Week 5: The bus from Angra to Parati, was amazing it followed the coast, with great views of the beaches and the many islands that surround the Costa Verde. We arrive in Parati, a beautiful sunny day. Following the guide books advice we head for a hotel called Pousada Familiar. It was family run thing, the place was amazing, comfortable and cheap (not a dorm!)

We spent 2 relaxing days around Parati, which had lovely cobbled streets and peacful squares to sit.
This place was perfect with two baches just across the bridge from the old town, what more do you need?

This dog followed me and carol around for about two hours on a really hot day, I think we shouldn't have given it water!

 



On the third day we left for Sao Paulo. It was hot which is good to travel in as the buses had air-con. We arrived in Sao Paulo a little later than planned, we went to buy the tickets for the next bus journey as we were advised to do so by the owner of the hotel in Parati. Then a few problems start we found out we have to get to another bus station in town for the destination, so off we head down to the metro. Rush hour, here we faced a mass of people waiting for the train, when it arrived it was a massive shove, elbows out and real aggression much worse than anything I have seen in London. We got to our stop we forced ourselves off the train as people tried to get on at the same time, it was crazy! We got to the bus station buy are tickets for the following day, a night bus as the journey is 14 hours to Campo Grande. Rucksacks in lockers, we head to a hostel the guide book recommended. Once again a horrid metro journey and glad to be outside we search for the hostel, but the directions are vague and we spend about an hour wandering around before we ask for directions, by this time its getting late and we needed to find a place to stay. We find the hostel but its full, shit!! What do we do? we look in the guide book and go to the next place down. The decription in the book read something like this, in the red light district but Hotel Paulina is safe and clean. So we found the hotel book in but it feels a bit weird? Hungry and tired we just went with it and went out to get food. After eating feeling a little more relaxed we return to the hotel to find my bag covered in cockroaches! Disgusting!! We also noticed a few dodgy characters in the hotel, we were in a sex hotel!!!!

That night we left the light on to stop the cockroaches coming out and tried to sleep, but kept waking thinking things were crawling all over us. 5.30 comes sun rises, we head out, tired, uncomfortable and feeling dirty we went to see what Sao Paulo had in store. After walking for over an hour expecting to see the streets to get cleaner, the buildings a bit nicer (as we were in the red light district to start with) we just had more of the same and it felt very unsafe. Finally we make it to one main street that is of a modern quality, we had coffee and sat in a park till it was time to go to the first gallery. We enjoyed the Modern Art Gallery (this had an excellent exhibition on recommended by our friend Brigit) and  the Museum of Art. With that we went into the town centre for a short time, before heading to the bus station. Hot from the stuffy 37 degree temperature and glad to leave what is a very busy, ugly city.

That evening we got the overnight bus to Campo Grande, the gate way to the Pantanal.

On Arrival to Campo Grande, we were greeted with a leaflet to a tour of the Pantanal. After some pfaffing looking for places to stay with no luck, we went to the office of the tour. A bit tired and not really with it we signed up to the four day tour, which gave us that nights accomodation for free, had we been ripped off, who knows?.

The following morning joined by three girls from Ireland we set off for the Pantanal. Over the next three days (one day of the tour was getting there!) we walked through forest and wetlands, fished for Pirahnas, rode Horses, took a boat down a river, and did a safari seeing lots of amazing animals, including a giant Otter which was about 2 metres long!

This bugger stole Carols Steak one lunch, no camera though!

 

Glad we did it, we set off south for the town of Bonito (beautiful, to translate it) for more nature!

Week 3: We arrived in Rio at night. The bus station was manic and figuring out a way to get to the hostel we had the address for wasn't going to plan, on the internet it said taxis would be £7 but they turn out to be more on the lines of £20 which isn't in are budget. So heavy back packs and all we dodge crazy traffic to the other bus station, to get a bus to the tube.

Helped on our way by friendly locals wanting to try out their English, which seemed an enjoyable theme of Rio. The bus was packed, two fat ladies made our job of leaving the bus a little more taxing but we found the tube with its big spacious carriages waiting for us, to what was round the corner from the hostel.

We booked into the hostel, the only room left was the mixed small dorm! The size close to a shoe box with four bunkbeds shoehorned in, with just enough space for the stratigcly placed lockers, and space to get off the beds and out the room.

We spent 3 lovely nights in this sweat pool, one of those had a live sex show going on on the lower part of Carols bunk, got to love the French!

Rio was great, busy with tall high rises, and beaches (I enjoyed that the local sea birds not only had Pigeons as company but Vultures! What you really want to see on a beach.) We unfortunately came when the weather wasn't too great so we saw no men in thongs! and Meatloaf (Sugar Loaf) was covered in cloud. We did get to see Christ the redeemer , with the amazing views of the city (inbetween the clouds) and we went to the Modern Art Gallery which was exhibiting a Giacometti exhibition and a Brazilian sculptor called Angelo Vaneosa.

 Spot the difference? I can't.

 Small Typo and excellent amendment!

Meat Loaf in the clouds!

 

One evening whilst on Ipanema beach watching the sun set a local oldish gentleman came up to us gave us some beach tennis bats and got us rallying with him which was fun and a little odd at the same time.

 

On our final night we met up the students for a final time to give them some things to take back for Liverpool Hope Uni and bid them farewell.

The following morning we were off for an island just off the Costa Verde, Ilha Grande. We got a ferry there which had beautiful views of the Costa Verde and the island. Over the next two days we walked through rainforest to get to lovely tropical beaches and relaxed. It was very stunning, and we were sad to leave.

Praia Lopez Mendez!

Back to the main land and another colonial gold town called Parati.

Bye Bye

Week 3: Steve turns 31, for this Carol and I decided to go to a Gallery close by. Soon enough the evening class brigade catch wind of this and decide they want to take us. Which was a god send as the place was in the middle of no where.
Evening class session 2- Inotim the worlds biggest art gallery, apparently! Well it spans for miles but it only had 100 exhibiting pieces (a bit local musuem scale than grande gallery). It was good got to see some more Cardiff and Miller work which I really like, and lots more new stuff too. We also had the delight of the day with Gustav again and his translating, what a pleasure!

On the way to the Gallery we stopped to have a sausage bap, which we didn't eat as we only had breakfast an hour before, but the Brazilians like to eat! I haven't seen body beautiful yet maybe its just Rio, the rest are all a little large! Anyway we see a dog outside that was supper thin so we decide to feed it a sausage, well the dog sucked it up, no chewing, all in one. We don't really like seeing all the dogs being underfed and the people eat a shed load (I know what my Dad would call them!).

After the Day of Art we return to the house as normal and "what the **** is that!" our first bit of the tropical underworld. This thing was big and fat, a little like the locals!

Size was about 5 to 6cm's across didn't measure it as I got it in a cup and threw it outside, more of this to come I think!

We finish the week at the cooperative and we are off, the journey begins.
First stop Sao Joao Del Rei, from there to Tiradentes.
We stop in Sao Joao for some lunch. We wander into this small restaurant a boy sat at the front comes scuttling towards us, once again the youth of Brazil showing me up on the Tash front, he had braces on his teeth! He speaks broken English, really wanting to practice so we listened then replied in our broken Portuguese to confirm that we understood correctly. The food was great just what we needed filling, cheap and opposite the bus station as we had our heavy bags.

From Sao Joao we got a bus to Tiradentes, and we decided to camp. The campsite was basic and about 30 Min's walk from the centre which when its hot over here feels a long way!
We wandered around the town over the two days enjoying the sites of another colonial mining town (this one had more trees, it was a bit more west than east london). We went to a craft market, we just can't get enough of that shit! but it was mainly full of shit, like in England.
The town was beautiful and we had a nice time.

Now onwards and downwards, To Rio! Body beautiful and men in thongs, Carol can't wait!

Week 1: Comsumed two cows, ten chickens (including their hearts), a pig, rice and beans, and half an tonne of salt.
Started the project and found we entertained the crowds with making ceramic flowers!
Then we got to experience the ulimate of activites "Brazilian Pottery Evening Classes". Session one Raku- with our favourite guest Gustav the teenage son of the rich lady with too much money and loads of time! Time filled to replace the empty space left by a cheating husband going to drive through motels for cheap sex! Anyway Gustav was the translator, a computer type, with a moustache to rival mine (steve not Carol's), he made the night a little more fun.

Week 2: Consuming more Salt and meat, we are wondering where they get it from? there seems to be alot of dogs barking at night?
On the first weekend we went to Ouro Preto, a old colonial mining town. We went down the gold mine of King Chico who freed the black slaves and built a church, which was one of 11 churches in Ouro Preto which we felt was a bit excessive as the town was smaller then Macclesfield (somewhere up north for those who live in London!) The mine was a little unsafe with no real changes done for say 100 years so not very good for four people from the UK all wearing flip flops! Neither was the town suitable for flip flops with every street being on some harsh gradient or another.

Anyway we had a great weekend away from the co-operative and some time to oursleves (well with the students) it is very beautiful.
Carol befriends the two dogs next door with chicken cheese cake pie thing that we wouldn't/can't eat, but found they still didn't like her after feeding them!

An example of the food served to us by the Students, Fine Dining! The dogs wouldn't even eat this shmuck.

Missao (the project oragnisers) gave us a Afternoon Tea to say goodbye and thank you for our time here, they put on a band who did covers of english tunes but in Portuguese, with tea and cakes. The cakes went down well but the Tea was not a favourite, but no Yorskhire Tea that's where they went wrong!
The project ends and the students leave, but we are staying on the rap things up with the co-operative as ceramics takes too long to get through ideas! Lets be honest I need to be here for the year to get things right!