Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Capoeira dancers performing with their class on the street, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
There have been several highlights during our stay in Salvador de Bahia apart from visiting the Pelourinho … which is by the way far less interesting and not as well preserved than the colonial laid-back city of Olinda!
View of Praca Terreiro de Jesus, Salador de Bahia, Brazil
Salvador is a must on every tourist´ agenda for many reasons. Firstly it hosts the second largest Carnival in Brazil, secondly for its old colonial historic centre, the Pelourinho and above all, its unique cultural background. Nowhere in the Americas have the descendants of African slaves preserved their culture more strongly than here! It is obvious in the music, the cuisine, the religion or types of dance of this Bahia town – at times we almost forgot that we were in Brazil! Continue Reading →
Natural pool at Praia da Atalaia, on the West Coast of Fernando de Noronha National Park, Brazil
If you wonder what makes Fernando de Noronha such a desired holiday destination: it is a beautiful island with 11 golden sandy beaches without any people, great landscapes and very good snorkelling. Most of the island is a Marine National Park that is protected by IBAMA. They also run a project to save and protect turtles, including a museum and lectures. There is also a bay that is off-limit to the public where dolphins come to feed every morning and the rest of the day you may encounter them while taking a boat trip. So the “environmental tourist” feels that this is what you pay for. Continue Reading →
Praia de Sancho, one of the most famous beaches in Brazil, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Two weeks before we actually went to Fernando de Noronha, we had never heard of this island, but fellow travellers in Venezuela raved about it. So we checked the ThornTree forum from Lonely Planet and no superlative seemed to be able to describe this island 17 km2 small 370 km east of Brazil shores: “most beautiful beaches”, “best diving spot in the world”, “a small place in paradise” … Continue Reading →
Olinda, old Colonial Town near Refice, Brazil – In the historic center, each house has a specific color … In former times, the color of the house would stand for its address!
The good news is, there is a direct flight from Manaus to Recife … The bad news is, the plane stops at Santarém, Belem, Sao Luis & Fortaleza before reaching Recife, each a 50 minutes flight and every flight the same sandwich. When we arrived in Olinda at about 05:00 pm, without our luggage, thanks to TAM, we had been going for 13 hours. However, our backpacks were delivered to the hotel the same evening! Continue Reading →
Teatro Amazonas, An Opera built in 1895 then in the middle of the jungle and at the time of the rubber boom, Manaus, Brazil
From the beginning, it was clear to us that we would not do a Jungle Tour from Manaus but from Bolivia. That helped us stay clear of all the hawkers talking your head off. Continue Reading →
Biggest Tepui: Auyantepui (surface of more than 760 square km), Canaima, Venezuela
We spent 3 weeks in Venezuela in August 2007 and concentrated on the National Parks in the east of the country: the Orinoco Delta, Cainama & Angel Falls and Roraima. Continue Reading →
Canaima Lagoon, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America
We spent 3 weeks in Venezuela in August 2007 and concentrated on the National Parks in the east of the country: the Orinoco Delta, Cainama & Angel Falls and Roraima. Of course like most tourists we were concerned about security but must say we never had any negative experience and never met anybody who had. Continue Reading →
Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil
A 20 hours travel took us from Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela, to Manaus, Brazil: first a collective taxi or “Por Puesto” to the border, where we got our exit stamp, then we walked a few hundred meters to the Brazilian side to fill out immigration documents. At this point we needed a treat and checked out the famous “Churrascaria de la Frontera”, a Brazilian All-You-Can-Eat restaurant. It is so popular and so good value that travelers who stay in Santa Helena take a taxi across the border to fill up for 4 Euros. Continue Reading →
Boat Tour in the Orinoco Delta, Venzuela – When you do not have any bathroom, you just improvise ! Taking a shower meant getting a bucket full of water and pouring it down on you …
Venezuela is a very cheap country to travel, especially if you use the black currency market that is widespread. The inflation is high and therefore has lead to a de facto strong devaluation of the Bolivares, the national currency. Since Hugo Chavez decided a fix parity to the US Dollar (1 USD = 2.120 Bolivares), a black market has developed for trading the USD, the Euro or the Brazilian Real. This black market is everywhere, and even the police at the airport offers the tourists to change money, even though they do not propose a good rate (3.000 Bolivares for 1 USD). Continue Reading →