Chronicling each step on our journey through South America, Asia and beyond…

Posts from the “Brazil” Category

Bahian Island Calm

Posted on April 18, 2012

Fred here. After our couple of days in Salvador, it was time for some true beach R & R. We boarded the high speed catamaran from Salvador on a Monday morning for a 2.5 hour ride south, bound for Morro de São Paolo, a village on the island of Tinharé. Our original plan was to be in Morro for about 5 days but we met an Italian guy named Roberto in Salvador who said we needed to check out another island called Boipeba that was a bit more off the beaten path. I’ll get to that shortly. Let’s start with Morro. Arriving at the port we were quickly accosted by ‘taxi drivers’. These taxi drivers aren’t what us city folk are used, or what…

Categories: Brazil

Salvador on High

Posted on April 11, 2012

Heather here. With our week in Rio come to an end, it was time to head north for Easter. Salvador de Bahia is an important city in Brazil, both in its sheer number of people living here, 3 million, and in its cultural heritage to the country. Capoeira, samba, Afro-Brazilian culture, religion, food, Carnaval, historical sites, the list goes on. Many immigrants and slaves reached Brazil via this port town, and it was even once the country’s capital before Rio took over for a while in the 18th century. All these splendid faces of the city contrast sharply with its reputation for crime, largely as a result of poverty and economic struggles still facing many Brazilians here. But Salvador is lively and charming, though…

Categories: Brazil

Cidade Maravilhosa

Posted on April 8, 2012

Fred here. Rio de Janeiro, “The Marvelous City,” is a place I’ve fantasized about since the first day I saw pictures of the sweeping views from the top of Corcovado. It’s also a city that I had been slightly hesitant to visit given what you hear from other people about the crime. After seeing the movie City of God years ago, that left a pretty serious impression. Well let me just come out immediately and say forget about that. This city is magic! I can’t imagine a city more striking in its natural beauty. Maybe Cape Town, but I’ve never been, so for now, I say Rio Rio Rio! Here’s how it all went down. We rented an apartment for a week in the…

Categories: Brazil

The Real Paradise Falls – Iguazu

Posted on April 6, 2012

Heather here. Let’s start with border crossings. We have become experts in them by now, especially after having spent a few days between Puerto Iguazu, Argentina and Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil. We flew from Montevideo to Foz de Iguazu, took a taxi across the border to Puerto Iguazu, had a day and a half there, and then took the bus from Puerto back across the border to Foz, within just two days. All this to save some money on flights and of course we wanted to see both sides of Iguazu Falls, the “cataratas” as the locals call them, so it was just part of the game. Our passports are quickly filling up with stamps! We arrived in the evening to our hostel in…

Categories: Argentina, Brazil