis un breton aussi. J ai parle francais pour la premniere fois depuis un mois et Pau catalan...et on a joue a Uno...j ai un peu insiste pour qu on joue parce que je l avais porte dans mon sac jusque lá. Ouf, du poids rentabilise. Je me sens mieux!

Isla del Sol avec Anna et Ben







Tant de bons souvenirs dejá...le temps passe vite, trop vite.