| 18 January 2003
Rio De Janeiro
My dear readers I am in Rio De Janeiro, the final point of my trip. My return ticket is on Jan 20 2003
As I wrote before, from Santa Cruz, Bolivia I took 24 hours train to the border of Brazil and went into
another jungle tour in Southern Pantanal, Brazil. It was disappointing, Bolivian tour was much better and
also cheaper.
Than, I took another 22 hours bus ride to Iguasu fall. This waterfall is smaller than Niagara Falls but
designed much better. There are three town at this multi border joint Brazilian, Foz Do Iguasu;
Argentinian, Puerte Iguazu and Paragyaian Giuded del Este. I visited all three. Brazilian and Argentinian
are for tourists.
Paragyaian, which has some sort of free trade status, is for business people. Town is full of
crazy people who carry back and forth boxes filled with consumer electronics and HiFi stuff, which is
very cheap here. To my surprise it was no single Russian there. I also change one dollar for 7,000
units of local currency and bought bunch of staff on it. I cannot spent all of it and exchange what is left
for coins. But I did not buy electronics. I bought some snacks, drinks, fruits. I am not interested in
this HiFi and Hi Tech stuff.
From Iguasu I took my longest bus ride (24 hours) to Rio De Janeiro. Buses in Brasil are comfortable and
cheap. However they have their own problem (zakidoni). I take good dosage of my sleeping pills (bottle of
vermouth) in anticipation of long night ride and fell asleep. Soon, I was waken up and told to leave bus for
cleaning. Bus was clean, however. I exited bus and enter a shopping center. They gave me small piece of
paper which I angerly thrown away. They invented this cleaning just to encourage people to go to this
shopping center, I guess. Then I wanted to exit, they asked for that piece of paper. Merchants supposed to
write there what I bought. It take a long time to proof that I bought nothing.
Altogether during my trip I travel on buses and trains for 264 hours (11 days). Rio is great,
but is also hot as hell. It is their August.
Alex Mumzhiu
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Jan. 18 2003, 2 pm
THIS IS MY LAST REPORT FROM THIS TRIP!
GOOD BYE.
Train cemetery at Uyuni
Iguazu Fall
Post card of Rio De Janeiro. They call it edited image. They turn statue of Christ Redeemer on 180
degree.
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