Chapter Ten
Rio de Janeiro to Iguazu Falls, Brazil
Yet the journey was far from over! The van was leaking some oil and the tyres needed replacing, in addition to several other items which needed repair and adjustment.
My Mexican friends, Mario and Elly, said goodbye to me in Rio
and continued their travels towards Buenos Aires. I also said goodbye to Vera
and left Rio de Janeiro continuing south along a delightful coastal road until I
came across an enchanting Portuguese colonial town called Parati, located at the
edge of where a small river meets a lagoon.
I camped at the water's edge for
several days, relaxing, visiting nearby beaches and wandering leisurely around
the cobble-stone streets at dawn, terracotta tiled rooves covering whitewashed
houses on either side, multi-coloured wood-framed windows and doors adding
brightness to the overall picture. Every day I bought fresh, warm bread rolls
and returned to the van to prepare a delicious breakfast. While in Parati I
studied my maps and books in preparation for the next series of adventures
across the Americas.
I continued along the coast as far as the port of Santos from where I headed inland arriving at São Paulo to visit the VW factory headquarters there. I explained my intentions as a photo-journalist to the relevant people at VW Brazil, and asked to be sponsored by them in exchange for acknowledgment and recognition in my book. As a result, the men of authority were very helpful, providing me with a new engine, new suspension, new tyres, and many other items that were necessary in order for the van to be in perfect condition for the ongoing journey along dusty winding roads and through much rugged terrain, high mountain passes and flooding rivers. The public relations department developed several rolls of film and provided me with a large supply of new films with which to continue the photographic record of the entire journey.
After negotiating with the Vice-President of VW Brazil, I was promised by him that the van could be transported to Europe on one of their car carrying ships after completion of the South American sector of the journey, a tremendous bonus!!
I spent two weeks with the friendly people of VW Brazil, several of whom, while I was waiting for the repairs to be completed, invited me into their homes to enjoy their warm hospitality. After many enjoyable moments, I drove away with the van almost completely rebuilt and a sponsorship that encouraged and motivated me to further amazing adventures. This success provided me with a tremendous feeling of exhilaration and confidence which signified, at the very least, that I should be able to achieve the goal of completing the entire continents of the Americas and Europe.
Passing through high fertile hilly slopes near Curitiba, I
noticed many peasants with blond hair. These were the descendants of the German
immigrants who came to Brazil last century to escape religious persecution.
Horses and carts continue to be the chosen form of transport for these peasants
who till and work the soil using archaic cultivating methods.
Where the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet, I
came to one of the true highlights of South America, the spectacular and awesome
Iguazu Falls. 
I had been to Africa's Victoria Falls and North America's Niagara
Falls but I found these waterfalls to be even more extraordinary! Dozens of
curtains of green jungle separated one fall from another. Trails on the
Brazilian side and the Argentinian side allow visitors to view the falls from
dozens of interesting vantage points, leaving the viewer bedazzled with awe at
the magnificence of mother nature. A superbly located hotel on the Brazilian
side, Hotel des Cataratas, enables visitors with a higher budget to enjoy this
unique natural spectacle in luxurious surroundings.