Good luck tonight in Shotwell against Lubbock Coronado while we're at Iguazu Falls in Brazil!
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| Not Iguazu Falls, we'll get there tomorrow. |
Friday, October 19, 2012
From Foz de Iguacu 10/18/12
Another great job last week as the defense shut Lee down in the second half and the offense got the job done for another win!
Good luck tonight in Shotwell against Lubbock Coronado while we're at Iguazu Falls in Brazil!
Good luck tonight in Shotwell against Lubbock Coronado while we're at Iguazu Falls in Brazil!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Bonito 10/4/12- 10/6/12
We arrived in Bonito mid-day and quickly got settled into the hostel and had lunch. We knew we only had two days here as we were trying to make it to Rio in time to meet up with Kristin`s brother, Mike. Bonito is a fabulous town with a quaint main street and plaza. It's clean, organized, and was a breath of fresh air after parts of Bolivia. Plus everyone in Brazil is soo nice!!
After lunch, we headed out on a 30 minute bike ride to the local "swimming hole" (more or less). The water was crystal clear, refreshing, and there were tons of Dorado fish swimming around.
Our next day, we decided to make the most of it and went on the top notch excursion in Bonito which was snorkeling down the Rio Prata.
We were fed well (buffet style) and relaxed in hammocks before gearing up for the tour. Although the 30 minute walk in our wet suits to the river was not the most fun, once we got to the water it was well worth it!
The water was clearer than tap water and there was an abundance of colors under the water including trees, plants, and lots of fish everywhere. We just put our heads down and let the current take us. It was truly amazing and so beautiful!! To add to it, the river was surrounded by lush vegetation, so when we would pop our heads up above water the view was still breath taking. Thank goodness for the wet suits because the water was pretty cold.
There were also some springs coming up from the floor of the river that were cool to see.
There were a few more things to be done in town; however, we were out of time and Brazil is much more expensive than other places so we had to keep moving.
We stayed at Ecological Expeditions hostel. We had a private room with a/c, cable tv, breakfast, etc. for $15 each. It was a very relaxing place.
After lunch, we headed out on a 30 minute bike ride to the local "swimming hole" (more or less). The water was crystal clear, refreshing, and there were tons of Dorado fish swimming around.
Our next day, we decided to make the most of it and went on the top notch excursion in Bonito which was snorkeling down the Rio Prata.
We were fed well (buffet style) and relaxed in hammocks before gearing up for the tour. Although the 30 minute walk in our wet suits to the river was not the most fun, once we got to the water it was well worth it!
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| Ow, ow! |
There were a few more things to be done in town; however, we were out of time and Brazil is much more expensive than other places so we had to keep moving.
We stayed at Ecological Expeditions hostel. We had a private room with a/c, cable tv, breakfast, etc. for $15 each. It was a very relaxing place.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Corumba 10/1/12 - 10/3/12
Lets start off by saying Corumba was not on our list of places to see, nor does it really deserve to be on the "Places to see" list. However, we were stuck there for a few days and it ended up being a good time!
There's a story for why we ended up in the town in the first place. Original plan was to train to Bolivia border town, cross into Brazil at Corumba, and catch a bus to Bonito the same day. Our train arrived at the border first thing in the morning, but to our surprise the border office was closed. We found out it was a department holiday and although the office was supposed to be open in the mornings on holidays, to everyone's surprise including the locals, it was closed all day long. Well, we are in Bolivia....
No way to get an exit stamp. Strangely, it was still very easy to walk right across the border without any hassle. We met an English guy, Will, who was in the same predicament. Brazilian border office wouldn't give us an entry stamp without a Bolivian exit stamp. So, the 3 of us went into Brazil to the Federal Police to try and obtain entry stamps regardless of not getting the exit stamp first. This idea failed and we would have to go back to the border in the morning, but we were at least able to stay in Corumba, a much nicer place than the Bolivian border town. We simply went back to the border for exit stamps the next day.
While we were trying to get around town the first day for stamps, an extremely nice American girl, Melissa, that had been in Brazil for the past 2 years with her husband and family as missionaries, offered to help us out. She gave us a ride to where we needed to go, and offered up any other help we needed, including a trip out to the Pantanal with her husband, Ben, in his boat. Corumba is at the hub of the Pantanal which is a major river system and wetlands area containing thousands upon thousands of various species of animals.
So we emailed them back and forth (only form of communication), and set up a boat outing for the day after next and arranged to meet up with them later in the day. We got a first hand tour of the town, drove up to an outlook over the city, played with their kids, and had dinner. They were so friendly that it made for a great first experience in Brazil.
The next day was all about getting our stamps, eating MEAT, and hanging out. Successful day.
Our last day was spent with Ben on his boat for a few hours in the Pantanal. We were excited to get to do this because we didn't get to do a jungle or wetlands tour anywhere else, so this was the next best way to see some wildlife.
We saw plenty of birds, lots and lots of crocodile eyes and a few full crocodiles, and even some sea otters. We were then invited to their home for lunch which was good to be able to say our goodbyes to the whole family and play with the kids a little more.
Plan was to get the afternoon bus to Bonito after our boat trip, but we found out once we got to the bus station that the once a day bus to Bonito was now at 7:00 am. Yay, another night in Corumba ;).
Corumba isn't exactly set up for tourism, so finding a place to stay was harder than normal. Our guide book listed a hostel, but it was closed down. The hotel we found was called "El Shadday" and it was El Shit-tay! It was fine enough to stay for a few nights while in a pinch, but for $35 for the room (most expensive room yet), we expected a little more. It did have a/c thank goodness, but not a lot else ;-).
There's a story for why we ended up in the town in the first place. Original plan was to train to Bolivia border town, cross into Brazil at Corumba, and catch a bus to Bonito the same day. Our train arrived at the border first thing in the morning, but to our surprise the border office was closed. We found out it was a department holiday and although the office was supposed to be open in the mornings on holidays, to everyone's surprise including the locals, it was closed all day long. Well, we are in Bolivia....
No way to get an exit stamp. Strangely, it was still very easy to walk right across the border without any hassle. We met an English guy, Will, who was in the same predicament. Brazilian border office wouldn't give us an entry stamp without a Bolivian exit stamp. So, the 3 of us went into Brazil to the Federal Police to try and obtain entry stamps regardless of not getting the exit stamp first. This idea failed and we would have to go back to the border in the morning, but we were at least able to stay in Corumba, a much nicer place than the Bolivian border town. We simply went back to the border for exit stamps the next day.
While we were trying to get around town the first day for stamps, an extremely nice American girl, Melissa, that had been in Brazil for the past 2 years with her husband and family as missionaries, offered to help us out. She gave us a ride to where we needed to go, and offered up any other help we needed, including a trip out to the Pantanal with her husband, Ben, in his boat. Corumba is at the hub of the Pantanal which is a major river system and wetlands area containing thousands upon thousands of various species of animals.
So we emailed them back and forth (only form of communication), and set up a boat outing for the day after next and arranged to meet up with them later in the day. We got a first hand tour of the town, drove up to an outlook over the city, played with their kids, and had dinner. They were so friendly that it made for a great first experience in Brazil.
The next day was all about getting our stamps, eating MEAT, and hanging out. Successful day.
Our last day was spent with Ben on his boat for a few hours in the Pantanal. We were excited to get to do this because we didn't get to do a jungle or wetlands tour anywhere else, so this was the next best way to see some wildlife.
We saw plenty of birds, lots and lots of crocodile eyes and a few full crocodiles, and even some sea otters. We were then invited to their home for lunch which was good to be able to say our goodbyes to the whole family and play with the kids a little more.
Plan was to get the afternoon bus to Bonito after our boat trip, but we found out once we got to the bus station that the once a day bus to Bonito was now at 7:00 am. Yay, another night in Corumba ;).
Corumba isn't exactly set up for tourism, so finding a place to stay was harder than normal. Our guide book listed a hostel, but it was closed down. The hotel we found was called "El Shadday" and it was El Shit-tay! It was fine enough to stay for a few nights while in a pinch, but for $35 for the room (most expensive room yet), we expected a little more. It did have a/c thank goodness, but not a lot else ;-).
Bolivia Recap 9/6/12 - 10/1/12
Recap of Bolivia:
Time in country: 25 days
Money spent: approximately $970 USD each (includes cost of Visa)
Currency: Boliviano
Conversion Rate: approximately 7 Bolivianos per USD
Food:
Again, a typical local plate can consist of a soup, plate with rice, salad, choice of meat, and juice. Most of which was very bland.
We did find some nice places serving high-end medallion filets on the cheap!
Places Visited (in order): Copacabana, La Paz, Uyuni, Southwest Circuit, Sucre, Santa Cruz
Random Thoughts:
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America. Because of this fact a common phrase amongst travelers used to explain some of the less than ideal situations (such as Border offices being closed all day without notice, bathrooms, busses, roads, service, quality of food, etc.) was "well, this IS Bolivia".
Most of the roads in Bolivia are unpaved, so the bus trips are not very fun, but hey, "this IS Bolivia".
Due to strikes and road blocks being pretty common (specifically miners' strikes while we were there), we spent quite a few days waiting around in towns. Luckily for us it is an inexpensive country!
Since Bolivia is so cheap we were able to live it up a little bit. This included nice steak dinners, wine, and nicer hostels all for pretty cheap. So, although it may seem like we spent a lot of money in a country that's supposed to be cheap, we lived well :-).
La Paz, technically the capital of Bolivia, is the highest capital city in the world at 11,975 ft. This city and parts of the Salt Flat were quite chilly!
In most parts of Bolivia, the women still wear very traditional clothing consisting of long, colorful skirts, blouses with aprons a lot of times, and undersized bowler hats.
Thanks to reciprocity, the Bolivian Visa cost Americans $135 (crisp and clean bills only).
Time in country: 25 days
Money spent: approximately $970 USD each (includes cost of Visa)
Currency: Boliviano
Conversion Rate: approximately 7 Bolivianos per USD
Food:
Again, a typical local plate can consist of a soup, plate with rice, salad, choice of meat, and juice. Most of which was very bland.
We did find some nice places serving high-end medallion filets on the cheap!
Places Visited (in order): Copacabana, La Paz, Uyuni, Southwest Circuit, Sucre, Santa Cruz
Random Thoughts:
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America. Because of this fact a common phrase amongst travelers used to explain some of the less than ideal situations (such as Border offices being closed all day without notice, bathrooms, busses, roads, service, quality of food, etc.) was "well, this IS Bolivia".
Most of the roads in Bolivia are unpaved, so the bus trips are not very fun, but hey, "this IS Bolivia".
Due to strikes and road blocks being pretty common (specifically miners' strikes while we were there), we spent quite a few days waiting around in towns. Luckily for us it is an inexpensive country!
Since Bolivia is so cheap we were able to live it up a little bit. This included nice steak dinners, wine, and nicer hostels all for pretty cheap. So, although it may seem like we spent a lot of money in a country that's supposed to be cheap, we lived well :-).
La Paz, technically the capital of Bolivia, is the highest capital city in the world at 11,975 ft. This city and parts of the Salt Flat were quite chilly!
In most parts of Bolivia, the women still wear very traditional clothing consisting of long, colorful skirts, blouses with aprons a lot of times, and undersized bowler hats.
Thanks to reciprocity, the Bolivian Visa cost Americans $135 (crisp and clean bills only).
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