Brazil

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Brazil is a country that I’ve always fancied visiting for various reasons and was always going to be an integral part of this trip. I had allocated roughly 5 weeks for Brazil, finishing off in Rio and the carnival.

It’s actually difficult to write about Brazil as I have only seen a fraction of the country & mostly the south of the country up to Rio. Brazil is by far the biggest country in South America and the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area and the fifth most populous country in the world
It has powdery white sand beaches, fronting the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometres (4,655 miles). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay.

Brazil has the worlds 8th largest economy & produces enough oil to meet over 90% of it’s needs. Despite this Brazil still has serious problems with millions living in abject poverty. Crime continues to be a problem and the gap between rich and poor is clearly visible. (1% of the population own 50% of the land.)
Brazilians are very proud of their country, the landscapes, beaches, football and they love to party whether at carnival or any other time.

Brazil is 8,456,510 sq km (about the size of the continental Unites States)
Capital - Brasilia
Famous for football, The Amazon, music, carnaval & beaches
Language spoken - Portuguese & 180 indigenous languages
Currency Reais, approx £1 = 2.8
Population 188 million

The next 2 days are going to be written about in the Brazilian blog even though technically most of the first day in Brazil was spent in Argentina


14th January - Got picked up from the hostel just before 10am to go to see Iguazu falls from the Argentinean side. There was Miles, An Italian couple, a Brazilian and Swedish couple, Robin (French) and Gavin from England and Francesca from Italy, a nice group. The day was really good, about 6 hours at the falls, a lot of walking and a train journey to Devils throat, all well worth it though. Words and pictures struggle to capture the mesmeric nature of the falls, truly amazing ! In the evening the lads all went for all you can eat Brazilian meat and salad buffet. We all ate far too much, making ourselves ill, well worth the 20 Reals each (£7). Huge food coma, had a couple of Caiparina's and collapsed about 2am.

15th - Had breakfast then headed to the Brazilian side of Iguazu falls. It was a bit of a rushed job as I had to get a bus to Ascension in Paraguay and Miles had to get a bus to Buenos Aires that afternoon. We got to the falls for about 11am. The Brazilian side was a lot easier to see independently than the Argentinean side. The Brazilian side consists of one main walk of about 1km, which takes about an hour and a half and a few other walks and viewpoints, which we decided to skip due to lack of time and having seen just about enough waterfalls in 2 days. Towards the end of the walk there is a walkway towards the waterfall, which gives an incredible 360 degree view of the falls. Miles decided he didn't want to get his shorts wet and stayed at the side. The view was phenomenal, no pictures or words can describe the falls adequately. I tried to get a few photos although the spray from the falls was immense. We then got 2 buses back to the hostel to sort our stuff out. I said goodbye to a few lads that we'd met the day before and Miles, paid our bill and got a bus to the terminal to head to Paraguay.

Brazil Part 2 (Coming in from Paraguay by bus to Florianopolis)

22nd January - Finally arrived at the main bus station at about 1pm. Went straight to the tourist office to try and find a hostel. The guy rang a dozen places that were all full. There are 3 main areas to stay, the centre where the bus station was, the Lagoa area where most of the nightlife was and the Barra de Lagoa area where the beaches are. Just when I was giving up hope and deciding what to do the guy found a brand new hostel recently opened. So I got a bus to the Lagoa area (20mins) then another 20 mins to the Barra De Lagoa area, found the hostel and checked in. The guy wanted 49 RI's a night (about £18) for a bed in a 4 bed dorm. Given the fact that it was half full, I managed to negotiate a 39 RI (just over £14) and nobody else in the room. It has an en suite bathroom and I'm not sure anyone had even stayed in there before me. Relative luxury, for a change.
I went to the beach for a bit then had a pizza and a beer and an early night, knackered from the long days travel.

23rd - Had a wander round, got the bus to Lagoa to watch United Vs Hull in the Black Swan pub, which was run by an English guy. The pub sold English beer and very expensive Heinz Beans on toast. I bought neither. I got the bus back a bit drunk and happy after a convincing victory. I popped into one of the nearby hostels, which had a bit more life. Met some nice Israelis' Adi, Odi and Nitzan & went back into Lagoa for some Food, Mexican, a pleasant change.

24th - Got picked up at 1.30pm to go to a pool party, it cost 80 RI's (nearly £30). A lot of money and I was a bit un sure if it was going to be worth it. It was ! The weather was great, the set up was really good, bit like an exclusive pool at a Vegas hotel or South Beach Miami. Table service and not that expensive drinks, some interesting bathing wear from the Brazilian ladies and an impressive pool to cool down in. A perfect day, felt like I was in a 5 star hotel not backpacking.
Got back at about 1am ish and crashed, goosed from drinking all day.

25th - Got up at 5am to get the bus (6hours) to Parangui to then get the boat (1.5hour) to Ilha Del Mel (Honey Island). All went smoothly, arriving at about 2.30pm. Had a little look around, found a hostel and had a beer. It was a chilled out place and felt like a beach resort, very popular with surfers. The Hostel or Pousada as they are called (Mareisa) was lovely with a lady called Susan running it. Breakfast was excellent, I had a room to myself again for 40 RI's (£14). Went for a bite to eat early evening and Bumped into a guy who I had travelled with in Bolivia and Argentina (Doron) He had been there a week, so we went for a few drinks, caught up and met some of the interesting characters he had met that week.

26th - After breakfast I walked to Incandarde (other side of the island) with Doron and Jackie a local girl. Had a late lunch and got the boat back at 5pm. Had a few Caiprainihas and some food in the evening.

27th - Went on a boat trip round Ilha Del Mel, stopped for a swim, saw lots of dolphins, had a fantastic fish based buffet, saw the fort then arrived back about 5pm. Had a shower then watched United put City in their place in the nonsense (Carling) cup, had some cocktails, which were very strong and a quiet night as it was pissing down..

28th - Got a boat to Super Agui (Another island close by). Took about 20 mins over some very choppy waters. Arrived just after midday. The Pousada was clean and the people were friendly. A few too many mosquitos for my liking, not much you can do about that apart from spray lots of Off (local repellent). At 2pm the owner puts on a lunch buffet of lots of fish, salad and fruit for 14 RI's (£5). Had a siesta then a few beers in the evening with a group of Brazilians over from Curitiba the capital of the region, about 1.5 hours away from Parangua (mainland)

29th - After Cafe de la Manaina (Breakfast) the Brazilian group from the night before invited me for a walk through the jungle and back along the beach, a pleasant 4 km stroll, dodging the mossies.
The big lunch and a siesta in the hammock. Not a bad life. Superagui is a very chilled island. I could have stayed a lot longer except fro the regular down pours of rain and Mosquito’s.. Had a few beers in the evening and crashed fairly early.

30th - Managed to finally find a boat heading to Paranagui at 9am, so Doron and I had breakfast and got the ferry, it took just over 2 hours. Then got the bus to Curitiba, arriving at about 1.30pm.
Said good bye to Doron and decided to carry on to Sao Paolo, arriving there at 8pm. I couldn't decide whether or not to stay, most people say to pass through Sao Paulo unless you know someone there. I sort of did but decided to get another bus to Paraty, leaving at 10pm and arriving just after 3am.

31st - A lovely girl on the bus rang a friend who sorted out a room in a Pousada for when I got to Paraty. It was 60 RI's (£21) a bit more than I wanted to pay, it was a private room though with en suite, a swimming pool and sauna (why you would want a sauna in this heat is beyond me).
Had a nice breakfast and wandered down to the Praia (Beach) to see if a friend was there and check out a cheaper option in case I was going to stay for a week or so. Found Geko hostel, half the price I was paying, 6 in a dorm room and no pool, more sociable though and they were showing the United Vs Arsenal game. Went back to my place had a swim a sun bathe pre match. Thoroughly enjoyed watching us spank Arsenal, carried on drinking for most of the day.

1st - Tony a French guy living in Rio and Erika his Brazilian wife invited me to join them on a day trip to Trinidad. He brought a big container of beer and off we went. Walked up to the waterfall and then the natural pools. I swam back to the beach, a tougher swim than I thought it would be. Had a lovely fresh fish lunch and then a few more beers. Tony then dropped me at a hostel where I was planning on staying for the night called sea and forest for obvious reasons. Caught up with Ben from Brisbane, 2 Swedish girls and an American girl, went out for dinner and a few drinks, played some pool and staggered back about 3ish.

2nd - Got the bus back to Parity (40 mines) got my stuff together, had a swim then Tony dropped me at the bus station. Got the 12.30pm bus to Aggra (2.5hours) then the ferry over to Illha Grande (1.5hrs) Met Gabrielle and George 2 guys from Shipston in the Midlands, we got a 3 bed Pousada for 120 RI's a night (£42) for the 3 of us with Air con ! Had some dinner and a few beers on the beachfront.

3rd - Had a lazy day at the beach near the Pousada which wasn't that great a beach for Brazil. Had some lunch at a restaurant where you pay for your food depending on the weight, mine cost 14 RI's including a drink (£5). Had a nice afternoon kip before heading out for a pizza. Bumped into Chris and Vikki who I would be staying with in Rio with and had met in Colombia a few months back. Went down the end of the beach to drink at the hostels where most of the action seemed to be. Staggered back for about 3am.

4th - Had breakfast then got the boat with George, Gabrielle, Chris & Vicky to Lopez Mendez beach, which is considered to be one of the 10 ten beaches in Brazil, South America or the world, can't remember. The boat cost 15 RI's return and took about 30 mins, followed by a 15 min walk in the blistering heat. I was dripping with sweat by the time we got to the beach. We dumped our stuff and went straight in to the sea. The place was stunning, white sand, palm trees and crystal clear water. We spent most of the time in the shade (as it was well over 37 degrees C) or in the sea body surfing. Well until Gabrielle staggered out of the sea covered in blood and well and truly bashed up. He had basically miss timed a wave and got smashed down by the force into the sea bed, cutting his face quite badly and looking like he had been in a bare knuckle fight. It looked very painful. We got the boat back at 5.30pm, went to another per kg restaurant and sat at our Pousada drinking vodka till midnight.

5th - Not a very eventful day, got the boat at 10am to Agra then the 12.30pm bus to Rio, after taking forever to sort stuff out and get a taxi, arrived at Eduardo's place at about 7.30pm. Had some food and went for some beers locally with a few of his mates. Crashed out about 2am. I had met Eduardo in La Paz in Bolivia & he had kindly offered me a room before and after carnival, which was an unbelievable gesture !!

6th - The alarm went off at 7.45am in order to get to a place on the other side of Rio for a street party that starts just before 9am. Basically the young people of Rio start the carnival early before all the tourist arrive to see the expensive Samba shows on the 12th. There was a tram full with a brass band and making its way very slowly down the street with hundreds / thousands of people around, in fancy dress, drinking and having fun. So we got a load of beers and got on it, they are just under a £1 a go, the street parties and sunshine are free. We left about 1pm to go to another party. Eduardo told me that there would be over 500 parties over a 10 day period. It certainly helps having a local guide. I don't remember much about the second party, except that we ended up in the sea and back at the apartment by 8pm, very worse for ware.

7th - Up at about 8am this time to get to a Bloco (name for the street parties) that's a bit closer to Eduardo's apartment next to Copacabana beach. Once again, lots of booze, sunshine, music and pretty girls. We stayed at the bloco till about early afternoon before heading back to get some food and watched the superbowl in the evening with a few of Eduardo's mates.

8th - Popped to the beach for a swim, had some lunch and arranged to meet Chris and Vikki to go to the statue of Christ the Redeemer and a boat party. Got the taxi to the gate where you get the cable car up the mountain. The view from the top was sensational. Got back, changed, had a few beers and got a taxi to the harbour for just before 11. The idiots running the boat trip were winding everyone up by generally being useless, taking ages to get everyone on, being sleazy and playing awful music and shouting stuff over the microphone. I considered cutting my losses on the 50 RI (£18) and leaving there and then. I decided to stay and drank, once the boat left the harbour, it actually turned into a good night, which might be linked in with the alcohol consumption. Got back to the apartment for 9am ish.

9th - Got up about 4pm and had a lazy day eating, watching tv and recovering.

10th - Went to the supermarket and then the beach and had a quiet night again, watching some football on TV.

11th - Went shopping with Chris and Vikki for daft stuff to wear at the carnival, met Rebecca and Hayley at their hostel and went to the horse racing in the evening. Won on 2 races, one of which was in California (due to language problems we were betting on International racing at first)

12th - Checked into the ridiculous priced Hostel for the next 6 days ($540). Went to Lapa in the evening with Eduardo. It was an outside arena with a stage and live music & lots of Booze.

13th - In the day went with Chris Vicki & 2 Norwegian girls from the hostel (Heidi and Victoria) to 2 Bloco's. The second one had a big truck and a water cannon on it. Lots of fun and much needed in that heat ! Chris and I left the girls and went to the Maracana to watch Vasco De Gama and Fluminese. I met up at the game with Pera (one of Eduardo’s mates) and a few of the others. A fairly poor game, though great to be in the stadium. The game went to penalties, which Vasco won 6-5. Good bit of tension and Pera and the lads were chuffed, they were in the final now to play the winner of Botafogo (Eduardo's team) and Flamengo, the 4th big team in Rio.

14th - Went with Chris and Vicki to Ipanema beach and met Hayley (Essex) and Rebecca (The States). Had some lunch, a kebab of all things. In the evening went to the Samba Drome to see the 1st night of the samba competition. Basically 12 schools spend all year practising for 2 nights where they compete to win. The schools have thousands of dancers, incredible outfits and stunning floats ranging from Michael Jackson theme to a giant Gecko. I left there about 3am exhausted and a bit drunk. Got cheap seats for 60 RI's (£21). Could have spent a lot more, we were happy enough for the money.

15th - Went to a Bloco in Santa Teresa after breakfast which was good. Had a quietish night, as there isn't much happening on the 2 nights of Samba competition if you're not at the samba drome.
16th - Had a lazy morning, went to the beach, a bloco then watched United beat AC Milan at 5ish.Went for some nice food in the evening with Chris, Vicki, The Norwegians and Ben (Kiwi) had a dish called Bobo, no idea what it was, good though. Had a few beers in the evening at the hostel.

17th - Quiet day and then went to watch Botafogo Vs Flamengo. Great game. Although Eduardo doesn't agree Botafogo were the underdog and had to stop Adriano and Kleberson amongst others. Flamengo is the most popular team in Rio, with the most money and tv coverage. It was a close game, Flamengo missed a lot of chances, however Botafogo won 2-1 with a gutsy performance. The fans were going mental.

18th - checked out of the hostel, thankfully. Moved back into Eduardo's place for the final week of South America.

19th - Quiet day, rained for the first and only day I was in Rio (I think). Did a bit of food shopping for the apartment and took it easy.

20th - Watched United get beaten by Everton then to cheer myself up decided to go hang gliding over Rio, which was incredible, bit pricey 230 RI's (£82). Weather was perfect and the experience is strangely relaxing. Went to a friend of Eduardo’s in the evening for beers and a bit of music.

21st - Had a few beers then went to the Maracana for 3ish for a 5pm KO. The final Botafogo Vs Vasco. What a game, lots of chances, 2 Vasco players sent off. Botafogo won 2 nil, comfortable in the end. The fans seemed chuffed, as Eduardo would constantly remind me, anything can happen in a derby !

22nd - Met Chris and Vicki for a day at the beach. Had a few beers in Ipanema in the evening

23rd - Went to get my dvd from the Hang gliding, Sugar loaf in the afternoon then a bit of beach time on Copacabana followed by a quiet evening

24th - Spent the day at the beach getting as much colour as possible. Went to a Churrascaria with Pera and Eduardo. Meat, meat and more meat, magic ! Went for a few drinks after and met two Brazilian models, got invited to a party on Saturday night, if it wasn't for my flight home....

25th - Packed the old rucksack and headed off home to Manchester via Paris

Since returning home a lot of people have asked me where my favourite place was, which is actually impossible to answer as everywhere is so different. What I will say is that I had an incredible time in Brazil and especially Rio. Brazil is expensive and thankfully I had budgeted for that. I’ve said it before and stand by the statement that it all comes down to the weather and the people you meet. I have always wanted to go watch football in the Maracana and go to the Rio carnival and see the famous beaches of Brazil such as Copacaba and Ipanema. Brazil was to be the last country on the trip and what a way to end it, although I can’t helping thinking that one day I will return…

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Photos

Pool party
with Derek Bond, Nitzan & Adi

Rio - Bloco
City centre

Pool Party
with Mel

Maracana
with Eduardo and the Botafogo mascot

pool party
with Adi

Isla de Mel
random old drunk & Doron

Superagui
with the Brazilains from Curitiba

Paraty
weird clown

Paraty
Lovely cobbled streets

Trindade
afternoon beers

Comments

[Eric]

Hey Stephan, Tudo Bem. I enjoyed your Brazil post. My blog is looking for travel photos. If you have the time, check us out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com Continued fun on your travels. Obrigado, Eric