Rio de Janeiro

Rio is Brazil's second largest city and the most visited city in the Southern Hemisphere. Having heard so much about Rio we were excited to get here and experience it for ourselves.

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Rendentor) one of the seven man made wonders of the world was one of the first things on our itinerary. We had heard it was busy but we weren't quite prepared for 3+ hour waiting, first in the line for a bus to the ticket booth, (we could have walk the 6km but apparently muggings are not unheard of and we wanted to take our big camera), then the ticket lines (unavoidable) and finally the mini bus to the top (apparently you aren't allowed to walk - but we did see a few people along the road). It was definelty worth all the waiting, the icon of Rio and a beauful Art Deco masterpiece. That aside the view was also a highlight, set on top of the highest point in rio the was 360 views of the entire city. After an hour or so of appreciating the viewing platform we decided to head back to the base of mount Corcovado. Plenty of waiting again for the bus back to the ticket counter and then again for bus back to the city. All in all an unmissable Rio experience!

Escadaria Selaron, the beautiful mosaic staircase in Lapa, Rio created by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. Perhaps my favorite place we visited (we actually went twice). The colours and 2000 tiles (which he constantly changes) from all over the world took hours to wander around and appreciate, with every step a unique tile. The artist also included many tiles he had painted, always depicting a pregnant woman who is from an experience in his past (see below). This work was his tribute to Brazil and as written at the base of the stairs "I will only complete this crazy original dream on the last day of my life."

Sadly, we learnt while we were here that the artist Jorge Selarón was found burnt to death on the stair case a couple of weeks ago.

Now for anyone who doesn't know . . . I love my food and like to try as much as I can. Rio is a great place in indulge and we have made a good effort and trying as much as we can.

Our first stop was Colombo cafe, a famous Art Deco restaurant in the city centre opened in 1894. I had an cappuccino and gazed at the beautiful sweets cabinet, not quite what we expected in Rio but a welcomed surprise.

We also enjoyed slipping into the small deli's / supermarkets to see all the cheeses and deli meats, Ryan was particularly interested in the 1.5m cheese log we saw at one place (see back of picture above). Another interesting thing about Brazil is apparently they do great pizza's - so we thought we better try one too and we were definitely not disappointed with our huge $10 pizza we had for dinner one night overlooking one of the city's flavelas (shanty town) and city centre.

After our trip up to Christ the Redeemer we returned to Lapa and were rather hungry after all the waiting - so we decided on a place called Bar Brazil. Now we chose this place as we thought it might do good local food, well it didn't, but after we got our smoked pork chops with sauerkraut and potato salad we certianly were not complaning. The food was AMAZING - Ryan and I both agreed that it was the best German food we have ever had (note: the bar has been set for Germany).

For our final lunch when we were in Copacabana we stopped in at a restaurant / bar that was packed with locals. Ryan thought it was time to get a filet mignon steak and I tried a traditional feijoada (stew - developed by colomial slaves when they started cooking the pork meats that farmers discarded, such as ear, tails and feet, with the black beans) mainly because I loved black beans. Ryan's delicious steak turned up with a bed of rice covered in potato chip and copious amounts of cheese and my stew arrived with side of greens, pork crackling, farofa (made with cassava flour) and orange cubes. Again we walked away over indulged but thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

Of course we also had to try a Churrasco, an all you can eat brazilian BBQ, there was certaining a great selection of all sortes of meats cooked in the traditional BBQ and a great range of sides but we weren't as keen the buffet style of meals. We will continue the hunt for great BBQ on our travels!

Overall, visiting Rio was a great experience. We were certianly a little cautious after reading up and hearing about how dangerous it could be, but we never really felt in danger. The beaches definelty rate up there as some of the best, especially considering they are located in a city so densely populated. The food was a real treat, the art deco architecture was impressive and the costal views amazing. One thing that definelty help make it was Casa 579, our hostel, there is nothing more relaxing then lying in a hammock on the balcony of you room, sipping a beer looking out over Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf as the sun sets.

- Louise -

Brazilian Street Art

One of the most unexpected pleasures found on the streets of Brazil is the abundance of street art that some may say even rival Melbourne. Here are just a few snip-its of our favorite found throughout the streets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

You need keen senses to be a tour guide...

Towards the end of our safari our local guide Goodman came out with this pearler:
2 Aussies and 3 Germans: Stop stop stop!!!! Elephants!!!!
Local African Guide: (slams on the breaks) Where... where??? I thought I could smell them...
The elephants (and I do mean plural) were about 5m from the edge of the road.

Jo-Burg history tour

So for our last day in Jo-burg we decided to hit the town and experience some of its more cultural aspects, and what better a way to soak in some of Africa's most historical moments than a brewery tour. The SAB World of Beer tour was not only enlightening and entertaining but very delicious. For the low low student price of 45 rand each (less than $6 aud) we were treated to a 1.5 hr journey through the history of beer. Starting almost 6000 years ago with the Iranians and Egyptians, though to a tasting of the primitive African brew Umqombothi still made today, a walk down turn of the century South Africa with its gold rush era, racial issues and their influence on the drink we love so much and finally finishing with 2 schooners each of our choice of the local liquid gold. Also did I mention you get a souvenir glass. Best history lesson ever...

Some of the standouts from the taste test include:

• Hansa - a lightly bittered and slightly fruity pils
• Redd Ruby - slightly strawberry in flavor and colour yet pleasantly dry cider
• Castle Milk Stout - with its smooth and cream texture and burnt caramel after taste would make for a great after meal treat

It began in Africa...ca..ca..ca..ca...

So the journey has begun... After our 14 hr non stop flight from Sydney we arrived at our first stop South Africa, more precisely Johannesburg. Feeling a little tired and weary we trudged off the plane, grabbed our bags and made it through to our transfer to take us to our first bed for the trip Brown Sugar. The backpackers is a grand old building apparently converted from an old 1970's gangsta house. The room was clean and simple and hotel bar on the balcony had a great view of the sunset over the surrounding area of Jo Burg.

The following day started early, with a 7hr transfer to Thornhill Nature Park, just outside of Kruger National Park. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly staff with a welcome drink and some much needed lunch. With the dark clouds above us we were quickly herded into our enclosed safari vehicle for the afternoon game drive. Not long after the engine kicking over the sky opened up and we were thankful for the canopy, despite its leaks. However this was only to be short lived as once we approached the game reserve gates we were informed to quickly change cars to a much smaller and much less water proof jeep. With the rain not letting up we grabbed some additional ponchos and took off into the wilderness. With my camera securely tucked away in its own poncho I allowed myself to come to terms with the possibility of no photos today. Whilst our bodies were feeling cold, wet and miserable we were still on full alert trying to spot any animal through the dense African jungle. Initially the sightings were few and far between, a heard of wildebeest walking in distance, some female impala frolicking with their young whilst the male closely stands guard looking out for rival males and lonely tortuous wading out of a puddle. With our mood starting to fad along with the light, our driver seem to be putting his foot down a little heavier than before. Thinking he too had enough and wanted to get back before the next big shower we sat back to take in what was left of our safari drive. In the distance we spotted another vehicle and noticed that it was stationary. Thinking they were either bogged or broke down we didn't take much notice until as we got closer noticed the young male lion strutting its way across the road. With the rain dulled to a barely noticeable drizzle I quickly whipped out my camera and snapped the shots below.

The next day we set off early again to experience all that Kruger had to offer and it most certainly did not disappoint. With the sun hidden with a fairly heavy overcast sky the day proved to be great for animal viewing and a photographers dream. Within moments of reaching the gate there were giraffes and zebras grazing in the plains, a baby jackal searching for food and baboons busy cleaning themselves and huddling to keep their young warm. The further we continued more and more animals were spotted; impala, kudu and springbok, frolicking through the trees and shrubs, a small family of warthogs busily hunting for grubs, hippos playfully practicing their sycrinised swimming and numerous eagles and vultures sitting up in the trees looking their next meal.

As for the Big 5 (a term phrased back in the day for the 5 most dangerous animals to hunt, nowadays the 5 main animals to spot whilst on safari) I am sad to report we were only fortunate enough to spot 4:

• Buffalo - the most dangerous due to its lack of warning prior an attack.
• African Elephant - the largest of the Big 5
• Lion - everybody's favorite
• Rhinos - the most endangered of the Big 5
• Leopard - unfortunately this one eluded us

As interesting as the Big 5 was to see, the real treat was getting to see one of the most endangered, due to breeding habits, and yet efficient killing machines throughout the whole park, the wild dogs. It is estimated that there is only 150 of these animals left in the wild and they are extremely rare to spot, as they travel in packs and over great distances at a time.

Wedding

Our wedding photos have arrived and I might be some what bias but they... are... awesome....!!!! It was great to look back over the captured moments and reminisce one of the happiest days of our life. Our photographers Maddie (from Etta Photography) and Josh (Josh Weier Photography) did an amazing job of capturing the whole event.

Being the highly organised people that we are we decided to go with a DIY style wedding, which most warned would be crazy seeing the main event was on the other side of the country. But with the support of our family we managed to pull it off without a hitch.

Whilst there was no actual theme for the wedding we tried to create a relaxing environment for everyone mingle and socialise all the while enjoying the detail of the setting. Some of the decorations were from our own collection, brought over from Perth. Others were things that had been found after scouring numerous op-shops by our family and friends. There was also a lot of hand made decorations which were meticulously crafted by our close family in the days before the celebration.

The reception was catered by Che from Byron Bay Weddings who no matter what problem we threw at him there was always a perfect solution. With only limited guidance on the menu he and his team managed to produce a feast worthy of kings and queens. Also as the rain decided that it didn't want to hold up Che promptly organised his troops to arrange umbrellas and move the dining table, all at the last minute.

Overall the whole event was amazing and we were glad to share the day with our close friends and family.

Feel free to check out some more of the action here...

After the wedding we headed to a new favorite place of ours on the south western coast of Thailand, Khao Lak. We stayed at the The Sarojin, which is a first class hotel with excellent service and in a tranquil location. Check out the movie below to see some of our honeymooning fun. 

Honeymooning from Ryan messer on Vimeo.

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