Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
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 →
In Santa Elena de Uairen, we indulged ourselves with 3 days in a good hotel, the Hotel Lucretia, which even had a pool! And did NOTHING!!!
A twelve hours bus night ride from Ciudad Bolivar brought us to the small settlement of Santa Elena de Uairen on the Brazilian border. The “Buscama”, the busses linking major cities in Venezuela, are highly comfortable, but, as we might have already mentioned, the temperature inside is 14 degrees, now having this artic breeze hitting your body for 12 hours can be challenging. Even though we wore all the warm clothes we had, we were freezing! Continue Reading →
Our home in Santa Elena de Uairen
On Thursday, August 09th, when arriving in Santa Elena de Uairen after a whole night in a freezing cold bus, we will have spent the last 14 nights in 13 different places! The only time when we spent 2 nights in the same place was in the Orinoco Delta, in a Warao village. This is a little bit too much! Continue Reading →
Angel Falls or Salto Angel, the highest waterfall in the world, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America
Everybody seems to know Angel Falls, the highest waterfalls in the world with 979 meters, named after the daredevil pilot who first saw the falls when flying his plane into “Canon de Diabolo”, but the smaller waterfalls in the Canaima Lagoon are equally sensational in a different way. Continue Reading →