What amazing fun you are all having. Hope you three are all well and ready for the next leg of the Amazing Journey.Will look forward to seeing the pics from the Carnevale. Continue to have fun and stay safe

Carnevale is definitely action packed...beach time is definitely needed in the day simply to catch up on your rest. After a late night of dancing we all enjoyed sleeping in until 10 and then the boys hit the beach while I walked over to trendy Ipanema to explore and shop...this is Rio´s most walkable neighborhood, with a sort of sexy & sophisticated contemporary style. Ipanema and Leblon have recently given Copacabana a race for it´s money as the top spot to see and be seen in Rio. This is largely due to the fact that the tunnel through the mountains into Botofogo opened access to the beach area to an extent to which it now reigns as the most densly populated district in South America...an estimated 5000 people live per block...& only 6 Km long and 4 blocks wide! On the way I walked by the white cake like Copacabana Palace which is reputed to be singlehandedly responsible for the popularity of the area as a fantasy destination synonoymous with glamour and decadence. It was here that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers first danced together in the 1933 film `Flying Down Rio´. Ipanema is the home of the Bossa Nova (literally= new style) and just a few blocks walk from here is the bar =Garota de Ipamema- where Brazilain composer Tom Jobim & poet Vinicius de Moraes wrote the popular song - `The girl from Ipanema´...it was truly based on a girl they saw walk by everyday & launched a new era of in Brazilian music with its slow, sexy, and brainy beat. I walked the entire lenght of Ipanema Beach and it definitely rivals Copacabana for capacity although it is not as wide...there are tonnes of vendors selling everything you can imagine and half the fun of shopping is bargining to make the deal. Ferg has given me some pointers and I am now a seasoned pro. It was a crazy hot day and I put on the miles before turning inland to wander along the popular Rua Visconde de Piraja...Ipanema is a quiet residential district with beautiful garden squares and is interspersed with high end botiques and coffee shops...the full array! Lucky for the budget many stores throughout Rio are closed down completely for Carnevale...absolutely everyone is out dancing. Headed back to Copacabana and enjoyed some down time before heading out for dinner...Fair is fair so Ferg gets McDonalds after sharing numerous Veggie pizzas and being more than considerate with respect to dining options on this trip. On the way home we visited the grocery store and restocked the fridge for another night...or early morning out on the town. Ferg and I headed out to the Sambadrome about 12:30AM after a few warm up drinks and watching the beginning of the parade on television. During Carnevale this 600m long, 34,000+ capacity parade ground built on and around Centro´s Rua Marques de Sapaucai - is the center of the action...before this the parade took place in the streets of Centro. We took a cab ride into Centro through Flamengo and Lapa past the eye catching Arcos de Lapa and the huge Parque do Flamengo...once completely underwater before the hilltop Favela Morro do Sao Antonio was levelled to fill the area in. We climbed out of the cab as close to the action as we could get...Ferg said he has never seen this many people in one area of a city before...helicopters flying by overhead and thousands of people partying and dancing. Everyone was wearing the colors of the school they supported and vendors had formed an informal street circuit to navigate on the way to the Sambadrome...complete with color TV´s to watch the action going on inside. As Ferg would say - we partied with the people...not surprisingingly there were many who could not affoard a 400$US ticket but still wanted to share in the experience...I have never seen so many transvestites in my life. Everyone was having a great time and the atmosphere was cramped but by no means choatic. We found our way to the back entrance of the Samba drome and from here you got an up close and personal view of the participants as they prepared to enter the stadium...each parade lasts for 65-80 minutes so there is plenty of opportunity to watch it all come together...the transition from bikinis and speedos to beautiful costumes and gowns. We lined up along the fence and really felt part of the action...fireworks exploding overhead and the spotlights of the helicopters created to the surreal experience. We even scored some authentic costume pieces from over the fence which we wore for the duration of the night...was fun trying to fit in the cab! We watched the parade until well after sunrise before calling it a night...back at the hotel it was 6:01 and we were just in time for the breakfast buffet - perfect timing once again. Slept until noon and then hit the beach...the waves were huge today and there was even a helicopter rescue! All 3 of us are red in the cheeks tonight! Today is Fat Tuesday and the results of the parade will be announced tomorrow afternoon...tonight is one of the most popular Blocos of the Carnevale and also the Gay Ball...should be another interesting night.

Wally...had to get a pen...it breaks down like this: *Columbia=Bogata-Popayan-Pasto-Ipiales to* Equador=Quito-Banos-Riobamba-Allusi-Guayoquil-Montanita-Guayoquil to* Peru= Tumbes-Mancora-Lima-Cusco-Manchu Picchu-Cusco-Puno-Isla Flotantes- Isla Taquille to* Bolivia= Copacabana-Isla del Sol-Copacabana-La Paz-Sorata-La Paz-Corioco-La Paz-Rurrenabarque-Santa Ana-Rurrenabarque-La Paz-Villazon to*Argentina=La Quecha-Salta-Corrientes-Puerta Iguazu-Iguazu Falls to*Brazil=Rio de Janeiro-Ihla Grande...2 weeks left! Hope all is well with the new baby, see you back in Freddy, Ciao, Kris

Rio de Janeiro and it´s seven million residents (called Cariocas) are out in full force for the Carnevale celebration in the 5 days preceeding lent...Carne = meat and vale = farewell incidentially. Rio de Janeiro juts out into Guanabara Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is crammed into the thin strip of land between the mountains and the sea. From the beach in front of our hotel you can see the Serra da Carioca mountain range atop which sits the Cristo Redentor (statue of Christ the Redeemer) with his arms outstretched. The 1100 tonne, 30m tall statue is the World´s largest Art Deco work and rests upon the 710m high Corcovado facing Copacabana beach in the Zona Sul...the Pope visited the statue in 1980. We are staying in the Leme area of Copacabana just through the tunnel in the mountains south of Botofogo...the heart of which centers on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana where our hotel sits. This has made it easy to venture out on foot and finds lots of action. Last night the `Blocos´ or street parades were in full effect and people were dancing in the streets. Different groups representing the various Flavellas in Rio come down to Copacabana on a carro do som, the truck that carries the musicians and the puxador or samba singer...playing drums and beating out the rhythums of Samba...they go up and down the streets for hours gathering followers and energy...the costumes are incredible and the music is infectious. Carnevale was born in the streets and this is the type of partying that was done long before the institution of the organized Samba Parade...a holiday for the people by the people - free, and a free-for-all! Last night was also the first night of the Groupo Especial or popular groups parade...comprised of the top 13 schools or community groups from last years festival and also the winner of the new groups from Saturday night of the year previous. The parade is held at the Sambadrome ...constructed in 1984 especially for the event...and 7 groups perform each night for 65 to 80 minutes each throughout the course of the night until daybreak. The entire event is televised and participants compete for national pride and bragging rights. The second set of seven will perform tonight and then the results will be announced the afternoon of Ash Wednesday at Praca de Apoteose...the top 6 will then perform again on Champions Saturday...known as Sebado das Campeas in a Celebration parade...groups work at the Samba School for an entire year preparing floats, costumes, and creating a new and original Samba scores. Each school selects a theme and the entire performance is dedicated to this singular idea. Last year´s parade included a levitating Moses and scuba divers doing aquarobics in a giant watertank. Some individuals express synicism at the grandeur of the Carnevale parade and its seemingly pointless excess in a country where many live below the poverty level (1 in 4 residents of Rio live in Favelas or shantytowns). Others argue, however, that nothing quite expresses the scope and splendor of the Carioca lust for life like a procession of 4000+ costumed people accompanying a fleet of allegorical floats gushing glitter and shaking in rhythum to the beat of the Samba drums. Tickets to the Parade run about 400$US and it is like the Superbowl of Brazil. Tonight we are planning on heading up to this area to check out the street that leads up to the entrance of the Sambadrome...talk about a tailgate party! Last night after dinner we had drinks at the impromptu bar that the boys have fashioned in our room...a 40oz of Smirnoff only costs about 15 Real (1 Real = 2.2 US$ = Yippee!)...before heading down the Copacabana strip and over to Ipamema Beach. The Beach over there was rockin´as one of the Blocos had finally ran out of steam and the Samba singers had climbed down from the trucks and were performing on the beach...2 lanes of traffic were completely blocked off and the beach was packed with people drinking and dancing. It rained hard for about 20 minutes but even this did not deter the participants...we made our way down into the beach and danced until well the wee hours of the night...definitely the largest informal party I have ever seen pop up. These are the celebrations for which Carnevale is famous...everyone in a good mood- smiling, & dancing & singing - The magic of Carnevale! Can´t wait to see what tonight will bring...

Crazy adventure kids!!! Hey Krista, can you give the kids on the short bus a summation....I'm getting dizzy!! Sounds like one heck of a trip !! Take care and have fun!!

First full day in Rio was off the charts...what a treat to be so close to the beach...we walked down there in the evening and sat and had drinks in the sand while listening to the waves. There are a tonne of people in town for Carnevale and the night never ends...street vendors never even close down their shops and just sleep right there. Beer and drinks are sold in the street and we stumbled upon an impromptu street party that eventually turned mobile and blocked off 2 lanes of traffic along the beach...party, party, party! Busted A/C made for a rough night of sleep in the heat...at 4 in the morning the temperature is still 27 degrees...problem is fixed now though and our hotel and it´s location are great...free buffet breakfast and all. Woke up in the morning and hit the beach...does not take long in this sun to feel it...have turned another color alltogether and love the heat! Beers on the beach without even leaving your chair! Around mid-day we returned to the hotel to shower before being picked up to head to the Football/Soccer Game - Flamengoes vs. Botofogo...what an awesome event. The game was very evenly matched and full of action end to end...final score 3-2 for Flamengoes! These two teams are both from Rio de Janerio and the stadium was LOUD! The game was at Maracana...seats 200 000 people and is the largest stadium in the world...my first game and I loved every minute of it. The boys were true to form and managed to consume about 13-15 beer each...lost count but believe this is a conservative estimate...never laughed so hard in my life as on the drive home...Ferg is truly an original. Wes had found this great place to eat and we devoured the pay by the pound buffet...no doubt we will return. Headed down the block to the hotel and decided to catch a nap before heading out for the night...most nights Carnevale doesn´t get going until 11:30 or so...jumped on the Redbull and headed out around 1AM to see where the action was...some wildly dressed characters on the streets. It´s not everyday you see a 6´4 dark bearded guy with long blond hair wearing a dress...some of the girls wear almost nothing...one simply wore a black fishnet...others are naked with their clothes drawn on in roughly the right places! Anything to beat the heat I guess...last night the temperature only dropped 3 dergees overnight to 28 and the boys wandered the streets until dawn with their shirts off...what incredible weather! We walked over to Ipanema beach and there were a lot of people partying in the streets and the bars were pumping out music until well after the sun came up. Even the beaches were busy...a people watchers paradise! Can say with confidence that I have never visited a city quite like Rio...they make their own rules here. We walked back over and down the length of Copacabana beach and decided to try the national drink of choice...Caipirinahas... cachaca= (a gutrot rum-style liquor...described as undrinkable firewater when it was first cooked up in the 1600´s...distilled from raw sugarcane), soda, rum, chunks of fresh lime & lots of sugar...they pack a punch and we sat beside the beach drinking for the rest of the night and watched the sun come up at 6 before calling it a day...you would not believe the number of people still out and about at this hour...still the bars had not closed! Perfect planning and we arrived back at the Hotel just in time for the start of the breakfast buffet...Ferg broke the SnackMaster sandwich maker and Wes & I barely kept it together watching this all go down...the attendant even had to pry it open to free Fergs sandwich...hysterical! Better luck at breakfast tomorrow. Slept until 11:30 and then back to the beach...today was the hottest here yet and was 33 degrees before lunch...Thankfully, once you cleared the mass of people on the beach there was a breeze...beach was super, super packed today...people and umbrellas as far as the eye could see. Hard to believe how hot it was considering that the day was a bit cloudy...when the sun cleared the clouds it was intense! Back from the beach to shower and go foraging for food...tonight we are headed out in search of fun...it´s Sunday but as the days of Carnevale continue the festivities just build and build...no wonder they call this the biggest party on earth. This year is the 35th Carnevale and the city has invested over 1 million Real and just recently opened the Samba school...now visitors can see how Carnevale comes to be all year round. In addition, the artists and performers have a permanent arena to create that far surpasses previous conditions. All the groups work at the same site and the spirit and safety of the creative process has contributed to make this Carnevale special as never before. In previous years groups worked wherever they could...most often it turned out to be the destered wharehouses at the docks which were unsafe, unsanitary, and cramped. In these conditions they were not even able to assemble the floats until the actual day of Carnevale because the ceilings were too low...not exactly condusive to calm nerves. The creation of these floats and the performances associated with each groups theme are serious business... the pride and prestige of winning is a cultural high. Carnevale is such a huge boost to the economy that it is now even being taught at University. Last night was the first parade...the top floats will advance to the next round...the parade lasted all night! Who knows what tonight will hold...having a blast! Kris

WOW!!! it's been awhile since my last visit to your site and what a treat it's been catching up with you two...it's sounds and looks amazing. So happy for you Kris..travellin looks real good on ya! The pictures are so great. Lovin the biking, hiking, of course the cutest little monkeys and that gorgeous blue butterfly! Safe travels my friend. Miss & Love ya xoxoxo

Glad to hear Wes made er'. Love reading up on the wild adventures. Looking forward to hearing them all in person soon. Cheers.
Babs

Heys guys, great to know that you have that bus trip behind you and that Wes was waiting with treats abound. Really enjoyed the update about the falls. Hope you have a great time at the Carnevale. Great day here, bit of snow and lots of sun. Spring is acoming. Continue to enjoy your adventure and travel safe. Love Mom

25.5 hours later and we have made it to Rio de Janeiro...what a night! Thanks to Wes we received the best kind of welcome possible...COLD Canadian Beer...what a treat! So great to see a familiar face! We are staying at a great hotel- only 3 minutes walk from the famous Copacabana Beach...Ipanema Beach a short walk down the road - after a couple of beer we grabbed our suits and headed for the sand. The water was awesome and we had the best afternoon ever...wicked conversation...infectious laughter...and company of great friends - who could ask for anything more. Feel completely energized even after a long night of little sleep! We had a great time at Iguazu Falls ...a UNESCO World Heritage site which is considered to be one of the World´s 7 natural wonders due to their magnificent grandeur and natural vegetation. There are over 2000 species of native flora, 450 kinds of birds, and 80 kinds of mammals (including 5 varieties of felines...don´t pet these kitties!). Ferg and I spent 6 hours wandering over 14 Km around the upper and lower circuits of the falls...over 270 tributaries form to feed the fan shaped falls for which the name Iguazu is derived. The visit to the Garganta del Diablo was definitely the highlight of the hike. Out through the Missiones jungle islands we walked(feet are still stained red from the mud) to the start of the 2260m catwalk which culminates in a bird´s eye view of the largest section of the falls...you can see the water it kicks up for miles off in the distance. The `throat´ has a circumference of 150m and water falls from a height of 80m...it´s horseshoe shape is the picture perfect image most often reproduced and identified with. The falls themselves are the result of volcanic `flows´= molten rivers that once flowed beneath the surface of the earth but now have cooled and become solid...there are 11 distinctive `flows´ in the Missiones region alone. The movement of the Earth´s crust has caused these flows to pile up one on top of the other and the result is the formation of `Mantles´= a scientific term that has another meaning but is useful in the visual idea of the process. These Mantles have very similar physical and chemical properties, but can vary minutely in composition due to the cooling process itself...as a result they are succeptible to erosion at different rates...some faster than others. This is one of the factors that contributed to the formation of the Falls...the second factor has to do with the presence of `Faults´ all along the course of the 1320Km river. Movement of the Earth´s crust creates steps which vary in size from mm to meters...the river slope in it´s early phase was quite pronounced and water `fell´ off these steps having a much more erosive effect than in areas without fractures...as a consequence , a depression starts to form immediately after the fracture. The Iguazu River runs over a `flow´ that is very resistant to the erosive action of water, however, the underlayer is much more succeptible and it has caused the tough upperlayer to drop as the underlayer deteriorates...there are huge blocks of the evidence of this action lying at the base of the falls. As the erosion process `backwards´ continues over future milleniums the Falls will keep receeding as they have been for years.
The highlight of the day was when we boarded a motorized raft and went out into the bowl of the river and rode beneath Salto San Martin...it was hot in the bowl and the roar deafening...we got completely drenched as we decided to sit at the very front of the boat...pretty exciting! After that we went up river and got wet again under Salto Dos and Salto Tres Mosqueteros...at least the water was warm...wicked way to see the Falls up close and personal. At the end of the day we were wet but happy...we had seen 2 different types of monkeys and 3 lizzards, as well as countless birds - a really unique experience. Caught the public bus back to town and relaxed by the pool before dinner. Went to a crazy Parrilla where Ferg actually had his own personal BBQ 12X14 brought to the table...chicken, beef, pork...and even blood saussage...an insane amount of meat for one man but Ferg is not shy. We loved the Hostal Iguazu Falls and decided to stay another night in Argentina...spent the next day being lazy- was insanely hot over 35 degrees...reading in the pool and some late afternoon shopping for me. Around 9 PM we returned to see Hugo and enjoyed another incredible meal at our `new favorite restaurant´- can´t get enough of a good thing- pot roast sized steak and Argentinain Malbec Red. Argentina was really a treat and I hope I get to return again someday...right now I better return to the room before all the beer is gone. Really looking forward to the start of Carnevale tomorrow...Wicked that Wes has arrived Safe and Sound to join the adventure - there can only be many more good times ahead! Hope everyone at home is Happy & Healthy...log on and let us know how your day went! Take Care, Kris.

Hey, Just thought I would update everyone on Krista and Ferg´s where abouts. Yesterday they crossed the border into Brazil on their way to rio. The bus ride is supposed to take 22hrs. Im currently waiting in our hotel lobby for them. I have an ice cold moosered, and this saturdays globe and mail for ferg and a smirnoff ice for krista. I did have a schooner for myself, but after traveling for 2 1/2 days i arrived at my hotel late at night and there was no where to bye beer. so i had no choice but to drink my schooner. ferg is lucky his moosered made it. we are only 2 blocks from coccacabanna beach, so Im sure we will head straight there to drink beer, lay in the sun and catch up. its 35 degress and sunny. bye