Eternal Wanderings of the Sunshine Elephant: April 2011

What does one do after climbing a mountain in a full on blizzard? There is only one answer....go to the biggest party in the world!! This wasn't in the plans when I got to Santa Cruz. But in Santa Cruz, I met Heidi from Minnesota. As Julia was packing to make her way to Buenos Aires, Heidi and I were plotting and scheming. I had been in touch with my old Canadian friends - Ben and Jesse - they were on their way to Santa Cruz and apparently had a place to stay in Rio de Janeiro. Decision made, we will stay put till they arrive and then make the move! In the mean time we met Leanne from Tahoe, and Nick from New Zealand, among many other great people. All four of us agreed that Rio was a great idea! Ben and Jesse finally show up and explain the living arrangements that they have set up for Rio. They will be staying in a tent, on the roof of a hostel that is in a favela (slum). Not ideal, not ideal at all. In steps Leanne and she has a house that her and her friends are staying at, done Leanne is our savior!!

My first picture of Coco Loco, they weren't happy about that!

The four of us decide to make a quick stop in the Pantanal on the way, while the Canadians went straight there. We traveled to the border of Brazil together, and then parted ways. To get to the border, there is an option of a train. Options? No bus? The train was amazing, movies, comfortable and a dining car!! We hung in the dining car, watched movies and slept. The train was slow, real slow. At one point a person on a bike passed us, but who cares, it was comfortable!!

Moss covered tree

Cool trees everywhere

Coco Loco on the river

Toucan, best part of the tour

We got to Campo Grande and found a three day tour. The Pantanal has always been a dream of mine, I was very excited. The Pantanal is the biggest wetland in the world and borders the Amazon jungle. The only problem is that it is rainy season, ideally at this time of year, one would travel to the northern end of the wetland and take a tour out of there. The southern end at this time of year is flooded, so all the animals migrate to the north. Since we had major time issues, this was our only choice. All I have to say is that I will have to return to the Pantanal one day and do it right. Luckily, I was in great company and made the best of it. The tour included a ton of mosquitoes, rain and crappy food. The wildlife viewing was minimal, a couple of howler monkeys, some cayman, birds (including toucans which was cool) and mosquitoes!!

The tour ended, thankfully. We were covered in mosquito bites and ready for Carnival!! We boarded the next flight to Rio and arrived ready for the madness. Leanne’s house was perfect, only floor space, but comfortable. First things first, off to the store to purchase the necessities, food, wine and ingredients for Caipirinhas, the Brazilian national drink (you can see where we are headed with this). We ate, made the necessary preparations and headed for the festivities. The house was a bit of a haul from downtown Rio, but that’s what subways are for!


Coco Loco crew ready for the madness!!

We entered downtown Rio, it was madness and I had no idea what to expect. Some say that Rio is the most dangerous city in the world, others tell stories of the inherent dangers associated with being at Carnival. It was a bit daunting at first, but I soon realized that everyone was having fun and it was relatively safe. They call this the largest party in the world for a reason, the city was packed full of people dancing and drinking. The night went on meeting people and dancing in the streets. If any of the Brazilians spoke English they would stop and talk to us and thank us for coming to Rio, it was incredible and these folks were great!

Downtown Rio, early in the AM!!

The following night we changed speeds and went to the beach, thinking it would be less crowded and a bit tamer. We were right about less crowded, as for tame, no. We got off the subway, walked onto the beach and boom – party! We joined in, I began looking around and it dawned on me that we were definitely at the gay party. Everyone was dancing to Madonna, Brittney Spears and more “great” music like that. It was a blast, the girls loved it because they weren’t being approached by men constantly, and we were on the beach! The beaches in Rio are right in the middle of the city. One would think that they would be covered in trash and a general mess. This couldn’t be further from the truth; the beaches are clean and have beautiful white sands.

The parade begins!!

The big thing to do during Carnival is to go to the Samba Dome. This is where all the famous parades with the crazy costumes take place. The only problem is that to get in you have to pay a large sum of money. As a budget traveler, this was unfortunate. The solution to this is to join in on the free parades that take place every day, called Blocas. Major roads within the city are closed off. Then a truck with huge speakers, with a band in front of it becomes the center of the “parade” on these highways. Basically what happens is thousands of people show up, in costume, with booze and begin to dance alongside the band, following the band through the streets. This goes on for hours and is incredibly fun! Once again we were surrounded by fantastic and friendly people!

Love Brazilians dancing in the streets

Crazy costumes everywhere


Happy Birthday Julia!!

So that’s how it ended, well almost. I got on a 48 hour bus to Buenos Aires, hung out with my Swedish friends for a few days and flew back to the States.

How was it you ask? Incredible. There were so many amazing things that I did, so many amazing people that I met and so many amazing memories of this trip. I went over board on the outdoor activities, in the process almost dieing several times and injuring myself. It was awesome!!

What were the highlights? There are to many to rank them. I was on the beach for Christmas and New Year's, I fell out of a raft while class V rafting, I slept in a cave, I witnessed an insane border crossings, I was alone in Machu Picchu, I finally made it to the Cordillera Blanca, I played soccer in Las Pampas, I attempted a summit of Huayna Potosi in blizzard conditions and I went to Rio for Carnival!! That is just a few of the amazing things I did, they were all awe inspiring. I will carry these memories for the rest of my life.

Would I do it again? You have to ask? The draw of traveling to me is the absolute freedom that comes with it. When traveling you can change plans in a second and end up somewhere that you had no intention of going. There are no schedules, no plans, you just do whatever makes your heart content. In addition the people that you meet are amazing! It is like a great big family, moving across a continent. Everyone is the same mind set, get to the next destination safely with a smile on your face. You meet people on a regular basis that you have an instant connection with. You learn to trust these people instantly, something that we can't find at home.

Meeting people, from locals to other travelers, expands the mind. The experiences, from the good to the ugly, makes one stronger. You learn to live with the basics: food, clothing and shelter. You begin to realize that in reality we don’t need all the things that we have, and to live simply is actually easier. There are a lot of places in this world, a lot of cultures and a lot of people, they all have something to teach us. I look forward to the classes!

Thank you to all my friends, you guys made my trip!! I hope to see you again in some far off country. Always remember safety first, teamwork second and fun all the time!!

I leave you with the best of Bolivia, Brazil and my four days in Buenos Aires.