BRAZIL: District bonito and the Pantanal, Carnival in El Salvador, we arrived in Bonito, after filled in the cash almost emptied our wallets in the city of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul. Bonito are around lots of interesting corners of wildlife, but that is quite strange, here there is no organized transportation system, which could benefit travelers. Even if you book your trip at your local travel agent, you still have to use the services of taxi drivers. But mild upsets from overspending on transport finance article has been leveled as soon as the taxi took us to the cave of unprecedented beauty. In the depths of the cave, we watched with admiration for the magical fairy-tale picture. The blue underground lake flowed a river of crystal purity, and in the water swimming colored fish. For more emotions we experienced on his return, when they saw two toucans sitting on a tree branch near our hotel. Interesting things have occurred not only in the daytime, evenings, we also do not ever get bored. In our first evening at the hotel who was sitting near us brazilian girl suddenly decided to show us his photo album, where there was a lot of her pictures with friends. All anything, but only the majority of images portrayed these ladies put it mildly, in a drunken state. On the second evening in a pub called "Tabo" We tried the Brazilian spirits. I remember cocktail "Caipirinha", which I missed for two (and maybe three or four ...) wine glass. The waiter even took pictures of us. Incidentally, in this bar very well come up with - taking pictures of visitors and to upload photos to their request to the Internet. And if you want to remember a pleasant evening, you can collect on the site date of the visit and see themselves, as they say, in all its glory alcohol. Bus service between cities in these places, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. For example, leaving the district Bonito, the bus always comes in a small town named Anastasio, referring not so much in every village, and almost every post. When we tried to sit on a direct flight from the city of Corumba Anastasio, in the Pantanal area, then we were disappointed. The bus was packed and we had to spend the night in this town. We got to the city Corumba just after lunch the next day. Fortunately, the bus we were waiting for the representatives of tour operators. We were in a three-day trip to the Pantanal with living in a tent camp. In these places, the largest in South America accumulation of swamps, rivers and lakes. Accordingly, we hoped that we could see a lot of wild fauna, but our hope was in vain. Of course, something we still managed to look at. Immediately on his arrival in camp we came across a capybara capybaras - the largest rodent known today. We also saw many caimans. Was more significant when we managed to see both six toucans, rassevshihsya on trees along the edges of the road. Unfortunately, more extensive acquaintance with the local fauna prevented heavy rain that poured down the whole day without stopping. Yet we made a fishing trip. I caught a fish, which is called the "puck". More I could not extract anything, but even our instructor was left without a catch. Fortunately, the members of our group was a lot of vegetarians, and a small catch was enough to organize a fish supper for those who did not disdain to eat "our" little brothers ". Fish for dinner butchered instructor. He did it as a harsh and merciless. Our question is not sorry for him a living creature, he said that killing animals in catering to human nature for millennia. But still, we fry it a little sorry. In addition to fishing we entertained more and horse rides. Due to heavy rains, many areas the roads were under water, and in some places was so deep that the horses were forced to swim, carrying a rider on his back! From the camp for us was running a dog that is also constantly indulged swim, keeping up with the horses. Sometimes the dog disappeared into the bushes, feeling some kind of animal, and turned back. But we did not see anything interesting, except for some birds. In general, all plans are broken strong storm front. The storm began as soon as we met to go to the next horse riding, and ended only the next morning. We are all very wet, and the whole night shivering in their hammocks. Carnival in Salvador from the Pantanal we had to travel to the carnival in Salvador, which is located across the country. Before you go there, we returned for the night in Campo Grande. It was the first night last week when we could sleep in a civilized beds. In the morning we boarded a bus to perform a two-day move across the country from a seven-hour stopover in the capital, Brasilia. Of course, it would be better to fly to El Salvador in the air, however, in connection with the start of the carnival all the cheap tickets were purchased, and empty seats were only in expensive aircraft carriers. Late for carnival we do not want, so we knew because of what we feel uncomfortable bus. Fortunately, we were not alone - we went with our new friends Peter and Sarah, with whom we met in the Pantanal. During our stay in Brazil, we visited some local attractions. By itself, this city is artificial in the sense that buildings are not the result of natural development of architecture, as the emerging needs of the citizens, quite the contrary. Ie the bulk of the city planned and built in strict accordance with the global plan, and now the capital on the map clearly shows the silhouette of the aircraft, only plane of its aim is not back "on the fly, but forward. Buildings are separated by inexplicably large distance, so no need no special desire to overcome these terrible distance between the houses. In addition, another slight frustration we experienced when we wanted to climb to the observation deck of the TV tower - it was not working elevator. Naturally from this scheme was abandoned. The second stage of our journey by bus, from Brazil, El Salvador, was, without doubt, the most interesting and fun. Our companions did not want to wait for the opening of the carnival, so they began to celebrate already in the bus. All of the members, men and women, young and old, began to have fun and truly dance the samba at such an early hour? After all, there were only 10 o'clock in the morning. Since my wife and I booked in advance of his hotel in El Salvador, then Peter and Sarah, on arrival went to look for housing. The next day came the sad news that they were attacked by a gang of thugs and severely beaten by Peter, after which he found himself in a hospital bed. Naturally, our friends had no choice, as immediately to leave El Salvador. We decided to walk. The streets were crowded, and using the throng, someone tried to climb into my pocket. I grabbed the attacker's arm, but it became clear that he was not alone. A group of his associates immediately jumped to me and started shouting at me loudly. I decided to give numerical superiority and let thieves. This incident, along with the sad story of Peter and Sarah, clearly show that the rule of law at the carnival is not all rosy. In order to avoid further problems, we decided not to take a walk a lot of money, just a few pieces of eight out of pocket expenses. The amount needed to pay for our lunch, I put myself in her shoes. In addition, we have decided not to drink anything alcoholic, as it increases our vulnerability and, consequently, our "chance" of becoming victims of assault. We also decided not to bring cameras, which is why we could not capture what is happening at the carnival. However, we noticed that almost all the tourists whom we met in the city, and anything with him were not, apparently for safety reasons. But as it turned out, meeting with these scammers waiting for us on arrival at our hotel. Actually, her and the hotel-you can not call, because with this word in every normal person associates a unique number. We have paid a thousand reais, while we clearly promised to provide apartments. In fact, everything looked quite different in the three-room hotel is home to 10 people! My bed was broken immediately after I tried to sit on it. Door handle fell off, and in order to open the door, had to make superhuman efforts, trying to grasp with your fingertips for anything. The heater in the shower broke through two minutes after I turn it on, and the ceiling fan caught fire late last night and we had to breathe in the morning stinking smoke. Since all this is not consistent with the promises of the owners "hotel", we went long and hard for them to complain. However, we managed to get just fix the bed, and the owner of "apartments" did so with great reluctance, and even not once, but only on the third day of our stay. On the first evening when we returned to the carnival, we saw a little puppy, which was tied in the kitchen cabinet leg with half-meter belt, resulting in the unfortunate animal could not even reach his bowl with water. I untied the dog, but the next evening he was again tied in the same place. I asked the owners why they do it. I was told quite rudely, they say, then we do, we know why, and do not climb, they say, not in its affairs. But we could not idly watch the suffering of any innocent puppy that could not hurt anybody, he just wanted to play and everything! The hosts had five children, who saw us as a reason that they took their room. Of course, this was the fault of the parents, but this attitude of the children we created additional discomfort. All these, I may say, "apartment" was a catastrophic condition, we can say this without exaggeration. Only one thing softened the situation - we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors, watching the events at the carnival. Festive action in El Salvador last for 6 weeks, of which we caught the last four. The town was laid three route of the carnival columns. Two of them usually move the procession of trucks that are pulling for a specific platform. These mobile pedestals provide a stage on which he is a carnival act, the actors are dancing the samba, while musicians accompany them. On the third carnival route vehicles are not used, and the participants reporting on foot, in the past has been a tradition for this holiday. Walking or traveling group of musicians called "block". The group, traveling in trailers the platform goes in a circular motion along its route at regular intervals. In order to avoid a trip, they need about an hour. Even at three o'clock in the morning you can see the cars waiting for its time to start another round carnival. If you liked any "block", then you can follow it, and only listen to her music. If not, then stay near the road, and you will pass by or pass different "block". When we came here, many Brazilians have told us that in El Salvador and Recife, there are the best carnivals in the country. El Salvador officially considered the birthplace of Brazilian carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro is a rough copy of what is happening here. I do not know, looks like a carnival in Rio, but they say that El Salvador has a much better idea - more actors and musicians, more spontaneous and more in keeping with the traditions of national Brazilian culture. During the festival the whole city, without exaggeration, comes in a trance, all that does not apply to the carnival pales into insignificance. A significant part of the carnival participants - those with gay. Do not be surprised if you suddenly kiss on the cheek any girl who turned out to be disguised as a man. Apparently, Brazil - the only country in South America, where sexual minorities are allowed to openly show their leanings. Definitely done here must pay tribute to a society that is closer to European standards of human rights than people in neighboring countries. After the end of the carnival we stayed in El Salvador for a few more days to see the city and its environs. The most interesting church here called the Sao Francisco, was built by African slaves. As Africans poorly versed in the intricacies of Christian culture, there are many sculptures "blunders". So, the angels are depicted with authentic genitalia, and some angel figurines look like the last month of pregnancy! The main purpose of importation of African slaves here was that they worked on sugar plantations, as they are better endured harsh working conditions and were more resistant to European diseases than the local Indians. Today, the northeast of Brazil - a place where the peaceful coexistence of a mixture of Indians, whites and Africans. Quite amusing to observe how over the centuries intricately intermingled these ethnic groups, resulting in here, this rainbow of colors the skin of the local population. Olinda and Recife Continuing our tour of the north-eastern coast of the country, we flew to Recife, where headed to the nearby town of Olinda. It turned out that this town was completely burned by Dutch colonialists in 1631. But today there reigned fun - in fact, we once again came to the carnival, that's really truly can not stop the folk art of hot Brazilians! The carnival procession was somewhat different from what we saw in El Salvador, where a procession was mostly young people, but here the participants could see a lot more people are mature and old age. Participants in the action were wearing very brightly and with great taste. Another difference from the carnival in Salvador lay in the fact that many viewers were with a photo and video equipment without fear of thieves and robbers. In addition to the carnival in Recife, a lot of other interesting places and events. For example, we visited the Sunday market of souvenirs, where it is simply a huge selection of works by local artists. Called the event "Dominga At Rua" (a literal translation of "Sunday on the bridge"), passes it on Rua Bom Dzhizus, where a lot of pleasant restaurants and cafes. Not far away is the observatory, where for a small fee, visitors can enjoy views of Jupiter, the Moon and other celestial objects through a telescope. Itamaraka After the difficult tour of everyday life in South America, we're tired noticeably, we wanted a little rest. It turns out we had to leave on vacation to relax from an exhausting journey of factors. For this purpose we have chosen the island Itamaraka. We were lucky because we were in exactly to the opening of the new resort "Pousada", or "Pousada Estrelas", located right near the edge of the shore. Quiet and clean place with a swimming pool and the beach, where you can relax under the long monotonous and endless lapping waves, quietly sipping a cocktail or a leisurely reading a book. We spent there five days, and in addition to relaxing on the beach, we have a little walk around the island. There is an old fortress, built in 1630 by Dutch-Indian Association, at a time when local places were under the protectorate of the Netherlands. It is said that a few years the owners of the company supported the struggle of the local population for the abolition of colonial rule, because it was supposed to increase their profits from the exploitation of sugar cane. On the island runs a "green train", in fact it does not train at all but a small truck, which hooked on the open "Trailer", where passengers sit. The route of the "train" is from the beach to an abandoned fortress Yaguaribe "Fort Orange". The fortress is of particular interest, especially from the standpoint that it was built people came here hundreds of years ago from my native country. In addition to the fortress, there is no longer anything of interest. Excursion to the mangrove forest was as boring as diving and snorkelling. We regret the time spent on both of these classes. Much more interesting was conservation project in the waters of Brazil's endangered species of marine animals, called "Prodzheto Pakes Fights." This is the manatee, or, as they are called sea cows. This is a peaceful animal is good to man, it's easy to catch, but his trust is clearly excessive, because this kind of stands on the brink of extinction. According to some reports, in the waters of Brazil, their number does not exceed five hundred individuals. Entrance fee was entirely symbolic, and we, in order to make a tangible contribution to the rescue of these animals, we bought some souvenirs at a local store. We chatted with the owners of a small tourist hotel-pousady, their names and Fabricio Mara. In addition to Spanish, I knew some Portuguese words, and was even able to understand much of what we were told the young people, due to the fact that they spoke slowly suggestions and proposals were themselves short. We have learned that entrepreneurs have come to the island Itamaraka over 3000 km, from another corner of Brazil. They rented a building on a 4-year term, hoping to make it into something more attractive to tourists. Generally speaking, always deserves respect people who dedicate their lives to build or make something new. We wished success to the young and enterprising people, although we knew that it would be difficult, because the tourists on the island is not much. In general, we have the impression that the tourism industry here went into decline a few years ago. We saw many abandoned buildings, some of which were quite modern and had a great living space. Over the entire period of stay on the island we have not seen any firm that offer Internet access. Even restaurants are quite small, we can say that good schools - a rarity. Rio de Janeiro After our five-day vacation from travel difficulties, we have returned to Recife to fly from there to the magical city of dreams Ostap Bender. Our program offers two-day stay in Rio and one day in Sao Paulo. Maybe one day in Sao Paulo - a little bit, then two days in Rio - is enough to see the standard "gentleman's set" there the tourist attractions: the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain, where you can get on a chain of two train wagons, Walk in the district of Copacabana, the contemplation of beauty night Rio de Janeiro from the top of the mountain "Sugar Loaf". Probably every one of the locals with whom we spoke about the past and present of this magnificent city, with one voice told that this city was always a very dangerous not only for visitors but for local residents. Accordingly, we have been here quite careful, though, with us, nothing happened, and we have not heard on the news about any incidents. Only pinprick was one taxi driver who asked for 20 reais per trip, which was familiar to us, and we knew that more than 7 reais worth the trip should not be. In this case, include a counter, he refused. I explained to him that he must either include a counter or dropped us off. The driver reluctantly turned the counter, but after that we had to listen to an endless list of complaints, of which we understand such horrible things to myself that all the other tourists pay 20 reais, and that the Rio - the most beautiful city on Earth, and so we have a this extra cost. Then I ventured to break the silence and said that Rio is not only the most beautiful but also most expensive city, and that life in Buenos Aires, not in sample cheaper. When we arrived, despite the fact that the meter showed six reals plus a payment for the real official rate, carrier, gathered strength, negligible sumnyashesya said that the fare is 10 reais. Since he already have what is called, took out, then no power on earth would compel us to pay the 10 reais. But the hapless businessman went on to insist, so I got out and asked for help from a policeman, who was nearby. The intervention of the authorities to take effect, and we still managed to get 3 reals deposit with a 10-realovoy bill, which gave the taxi driver. And then my comment about the Buenos Aires back to me in unexpected ways. Give us reluctant to our legitimate three reals, the taxi driver told the policeman that we were from Argentina. This was said in a tone that, well, this explains why we, in the opinion led, stinginess. The policeman shook his head knowingly. On this episode was over. One taxi driver was close to the truth, and we really like Argentina. This country really - the best place for tourist trips in our time. Very little has been in the history of our visits countries where food was prepared so skillfully that only this factor could be decisive for the trip there. In Buenos Aires, visitors can plunge a vivid nightlife of the capital, can easily try a lot of pleasure and unforgettable experiences, while remaining relatively safe. And what about the infinite nature of the magic of Argentina, Perito Moreno glacier, the Andes, the peace and quiet town of Ushuaia (the southernmost city of the planet)! Add to that the ease and simplicity with which you can fly over the country from one end to another to make it all look. Yes, and airfare is relatively small. After three times I visited Buenos Aires, the city has taken a firm place in ten cities, in my opinion, the most liveable. Now, when we toured the whole of South America, I can share my ranking tourist attractions of this continent. The most interesting places, from my point of view, the following: Galapagos Islands, Nazca drawings in the desert, lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, the salt desert of Uyuni, Perito Moreno Glacier, crossing through the Chilean fjords, the night life of Buenos Aires, Argentine food, Iguazu Falls and the carnival in Salvador. It turns out, our Brazilian Tour added last, the tenth position in the ranking. But not the last in the list of South American wonders! See also: Tourist attractions oceanic coast of Brazil Carnival Magic
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