(cont.)  The old boat, christened “Tug” by our guide, took us up the Amazon for two weeks, and in this time we witnessed and experienced all manner of things.  Flying fish jumped straight out of the water and onto the boat (no need for a hook and sinker here), while we fished for piranha off the back of “Tug,” using more traditional methods and watched as a couple of pink dolphins swam lazily off our bow.

Halfway through our excursion, we spent a few days exploring the jungle itself.  Although we spotted several enormous Tarantulas and were almost attacked by a bunch of wild monkeys while we slept, there were only two moments when I actually felt any fear.  The first was when Tim, still reading the Travel Guide, reached the part about malaria being rife in the Amazon, and no, we weren’t on any anti-malaria medication.  The second came in the dead of night, when I had to look for a place in the Jungle to go to the toilet, while Tim kept guard just in case anything nasty decided to attach itself to my exposed backside.

After two weeks in the Amazon we flew from Manaus to the smaller town of Iguazu, home to the magnificent Iguazu Falls.  Iguazu is unique in that Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay all converge at the falls, and to fully appreciate the falls you have to see them from each of the three countries.  After spending the first day at the falls from the Brazilian side, we crossed the border into Argentina and spent the second day on that side.  From the beauty of Iguazu, it was onto Brasilia for half a day before returning to Rio for the last few days of our trip.

The initial plan, made after our arrival in Brazil, was to use the last few days in Rio to recuperate on the beaches before we headed back to the dreariness of a British winter.  However, once we got there, we found that we still didn’t feel like resting, so we tried to see how much we could possibly fit into our last two days.  As it turned out, we could fit quite a lot.  The next morning we were up early to go hand gliding over Ipanema beach with a Brazilian who held the world record for the longest uninterrupted hand gliding flight.

Next we ascended to the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which looks out over the city.  This was followed by a cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain where, while you are waiting to get onboard, they show a clip from a James Bond film where the cable car that you are in blows up and crashes into the side of the mountain.  For those squeamish types it was probably best to look away at this point.

Finally, we managed to take in what was sold to us as a traditional night of Brazilian culture, but clearly put on for the tourists.  This “traditional” show consisted of a local Capoeira demonstration (a cross between Brazilian dancing and fighting); a schoolgirl juggling a football, and an old man crooning in the background.  At least the food was good.

Our last day in Brazil came and we both felt sad to be leaving.  The weather had been kind and so had the people, and we recognized that in three weeks we had only just touched the surface of the country.  Needless to say we both vowed to return someday, but for now Tim has the task of selecting our next holiday destination, and although something tells me that a lot more planning will go into this one, it will still be hard to beat our time in Brazil.

E-Mail Author: Andrew Porteous