Brazil summary (by Joe)
We´ve had a fantastic time in Brazil, finding it as exciting a country as we have visited. We reckon it´s second only to India as our favourite of the entire trip.
Above all, we´ve loved the people who have buoyed us time and again by their energy, wholehearted warmth and communicativeness. This all comes through loud and clear despite the language barrier - more often than not through big smiles and the broad Brazilian Thumbs-Up!
We spent a lovely few days with Laura´s uncle, Richard, in Sao Paulo. We were given a fun tour of the city and a very informative ´intro to Brazil´. We were well-fed in some of the finest ´all you can eat´ restaurants the city has to offer, and I, unlike Laura, continued to develop an authentic Brazilian buffet-belly throughout the trip.
As for sights, we were awed by the Iguassu falls in the south, as well as by the nearby Itaipu dam, which houses the world´s biggest hydro-electric power station.
Though it´s not the greatest of cities at street level, the sights of Rio are striking, and we enjoyed a wonderful moment watching sunset over the city from the top of Sugar Loaf mountain.
Other great sights included the fantastic Portuguese colonial towns, both in the hills and on the coast. They were great for their cobbled streets, grand market squares, old churches and painted houses. Importantly they remain ´real´ towns - lived and worked in, not just tourist facades.
Best of all these was the ´old town´ centre of the city of Salvador, half-way up the coast. This remains part smartly-restored, part still-crumbling, giving it tremendous character. Salvador also lived up to its reputation as Brazil´s ´hottest´ party city. It´s carnival in February each year is the biggest in Brazil. It must be awesome.
Although the weather was far from perfect we enjoyed some beach life. Brazilian beaches have their own unique character, and the beach bars - where they dance the Lambada on a Sunday afternoon - are wonderfully lively.
Finally, we had a great trip to the Pantanal, the vast wetland wilderness to the south of the Amazon. We saw much wildlife and at night we slept in a tent by a campfire under amazingly clear stars.
Brazil has been an authentic experience. Unlike some other places we´ve been, where the trend can effectively be to ´segregate´ tourists from locals, in Brazil, you are far more likely to share a bar, beach or bus, with a local than a tourist. That makes it all `for real´ ... it is a great place to travel.
Joe
Above all, we´ve loved the people who have buoyed us time and again by their energy, wholehearted warmth and communicativeness. This all comes through loud and clear despite the language barrier - more often than not through big smiles and the broad Brazilian Thumbs-Up!
We spent a lovely few days with Laura´s uncle, Richard, in Sao Paulo. We were given a fun tour of the city and a very informative ´intro to Brazil´. We were well-fed in some of the finest ´all you can eat´ restaurants the city has to offer, and I, unlike Laura, continued to develop an authentic Brazilian buffet-belly throughout the trip.
As for sights, we were awed by the Iguassu falls in the south, as well as by the nearby Itaipu dam, which houses the world´s biggest hydro-electric power station.
Though it´s not the greatest of cities at street level, the sights of Rio are striking, and we enjoyed a wonderful moment watching sunset over the city from the top of Sugar Loaf mountain.
Other great sights included the fantastic Portuguese colonial towns, both in the hills and on the coast. They were great for their cobbled streets, grand market squares, old churches and painted houses. Importantly they remain ´real´ towns - lived and worked in, not just tourist facades.
Best of all these was the ´old town´ centre of the city of Salvador, half-way up the coast. This remains part smartly-restored, part still-crumbling, giving it tremendous character. Salvador also lived up to its reputation as Brazil´s ´hottest´ party city. It´s carnival in February each year is the biggest in Brazil. It must be awesome.
Although the weather was far from perfect we enjoyed some beach life. Brazilian beaches have their own unique character, and the beach bars - where they dance the Lambada on a Sunday afternoon - are wonderfully lively.
Finally, we had a great trip to the Pantanal, the vast wetland wilderness to the south of the Amazon. We saw much wildlife and at night we slept in a tent by a campfire under amazingly clear stars.
Brazil has been an authentic experience. Unlike some other places we´ve been, where the trend can effectively be to ´segregate´ tourists from locals, in Brazil, you are far more likely to share a bar, beach or bus, with a local than a tourist. That makes it all `for real´ ... it is a great place to travel.
Joe
posted by Joe and Laura at 9:54 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home