Brazil - Amazon and Rio De Janeiro : 6-13 November

Think of South America and images of tropical jungles, exotic animals and vast rivers come to mind immediately. So far, we had seen very little of this, with mostly bleak Andean highlands or dry desert regions being where we had spent the majority of our five weeks to date. We were ready to get stuck into the real deal with a voyage down the river to the Amazon rainforest, before heading to the monstrous concrete jungle that is the world's third largest city, Sao Paolo (via beautiful Rio and its islands).

Amazon Rainforest, Brazil (6 Nov-10 Nov)

Having had our fill of civilization for the time being, it was time to head to a totally different world. We were headed for the city of Manaus, which is so much in the middle of nowhere that it is only possible to reach it via boat or plane - despite being a modern city of two million people. It's the main base from which to explore the Amazon rainforest, specifically the area at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes (the other name for the Amazon), which merge and continue as the Amazon. 

Upon reaching the airport at 11:30pm to 31 degree heat, our overnight hotel's shower was remarkable for having the strongest water pressure on the planet. This must be because one-fifth of the world's fresh water flows nearby - clearly water shortages are not an issue here.

The trip to the hotel in the middle of the jungle is normally a 2.5 hour ride by canoe down the river, but through a stroke of good luck, they opened a new bridge only the previous week, meaning we only had a 30 minute boat ride in the midday sun. The hotel itself (the Ariaú Towers) is constructed entirely on wooden stilts, since the river floods a full 8 meters higher in the wet season. Even so, the previous year, the whole place had flooded, and thankfully we were there in the dry season, as it wouldn't have been nice having a piranha or crocodile floating into your room.

Considering its location in the middle of the jungle, the hotel is amazing, with air conditioning (thank you!) and a huge restaurant and bar area. While it seemed quite popular with middle-aged American tourists, this is probably because your average young backpacker would not be able to afford it. And while it may be more "adventurous" to stay in a tent on an island somewhere, we were instantly thankful of the choice when we entered the air conditioned room and drank our first caiparinha from the hotel bar. Also, given the average backpacker we met was been between 22 and 25, it was refreshing to be the youngest people there! 

We were situated on a tributary of the Rio Negro, about 2 km from the river, and the river was where the majority of the wildlife is to be found. Our first taster was the classic Amazon adventure of piranha fishing. While we expected most piranha myths to be debunked, we were not prepared for the sheer numbers, speed and efficiency of the little monsters.

Below is Theodore Roosevelt's description of piranhas, as taken from his book on Brazil's rainforest written in the early 20th century. Many say this description is actually responsible for the worldwide impression of the vicious school of piranha which devour anything in the water.

"They are the most ferocious fish in the world. Even the most formidable fish, the sharks or the barracudas, usually attack things smaller than themselves. But the piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves. They will snap a finger off a hand incautiously trailed in the water; they mutilate swimmers—in every river town in Paraguay there are men who have been thus mutilated; they will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast; for blood in the water excites them to madness. They will tear wounded wild fowl to pieces; and bite off the tails of big fish as they grow exhausted when fighting after being hooked ...... The head with its short muzzle, staring malignant eyes, and gaping, cruelly armed jaws, is the embodiment of evil ferocity; and the actions of the fish exactly match its looks." 

This is the classic piranha of legend. We were a little disappointed to learn that this is not the case, but like all good myths, it has some basis in reality. We were informed that they won't attack a cow or bite off a finger (although it's not totally unknown). They mostly eat other fish and they don't hunt in packs, but rather swim in schools for protection, like sardines. They are ugly little critters, and we were only fishing for the smaller variety (about 5 inches long). Their teeth are razor sharp and jut out in a fierce-looking underbite. 

Our fishing took place in the shallows, near the bank. Our bamboo rods were baited with small chunks of meat, and within split seconds of it being lowered into the water, there was a flurry of excitement under the water, and the hook comes back up empty. So quick are these fish to polish off the meat that you must jerk the line up to hook the fish virtually as soon as it enters the water, otherwise you will be rebaiting the line again (and again). This was the behaviour one expects of the vicious Amazon piranha, and we weren't disappointed!

The good news is that there are hundreds of piranhas in a few square metres of water, so you will not take long to hook your first. If you had the right technique, you could basically catch a piranha every 20 seconds. Louise was first on the boat to get a catch and David caught up later, eventually getting 10 to 12 fish. The smaller ones were thrown back and the larger ones were taken home to be cooked or made into soup that evening. Sonia was a little vigorous in jerking back her line a few times, and Rudolf got a few piranhas in the face. A bite from one of them, small enough as they were, would cause a nasty gash.

The other watery predator in the region is the caiman, which is a smaller version of the crocodile. We headed out on a nighttime excursion to find, capture and investigate the caiman up close. We set out on the boat with our guides hunting down the caimans along the banks by shining torches into their eyes to catch the reflection. Eventually our guide somehow spotted a mid-sized one on the bank, and actually jumped out, sneaked towards the caiman from behind, and eventually pounced upon it, pinning its jaws closed and grabbing it around the neck, narrowly avoiding a nasty reflexive bite in the process. He tied up the jaws and brought it to the boat for us to touch and get a closer look. While it was a smaller specimen, the guy caught it in the dark with his bare hands, so we were suitably impressed!

Our next close encounter with nature would require some swimming in the Rio Negro with pink river dolphins. Pink river dolphins are endangered and unlike other dolphins can turn their heads 180 degrees, they have extremely strong tail fins and proportionately larger brains than humans.

With stern instructions not to hold our hands above the water or move our legs too much, in case we're bitten or cut by their dorsal fins, we got into the water. There is a small platform, but if you're not on it the water is 120m deep. The dolphins themselves were happy to be touched as long as they were being fed by the dolphin handler, so we made the most of it and got to touch their extremely soft skin. They swam all around us and, most disconcertingly, below us, but it was an incredible experience. They are so big and strong.

We are extremely lucky to have swam with these endangered dolphins since the laws protecting them are getting stricter and stricter regarding how many people are allowed to do this a week. We were witness to a big fight between the dolphin handler and an environmentalist who fined the hotel for bringing 40 instead of 30 tourists to swim with the dolphins that week. If this keeps happening it will probably become illegal - which is a good thing for the dolphins.

Being from South Africa, we are well used to annoying monkeys who try to steal your food, but the sad news is that our hotel is basically under siege by a troop of brazen, greedy apes, who essentially run riot in the bar and pool area. It all started amusingly enough with small yellow squirrel monkeys frequenting the bar and eating the sugar for the capirinhas but with the arrival of large aggressive capuchin monkeys, there were regular thefts of personal items. One particularly devious squirrel monkey sneaked up behind Rudolf and grabbed his camera bag and wallet, requiring a chase and eventual retrieval by David. Despite all this, Rudolf actually had to discipline a foolish old man who was actually feeding monkeys through the cage around the dining area.

There are plenty of villages on the surrounding rivers populated by caboclos (those of mixed Portuguese and native Indian descent) and we took a long boat ride down the massive Rio Negro to visit one. The Rio Negro at this point is about 23km wide, and at a certain point, you could not see the other side. The village in question was amazingly pristine, colourfully decorated and modern. We soon learned that it had entered the Brazilian equivalent of Extreme Home Makeover the previous year and had won. The TV people came in and redid the whole village with electricity, telephone, schools and computers, and also rebuilt many of the houses and decorated them in gorgeous multicoloured paint. They also built a small guesthouse and restaurant to allow visitors and travelers to stay overnight. It was better than many places we had stayed, and the toilets flushed themselves, unlike the bucket-and-water system in many Bolivian hostels.

It is a local village at heart though, and we saw how they make vulcanized rubber from the sap of the rubber tree in the traditional way, including how they make disturbingly large and thick condoms. They also showed how they make tapioca from a tree whose roots actually contain raw cyanide before being dried, cooked and treated. It was surprisingly delicious, despite the "joke" of cyanide-induced death at disturbingly regular intervals from our guide.

In the rest of South America, all villages have a central square - this being Brazil, they of course have a football field in the centre of the village. Thankfully, the villagers have an agreement with the government not to encroach any further on the jungle, in exchange for a regular doctor service and certain regular payments, so we hope the village will remain in its great jungle setting for the foreseeable future. Sadly, we were informed that seeing a jaguar or anaconda is exceptionally rare, despite the jungle being at an arm's length, but our piranha, caiman and dolphin sightings, along with the amazing birdlife and ape attacks, had been more than enough.

Flying to Rio De Janeiro, we flew for two hours over endless stretches of rainforest, although sadly we could see many strips which had been cleared, and not only at the outskirts. There is still an extraordinary amount of what appears to be unspoiled jungle out there however.

Rio De Janeiro (10 Nov - 13 Nov)

The debate that was to rage between us for the next 3 days was "Which is more beautiful - Cape Town or Rio De Janeiro?". This argument was prompted by Rio's reputation as one of the world's most beautiful cities versus our pride in our own magnificent Cape. It was finally settled by the recent announcement of the new 7 Natural Wonders, with the list including Table Mountain. This contest might not have been impartial, but we still agreed with the outcome.

While Cape Town has Table Mountain, the 12 Apostles and Robben Island, Rio has the harbour with numerous islands, inlets and beaches, all surrounded by distinctive hills and mountains. Pride of place is the Christ the Redeemer statue sitting atop one of the highest peaks in the harbour. From photos, you get the impression of a gargantuan statue dominating Rio. In reality, it can only barely be seen from the city, being so high up. Think of how small the Table Mountain cable car station looks from the city. However, after a nice but crowded train ride to the top through lush Atlantic rainforest, you arrive at the top of the mountain and see the admittedly impressive statue on its plinth, with a full 360 degree view of the harbour and surrounds. 

Although the statue itself is huge and distinctively sculpted, it is the view that makes it what it is. Of course it is jammed with tourists, and the great thing about Table Mountain is that you can wander off and find a secluded place to look out at the surrounding coast and ocean (while being alert for muggings if you really wander too far - admittedly a minus for Cape Town). Still, it's possible to jostle for, and then hog, a spot at the railing and gaze at the Sugar Loaf far below, and the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana that stretch along the coast. We could see our hotel at the far end of Leblon beach, with the largest favela (township) rising to the hillside just behind it. We would learn more about this later.

Rio also has the unique Sugar Loaf (the postcard view of Rio) which is the mound shaped pinnacle jutting into the Atlantic between the city and Copacabana beach. Just like James Bond did in Moonraker, you can catch two cable cars to the top and enjoy an alternate view of Rio. Infrastructure is top notch, with shiny new restaurants and shops right on top without ruining the view from the bottom. There is more room to wander about on top, but the large tourist complex does mean you don't get much seclusion. However, we embraced it and ordered a round of Antarctica beers (complete with penguin logo) and watch the birds swooping and weaving on the warm currents below us (yes, we were that high).

Having hired a local driver for the day (who spoke what was actually excellent English hidden under an unintelligible Portuguese accent), we were lucky enough to be brought to a great restaurant right at the water in the Urca district (Bar Urca). We waited a little for a table, but were allowed to purchase a couple of large Antarcticas and sit at the water to enjoy the view. The restaurant itself is an institution, with the owner having worked in restaurants in Rio since 1936 and was filled with Rio locals.  We were able to secure a sea view table and throughout enjoyed the excellent food and service.

Having heard that English speakers are rare in Brazil, we were surprised to find that almost everyone we met spoke English to some extent, and many excellently. This was just as well, since our three months of Spanish had not helped in any way with understanding Portuguese. On paper, the languages look similar, but the pronunciation is so radically different that we were totally at a loss. They don't even pronounce most of the consonants, and the vowels are just mixed together into an unintelligible mess. Tick one point for Cape Town.

Thanks to Sonia and Rudolf's generosity, our digs had improved somewhat over our backpacking adventure and the Sheraton hotel in Rio De Janeiro was obviously pure luxury, with a private beach. The most irksome fact for all concerned, however, was the ridiculous policy of charging a significant amount for wi-fi access. Even the cheapest hostel in Bolivia had free wi-fi. Seems to be the standard to charge for everything in a 5 star hotel. Still, not the worst complaint to have about a place!

Leaving the hotel one night, we were coming down from the 16th floor and the door opened at 12 and a bride in full wedding dress got in. This is not what one expects, and we were too unsure if it was an actual bride or some sort of photo shoot or something to actually offer any congratulations. The lifts had been playing up all day, and the lift actually stopped dead with us stuck in a lift with a bride on the way to her wedding. With visions of being stuck in a lift with a panicking bride-to-be, thankfully the lift came back to life and she went off to her wedding (we then saw the waiting cars and photographers).

Rio's huge stretches of beach are of course one of its selling points over Cape Town's small but well-formed Clifton and Camps Bay, since the beaches are kilometers long and the water, while cold, isn't hit by the full force of the Benguela current from Antarctica. They are also well known for the hordes of super-tanned and skimpily-clad beach-goers that throng the beaches every day. 

We walked across the entire length of Ipanema beach one day and saw for ourselves the spectacle that is beach-going in Rio. We saw the best and worst bodies in Brazil on display, sadly with equal disregard for modesty regardless of body type or size. Man or woman, large or small, old or young - small strips of material covering the essentials were all that was necessary. Perhaps it's jealousy at their commendable lack of inhibitions, but sometimes it's best to leave things to the imagination!

Like Cape Town, the beaches are really safe, with many police patrolling the beaches and streets, and there is great infrastructure for the outdoor lifestyle. Running paths are flanked by regular "stretching" stations, and the paths for the less fitness-inclined among us are flanked by regular caipirinha and beer stations. There are deck chairs and umbrellas for rent and rows of beach volleyball nets. Footballs are ubiquitous, and they've even invented a new game whereby they play volleyball with a football, using just the head and feet to keep the ball in the air. Even the young kids in Brazil have more ball skill than the Irish and South African teams put together. The nightlife in the surrounding area is also lively and varied, with an all-you-can-eat barbecue followed by half-head/half-beer draughts called "chopps" making for a memorable evening with our LA saviour Jamie. 

Leaving our hotel on the last night in Rio, we ran into a police cordon around the hotel. The police presence, including military vehicles and helicopters, was more radical than what we had seen to date. Automatic rifle-wielding police were guarding many of the pedestrian routes out of the favela. Upon enquiring, we were told that the favela in the surrounding hillside was going to be invaded that night, and the police were going to "occupy" the favela to take back control from the drug gangs. This was quite a serious operation, and clearly not something that happens every day. They had captured the big cheese from one of the drug gangs the previous week, so clearly there is a huge clampdown prior to the World Cup and Olympics.

Helicopters flew over our hotel the whole night, armoured vehicles roamed the streets around the hotel, and at a bar in Leblon that night we watched the invasion live on TV. Upon trying to head to some of the bars on the outskirts around 12am, we were told that they were closing because of the risk from the invasion. We saw on TV the next day that some of the main gang leaders had been rounded up and carted off and the operation appeared to have been successful.

It might be our national pride talking when we say Cape Town is better or more beautiful, but regardless of this, Rio is such a lively and unique city that we enjoyed every minute and it deserves its rich reputation. We just wish the men would wear proper shorts.