TashaMK

So this is my last blog from the sunny climate of South America. It will be short and sweet as I am not very good at saying goodbye. The last four months have flown by and I know that I return to the UK with a much broader view of life, however just how much it has changed me I think I will only find out in time. The changes have not been dramatic and I doubt that they can be seen on the outside but those of you who know me very well may see them without me realising. They are definitely internal changes as I head home without any semblance of a tan, hopefully the photographs and the scars from mosquito bites will prove to you all that I did leave the country and ... read more

It would be strange to spend three months in Brazil without talking to you about Favelas. Favela is the name given to the shanty towns of Brazil. The favelas exist on the hill sides of Rio de Janeiro and the other major cities, which many people will be aware of. They can also be found in other less well known and smaller towns, for example in Foz do Iguaçu. Favelas are a somewhat confusing topic in Brazil and almost everybody that you speak to here has a different opinion on them. There seems to be nothing about these communities that can be agreed upon. Not even whether or not they are dangerous. In Foz do Iguaçu, the main favela is said by some to be very dangerous and the proximity to Paraguay where anything can be ... read more

Brazil is known to be a Catholic country and this is evident on the streets of Rio de Janeiro where you can find an enormous number of churches. Each one however, is very different to the one before. There are churches of all sizes and styles. I visited a few of these and was struck by the huge differences in appearance and feeling. On Easter Sunday we celebrated Mass in a relatively modern church on the beach in Florianopolis. This was a rather lively catholic mass with an established and popular band who led the singing of the hymns. The words were projected onto the walls and the sound system was new and very effective. Inside the church, there was little in terms of decoration and the walls were very clean and pure. The feeling inside ... read more

I am not sure when I first saw the Christ the Redeemer statue on television or why it had such an impact on me, I suspect it is a side effect of watching too many Bond films and others in that genre. But whatever the cause, it has been a wish of mine ever since I was a child to visit this special venue, a wish that with my fear of heights and my fear of flying I never expected to come true. However today, I was lucky enough to see the statue and the spectacular views that surround it. The landmark sits on the top of Corcovado Mountain, a mountain named after its curved shape, from the Portuguese for camel-back or hump. The mountain is found in Tijuca Forest National Park, a wonderful rainforest in ... read more

My days in Foz do Iguaçu are almost at an end, the day after tomorrow I will heading to Rio de Janeiro to spend a few days taking in the main sights before the long flight back to Europe and then onwards to home. It is a strange feeling to leave a place that has become your home. After three months here I have become used to living out of my backpack, to seeing the friendly faces of the staff each day and to watching television with an intense look of concentration (and often confusion) on my face. But each stage has to come to an end in order to let the next one begin so I will pack my bags tomorrow a little tearful but also full of excitement as I anticipate the sights of ... read more

There is no guinea pig on offer on the dinner table in Brazil however the meals are still a little different from those served in the UK. The South American theme of eating a ridiculous amount of rice continues here although it isn’t always accompanied by potatoes so that is a step in the right direction when it comes to the carbs balance! Instead of potatoes, we usually find beans or feijão as they are called here. They are generally served in a creamy and tasty sauce and they are a key ingredient in one of their national dishes, Feijoada. Feijoada is quite a strong tasting dish and some I have tasted have been very salty, I am reliably informed that this is due to the meat being preserved in salt. It is a stew consisting ... read more