We Make A Funky Party

Today we woke up to rain. I guess not everything can be perfect in paradise. As part of the plan, we decided to see another part of Ilha Grande and hiked about 7 miles. On the way, we saw the old hospital / quarantine where they kept European immigrants who may have cholera and some cool aqueduct ruins.

We hiked to a waterfall called Feiticeira that means witch. Although we were wet from rain, we were definitely sweaty from the hiking and humidity. At the waterfall, we waded through and took some fun photos. What else are you going to do in this amazing rainforest!?

We had an option to hike another hour and take a boat back, but as the weather was not nice, there was a chance a taxi boat would not be available. So we decided to hike back, cross a stream, and check out some lookout points.

Although the weather was rainy, we had a blast exploring and it was really appropriate that we were getting rained on in a rainforest! We saw a really large spider and heard some more howler monkeys as well.

After coming back into town, our pousada was nice enough to let us shower and get cleaned up. Then we headed out to lunch where I had fried fish, salad, black beans and rice. Lizzie and Allison both had burgers and fries, but the menu led them to believe they would be normal sandwiches. We would have normally taken a 5 pm ferry, but opted for the 3 pm due to the weather. We are sad to leave the paradise of Ilha Grande, but we have so many things to still see in Rio.

On the ride back, we listened to the American musical delights of Usher, Pitbull, Britney, and others. We have decided Pitbull is an international language as we heard tourists at Iguaçu singing along to him, even though they probably couldn't speak English.

Before we hit massive traffic outside of Rio, we stopped at a rest stop, got coffees, pao de queijo (bread balls with cheese), brigadeiros (chocolate balls), and cocada (coconut treats). The candy shop at the rest stop had so many tasty homemade treats. Allison got more peanut candies that we had enjoyed before.

We sang so much in the car, we justifiably made our own "funky party"! Alex, our guide, would use this phrase a lot - i.e. "When I was young, I use to make a funky party". We thought it was pretty hilarious even though his English was very good.

Outside of our car, just from the highway, you could see that it was not so much a funky party. We saw peddlers and other struggling Cariocas (the term for people from Rio) and policemen with large guns casually resting on their open car windows. Tourists often opt for favela or slum / shanty town tours where drug lords rule. These are quite popular, but the 3 of us decided it was not of interest to us even though tours can be relatively safe and visit "pacified favelas".

Despite seeing some of the grit of the city, we had many laughs as I have proclaimed to Alex that I'm the funniest Korean he has ever met. He even said to me he couldn't see me as a "boss" because I'm so nice. This is how you know I'm really on vacation and in vacation mode. :-)

After arriving back at the Mercure Arpoador, we eventually headed out to dinner in Ipanema where we ate at ZaZa which is a Latin / Asian fusion restaurant. We shared seafood ceviche, caprese salad, pork ribs, and grilled fish. We drank a Pinot Grigio / Torrontés wine blend and had Devil's Food Cake for dessert. I had become a Torrontés fan after my trip to Argentina last year with Amanda. Although Malbec is the most well-known, the Argentines are also proud of their best white wine.

Tomorrow we explore more of Rio and can't wait to sight-see and hit the beach!

Ilha Grande

Today, Rio Hiking, an adventure tour company took us to Ilha Grande. Alex, our guide, picked us up at 6 am and drove about 2 hours south of Rio where we got on a 1 hour boat ride. The car ride was a trip back into time with 90s and American music. Listening to Sublime, ACDC, Foster the People, and others was not expected at 6 am in Rio. After our boat ride and walk through the town, we checked in at our Pousada, or inn, called Hipocampus Cavalo Marinho and did a quick change.

Ilha Grande is a nature preserve where no cars are allowed to come on to the island and where there once was a famous prison. There is all sorts of activities and water sports. We opted for a 3 hour hike that brought us to secluded beaches. We saw cool trees, plants, and heard howler monkeys from afar. The first mountain was the steepest and we even went to the tippy top for a beautiful view of the island. This is where I fell the first time, coming down from the tippy top. The weather was overcast, but no rain and very humid. We continue to remark that we could not imagine what it would be like during the high season of summer!

Ilha Grande

Then we went down the mountain which was easier and then I slid again. We hiked through 2 more hills and passed through 2 more beaches and I managed to fall sideways on some wet rocks. Don't worry, I'm okay, but my practically worn out sneakers just had no traction and this was over 4 hours or so. All in all, we hiked about 8 miles according to my iPod Nano pedometer even though Alex thought it was 3 km. We have come to learn that although he is a good guide, he lacks spatial reasoning skills. According to Alex, distances are not that far and hikes are easy-medium! ;-)

Allison: With a tree needle used for poisonous darts.
Lizzie: With the photobomb.

At the first beach called Palma, we had fresh juices. I had passion fruit with strawberry while Allison and Lizzie had pineapple with mint. So fresh and delicious!

We finally made it to Lopes Mendes beach - the most famous beach on the island and considered one of the top 10 in the world. Here we dipped into the clear blue water and enjoyed riding the waves. We also had a few Antarctica beers and climbed some rocks for a better view. This is where I nicked my knee and started to bleed, because I was holding my camera in one hand. Everyone seemed worried, but I assured all that I wasn't going to break. As Lizzie termed it, "Cynthia, the warrior-princess!"

Lopes Mendes Beach

Afterwards, we made our way back through 1 hill and then took a 40 minute boat ride back to the center of the only village, Abraão. During the boat ride, we saw dolphins!

It was pretty funny in that the whole day was truly idyllic. Watching the sun rise, the sun coming out when we were on the beach, and then the dolphins. Alex joked he had it all planned and I quoted the Chevy Chase movie, "Funny Farm": "cue the deer!" So we all said, "cue the dolphins!" Alex also said it was pretty rare to see them too, so we were pretty excited.

We decided to go to a buffet that weighs your food by the kilo (this is pretty common practice) and had a nice conversation with Alex over some coffees. Also, today in our conversations with Alex, I made a few brincadeiros (jokes)! I've become famous in all languages, proclaiming when I make a joke.

We returned to our pousada, showered, and napped. Then we headed out to dinner around 9 pm to Lua e Mar which is known for their fish stew. Lizzie and I shared a fish and shrimp stew that was delicious and meant for 2. Allison had fried fish while Alex had squid risotto.

After a few hours of chatting and Antarctica beers, we headed back to the pousada for the night to rest up for our 2nd day on Ilha Grande.

Rained on in a Rainforest. Check.

My trip to Trinidad and Tobago had been in the works for about a year for the wedding of Ryan who shares my desk wall to his girlfriend Siobhan. Ryan is originally from Trinidad and had come to the US for schooling and stayed for work. Ryan and I were in the same training class at Marsh and we have become good friends over the years. My friend Allison from my football team wanted to join me for the trip.

Today, we started our adventure! Allison and I arrived in Port of Spain in Trinidad around 4:30 am. The red-eye from Newark was uneventful and the flight was just five hours.

Looking over the rainforest at ASA Wright Nature Center, Trinidad

Instead of flying straight to Tobago where Ryan and Siobhan are getting married, Allison and I opted to go to the ASA Wright Nature Center in Trinidad. Considered one of the top five bird sanctuaries in the world, we were excited, but didn't really know what to expect.

Conveniently, Ryan's father works at the center and he arranged our day visit and transfers. The airport is about an hour away and we had to go up a mountain on switchback roads and passed by many christophene vines that were visually really incredible covering the Arima valley. These vines bear pear squash, also known as chayote.

Upon arrival, on the verandah of a former plantation, there were about five people avidly bird watching each with binoculars and telescopes. It was amazing how they could spot the beautiful birds so quickly and willing to share their equipment. It's so refreshing to be around passionate people.

There was so much activity early in the morning. We saw a toucan, parrots, honeycreepers, hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, blue dacnis, tufeted coquettes, motmots, and oropendolas. Oropendolas make really cool nests that hang off trees and look like long handbags. Richard, our viewing guide was able to point out the birds immediately and recognize their calls. He identified over 30 individual species in an hour - his record being about 36. We felt lucky to have seen so many in such a short period of time.

Afterwards, we enjoyed breakfast and got ready for our guided walk around the center with Caleb. We saw lizards, a scorpion, manakins (white-bearded and golden-headed), leaf cutter ants, army ants, all sorts of vegetation (90 year old vines, bamboo, mango trees, heliconias, wild nutmeg tree), a crab, and a bat to Allison's dismay.

After our walk, we decided to explore the clear water pool, but got caught in a heavy rain shower.

Throughout the day, we were rained on. We really enjoyed it as we felt that it was a genuine rainforest experience! Personally, it was a great way to decompress and start out the vacation.

We were so lucky that Ryan's father had a room and office to use. We were able to wash up and take a nap before lunch which included BBQ chicken, grilled eggplant, beans, rice with pigeon peas, and bread pudding with custard sauce. All delicious with coffee harvested locally at the nature center.

Post-lunch, we took power naps before our transfer back to the airport. Curiously, our driver put our luggage on the back seats of the van. On the way down the mountain, we stopped to pick up a dead, venomous, viper snake, also known as a bushmaster!! It was over 6 feet long and there are plans by the nature center to preserve it because they are incredibly rare. Didn't see that one coming! Needless to say, Allison was a lot more excited than I was and was so enthralled, she did not get to take a picture with it before the preservation officer took it away. There are plans to build out a museum as well at ASA.

At the airport, we checked out the outdoor food court where we had Doubles, very Trinidadian. Chickpeas on fried flat bread with delicious spices and chutney and Apple J, a sparkling apple juice. This was Allison's first Doubles experience. I had been to Queens with Ryan and Siobhan to a West Indies neighborhood. Delicious in both places, but the Doubles here were much better!

Interestingly enough, Allison was told by someone at the Newark airport that Kentucky Fried Chicken in Trinidad is super delicious and we saw a massive line. Hence, we had to order a two-piece meal to check. Confirmed and the spice has a real kick that you don't get in the US.

Our twenty minute flight was uneventful and waiting for our luggage took longer. I learned on the flight this year marks the 50th year anniversary of Trinidad's independence from Great Britain. So exciting!

More to come on the amazing villa tomorrow!!!