Disabled Tourists Undertake Adventure Trip to Brazil
By Patricia Cook and Omar Martinez, directors of Insider's Journeys (insidersjourneys@usa.net)
WOW! This globalized economy thing really works!!!! Here we are down in little Uruguay (gorgeous Punta del Este, to be exact, where we live) and lo and behold we get a message, no, not in a bottle, but on this marvelous communication device, the internet - responding to our web site where we talk of our culture/adventure/nature journey designs in southern Brazil. My husband and I like to think that SOMETHING in our self-designed site sent out the message that we are open to special travelers - with special needs, in this case as it turned out because none other than the Winged Fellowship Trust of the UK contacted us about the possibility of hosting a group of tourists with disabilities on a trip to the rainforests of Brazil!
The surprise was a big one - but immediately we both noticed how the very thought of this challenge and adventure brought a smile to our lips and joy to our hearts - "it must be done" we thought, come hell or high water. True to the old adage, "where there's a will there's a way" the way was found and the following is a short résumé of the sites we chose for the group to visit taken from the WF brochure (including our comments on some details of the trip as it actually happened!). Indeed it was one of the most exciting trips we have had the privilege of taking and the group of 20 (10 persons with disabilities and 10 volunteers) included, without a doubt, the best sports & most fun people we have ever met- they got on every ride, boat, wagon offered, and never stopped, into the wee hours of the night, enjoying conviviality and the famous Brazilian caipirinhas (crushed lime, ice and sugar, covered in sugar cane fire water!)!!!!!!! Talk about yes people, we never heard a no on the entire trip!
Before I continue, let me share with you the marvelous benefits of the trip, the first being the enjoyment of all the travelers, to wit, the letter from the Travel Director of the organization, Louise Keen who writes "Many, many thanks for your wonderful arrangements for what it seems was truly the trip of a lifetime - the holiday was a success from start to finish - I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your hard work and kind assistance" - or the note from the participant Jo Saunders "Massive thanks - you've managed to make dreams come true for 20 people"!!!! - also Katie Evan's note which read "Thank you for sharing your great love and passion for this beautiful country with us."
The second very important ongoing benefit was the success we obtained attracting the attention of the media (TV, newspapers and magazines) and also local tourist attractions and organizations, both private and government. Everywhere the group went, there seemed to be cameras beaming down on us and reporters waiting for interviews making watching the evening news on TV a lot of fun for the group. As they kept saying "fame at last!" This coverage will obviously have the effect of making more people in the local travel industry aware of the importance of accessibility for this very important segment of the population, up until very recently, not much in the public eye.
This will be important not only for visitors from abroad, but also local people with disabilities. As a matter of fact, just this week we received an extensive questionnaire from a class from the Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana which is going to use our experience as a basis for their presentation of a city planning project for disabled people in the city of Foz do Iguaçu (including the national park and the Iguaçu Falls) for their final class paper.
We also really want to stress the wonderful warmth of absolutely all the Brazilians we met on our path (which was quite a wide swath!) who were everlastingly helpful and eager to assist us in any way they could - and always with broad smiles and, it seemed, music in their step!
So let's get out there, folks!!! If we can be trailblazers, it will make life that much more fun for the others who follow in our footsteps!!!!
Iguaçu Falls
Our tour began at the stunning Iguaçu Falls, the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, with nature on a rampage of sound and fully rivaled nowhere, stretching over 3 miles and made of up 275 individual cascades. Dense, lush jungle surround the falls with the tropical sun and omnipresent moisture setting the semi-tropical forest growing at a wild pace allowing orchids to grow next to pines, bamoboo next to palm trees, and mosses next to colorful begonias with birds and butterflies everywhere. During our stay we took in many of the local attractions including the falls themselves (with a trip to the Argentine side of the falls) the mighty Itaipu Dam and a wagon trek through the subtropical rainforest.
Our footnote - not only did the group go on the wagon trek, but also down to the river's edge to the inflatable to shoot the rapids to the base of the falls!! This was one of the sites for one of the many Brazilian TV stations wide-eyed coverage of the expedition! While staying at Foz do Iguaçu, the group was able to try out all the newly ramped trails and catwalks through the rain forest adjacent to the falls on the Argentine side (getting thoroughly doused in the process!
The Brazilian side included riding down the elevator to practically get under one of the cataracts! The beautiful Parque Das Aves (bird park and sanctuary) was also fully accessible. Evening entertainment with music and dances of the 3 countries bordering on the falls (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay) was very much enjoyed by the group.
Curitiba
We continue to Curitiba, the capital of Parana, located atop the great escarpment prior to the coastal mountains, which descend to the bay on the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Curitiba is an ecological showcase and Brazil's success story thanks to a vibrant state economy, an excellent educational system and intelligent direction. It is also home to a cobble stoned historic sector which hosts a lively Sunday crafts and food fair. One of the side trips was to a neighboring fazenda (ranch) on the fertile tableland to witness the authentic Brazilian Gaucho lifestyle - plus a mouth-watering bar-b-q - and a chance to witness the prowess of their best horses (and get some riding in, for those who wish).
Note: the group really enjoyed visiting the famous parks and green areas of the city and had a smashing time on their own at the fair, choosing their own local tidbits to savor and participating in the local color and music! (see photo) That evening we surprised everyone by inviting one of the Brazilian musical groups we met at the fair to come to the hotel and serenade one of the girls in the group for her birthday party! Everyone was most impressed by the model bus transportation in Curitiba, which includes lifts for wheelchairs at each bubble topped wait station from where one can just roll on to the bus! The visit to the ranch was a highlight and the lunch was one of the favorites - the herbal mate tea was tasted (rather slurped, through the silver straw, from the large gourd!) and some of the group had the time of their lives actually sitting on a horse . Close to the ranch, we also visited the lovely Vila Velha National Park, with its fascinating sandstone formations, a real contrast to the rainforests we had just left behind, and the ones visited on the bay.
Bay of Paranagu
From Curitiba we take the best train ride in Brazil - the historic Litorina train down the breathtaking Serra do Mar mountain range through the unbelievably lush Atlantic Tropical Rain Forest to the gorgeous Bay of Paranagua. The view along the way is sublime: threatening mountain canyons, tropical rainforest foliage and flowering bromeliads ending in the vast blue Atlantic, dotted with islands and inlets. Whilst in Paranagua a wonderful variety of excursions planned include a day boating around the islands and beaches of the bay, a day dedicated to the Atlantic rain forest and a further trip to the mountain range and the quaint Portuguese colonial town of Morretes.
Note - The day of the boat ride dawned bright and sunny (a wonderful feeling for the Londoners coming from winter!) and was really one of the loveliest days of the trip! We had adapted the local schooner with an access ramp and the seats on board were removed so the group was able to wheel right on! We had a wonderful picnic on board and at the local market purchased buckets of fresh shrimp which we had the hotel steam for us so that, besides the other courses, we were able to nibble on the pink morsels (complete with various dips and fresh vegetable crudités) as we sailed through the bay, watching dolphins in our wake! Plenty of ice cold drinks (of both varieties!) and all the funny looking delicious fruits (for which Brazil is famous) were sliced up for us by the fun-loving captain and crew (who by the way, had the time of his life and just couldn't get over the joy and laughter of the group).
Rain Forest
The Atlantic rain forest day turned out to be just that (as one in the group said, it isn't "sun forest is it?"). At any rate, we stopped along the way up the cobble stoned Graciosa road, designed by the Indians centuries ago and which winds through the different levels of the forest to appreciate the different plants, trees, ferns, lianas, flowers and the like - keeping in mind that this is the most threatened forest in Brazil, boasting the highest biodiversity (even more than the Amazon!) - The area of the Bay of Paranagua includes 7 reserves, back to back, making it the largest area of Atlantic Forest left on the globe! Of course, there were more experiences, too long to get you to read about, but hopefully this will whet your appetites so that this area of Brazil, (the state of Parana) will be able to continue the good work and we can all keep them motivated so that they can really be (as the sides of the buses say in Curitiba) "the social capital of Brazil."
Love to see more of you adventurous travelers out there take us up on this! Check out our photos of this expedition on our website.
For more information, please contact us!
Insider's Journeys
P.O.Box Maldonado-20000-Uruguay
Telefax:(598)427-8754
E-mail:insidersjourneys@usa.net
Web:www.cultural-travel.com
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