5/09/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Brazil Travel, National Parks, Animals (all tags)
Although most of the travel news coming out of Brazil recently is a bit odd--think floating priests and blue airlines--the Chapada Diamantina National Park has also been pumping out a few press releases, simply because it's stunningly beautiful. Their words, but we tend to agree.
A national park since the 1980s and in Bahia state in the northeast of the country, Chapada Diamantina is full of caves, rivers and hiking trails, some traces of gold and diamonds and tons of animals: parrots, lizards, and even jaguars and pumas.
Despite the PR push, info on Chapada Diamantina mentions that "there is no infrastructure support for visitors in the park." The tourist board recommends carrying water and sandwiches. We presume the sandwiches are to pacify hungry pumas that happen to pass by.
Related Stories:
· Valle de Capão, Brazil [About.com]
· Balloon Ride Goes Awry in Brazil [Jaunted]
· Brazil Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: philgee]
by amandak
5/07/2008 at 1:45 PM
Tags: David Neeleman, New Airlines, Airlines, Embraer, Azul, Brazil Travel (all tags)
The contest to name David Neeleman's new airline is over, and though Samba was the favorite among Brazilians, the airline mogul is instead going with the second-place name Azul ("Blue"). Of course, his previous venture was JetBlue. Must have a thing for airline names that match his eye color.
Now that the name is out of the way, Neeleman can focus on equipping his 76 new Embraer planes with leather seats and live satellite TV, two of the amenities that helped JetBlue earn so much customer loyalty soon after its first flight in 2000.
The new website for the airline, voeazul.com.br, doesn't offer much just yet, though you can fork over your email address for updates. We've already submitted ours, hoping Neeleman will ping us the second he makes another blue move.
Related Stories:
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· David Neeleman Confirms His Brazilian Airline [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/24/2008 at 2:30 PM
Tags: Dangerous Travel, Brazil Travel, Odd Travel (all tags)
Offered a hot air balloon ride? Make sure it's one balloon, not many: The Brazilian priest doing a charity stunt we told you about Wednesday has now been missing for five days after taking off from the coastal city of Paranagua. He was hooked up to 1,000 balloons.
Adelir Antonio de Carli wanted to raise money for a Christian outreach center for long-distance truckers, and parishioners said he had studied up on weather patterns and air currents in the region. But save a brief text message on Sunday night revealing he was about to crash into the Atlantic and traces of balloons found as far as 120 miles away, the priest seems to have disappeared, and local rescue workers are about to call off their search for him.
Maybe de Carli got the idea for his stunt from the 2004 movie "Danny Deckchair," in which an Australian man is mistakenly set aloft while sitting in a lawn chair. While fictional, the story was based on the real-life escapades of a Southern California man known as "Lawnchair Larry." These guys survived their stunts, but don't assume it's a good idea to travel this way--unless your destination is the Darwin Awards winner's circle.
Related Stories:
· Hope Fades for Finding Balloonist Priest [CTV]
· Here's Another Way to Fly Around Brazil [Jaunted]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ctv.ca]
by egw
4/23/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: David Neeleman, Brazil Travel, Odd Travel, World Records (all tags)
While David Neeleman is working long hours to get a new Brazilian airline up and running, hopefully by next year, a Brazilian priest has been trying to show an easier way to get airborne.
We're guessing that Reverend di Carli thought something like "Who wants to wait around for an airline that doesn't even have a proper name yet," then hooked his chair to hundreds of helium-filled balloons and took off.
Okay, it might not have gone exactly like that, but it seems just as crazy, and the priest is missing over the ocean somewhere after losing his balloons. Seriously. The whole flight was supposed to be a record attempt to raise money, but it's raised hell instead. Now if only Neeleman's airline was already flying, they could help look for the reverend.
Related Stories:
· Brazilian Priest Still Missing At Sea [CNN]
· Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· Brazil Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: Mark McLaughlin]
by amandak
6/25/2007 at 11:22 AM
Tags: Travel Hell, Brazil Travel, Airlines (all tags)
If you're planning a trip anytime to or in South America via plane, take some serious caution. Radar problems at many of the major commercial airports have been reported from Brazil to Argentina. Couple those reports with a severely underfunded air traffic control system and you have a mix that could scare off many airline passengers.
Problems include major holes in radar coverage, rampant strikes by controllers and the inability of some Brazilian controllers to clearly speak English. Buenos Aires' radar was struck by lightening in March, and still isn't working properly - horrifying in the eyes of this American passenger recently taking off from BA:
The pilot, who was American, got on and said we were going to be taking off manually because there was no radar. But it was pitch black and we couldn't see anything on the tarmac.It's like we were back in the Wright brothers era.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations said it was "surprised" to learn of the non-working radar. Um....surprised?!?! How about getting on that repair pretty fast?? A tip: If you're planning travel to or in South America, be aware of the risks or at least aim for daylight arrivals and departures.
[Photo: Daiver]
Related Stories:
· South America's Scary Air [IHT]
by sedona
6/21/2007 at 11:49 AM
Tags: Brazil Travel, Salvador Guide (all tags)
We know it is the first day of summer here in the northern hemisphere, so it should be easy for you to imagine the following setting. Close your eyes, imagine long curved golden beaches, a deep blue gently lapping sea. Add a few umbrellas, groups of chatting friends, extended families, finely toned men practising martial arts moves on the sand, the odd volleyball net. Listen to the calls of ice-cream and jewelery sellers ambling past. Taste the cold beer, the water sipped from fresh coconuts, smell the delicious melted cheese and meat kebabs at nearby stands. No, this isn't a travel ad, and it is not Venice Beach, this is a real destination, promise.
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by femmefatale
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