My Adventures Anikamel? (Part 2 of 2)

Annnnnd ages later- part 2 of 2- continuation of my travel story: Morocco

So after an amazing time in Paris with Mom and Dad, I head to Marrakesh, Morocco. Without a phone or internet and little prior communication with my friends, there was a solid 20 minutes in the Marrakesh airport where I was pretty sure I was going to be Taken. Just as I was about to call the authorities for no reason, my friends find me. They bring me to a van where I learn we have a driver (named Hussein) and many adventures planned for the next 4 days.

Our first adventure began with the 7 of us driving south of Marrakesh for 4 hours through the curvy High Atlas Mountains. It was beautiful, but slightly bumpy in the back of the van. We arrived at our destination for lunch: Ait Benhaddou. This place is famous for being the set for many a-film like Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and my personal favorite- Prince of Persia. We took a tour of the kasbah and explored a little bit. Then we got to drive more!

Rachel and Anika at Ait Benhaddou

4-5 more hours of driving we arrived at our next destination: Todra Gorge. We stayed in a little hostel thing and our new buddy Mohammad took good care of us, lots of delicious food and mint tea. The next day we went to visit the gorge with Mohammad as our fearless guide. He then took us to visit his good friend that would give us a good price on carpets. "Carpets?!" we laughed, "Ha! What are we going to do with carpets??" And then we bought three.

Todra Gorge

After our visit to the gorge we had be on our way for our next adventure: driving! We drove 4 or so hours north, destination: The Sahara. We stopped in Erfoud where we ate lunch and I found out I had food poisoning! (Funny part is that it was from food in Paris not Morocco #actualfirstworldproblems?) An upset stomach? Nothing that a little optimism, more driving, and knowing I was about to be on a camel for 2 hours couldn't cure! With a few hours of driving the sickness was gone and I was ready for yet another adventure: camel-back riding in the Sahara.

Camel shadows and the rising moon

I'm not too sure what I was expecting, but riding a camel for 2 hours is not very comfortable. BUT when you're riding through the Sahara Desert, watching the sun set and the moon rise, there's not too much to complain about. By the time we got to our camp, it was dark and very cold. The Berbers who awaited us at the camp showed us our tents and welcomed us with mint tea. There wasn't much to do, nor was there much light/heat/plumbing (it's the desert, idiots). They quickly provided us with bongos. Their mistake. Let's just say, they may not have known Whitney Houston before that night, but now "I Will Always Love You" to the nonrhythmic beat of bongos will haunt their dreams. They made us dinner and then we all sat around a camp fire and attempted to talk to one another. We didn't bring any wine. Our mistake. We woke up at 5 and were back on the camels. We rode 2 hours back as the sun rose and it was, yet again, incredible.

Fes Tanneries

Then guess what we did.... 7 more hours of driving! North again, through the mountains to the city of Fes. We arrived to the welcoming arms of 3 of our other friends at a beautiful Riad (hotel) that offered us the nectar of the gods: beer. A night of good fun and many stories was followed by a morning in the colorful city center with very pushy people. The experience would have been much more enjoyable if we weren't consistently harassed by locals trying to show us where to go, what to buy, or offer us any sort of assistance in exchange for a little money. But we did get to see on of the oldest tanneries (where people make leather) in the world (I think). I've never smelled anything so terrible.


To get back to Marrakesh, instead of driving for many more hours, we decided on a different type of adventure: the Train! We thought that this would not only be more economical but maybe even a little easier. Wrong-o. The 9 hour train ride was certainly an experience- it was hot, it was crowded, at least 3 fights broke out in our car, the train's emergency break lever was pulled (we think) and we had to sit for about an hour in the middle of very hot nowhere. Eventually, we made it back to Marrakesh where we ended our adventures with some food and wine at our Riad. My time in Morocco was certainly a once in lifetime experience.

Next entry: another (yet very opposite) once in lifetime experience- A Viennese Ball

Schnitzel, Castles, and Wine (Part 1 of 2)

In the past month or so I have been to 6 countries and 11 cities (that is if you count a camp in the Sahara as a city). I would like to give you a little view into what my trip was like.

First stop: Venice
Ashley, bestie, came to Bologna for a few days before we set off on our adventure. Our first stop was Venice and my friend from SAIS, Brian, joined us. It was a foggy, cold day in Venice, but we tried to make the most of it. We walked across the Rialto Bridge, strode alongside the famous canals, hung around in Piazza San Marco, and ended our day with a weird dinner at a creepy little restaurant. The three of us then made our way to the train station to meet up with Matt and Caitlin, the remaining of our travelling five-some.

Ashley and Anika in Piazza San Marco

NEXT! Vienna
A major part of the trip to Vienna was the actual transportation to Vienna: the overnight train, a 7 hour long ride in a tiny cabin with 6 beds and 1 stranger. We made the best of it and arrived in Vienna safely, though some of us (me) were a little grumpy. We spent our time in Vienna well bundled and well fed. It was a little rainy and very cold the whole time we were there, but for every hour spent outside in the lovely Christmas markets, we made it up to ourselves with Schnitzel: God's delicious breaded pork gift to earth. We saw Stephansplatz, the Hofburg Palace, the Belvedere Palace, the Opera House, and many other beautiful sights. We spent Christmas in Vienna and for Christmas Eve dinner we made ourselves a feast and invited a couple friends over who were in Vienna as well. We ate, drank, and were merry. In the morning (if we consider 11:30 AM the morning), per tradition, I blasted Mario Lanza's Joy to the World and Christmas day began. We each exchanged 1 gift to 1 other person then, exhausted, we took a nap. It was a tough day.

Ashley, Caitlin, and Anika at a Vienna Christmas Market

NEXT! Prague

Ashley, Anika, Matt, Brian, Caitlin Kings and Queens of Prague

Early the 26th we took a train to Prague. Prague is a wonderful land full of castles and beer and royal crowns and potato pancakes. Our group had a fun time exploring the Czech streets stopping every once in a while to have a beer and some meat or to pop into a castle. At one castle, we were even crowned Kings and Queens of Prague. It was an honor that we bestowed upon ourselves. We deserved it and everyone knew it. From Prague, we headed back to Bologna where we said goodbye to dear Ashley, our esteemed travel and food guide. Thank goodness for her 7 page itinerary.

Prague- Old Town Square  

NEXT! Budapest
After a day in Bologna I was off again to meet up with Brian in Budapest. Budapest had its fair share of castles, too. The city is divided into two sections: Buda and Pest (clever). Pest was the bumpin' side and the area in which we stayed, Buda is home to a large castle on top of a hill with a lovely view of the city. For New Years Eve we met up with 2 other SAIS students and had a delicious meal with flowing wine. We waited until a few minutes before midnight to avoid the cold before we ran out into the streets and rang in the new year. We found a square with lots of people and a band playing on a pretty elaborate stage. We had the traditional Hungarian shot (probably not traditional) and hot wine (maybe traditional?) and started our own 4 person dance party. Hungarians: not impressed. Random Serbians: kind of impressed, but actually just wanted us to take a picture of them and then make fun of us. All in all- successful night! The next day we had Burger King.

Budapest view from Buda

NEXT! Bologna/Ravenna
There were 2-3 weeks of very long stressful hours of studying and finals, until one glorious day when they were done and, magically, Vic and Wendy arrived. Mom, Dad, and I spent a few days in Bologna where I showed them around to all the hot spots. We took a day trip to Ravenna, southeast of Bologna, where we saw lots of churches with really old mosaics. They were neat.

NEXT! Paris
If I hadn't had my fill of overnight trains, I got it! Because of the snow, our flights to Paris were messed up and we ended up deciding to take the overnight train from Bologna to Paris. A 12 hour ride this time, with a smaller room, but only 3 beds and 0 strangers. All would have gone swimmingly had the middle bed not fallen and hit me right on the head. BUT I survived! and we made it to Paris, though some of us (me) were a little grumpy. We visited all the good spots: the Louvre, l'Orangerie, the Concorde Ferris Wheel, Saint Chapelle, and lots of cafes with lots of wine. It was the perfect post finals vacation with the perfect company.

Vic and Wendy on the Concorde Ferris Wheel

NEXT! Morocco... to be continued.

Ital-ivin' it up! (Does that work?)

Sorry for the lack of posting! I'll update you on a few things that have been going on!

Italian Thanksgiving

Caitlin and me (and Pup!)

Obviously, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Italy, but we decided not to let that stop us and instead had two! Thursday evening, I was invited to my friends' apartment (with no dining room or living room) to a potluck style Thanksgiving dinner with about 20 other students. It turned out really well (mostly due to my Mac and Cheese and Spinach Artichoke dip) and the food was delicious. My friend Caitlin and I decided to don impromptu Pilgrim and Indian costumes (made out of poster board) and, post-dinner, preformed a poem describing the first Thanksgiving. It was quite a hit. Saturday, our school put on another big feast, where everyone brought side dishes and the SGA provided 15 turkeys. I ate a lot. Sunday we continued the American tradition by putting on a little football tournament in the large park in the city. My team lost in the finals!

Florence

Tower we climbed

 Florence is a short 40 minute train ride to Bologna and I have been twice in the past month. The first trip I took was with 3 of my friends and with no real agenda. We climbed to the top of the bell tower of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and had a beautiful view of the famous Duomo. We lunched in a little restaurant and wandered around the city, ending our night drinking a bottle of wine in front of the Church of Santa Maria Novella. 

View from tower

My second trip to Florence was... less successful. My Italian Art and Culture class was taking a field trip to Florence to see Michelangelo's David and to visit the famous Uffizi museum. My friend Doireann and I decided to take a slightly later train than the rest of the class and coincidentally ran into our friend Brian at the station who had missed the earlier train. So the three of us sluggishly got on the train around 8:50 (instead of the 8:30, totally worth it) and took our seats.

(Now, Doireann had somehow been put in charge of holding on to the tickets for the entire class, key part of the story. Another fun part of the story- Brian and I decided not to buy tickets, seeing as Florence was only 30ish minutes away and the first stop. It was unlikely that the ticket checker would get around to us and if he/she did then we would play confused tourist and get off at the Florence stop.)

Doireann and me in front of Gold Doors

Doireann sits herself next to a friendly gentleman who she discovers is from Albania and is ever so helpful. We arrive at the first Florence stop and he tells us that this is not the right stop, we need to get off at Santa Maria Novella. Brian, having been to Florence twice already, agrees. Next stop is another Florence station, but not SMN. Albania tells us, oh no, we need SMN, not this stop. We all three sit back down slightly confused, but trusting our friend. 20 minutes later, we ask Albania if he's sure, and oh yes! the train goes around the city then comes back and stops at SMN. 10 minutes later we're sure he's wrong and, after asking the train official, our doubts are confirmed. Next stop, Rome!

Josiah, me, Brian outside Uffizi 

We would've have laughed it off and gotten a beer in Rome except for the two little details I mentioned before- Doireann holds the tickets for our 25 classmates and professor, and Brian and I don't have a train ticket, not even to Florence. For the next hour to Rome, we attempt to pass along the tickets to our classmates with the help of other train goers and their smart phones, while I stress (sweat) waiting for the ticket checker to come around and tell us we're going to jail (or more likely make us pay a hefty fine). Eventually, the ticket lady does come around, and let me tell you, I was never more grateful to have an Irish lady for a friend. She makes the greatest distressed tourist I have ever seen (only half of it was actually acting) and the train ticket checker lady never even questions Brian and me, she just wants to be out of our sight. Doireann pulls two more pretty amazing acts- getting back on the train in Rome to head back to Florence and then with yet another ticket checker on the train. Brian and I didn't pay for one ticket (or a fine) all day!

We ended up getting to Florence about 3 or 4 hours late and we were still able to see David and the Uffizi! We missed a few churches etc. in the beginning, but instead we had a lovely 5 minute stay in Rome.

Italian Wedding

Imagine this except the opposite...

... and with none of this.

This weekend I had a prospective student from Austria staying with me for a few nights, and I took it upon myself to show her around the city and make sure she had the real "SAIS Experience"! Saturday night she asked if we could go to Mass and I was more than happy to go with her to the church half a block from my apartment. I had never been to Saturday night Mass there, but I did not expect it to be much different. We walked in and noticed rice and flower petals and I commented that there must have been a wedding earlier. Then I saw 3 women in long red dresses with bouquets. It was a few minutes past 6:30, the church was dark (as usual), freezing (as usual), and held very few people (as usual), so I figured 6:30 Mass was not happening and these people were left over from the wedding. Then the organ started playing. My visitor and I took our seats, slightly confused, but curious. Next thing I know the bride (dressed in a long blue dress) is basically sprinting down the aisle WITH the groom, followed by 3 bridesmaids. Mass went on as normal except during the homily when the priest casually married the bride and groom. The whole thing was very Italian- the majority of guests arrived halfway through the Mass and sat in the back; the entire wedding party, sitting on the altar, talked the whole time; a little girl (maybe the bride's daughter?) was walking up to the bride and eventually sat on the bride's lap for the remainder of the ceremony; and it was just freezing (everyone had their coats on). It was all very strange. I was just waiting for soup, but sadly, never saw any.

Coming Up...

Venice, Vienna (for Christmas Day), Prague and Budapest (for New Year's) for my pre-finals break!

That Time I Went to Oktoberfest

The post you have all been waiting anxiously for- Oktoberfest. A couple weekends ago a group of friends and I decided to rent cars and drive up to Munchen (Munich, duh) and partake in the cultural, social and all around epic event of beer in large steins, lederhosen, meats, singing on tables, large crowds of smelly people and cheer! I will break the adventure down into sections. Enjoy.

The Car Ride
In my car there were 5 of us- Alex, Brian, Cormac, and Sean. And me. 4 men and a tall lady. We fit nicely into our hatchback Audi. Kind of. We didn't think it would be much of a problem being cramped in the car since it was going to be an easy 5 hour drive. Little did we know that the Autobahn would be closed once we hit Germany. Our 5 hour drive turned into an almost 9 hour drive! But this did not dampen our spirits. Our saving grace was a Italian/Austrian/German radio station called Energy that was playing Today's Hits while we rave danced in the car or, when traffic was stopped, on the side of das Autobahn. Also, once the road was opened again I got to drive (parts of the freeway do not have speed limits- fun). We arrived at Munich's Holiday Inn around 1 AM and went straight to bed.

McMorning Country
We woke up ready for a full day of Germans and drinking! We started our first morning in Germany off right- McDonald's breakfast. We got 5 McMorning Countries (sausage, egg, cheese, tomato, lettuce, horshradishshauch, on a kaiser roll, duh,) some coffees and headed to meet the other car of 5. We drank our questionable Italian energy drinks (could have been a little preemptive) and headed to the metro to make our way to the tents. We arrived around 830 and the area that housed the tents was already teeming with people and the "lines" (crowds of people in front of the tent entrances) were already huge. Somehow we cut a line just as some doors were opening, a couple of our group got into the tent and saved us a table while the rest of us were stuck being pushed and suffocated by a mass of Germans for the next hour. I never wanted a Xanax so badly.

The "Line"

Inside the Tent
Once I finally made my way into the tent I was welcomed with cheers and whistles and a vision of wooden tables and benches and hanging ivy and big breasted women in Dirndls (typical Bavarian dresses). Basically when you imagine what Oktoberfest looks like, that's what it looked like. My friends (about 12-14 of them) were all sitting at a table already enjoy a liter of beer each in giant glass mugs. The next few hours consisted of mug upon mug of beer, full roasted delicious chickens, picture taking, German songs, American songs (they really enjoyed playing Take Me Home, Country Roads), table dancing, and all around good German fun.

 No Longer Inside the Tent
We were kicked out around 3 when people with reservations came in. We found out quickly that it was raining outside. From 3 to 5 it was just chaotic. We broke the number 1 rule: Stay together. Eventually, our German friend managed to get the majority of us back  in the tent, but we didn't have a table so we couldn't be served. Some people were able to make friends and get a table/get served, but some did not. Those of us who did not decided to leave (after we saw a really brutal/bloody fight! I had to be held back. I was trying to get a front row seat/steal their spots at the table but apparently I was getting too close to the action.).

The Night
We met up with some of Brian's friends and walked through the rain to the center of the city to find food and (for no good reason) more drink. We eventually had kebabs and falafel (classic German meal) and the few of us decided to make our way back to our friends house with every intention of breaking in and going to sleep. Somehow we managed to subway back to house and realized as soon as we got there that it would be too hard (not to mention incredibly rude) to break in to our nice new friend's home. So we went down the street to a bar where 3/5 of us fell asleep at the table. A couple hours later, Cormac somehow finds us (by himself) and a little after that the rest of our crew shows up miraculously together. Finally we were able to get in the house and sleep.

2 Carmates and Innsbruck

The Journey Home
After some showers and a morning beer, we began our trek back to Bologna. We decided to stop in Innsbruck, Austria for lunch, and it was just so lovely! It was a beautiful town and we had traditional Austrian food- Schnitzel, deer, stew, wine, beer, and strudel! We played on a playground and then drove back to the great city of Bologna. And that was my Oktoberfest adventure. The end.

Cinque Terre(ble)- NoT!

Month #1 is finished! How time flies. PreTerm is over and I have completed Microeconomics and "Survival Italian." Somehow, I think my skills in economics surpassed my skills in Italian. I guess I will work on it (i.e. go to more restaurants and try to talk to the waiters but then eventually just point at the menu and then eat my pizza). Anyway, real semester classes start tomorrow and I've just looked over the syllabi and I'm quite excited about them, but also slightly intimidated by all the work I will have to do. I think I'm actually already behind. But school is boring! Let's talk about other stuff I've done!

Last weekend I went to Cinque Terre with a few of my friends. We took a train from Bologna that got us into 5T (I didn't make that nickname up) at about 4 in the afternoon. We were starving so we made the mistake of eating food before searching for lodging. We had been told that we would be able to find rooms that are not advertised online when we arrived, but at 6:00 pm on a Saturday during peak season, surprisingly, rooms were not readily available. We spent a couple hours searching around the town of Vernazza (the smallest of the 5) before we decided to train over to the next town Monterosso (the biggest of the 5) to look for rooms there. To no avail. We ended up going back to Vernazza around 10 to stay in tiny rooms that cost way too much for what they were and were significantly more expensive than any other place. But, at least we weren't sleeping on the beach? We had a late dinner and were in bed early, hoping for a better day on Sunday.

Which we had! We met up with another group of SAIS students and a large group of us hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso, about an hour and a half hike. It was beautiful! After the hike we went for a swim in the sea and sat on the rocky beaches of Monterosso, just admiring the view. We had a quick meal and toured around the town for a bit before heading back to Vernazza to get our things. From Vernazza, we took the little train to Manarola and walked the short hike to the first town Riomaggiore. The hike is about 20 minutes which goes along a path called Via Dell'Amore (The Way of Amore), which is famous for lovers graffiti-ing the walls and locking padlocks all over the place to prove their eternal love. The story is actually quite interesting, I guess: The Story. So from there we took the little train to La Spezia and then 2 bigger trains to get back to Bologna. It was certainly quite an adventurous weekend; we hiked, we swam and we learned to book lodging ahead of time.

After a stressful week preparing for the Microeconomics final Thursday, the weekend was all party! Thursday night I went to a cocktail party at the director of the program's home. The whole program was split into 3 groups and over 3 nights each group was invited to the director's apartment. Which is incredible. He and his wife have a huge balcony that is so close to the famous 2 towers in the center of the city. I talked to both the director and his wife, who are very pleasant, and then went out with my new friends afterward. Friday my friend Brian and I climbed up to San Luca which is on top of a hill just outside the city walls of Bologna. The walkway that leads up to it is 3.5 km and is covered by the world's longest arcade. It was a beautiful day and the view from the top was amazing. (Side Story: This was actually my second attempt at climbing up to San Luca. The first was with my roommate, Holly, and we made the mistake of following Google map directions which led us through a strange neighborhood and tried to get us to cut through private property and then we found ourselves climbing through trees into a field riddled with signs warning us of attack dogs. And we never made it to the church. So, this 2nd attempt was much more successful.)

View of Rolling Italian Hills

     

Arcade Arches Leading to San Luca

Saturday night, Matt and Caitlin had some of our friends over for a potluck dinner. We ate a lot, learned drinking games from around the world (US and UK) and danced to old hits from stars like Celine Dion and Seal until 3 in the morning. Classic Italian evening. 

Caitlin and Cormac Playing 'Bunnies'

So far, the people in the program with me are really making my experience here (I mean look at them!). But seriously, I've met some really amazing personalities, all with equally amazing experiences to share. I can tell I will learn a lot from them and I know I will be challenged by them. It's going to be quite the year!

Oktoberfest next weekend! More to come soon!

B-O-L-O-G-N-A

I have arrived! It's been about 10 days now in Bologna and it feels like I've been here for years (kind of). I'm all settled into my apartment, which is just superb, and finished my first week of classes. My apartment is just 10/15 minute walk from school and a short walk from the city center, GREAT location. It has 2 bedrooms and a large living area. I get along really well with my roommate and I think I've really lucked out with the living situation.

Classes have been challenging, yet interesting thus far. I'm taking Survival Italian for 2.5 hours a day and Microeconomics for another 2.5 hours. It's a lot of class time, but I think I've already learned a lot just after 1 week! You probably wouldn't know though, if you heard me attempt to speak any Italian. I think I've retained a good amount then I try to say a simple sentence to a waiter or whoever and it comes out as Italian/French/Portuguese/English mush. I guess it can only get better from here.

Hey! Surprise! I'm making some friends! The people here are really great and utterly fascinating. Each life story is more interesting than the last. I have friends from Egypt, England, America, Ireland, Austria, Germany and the list goes on. I have a feeling I will be learning just as much from my peers and friends as I will from my classes. We have been doing a lot of socializing since we only have a couple classes and the real work has yet to start. After my class gets out at 7:30, we usually go eat dinner and drink wine and beer until about 9:30 when we meet up with other SAIS students in a Piazza or (oddly enough) an Irish Bar near by (it can accommodate the large crowd that we generally travel with [which I think should begin to diminish soon {I hope}]). Anyway, it's been a lot of socializing and small talking and drinking, so I'm not sure I've exactly begun the Italian lifestyle just yet (other than the drinking. The Italians drink a lot.).  I've also eaten a LOT of pizza. We will set out for dinner determined not to get pizza for the 3rd meal in a row and find ourselves at a Trattoria eating a bigger pizza than the last one we had. It's hard not to eat it when it's SO good and SO cheap.

Last night we went to a football game, Forzo Bologna vs. AC Milan. It was quite an interesting experience. All the Bologna fans crowd into 2 sections on one end of the field and the Milan fans crowd into 1 section on the other end and there are tons of empty seats in between. These fans are very intense! I think I had more fun watching the fans than watching the game (Bologna lost 1-3). Then afterwards, we got pizza!

All in all, so far so good. Bologna is a pretty city, albeit covered in graffiti. It's very old and it smells like pee everywhere, but it's got character! I'm excited to explore it more in depth. The weather has finally cooled down from the sweltering 104 degree days and is now almost chilly. I'm looking forward to Fall in Bologna, although I know my free time will be limited with classes and studying. Luckily, I'm also looking forward to my classes. Anyway, I miss DC, but I'm quite happy to be here! If anyone would like to visit, I just discovered I have a fold out couch, so come on over!

x

An Almost Close Encounter with Anacondas

I know I'm home, but I thought I'd do a couple more posts to fill in what I missed in my last two weeks.

      So my second to last weekend my three friends and I decided to take a trip to a beach that is a couple hours north of Salvador. The beach town is very touristy and is known for its outdoor activities (ATVs, horseback riding, snorkeling, etc.) and its turtle reserve. I had been dying to visit since the beginning of my trip. Saturday morning we said good bye to some volunteers then grabbed the bus and headed north. When we arrived it began raining. Just the first of many unfortunate incidents to come. We decided to get lunch and coffee and wait out the rain a bit. Moods were low and tempers were short, so we decided to go to our hostel and situate ourselves, maybe take a nap.
      (Now, I must mention that this weekend was a holiday weekend [the festival of Sao Jao, a holiday celebrated in Bahia as much as Christmas] so the few hostels that were located inside the main town were all filled up. I took the liberty of booking us at a hostel located just outside the town, the Saiparinga Forest Hostel.) We approach a taxi stand and the taxi man, Tom, told us that the taxi ride to our hostel would be R$40 (expensive for a taxi ride). Reluctantly we agree, seeing no other option. He beckons our taxi, a little three wheeled truck/scooter with a glorified covered wagon on the back for us to sit in. We all laugh and, with mixed emotions, hop in the back and hold on for dear life as he totes us down a paved road then onto a dirt road. He continues down this road, further and further into a forest. My confidence in this hostel and our driver begins to wane.
      We come to a little shack where they communicate to us that there is a tax to enter this forest, R$5 each. I reiterate that we are going to the Saiparinga Forest Hostel and "yes, yes, hostel," we must pay. We figure it's a one time fee and we will not have to pay as we go to and from the hostel later. We go further, deeper into the forest where our buggy driver stops at a sign and points down a path. We all pile out, confused and slightly terrified. We hesitantly walk down the path and behind us I hear our buggy driver start laughing and pull away. Great sign.
      At the end of the path, we come to a sort of educational center for the forest with all of 0 people in sight. We look for a sign for the Saiparinga Forest Hostel and see none. Finally a man comes out of the depths of the center and speaks to us in Portuguese. "Saiparinga Forest Hostel?" I say. A face of confusion appears on the gentleman's face. I get out my handy iPad and show him my reservation, "Saiparinga Forest Hostel?" I say again. "No. No hostel," our friend says. After some terrified glances at my friends and several seconds of confused, alarmed, panicked silence, "Um... ok. Taxi?" I manage. The man beckons us to some rooms within the center where I assume he plans on calling a taxi for us "OH, obrigada!" we all exclaim!
      He leads us into a typical forest/park educational room chock full of books and taxidermy sloths. We follow him over to a bookshelf and I slowly realize he's not calling us a taxi when he picks up a jar with a large, dead snake floating in some liquid. He begins babbling in Portuguese and the only things I understand are: the word "Anaconda,"  and his finger shaking in warning. Then he picks up another jar with another, smaller snake, babbles in Portuguese and indicates with his two fingers as fangs that these are bite-y snakes. Again he shakes his fingers in warning. "Um... Taxi?... Taxi?!" I just about shriek at the friendly park worker. He babbles a little more then does the universal sign for walking and says 2 hours. At this point my friends and I are on the point of hysteria. "TWO HOUR WALK? FOR A TAXI? YOU JUST TOLD US ABOUT SNAKES THAT CAN KILL US! WE JUST WANT A TAXI!" I calmly tell him in English. Somehow in his next babble session his 2 hour walk turns to 15 minutes up the road. We decide to take this and begin walking, unsure of what else to do.
      5 minutes into our slow walk where we are acutely aware of our surroundings and on the look out for an anaconda who might attack us at any point, our little man runs up to us and tells us to wait as he runs into a different shack with a sign "Bar" over the door, the forest bar apparently. He comes out with another man and tells us that this man can take us back into town for another R$40. After some feeble and unsuccessful negotiation attempts from us and assurance that the man has not been drinking from our friend, we agree to go with him. We are stopped again at the entrance fee shack where they refuse to give us our money back and another man tries to scam us into going on a guided tour of the forest with him for R$80. That man storms off and the Not Drunk Forest Bar Taxi Man takes us back to the town.
      We immediately search out Tom the taxi man and tell us he ripped us off and did not take us to the right place. We want to be taken to our hostel and will not pay. He is very upset and after some arguing agrees to take us himself. We pile into his car as he takes us back to the same place. We tell him this is not right, we end up calling the hostel on his phone and he gets the correct directions. 2 hours after our initial taxi ride we arrive at our hostel, which had its name changed and had not had it updated on hostelbookers.com.
       The hostel ended up being very lovely, mostly because of the owners, an older couple from Portugal. The wife spoke English and 4 other languages, and the husband spoke no English, but did speak French so we communicated through my broken French. He grew fond of us and after he picked us up later that evening from the town he shared some port, a bottle of his favorite wine, and his wife's homemade chicken with us.
        Although we were not able to do any outdoor activities because of the terrible weather (we ran through the turtle reservation in about 15 minutes, in the rain), we had quite the experience in a Brazilian forest and we made some friends. Hopefully that jarred, dead snake will be the closest I will ever be to an actual anaconda.