World Cup Fever

Two and a half hours to kill...this is RIDICULOUS...and by that I'm referring to me having two and a half hours to kill before the next World Cup match. I have never been a soccer fan – at all, ever, ever, ever – I think the last time I paid attention to the World Cup was Italia '90. But here I am, having watched Mexico/South Africa & France/Uruguay yesterday and today Greece/Korea & Argentina/Nigeria, and now I'm killing time by blogging until the England/USA game.
But I dunno what it is...perhaps a combination of being in Brazil where the enthusiasm for the game is infectious and having met some really cool South Africans on my travels who described to me the excitement & optimism for the World Cup in South Africa? Or maybe if the weather was better in Salvador I'd be at the beach and ignoring the telly? Who knows? J The hostel where I'm staying right now is owned & run by an English man who also talked about how this WC feels different – a real celebration of the game and countries coming together.
Now, I'm not going to get into a debate about who I think will win because I'm clueless about the teams – I barely know who's who. And I'm also not going to say who I am supporting because I got into trouble TWICE in the last 24 hours J. But I AM REALLY looking forward to being in Rio on Tuesday for Brazil's first game – woohoo! J
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5WAX1yQEV8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0&feature=fvst

4 star luxury in Ubatuba!! :)

When talking to friends I often get asked the question, "do you get sick of hostels?  You dont stay in them ALL the time, do you?"  And until a 2 nights ago the answer was "yes, I do".  Sometimes I got lucky and the hostel was quiet & I had a dorm to myself - but apart from when I was staying & studying in Cordoba, I have stayed in dorms in hostels.  On Ilhabela, the hostel was deserted, and not only was I the only person in the dorm, I was the only person in the hostel!  It was like having a house to myself :)

On leaving Ilhabela, I got to the mainland to be told that I could either wait for 6 hours for a night bus to Rio that would have me in Rio at 4am or wait again until the next morning - I decided to hit the road regardless - the weather was terrible and I just wanted to get further north for some sunshine.  So I spent R$3.50 on an hour bus journey to Caraguatatuga (or someplace similarly spelled) and then I really splashed out for a R$5.20 ticket to Ubatuba.  Got into Ubatuba at 7pm, hungry and tired - I'd been on the road a whole 6 hours, travelled about 40kms and then got the news that I would have to wait another 4 hours for a connection to Rio that would have me in Rio at (guess what)...4am.  Sigh.

So when I saw the 4 star Ubatuba Palace Hotel a block down from the bus station, my mind was already made up before I knew how much the room would cost.  I paid R$200 for a bed & breakfast & buffet evening meal - the food was delicious...and....when I got to my room I discovered I had my own little verandah with hammock! :-D I was in heaven and it was worth every penny :)  Here are a couple of pictures of my little piece of heaven...

More photos from the rainforest

These pics were taken by the various camera traps we set up during the 12 days:

Tapir

Opossum (photo taken by team member)

Armadillo

Ocelot

Jacutinga (photo taken by team member)

Photos from Brazil Atlantic Rainforest Expedition are available here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=183888&id=693536230&l=6a06c4e61e

Courtesy of Alan Russell / Billy Connolly :)

Alan was one of my fellow expeditioners in Brazil.  A very cheerful fellow from Scotland (nickname: Der Schotte), who loved his beer & the holiday he was on :).  He was always in a good mood, and sang this song for us as we trudged up the road on our way home one particularly damp & miserable day.