Brazil

Following our visit to our cousins in Teresopolis, we headed to Arraial do Cabo, a small beach town located at the very eastern tip of the map, about 160 km from Rio. It is the little nook and cranny on the map, to the right of Rio.

There are bigger towns nearby like Cabo Frio or Buzios. Arraial was suggested by our guide Pedro Novak and it is known for its pristine beaches, like Praia Grande which is known for surfing

Angel's beach iis the main departure point for traditional boat rides

Here Capt. Jordan took charge of our ship:

After the ride, we returned by trail to one of the nicest beaches in the area, Praia al Forno, kown for its warm waters. Jordan and I went snorkeling and saw a number in interesting fishes.

That's a day (or two) at the beach...

See you in Morocco...

On June 30th, we rented a car and traveled North to Petropolis, where Emperors Pedro the I and the II once had their second residence. Petropolis is about 3000 feet above sea level. After visiting the Imperial museum, where we have to wear booties on top of our shoes not to damage the wooden floor, we drove over an amazing stretch of road

to visit our cousins in Teresopolis.

We had a wonderful evening at their mountain top house with their entire family, their kids Danny, Lara and Gabriel, and their inlaws from the US.

Cousin Beni is in the center. Mostapha, his father in law is on the left.

We spent the night at a local hotel and headed to the coast the next day.

We had a great time in Rio thanks to our guide Dolores. She showed up on Thursday with her silver buggy
which is great when the weather cooperates but a bit more problematic when it is pouring rain as was the case the next day. On Thursday morning we visited Ipanema on our own
and then had a tour of the city including the Sugar Loaf at sunset (thanks to perfect timing by Dolores)

On Friday, we traveled to Christ the Redeemer which was "shrouded" in the clouds (Geez, this statue is big!)

then traveled through the Tijuaca National Forest and then along the southern coast to the Grumari area where we had a terrific Brazilian seafood lunch.

Now, you are ready for the movie!

We are in Rio this morning. Yesterday we concluded our time in Iguassu Falls with two visits: At the Itaipu dam and hydroelectric plant and at the bird park.

The Itaipu hydroelectric plant is the largest in the VVORLD! providing 25% of the electricity to Brazil (180 million people) It cost $12 Billion in 1982 when it was completed. The plant sits exactly between Brazil and Paraguay and during the in-depth tour we must have crossed the border 20 times... Here you see Sveta on the Brazil side and I on the Paraguay side... The next pic is that of a generator shaft which by itself produces enough electricity for 1.5 million people, simply using the power of the water flowing down the Parana river...

After lunch, we visited the Iguassu Falls bird park where we were able to get pretty close to the animals...

A big day today. Following a 1-hour walk onthe Brazilian side of the falls (very panoramic views), we took a rapid boat trip up the river over the rapids and literally under the falls where we got soaked...

Here is the big movie:

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The in the afternoon we had a great eco-tour consisting of
[list]
[*]A 9 km bike ride in the subtropical jungle
[*]a walk to an observation tower overlooking a lake
[*]a boat ride upstream of the falls
[*]a 30-min kayak ride
and the return in jeep.

A big thanks to our great private guide Oliveira (Oliver) Daizi (45) 3027 4023 oliveira.daizi@bol.com.br

Last night we went to eat at the famous Bufalo Branco restaurant.
Likely the best place in the city for churrasco (grilled meat) according to Frommer's guide. For the main course, waiters offer a range of popular cuts such as picanha (rump steak), alcatra (top sirloin), filet mignon, maminha (a fattier rump steak), and contra filet (entrecôte).

Sveta was a little more adventurous. She tried all of the above and also the delicious... grilled turkey testicles... what a treat... Jordan was not quite as impressed...

This is it. First day on the road, After three flights without problems, we arrived in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil where we were met by our guide Oliver. We stopped at out hotel for a few minutes and then decided to go to a local football game where we had a great time...