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Published: February 14th 2009
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Brazil
Nov. 21 - Welcome to the Southern Hemisphere Our trip got off to a great start when our flight from Chicago arrived in Sao Paulo a little ahead of schedule, and we were able to get an earlier connection to Rio. After finding our hotel, we spent the afternoon walking around Ipanema Beach and some of the neighborhood. Ipanema is one of the nicer areas of Rio, filled with shopping, restaurants, and bars.
In the evening we wandered to nearby Leblon to sample some local beverages. At the first bar, it took us a little while to determine how to order a drink. At most bars, customers stand outside on the sidewalk and servers occasionally come by with refills. Eventually, we were able to track down a server to order some
cerveja.
Nov. 22 - Clouds and Rain Our plan for Saturday was to visit Christ the Redeemer. However, we were informed it was too cloudy and we should come back another day. Instead, we started a long walk through a number of neighborhoods. First we stopped for lunch at a local storefront. They had no menus, but offered to show us their kitchen (which was a
small room consisting of a pot of beans, pot of rice, and a grill full of meat). We gave them the thumbs up, and our feast began! They brought us a meal of pork chops, black beans, rice, pasta, and
farofa.
After lunch we wandered north to Flamengo, then back south along Botafogo Beach, Leme Beach, and Copacabana Beach. While walking along the beach, we came across a very organized game of American Football. Although there were no pads (or shoes), this was real, full contact football. We were informed by another spectator the game was part of a 16 team league that has developed over the past few years.
Nov. 23 - Birthday Scuba Diving Sunday started early as our driver picked us up at 7 AM to take us to Arraial do Cabo, two hours east of Rio. We met our instructor, Marcello, and some other divers on the boat (there were no other tourists on the boat). On the way to the dive site, I got a crash course from the instructor as this was my first time diving. I have to say I was a little nervous, but it all went well! I
spent about 30 minutes under water looking at fish. I didn't feel very well after getting back to the boat and skipped the second dive.
We ran into some bad traffic on the way back to Rio, resulting in a 4 hour drive. Marcello suggested we stop to get something to eat along the way...at McDonalds! What a great way to celebrate a birthday!
Nov. 24 - Jesus! For our last half day in Rio, we made it our goal to visit both Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf, two of the main attractions of the city. First was Christ the Redeemer, voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It stands 120 feet tall, completed in 1931. It is one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world. Next was Sugar Loaf, a 1300-foot tall mountain overlooking the city. To get to the top, you need to take two cable cars. Although it was too cloudy to see much from Christ the Redeemer, we were able to enjoy great views from Sugar Loaf.
Later in the afternoon we flew to Foz do Iquacu. Upon our arrival we visited a
Churrascaria (Brazilian Steakhouse) for
dinner. It was a lot like the ones in Chicago, except for a few additional menu items--including chicken hearts and turkey testicles. Yes, we tried them both!
Nov. 25 - Iguacu Falls Iguacu Falls is located on the Iguacu River between Argentina and Brazil. It is one of the largest falls in the world, larger than Niagara in width and volume but somewhat smaller than Victoria. It takes about 2 hours to walk from the entrance to the
Garganta do Diablo (Devil's Throat), the highlight of the falls where water falls from three sides.
After the falls we visited Itaipu Dam, located on the Parana River between Paraguay and Brazil. It opened in 1984, but was only completed in full in 2007. It produces over 90%!o(MISSING)f Paraguay's electricity, and over 20%!o(MISSING)f Brazil's. We took a 2 hour extended tour of the dam rather than the public 30 minute tour.
Nov. 26 - Argentina Puerto Iguazu in Argentina is a short bus ride from Foz do Iguacu. There is a stop required along the way to go through immigration. The Argentina side of the falls has more trails and generally better views. At the end, there
is a platform that looks down into the Devil's Throat.
Nov. 27 - Back to the City Our last morning in Foz do Iguacu we went to the Triple Frontier, from where you can see Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet. Each side has an obelisk painted in national colors. A cool idea, but not much to look at.
We had an early afternoon flight to Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America. The first thing I noticed was how unbelievable traffic is here. Sao Paulo is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, and the first thing we did was visit the Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade. For our Thanksgiving dinner we ate sushi and sukiyaki.
Nov. 28 - A Sea of People After a late night, we didn't get moving too early. Sao Paulo has a very nice and extensive Metro system, which we took to the Centro business area. We spent the afternoon following a 3-hour walking tour of the city mapped out in our guide book. It took us past some beautiful old churches, the Municipal Theatre, Sao Paulo Cathedral, and some street shopping areas. No matter where we were, there was
always an incredible number of people. I guess that is to be expected with a population of 18+ million. As we walked through the city, we consistently heard helicopters flying around the city. Because of the traffic congestion, helicopters are the choice of transportation for the rich, and Sao Paulo has the most privately owned helicopters of any city in the world (300; by comparison NYC has 60).
That night we found a top end steak restaurant, Sujinho, near our hotel. I ordered the house special, a 24 oz. steak (cost: US$8). After dinner we visited a number of area bars. Sao Paulo doesn't appear to have any concept of bar close, so it was yet another late night.
Nov. 29 - Souvenirs Due to the previous night's events, our last "day" in Sao Paulo ended up being a short afternoon. Most of our time was enjoyed making deals with Yuni at the local souvenir shop. She was nice enough to remind us it would be below zero (celsius) when we returned to Chicago.
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