Next stop Brazil! We actually took a plane this time, No crappy bus! The plan was to fly to São Paulo and spend 4 days at the Marriott (using up those reward points again!). Then bus our way to Rio De Janiero and hook up with Carrie’s parents for a 4 city tour including; Rio, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, and Santiago. Flying from Buenos Aires to São Paulo was a piece of cake, getting a Brazillian visa, on the other hand, was a pain in the #@* and it cost about $150/person. Over the entire trip, Approximately 2.5 months, we probably spent more money on fees than any other single item. São Paulo is a city of over 28 million people. Question: Is this picture of a sunset or of the glow from the heat generated by that many people. This picture was taken from the 23rd floor and we could not see the end of the city. WOW!
Kinda looks like California don’t you think?
A friend from California was kind enough to introduce us to her Brazillian family. We had a wonderful lunch with Joao and his wife. We ate 2 different varieties of fish from the Amazon River. No, no piranha.
One cannot do a city like Rio without proper preperation. We recommend the Brazillian concoction called caipirinhas. It’s Cachaça, lots of lime and sugar. Tasty but dangerous! Our friend Joe has been following our research into the medicinal benefits of alcohol while traveling and/or hiking, so yes Joe, this is all pure research.
You may have heard of the beautiful beaches in Rio. This beach is named Copacabana. Our hotel was only 1 block from the beach; NICE! The beach was lined with small tiendas so we didn’t have to walk far for snacks and drinks. Medicinal!
We did a city tour that included this structure and Sugarloaf. This upside down funnel is a church. Quite the structure. Carrie’s parents can be seen in the foreground.
The inside of the church was equally amazing!
Next stop Sugarloaf. You get on 2 not so crappy trams and get rewarded wiith incredible views of Rio and Corcovado.
There is another way to get to the top of Sugarloaf if you are one of the rich and famous that is.
Sugarloaf provides a 360 degree view of Rio. This little community had a sailboat anchorage nearby so it had to make the website.
Are you getting the impression that Rio is a big city. We heard around 18 million people.
Big old Rio. This is Copacabana. Our hotel is somewhere down there one block from the beach.
Corcovado as seen from Sugarloaf. We probably took a few dozen photos of the statue from here. The light and cloud formations changed faster than we could snap pictures.
Another view of Corcovado from Sugarloaf.
You can’t think of Rio without thinking of Corcovado. We went up on Easter Sunday. BIG mistake. We think that the entire city, 18 million plus, we’re trying to get up here via a 2 lane windy road. It did end up in gridlock. Cars from top to bottom.
We told you it was crazy getting to the entrance of Corcovado. The poor guy in blue had the most difficult job on the planet. But, he did a great job and kept his sense of humor.
We probably had more fun taking pictures of tourists than of the statue. This is one of our favorites.
If you liked to original you’re going to love the take home size. They were flying off the shelves. And no I don’t mean literally!
Next stop Iguacu Falls (Brazillian side). This coati was the official greeter at the entrance. A tip was mandatory.
We hiked along a trail for about 1 kilometer. The falls stretching most of the way. Truely amazing to see. We were told that it hadn’t rained in a while so the falls were down (pun intended). We saw pictures of the falls at the height of the rainy season. Unbelievable!
Taken from the the beginning of the trail. Seeing the falls from the first viewpoint is akin to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time! Amazing!!!
A raibow always improves a picture. The walkway took you all the way out to the edge of the falls. Not for the faint of heart. During the rainy season the walkway was underwater.
When we said the edge we meant the edge!
More rainbows and more falling water. The falls are a must see for any dedicated traveler. And remember that this is only the Brazilian side.
Just another viewpoint.
The next day we crossed the border back into Argentina. This shot was taken from the Argentine park. The main difference between the sides was that on the Argentine side you could get much closer to the main falls. So close, in fact, that we got soaked attempting to get these shots.
We saw birds diving right near these rocks. Oh, just up river we saw a cayman sunning himself.
This picture again shows how close you can get to death. We would love to hear from anyone else who visited Iguaza Falls. Tell us your story in the comments area of the gallery.
Pat and camera at this point are soaked. Anything for a shot. Picture that is!