Introducing The Travel Scorecard , an exciting new feature on Calypso Island Chronicles. After I complete a trip, I will write a brief review of the destination including scores (grades) for both the destination and the hotels/lodges I stayed at. As I travel to many different countries, the Travel Scorecard will provide travel enthusiasts with some very valuable information. Please keep in mind, all my opinions are strictly subjective.

First up is my scorecard on BRAZIL, based on my trip there, May 17-June 14, 2010.

BRAZIL – Grade B+ Fascinating, very diverse country, many different places to explore. In the big cities and tourists spots, prices are on the high side. In the big cities, crime is also a concern. On my trip, I visited six different areas – The Pantanal, Iguassu Falls, Rio, Ouro Preto, Salvador and Barra Grande

#1  Pantanal – Grade B+ Amazing area for wildlife observation. Quiet and peaceful.

• Passo Do Lontra Lodge – Grade C/C+ Guides were pretty good, helpful. Meals were better than average, but there is a charge for drinking water! Rooms are large – designed for groups; all-inclusive package includes meals & activities. No break for single occupancy! Not a very good value. Very difficult time making RSVNS

#2 Iguassu Falls – Grade B+ Waterfalls are unbelievable. Did not have time to go to Argentine side

• Hotel Villa Canoa Grade B- Tourist class hotel located in downtown Foz de Iguacu.
  Good service, helpful staff. Rooms are small and a little cramped

#3 RIO – Grade C Huge city, many interesting and different neighborhoods to visit, however I am not a fan of big cities. Probably will not return. Been there done that!

• Vila Casanova - Grade B+ Small bed and breakfast >in Santa Theresa. Nice, cozy comfortable room. Resident gourmet chef available
• Windsor Martinique Grade B Well run hotel. Good service. Tiny swimming pool. Breakfast buffet - average, good location on Copacabana beach

#4 Ouro Preto – Grade B+ Beautiful, romantic colonial city with ornate baroque architecture. UNESCO World heritage site, somewhat of a tourist trap.

• Pousada Sao Francisco de Paula Grade C Lousy but friendly management, funky place with nice views and garden. Pleasant ladies work in kitchen. Only a couple of decent rooms. They charged me more than rate confirmed in e-mail. Not a good business practice. Terrible administration

#5 Salvador - Grade C+ 3rd largest city in Brazil after Sao Paulo and Rio. Fascinating city, did not explore very much outside of Barra Resort area and day trip to Pelurinho, the historical quarter. Most of the people are black or mixed.

• Barra Guest Hostel - Grade B+ Management tries very hard, friendly but a little unorganized. Rooms are decent, nothing special. Very good breakfast. Good value.

#6 Barra Grande, Bahia -Grade A- Quiet beach town, tourism is very low key - an idyllic paradise. Love this place; great desire to return.

• Ponto do Muta - Grade A- Outstanding. Excellent breakfast, friendly management. Very comfortable, well-designed rooms. Would be nice if they had small swimming pool!

Next up - BOLIVIA

Brazil is one of the most difficult countries to find a proper vegetarian restaurant. Most Brazilians love a diet rich with meat and cheese; only a very small percentage are vegetarians. Given these circumstances, it came as somewhat of a surprise that while I was in Salvador, the populous capital city of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil, that I stumbled onto Ramma , a delightful natural foods restaurant.

Located in the fashionable beachside suburb of Barra, Ramma is open for lunch only every day of the week excluding Saturday. All the food is offered buffet style with costing done a per kilo basis, a popular format in many Brazilian Restaurants. You can eat as much as you want - your bill will be based on how much food you put on your plate(s). The cost per kilo is R$33,90 in the week, and R$35,90 on Sundays.

According to the owner, the average customer spends about R$17,00 – 18,00 (roughly $10USD) on a meal

For a buffet, the food is absolutely delicious and healthfully prepared with a staggering variety of dishes to choose from including fresh salads, grilled veggies, tofu entrees, quiches, homemade breads and pastries. In addition to the vegetarian dishes, there is at least one chicken and fish entree to choose from as well.

I went there on a busy Sunday afternoon in early June and the place was filled to capacity – most of the clientele were locals from Salvador in addition to a smattering of Brazilian and oversea tourists.

Ramma reflects the personality and philosophy of the owner, Ms. Marinna Neves, a middle aged Brazilian lady who was born in the state of Bahia. As a teenager in 1970, she moved with her family to Salvador where she worked as a civil engineer for 18 years before becoming a restaurateur with the opening of Ramma in January 1994.

Admittedly she has always been a food lover – even as a child - and cooking has always been a passion for her. Over the years, she has becoming increasingly health conscious, moving towards a more vegetarian life style. Getting into the restaurant business was a natural for her.

Ms. Neves describes herself as 90% vegetarian as she eats some chicken and fish occasionally. Over the last couple of years, Marina’s diet has continued to evolve with an increasing emphasis of raw foods – you’ll even find some tasty raw food selections at Ramma.

Note: A second RAMMA restaurant opened up in August 2008 in Pelurinho, the historical quarter of Salvador

As a vegetarian, Ramma has to rank as “the best” restaurant for vegetarian food that I have ever been to. I could eat there every day if I had to – the food is that delicious and is healthfully prepared as well.

Many travelers fall in love with OURO PRETO, a small, hilly colonial town located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. With its 18th century colonial architecture, steep cobblestone streets and many ornate, baroque churches (23 in all), undoubtedly, Ouro Preto is a very enchanting town. Walking through the streets of Ouro Preto, one feels transported back in time.

More than the awe-inspiring churches and steep, winding streets, I will remember Ouro Preto for its “namoradeiras”, a Portuguese word which means flirtatious women. As I walked on the streets near Plaza Tiradente, I would often look up to discover that many black ladies - dressed in their traditional garb - were peering at me very longingly from the windowsill of their house.

No, I am not talking about real ladies, but small busts or sculptures made of clay, wood or plastic. Almost all the souvenir shops in OURO PRETO carry the namoradeira busts and figurines. The busts come in different sizes from miniature to large.

In the 18th century, apparently the ladies of Ouro Preto (and other small towns in Minas Gerais) would often sit by their windowsill and prospect for appropriate male suitors as they walked by on the street below.

When I think of Ouro Preto, this image of the “namoradeiras” always come to mind.

One more thing – if you go to Ouro Preto, I highly recommend that you take a stroll to the lookout point shortly before twilight. A short stroll from the town center, any local can help you with directions. With the lights flickering from the many small houses located on the hillside and the luminescent glow emanating from the churches, the view is absolutely magical and something you will never forget.

During the course of my travels around the world, I have met my share of rude, boorish tourists. Smokers in particular really irk me; when I dine at a nice café or restaurant, I don’t particularly care to be gulping down cigarette smoke while I eat my food. It seems some of these young European tourists – in particular the French, German, Dutch and Israelis - don’t show any hesitation at all upon entering a restaurant before they light up a cigarette.

Unlike the USA, there are no laws prohibiting smoking in restaurants and cafes in most countries, so I guess I have to grin and bear it as far as smokers are concerned.

I remember one particular instance that left a really bad taste in my mouth. I was a passenger on an old slow boat along the Mekong River from the Thailand Border to Luang Prabang in Laos. The guy sitting directly in front of me – he was from Belgium - kept on smoking his fags and the smoke would waft backwards toward me. As I really abhor cigarette smoke, I politely asked him to refrain from smoking. Well, the guy stopped for about 5 minutes before he started smoking again - one cigarette after another. Talk about being an inconsiderate lout.

What irks me even more are a special breed of travelers who hijack their hostel – usually young backpacker types - and party late night (and into the wee hours of the morning), while other guests of the hostel are trying to sleep. These people can get very rowdy and raucous (loud) especially when there is alcohol and drugs involved. Unfortunately this is a notorious aspect of backpacker culture. I find their behavior to be very rude and inconsiderate. See the story of Nate the Great Lout!

On my most recent trip to Bolivia, I had a very bad experience with some very inconsiderate and vulgar tourists at my hostel.

I was staying in Samaipata, a small mountain town located on the backpacker tourist trail in southern Bolivia. The town becomes very quiet after 9:00PM as there are very few bars or nightspots for tourists to congregate. With nowhere else to get together, parties among backpackers often happen spontaneously at their hostel. Sometimes these parties last until the wee hours of the morning.

I had returned to my hostel about 11:00PM. Walking to my room, I passed by a group of young backpackers – both males and females - who were having a little party outside on the patio. Quite rowdy and loud - as evidenced by the number of empty beer bottles on the table, they were obviously somewhat inebriated. I greeted them goodnight, sort of an indirect way of telling them to keep the noise down.

Obviously they didn’t get the message as they continued on with their loud chatter and laughter. As I was trying to sleep as were some other hotel guests, I really thought these people were out of line. As the noise escalated, I bolted out of bed, went outside and told them very politely to keep their voices down.

I guess that was like adding fuel to the fire – as they got even louder and more raucous. Another 30 minutes elapsed (it was now close to midnight) before I bolted out my bed again, ran outside and told the young merrymakers to shut up already.

One of the young men - I recognized his voice as being Nate, the American guy from San Jose, California - retorted “Hey Old Man, Why don’t you go back to bed and put in your earplugs”. As he made his snide remark, the young British gals laughed hysterically like hyenas. Funny, huh? I wanted to shove my fist up his mouth but common sense prevailed as I returned to my room.

Well, the group did not break up their party until shortly before 1:00AM but not before singing in unison, Johnny Cash’s classic song “Ring of Fire”. Oh well, at least they sang it in tune!

Barra Grande, located on Bahia’s Marau Peninsula in Northeastern Brazil, is truly a slice of paradise. The people are relatively poor but are happy and enjoy life. I was there for six nights in June 2010, and I can truly vouch for the peacefulness and tranquility of Barra Grande. I’ve never been to a more idyllic beach town.

There has been a recent influx of outsiders to the area. Looking for a simpler and less stressful lifestyle, most of these outsiders have come from the largest cities in Brazil – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina and from Europe. While I was there, I met at least three Argentine men who have been living in Barra Grande for the last 6-7 years. After resettling in Barra Grande, they started a family with their Brazilian wives or girlfriends and opened up restaurants near the town plaza.

I also met a nice Italian couple that recently moved to Barra Grande from Milan, Italy. They purchased an Italian restaurant located in heart of the tourist zone. At the time business was very slow for them as it was low season, but they had fallen in love with Barra Grande as well as the music of Brazil and the laid back tropical lifestyle. Whether they stick around depends whether they make sufficient monies during the high season.

I was fortunate that my stay coincided with the fiesta for the patron saint (Sao Antonio) of Barra Grande. Held near the town plaza, the festivities attracted quite a crowd - young and old and even some of the local cachorros. The focal point of the festival was a popular local band which played mostly forro music. Everybody was dancing – even me!

The third and final leg of my journey to Bolivia took me to rather quaint town of Samaipata located in the mountains of southeastern Bolivia. Samaipata is a good 3-hour ride from Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s most populous city. To reach Santa Cruz from La Paz, your best bet is to fly Aerosur, as I did. The flight takes about one hour.

Compared to the tropical town of Rurrenabaque, Samaipata is very quiet with an almost nonexistent nightlife. During the early evening hours, the liveliest place in town is the beautiful central plaza, where you’ll often find some street musicians and jugglers. The climate is quite cool at night; after 9:00PM or so, everybody has gone home.

Samaipata is the ideal place to chill out and relax. There are a fair number of expats from Europe and North America who have resettled in Samaipata. At 5,000 feet above sea level, the climate is agreeable all year around – it never gets too hot or too cold and the mountain air is very refreshing. In addition, the town is virtually crime free.

Trekkers love nearby Amboro National Park. Since I didn’t have the time or the legs for an all day trek, I skipped Amboro. Instead I hooked up with two young European gentlemen on a mini trek – about 7 kilometers round trip - to a very prominent mirador (lookout point) located just outside of town.

Along the way, we were joined by a freelance guide by the name of Senor Perro, who expertly led us up the steep and rocky slope to the mirador. The panoramic views of the valley and the town were absolutely wonderful.

Two of the better lodges/hostels in town are the La Posada del Sol and Andorina Hostal. However if you’re willing to splurge a little bit, I can wholeheartedly recommend El Pueblito. Located just outside of town, this 4 star hotel is a replica of a small colonial village complete with its own church and plaza. With rates of $30USD for a nice comfortable studio room complete with fireplace, it’s a real steal!

Most travelers arriving in Rurrenabaque (Rurre for short) are young backpackers from Europe or Israel – for the most part, these travelers stay in Rurre just long enough to book a tour into the rainforests of Madidi National Park or to the savannahs (pampas).

If you choose a tour to the rainforest, you can expect to see many plants (of course) and lush green vegetation, insects, spiders, some birds and monkeys, but very few large animals; on the pampas tour, you’ll see many birds, monkeys, pink dolphins, capybaras and some large mammals.

Clustered around the Amaszonas Airlines ticket office along the main drag are numerous travel agencies offering a variety of jungle and pampas tours as well the sales offices of the different nature lodges in the area.

There is no reason to book your jungle or pampas tour in advance – your best bet is to play it by ear and visit several travel agencies after you arrive, and find a tour to your liking and budget.

There are numerous budget hotels and guesthouses in town. Most are of similar quality and very cheap - from $7-12USD per night – and they cater primarily to backpackers and the walk-in trade. Very few people book their hotel in Rurre in advance.

My personal recommendation is the Oriental Hotel. Located directly across the street from the plaza, Hotel Oriental is a small family owned hotel. Nothing fancy, but the rooms are clean and secure. A lovely tropical garden occupies the center of the property complete with palm trees and hammocks. Room rate for single occupancy was $9USD (70 Bolivianos) including breakfast. Phone 892-2401 (ask for Ruben).

By all means, do not attempt to take the bus from La Paz to Rurrenabaque. Even though the physical distance is not far - approximately 350 KM (220 miles) – I understand that the trip takes a grueling 20 hours. Your best bet is to fly. Amaszonas Airlines has four flights daily using small 16 seat prop planes; in additional TAM Airlines – a military airlines – uses slightly larger equipment but offers only one flight per day.

The airport in Rurre is a very primitive affair – there is a small grassy landing strip which often gets washed out when there is a good rain. When this happens, flights often get canceled.

The first leg of my journey to BOLIVIA took me to the High Elevation Altiplano
of the Andes. From there, I flew on a small prop plane from La Paz across the rugged Andes to the small Amazonian town of Rurrenabaque.

Situated on the banks of the Rio Beni in the middle of Bolivia’s Western Amazon, Rurrenabaque is a popular tourist hub for forays into the rainforests of Madidi National Park and to the wetland savannahs (pampas) northeast of town.

Located at an elevation of 270 meters (approx 900 feet) above sea level, Rurrenabaque is hot and humid and very tropical. Once you arrive at the airstrip located just outside of town, you’ll see a large sign in Hebrew welcoming Israeli Tourists in front of the airport hanger.

The popularity of Rurrenabaque with young Israeli tourists – mostly backpacker types- was quite evident as I walked through town. There is a large Israeli café and internet shop in the center of town; the café really buzzes with activity at night.

In addition, there are a number of Israeli Expats who reside in this jungle town; some of them have collaborated with Bolivian nationals in the restaurant business and other tourist related enterprises.

I ran into so many young Israelis in Rurrenabaque during my short time there, I affectionately renamed the town “Little Israel”.

This colorful jungle town is very laid back and the locals are very friendly. During the late afternoon hours, I enjoyed hanging out at the main park to watch the young children at play. Like many of my fellow travelers, I was just passing through and was in town just long enough to book a 4-day/3-night tour into Madidi National Park

While BOLIVIA is the poorest country in South America, it is a very fascinating and affordable travel destination. Bolivia gets a very bad rap by the American media primarily because of our government’s dislike for the “leftist” policies of President Senor Evo Morales. Due to the media’s portrayal of Bolivia being an unsafe travel destination, very few mainstream American Tourists travel there.

I personally feel that Senor Morales is trying to do a lot good for the indigenous (and mostly impoverished) people of his country who represent the majority of the population. That doesn’t sit well with some of Senor Morales countrymen - for the most part, these people are the privileged minority and are European (white) in ancestry; they lead fairly comfortable lives and control the country’s capital wealth. By no means, do they want the status quo to change.

Politics aside, I had a fantastic time traveling through Bolivia and I highly recommend Bolivia as a destination to my fellow travelers from USA. Compared to more advanced countries in South America - like Argentina, Brazil and Chile - Bolivia is relatively untainted by the excesses of tourism and commercialism, plus it doesn’t hurt that your monies will go a very long way. There is absolutely no anti-American sentiment - at least I didn’t experience any.

To give you some idea about the singular beauty and magic of Bolivia, I will be sharing with you a series of travel videos (three in all) based on my own recent travel experience.

The first installment features The Altiplano of Bolivia - includes highlights of La Paz and Lake Titicaca. ENJOY!