Brazil


Day 14.
Iguassu Falls.

The  
falls 1The  
falls 5 From the hotel it was a short drive to the entry to the Brazilian side of the falls.

Once the tickets had been purchased we re-boarded our coach and drove to a point where we were able to walk along well constructed routes which afforded us magnificent views of the falls. There were Coatis (a raccoon type mammal) diving in and out of the waste bins and toucans feeding high in the trees.

The walk way is around one and a half kilometers with quite a few viewing points along the way and ultimately it leads to the catwalk out into the spray.
it is here that the true spectacle can be scene, there were The falls 3lots of others getting soaked in the spray and like me having a great time "soaking" it up.

The falls 4At the end of the walkway there is an elevator which takes you up to the level of the Iguassu River, and from here the very wide river which feeds the falls is not very deep, but still allows vast amounts of water to cascade over the 2.7km length of this grand display.

This is where our coach picked us up again and there are also eating places and tourist shops. On the way back to the hotel we passed the start point for the inflatable boat rides which get right up to the falls and the access point for helicopter rides over the whole area.

This had truly been a spectacular day and in my opinion the Brazilian side does give the better views.


Day 15.
Iguassu to Rio de Janeiro.

We left the hotel and travelled to the small airport of Iguassu for the flight to Rio de Janeiro.

Rio is considered one of the most exciting cities in the world, there is music, beauty and excitement of the tropics, as well as all the features of a modern metropolis.
It was just getting dark when we arrived but the sights of the city still shone through, especially the illuminated views of "Christ the Redeemer" on top of Corcovado Mountain. and our room on the 22nd floor only added to this.


Day 16.
Rio de Janeiro.

RioToday we had a full-day tour of Rio's main points of interest, including the city’s famous beaches: Copacabana, with its golden sands, and Ipanema, lined with restaurants and boutiques.
Next we visited Corcovado Mountain, and the enormous statue of "Christ the Redeemer". The journey normally takes 20 minutes via a cog wheel train that runs up the side of the mountain through lush rain forest.
From the upper train station there is an elevator, then two escalators to the foot of the statue. The views over the city are truly wonderful and we were lucky with a clear day to enjoy them.

RioFrom here we went to the cable car point which took us up to the summit of "Sugar Loaf Mountain". It is a two stage system using large cars over a 1400 metre cable run.
Again we had fantastic views over the beaches, bay and city.

After a Churrasco-style lunch we saw more of the city sights including the Maracana Stadium which will host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.


Day 17.
Ipanema and home.

Rio As this was our last day in Rio, but not leaving until around 4pm, I walked from the hotel down to the beach at Ipanema. The weather was perfect, the warm sunshine and the soft sand lead me to paddle in the sea and enjoy the atmosphere of the area.
Beach volley ball courts all along the sands, plenty of eating places made this the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

Reluctantly I returned to the hotel for the drive to the airport along a very congested motorway. But the queuing traffic allowed some very brave vendors the opportunity to sell biscuits etc to the waiting drivers, they don't miss an opportunity.

The flight home was very pleasant thanks to TAM Airlines.