|
|
| Monday, 6-Mar-2006 12:00 |
Email | Share |  | Bookmark |
|
Minais Gerais, Brazil
|
|
"Nowhere else in Brazil do the new and the old blend with such intriguing results. Minas Gerais is a region of tremendous artistic and cultural wealth, despite being cut off from lowland neighbours by a surrounding ring of dramatic and continuous mountains. Thanks to an 18th century goldrush that brought new settlers in droves, there're plenty of cidades historicas (historic colonial towns) far up in the hills that startle visitors with their perfectly preserved baroque grandeur.
Minas is as large as France, part of a vast plateau that crosses Brazil's interior. Rising along the state's southern border with Rio and Sao Paulo is the Serra da Mantiqueira, with some of Brazil's highest peaks. Its rich, red earth still attracts prospectors and multinational mining companies, and produces 95% of Brazil's gemstones" (source Lonely Planet Brazil)
They really do grow an awful lot of coffee in Brazil, especially in the highlands around Campos Altos - as well as sugar cane, rice and all kinds of delicious fruit: bananas, mangos, papaya, guava, melon as well as many whose names I can't recall but that I have certainly never seen in the UK. I was fortunate to visit several farms in the country and it was like stepping back in time - all the traditional ways of animal husbandry, cooking and making cheese are still in use. I even milked a cow!
|
|
|
|
| Sunday, 11-Sep-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
sailing on the solent
|
|
had a great day out on the 'Matahari' on Saturday - thank you Mike, Peter and Vivian.
There was hardly any wind in the morning as we sailed across from Gosport to Cowes, but we managed to find a breeze to bring us home again.
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 6-Sep-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Balloon trip
|
|
Finally made the trip yesterday evening ... it was a christmas present from my son ... and it was BRILLIANT!! If anyone gets the chance to do this, or is stuck for a present for someone - get in touch with http://www.adventureballoons.co.uk
We had been watching the weather forecast for days, because it looked as if it might have to be cancelled, but during the afternoon the skies cleared and by the time we took off it was a beautiful evening.
Our trip left from Cassiobury Park in Watford and we landed close to London Colney, south of St Albans, in the grounds of the All Saints Pastoral Centre (they were somewhat surprised I think, but gave us a great welcome)
If anyone happened to take a photo of us as we passed, I'd love to see it 
|
|
|
|
| Friday, 2-Sep-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
new camera
|
|
we got burgled a few weeks ago, and tragically, one of the things stolen was my camera. Have now replaced it with the closest model i could find (they have stopped making the Olympus C750UZ). Its a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 and I think I am very pleased with it - but still waiting to get hold of a manual in English to find out how to work all the fiddly bits.
Here are some 'straight from the box' shots. Anyone else out there have this model?
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 26-Jul-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Abingdon
|
|
|
We spent a few days here at Abingdon on the Thames
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday, 20-Jun-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
our blackbirds
|
|
Some months ago a pair of blackbirds built their nest just outside our bedroom window ... we watched them bringing grass and twigs and I left wool nesting material and moss lying around for them to make it all cosy. When they laid the eggs I sneaked a couple of photos, but I didn't manage to capture any properly focussed photos of the three young birds after they hatched, as I was worried it would disturb the adults. Both parents fed them all day long, with the morsels getting bigger and more frequent as the days went by, and we saw the chicks growing rapidly. According to my bird book, baby blackbirds fly the nest at around 13 days, so I watched from a distance (camera primed) but disaster struck - on the day they were due to fledge we found one dead baby lying on the balcony under the empty nest and no sign of either adult or the other babies.
However, over the last two weeks the male blackbird got very friendly with me - sitting nearby in branches while I was gardening and coming quite close to eat any titbits I threw for him. And last week, he brought one of his babies to show me (now bigger than he is) who also came near to eat bits of cheese and raisins.
This week, it became clear that the pair have got another brood in a new nest in our next-door-neighbour's garden, as the male adult is constantly collecting insects ... and he has taken a special fancy to the raisins too ... coming to the back door and chirping till I take some out for him! Now he follows me around the garden begging for food!
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 8-Jun-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
|
|
|
and finally - a panorama of the waterfalls at Iguassu
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 7-Jun-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
|
|
|
and one of a beach on Ilha Santa Caterina
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, 4-Jun-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
|
|
|
here is a panorama of Rio - taken from the top of the Sugar Loaf mountain. (you need to enlarge it to see it properly!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Friday, 3-Jun-2005 00:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Praia do Forte
|
|
Our final stop was a few days relaxing at Praia do Forte (http://www.praiadoforte.com/), an eco-resort about 50km north of Salvador on the coast of Bahia.
We had a brilliant holiday, but on reflection probably tried to fit in too much (a total of 12 flights in just 17 days was a bit tiring - but we thoroughly recommend the Varig Brazilian Airpass for value for money). Can't wait to go back to see more of this beautiful country.
Thank you to Colin at Travelbag (http://www.travelbag.co.uk) for sorting out all our tours and transfers.
|
|
|
|
