Friday, December 24, 2010
Do nothing Curitiba
I have been traveling for 3 weeks and have yet had a do nothing day. I have either been traveling or out hiking somewhere everyday. It was time for a day just to relax, not travel, catch up on internet and relax. Today, december 23 was that day. I walked around the city and checked out a few malls too. Christmas is huge here and there are many decorations. In the center of town is the Rua de Flores, a pedestrian only street with top notch people watching. There's so many weird things here, like a 10m Christmas tree made up of plastic bottles. Another Christmas tree was made of tons of begonias in 10cm pots. Spiderman was around giving the thumbs up, which is very popular here. They give thumbs up more here than any other country I've been to. It's just the culture, one local told me. It rained lightly off and on all afternoon. I found a decent and cheap place to have a buffet meal. I finished off my day seeing the late showing of the movie Buried. Interesting and very original movie about a guy trapped in a coffin. I wasn't sure what I was going to do the next day. So many options but I settled on the night bus to Foz do Igauzu, the mighty Igauzu Falls which I have really been looking forward to. I will arrive there Christmas morning. I hope all my readers have an enjoyable holiday season. Feliz Natal!
Curitiba Tourist Line
The included breakfast spread at the hostel was impressive - toast, buns, ham, loads of different cakes and pastries, tea, coffee and juice. I met an English couple Steve and Anna. I heard them speaking English so I introduced myself. They were really nice and had the same plan as I did for the day so I joined them. There is a green double decker tourist line bus that goes around the city stopping at 25 attractions. With the purchase of a $12 ticket, you are allowed to get off and on 4 times. It was turning out to be a really sunny day. We sat on the top level. It was cool cruising through the city. Our first stop was the Botanical Gardens. It was ok but I wasn't that impressed by it. Next we stopped at the German Forest. A little forested park with a wooden viewing tower. There are many urban parks in the city and Curitiba is one of the greenest cities in the country. It's good to see that Brazil is very forward thinking and trying to be considerate about the environment. Most places I've seen have different colored trash cans specifying if they are for metal, plastic, organic,etc.
Parque Barigui was our third stop. This was a huge green area with a large lake and running track around it. I spotted a lone capybara in the distance eating some grass. The capybara is native to South America and it the world's largest rodent with webbed feet for swimming. They weigh up to 50kg. I have seen them before in Peru and Venezuela but never in a city park. It lets Steve and I approach it pretty close before heading off into some tall grass. Minutes later though we see a group of at least 50 capybara! They also let us approach close, being used to people. It's so cool to see them this close up and I get some great photos. We weren't sure which park to check out and we were both really glad we stopped at this one. It started to rain now and was pouring when we got on the bus. The tourist bus comes along about every 30 minutes. Our last stop was a 100m communications tower with a 360 degree viewing platform. Steve and Anna decided to skip this but I really wanted to see this. It was a tiny elevator to the top. At the top was a superb enclosed viewing area. Panoramic views all around. I was glad I got off here.
While I was waiting for the bus, it started to rain more. When the bus arrived it was jam packed. They didn't put any cover on the open top and I could see a few people still up there with there umbrellas. There was about 25 people waiting at the stop with me. Some of them got on but the bus was getting too full. The doors were still open and no one else was getting on because they were in groups. I was by myself so I figured I could fit on the bus. I jumped on just as the doors closed. As I was standing there a Brazilian woman said something to me about the rain. I wasn't sure what she said so I just smiled and nodded. When the bus came to its first traffic light, I understood what she was saying. All the water from the top level rushed towards the front of the bus and fell like a waterfall at the front corner inside the bus. I had my raincoat on but my shorts and sandals were soaked. My camera and backpack were dry so I didn't care much. It was funny. The water really came down! It was intense. The woman who warned me now says to me 'You don't speak Portuguese?" She spoke a little bit of english and I told her how I didn't understand what she said earlier. We had a laugh about it. Finally some people got off and I was able to move a bit deeper into the bus away from the waterfall. I wondered why this bus wasn't set up better. Surely it must have rained on tours before? The rain was really intense now. Ssome of the streets were under more than 30cm of water! Thankfully the bus stops at the mall across the street from the hostel so I didn't have to walk far but by this point the rain had let up considerably.
I changed, got something to eat and purchased my movie ticket for Tron Legacy in advance. It's great most of the movies are shown in english here with Portuguese subtitles and the cost was half of what it is in Canada.
Parque Barigui was our third stop. This was a huge green area with a large lake and running track around it. I spotted a lone capybara in the distance eating some grass. The capybara is native to South America and it the world's largest rodent with webbed feet for swimming. They weigh up to 50kg. I have seen them before in Peru and Venezuela but never in a city park. It lets Steve and I approach it pretty close before heading off into some tall grass. Minutes later though we see a group of at least 50 capybara! They also let us approach close, being used to people. It's so cool to see them this close up and I get some great photos. We weren't sure which park to check out and we were both really glad we stopped at this one. It started to rain now and was pouring when we got on the bus. The tourist bus comes along about every 30 minutes. Our last stop was a 100m communications tower with a 360 degree viewing platform. Steve and Anna decided to skip this but I really wanted to see this. It was a tiny elevator to the top. At the top was a superb enclosed viewing area. Panoramic views all around. I was glad I got off here.
While I was waiting for the bus, it started to rain more. When the bus arrived it was jam packed. They didn't put any cover on the open top and I could see a few people still up there with there umbrellas. There was about 25 people waiting at the stop with me. Some of them got on but the bus was getting too full. The doors were still open and no one else was getting on because they were in groups. I was by myself so I figured I could fit on the bus. I jumped on just as the doors closed. As I was standing there a Brazilian woman said something to me about the rain. I wasn't sure what she said so I just smiled and nodded. When the bus came to its first traffic light, I understood what she was saying. All the water from the top level rushed towards the front of the bus and fell like a waterfall at the front corner inside the bus. I had my raincoat on but my shorts and sandals were soaked. My camera and backpack were dry so I didn't care much. It was funny. The water really came down! It was intense. The woman who warned me now says to me 'You don't speak Portuguese?" She spoke a little bit of english and I told her how I didn't understand what she said earlier. We had a laugh about it. Finally some people got off and I was able to move a bit deeper into the bus away from the waterfall. I wondered why this bus wasn't set up better. Surely it must have rained on tours before? The rain was really intense now. Ssome of the streets were under more than 30cm of water! Thankfully the bus stops at the mall across the street from the hostel so I didn't have to walk far but by this point the rain had let up considerably.
I changed, got something to eat and purchased my movie ticket for Tron Legacy in advance. It's great most of the movies are shown in english here with Portuguese subtitles and the cost was half of what it is in Canada.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
BH to Curitiba
My next stop after Belo Horizonte was the capital city of Parana state, Curitiba. I was initially going to stop and overnight in Sao Paolo to break the journey but I did not want to see Sao Paolo at all. It's just a huge urban nightmare for me that I had no problem missing. So I would go from BH to Curitiba on the overnight bus, a journey of 15 hours. The bus left at 8pm sharp but it took almost an hour just to get out of BH. The bus was nice, a semi sleeper with a leg rest that came down off the seat in front of me. They provided some snacks and water, as they should, this was the most expensive bus ride I've ever taken. We stopped every three hours or so for a break. I slept off and on most of the way but I was still wrecked when we got to Curitiba, at least 1000km from BH. I walked to Hosel Roma, about 10 minutes from the bus station. I thought I had sworn off hostels but Brazil is so damn expensive, I had to give them another try. It turns out I got my own room with 2 small beds in it for the same price as my hotel in BH. I was happy about that. It's the room sharing with a billion other people and the late partying that bother me most about hostels. This hostel was huge though and it didn't appear to be busy at all. I crashed for most of the day. I got up to eat and went to check out the mall across the street.
This mall was absolutely insane! It was huge and one of the most modern and expensive I have ever seen. This blows away anything in Canada. It's true Curitiba is one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil and enjoys a higher standard of living than the rest of the country and I could see that. It had all the fast food chains I know and some I didn't like Pizza cone. Yup, it's pizza in a cone. I wanted to try it but was kind of expensive for one cone and they were small so I had a soft taco instead. The one thing I really cared about and why I checked out the mall was for its cinema. It had 10 screens and was showing newer Hollywood movies. I was too late to see what I wanted tonight but would come back with plenty of time tomorrow.
This mall was absolutely insane! It was huge and one of the most modern and expensive I have ever seen. This blows away anything in Canada. It's true Curitiba is one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil and enjoys a higher standard of living than the rest of the country and I could see that. It had all the fast food chains I know and some I didn't like Pizza cone. Yup, it's pizza in a cone. I wanted to try it but was kind of expensive for one cone and they were small so I had a soft taco instead. The one thing I really cared about and why I checked out the mall was for its cinema. It had 10 screens and was showing newer Hollywood movies. I was too late to see what I wanted tonight but would come back with plenty of time tomorrow.
Tabuleiro to BH
Last night, Renata offered me a ride back with them to BH. They were only here for the weekend. I could stay here for another day or 2 but I can't pass up the free ride, saving me $50! After breakfast I packed up my tent but before we began the drive to BH, we stopped at a natural swimming pool five minutes away. It was a great spot and we spent a few hours here. There were some high cliffs to jump off, which is always fun. We had lunch in Conceiao before we hit the high road to BH. We stopped at a great view point, that I wished I could have stopped at on my way here on the bus. Once in BH, they dropped me off right in front of my hotel, Madrid. They had a cheap room for me and I took that.
I didn't do much else that night but the action began after I crashed. I was lying on my bed sheet for a while before I crashed and actually went under the sheet. Half an hour later I was itchy all over my torso and neck. I got up and looked in the mirror, 17 huge mosquito like bites, but these weren't mosquitoes. These were the dreaded bedbugs! I hate these things, though thankfully I don't have a lot of experience with them. There were 2 beds in my room so I went to the other bed and tried to sleep on top of the sheet. I also sprayed the bed with Deet. This seemed to help and they only bit me on my legs a little. I put hydrocortizone on the other bites and they were mostly gone by morning. Hydrocortizone is a life saver. That shit is amazing for any bug bites, rashes, redness and itchiness. Sure it's got a steroid in it and you're not supposed to use it more than 4 times in a day but I find after one application that's usually enough. That said I have some reoccuring bug bites which is common for me. Sometimes a bug bite in a sensitive area like a finger, wrist, foot or somewhere bony, last longer and get periodically itchy. I find leech bites and tick bites can itch off and on for weeks. I forgot to mention about a week ago, I pulled a tick from under my thigh on the bus to Caratinga. It was easy to pull out and wasn't that fat, indicating that it had not been feeding on me long, however, that damn bite still gets itchy now and again. All these bites and I haven't even been to the Amazon yet!
I didn't do much else that night but the action began after I crashed. I was lying on my bed sheet for a while before I crashed and actually went under the sheet. Half an hour later I was itchy all over my torso and neck. I got up and looked in the mirror, 17 huge mosquito like bites, but these weren't mosquitoes. These were the dreaded bedbugs! I hate these things, though thankfully I don't have a lot of experience with them. There were 2 beds in my room so I went to the other bed and tried to sleep on top of the sheet. I also sprayed the bed with Deet. This seemed to help and they only bit me on my legs a little. I put hydrocortizone on the other bites and they were mostly gone by morning. Hydrocortizone is a life saver. That shit is amazing for any bug bites, rashes, redness and itchiness. Sure it's got a steroid in it and you're not supposed to use it more than 4 times in a day but I find after one application that's usually enough. That said I have some reoccuring bug bites which is common for me. Sometimes a bug bite in a sensitive area like a finger, wrist, foot or somewhere bony, last longer and get periodically itchy. I find leech bites and tick bites can itch off and on for weeks. I forgot to mention about a week ago, I pulled a tick from under my thigh on the bus to Caratinga. It was easy to pull out and wasn't that fat, indicating that it had not been feeding on me long, however, that damn bite still gets itchy now and again. All these bites and I haven't even been to the Amazon yet!
Tabuleiro part II
The sun hit my tent at 8am and it started to roast inside. I could not sleep anymore. I got up and had breakfast. At 10am, my new friends and I headed to the Tabuleiro waterfall, the main reason I came here. We drove 7km to the falls on a steep and rutted dirt road. If I was alone I would have walked this road, it would have taken me a while. Plus I would have to still walk to the falls and then back again. Would have been a really long and tiring day. I'm glad to have met them and have the company. From the parking lot we had a 2km hike down to the river. The park has a lot of endemic vegetation and I found it very interesting. I'm fortunate in the fact that I like and appreciate plants just as much as I do animals. When there aren't many animals around I can get into the plants and be just as happy.
Once the trail reached the river, we had to boulder hop the rest of the way to the base of the falls. This was a lot of fun, finding my way over huge rocks around the river. The girls were pretty slow, so Caio and I went ahead. We all relaxed at the falls for a while. It was windy and the mist from the falls made it hard to get good photos. Some of the guys swam but it was too cold for me! By the time we got back to the hostel it was mid afternoon and we were all starving. The guys had brought their own barbecue and meat. They fed me generously. Though I had to refuse the alcohol until later at night.
I showered and relaxed in my tent. I could hear more people arriving and the atmosphere getting more rowdy with guitar and group singing. Now I must admit I'm a bit of an introvert when I travel. I don't go out at night to meet people or drink. I usual take in a movie if I can or just read/write/relax/ listen to music on my ipod. I didn't think I was going to feel comfortable with all these drunk strangers but I was wrong. I stayed in my tent until Caio came to get me. They wanted me down there, I didn't have a choice!
Once I got there, Lucas made an annoucement. He made everybody stop what they were doing and announced that I was his friend and I was from Canada. So much for a low profile. Thankfully there were a few other guys there who spoke english well. Many people were super wasted and it was only 9pm! I drank but stayed within my limits. It was really fun. A few people I met said I was crazy/brave for traveling around Brazil alone. Weird, I seem to be hearing that a lot on this trip! The night went late but many people were in bed by 11 or should I say passed out by 11. I had a lot more fun than I expected, I guess I was a bit of a novelty because I was the only non Brazilian there.
By spending time with locals I'm getting to know the insides of Brazilian culture but there is one thing I learned on my own and that is Brazil is a cleavage-lovers paradise! It's true, women of most ages and all colors and shapes show off their cleavage. Sure, it's warm here but it's also warm in Africa and Southeast Asia but I have never seen so much cleavage before. If you got it flaunt it, seems to be the motto here and I must say I don't disagree! Some of the boobs are fake though and they can be easily spotted. Apparently there are a lot of fake asses here too, literrally. I'm not sure if I could spot a fake ass but dammit, I'm going to have fun trying (discreetly, of course)! I must admit Brazil has some of the best people watching I've seen anywhere due to the racially mixed society. There's all combinations here and I really appreciate the diversity.
Once the trail reached the river, we had to boulder hop the rest of the way to the base of the falls. This was a lot of fun, finding my way over huge rocks around the river. The girls were pretty slow, so Caio and I went ahead. We all relaxed at the falls for a while. It was windy and the mist from the falls made it hard to get good photos. Some of the guys swam but it was too cold for me! By the time we got back to the hostel it was mid afternoon and we were all starving. The guys had brought their own barbecue and meat. They fed me generously. Though I had to refuse the alcohol until later at night.
I showered and relaxed in my tent. I could hear more people arriving and the atmosphere getting more rowdy with guitar and group singing. Now I must admit I'm a bit of an introvert when I travel. I don't go out at night to meet people or drink. I usual take in a movie if I can or just read/write/relax/ listen to music on my ipod. I didn't think I was going to feel comfortable with all these drunk strangers but I was wrong. I stayed in my tent until Caio came to get me. They wanted me down there, I didn't have a choice!
Once I got there, Lucas made an annoucement. He made everybody stop what they were doing and announced that I was his friend and I was from Canada. So much for a low profile. Thankfully there were a few other guys there who spoke english well. Many people were super wasted and it was only 9pm! I drank but stayed within my limits. It was really fun. A few people I met said I was crazy/brave for traveling around Brazil alone. Weird, I seem to be hearing that a lot on this trip! The night went late but many people were in bed by 11 or should I say passed out by 11. I had a lot more fun than I expected, I guess I was a bit of a novelty because I was the only non Brazilian there.
By spending time with locals I'm getting to know the insides of Brazilian culture but there is one thing I learned on my own and that is Brazil is a cleavage-lovers paradise! It's true, women of most ages and all colors and shapes show off their cleavage. Sure, it's warm here but it's also warm in Africa and Southeast Asia but I have never seen so much cleavage before. If you got it flaunt it, seems to be the motto here and I must say I don't disagree! Some of the boobs are fake though and they can be easily spotted. Apparently there are a lot of fake asses here too, literrally. I'm not sure if I could spot a fake ass but dammit, I'm going to have fun trying (discreetly, of course)! I must admit Brazil has some of the best people watching I've seen anywhere due to the racially mixed society. There's all combinations here and I really appreciate the diversity.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tabuleiro
My 1pm bus left on time. I was heading to Tabuleiro but the bus only went as far as Conceiao do Mato Dentro. We headed north out of BH. The road was flat for a while but then climbed gradually into a moutain range covered with grass and scrub brush. As we got near the top there were some amazing views. We came down the other side and after just over 3 hours arrived in Conceiao. There was a bus from here to Tabuleiro but they only run at certain times and I already missed it. I had to get a taxi the final 18km. The road was paved but we soon left that for a rutted and steep red soil road. I arrived at Tabuleiro Eco Hostel and set up my tent. There were a few shady grassy terraces for camping, though I couldn't pitch my tent exactly where I wanted due to huge piles of horse shit around. There were horses, chickens and dogs around here roaming free, it seemed. I ate and showered and then hung out.
A group of locals from BH arrived and pitched a tent as well. They spoke some english. After dinner I came to my tent after checking out the stars when the group called me over to them. They were barbecuing and drinking and wanted me to join them. They were Philip, Caio, Lucas and his girlfriend, Renata. They all spoke different degrees of english, understanding more than they could speak but it was Renata who was modestly fluent in english. I talked with her the most or she translated for everyone. Lucas had an accoustic guitar and was belting out cover tunes in english and portuguese. They wanted me to play so I played them a few of my own tunes. It's funny, Lucas only plays cover songs where as I play only my own songs! I don't have the talent, patience or desire to learn any other songs. I'm happy just writing my own stuff. The night went late and I had to refuse plenty of alcohol. I got kind of drunk but didn't want to get super wasted like they were. My tolerance is very low. After I went to bed they stayed up drinking and playing guitar.
A group of locals from BH arrived and pitched a tent as well. They spoke some english. After dinner I came to my tent after checking out the stars when the group called me over to them. They were barbecuing and drinking and wanted me to join them. They were Philip, Caio, Lucas and his girlfriend, Renata. They all spoke different degrees of english, understanding more than they could speak but it was Renata who was modestly fluent in english. I talked with her the most or she translated for everyone. Lucas had an accoustic guitar and was belting out cover tunes in english and portuguese. They wanted me to play so I played them a few of my own tunes. It's funny, Lucas only plays cover songs where as I play only my own songs! I don't have the talent, patience or desire to learn any other songs. I'm happy just writing my own stuff. The night went late and I had to refuse plenty of alcohol. I got kind of drunk but didn't want to get super wasted like they were. My tolerance is very low. After I went to bed they stayed up drinking and playing guitar.
Caratinga to BH
Thankfully when I got up today, Taty had better and more concrete news for me. The bus to Caratinga went by at 11.30 and there was a 4pm bus from Caratinga to BH. That was a lot better. I had a relaxing morning was able to dry most of my stuff in the sun. I got to the main road with plenty of time. The bus passed on time and I arrived in Caratinga around 2pm. I ate, read and waited. The bus left on time at 4 as most buses here are very punctual. The bus system is actually pretty organized, planned and civil here. No worries about getting ripped off or losing baggage. Everyone buys a ticket before boarding and they give you a sticker for your stored luggage with a corresponding number on your ticket so no one can claim your bag but you. It was a steady 6 hours back to BH. I went back to Madrid hotel across from the bus station but they didn't have any cheaper rooms available. I had to go with the next step up which was $10 more. I could see where the extra money went. I had a fan, private bathroom, TV and a view of a concrete wall out my window. I know, doesn't sound nice but all the cheap rooms face the street and the noise of the bus station so this room was super quiet. Unfortunately, there was no english channels but it was nice to have a fan. I could wash my clothes and they would be dry be tomorrow because I have a 1pm bus to Tabuleiro.
Caratinga part IV
The rain had stopped by morning. I got up a little later because after talking with the researchers about getting a guide, I had a feeling no one would be taking me out today and that's ok. They said I don't need a guide here but the guide is excellent. I could see the trails around the station and thought I could hike them alone and save on money for a guide. Only Taty and Zito were still around when I got up. I had breakfast and started hiking the road to a viewing tower that Zito gave me directions to. At first I passed the turnoff but then came back and eventually found the tower. It was a large wooden tower, 3 stories high but not much to see from it. I hung out here a while anyway. I went back in the afternoon for lunch. Just before I was going to go out again, it started to rain. It stopped and I went back out but not too far because I thought it would rain again and it did. I could hear it coming so I started running down the road but then it got really heavy and I had to duck under some trees. I was only one minute from camp but I didn't know at the time. I don't mind getting wet, I had my stuff dry in my pack but the only problem is drying stuff out after it rains or if it keeps raining. I was leaving the next day and hate to pack wet clothes for an 8 hour plus trip back to BH.
That night I asked about transport back to BH. It wasn't easy getting the 2 buses to connect. They weren't even sure when the buses went. At first they said the only bus from Caratinga to BH was at midnight and I could only get to Caratinga around 4pm! This all was sound like a helluva long day waiting around but I would figure it out tomorrow.
That night I asked about transport back to BH. It wasn't easy getting the 2 buses to connect. They weren't even sure when the buses went. At first they said the only bus from Caratinga to BH was at midnight and I could only get to Caratinga around 4pm! This all was sound like a helluva long day waiting around but I would figure it out tomorrow.
Caratinga part III
I woke up a little earlier this morning. I didn't want to keep anyone waiting for me. There was a new researcher here this morning, well, new for me anyway. Her name was Ingrid and she seemed to speak and understand english the best, though it was far from fluent. She asked if I wanted to join her and Zito in the forest and I did. Their study group is further away and we had to drive there on a steep and rutted road. We found their group and followed them up and down some steep hills. The group stopped to rest around noon so we did too. We were there for a while and didn't hear or see the group anymore. We looked for them but couldn't find them. While we were looking for them, we weren't on a trail sometimes. We were bushwaching our way up very steep forested hills. I rested when Zito and Ingrid did and hiked when they were ready. I never needed any more rest and they called me very strong. We waited and listened for muriquis for over an hour. Though we weren't hiking up and gruelling trails, it was just as difficult waiting due to the insects. There were tons of mosquitoes, small biting flies and other flies that don't bite but crawl all over you. I had brought some citronella repellant but it didn't work well. There no restful moments. We were all constantly swatting and slapping some bug or another. I liked to be on the move, because it took a few minutes for the bugs to find us once we stopped.
After a while, Zito and Ingrid, who were 24 and 25 and also married, admitted that they lost the group. We would go to a few lookout points and then back to the jeep. The lookout points were great and bug free! We spotted a troupe of muriquis later but they were on a steep hill were thick brush underneath. Too thick for us to follow. As we walked back to the jeep,we heard chirping like calls. It was the call of the tamarin, a tiny primate and the only species I had yet to see in Caratinga. They were hyper active and bounced around the trees being hard to photograph, though I managed a few ok shots. They look like a crazy clown with a white face, bald head and orange hair coming out of the sides of their heads. Even though it wasn't a great day for muriquis, I was more than happy to finally see the tamarins.
Once back in camp a group of capuchins and a group of muriquis came through camp. I always looked camps where the wildlife comes to you. Taty came back saying she saw a cobra, the portuguese word for snake. I grabbed my camera and we went off to find it. The way I understood the story was that she was washing her face in a small, clear flowing stream when the snake appeared in front of her and chased her up the bank of the river! It was a very poisonous snake so, she was obviously scared. The snake was still there, coiled up on the bank. It didn't react to us at all. Zito got it to move. It was light brown with some dark brown markings and about 1m long. I'm not sure what it was, but I might be able to identify it when I get home.
That night we hung out in camp. We watched local news, which I only understood a bit. After that it was only soap operas on TV, which are very popular here. They shut off the TV and played cards. They invited me to play but I wasn't up for trying to learn a new card game in a language I barely understand. It was ok though. I had my ipod to entertain me.
It was around this day that a guide showed up while I was showering. No one had said anything about a guide. I didn't know if I needed one or not. Early that day Ingrid had said that they never take tourists into the forest with them. I was special, she said. I'm not sure why they took me into the forest but I was glad they did. I was saving on guide fees. It was about $30 a day for food and a bed here. Which isn't super cheap but it's under my budget. I had a feeling maybe the researchers were stepping on the guides toes so to speak because they were taking me out. Thing is I didn't ask to go out with them and I didn't ask for a guide. Maybe they didn't know what to do with me! I was the first Canadian they had ever met. I looked through the guest sign in book. It was all Brazilian visitors. I had to go back 4 months to find someone from outside or Brazil who had visited. My guidebook said this Caratinga was remote and little visited. It was right and that was one reason I wanted to come here. It's a full days journey from the nearest large city and I guess most travellers aren't willing to make the trip out here just to see a rare monkey. I'm a different story, I loved the place and the further away from civilization the better. I had comtemplated skipping the place because it was so far and I would have to come back the same way, but I really wanted to see more Atlantic rainforest and I'm glad I didn't miss Caratinga.
For being a rainforest, the place was pretty dry. Leaves crunched under our feet. Ingrid said it rained a lot last week and now it began to rain tonight. It rained really heavy overnight.
After a while, Zito and Ingrid, who were 24 and 25 and also married, admitted that they lost the group. We would go to a few lookout points and then back to the jeep. The lookout points were great and bug free! We spotted a troupe of muriquis later but they were on a steep hill were thick brush underneath. Too thick for us to follow. As we walked back to the jeep,we heard chirping like calls. It was the call of the tamarin, a tiny primate and the only species I had yet to see in Caratinga. They were hyper active and bounced around the trees being hard to photograph, though I managed a few ok shots. They look like a crazy clown with a white face, bald head and orange hair coming out of the sides of their heads. Even though it wasn't a great day for muriquis, I was more than happy to finally see the tamarins.
Once back in camp a group of capuchins and a group of muriquis came through camp. I always looked camps where the wildlife comes to you. Taty came back saying she saw a cobra, the portuguese word for snake. I grabbed my camera and we went off to find it. The way I understood the story was that she was washing her face in a small, clear flowing stream when the snake appeared in front of her and chased her up the bank of the river! It was a very poisonous snake so, she was obviously scared. The snake was still there, coiled up on the bank. It didn't react to us at all. Zito got it to move. It was light brown with some dark brown markings and about 1m long. I'm not sure what it was, but I might be able to identify it when I get home.
That night we hung out in camp. We watched local news, which I only understood a bit. After that it was only soap operas on TV, which are very popular here. They shut off the TV and played cards. They invited me to play but I wasn't up for trying to learn a new card game in a language I barely understand. It was ok though. I had my ipod to entertain me.
It was around this day that a guide showed up while I was showering. No one had said anything about a guide. I didn't know if I needed one or not. Early that day Ingrid had said that they never take tourists into the forest with them. I was special, she said. I'm not sure why they took me into the forest but I was glad they did. I was saving on guide fees. It was about $30 a day for food and a bed here. Which isn't super cheap but it's under my budget. I had a feeling maybe the researchers were stepping on the guides toes so to speak because they were taking me out. Thing is I didn't ask to go out with them and I didn't ask for a guide. Maybe they didn't know what to do with me! I was the first Canadian they had ever met. I looked through the guest sign in book. It was all Brazilian visitors. I had to go back 4 months to find someone from outside or Brazil who had visited. My guidebook said this Caratinga was remote and little visited. It was right and that was one reason I wanted to come here. It's a full days journey from the nearest large city and I guess most travellers aren't willing to make the trip out here just to see a rare monkey. I'm a different story, I loved the place and the further away from civilization the better. I had comtemplated skipping the place because it was so far and I would have to come back the same way, but I really wanted to see more Atlantic rainforest and I'm glad I didn't miss Caratinga.
For being a rainforest, the place was pretty dry. Leaves crunched under our feet. Ingrid said it rained a lot last week and now it began to rain tonight. It rained really heavy overnight.
Caratinga part II
I got up at 8am, I could hear voices at the researcher station. Vera was there, as was 3 biologist, Taty, Marlon and Zito. I ate breakfast. It was self served but they helped me. Though I couldn't understand everything I was usually getting the jist of what they were saying. Zito opened the fridge and said something, so I took this to mean I could eat anything in the fridge or use it as I need to. After I finished breakfast, the short and tiny biologist, Taty, asked if I wanted to join her in the forest. She was researching the muriqui, the new worlds largest primate and the main reason I was here. I actually saw a troupe of muriqui yesterday as I was waiting. They crossed the road in the trees right near the station. I was surprised that both groups showed no fear of me, when they saw me below taking photographs.
I wasn't sure how I was going to explore the forest, if I needed a guide or what, so I was happy when Taty offered to go with her. We walked down the road, listening for the horse like call of the muriqui. This large primate stands 1.5m tall and weighs up to 15kg. They are more relaxed than most primates and spend a lot of time playing,hanging upside down and hugging. There are only about 2500 left in the wild with only 500 left of the rarer northern muriqui, the one in Caratinga. There are 300 animals in Caratinga, representing over half of the population. Back in the 1940's there were only 8 muriqui on record here. Then a farmer, committed himself to preserving a huge chunk on native Atlantic rainforest on his property. This was unheard of in a time when everyone was cutting down their forest. Years later, the property became a park and researchers came here to study the muriqui. They have been studied for over 25 years now.
Taty was looking for her study group. She kept in radio contact with Marlon and she had GPS. We walked further down the road and got word from Marlon where the group was. The park is very hilly and we climbed a huge hill. On top was a large group of muriqui. Even with us 3 right below them, they were not afraid. One that was eating allowed me to approach within almost 2m of him! They were fun to watch and I got a lot of great photos. Then a troupe of howler monkeys arrived. Then a troupe of brown capuchin monkeys! There are 4 species of primates in Caratinga and I was right below 3 of them. I couldn't ask for much more! This was so cool. We spent a while up here. Taty and Marlon were taking notes. Mid afternoon Marlon was going back to the station and asked if I wanted to go back. I did, we had been out for almost 6 hours and I was happy with what I saw today. I ate lunch, washed clothes and took a nap. I didn't do much the rest of the day.
The researchers have it pretty comfortable here. Vera cooks and cleans for them. They have a nice living area and TV, though no internet. After dinner I watch a movie on my ipod.
I wasn't sure how I was going to explore the forest, if I needed a guide or what, so I was happy when Taty offered to go with her. We walked down the road, listening for the horse like call of the muriqui. This large primate stands 1.5m tall and weighs up to 15kg. They are more relaxed than most primates and spend a lot of time playing,hanging upside down and hugging. There are only about 2500 left in the wild with only 500 left of the rarer northern muriqui, the one in Caratinga. There are 300 animals in Caratinga, representing over half of the population. Back in the 1940's there were only 8 muriqui on record here. Then a farmer, committed himself to preserving a huge chunk on native Atlantic rainforest on his property. This was unheard of in a time when everyone was cutting down their forest. Years later, the property became a park and researchers came here to study the muriqui. They have been studied for over 25 years now.
Taty was looking for her study group. She kept in radio contact with Marlon and she had GPS. We walked further down the road and got word from Marlon where the group was. The park is very hilly and we climbed a huge hill. On top was a large group of muriqui. Even with us 3 right below them, they were not afraid. One that was eating allowed me to approach within almost 2m of him! They were fun to watch and I got a lot of great photos. Then a troupe of howler monkeys arrived. Then a troupe of brown capuchin monkeys! There are 4 species of primates in Caratinga and I was right below 3 of them. I couldn't ask for much more! This was so cool. We spent a while up here. Taty and Marlon were taking notes. Mid afternoon Marlon was going back to the station and asked if I wanted to go back. I did, we had been out for almost 6 hours and I was happy with what I saw today. I ate lunch, washed clothes and took a nap. I didn't do much the rest of the day.
The researchers have it pretty comfortable here. Vera cooks and cleans for them. They have a nice living area and TV, though no internet. After dinner I watch a movie on my ipod.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Estacio Biologica Caratinga
As it happens, Paola and Deborah were leaving Caraca the same day I wanted to, saturday, and were headed to Belo Horizonte. They kindly agreed to give me a free ride. With their ride I was saving almost $50 in taxi and bus fare, so that really helped. Once in BH I spent a few hours updating my apparently nonexistent blog. I found a cheap place to eat under my hotel. Everything in BH is within 5 minutes of my hotel - food, internet, the bank or ATMs and the bus station. It's ok here. Christmas is in full swing too! I was only back in BH for a night before I went to Estacio Biologica Caratinga. I bought my ticket for 8am the next morning.
I got up at 7am for the free hotel breakfast. I packed and was on the bus by 8. It was another nice bus with a bathroom on board. Most of the buses have bathrooms on board which I hardly ever, ever see. It was a long 6 hour ride to Caratinga on winding mountain roads. We stopped at 10am for breakfast. Once in Caratinga, I took another bus at 2.30 towards Ipanema. I told the driver I was getting off at Estacio Biologica and they dropped me there about 2 hours later. The road up to the biological station was unpaved, rough and through the forest. Once they dropped me off, there was nothing around. It was quiet. I liked it already. I hiked on a dirt road for half and hour until I arrived at the tiny research station/ visitors centre. Just before I arrived at the station, a troupe of howler monkeys crossed the road in the trees right above my head! Wow, this was awesome, I just arrived and I'm already seeing monkeys!
Unfortunately for me though, the centre was shut up tight and no one was around. I guess that's why the guidebook says 'booking ahead is essential'! But that's not the way I do most things. I like to just show up and see what happens. I walked down the road further, thinking the accomodation for visitors might be at another place but I didn't see anything else. I finally saw a girl walking down the road. She showed me a key to the research station and where I could shower. This was where the researchers lived and there was coffee on the table and food on the stove. The only thing missing where the people! I checked out the place and behind the lab/garage was a room with a few bunk beds in it for visitors. The window was open. It was now 8pm and still no one was around so, I climbed in the window and opened the door. I set up my mossie net and got comfortable. I went outside to lie on a bench and watch the stars. The moon was bright but the sky was clear. I saw an absolutely amazing shooting star. It appeared as a very bright light,not really moving fast. I wasn't sure what it was at first. It slowly got less bright and then flared up and disappeared. The whole scene lasted almost 5 seconds. I know that doesn't sound like but most shooting stars flash by in a flicker of an eye, this one lasted. Shortly after that another one appeared. It didn't last as long but looked very, very low in the sky. I could almost reach up and touch it.
At 9pm a couple arrived on a motorbike. It was Vera, who worked at the station, cleaning and cooking, and her husband. With my limited understanding of Portuguese, she said that she didn't know I was coming and that's why no one was around. It was sunday night and the researchers were out staying somewhere else. She got me some proper bedding and offered me something to eat. I couldn't wait till now, so I heated up some rice and beans that were left on the stove. She left and I would see what the place was really like, with people, tomorrow.
I got up at 7am for the free hotel breakfast. I packed and was on the bus by 8. It was another nice bus with a bathroom on board. Most of the buses have bathrooms on board which I hardly ever, ever see. It was a long 6 hour ride to Caratinga on winding mountain roads. We stopped at 10am for breakfast. Once in Caratinga, I took another bus at 2.30 towards Ipanema. I told the driver I was getting off at Estacio Biologica and they dropped me there about 2 hours later. The road up to the biological station was unpaved, rough and through the forest. Once they dropped me off, there was nothing around. It was quiet. I liked it already. I hiked on a dirt road for half and hour until I arrived at the tiny research station/ visitors centre. Just before I arrived at the station, a troupe of howler monkeys crossed the road in the trees right above my head! Wow, this was awesome, I just arrived and I'm already seeing monkeys!
Unfortunately for me though, the centre was shut up tight and no one was around. I guess that's why the guidebook says 'booking ahead is essential'! But that's not the way I do most things. I like to just show up and see what happens. I walked down the road further, thinking the accomodation for visitors might be at another place but I didn't see anything else. I finally saw a girl walking down the road. She showed me a key to the research station and where I could shower. This was where the researchers lived and there was coffee on the table and food on the stove. The only thing missing where the people! I checked out the place and behind the lab/garage was a room with a few bunk beds in it for visitors. The window was open. It was now 8pm and still no one was around so, I climbed in the window and opened the door. I set up my mossie net and got comfortable. I went outside to lie on a bench and watch the stars. The moon was bright but the sky was clear. I saw an absolutely amazing shooting star. It appeared as a very bright light,not really moving fast. I wasn't sure what it was at first. It slowly got less bright and then flared up and disappeared. The whole scene lasted almost 5 seconds. I know that doesn't sound like but most shooting stars flash by in a flicker of an eye, this one lasted. Shortly after that another one appeared. It didn't last as long but looked very, very low in the sky. I could almost reach up and touch it.
At 9pm a couple arrived on a motorbike. It was Vera, who worked at the station, cleaning and cooking, and her husband. With my limited understanding of Portuguese, she said that she didn't know I was coming and that's why no one was around. It was sunday night and the researchers were out staying somewhere else. She got me some proper bedding and offered me something to eat. I couldn't wait till now, so I heated up some rice and beans that were left on the stove. She left and I would see what the place was really like, with people, tomorrow.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Caraca Part III
Dec. 9
I woke up this morning feel like a bag of shit. Headache, bodyache, head congestion and possible slight fever. I wasn't even that hungry but ate some breakfast. I cooked my own eggs over the wood stove. Even though I felt like crap I wasn't going to let it ruin my whole day. I still got ready and hit the trail for 2 hours. I walked slow and didn't go far, I just felt too terrible. I got hungry later and ate lunch and then lied back down. I slept for a bit but woke up and didn't feel any better. I indeed had a fever of 100F. I needed something so I got up to go find someone. I asked a guy who I thought was a priest. He was the right guy to ask. He took me to the 'pharmacy' down the hall and gave me 4 pills, 2 now, 2 before bed. I took them and read and relaxed in my room. By dinner time at 6.30 I was feeling loads better. I hung out for the nightly feeding and then went to sleep. I wondered what was wrong with me. I never get this sick this early in a trip.
Dec. 10
I woke feeling 10 times better than yesterday. Whatever I had was basically gone. I was hungry and wanted to get back out on the trail. I hit the trail at 9.30. I was on a 6km long trail to a cascatona, a large waterfall. Paola and Deborah had gone this way yesterday. They said it took them 3 hours each way and they saw monkeys on the way. I wasn't quite up for an epic 6 hour hike, especially after having a fever yesterday but I wanted to look for monkeys. I limited myself to hiking 1.5 hours one way and then return to be back in time for lunch. It also looked like rain again, which it has been doing off and on. The trail was nice and it was through forest the whole time. I turned around after an hour and a half and made it back to Caraca at 12.30. I didn't see any monkeys but I did see some cool flowers.
At lunch, just like yesterday, there was a huge group of school kids here. Thankfully they only eat and then leave. They don't stay the night or hike the trails. In fact it seemed like only Deborah, Paolo and I were hiking the trails. I didn't see a single soul out in the bush. I loved this, it was like I had the whole park to myself. After lunch I took a short trail that climbed a hill for a view of the park. The top was rocky and steep and crawling with lizards. I set my pack down and tried for some photos. I sat still and was trying to photograph one lizard when to my disbelief, he started coming closer! Most lizards are skittish at best, staying still for a short time and then scattering quickly if you try to come close. Not this guy. I stayed still and he kept coming. He was literally right underneath me! This was so cool. I must stress, this never happens. Only one other time did I have a lizard approach me. I remember it clearly because of how rare an event it is. This first time was also in a transition forest in southern Madagascar. I was sitting on some rocks in my swimming suit drying off after a swim. A largish iguana, maybe 30cm long kept coming close to me. I shoed him away at first but then thought, let's see what happens if I don't move. He came right up to me, actually on top of my bare foot and was eating the flies I was attracting! I thought this was the coolest thing in the whole world. I could feel his little claws on me. I will never forget that moment. It's not often that any wild animal approaches a human. They must know the wrong human can be bad news for them.
I could hear monkeys calling loudly to each other in the forest not far from here. I climbed down and went in that direction. I took a wide flat trail that lead to a small lake. There was a small trail up the hillside through the forest in the direction of the monkeys so I took it. The trail petered out at the top of the hill but it was shady so I took off my pack and hat and had a rest. I thought I would wait here and listen for the monkeys to call again. I saw an interesting hairy red and yellow flower. I got into a cramped position to take a good photo of it. While I was doing this I was hearing a bit of movement in the trees but didn't look up because it was only subtle movement. When I did look up I saw there were 3 monkeys right over me! They were looking at me! I stayed still and tried to get photos. There were insects everywhere around me. Mosquitos, black flies, small flies, big flies and other things I didn't know what they were but I stayed still to get the shot. Finally it was too much and I had to move to put on my hat. This didn't bother the monkeys. Something even painfully bit me in the ass! I was itchy all over my upper body. The monkeys moved on so I followed them. They crossed the trail and so did I. The little trail I was on led into the forest just below them. I was following them cautiously when suddenly I walked into some thing painful that stopped me dead. I walked into a shin high barbed wire fence. Ouch! I later learned that there was cattle in the area and this was probably to stop them. Still it hurt. I stepped over the fence and followed the monkeys. I was able to get some decent photos and look at them with my binoculars. They had black faces surrounded by black fur but the rest of their body was lighter brown. All their fur was thick to protect against the cold winter nights. They still didn't appeared bothered by me crashing through the undergrowth beneath them. They occasionally looked at me but that was it. I didn't influence their behaviour one bit. I liked that. Obviously these monkeys haven't been hunted in a long time or ever for that matter.
It's so funny. This morning I walk for hours away from Caraca looking for monkeys and now I see them within view of the pousada. I walk back after my encounter and take a shower to help with the bug bites. It's sunny so I wash with clothes with the hope they will dry before the sun sets.
It's friday night now and there are more people here. I don't like the nightly feeding as much now that there is 20 people here. They treat the wolf with no respect. I'm glad I'm leaving tomorrow.
I woke up this morning feel like a bag of shit. Headache, bodyache, head congestion and possible slight fever. I wasn't even that hungry but ate some breakfast. I cooked my own eggs over the wood stove. Even though I felt like crap I wasn't going to let it ruin my whole day. I still got ready and hit the trail for 2 hours. I walked slow and didn't go far, I just felt too terrible. I got hungry later and ate lunch and then lied back down. I slept for a bit but woke up and didn't feel any better. I indeed had a fever of 100F. I needed something so I got up to go find someone. I asked a guy who I thought was a priest. He was the right guy to ask. He took me to the 'pharmacy' down the hall and gave me 4 pills, 2 now, 2 before bed. I took them and read and relaxed in my room. By dinner time at 6.30 I was feeling loads better. I hung out for the nightly feeding and then went to sleep. I wondered what was wrong with me. I never get this sick this early in a trip.
Dec. 10
I woke feeling 10 times better than yesterday. Whatever I had was basically gone. I was hungry and wanted to get back out on the trail. I hit the trail at 9.30. I was on a 6km long trail to a cascatona, a large waterfall. Paola and Deborah had gone this way yesterday. They said it took them 3 hours each way and they saw monkeys on the way. I wasn't quite up for an epic 6 hour hike, especially after having a fever yesterday but I wanted to look for monkeys. I limited myself to hiking 1.5 hours one way and then return to be back in time for lunch. It also looked like rain again, which it has been doing off and on. The trail was nice and it was through forest the whole time. I turned around after an hour and a half and made it back to Caraca at 12.30. I didn't see any monkeys but I did see some cool flowers.
At lunch, just like yesterday, there was a huge group of school kids here. Thankfully they only eat and then leave. They don't stay the night or hike the trails. In fact it seemed like only Deborah, Paolo and I were hiking the trails. I didn't see a single soul out in the bush. I loved this, it was like I had the whole park to myself. After lunch I took a short trail that climbed a hill for a view of the park. The top was rocky and steep and crawling with lizards. I set my pack down and tried for some photos. I sat still and was trying to photograph one lizard when to my disbelief, he started coming closer! Most lizards are skittish at best, staying still for a short time and then scattering quickly if you try to come close. Not this guy. I stayed still and he kept coming. He was literally right underneath me! This was so cool. I must stress, this never happens. Only one other time did I have a lizard approach me. I remember it clearly because of how rare an event it is. This first time was also in a transition forest in southern Madagascar. I was sitting on some rocks in my swimming suit drying off after a swim. A largish iguana, maybe 30cm long kept coming close to me. I shoed him away at first but then thought, let's see what happens if I don't move. He came right up to me, actually on top of my bare foot and was eating the flies I was attracting! I thought this was the coolest thing in the whole world. I could feel his little claws on me. I will never forget that moment. It's not often that any wild animal approaches a human. They must know the wrong human can be bad news for them.
I could hear monkeys calling loudly to each other in the forest not far from here. I climbed down and went in that direction. I took a wide flat trail that lead to a small lake. There was a small trail up the hillside through the forest in the direction of the monkeys so I took it. The trail petered out at the top of the hill but it was shady so I took off my pack and hat and had a rest. I thought I would wait here and listen for the monkeys to call again. I saw an interesting hairy red and yellow flower. I got into a cramped position to take a good photo of it. While I was doing this I was hearing a bit of movement in the trees but didn't look up because it was only subtle movement. When I did look up I saw there were 3 monkeys right over me! They were looking at me! I stayed still and tried to get photos. There were insects everywhere around me. Mosquitos, black flies, small flies, big flies and other things I didn't know what they were but I stayed still to get the shot. Finally it was too much and I had to move to put on my hat. This didn't bother the monkeys. Something even painfully bit me in the ass! I was itchy all over my upper body. The monkeys moved on so I followed them. They crossed the trail and so did I. The little trail I was on led into the forest just below them. I was following them cautiously when suddenly I walked into some thing painful that stopped me dead. I walked into a shin high barbed wire fence. Ouch! I later learned that there was cattle in the area and this was probably to stop them. Still it hurt. I stepped over the fence and followed the monkeys. I was able to get some decent photos and look at them with my binoculars. They had black faces surrounded by black fur but the rest of their body was lighter brown. All their fur was thick to protect against the cold winter nights. They still didn't appeared bothered by me crashing through the undergrowth beneath them. They occasionally looked at me but that was it. I didn't influence their behaviour one bit. I liked that. Obviously these monkeys haven't been hunted in a long time or ever for that matter.
It's so funny. This morning I walk for hours away from Caraca looking for monkeys and now I see them within view of the pousada. I walk back after my encounter and take a shower to help with the bug bites. It's sunny so I wash with clothes with the hope they will dry before the sun sets.
It's friday night now and there are more people here. I don't like the nightly feeding as much now that there is 20 people here. They treat the wolf with no respect. I'm glad I'm leaving tomorrow.
Caraca part II
I was excited to get out on the trails for my first full day at Caraca. My allergies suddenly acted up and I was sneezing and blowing my nose constantly all day, so annoying. I walked to a 5 tiered waterfalls and then hit another trail. I thought I was following a trail but then it petered out into the bush. The trail was more like an old road with a lot of grassy areas. The vegetation of the park is a transitional forest of cerrado ( grasslands and small trees) and Mata Atlantica ( atlantic coast rainforest). I was walking through a lot of grass and my mind turned to ticks, as it usually does in grassy areas. I inspected myself and yup, I had ticks on me! They had not bitten into me yet so they were easy to remove. When hiking alone I always make sure I know the way I came just in case I have to backtrack. I returned to the main trail and saw that I wasn't on the trail I thought. I took this new trail and was looking for a junction to turn right and make a loop back to Caraca. I was walking for a while and didn't see any loop. It was getting late and I wanted to be back for lunch between 12 and 1.30. I turned around and went back. As I walked through a forested section on the way back I heard movement in the trees. Monkeys! I always have time for monkeys. I stopped and watched them but they kept getting further away. I will come back to this area to look for them again, I thought to myself. I got back at 1.30 and was starving. I ate a huge lunch and rested for a bit.
I went back out to the trail I had started yesterday. I would take it 3km to the grutas des lourdes at the trails end. The trail went uphill through dense forest. The trail was really tight and I was constantly brushing vegetation. A few times I lost the way but backtracked and found the proper trail. The grutas des lourdes was nothing special, just a rocky overhang with a little statue of Mary. Halfway back to Caraca, it began to rain but I was prepared this time. I saw a large 60cm long lizard on the way back. Not sure exactly what type it was but I got a great photo of it. I didn't bring any identification books with me this time. I do feel a little lost without them but my reptile and my mammal ID guides would have added more than a kilo of weight and I decided I could go without them, since this trip is a month shorter than my usual 4 month trips, I could make do. I would identify them from my photos when I got home.
There is a lot of wildlife here, parrots, hummingbirds, many other birds and lizards. There aren't many mammals though. Dinner was another delicious affair. The large pots of food sit on top of a wood burning stove. I was not losing any weight here. That night at the feeding of the wolf I got talking to the couple from the night before. They were Paolo and Deborah and they have been coming here every 3 years for the last 26 years. They have seen Caraca in every season. The park is 1300m and gets very cold during June, July and August, the Brazilian winter. Paolo said it drops to 3C at night! Ouch! Now thats cold considering there's no heat sources in the rooms. I haven't seen anyone on the trails. I think Paolo and Deborah are the only other people here hiking the trails.
I went back out to the trail I had started yesterday. I would take it 3km to the grutas des lourdes at the trails end. The trail went uphill through dense forest. The trail was really tight and I was constantly brushing vegetation. A few times I lost the way but backtracked and found the proper trail. The grutas des lourdes was nothing special, just a rocky overhang with a little statue of Mary. Halfway back to Caraca, it began to rain but I was prepared this time. I saw a large 60cm long lizard on the way back. Not sure exactly what type it was but I got a great photo of it. I didn't bring any identification books with me this time. I do feel a little lost without them but my reptile and my mammal ID guides would have added more than a kilo of weight and I decided I could go without them, since this trip is a month shorter than my usual 4 month trips, I could make do. I would identify them from my photos when I got home.
There is a lot of wildlife here, parrots, hummingbirds, many other birds and lizards. There aren't many mammals though. Dinner was another delicious affair. The large pots of food sit on top of a wood burning stove. I was not losing any weight here. That night at the feeding of the wolf I got talking to the couple from the night before. They were Paolo and Deborah and they have been coming here every 3 years for the last 26 years. They have seen Caraca in every season. The park is 1300m and gets very cold during June, July and August, the Brazilian winter. Paolo said it drops to 3C at night! Ouch! Now thats cold considering there's no heat sources in the rooms. I haven't seen anyone on the trails. I think Paolo and Deborah are the only other people here hiking the trails.
Feeding of the wolves
Many years ago a priest at Cararca ( this is the only park in Brazil administered by clergy and masses are still held in the old church) tried to befriend the maned wolf which lives in the park. After a few years he gained the wolves trust and now the nightly feedings are open to the public. I went out after dinner and waited. I talked to a friendly, english speaking couple from Rio, they said the wolf had already come but he might be back. Just half an hour later, he appeared, cautious yet confident and hungry! The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. Their coat is a light rusty brown, their legs black and a white tipped tail. I was surprised at how big they actually are. His head could easily reach my waist. It was a magical moment to be alone there with the wolf while he wolfed down the meat scrapes. Bats circled over my head coming so close I could hear the wind on their wings.I took many flash photos but this didn't bother the wolf. He must be used to the paparazzi! He ate almost the whole plate of raw chicken scraps and then wandered back into the forest. I was so happy to see this wolf here but I'm also going to try to see them again in a more natural setting in a few weeks.
Parque do Caraca
Most hotels in Brazil include breakfast and the cheap Hotel Madrid was no exception. After breakfast, I went to an ATM and took out money with no problems. I did my annual buzzing of my hair, bought a bus ticket and was on my way to Parque do Caraca at 10am. It was a 2.5 hour ride to Santa Barbara through rolling hills and not much development. From Santa Barbara I had to take a taxi to Caraca. It was 18km away and we only passed a few pousadas ( family run guesthouses) along the way. I liked what I was getting into, forest and no people. I stayed at Pousada Santerio, the only place to stay in the park. It is nestled in the middle of a range of bowl shaped mountains. There is a church here dating from 1774 from which the pousada was built around.
My private room cost $70 Brazilian real ( $1 can/us = appox. 1.70 reals) but that included 3 meals a day as well. I thought it was a pretty good deal once I saw my room and the food. I was starving and went to eat right away. All the meals are all you can eat buffets and the food was excellent. Brazilian food is pretty tame. There's nothing crazy exotic here. There was rice, beans, chicken, pork, beef, french fries, soup, salad, pasta, pasta salad and always fruit, usually banana, watermelon and papaya. They also had dessert! Sweet potatoe pudding and soft peanut brittle. They had coffee and juice too, though only provided coffee mugs in the morning. Other times you had to drink it from a small one once plastic cup. I know, weird eh?! According to Lonely Planet, Brazilians like their coffee as strong as the devil, hot as hell and sweet as love. Which is great, because that's exatly the way I like it.
My room was on a lower level floor which I had all to myself. Across the hall was the bathroom. Water was hot and pressure was outstanding! The whole place was spotlessly clean. I could get used to this! I planned on spending 4 nights here, from Tuesday to Saturday because Lonely Planet (LP) said it got busy on weekends. Thoughtfully placed motion censor lights lit up the hall or bathroom when ever I left my room. My room stayed a steady 23C with 75% humidity day and night. It had one large glass window with no screen so I always left it open.
It was already mid afternoon after I finished lunch so I just took a small trail up a hillside through the forest. The hillsides are littered with trails all marked on a free map. Many of the trails are self guiding, which I really like. It started to rain as I was on the trail and I had to run back not to get too soaked. I was prepared for any rain. After dinner I went out to a patio to see the nightly feeding of the wolf.
My private room cost $70 Brazilian real ( $1 can/us = appox. 1.70 reals) but that included 3 meals a day as well. I thought it was a pretty good deal once I saw my room and the food. I was starving and went to eat right away. All the meals are all you can eat buffets and the food was excellent. Brazilian food is pretty tame. There's nothing crazy exotic here. There was rice, beans, chicken, pork, beef, french fries, soup, salad, pasta, pasta salad and always fruit, usually banana, watermelon and papaya. They also had dessert! Sweet potatoe pudding and soft peanut brittle. They had coffee and juice too, though only provided coffee mugs in the morning. Other times you had to drink it from a small one once plastic cup. I know, weird eh?! According to Lonely Planet, Brazilians like their coffee as strong as the devil, hot as hell and sweet as love. Which is great, because that's exatly the way I like it.
My room was on a lower level floor which I had all to myself. Across the hall was the bathroom. Water was hot and pressure was outstanding! The whole place was spotlessly clean. I could get used to this! I planned on spending 4 nights here, from Tuesday to Saturday because Lonely Planet (LP) said it got busy on weekends. Thoughtfully placed motion censor lights lit up the hall or bathroom when ever I left my room. My room stayed a steady 23C with 75% humidity day and night. It had one large glass window with no screen so I always left it open.
It was already mid afternoon after I finished lunch so I just took a small trail up a hillside through the forest. The hillsides are littered with trails all marked on a free map. Many of the trails are self guiding, which I really like. It started to rain as I was on the trail and I had to run back not to get too soaked. I was prepared for any rain. After dinner I went out to a patio to see the nightly feeding of the wolf.
Belo Horizonte
I left El Misti Hostel at 10.30am for the bus station. I was 10 minutes to late to get the 11am bus to Belo Horizonte (BH), so I had to wait till the 2pm bus. I just hung around a food court waiting. We all got on the bus at 2 and then all got off 10 minutes later and switched to another bus, not sure why. The 6 hour trip to BH winded through forested mountains and then grassy mountains. We drove through some horrendous and torrential rain. I give the driver a lot of credit. Once I arrived in BH I got a basic room at Hotel Madrid, right across the street from the bus station. It was only $3 more than the hostel room I shared with 9 people. It had no bathroom but it was all mine. It did have a balcony where I could watch the bus station from. There are better places to stay in town but since I was only staying one night, I was happy to be right beside the bus station. I wasn't hungry as we stopped at a cafeteria along the way. I grabbed a beer from the hotel lobby and chilled on the balcony in the drizzling rain. BH is 850M above sea level and slightly cooler than Rio. I was surprised there was no fan in the room though. It was only 23C outside but it was 27C in my room.
Sugar Loaf Mountain
After breakfast Kyle, Brandon, Camilla and I get on a local bus for Pao de Acucar, known in english as Sugarloaf mountain. It's only a 20 minute ride. We start hiking up a wide paved trail up the mountain. It's the weekend and busy with people running and walking. Surprisingly for all this human traffic, I spot a pair or marmosets in the trees beside the path. Marmosets are small primates and I never thought I would see them here. They are very low in the tree and aren't bothered by anything. I get some great pics and then see why they hang around. They happily and easily accept a banana from a local. We have to leave the paved trail and hike up through forest to the top of the first peak of Sugarloaf. It's possible to take a cable car to here and then to the top but we all wanted to hike to the first peak. The view is great from here. It's a clear day and we can even see Corcavado, where we were yesterday. Why couldn't it have been this clear yesterday?
It's busy up here. There are lots of cafes and souvenir shops. We get the cable car to the peak of Sugarloaf mountain, around 400m high. The peak is occasionally surrounded with clouds but it clears for a while. We hang out on top of the mountain for a while and walk some short trails in the forest. After a while the clouds have come in and aren't showing any signs of leaving. I'm at least glad it was clear for a while.
Back in Copacabana I relax at the hostel for a while. I buy the largest mango I've ever seen at the supermarket across the street. It also has the largest passionfruits I've ever seen. The mango is tasty but it's not as good as the mangoes I had in Asia, escpecially Vietnam.
Brandon, Kyle, Camilla and I go out for dinner across the street from a beach. It rained heavily earlier but is only sprinkling now. It starts to pour on our way and we are wet by the time we reach the open air restaurant. The rain gets more intense. Lightning strikes right nears us and scares the shit out of everyone. A couple of firetrucks pull up and go into the building across the street. We try and wait for a break in the rain to go back to the hostel but it's not happening. We make a break for it, running in spurts from one overhang to the next. I'm really soaked now and chilled. I make it back to the hostel and change and set my clothes out to dry. This is my last night in Rio. I will be happy to leave the hostel and have my own room. I liked Rio more than I thought I would but I'm ready to move on.
It's busy up here. There are lots of cafes and souvenir shops. We get the cable car to the peak of Sugarloaf mountain, around 400m high. The peak is occasionally surrounded with clouds but it clears for a while. We hang out on top of the mountain for a while and walk some short trails in the forest. After a while the clouds have come in and aren't showing any signs of leaving. I'm at least glad it was clear for a while.
Back in Copacabana I relax at the hostel for a while. I buy the largest mango I've ever seen at the supermarket across the street. It also has the largest passionfruits I've ever seen. The mango is tasty but it's not as good as the mangoes I had in Asia, escpecially Vietnam.
Brandon, Kyle, Camilla and I go out for dinner across the street from a beach. It rained heavily earlier but is only sprinkling now. It starts to pour on our way and we are wet by the time we reach the open air restaurant. The rain gets more intense. Lightning strikes right nears us and scares the shit out of everyone. A couple of firetrucks pull up and go into the building across the street. We try and wait for a break in the rain to go back to the hostel but it's not happening. We make a break for it, running in spurts from one overhang to the next. I'm really soaked now and chilled. I make it back to the hostel and change and set my clothes out to dry. This is my last night in Rio. I will be happy to leave the hostel and have my own room. I liked Rio more than I thought I would but I'm ready to move on.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Christ the Redeemer
Dec. 4
It was 9.30am and I wanted to keep sleeping but the complimentary breakfast goes from 8 to 10 and I wasn't about to miss a free breaky! The spread was extensive for a free breakfast. Buns, toast, sliced cold meat, eggs, fruit, cereal and coffee and juice. I filled my belly and then read for a while. Seems like most of the guests of the hostel don't speak english as their first language, so I was happy to finally hear some english voices. They belonged to Kyle and Brandon from the US and with them Camilla from Sweden. I was staying 3 days in Rio to visit the Christ Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf mountain. I would do them solo but was looking for company. An hour later the four of us were on our way.
We took a local bus to the base of Corcovado mountain. From there we took the cog train up to the top of the mountain. The 20 minute ride snaked through the forest of Tiajuca national park inside which the monument is located. We ascended into the clouds, litterally! We got to the top and couldn't see a thing! Not even the Christ statue when I was standing right beside it. I was hoping the clouds would pass or at least open up to give us a little sneak peek. Thankfully they did, though not for long. I managed to get a few pics but I was hoping for a lot more of the statue and the views. I stayed on top of the mountain for 3 hours, hoping for a break. But only a few very short openings came. My companions left after one hour. I kept myself busy taking pictures of some lizards, insects and butterflies. While I was photographing one butterfly near the ledge, a bushy tail passed by. A mammal! It was a coati, like a racoon. I was surprised and super happy, I didn't think I would see anything like this up here, with all these people around. It was very busy. It was saturday afterall but maybe it's busy everyday, I don't know.
I took the bus back to Copacabana and showered and washed my clothes again. Tomorrow the plan is to conquer Sugarloaf mountain with Brandon, Kyle and Camilla.
It was 9.30am and I wanted to keep sleeping but the complimentary breakfast goes from 8 to 10 and I wasn't about to miss a free breaky! The spread was extensive for a free breakfast. Buns, toast, sliced cold meat, eggs, fruit, cereal and coffee and juice. I filled my belly and then read for a while. Seems like most of the guests of the hostel don't speak english as their first language, so I was happy to finally hear some english voices. They belonged to Kyle and Brandon from the US and with them Camilla from Sweden. I was staying 3 days in Rio to visit the Christ Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf mountain. I would do them solo but was looking for company. An hour later the four of us were on our way.
We took a local bus to the base of Corcovado mountain. From there we took the cog train up to the top of the mountain. The 20 minute ride snaked through the forest of Tiajuca national park inside which the monument is located. We ascended into the clouds, litterally! We got to the top and couldn't see a thing! Not even the Christ statue when I was standing right beside it. I was hoping the clouds would pass or at least open up to give us a little sneak peek. Thankfully they did, though not for long. I managed to get a few pics but I was hoping for a lot more of the statue and the views. I stayed on top of the mountain for 3 hours, hoping for a break. But only a few very short openings came. My companions left after one hour. I kept myself busy taking pictures of some lizards, insects and butterflies. While I was photographing one butterfly near the ledge, a bushy tail passed by. A mammal! It was a coati, like a racoon. I was surprised and super happy, I didn't think I would see anything like this up here, with all these people around. It was very busy. It was saturday afterall but maybe it's busy everyday, I don't know.
I took the bus back to Copacabana and showered and washed my clothes again. Tomorrow the plan is to conquer Sugarloaf mountain with Brandon, Kyle and Camilla.
Rio De Janeiro
Nov. 3 2010
I have begun another adventure which starts in one of the most well known cities in the world, Rio De Janeiro. Contrary to popular belief, Rio is not the capital of Brazil. That distinction goes to the inland futuristic city of Brasilia. I took 2 flights to get here and everything went smooth. The last flight was a 10 hour overnighter from Atlanta to Rio. I tried and did sleep a little but when I couldn't sleep I watched a couple of movies. I had already been mistaken for Brazilian twice before even getting on the plane! This never happens. The only nationality I get mistaken for is American. Once I was in Brazil I saw why I was asked if I was Brazilian. The people of the country range from very white to very dark, fat, skinny, tall, short and everything in between. This just might be the first country where I don't stand out as a tourist, that is until I open my mouth! To me this is has its pros and cons. Sometimes I like standing out in a crowd and like the attention I get. Blending into the crowd is something I can do in Canada! But I'm not complaining, it is nice too not being noticed. I tried to learn a little Portuguese before I left but found it difficult. I still have memories of Spanish I used 10 years ago when I was last in South America and I'm hoping this will help. Speaking spanish has led people to ask me if I'm from Argentina or another spanish speaking country, but I guess I brought that on myself!
I booked 3 nights in El Misti hostel and this qualified me for a free pickup from the airport. The Rio airport is kind of small and there was no hassle or chaos at all when I left the airport. I had to wait 15 minutes for my ride and no one bothered me. Driving the streets into the city I took in the warm (30C) and humid air like a bird to flight. As I looked around and saw the familiar tropical landscape of fig trees, bouganvillea, mangos, papayas and palm trees, I felt very comfortable. I feel as at home surrounding by tropical flora as I do surrounded by pines, maples and spruce trees in Canada. The traffic was busy but the roads were in decent condition. Rio is mountainous and we drove through 4 tunnels on the way to the hostel. We stopped to get gas and I was surprised when the driver lifted his hood and they put some fancy looking gas pump inside. Now, I don't know a lot about cars, gasoline, etc, but I have never seen this done before.
At the hostel I took a bed in a 9 bed dorm room, 3 sets of 3 high bunkbeds in a tiny room. Normally I never go for dorms, as I don't like most things about them, but here it was the cheapest way to get a bed and I could book it online. December is high season in Brazil and I didn't want to be lugging my backpacks around looking for a place. The staff at the hostel are super friendly and speak english, spanish and portuguese. I was utterly wrecked from the flying and lack of sleep and slept from noon till almost 4. I got up and walked 400m to the famous Copacabana beach. I walked the streets for a bit and then chilled with a fruit smoothie. There are lots of juice/fruit bars. People seemed friendly and I didn't feel like my safety was threatened. Rio has a terrible reputation for violence, some of it justified, but most of this violence occurs in the slums/favelas on the hills surrounding the city.
I showered and washed the clothes I was wearing and then went out for dinner, looking for a reasonably priced meal. Brazil is not cheap as it is and Rio is probably one of its most expensive cities. I'm not going to go on and on about how expensive Brazil is compared to the other countries I traveled in but I will give some examples from time to time. For one, my dorm bed is more expensive than any hotel I had on my entire trip last year, and that was when my room had hot water, private bathroom and satellite TV!
I found a small hole in the wall type place and had chicken, rice and french fries, washed down with a Chopp draft beer. It was all good and the portions were huge. I have been following a semi vegetarian diet ( I eat chicken or fish, maybe once a month) for a year and a half, but as with my trip last year, I won't be as strict on that diet while I'm on the road. It's easy to eat veggie at home, but trying to keep it up while traveling is not a challenge I'm up for. I will say that is was easy to eat veggie in India though, but everywhere else it can be very tough.
There was a bit of a party back at the hostel but I wasn't feeling up for it. I just read for a while and then slept.
I have begun another adventure which starts in one of the most well known cities in the world, Rio De Janeiro. Contrary to popular belief, Rio is not the capital of Brazil. That distinction goes to the inland futuristic city of Brasilia. I took 2 flights to get here and everything went smooth. The last flight was a 10 hour overnighter from Atlanta to Rio. I tried and did sleep a little but when I couldn't sleep I watched a couple of movies. I had already been mistaken for Brazilian twice before even getting on the plane! This never happens. The only nationality I get mistaken for is American. Once I was in Brazil I saw why I was asked if I was Brazilian. The people of the country range from very white to very dark, fat, skinny, tall, short and everything in between. This just might be the first country where I don't stand out as a tourist, that is until I open my mouth! To me this is has its pros and cons. Sometimes I like standing out in a crowd and like the attention I get. Blending into the crowd is something I can do in Canada! But I'm not complaining, it is nice too not being noticed. I tried to learn a little Portuguese before I left but found it difficult. I still have memories of Spanish I used 10 years ago when I was last in South America and I'm hoping this will help. Speaking spanish has led people to ask me if I'm from Argentina or another spanish speaking country, but I guess I brought that on myself!
I booked 3 nights in El Misti hostel and this qualified me for a free pickup from the airport. The Rio airport is kind of small and there was no hassle or chaos at all when I left the airport. I had to wait 15 minutes for my ride and no one bothered me. Driving the streets into the city I took in the warm (30C) and humid air like a bird to flight. As I looked around and saw the familiar tropical landscape of fig trees, bouganvillea, mangos, papayas and palm trees, I felt very comfortable. I feel as at home surrounding by tropical flora as I do surrounded by pines, maples and spruce trees in Canada. The traffic was busy but the roads were in decent condition. Rio is mountainous and we drove through 4 tunnels on the way to the hostel. We stopped to get gas and I was surprised when the driver lifted his hood and they put some fancy looking gas pump inside. Now, I don't know a lot about cars, gasoline, etc, but I have never seen this done before.
At the hostel I took a bed in a 9 bed dorm room, 3 sets of 3 high bunkbeds in a tiny room. Normally I never go for dorms, as I don't like most things about them, but here it was the cheapest way to get a bed and I could book it online. December is high season in Brazil and I didn't want to be lugging my backpacks around looking for a place. The staff at the hostel are super friendly and speak english, spanish and portuguese. I was utterly wrecked from the flying and lack of sleep and slept from noon till almost 4. I got up and walked 400m to the famous Copacabana beach. I walked the streets for a bit and then chilled with a fruit smoothie. There are lots of juice/fruit bars. People seemed friendly and I didn't feel like my safety was threatened. Rio has a terrible reputation for violence, some of it justified, but most of this violence occurs in the slums/favelas on the hills surrounding the city.
I showered and washed the clothes I was wearing and then went out for dinner, looking for a reasonably priced meal. Brazil is not cheap as it is and Rio is probably one of its most expensive cities. I'm not going to go on and on about how expensive Brazil is compared to the other countries I traveled in but I will give some examples from time to time. For one, my dorm bed is more expensive than any hotel I had on my entire trip last year, and that was when my room had hot water, private bathroom and satellite TV!
I found a small hole in the wall type place and had chicken, rice and french fries, washed down with a Chopp draft beer. It was all good and the portions were huge. I have been following a semi vegetarian diet ( I eat chicken or fish, maybe once a month) for a year and a half, but as with my trip last year, I won't be as strict on that diet while I'm on the road. It's easy to eat veggie at home, but trying to keep it up while traveling is not a challenge I'm up for. I will say that is was easy to eat veggie in India though, but everywhere else it can be very tough.
There was a bit of a party back at the hostel but I wasn't feeling up for it. I just read for a while and then slept.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Adventure # 13 South America!
It's that time of year again. I'm about to embark on another adventure. This year I'm going back to South America, specifically Brazil and Guyana. I have been to South America twice already, visiting Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela. I haven't been there since 2000. I've been bouncing back and forth between Asia and Africa but figured it's time to get back to South America. I've been busy these past few weeks planning my trip and trying to learn some Portuguese. I've had my flight booked for a while and just recently booked 3 nights at a hostel in Rio De Janeiro. My 2 main goals of this trip are to see a Jaguar and a Giant Anteater. I will be more than happy to see both of these animals. So, get ready for more adventures and thanks for following.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hanoi to home
I took a 5 hour bus/boat/bus/bus combination to finally get back to Hanoi. I stayed again at Manh Dung. The staff is really accommodating here and give me a break on room prices because I have stayed here before. I spent my last day in Hanoi shopping and walking around. I bought some last minute souvenirs and met some friendly locals. I met so many friendly Vietnamese that were so happy to meet me. They really hope to see me again and want me to come back to Vietnam. I think I will. I have a China/northern Thailand trip planned and I might just add a visit back to Vietnam in there!
Going back home was smooth and thankfully uneventful. All my flights seemed shorter the way back. I was sad and happy to be back home. Sad to leave the warmer weather and so many friendly people and cool places to see. Happy to see my friends, family, cat and plants again though and to start practicing with my band again. It had been another memorable and unique trip.
Cat Ba island motorbike tour
I had one last fully day on Cat Ba before I had to go to Hanoi to get my flight home. I was thinking of doing a jungle trek but with no one to join me, it was going to cost $25. I decided to have an easy last day and hired a motorbike for myself for just $3. After leaving Cat Ba town, the roads were in good shape and empty. I stopped at Hospital cave, 10km from town. This cave was used as a secret and bomb proof hospital during the war. The entrance was sealed with concrete with a small door in it. This opened into a long concrete corridor lined with 17 empty concrete rooms. It was a interesting place built between 1963 and 1965 and in use until 1975.
Further down the road was Cat Ba National park. I stopped here to do a small hike to the top of a small peak with a lookout tower on it. There were great views of the rugged and jungle clad island from the top. Even though it wasn't sunny or super hot, it was really humid and I was drenched in sweat climbing up to the tower.
From the park I took the main road of the island all the way to the other side. There was a pier here and I expected a small village but there was nothing, just one small shop. I followed the main road back to the national park and then took a right turn for a different way back to town. The road followed the coast most of the way and had some striking scenery. I had spent all day out cruising the island on my scooter and relaxed for a while when I got back. I met a group of Vietnamese students on a school trip and chatted with them for the evening. They were very keen to speak to me and practice their english. It was a fun day and night and a good ending to my trip before I had to go back to busy and hectic Hanoi.
Lan Ha Bay
Halong bay and it's extension, Lan Ha bay are extraordinary and magical places. The emerald sea here is punctuated with over 3000 limestone islands peppered with beaches, caves and hidden lagoons. Halong bay is the main attraction of northeast Vietnam and there are over 500 tourist boats. I wanted to avoid these crowded touristy places but still see the bay, that is why I came to Cat Ba. I joined an organized tour that would take in the less visited Lan Ha bay and the chance to kayak around the islands. The tour left in a minivan at 9am for a pier 10 minutes away. There were 16 people on the tour, mostly young backpackers like myself. Unfortunately at this time of year, the weather is a bit cooler and foggy. This can mystical quality to the place but I wanted the blue skies that I had seen in the photos. The sky never did clear but I was still happy I took the tour. After getting out into the bay, the boat anchored and we were free to kayak around the area. This was my first time in a kayak. These were big and stable 2 person kayaks. A Danish girl sat and I shared a kayak.
After some more touring and a varied and delicious lunch, the group split up. Most of the people were here to rock climb. There were only 5 of us left on the boat after lunch. We leisurely cruised around more of the islands and then stopped again. I shared another kayak to visit and small cave with lots of bats in it. We cruised slowly back to where we had lunch to pick up the climbers. There are many floating fish farms in the bay and we stopped at one of these on the way. This was really interesting. There were thousands of fish in some of the pens. We picked up the climbers and arrived back in Cat Ba around 6pm.
Cat Ba island
The next morning I took a speedboat for the 1.5 hour trip to Cat Ba island. From the pier I walked to Cat Ba Paradise hotel. I had a great room with hot shower, TV and a big balcony 3 floors up overlooking the bay. Cat Ba is a small town that only extends a few streets behind a skyline of hotels before the mountains begin. The hotels are pretty unsightly but the town has a good feel about it with no traffic and many places to eat and stay. I liked it here. I just hung out for my first day. I walked around checking out some of the small beaches. I joined a boat/kayak tour of the bay for the following day run by Slo Pony Adventures.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Cuc Phoung National Park Part III
There was an 8km loop trail near the cave of prehistoric man that I skipped on my ride up to Bong. I didn't want to miss this trail, which had a huge tree 3km into the trail, so today I rode to the trailhead. I rode slowly along the road hoping to see something on my way. I stopped when I saw some black shapes in the trees. I thought it was monkeys but it turned out to be 2 black giant squirrels. I have seen giant squirrels before but never the black one. These squirrels are true giants too. They are 1m from head to tail and weigh up to 1.5kg. They fled quickly into the forest though before I could get a photo.
I brought my bike a little bit into the forest and locked it to a tree. The trail began at km 11 between the 20km road connecting Bong and the visitor centre. This trail was tight and not very well maintained or used often. It wasn't for the average person but with my previous experiences of following hard to see trails, I didn't have a problem most of the time. Only when the trail climbed over very rocky sections was it more difficult to follow. I followed the trail for almost an hour before it began to climb up a huge limestone hill. Cuc Phoung encompasses 2 limestone mountain ranges and the terrain in the park is very hilly and rugged with trees and plants growing right out of the limestone without any visible soil around. The trail became more difficult to follow up the hill and after 5 minutes I wasn't sure I was going the right way, so I turned back. I always make sure I can see where I came from because I don't want to get lost out here.
Just before the trail climbed uphill, it branched off to the right, where I didn't notice before. I took this way and it led to the massive tree after one minute. This was a truly impressive giant with no fencing around it like some of the others. As I sat in the shade of this giant, a German couple and their guide arrived. They would be taking the same trail up the hill which I couldn't follow. They didn't mind if I followed behind them and I did. To my credit, I was following the right way until I turned around. The trail became increasingly difficult to see and follow though as we climbed higher. I could say this is one trail were a guide would be very helpful. After we came down the hill on the other side the trail followed level ground and was easier to see. The Germans sat down for lunch and I continued on alone.
I heard some sounds of crunching leaves and saw an animal hide in a limestone crevice just as I looked up to investigate. I hid behind a tree and listened more. There were still more animals out there. I finally spotted them. There were 4 crab eating mongooses. They were busy foraging on the ground to really notice me as I crept closer. I got a few photos. One by one though, they all noticed me and eventually ran away, but I didn't care at that point. I had seen them well and got photos. This was a new species for me and it was really special to see 4 of them together. I came out of the trail onto the road at km 6. My bike was parked at km 11. The day had turned into the nicest one yet. The sun was actually shining. It was so nice I just wanted to walk back to my bike. I got a few people stopping offering me rides but I refused. They kind of gave me a strange look because I was so far from anywhere. They didn't know I had a bike up the road.
I did another night walk but saw nothing. This park seems like it would take a while to unlock its animal secrets. I was satisfied with my time here though. A local guide told me I would see nothing at all so I was happy that I saw the black giant squirrels and the crab eating mongooses.
After 5 nights camping in the park, I was ready to go to my next destination. I had less than a week left now before I returned home and there was still one place I really wanted to see. That was the limestone peaks of Halong Bay,Cat Ba and the surrounding areas but I still had to get out of Cuc Phoung. I decided not to look for a vehicle to take back my large pack. I secured my small pack to it and rode the 20km back to the visitors centre. It was heavy and akward. I had to walk up some of the bigger hills but I arrived back at the visitors centre in just 55 minutes. I took a motorcycle taxi from here to Nho Quan. Then I took a bus from here to Haiphong about 4 hours away. I still had another boat ride to get to Cat Ba island but I had enough travelling for one day. I got a nice hotel and went out to eat. Haiphong has a strong cafe culture and many decent and cheap places to eat on the street. I had a cheap and delicious meal of rice, shrimp, meatballs and one of the coldest beers I've ever had. The weather had turned damp and cool again.
Cuc Phoung National Park Part II
When I woke up this morning it was still cold. I didn't want to get out of my tent! I slept in till 9 and went for breakfast. The intense moisture had gone and a brisk wind in the night dried out nearly everything. I decided to visit an ancient tree, 3km from Bong B. The trail was meant for many visitors and was really flat and paved for most of it. I passed an elderly group of birders on the way in but saw no one else when I was on the trail. The tree was really impressive, one of the biggest of the 5 big trees in the park. The trail continued past the big tree for another 22km to a village on the outskirts of the park. This is the trail taken on overnight jungle trekking trips. I had asked about these but they were a bit too expensive for me. I wanted to have a really cheap stay at the park. That meant no hiring guides or overnight treks. With just the cost of camping and food, I would only be spending $10 or less a day.
Back in the forest I thought I would just check out more the trail and walked for almost 2 hours past the big tree. I arrived back in camp about 5 hours later. I didn't see any animals or hear any signs of animals but I was still really happy to be back in the forest again. The weather stayed overcast and cool all day. After dinner I wanted to go on a nightwalk but it was just too cold. I just wanted to be in my tent listening to music or watching movies on my ipod. I borrowed an extra blanket from reception and was toasty warm in my tent now. I knew I was staying for another few days and whether it was cold or not, I knew I had to get out for a nightwalk. Many of the mammals I want to see are nocturnal and getting out there in the dark in the only way I 'm going to see them.
The next day the weather was a little bit warmer but still overcast. I hiked a trail to another big tree that was popular with tour groups. I passed a school group with 60 students. This tree was called the thousand year old tree and consisted of 2 large trees joined at the base. I'm not sure how they determined it was a thousand years old. I didn't think I would see any animals along this trail. It was just too busy too much of the time but as I hiked it I kept hearing sounds. I finally learned that it was birds searching through dry leaves looking for food. It kept messing me up, thinking it was a different animal. After I passed the school group, I didn't see anyone else on the trail.
The night was warmer than the previous so I decided to try a night hike. I went out for an hour on a trail near Bong B but saw and heard nothing. The forest was dead quiet. I've never heard a rainforest this quiet before. I think the cold nights are causing many animals and insects to be less active than usual.
Cuc Phoung National Park
The bus took me as far as Nho Quan town. From there I had to hire a motorcycle for the last 13km to the park. I arrived at the park entrance and set up my tent. It was a busy place with busloads of Vietnamese visiting the park. This is because it was sunday and I had read that the park is really busy on weekends. I wanted to come on sunday so I would be here monday morning and spend most of the week here. The weather was overcast and not too warm at all. I spent the day around the visitors centre. I visited the Endangered Primate Rescue centre. This much needed centre houses primates rescued from the illegal animal trade and breeds them for future release back into the wild. They had most of the primates that I wanted to see in the wild here but knew that it would be very difficult to see them. I also went to a botanical garden but it was more like an arboretum with lots of labelled trees and no flowers or shrubs.
That night it began to mist heavily. When I woke up the next morning, everything was wet and it was still misting. My plan was to go Bong, 20km deeper into the park by road, where I could camp and be closer to the trails and further away from everything else. I stuck with my plan and rented a mountain bike to ride to Bong and keep for the time I was there. I left most of my unneeded luggage at the visitors centre. I was able to send my large park which was still heavy with my camping equipment, up with a tour bus and just rode with my day pack.
My first stop on the way to Bong was at the Cave of Prehistoric Man. They had found bones, tools and burial mounds in this cave that were over 7500 years old. All the artefacts had been removed though but it was still an interesting cave to explore. I love big trees and there were 5 big trees scattered throughout the park and I wanted to see all of them. I stopped at 2 on my way to Bong. They were big and impressive. Unfortunately due to the large numbers of non-nature respecting Vietnamese ( there was always litter along the trails too and I'm sure it didn't come from Western visitors), there was a concrete chain with poles to deter climbing and carving on the tree. It was easy enough to climb over but didn't look so natural in my photos!
I finally made it to Bong and got my pack from the large van. The roads were wet and I was being careful all day on the mountain but I had a small accident at Bong. I was coming down the road, not too fast either, and I had to turn right onto another road. I put on the brakes and I started skidding. I was holding myself up with one leg and hopping with the bike waiting for the skid to pick up some friction and finally stop, but it didn't. It looked like I was going to skid the whole width of the road, after skidding about 2m, I couldn't stand any longer and went down on my elbow and hand. It didn't hurt much and I was back up quick, but it did look like 2 nasty cuts. I couldn't believe I was fine all day and then crash at my destination!
It was still misty and wet but I set up my tent anyway on a big circular green. There are actually 2 sections of Bong, 1km apart. The furthest away,Bong B was just some accommodation (where I was) and the closer, Bong A, had more accommodation, staff quarters, restaurant and a parking lot were most of the buses waited for their hiking passengers. Bong A was busy compared with Bong B. It got even colder at night. I was just borderline warm in my tent when I dropped to 12C overnight. I had hope that it would get warmer and drier so my tent and my things would dry out.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tam Coc
Thip and I rented bicycles to ride the 4km to Tam Coc. We checked out of our hotel to stay in Van Lan village near Tam Coc to get an early start the next morning on the river. I left my large pack in Hanoi. It was nice just to travel with my daypack. We got lost a bit on the way but we eventually found our way to Van Lan. We found a decent enough hotel and checked in. We then rode to Mua cave, 5km away. The cave was small and nothing special but it was at the base of a limestone mountain with 500 steps to the top. We climbed to the top and were rewarded with panoramic views of the mountains surrounded by lush rice paddies. We stayed up here for hours. I wanted to stay up until the sun went down for the soft light of dusk on the mountains to get some great pictures. We rode back to Van Lan and had a quiet night. The village is small and there weren' many people around. A stark contrast to how busy and packed it is during the day.
Van Lan is the village at the starting point for lazy canoe trips down the Ngo Dong river through Tam Coc. The river can get quite busy during the day with local and foreign tourists. There can be some hassle and pressure to buy souvenirs, food, drinks, etc. along the river and at the turnaround point. We wanted to avoid this, that's why we slept in the village. We wanted an early start to avoid the crowds. Our canoe was the first boat out that morning at 7am. We were followed by a few canoes with local tourists. It was a brilliant morning with the sun just right for photos. Along the way the canoes passes right through 3 caves cut into the limestone mountains. It was really cool to be paddled into the darkness and then out the other side. We didn't experience hardly any hassle and it was an enjoyable ride. We found another boat trip not too far away and there was no one there. It was a third of the cost for Tam Coc but this time we were in a river cave the whole time. There were some tight and low spots and interesting formations. We both liked this a lot. It was like our own personal tour of the cave.
Thip only had a few days in Vietnam and the next day she would be flying back to Thailand, so we rode back to Ninh Binh and caught a bus to Hanoi. It was fun to get to spend some time with someone I knew, even if it was just a short time. Thip left the next morning and I was on a bus shortly after headed for Cuc Phoung national park.
Hanoi to Ninh Binh
I arrived in Hanoi in the afternoon and took a taxi to Thu Giang guesthouse. I had called there yesterday and booked a room to avoid any hassles of getting a hotel but when I got the hotel they told me they were full. They said they don't book rooms by phone because sometimes people don't show up. Well they didn't tell me this on the phone. They said they didn't tell me because they could help me find another room. I didn't need help to find a room, there were 3 hotels alone in the same alleyway, so I checked them out. I ended up staying Manh Dung guesthouse, just across the street, for $10. For Hanoi, that was a good price for a decent room that would have cost a few dollars cheaper somewhere else. The staff was super friendly and accommodating.
The next morning I took a taxi to the airport to meet Thip. We took another taxi to the bus station. Since she was only visiting for a few days, we didn't want to waste any time in Hanoi. We took a bus to Ninh Binh, 2 hours south. We came to Ninh Binh to visit Tam Coc, an small place packed with limestone mountains best visited by canoe and on a bike. We stayed one night in Ninh Binh.
Phong Nha Cave to Vinh to Hanoi
I arrive in Dong Hoi and get a really nice room at Nam Long Hotel. I came here to visit Phong Nha Cave. The next morning I hired a motorbike and driver to take me to the caves. The owner of the hotel tried to convince me to hire my own bike but it was only another dollar to have a driver. This way I don't have to worry about the drive or the way there. I can sit back and appreciate the scenery. Soon after we left the city there was very little traffic on the road and it was a smooth road. Karst mountains soon dominated the landscape. The sign for Phong Nha National park was in huge letters on the side of a mountain like the Hollywood sign. There was no missing this park!
The driver parked the bike and I went to pay for my ticket. I had to take a boat to the cave entrance, 5km upstream. It was a bit expensive so I waited around for some other people to share the cost. I only had to wait a few minutes before a German family arrived. We shared the boat to the cave.
Before going to Phong Nha cave, I visited Tien Son cave, up 330 steps in the mountainside above Phong Nha cave. This cave was used as a hospital and ammunition depot during the Vietnam war. It was a touristy cave with a cement pathway through it and lights. I still liked it though as it has some old and impressive formations. After that the German family and I took our boat into Phong Nha cave. Once inside the cave, the boatman killed the engine and paddled us into the depths of the cave. Phong Nha cave is an astonishing 55km long but only the first km is open to visitors. We stopped at a huge side branch of the cave where certain formations were lit up for the benefit of visitors. Then the boat dropped us off and we walked back to the entrance. I really enjoyed this cave. We took the boat back to the visitors centre and then took the moto back to Dong Hoi.
While I was in Dong Hoi, I got an email from Thip, my friend from Thailand I met in Laos in the beginning of January. She had some time off now and would be meeting me in Hanoi in 2 days for a short trip together. I had to make my way to Hanoi. I was no rush to get there before I had to, so the next day I took a train to Vinh, about 6 hours away.
I don't know why I haven't been taking the train more often. I guess I thought it would be very busy and full because of the Tet holiday but it wasn't. I really enjoy travelling by train. It's more comfortable than the bus and there's no hassle over the price. It might be a bit slower but I don't mind. The train went right through karst mountains, literrally! It was great scenery up to Vinh. I stayed in Vinh for one night. I didn't like it there much. It's not touristy at all and I found it a bit hard to find decent food but for only day it didn't matter too much. The next day I decided to take the train to Hanoi.
Vinh Moc Tunnels
I arrived in Dong Ha and found an ok room at Thuy Dien hotel for $6. It didn't take me long to find a motorcycle driver to take me to the tunnels, actually, he found me! I bargained him down to a reasonable price and after I ate lunch we were on our way. He took a backroad which followed along the coast. It took a little less than an hour to get there.
Almost 90% of the Vietnamese population wears a facemask, for various reasons. These include blocking their face from the sun, protection against air pollution and trying to keep their potential sick germs to themselves. I've seen this in some other countries but the Vietnamese certainly wear the most masks I've ever seen. They can be bought for about 25 cents and up. I bought one as a souvenir but thought I would wear it today on the moto ride to the tunnels. It actually felt good wearing it to protect from the wind in my face and the sun. I got some strange looks! I really felt Vietnamese now!
We arrive at the tunnels and there is hardly anyone around except for some vendors. My moto driver waits for me as I walk to the museum and tunnel entrance. The museum was small but has some good info and good pictures of the history of the tunnels. I entered the tunnels in one of the 12 entrances around the site. I'm no war or history buff by any means but I really wanted to see these tunnels. I guess I just like anything that resembles a cave, even if it's man made. I was not disappointed by the tunnels. There were some lights in the tunnels meant for visitors to follow them so they don't get lost. They gave me a flashlight when I bought my ticket. I stuck to the lit pathway but often took turns down unlit dark hallways just to see more of the tunnels. It was really spooky. I was in there all by myself. I couldn't hear anyone else. The tunnels were high enough so I could stand upright but most of the time I was slightly hunched over. The tunnels were in their original state and had not been enlarged like some of the tunnels around Ho Chi Minh city in the south.
There were 3 levels of tunnels, the deepest 23m underground! All along the hallways were little rooms carved into the side for families, child birthing, washing and meetings. They even showed movies in the tunnels and sang for entertainment. Some of these little rooms had bats in them, other had mannaquins showing what the room was used for. I must admit walking down the dimly lit halls and then coming unexpectedly across a plastic family startled me a few times!
Since this area was in the heart of the DMZ (demilitarized zone), the villages on the surface had the shit bombed out of it daily and that drove the villagers underground. People lived in these tunnels for 8 years! Everyday between 1965 -72 the sound of bombs and artillery was never silent. More than half a million tons of bombs were dropped on the 820 km sq. Vinh Linh area. There were 114 village tunnels with a total length of 40km. There were more than 60 babies born in the tunnels.
As I explored the halls I came across a bomb shelter sign pointing down a dark tunnel. I wanted to see the bomb shelter and carefully worked my way down the unlit slippery slope. I was doing fine until I got right near the bottom, I slipped and fell. I wasn't hurt but my arms were coated in a thick dark and heavy clay soil. As I got to the bottom I noticed the tunnel to the bomb shelter became very small and I would have had to crawl my way into it. I didn't want to do that so I climbed back up to the main hall. I found an exit that came out facing the ocean. There was no water around so I grabbed a few leaves to try and wipe off some of the dirt on my arms. I explored the tunnels for almost an hour. I really liked in there.
Just as I came out of the tunnels, a big group of tourists arrived. Perfect timing for me to leave! We took the same scenic route back to Dong Ha. I only came to Dong Ha to see the tunnels. There is nothing else of interest around. Though there are many war sites nearby, I was only interested in seeing the tunnels. The next day I took a bus to Dong Hoi, about one hour north of Dong Ha.
Hue to Dong Ha
I got a bus from the main road near Bach Ma national park to Hue, one hour away. Hue is the sister city to Hoi An. It was spared some bombing during the war and has lots of character and old buildings. It's much bigger than Hoi An though and I didn't like it as much. I was only here basically to get an extension on my visa. It would expire in a few days but I wasn't sure when I would have a few days to try and get it somewhere else. I arrived late thursday and was hoping I wouldn't have to wait the weekend to get it taken care of. I went to a travel agent and they said it could be done in one day. I went back late friday afternoon and it was all finished. I had another month in Vietnam, even though I only needed 2 more weeks. With that business finished, I left Hue saturday morning to go to Dong Ha. I would base myself in Dong Ha for the night while I visited the Vinh Moc tunnels from the war. Dong Ha was only about one hour from Hue.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bach Ma National Park Day 3
The next trail, the rhododendron trail, began 12km uphill from the visitors centre. This would talk me a while to walk to, then hike the trail there and then hike down. Fortunately Joe had a motorbike and was allowed to officially ferry his parents there one by one. He was not supposed to give anyone else a ride. It took Joe 30 minutes each way to drive to the trail. He took his mother first while his dad and I starting walking to lessen the distance between pickups. His dad was next and I just kept walking. I had passed the entrance to the pheasant trail from yesterday and kept going. As I walked I glanced to the side of the road along a concrete barrier. I thought I was looking at a stick but as I followed the black stick, I came to it's head! It was a 1.5m snake! Often when I'm hiking in the forest, sticks can appear to be snakes at a quick glance, so I was really surprised when this stick turned out be to a huge snake! I was nearly beside the snake when I finally saw it. I think it was staying still and hoping I would just walk by. When I stopped to get out my camera the snake knew that he had been seen. He paused for a second and then made a fast retreat over the concrete and into the forest. I never did get a photo but I was happy to see a large snake. After walking over 8km all uphill, it was finally my turn for Joe to pick me up. The road was pretty hairy and bumpy in spots. The weather at the base of the mountain was gloomy and overcast but as we got higher we climbed above the clouds. At the start of the trial, the sun was shining, it was warm and breezy. There were great views too above the clouds.
The trail needed some maintaince. There was a lot of pieces of dead bamboo and branches. The trail led to the top of the rhododendron falls. We stopped here. Joe's mom stayed at the top while Joe, his dad and I descended the 689 steps to the base of the 300m high waterfall. I must admit it only took me about 5 minutes to go down quickly. It felt like much less than 689 steps but I wasn't counting. Now when I hear about a 300m high waterfall, I picture a 300m uninterrupted drop of water. This falls wasn't that at all. It was more like just steep rocks with the water hardly plunging away from them at all. There was single 300m drop. It was still impressive though and we hung out at the bottom for a while. Going up was a bit tougher. The steps are very high and space far apart, not good for climbing up. I was feeling it in my upper thighs, especially since I had walked almost 9km before even attempting them.
Joe had to ferry us all back down to the visitors centre and I knew I would be last. It was the middle of the afternoon and it would take hours for us all to get down. I started walking ahead of everyone. As I got closer to the road, an orange,black and white animal fleed from my presence in the trees. I didn't see it really clearly but I saw the colors. It was a buff cheeked gibbon, a rare primate living in the park. Minutes later I saw another smaller snake. This snake stayed still for a while and I was able to get some decent photos of it. It had been a great day, 2 snakes and a gibbon. I walked a few km down the hill and moved aside for a huge dumptruck to pass me. He stopped and gave me a free ride down to the base. This was great, this would save Joe a lot of time having to come back up to get me. I arrived at the canteen the same time Joe arrived with his dad.
The trail needed some maintaince. There was a lot of pieces of dead bamboo and branches. The trail led to the top of the rhododendron falls. We stopped here. Joe's mom stayed at the top while Joe, his dad and I descended the 689 steps to the base of the 300m high waterfall. I must admit it only took me about 5 minutes to go down quickly. It felt like much less than 689 steps but I wasn't counting. Now when I hear about a 300m high waterfall, I picture a 300m uninterrupted drop of water. This falls wasn't that at all. It was more like just steep rocks with the water hardly plunging away from them at all. There was single 300m drop. It was still impressive though and we hung out at the bottom for a while. Going up was a bit tougher. The steps are very high and space far apart, not good for climbing up. I was feeling it in my upper thighs, especially since I had walked almost 9km before even attempting them.
Joe had to ferry us all back down to the visitors centre and I knew I would be last. It was the middle of the afternoon and it would take hours for us all to get down. I started walking ahead of everyone. As I got closer to the road, an orange,black and white animal fleed from my presence in the trees. I didn't see it really clearly but I saw the colors. It was a buff cheeked gibbon, a rare primate living in the park. Minutes later I saw another smaller snake. This snake stayed still for a while and I was able to get some decent photos of it. It had been a great day, 2 snakes and a gibbon. I walked a few km down the hill and moved aside for a huge dumptruck to pass me. He stopped and gave me a free ride down to the base. This was great, this would save Joe a lot of time having to come back up to get me. I arrived at the canteen the same time Joe arrived with his dad.
The next day Joe and his family and I walked to a nearby river. We spent most of the day swimming and walking around. It was a beautifully warm and sunny day. It was a relaxing last day in the park. The next day I caught a bus to Hue.
Bach Ma National Park Day 2
Bach Ma was a French era hill station built to escape the heat of the lowlands in comfort. The peak of Bach Ma reaches a height of 1450m, just 18km from the coast. The French started building villas here in 1930. The area saw heavy fighting though in the 1950's and later in the Vietnam war. It's important to stick to the trails here as there could still be some UXO (unexploded ordinance) lying about. The forest here is very important as it protects a large area of the Annamite mountains stretching from the coast all the way to Laos. This forest was the home of newly discovered large mammals in the 1990's. The Annamite mountains were the place I wanted to visit the most in Vietnam, unfortunately access and the terrain are very difficult. If I had a lot more money, I would love to launch an expedition deep into the forest here.
A typhoon hit the park hard last november, destroying the road to the summit. They are rebuilding it but won't (officially) let anyone up to the summit. Really, the summit is the park. From the entrance, it was 16km to the summit where most of the trails are. The first trail starts 5km from the entrance. I visited this, the pheasant trail, my second day in the park. The day was very cloudly and overcast but very warm and very humid. As I walked to the trail I was drenched in sweat. I think humidity hovered around 90%. At night in my tent, condensation gathered under the fly. It was 22C with 96% humidity! It was much warmer than I thought it was going to be. I slept well here.
I took a few photos on the way to the trail and it took me an hour to reach it. The forest is very dense here. There are plenty of spiders and webs and it seemed like every minute I was brushing a web away from my face. I'm not sure where the spiders went when I crashed through one of their webs. The trail led to a rocky river. I hung out here for a while before going back down. As I walked back down, thick fog was covering the mountain. It had a very strange and eerie feel. It felt like it was hard to focus my eyes. Everything seemed blurry. I really liked the atmosphere it created though. I ended up being on the mountain for almost 6 hours before I got back to the visitors centre. Joe and his family had just got back visiting a lake. I joined them for a late lunch. After Joe's parents went to bed we would watch movies on his laptop. It was great, hiking in the forest in the day and watching movies at night.
A typhoon hit the park hard last november, destroying the road to the summit. They are rebuilding it but won't (officially) let anyone up to the summit. Really, the summit is the park. From the entrance, it was 16km to the summit where most of the trails are. The first trail starts 5km from the entrance. I visited this, the pheasant trail, my second day in the park. The day was very cloudly and overcast but very warm and very humid. As I walked to the trail I was drenched in sweat. I think humidity hovered around 90%. At night in my tent, condensation gathered under the fly. It was 22C with 96% humidity! It was much warmer than I thought it was going to be. I slept well here.
I took a few photos on the way to the trail and it took me an hour to reach it. The forest is very dense here. There are plenty of spiders and webs and it seemed like every minute I was brushing a web away from my face. I'm not sure where the spiders went when I crashed through one of their webs. The trail led to a rocky river. I hung out here for a while before going back down. As I walked back down, thick fog was covering the mountain. It had a very strange and eerie feel. It felt like it was hard to focus my eyes. Everything seemed blurry. I really liked the atmosphere it created though. I ended up being on the mountain for almost 6 hours before I got back to the visitors centre. Joe and his family had just got back visiting a lake. I joined them for a late lunch. After Joe's parents went to bed we would watch movies on his laptop. It was great, hiking in the forest in the day and watching movies at night.
Bach Ma National Park
I left Hoi An for Bach Ma national park. It took almost 4 hours to get there, which was a bit longer than I expected. We passed through a 6km long tunnel, opened in 2005. This shaved an hour off driving time between Danang and Hue. It bypassed the Hai Van pass, which I wanted to see because it was supposed to have great views but it would have been much more difficult to get transport to use the pass instead of the tunnel.
I arrived at the junction to the park at 5pm. It was a 3km walk from here to the park entrance. I would have taken a moto but no one was giving me a fair price, so I just walked it. At the park entrance I was expecting to find a campsite but the places I was shown to pitch my tent sucked. They were both along the road and beside a parking lot. No privacy or quiet at either one. I wanted to find a better site. I finally found a guy who spoke some english and he pointed me towards the guesthouse, back from the road. I set up my tent here. It was a much better spot, awaying from staring eyes. Staying at the guesthouse was Joe, a 19 year old volunteer from England. He said there was no real campsite here, my guidebook was wrong again. He helped me set up my tent and let me use his hot shower my entire stay here. He also let me use his washing machine. My clothes haven't seen a machine since I left Canada over 3 months ago. I'm a die hard hand washer and don't like to pay to have my clothes washed unless they're super filthy. I gave Joe all my clothes to wash.
Joe had been at Bach Ma for 3 months. His parents arrived to visit him just an hour after I did. They were really nice and all of us ended up spending a lot of time together. They bought my dinner the first night and beers every night. They also brought Joe a lot of high quality chocolate. It seemed like I arrived just in time!
I arrived at the junction to the park at 5pm. It was a 3km walk from here to the park entrance. I would have taken a moto but no one was giving me a fair price, so I just walked it. At the park entrance I was expecting to find a campsite but the places I was shown to pitch my tent sucked. They were both along the road and beside a parking lot. No privacy or quiet at either one. I wanted to find a better site. I finally found a guy who spoke some english and he pointed me towards the guesthouse, back from the road. I set up my tent here. It was a much better spot, awaying from staring eyes. Staying at the guesthouse was Joe, a 19 year old volunteer from England. He said there was no real campsite here, my guidebook was wrong again. He helped me set up my tent and let me use his hot shower my entire stay here. He also let me use his washing machine. My clothes haven't seen a machine since I left Canada over 3 months ago. I'm a die hard hand washer and don't like to pay to have my clothes washed unless they're super filthy. I gave Joe all my clothes to wash.
Joe had been at Bach Ma for 3 months. His parents arrived to visit him just an hour after I did. They were really nice and all of us ended up spending a lot of time together. They bought my dinner the first night and beers every night. They also brought Joe a lot of high quality chocolate. It seemed like I arrived just in time!
My Son and silk
An interesting day trip fromHoi An is to the ruins of My Son (me son). I did this on my third day in Hoi An. I originally signed up for the sunrise tour, leaving at 5am because I wanted to avoid the crowds, unfortunately though, that tour was cancelled due to lack of people. I was told this might happen, so they put me in the regular tour that left at 8. We finally got to the ruins at 9.30 and it was packed with people, Vietnamese and foreigners. It was hard to get photos without anyone in them, this is just what I wanted to avoid.
My Son are the most significant and oldest of Vietnam's ruins. I figured I had seen Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar and Wat Phu in Laos, so I should finish all the significant ruins in SE Asia and go to My Son. I guess the only one I'm missing is Ayuthaya in Thailand, but I will get there too one day. My Son was the religious centre of the Cham people. It was occupied from the 4th century to the 13th century. The Cham borrowed heavily from Indian influences and I could see the resemblanes in the temples. Unfortunately for My Son, the Viet Cong used it as a military base during the Vietnam war and as a result it was bombed heavily. This destroyed many of the buildings until a plea was made to stop the bombing and they did. It is being restored now as it is a Unesco World Heritage site but there is still a long way to go. I still enjoyed the place despite the crowds. Since I was on a tour I occasionally followed with our group and listened to our guide. I learned a lot about the history of My Son. On the way back we transfered from our bus to a boat back to Hoi An. We had lunch on the boat. The tour was worth the $7.
I spend one more day in Hoi An after My Son. It's been a mission of mine to have a good pair of silk boxer shorts. I sleep in a silk sleeping bag liner when I'm camping and I'm partially obsessed with having silk surrounding my body! I could live in a silk suit. I had a pair of silk boxers but they fell apart easily. I wasn't rough with them at all. I don't know what happened to them. I figured since I was in Hoi An where getting tailored made clothes is the thing to do, this would be a good place to try and satisfy some of my silk dreams. I brought a pair of my own cotton boxers to a place, found the softest silk they had and ordered an exact replica of my own for $8. They said more would be cheaper but I wasn't about to order 10 pairs of boxers! I went back later in the day and the boxers seemed perfect. I really like them. I won't wear them until I get home so time will tell if they hold up to daily life. I hope they do.
My Son are the most significant and oldest of Vietnam's ruins. I figured I had seen Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar and Wat Phu in Laos, so I should finish all the significant ruins in SE Asia and go to My Son. I guess the only one I'm missing is Ayuthaya in Thailand, but I will get there too one day. My Son was the religious centre of the Cham people. It was occupied from the 4th century to the 13th century. The Cham borrowed heavily from Indian influences and I could see the resemblanes in the temples. Unfortunately for My Son, the Viet Cong used it as a military base during the Vietnam war and as a result it was bombed heavily. This destroyed many of the buildings until a plea was made to stop the bombing and they did. It is being restored now as it is a Unesco World Heritage site but there is still a long way to go. I still enjoyed the place despite the crowds. Since I was on a tour I occasionally followed with our group and listened to our guide. I learned a lot about the history of My Son. On the way back we transfered from our bus to a boat back to Hoi An. We had lunch on the boat. The tour was worth the $7.
I spend one more day in Hoi An after My Son. It's been a mission of mine to have a good pair of silk boxer shorts. I sleep in a silk sleeping bag liner when I'm camping and I'm partially obsessed with having silk surrounding my body! I could live in a silk suit. I had a pair of silk boxers but they fell apart easily. I wasn't rough with them at all. I don't know what happened to them. I figured since I was in Hoi An where getting tailored made clothes is the thing to do, this would be a good place to try and satisfy some of my silk dreams. I brought a pair of my own cotton boxers to a place, found the softest silk they had and ordered an exact replica of my own for $8. They said more would be cheaper but I wasn't about to order 10 pairs of boxers! I went back later in the day and the boxers seemed perfect. I really like them. I won't wear them until I get home so time will tell if they hold up to daily life. I hope they do.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Hoi An
Fortunately I was only 2 hours away from my next destination, Hoi An. Hoi An is a smaller place with lots of character and old buildings. History goes back over 400 years here with many of the buildings hundreds of years old. The town was spared bombing during the Vietnam war, which is known here as the American War. It's a quaint little town with many tailor shops, restaurants, travel agents and souvenir shops. I do a bit of shopping. I call my friends Dave and Adita. I met them in Cat Tien and again near Dalat. It's been 6 days since I've talked to them but I thought I'd call him to see where he's at. Oh yeah, I bought a cellphone here, it's useful to keep in touch with people here and much cheaper than at home. I got a hold of Dave and he was actually in a taxi going to Hoi An! What a coincidence. He stayed at another city for 5 days and then came to Hoi An. We met up for dinner.
I spent the next day walking around Hoi An. I will often buy 2 dragonfruits and 2 mangoes at the same time. I have a really good idea of what the price is for this, usually around $2. If it's a lot more than that, I know somethings up. So I go to buy fruit here and the women wants a lot more than it should be. I tell her the price and she says no, so I just bought the dragonfruit. As I walk away she's bargaining with me for the price and finally comes down to the normal price. I can't believe I even have to bargain hard for fruit here! This is the problem with Vietnam and why most of the people who I met who had come here didn't like it. I can totally understand. You shouldn't have to bargain hard for everything, but that's how it is ans as a foreigner, it's really frustrating and pisses you off. I have to bargain for fruit, hotel rooms, buses, motorcycles, even a newspaper! There are many disabled people selling newspapers here. They hassle you while you're eating breakfast. I overheard a transaction this morning. The seller wanted $4 for a tiny newspaper, that is more like a flyer! I never heard of anywhere, even in Canada, charging $4 for a newspaper. The Australian said it was too much and then the guy drops the price to $1, so he buys it. Then the seller says ' Ok, friend, thank you!' These people blatantly try to rip you off and then want to be your buddy!
I had the conductor on a bus overcharge me hugely ( but I bargained for a good price) and then he wanted to trade me sunglasses. Another guy offers me a cigarette after like we're buddies. You really have to see it as a game and have fun with it or else it will just get you upset and it's not worth it. I just stand my ground and end up usually walking away if I don't get the real price. They always chase me down and after time I get the real price, but it shouldn't be like this! It's tiring because you're always wondering where the next ripoff is going to be. Other than the people who are trying to get money from you, the regular folk of Vietnam are super friendly and they make up for the assholes!
Vietnam is a nation of smokers, well, at least the men are. Most of them smoke and will smoke anywhere, in restaurants, internet cafes, buses,etc. It's really annoying and can ruin a good place. One thing I do really like about Vietnam is that all businesses, hotels and restaurants are signposted with their address so you always know where you are and what street you're on. It makes navigating with a map easy. I haven't seen this yet but I have heard of copycat places here. A place that's not as good will take the exact name of another more popular place and try to pass itself off as this! So having the exact address of a place can be really important sometimes.
I spent the next day walking around Hoi An. I will often buy 2 dragonfruits and 2 mangoes at the same time. I have a really good idea of what the price is for this, usually around $2. If it's a lot more than that, I know somethings up. So I go to buy fruit here and the women wants a lot more than it should be. I tell her the price and she says no, so I just bought the dragonfruit. As I walk away she's bargaining with me for the price and finally comes down to the normal price. I can't believe I even have to bargain hard for fruit here! This is the problem with Vietnam and why most of the people who I met who had come here didn't like it. I can totally understand. You shouldn't have to bargain hard for everything, but that's how it is ans as a foreigner, it's really frustrating and pisses you off. I have to bargain for fruit, hotel rooms, buses, motorcycles, even a newspaper! There are many disabled people selling newspapers here. They hassle you while you're eating breakfast. I overheard a transaction this morning. The seller wanted $4 for a tiny newspaper, that is more like a flyer! I never heard of anywhere, even in Canada, charging $4 for a newspaper. The Australian said it was too much and then the guy drops the price to $1, so he buys it. Then the seller says ' Ok, friend, thank you!' These people blatantly try to rip you off and then want to be your buddy!
I had the conductor on a bus overcharge me hugely ( but I bargained for a good price) and then he wanted to trade me sunglasses. Another guy offers me a cigarette after like we're buddies. You really have to see it as a game and have fun with it or else it will just get you upset and it's not worth it. I just stand my ground and end up usually walking away if I don't get the real price. They always chase me down and after time I get the real price, but it shouldn't be like this! It's tiring because you're always wondering where the next ripoff is going to be. Other than the people who are trying to get money from you, the regular folk of Vietnam are super friendly and they make up for the assholes!
Vietnam is a nation of smokers, well, at least the men are. Most of them smoke and will smoke anywhere, in restaurants, internet cafes, buses,etc. It's really annoying and can ruin a good place. One thing I do really like about Vietnam is that all businesses, hotels and restaurants are signposted with their address so you always know where you are and what street you're on. It makes navigating with a map easy. I haven't seen this yet but I have heard of copycat places here. A place that's not as good will take the exact name of another more popular place and try to pass itself off as this! So having the exact address of a place can be really important sometimes.
Up the coast
I spent the next 4 days slowly making my way up the coast. I stopped at a few obscure towns to sleep and visit people I had met earlier. Tet, the Vietnamese New Year was Feb.14 this year but the whole holiday lasts almost 10 days. The people I had met were home with their families for Tet and happened to be on the route I was taking north. I spent most of my time relaxing on the beach and visiting my friends, their friends and family. This trip has been probably the most social trip I've been on. But after a few days of visiting people and being in obscure towns, I was ready for a bit of tourist action. I left my really nice beach resort to go to Hoi An.
Tuy Hoa
I had a lazy day my second day in Tuy Hoa but it ended very unpredictably. I ate some fruit for breakfast and went online at the post office. Internet in Vietnam is very cheap, less than 50 cents for an hour or cheaper. I was near the beach so I thought I should spend some time on the beach. Locals are very friendly here and Tuy Hoa is not touristy at all. A lot of people say hi to me. I don't see any foreigners around. This is just what I wanted for a few days, to get off the beaten track but still be somewhere nice. I went to the beach to read for a while. It was warm but I didn't feel like swimming. I'm the type of guy who can live near a beach for days and not swim in the ocean. As I'm sitting there reading my book a few teenagers come by and plop themselves down beside me. They don't speak much english but that doesn't seem to matter. They get a table brought over and order a few beers. As with a lot of places in Vietnam, the beer is warm but they bring a big bucket of ice. The ice is safe here. I generally don't like to drink beer with ice, I'm not a big drinker and if the beer is not cold, I just won't drink it. Vietnam is the first country where I find myself drinking ice beer. It's ok, just watered down. After the beers I showered and we went to one of their houses. Then we took a few motos down to a carnival like thing. We went on a mini roller coaster, played foosball, paddled on giant swans and ate a huge feast. It was really fun, but a bit frustrating because we couldn't talk to each other much. They seemed really happy just to hang out with me though.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The day I hit the coast!
I left Dalat the next morning at 7.30am on a bus to Nha Trang. This city is the premier party/resort/beach destination. Although I wouldn't be staying. I had to come here to get another bus connection and continued north. The road was in mostly good shape except for a dusty 10km stretch. I must say our driver was the best I've seen. He drove slowly and cautiously and I never feared for my life. I did see 3 accidents along the way though. There was dried pools of blood on the road at the scene of a grisly crash involving 2 motorbikes. Next was a van that had turned over on its side and the other accident was a motorbike that hit a truck. I've more vehicle accidents here in Vietnam than any other country (I saw a few more days later).
From Nha Trang I got on another bus right away. I got off 2 hours later in Tuy Hoa. My guidebook described it as a friendly little place with a good beach and no tourists. This is what I wanted. The beach isn't really my thing but I thought I would take a few days exploring it and hanging out in a quiet place.
I stayed at Dong Coan hotel which was right across the street from the beach. I got a very nice room on the fourth floor with 2 balconies and a sea view. The hotel boasted 2 stars. I think its the first hotel I've ever stayed in that had stars! For $8, it was one of the nicest rooms I've ever had. I met some locals and they took me around that night. We went to the flower market. Chinese/Vietnamese New Year (known as Tet) is on Feb. 14 and everyone was out looking for flowers. Most of the flowers were tall chrysanthemums but there were a few lilies. For me the most impressive area was a small art gallery with a large bonsai display in the front. This collection of bonsai was the most impressive I've ever seen. Unlike most of the other bonsais I've seen which were very large, these bonsais were a more manageable size and could easily be brought into a house for display.
From Nha Trang I got on another bus right away. I got off 2 hours later in Tuy Hoa. My guidebook described it as a friendly little place with a good beach and no tourists. This is what I wanted. The beach isn't really my thing but I thought I would take a few days exploring it and hanging out in a quiet place.
I stayed at Dong Coan hotel which was right across the street from the beach. I got a very nice room on the fourth floor with 2 balconies and a sea view. The hotel boasted 2 stars. I think its the first hotel I've ever stayed in that had stars! For $8, it was one of the nicest rooms I've ever had. I met some locals and they took me around that night. We went to the flower market. Chinese/Vietnamese New Year (known as Tet) is on Feb. 14 and everyone was out looking for flowers. Most of the flowers were tall chrysanthemums but there were a few lilies. For me the most impressive area was a small art gallery with a large bonsai display in the front. This collection of bonsai was the most impressive I've ever seen. Unlike most of the other bonsais I've seen which were very large, these bonsais were a more manageable size and could easily be brought into a house for display.
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