Do you think he knows where everything is?

The traffic wait patiently…

Yavari Journey

On 15th October 1862, a boat bearing the two ships Yapuri and Yavari from Britain docked at the Peruvian port of Arica. The Peruvian Navy then faced the daunting task of getting 2,766 pieces and two crankshafts transported to Lake Titicaca, 12,500 ft. (3,810ms) above sea level.

The first part if the journey was the 40 miles (64km) from Arica to Tacna 186ft.(550 ms) above sea level. In Tacna the 2,766 pieces weighing a total of 210 tons were unpacked and arranged in order of how they should arrive at Puno on the Lake. Local muleteers and porters, who were to carry the crankshafts, competed for the work.

“1000 Indians” were needed to help carry the boats the final 350 kms across the then driest desert in the world, mountain passes higher than the highest European peaks and the sub-zero windswept wastes of the Altiplano, enough parts to begin building the boat arrived in Puno in the 1st of January 1869, almost 7 years later.

In 1987 the Yavari Project was formed and the boat restored, today the YAVARI is open to the public daily from 8am to 5pm and other times by appointment. We got there on a bicycle rickshaw from the docks at Puno, though we had to get out up the hills! We we’re given a guided tour when we arrived by the caretaker of the boat and its highly recommended.

Yavari Links

The Yavari Project

Yavari Wiki

The atmosphere at Lewes Bonfire is pretty crazy, a lot of people attend, this year 50,000 into a fairly small town. As the touch lit processions pass the night is light up by red flairs and flashes from bangers being set off right in front of you.

Getting the train from Brighton this year went pretty well, getting a train 6ish we got straight on and were in Lewes in no time. Getting back wasn’t quite so easy queuing for about an hour before cramming on board a train home. Its probably best to bring your own alcohol as the pubs seemed pretty full, there’s quite a heavy police presence but we survived without any of our booze getting confiscated.

After the processions had come to an end we went to the biggest free bonfire organised by Waterloo Bonfire Society. The huge bonfire seemed to take an age to catch as the rain drizzled harder and harder. The firework display that follows the lighting of the bonfire is probably what I look forward to most but it didn’t seem to be quite as spectacular this year as it had been in previous years. It may just have been the drizzling rain, but they didn’t fill the whole sky up like I remember in past occasions. We were however treated to some fantastic displays that were still going on as we queued for the train home.

Lewes Bonfire Links

Lewes Bonfire Council
Lewes Wiki
Lewes Council

Lewes Bonfire 2008 Photos

The seals came so close it was really an incredible feeling, as we walked back to the car  we followed a couple scrambling and swimming down the little stream under the road and out into the beach.

The experience was so memorable we couldn’t resist a second visit on our way out of Kaikora!

The village itself was pretty flashy with a cosmopolitan feel, lots of boutiques and nice restaurants, there were some good budget options though and we ate mainly from the pay per plate restaurant on the main street for 6R$. The beaches around Pipa are the real stars though, head down to the beach and walk left up the coast and you’ll find the gorgeous Praia do Curral or Baia dos Golfinhos (Dolphin’s bay) and the praia do Amor (love beach).

Its not called baia dos Golfinhos without good reason, it didn’t take long until we got our first glimpse of a dolphins swimming in the bay just meters away from the sure. We regularly saw 2 dolphins swimming in the bay and on a few occasions they swam right pass us  we swam, a baby dolphin even appeared and performed a back flip to the delight of the onlookers.

A short walk up the main road out of Pipa you’ll find the Ecological Sanctuary, worth a visit at 5R$, though don’t attempt the walk in the midday sun as we did, typical English! The Ecological Sanctuary is a forest situated above the beaches with some great lookout points over the bays, we possibly saw some turtles in the bay below though they might have just been rocks. As we came out the other side of the forest we saw lots of tiny white eared monkeys, we took loads of photos of them playing in the trees before getting back to the Pousada and finding the owner feeding a load more monkeys crackers in the back garden!

We stayed in a fantastic pousada Mar & Sol, (Phone 55.84.3246-2744) 1094 Av. Baia dos Golfinhos located in the centre of the village of the main street, we managed to haggled down from 50R$ to 40R$ per night. Although not noisy at all, there where random explosions of music from neighbouring houses. Breakfast was incredible, so much wonderful fruit that we were able to save our bread,eggs, cheese and ham for our daily beach picnic at baia dos Golfinhos (Dolphin’s bay)

Pipa has something to offer to everyone, and for me the best beach in Brazil.

Pipa Photos

Pipa Information

WHEN TO GO: We visited Pipa at the end of August and it wasn’t at all over crowded,

HOW TO GET THERE: by bus or by car from Natal.

MOVING ON: We got the local bus to Goiraniha and then frm there back to Natal

LINKS: Pipa com.br, Pipa Online, Praia da Pipa com.br

ACCOMMODATION: full listing of hotels and pousadas in Pipa

Map of Pipa

View Larger Map

We arrived in time to have some breakfast then set off for the Angel Falls in a fairly uncomfortable, long motorised, wooden canoe. Its a long and bumpy ride from Canaima to the Angel Falls so expect to get a saw bum, we stopped once for lunch at a small waterfall and once to walk along side the river as the rapids were too strong for us to travel up.

The boat ride up the river through the Canaima National Park is incredible, you can’t help but feel like you are in Jurassic Park as all around you huge waterfalls poor off the tops of cloud covered Tepui (table topped mountains).

As we neared the Angel Falls I kept mistaking numerous waterfalls for Salto Angel, eventually as I came around the corner and caught my first glimpse of the Angel Falls I realised how stupid I was for mistaking these small trickles for the worlds highest waterfall.

Once at the foot theres a 30 minute climb through the forest to a lookout point that consists of a large over hanging flat rocking about halfway up the falls. Its a pretty dodgy place to stand but refreshing to find just a sign announcing ‘Mirador Salto Angel’ with absolutely There was a great view of the falls as gusts of wind threatened to blow you into the falls.

After descending and navigating the river to our campsite we watched to subset behind the falls and ate dinner. Once the sun was gone we were able to watch the falls clearly in the moonlight. Going to sleep and waking up to a glorious view of the falls from our hammocks was a pretty special experience, one I’ll never forget.

Further reading:

• Angel Falls Wiki
• Canaima Nationa Park - Unesco

Somewhere around here Butch Casidy and the Sundance Kid had there final stand. A short horse ride out of town gives opportunity to trot amongst these wonderful red rock formations. Try and avoid the midday sun though, we made the school boy error, theres not much shade to be found.