Karaoke - Brazilian style!

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I’ve been in Brazil for the past few days. Sao Paulo is known for being one of the most expensive cities in South America. I wish I had known that before coming here! In any case, it was either here or Rio de Janiero and with the Pan American Games happening in Rio, it is likely going to be just as expensive. Between the Pan American Games and the Latin American Cup, it’s hard to go anywhere without hearing or seeing sports on TV. The Latin American Cup (soccer) has been going on for a few weeks and it’s everywhere! The final game was on Saturday and Brazil is now the champion of the Latin American Cup! 😊 The Pan American Games started 3 days ago (Friday) with a grand opening ceremony, similar to the Olympics. It’s the first time I’ve heard of these games so I’m not really sure what it’s all about - but apparently it happens every few years and all the countries in North and South America participate.

I met up with a friend from CouchSurfing, Tati, and her sister on Saturday. We went to a karaoke bar in Japantown 😊 There is a huge Japanese population in Brazil (and Peru as well). The two things I’ve been missing are sushi and Mexican food - I had sushi at the karaoke bar and it was fantastic! Now I just need to find a good burrito. Sao Paulo is just like any other big city - lots of museums and buildings and shopping opportunities. The more cities I go to, the more I realize that I really enjoy the smaller towns. Knowing this about myself, I set out to find the nearest small town.

Instead, I decided to head out to The Pantanal, which is Brazil’s version of the Amazon. It has beautiful waterfalls and the animals are supposedly easier to spot and more plentiful. Unfortunately, that also means more mosquitoes. Just when the dozens of mosquito bites on my arms and legs from the Amazon were beginning to disappear! I’m in Cuiaba now and the weather is a wonderful 28 degrees C (around 85 F). I love it! 😊

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Photos

Igor the fisherman
Igor insisted on me taking his picture. This fish is almost as big as me!