Bumping across the border to Bolivia

Next stop was the town of Tilcara, approximately 4 hours north of Salta, and not too far from the Bolivian border. Although our last stop was also in the desert, it felt more like a small desert town when we arrived in Tilcara. This town was so small that the supermarket didn't have 1.65 pesos change and I instead received a note saying that I had credit there! Although the town was nice at times, the dust and our concerns about the quality of the food meant that we didnt hang around for more than a couple of slow days.


While there though we also managed to squeeze in a day-trip to Purmamarca, which is known for its hills of seven colours, as well as for the numerous artisan shops and stalls.


The further north we head the more concerned we have become about the quality of the food and its storage. It seems people are more prepared to refrigerate drinks than meat. Seeing a dozen luke-warm chickens being sold on the front counter is less than confidence instilling.

The 15 Boliviano ($2.50) 3 hour bus trip from Villazon to Tupiza was an interesting experience. After enduring the (very bad) singing busker on our bus we had our first experience of Bolivian roads, or the lack thereof. At one point we were actually driving up a river bed, and shortly after, up the river itself. At that point it made perfect sense why many Bolivian buses have incredibly high suspension.

One we set down in Tupiza we experienced our latest evening desert storm, which is the 3rd desert town in a row. I think we must be a rain charm for the locals, and we have quite enjoyed watching the storms roll in as it feels similar to being home this time of the year.


The next day we set out on a 5 hour horseride through the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" territory. Although our guide was less than enthusiasic and at one point I managed to come off the horse at full gallop, the ride itself was fantastic - up and down dusty red hills, along dry riverbeds past towering cacti and amongst strange rock formations.

Our next adventure is to set off on a 4-day tour of south-western Bolivia, which will include a tour of the massive salt flats west of Uyuni.

From falls to deserts, Argentine style

After opting against visiting the Argentinean side of the falls, we made a straightforward border crossing and headed further into Argentina towards Posadas. Most people only stop here because it's a convenient break between Foz and Buenos Aires (or in our case, between Foz and Salta), or to visit the nearby Jesuit mission ruins. Immediately the difference from Brazil was obvious - there was much more of a conservative and decidedly European feel, without the overwhelming joy and passion in life that the Brazilians flaunt. While we were here the town was hit by a massive storm that felled huge trees in the main square.


We also watched some groups of schoolkids with all sorts of drums (from hand held to massive 44 gallon drums wheeled on trolleys) playing in the square, complete with synchronized dancing from the schoolgirls. This was no vivacious bateria of Brazil; instead, the music had a distinctive air of defiance, and you got the feeling that the next Che Guevara could be standing amongst their ranks (though probably not the guy wearing the fluoro green sequined Che hat). The air of defiance went up a few notches when a rival school band turned up and a drum-off ensued, and some nervous looking police formed a rough line between the groups in case things turned ugly. But aside from lots of noise and a spontaneous mosh pit, nothing eventuated, and gradually everyone, including us, drifted off for their lunch and siesta.


In food terms, Argentina is known for steak, empanadas and more steak, with good reason - they're delicious (and cheap)! Unfortunately due to some sick cruel twist of fate, my stomach has decided to reject this wonderful meat, so I've been forced to adopt a no-meat diet in order to avoid spending long periods of time hugging the toilet bowl :-(


We overnight-bussed to Salta, and then on to the small town of Cafayate, set against a spaghetti western backdrop of swirling dust, towering cactus and rocky hills in every shade of brown, red and tan.


However in stark contrast to this desert setting, the area is well known for its wine, and you only have to venture a short distance to see lush green vineyards, all frequented by thirsty tourists on luxury guided booze cruises. Lacking the luxury of an airconditioned tour bus, we visited only a few wineries (on bike and foot), including Bodega Nanni - the oldest winery in the region, with several international awards to boot. All of their wine is organic - no chemicals are used in the purification process, only egg whites - and their drops include the two typical wines of the region - Malbec (red) and Torrentes (white).


To go with our wine, we headed out to the Cabras de Cafayate (goat farm) and checked out the goats and the cheese factory. The baby goats were ridiculously cute, and the cheese was pretty good too - must be something to do with the classical music they play to them during milking!


Aside from drinking wine and eating cheese, we managed to squeeze in some more strenous activities, including a visit to the sand dunes (which may one day cover the town) and then a trek to the Quebradas of Cafayate. After walking through a narrow rocky canyon filled with spiky plant after spiky plant, we emerged next to a red sand dune looking over to some amazing coloured hills. The whole landscape was just amazing, and totally different to anything we've ever seen.


While we were here we were lucky enough to witness a desert storm - the first rain since March! - which temporarily flooded the streets and blacked out the town. After Cafayate, we're heading north through more desert territory, in search of llamas, lakes and Wile E. Coyote...

Big in Brazil

En route to our next beach haven (or so we hoped), we made a brief stopover in Morretes, a little colonial town nestled between rainforested mountains. Because it was the last day of a Brazillian long weekend, the little town hummed with day trippers (mostly Brazillians), enjoying the sunshine and street stalls selling dried banana, super sugary sweets and deep fried pastries. There's a river that runs through the town which we had a much needed swim in, and then relaxed on the grassy banks to watch some local boys competing to see who could do the highest and most extravagant jump off the bridge into the (shallow) river. We also sampled the dish that Morretes is famous for, barreado (a meat stew cooked in a clay pot served with manioc flour, orange and banana), which is traditionally made a day before carnaval to give the women a break from the kitchen. Like pretty much all the food in Brazil, it was fantastic, cheap (at one of the local hole-in-the-wall joints away from the riverbank) and so big we staggered out struggling to breathe.


We then headed over to Ilha do Mel, a little island with no cars, deserted beaches, stacks of wildlife, and just a handful of pousadas and restaurant/bars. The island has a fort which was once manned by the Portuguese, but in November it's protected by about a million botucas - aggressive biting horseflies that seem to just bounce when you slap them instead of dying. Unfortunately both our guidebook and internet resources failed to mention this fact (well known to all the locals who just smile sympathetically at your red spotty legs, while they too stand around waving and slapping their arms in defense), so we never made it up to the fort. Instead we spent plenty of time hiding under the mosquito net or in a hammock nursing hands and feets swollen with itchy bites, opting for long pants, shirts and closed shoes at night. But thankfully there were parts of the island that were relatively botuca-free, so we did get to some cool beaches, up to the lighthouse and to most of the restaurants for tasty seafood (where prawns are cheaper than chicken!).

Next stop - the biggest, grandest and most spectacular waterfalls in Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay - Iguacu Falls. Our first day on the Brazillian side of the falls was stormy and grey, so we postponed our falls visit in favour of another big, grand and spectacular highlight - the churrascaria, or Brazillian bbq. If you think of as much meat as you've ever eaten at an Australian bbq, double it, double it again, add a buffet of salad, rice and beans, and dessert, and then give it a $10 price tag, well that's churrasco for you. The waiters come around and carve onto your plate juicy slices of roast meat, each more delicious than the next, and you eat until your heart starts faltering, or in my case, have minor hallucinations.

The next day we headed out to see the falls, which did not disappoint in the slightest. Big open air buses shuttle visitors through dense rainforest to the start of the path - like something out of Jurassic Park - and then you hear the falls before you see them. The falls are just massive - huge cliffs with an immense amount of water cascading down over multiple levels, culminating in a dense cloud of spray rising above the Garganta del Diablo (devil's throat), which you can get a great view of from the platform out over the water. If you only see one thing in Brazil, the falls would have to be it - they're simply spectacular.

Afterwards we checked out the Parque des Aves bird and reptile zoo next door, which again, is pretty spectacular. Here we saw numerous animals that we'd only ever seen on logos and in pictures and books - toucans, flamingos, macaws, exotic parrots, anacondas, caimans and more. The zoo feels like it's been built into the rainforest (it probably has) and has several walk through avaries where you can get up close to the birds.

Now we've got Argentina in our sights, so stay tuned..

Shh... it´s a secret!

A couple hours southwest of Rio we stumbled across paradise! (well not so much stumbled as knew of the secret - Anita visited here a few years ago) We'd originally booked 3 nights in Trindade, but the best part of 2 weeks later we struggled to tear ourselves away to continue our trip. It's a small town located on the coast where the rainforest meets the sea, waterfalls meet waves and there is more beach than bitumen.

Trindade is a sleepy little town relatively undiscovered by foreigners, although the number of pousadas, restaurants and beach bars inform you that it is well and truly on the domestic tourist map. Most of the time we were there, we were under the threat of rain and consequently the town was quiet and the beautiful beaches almost uninhabited.

Rain or not the tropical climate means that you can go about your business regardless, and we managed to swim in the natural sea pools, visit the beaches, waterfalls and walk without any problems. We also managed to sample the local cuisine (several times!)and visted the beach bars at night, which absolutely crank, thanks largely to Cachaca (a strong sugar cane spirit) being 5.50 reals (less than A$4) for a 'good quality' bottle from the supermarket, which is about enough to fly a light aircraft from Rio to Sao Paulo. We also managed to line up some Portuguese lessons with a local for a whopping 10 Reals an hour (about A$6.50), which is helping greatly with our travels.

On the Friday before we left, the hostel owner managed to line up a day trip by boat to a couple of places where there are no roads, and all access is by foot or boat. With George as our guide we spent a few hours on a couple of the most beautiful deserted beaches you can imagine, hiked over a hill to a little waterfall to wash the salt off before finishing up in a little town called Ponto Negra (pop. ~150 people). Here we had lunch on the beach and played frisbee with the local kids while we waited for our boat to pick us up and take us back to Trindade.

Ponto Negra is spectacularly beautiful. The town is located in a sheltered cove with a small beautiful beach, a fresh water stream flowing down one side, and is completely surrounded by rainforest covered mountains. Although many locals do have motor boats, they still routinely use dug-out canoes for fishing. Everything in Ponto Negra is grown, caught, boated or hiked in....including the local French and English teacher who we met on the beach. You get the feeling of being in a Brazillian time capsule here... and hopefully when we make it back here down the track it'll still be virtually unchanged.

After farewelling our place in paradise, we've headed south towards Curitiba, and back on the coast again to a little island called Ilha do Mel - more on that in our next post...