help needed

[raaf]

This summer I will be on holiday in Brazil and Argentina for 2 weeks, visiting all kind of exciting places like Sao Paulo and Rio.
No doubt, my digital camera (Nikon cp5400) will join me. I've got a 1 Gbyte microdrive, with which I can make about 400 shots.
That seems to be a lot but I guess that after a few days, my 1 Gbyte will be full and I'll need more storage.

Now my question is, should I buy another memory card (1 Gb for another 200 or 300 Euro's) or are there other (and maybe cheaper) possibilities like portable harddrives (which can be used without computer).

I will not take my laptop with me because my laptop belongs to the company I work for and I don't want to lose it.

Any suggestions?

[aghi1]

I know that there is a little stuff, that works as a basket where you can download your files, it contains about 1 Gb, I saw it on Ebay market
Hi Paolo

[flubby]

I have another kind of suggestion. Don't stay in the tourist route. Get into the city, really. Try not to go to favelas because they are often very dangerous. But you can go to a street market and you will get lots of interesting pictures of brasilian people.

[IcarusFree]

Raaf:
First to your question, I would recommend a digital wallet rather than another card. You can get them from several brands from the simpler X-drive to a more sophisticated Ipod-like device. Typically you can get 200GB for about US$200. That's 20 times as much storage space at the same cost. I have an old archos multimedia with 20GB that works great. The battery is propietary and cannot be changed, but it last about 8h continous usage between recharges. I have used it up to 5 days w/o recharging when used only to ub my CF cards. Anyhow, if you go this route tget another CF card, even a small one. If your primary card malfunctions you have a backup.


Now on the places... Brazil and Argentina are spectacular, but keep in mind that the northen summer (July-August) is winter there. So expect some low temperatures and rain especially south Brazil and going south to Argentina. The bright side is that you will have magnificent views of Los Andes under the snow.

If you still have some flexibility in your schedule, and can spare 2-3 days I would suggest to go from S’*‚„’‚‚£o Paulo to Foz do Igua’*‚„’‚‚§’*‚„’‚‚º. The Igua’*‚„’‚‚§’*‚„’‚‚º waterfalls and the Itaip’*‚„’‚‚º bi-national hydroelectrical central are remarkable.... especially the waterfalls. Let me put it this way: Niagara Falls will look as a small thing after Igua’*‚„’‚‚§’*‚„’‚‚º. Dont'fortget to bring a celar plastic bag or better and ewamarine or similar enclosure for your camera, so it wont get wet on the mist of the falls. I highly recommend the trip up by Gargata do Diablo (Devils Throad, a small canyon going to teh feet of the falls)

From there you can actually drive (or take a bus, with nothing to envy a plane) and cross the Argentinean pampa from north to south until you reach Buenos Aires. The best day you can have and lots and lots of spectacular views. I don't know how difficult it may be to rent a car in Puerto Iguaz’*‚„’‚‚º (the Argentinean side) and returning in Buenos Aires, but it may be a good option for you as well.

Other than that there are the typical places in Rio de Janeiro, including the beaches (Ipanema and Copacabana are the most famous but tehre are plenty), P’*‚„’‚‚£o de A’*‚„’‚‚§’*‚„’‚‚ºcar, Christ of Corcovado, Maracana Stadium (a must for soccer fans), na Mata Atlantica (Rio's backyard forest) and lots of museums. In S’*‚„’‚‚£o Paulo besides Museums, you must visit Pra’*‚„’‚‚§a da Republica, Pra’*‚„’‚‚§a Libertade, Memorial da Am’*‚„’‚‚©rica, Edificio Italia, Parque ibarapuera e o Museu de Arte Sacra.

In Argentina, you di not mention where you are headin, but I gess you will stop at Buenos Aires. Very bwautiful city... don't miss Casa rosada, Plaza de Mayo, Recolecta (Cultural center and the cemebntery), the Catedral Metropolitana and Japanese Garden.

Have a great trip and please post the photos!!

[flubby]

Curitiba is a good place to go to... and, of course, the beaches in the northeast... but that would take a while to visit

[raaf]

Thank for your respons.
I've been looking for an Archos and there are several mp3 players on the market which you can use for data storage. Although a bit more expensive than a flashcard, they have about 20 GB of storage which is probably enough for me.

My trip to Brazil and Argentina is an organised one. I will visit Sao Paulo, Rio and some other places (unfortunately not all the places you recommended). Anyway, I'll make a lot of shots and I will place a few on my gallery.

Thanks again for your comments, they were realy helpfull.

[IcarusFree]

Good luck and enjoy your trip Raaf!. I am sure you will enjoy S’*‚„’‚‚£o Paulo, Rio and Buenos Aires. As with any big city, be mindful of where you wlak and avoid dark and lonely places. Rio is beautiful, but dangerous, so take care!