BRAZIL
THE PANTANAL - BOM JESUS DU LAPA - CHAPADA
DIAMANTINA - SALVADOR - ITACARE - RIO DE JANEIRO to
view photos of the Brazillian Amazon click here
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mud and bus route |
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
Cruising down the 112 bridge road into the pantanal a caipivara
marks his territory.
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
Little Mr lizard on the side of the road.
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
I was actually looking in my rear vision mirrors to chec k if
any cars were coming and noticed this little caiman fella sneaking
up...
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
This is what we would have got eaten by if we fell of one of the
bridges.
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
I passed out for a nap on the side of the road and yet again another
caiman was sneaking up for some man meat.
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
'yep, its a frog.
April 2004 - Bahia, The Pantanal
This is a great example of how dodgy the brigdes are. I had to
ride across a single plank as the others were damaged. If you
put your foot down it gets stuck between the planks and you fall
in... to the piranhas and caimans who feed at night. But we didn't
fall in. Even if we did I wouldn't tell you.
BOM JESUS DU LAPA
April 2004 - Bahia, Bom Jesus Du Lapa
Natacha striking a pose for her grandma, like thousands of other
people who visit this crazy place. It is a giant church housed
inside a cave. To the locals it is known as miracle centre. We
did not see a single tourist, but we did see a christening and
church service. One of the most beautiful churches I have ever
seen.
April 2004 - Bahia, Bom Jesus Du Lapa
One of the many extensive caves housing various Catholic deities.
Dolls, prosthetic limbs and psalms line the walls. This place
is considered a miracle centre for those with illness, bad vibes
and naughty thoughts. It is also considered a good place to go
if you have not done your homework (seriously - there are various
kiddy notes lying around the place.)
April 2004 - Bahia, Bom Jesus Du Lapa
Jesus disse ao aleijado: levan ta-te e anda! - Jesus said to the
cripple: Get up and walk!
CHAPADA DIAMANTINA
April 2004 - Bahia, Chapada Diamantina
Natacha reflecting on the possibility of a natural wonder perfecting
the shape of a camel
April 2004 - Bahia, Chapada Diamantina
Steve reflecting on the possibility of a natural wonder perfecting
the shape of a motorbike.
April 2004 - Bahia, Chapada Diamantina, Fumaca
Falls
The second highest waterfall in South America. Steve pretending
to be an aeroplane.
April 2004 - Bahia, Chapada Diamantina, Fumaca
Falls
The lonely drop to the bottom of Fumaca Falls. Phenomenal walk
and a good place to camp if you ever go.
BAHIA
April 2004 - Salvador
After Carnival in Salvador, Steve didn't have very much money
so he let the Brazillian goverment perform some medical experiments.
They took 24years off his life.
But now he wants it back. (Fernanda lovely little man. Natacha's
cousins son.)
Salvador, Brazil - 22nd February, 2004
Geoff possessed by Bruce Lee.
Salvador, Brazil - 22nd February, 2004
Bogman stranded in the half light
of camera flash. Frozen to the spot until Steve coaxed him away
with promise of ice-cream. Mark’s weak point.
Morro De Sao Paulo, Brazil – 27th February, 2004
Steve’s birthday dinner in
Morro De Sao Paulo off the coast of Salvador in Brazil. Hanging
with some old friends from Portugal.
Morro De Sao Paulo, Brazil – 27th February, 2004
Steve receiving his birthday present.
The other geezer here in the picture is Antonio. Antonio was born
on the same day, in the same year, on the other side of the world
in Portugal. Pretty cool eh? After this photo I lay him on the
floor with some ninja moves. (Mr David Rowe? He is exactly the
same as you. Weird Science)
ITACARE
Barra Grande, Brazil – 19th February, 2004
These little critters believe it or not are brothers. The darker
of the two was adopted when very young by a German guy who owns
this restaurant on the river in Barra Grande. Awesome kids.
Barra Grande, Brazil – 19th February,
2004
Photogenic little fella.
Itacare, Brazil – 1st March, 2004
Flexing his man meat. Geoff knows more Arnie style flex-master
moves than any living human being I know.
18th April, 2004
Some cheeky kids presenting their prize pooch ready for the hot-plate.
Brazilians love their meat and always enjoy a good old-fashioned
BBQ. We attended a friends BBQ on this particular night. It had
all the right ingredients – beer, plenty of meat, great
people, but it was missing one thing, a bit of backyard cricket.
We tried to get a game started, but due to the lack of a backyard
our efforts seemed futile. Instead, we tried explaining the rules
of cricket to a group of confused Brazilians, this didn’t
go down well.
18th April, 2004
Thumbs up for the delicious mutt which was obviously cooked to
perfection judging by the satisfied looks on these kids faces
– `Please Sir, Can I have some more´, they all replied,
but mutt is a delicacy in these parts and there was not enough
to go around for seconds until Steve decided to save the day by
running down a sausage dog/cocker spaniel mixed mutt out on the
street which proved to be a little chewy, but with a few added
spices chucked on, nobody was the wiser.
11th March 2004
Jesus busted up one of our parties. His gummy grin informed us
that someone put 15 grams of weed in the five chocolate balls
presently chilling in the fridge. Two hours later the gang was
spread like chewed up bubblegum over couches, hammocks, window
sills and toilets. Jesus was right.
11th March 2004
Geoffs lack of cash flow has forced him into a corner. To make
ends meet he now sells photos of his lathered loins to various
websites. You can also hire him for personal fulfillment at www.giganticgeoffrey.com.
11th March 2004
Steve’s earsplitting scream reverberated off the
walls after Geoff tried to remove a parasite, the infamous Candiru
with a pair of tweezers (Vampire fish *interesting facts and photo).
The Candiru swam up his urine stream and housed itself at the
base of his urinary tract where it slurped the blood from his
pulsating veins. This didn’t really happen. We made it up.
However, you should read the article on the Candiru (Vampire Fish).
You will never drain the main vein in a still stream again.
11th March 2004
Steve was sticking his new Scottoiler (automatic chain oiler)
on his bike and got superglue stuck on his hands. Geoff thought
he would lend a hand, or two. Who broke the superglue tube in
the first place? Five days later facing off for battle.
11th March 2004
Mark also got superglue stuck on his cheek, but as is visible
here he has no reason to complain.
12th
March 2004
Random bug sighting en route to Tiririca Beach, Itacare.
12th March 2004
Paul the Australian is pondering the history of Podiatry with
Geoff and Mark at Itacare, Brazil in our front yard.
13th March 2004
Searching for sanity. Steve recently observed the Indian Saddhu’s
strength of mind on the legendary Baraka film. Awestruck at their
ability to meditate with heads submerged in sand for hours on
end. He is preparing to immerse his cranium for his own mental
pilgrimage into the sandy banks of Tiririca beach quiescent on
the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
13th March
Steve poised for performance. A dick trick was waiting
for Mike the Englishman the moment he turned. Steve was so excited
he could barely contain himself.
14th March 2004
Mark holding his brains in after being surgically removed from
the girl he was recently superglued to. Perplexed thoughts slide
through his grey matter. Geoff copping a whiff of marks man juice.
No matter what he says about his disdain for Marks odour (salt
and vinegar) he secretly likes it. Steve remembers in high school
Geoff was addicted to salt and vinegar chips. Something is about
to happen here. I don’t think you want to know.
14th March 2004
Steve performing an ancient American Indian nipple vision quest.
With thumb and forefinger his mammary gland is compressed with
intense vigour to induce his apparition. Ancient circular energy
vortexes hover in his field of vision. If you look hard you can
actually see them. After his mental expedition he slept for days
recuperating. He is currently preparing for a new cerebral excursion
where Mark hauls him by his testicles the length of the Inca trail
like the Quechian Indians did in ancient times.
14th March 2004
Geoff and Mark were in the process of being abducted by aliens,
on their way to some other planet. Thankfully Mark slipped a few
beers down his pants for the ride. Geoff, a little bored with
light travel decides to drawn penises on marks arm.
16th March 2004
We have been running out of baggage space recently. Steve experimented
with new ways of packing food for those long journeys toward the
horizon. Super-gluing frogs to the side stand. Slice when ready.
In recent days it has been discovered that super-gluing a rabbit
on the exhaust for 45 minutes at 93 kilometres per hour at an
ambient temperature of 32 degrees Celsius cooks the meat better
than any hot plate.
23rd
March 2004
Geoff utilizing his knowledge of personal development and training
to stretch a few muscles located in a young travellers aching
thighs. Geoff called this particular maneuver the rear-mount.
23rd March 2004
At the age of 16 Lester had his wisdom teeth removed. The doctor
sewed his tongue to the side of his mouth. The operation permanently
affected his sensory points. Lester now receives extreme gratification
from polished wood sliding across the surface of his nipple. Pool
halls will never be the same again.
RIO DE JANEIRO (1st NATURAL WONDER OF THE WORLD)
14th April, 2004
Two cool guys circling South America by bike. Xavier the fireman
from New York on a BMW 1150GS and Michael the master craftsman
from Canada on a Kawasaki KLR 650 randomly met each other traversing
Chile and stuck together ever since. We had a few intense evenings
with these crazy gents. They informed us of their hijinks around
South America and among other things Michael’s obsession
with Penguins. Mike revealed his fascination with Penguins and
his dream to pick one up and shake it about. He visited a penguin
colony hosting thousands of the critters in Patagonia and Mike
saw his opportunity. With the grace of the Crocodile Hunter he
plucked one off the ground for a quick photo. Mike promptly placed
the scared shitless penguin back on the ground. For the rest of
his time the perturbed penguin evil eyed him from near and afar.
Not dissimilar to the evil penguin from the Wallace and Grommit
series. I guess some dreams do come true!
15th April, 2004
The boys standing proudly around Mike’s battle bike, a 2002
Kawasaki KLR 650. Steve was showing everyone his sister on the
balcony of our hostel, much to the amazement of Mike and Xavier
who had never seen such a bizarre and perverse act before. Geoff
is rolling his eyes at the sight of another dick trick, a seasoned
veteran of Steve’s penis puppetry.
15th April, 2004
Geoff pointing towards the first Natural Wonder visited on our
world expedition, the Harbours of Rio de Janiero. Three months
after leaving Australia and 17 000kms in the saddle, we conquered
our first natural wonder of seven. Much like every night spent
in Rio; we drowned ourselves in celebration. We speedily discovered
Rio is a city that never sleeps. It is impossible to visit Rio
and not have an all night bender every night of the week. Most
punters in Sydney would give Monday night a miss and rest up in
preparation for the weekend, not here in Rio. People in Rio go
hard (there is a lot of Viagra here) or go home!
14th April, 2004
The money shot! A stunning view of Rio de Janiero encompassing
the infamous Sugarloaf Mountain (the strange chunk of rock rising
396 metres out of the ground). Sydney has one of the most beautiful
harbours in the world, but after visiting Rio and witnessing its
stunning beauty; we admit it gives Sydney a run for its money.
14th April, 2004
Corcovado mountain and the renowned statue of Christ the Redeemer
gazing over the city of Rio. Corcovado mountain is twice the height
of Sugarloaf and provides a phenomenal view of Rio and an opportunity
to get up close and personal with the holy man himself.
14th April, 2004
Geoff told Steve earlier in the day that he was a pussy. Eager
to prove his manhood he scaled Corcovado mountain to get to the
statue of Christ rather than take a cab like everybody else. Geoff
was surprised to see an exhausted Steve poke his head over the
lookout fence and didn’t waste any time taking this photo.
Geoff later retracted his pussy remark after this amazing feat
of stubborn bravado. Steve could now sleep easy that night and
he saved 30 Reals as a bonus too!
14th April, 2004
Geoff is overcome with emotion and performs a double bicep flex
in celebration for conquering the third man-made wonder of our
journey. After viewing the photo Geoff commented that his guns,
like the Statue, were made of solid stone and not even a master
stone mason would have the skills to carve out such a stunning
display of muscular development!
14th April, 2004
Visiting the statue of Christ (Christo Redentor) is quite an experience
no matter what your religious orientation. The sheer size of the
statue and the backdrop it grandeously presides over makes a scene
like no other and a definite must-see when visiting Rio. This
is the third man-made wonder the team has visited so far. Next
stop Machu Picchu
15th April, 2004
Rio de Janiero at night. We intended on visiting the Sugarloaf
during the day, but the waxing of Steve´s bikini line took
more time than anticipated. The purchase of complementary G-bangers
to complement the spotless bot pushed us into overtime. The twilight
was upon us as we caught the first cable car of two up to the
viewpoint overlooking the city and what a beautiful sight it was.
Minutes later we caught the second cable car to the summit of
the Sugarloaf discovering an equally impressive view. We were
feeling proud as punch for making the journey to the top. Our
pride was short after discovering three Danish girls who had just
finished scaling the rock itself. Their climb took about 3 hours,
ours 3 minutes, sheesh!
16th April, 2004
Geoff pondering the whippage of Bogga. When this photo was taken
Bogga had been pussy-whipped for a record breaking six weeks.
A period of whippage Steve and Geoff will never beat no matter
how hot the chick is. Bogga’s whippage started to effect
Geoff. He tried to help Bogga many times to control his whippage
and taper it down a little, but despite Geoff’s best intentions
Bogga´s saga of being owned continued. Geoff is reconsidering
his strategy and technique to tame Bogga´s temptress and
give Bogga his sanity back.
16th April, 2004
As Christ as their witness, Steve and Geoff coming out of the
closet and proclaiming their gay love.
16th April, 2004
Steve has always thought of himself as a bit of a God and someone
to be worshipped, but here he definitely gets upstaged.
16th April, 2004
Steve and Geoff with the lovely Natacha. Natacha, a local from
Rio showed us what Brazilian hospitality was all about. After
spending six days in Rio we stayed with Natasha at her friends
apartment in Praia Tijuica (an undercover cop with the Brazilian
Police, bad to the bone!) around 30minutes south of central Rio.
We met Natacha holidaying in Itacare. She showed us the less touristy
better surf beaches south of Rio where Geoff caught the best wave
of his life – he couldn´t stop talking about it all
day! Natacha, the perfect tour guide, is available for group tours,
all ages welcome.
17th April, 2004
It gets hot in Rio, damn hot, and like the old Scouts motto, `Be
prepared´, this guy is taking no chances. Clearly a man
who enjoys satisfying a keen thirst. What looks like enough water
to supply an entire Favela is this mans stash to get him from
his house to the newsagent for a paper without dehydrating on
the way.
18th April, 2004
Steve´s necklace and extreme facial hair (Chin Fangs) in
full effect! Always a topic of conversation with fellow travellers,
Steve is frequently referred to by many people as, ´the
guy with those things on his chin!´ This branding doesn’t
seem to phase Steve too much as he believes that similar to the
FT (Fanny Tickler) his own creation is likewise of similar benefit
during foreplay.
18th April, 2004
Geoff showcasing his deadly ´Tomma-Hawk Chop´, much
feared in many parts of the world; from this display you can see
why! Look out Bruce Lee – you’re one inch punch is
no match for the fury of Tomma when agitated.
18th April, 2004
Steve can’t believe it. He swiveled the viewfinder to witness
his exterior. Traumatized by the unhygienic creature he had become,
Geoff heard him tremble in desperation, ´Holy shitballs,
I’m hideous, shut it down! Shut it down!’. Close call,
thankfully no permanent scaring occurred.
How about some Argentinian action?
