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 Salvador de Bahia, Brazil's former colonial capital has great beaches, fantastic architecture, a beautifully restored old town and the absolute best street party in the planet, Carnaval. Barra beach, Salvador, Brazil (2/2005). |
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After the first night of Carnaval watching and partying from the sidelines, a bunch of us got together and decided to join the parade. For C$50, we got our outfits and joined 10,000 others as part of the Olodum Bloco parade group for 3 nights of madness and sheer insanity. It was definetely the highlight of our Carnaval and there is simply no better way to experience this amazing event. Group picture after 2 hours of make-up prep in our hostel prior to setting out. Carnaval 2005 in Salvador, Brazil. |
 Carnaval in Salvador is the biggest, wildest, craziest street party on the planet. For 7 nights, different groups parade around the city along designated parade routes. 2 million people come to Salvador each year to party, dance, drink and go mental. Its total mayhem and complete chaos. View from Olodum bloco's truck rooftop, Barra parade route, Carnaval 2005. |
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 Anything goes during Carnaval and it seems like all the nutters in the world come for this event. |
 Brazil is a dodgy country for travellers and Carnaval is Brazil at its worst. Every tourist here has either been mugged, pick-pocketed, robbed, beaten or all of the above, or knows someone who has. There is a massive police presence during Carnaval but the crowds are simply too big to handle and there's way too many trouble-making thugs. Carnaval 2005 in Salvador, Brazil (2/2005). |
 Pelourinho, the 15th century old-town of Salvador (2/2005). |
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South America's best beaches are along Brazil's Atlantic coast. Itacare in Bahia State, North-east Brazil (2/2005). |
 Brazil is a country of economic contrasts. On one hand, its a progressive industrialized country manufacturing computers, airplanes and electronics but in the laid-back north east, things are very different. Itacare, Bahia State (2/2005). |
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 Away from the big cities with its thugs and gangsters, Brazilian's are a happy, relaxed and smiling-faced bunch who loves to just hang-out. Lencios, Bahia State (2/2005). |
Everything in Rio happens on the beach. Families picnicking, kids playing, soccer games, people sleeping, reading, eating, surfing, swimming...you name it. Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro (3/2005). |
Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks Rio de Janeiro from its 750m high vantage point. | 
The beach, expensive condominiums and the favela (Brazilian slum), 3 things which dominate Rio de Janeiro. |
 1/3 of Rio's population lives in Favelas, large slums which crawl up the mountainsides of Rio de Janeiro (3/2005). |
 Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3/2005). |
South American cities are not great travel destinations but Rio de Janeiro is the big exception. It really has it all : great beaches, an amazing setting, a party atmosphere and a vibrant vibe. 10 days here and never a dull moment. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3/2000). |
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My final picture on the last day of my trip. Rio de Janeiro from Corcovado gets my vote for the most spectacular city view. Admiring the 360 degree view prior to catching a cab to the airport was the best way to end my 10 month South America trip. Brazil (3/2005). |
| Subject: The "Marvelous City", Rio de Janeiro. | Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 |
| Hi there all you hard-working
taxpayers,
9.5 months have passed and I am on the final stretch of my South America voyage. Rio de Janeiro is a great place to end it all. Many say its one of the worldīs great cities and I couldnīt agree more. For me, its right up there with my other all-time favourites (Istanbul, Paris and my own home-town of Vancouver). Lots of slim fit looking people here and not surprising to see why. Rio is all about the beach...people meet at the beach, nap on the beach, eat on the beach, party, gawk, swim, pose...and if you do not look half-decent in a bikini or swim trunks, you might as well move out of town or live under a rock. Everyone here hits the gym, keeps fit, has cosmetic surgery (Brazil ranks 2nd behind the US in that statistic) and really thinks twice before chomping on another sugar glazed donut. Here are some pictures from that skinny long country along the Pacific coast. My travels in Chile took me from the worldīs driest desert in the north, to the Patagonia Icefields of the south and across the South Pacific to the most remote piece of land on Earth, Easter Island. http://www.leelau.net/chai/chile.htm Hope 2005 is going well for everyone and see you all soon, Lee Chai |
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| Subject: The End | Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 |
| It was a dream of mine to see the world and
I feel so fortunate for the chance to pull-off this "travelling
project" of the past 10 years.
46 countries, all 7 continents, so many great memories, laughs and smiles from all the wonderful people throughout the world. I can tell you first hand, we live in a beautiful and special world. But, all things come to an end and this is truly the final chapter of my wandering life. I am not at all sad that the paradise life is over and looking forward to all the wonderful things in store for the future. I love it more than ever and will always travel, but the epic (ie. crazy) journeys are now behind me. South America is a continent with fantastic sights but what turned out to be the ultimate highlight were the people. All the beautiful smiling faces, happy laughs, warmth and kindness from strangers, and the fantastic camaraderie with my fellow travellers. I will surely miss that the most. So after 305 days, 7 countries, 2 muggings, one broken finger and my bank account destroyed (again!), here is my "Best Of South America" picks : - learning Spanish. Grandpa sitting in the park, kids playing in the streets, the fruit-sellers in the market, the girls on the beach...everyone had something to say if you took the time to be with them. - the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - Salar de Uyuni and deserts of SW Bolivia - Antartica Hope everyone enjoyed reading my blabber and seeing the pictures over the past 10 months as much as I enjoyed sending them. Lee Chai |
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