DIWEDD Y DAITH / COMING HOME

So here we are, after 17 countries in 50 weeks, its time to go home. We've already checked-in and in a few hours our flight should be taking off. Its impossible to sum up the whole experience - so instead we'd like to say thank you to everyone at home for their support, and to everyone we met along the way who helped to make this trip so special. Thanks especially to friends and family in New Zealand who looked after us so well- and a special word of thanks to the good people at Taupo District Council - who after much deliberation finally decided to overturn our parking fine of $40 for 'incorrect angle parking' - I knew they'd see sense in the end.

Yn ogystal a'r holl bobl hyfryd ry'n ni wedi cwrdd a nhw ar y daith, hoffen ni ddiolch yn fawr iawn i'n teulu a'n ffrindiau adref am eu holl gefnogaeth drwy'r flwyddyn. Diolch am yr holl negeseuon sy wedi bod yn help anferth i leddfu hiraeth, am dderbyn parseli ac am sortio cymaint o bethau mas droston ni tra'n bod ni bant! Diolch hefyd i bawb sy wedi mwynhau darllen y blog! Dy'n ni ffili aros i'ch gweld i gyd dros yr wythnosau nesaf!

Hywel & Gwenfair xxxx

RIO: Samba, Torth Fara a Ipanema

Do'n i ddim wedi dychmygu y byddai'n bwrw glaw y tro cyntaf i fi ymweld a Ipanema, ond roedd hi. Serch hynny, doedd ychydig o law ddim yn mynd i sbwylio'r mwynhad o weld y traeth lle roedd y ferch o Ipanema arfer gwneud i bobl ddweud 'Aa..' wrth iddi fynd am dro. Roedd y traeth bron yn wag y diwrnod hwnnw, heblaw am y syrffwyr, oedd yn marchogaeth tonnau mawr cyrliog yn gelfydd iawn. Erbyn y diwrnod nesaf roedd yr haul nol, a'r torfeydd mas - y dynion yn eu sixpacks a'u tryncs nofio bach, a'r menywod yn eu 'brazilian bikinis.'

Mae'n wir beth maen nhw'n eu ddweud am ''bobl hardd'' traethau Rio... Dy'n nhw ddim wastad yn son am y bobl llai ffodus sy'n gorweddian ar strydoedd mosaic hardd y ddinas, fel pe bai nhw wedi'u conco mas ar rywbeth, heb unman arall i fynd.

Er bod modd mynd ar deithiau i ymweld a favelas Rio i gael golwg well ar fywyd pobl dlawd y ddinas, bodlonon ni ar fynd i gyrion un i brofi Samba. Yn ol y poster mawr yn neuadd coch a gwyn ysgol Samba Salgueiro nhw oedd yr ysgol fuddugol yng ngarnifal 2009. Nos Sadwrn ro'n nhw'n dewis can ar gyfer y carnifal nesaf.

Roedd y neuadd yn llawn pobl o bob oedran - o blant i bobl ifanc i hen hen fenywod a chefnau crwm. Roedd criwiau mawr o bobl yn shiglo'u cyrff yn gloi tu hwnt i rythm band a cherddorfa samba oedd yn chwarae yr un pryd. Yna, daeth hanner dwsin o ferched du wedi gwisgo lan fel merched du i chwifio a chwythu cusanau a dawnsio ar y llwyfan. Ddim yn bell y tu ol iddyn nhw daeth menywod hardd a noeth onibai am benwisg tal o blu ar eu pen, glitter, a bicinis bach bach addurniedig - i ddawnsio. Waw!

Does dim golygfa arall sy'n dweud 'Rio' fwy... Heblaw falle am fynydd Pao de Azucar neu'r dorth siwgr. Er ei bod hi wedi bod yn gymylog drwy'r dydd, fel gliriodd hi ddigon i ni esgyn ar y cable cars cyflym i'r ddau gopa. Fe wylion ni'r haul yn machlud a holl oleuadau bach dinas hardd Rio yn goleuo'r tywyllwch a Iesu'n loyw ar ben y Corcovado.

RIO DE JANEIRO: a statue and a stadium

So our journey is winding towards an end - and here we are in Rio, the last big destination. The plane sweeps right into Guanabara Bay as we arrive, and even though its dark we start to get the feeling that we really like this city.

The next day we make the obligatory trip to the top of Corcovado mountain to see the statue of Christ. After jostling a bit with a trainload of other tourists (many of whom want photos doing the same crucifix pose as the statue), we get a clear view of the Sugar Loaf mountain and everything Rio has to offer.

More than any other city we've been to in Brazil, there are lots of beautiful old churches, monasteries, palaces and plazas. But just as exciting for me at least is a visit to South America's biggest football stadium.

The Maracana will play host to the World Cup Football final in 2014, but we can't stay quite that long, so instead we went to see local club Flamengo playing. Their current team includes a few World Cup winners, like striker Adriano, who has returned from playing in Italy because he was overweight.

In the crowd there's a full samba band playing throughout and giant banners of former great players like Zico and erm, Homer Simpson... The game gets off to a good start with an early goal by Flamengo winger Emerson, and everyone is excited - as you can see from the video.

But then in the second half - disaster. Flamengo seem to forget where the goal is and play a very un-Brazilian type of football that consists of passing the ball between their defenders. They pay the price by conceding two goals, and incur the wrath of the crowd. Our understanding of Portuguese is still very limited, but I don't think the goalkeeper's mother would like some of the names being given to her son.

Trychfilod AMAZONIA

"Bom Dia, Luis!"

Sibrydais yn dawel i ddechrau, rhag rhoi sioc iddo fe, yna'n uwch, gan gyffwrdd ei ysgwydd. Dim byd. Dim ond chwyrnu.

"LUIS!..." Dim.

Roedd ein tywysydd yn cysgu'n sownd ar ei gefn ar fainc yn y gwersyll ar ol dod nol o'r 'Jungle Disco' hanner awr ynghynt. Roedd hi nawr yn 5.30 y bore a'r wawr wedi hen dorri. Ei eiriau olaf cyn ein gadael ar ein pennau'n hunain ynghanol y jwngl dros nos, oedd y byddai'n ein cymeryd mas i weld y wawr yn torri ac i edrych am ddolffins yr Amazon yn y bore. Ond doedd dim symud arno.

Ar ol tynnu'r hen ganiau cwrw mas o'r canw, penderfynon ni fynd mas i chwilio am ddolffins ar ein pennau'n hunain. Roedd y goedwig law yn dihuno, gyda gwenoliaid yn sisyrnu uwch ein pennau, ambell i bili-pala melyn yn fflitian dros y dwr, a'r awyr pinc-las yn adlewyrchu ar afon ddu Urubu oddi tanon ni.

Ymddangosodd y llamhidyddion ddim tan i ni droi'r canw nol am y gwersyll - ond roedd e werth aros i'w gweld nhw'n troelli yn y dwr wrth bysgota am eu brecwast.

Roedd Luis yn llawn ymddiheuriadau pan gyrhaeddon ni nol. Fe ddwedon ni wrtho fe bod dim ots, gan i ni weld y dolffiniaid beth bynnag. Ond yna, mas o'r caban, daeth menyw - ei gariad - a daeth hi gyda ni am weddill ein hymweliad a choedwig law yr Amazon. Ar ol hynny, doedd meddwl Luis ddim fel pe bai'n llwyr ar ei waith...

Ond mae'r goedwig law yn union fel ro'n i wedi'i ddychmygu - coedwig drwchus gwlyb a phoeth o goed tal cryf gyda choron o ddail ar eu pen, coed pigog, coed palmwydd a gwinwydd jyngl yn hongian lawr yn barod i fwnci siglo arnyn nhw... Ond welon ni ddim mwnci.... Fe welon ni ddigonedd o chwilod, trychfilod a morgrug - a dihuno i swn gwichian a chnoiadau mosgitos... Roedd 'cow-flies' fel cwn yn ein dilyn i bobman, ac ar un adeg fe neidiodd sboncyn y gwair mawr hyll a du a glanio ar fy nhrwyn.

Ar ol diwrnod o chwysu'n stecs dan yr haul, ro'n ni'n cysgu bob nos mewn hamocs dan y coed. Yr unig ryddhad o'r gwres oedd dip yn yr afon neu dan raeadr hyfryd o oer. Ac er yr hoffen i ddweud yn wahanol, erbyn y diwedd ro'n i'n ysu am gawod, gwely, glendid a thy bach go-iawn....

Mae 'da fi theori - does dim croeso i wybed, morgrug na thrychfilod yn fy nghartref i - ond rhaid i fi eu parchu nhw yn eu cartref nhw... Nawr, ar ol bod i'w cartref nhw heb wahoddiad, falle'u bod nhw'n trio dweud wrtha i nad oes croeso i fi yno chwaith...

PANTANAL: Capybaras and Caipirinhas

As the sun sets on the swampy water, and the capybara turns its giant snout towards the breeze, you can almost hear the hushed tones of David Attenborough chime:
"This.... is... the Pan-tan-al... the world's LARGEST wetland... and home to the planet's BIGGEST rodent..."

And they really are big - like a pig. Big enough not to fear the jaws of the cayman (cousin to the crocodile) as they slither past in the mud. Only the sight of a tourist is enough to disturb their placid pose - too much attention and they simply walk away.

We've watched our fair share of Attenborough documentaries in preparation for coming to the Pantanal- and didn't leave disappointed. Thanks to our guide Jonny (the man holding the snake's head in the photo below...), we also saw howler monkeys, marsh deer, macaws, coatis, giant otters, toucans, armadillos and this anaconda...

And all that was before the piranha fish - which, as we all know from James Bond films, eat humans. But in this case, we ate them - fishing with big chunks of flesh on the end of the line to catch our lunch on the final day.

I also had my first taste of another local delicacy - ant. It was crunchy, but had an enjoyable hint of lemon. I wonder if they'll taste the same back in Cardiff?

The nights were spent trying to stay warm in our hammocks. Despite what you may have read in a previous blog, it seems not all of Brazil enjoys a gloriously warm winter. A few glasses of caipirinha - the country's favourite cocktail, did help matters, but we're glad to be back in a proper bed, away from the bugs, for now at least.

BRASILIA

O ben y twr teledu, fe geisiais i weld siap yr aderyn. Y senedd yw'r pig, ac roedd yr adennydd yn lledu bob ochr i ni yn resi o adeiladau uchel - ardal y weinyddiaeth, ardal y gwestai, y siopau a'r cartrefi un ar ol y llall.

Fel Machu Picchu, cafodd Brasilia ei chynllunio i edrych fel aderyn. Ond yn wahanol i'r ddinas Incaidd, mae teimlad gwbl fodern i fan hyn. A hynny er iddi gael ei hadeiladu ar ddiwedd y pumdegau... Does dim strydoedd yn Brasilia, dim ond prif-ffyrdd, sy'n ei gwneud hi'n anghyfleus i gerdded o un lle i'r llall. Ond dyna nethon ni: Cerdded rhwng yr adeiladau anferthol sy'n edrych fel pe bai nhw'n perthyn yn y gofod yn hytrach na lleoliad anghysbell ynghanol Brasil.

Eglwys Gadeiriol Oscar Niemeyer, ar ffurf coron ddrain, yw'r adeilad enwocaf falle. Ar ol cael ein hebrwng i'r drws gan ddelweddau'r apostolion, tu fewn mae tri o angylion nefol ynghrog o'r nenfwd. Ond mae'r adeilad bellach yn dangos ei oedran, gyda olion glaw yn trochi'r cerrig gwyn.

Eglwys arall ddaliodd ein sylw ni. Mae'r wawr las sydd yn Santuario Dom Bosco yn gwbl drawiadol; mae'n llenwi'r neuadd i gyd. Mae'r to yn dwyllodrus hefyd, fel grisiau, ond yn wastad, a chandelier gwydr anferthol yn hongian o'r canol. Ond yr hyn sy'n lledrithio yw'r golau glas sy fel pe bai'n wincio drwy'r ffenestri gothig tu ol i ddelw tywyll Iesu ar y groes.

O'r ddinas drefnus, daclus, drawiadol yma - mlaen a ni nesaf i'r gwyllt, at fyd natur a'r Pantanal.

SAO PAULO: Do we just add an 'o'?

Its the middle of winter - which in South America's biggest city means a cool 27C. The sun's out, we're in shorts and t-shirts for the first time in weeks, but there's something not quite right...

After three months of getting by in Spanish, Brazil has given us a language barrier to cross. On paper, Portuguese looks very similar - give or take a few letters - and we can pretty much read simple texts. But when you hear it being spoken - its a whole different kettle of piranha fish.

Adding to the complication is the fact that many Brazilians understand Spanish, but always reply in Portuguese. It sounds lovely - all those 'djh' and 'ao' sounds, but even when they slow down its only the occasional word we comprehend.

And so here's the dilemma: should we take the 'Wenglish' approach as some people do at home by just adding the occasional '-o' ("stop-o... watch-o... dive-o”) to our Spanish vocabulary, in the hope that we'll get by? Somehow it seems wrong - but then we're only here for another few weeks..

While we chew that one over we've been enjoying Sao Paulo's food - spicy north Brazilian, Japanese and Korean included. There's even a little Italy that gives us our first taste of proper, strong Brazilian coffee.

The scale of the city is a bit overwhelming, with motorways going through the middle of town and no end to the sky scrapers on the horizon. Swamps and rainforest lie ahead, but for now we’ll just try and spend some more time tuning in.

Hasta luego, BUENOS AIRES...

Next stop: Sao Paulo.