Brazil again 2003
An amazing place! I have had the best time in Brasil. Brazilians are happy, friendly, extremely social and hospitable people. It's the only place I know where 10 random strangers will start up a conversation in the middle of a public Bus, or Bus sto( really just about anywhere).
In the next 5 or 6 weeks (apart from carnival) I will be just visiting one beautiful beach after another along the brasilian coastline (and several of it's islands). Some of which are really like what one perceives paradise to be like.
Lot's of fiesta, dancing, going out, Caiperinha, Rodizios, eating, tropical fruits, meeting up with old and new freinds. Not to mention, waiting in line for everything, long buses and an excess of fejeau (beans)......
I attended the World Social forum in Porto Alegre. It was really interesting. I met 2 Uruguayans on my way there in the bus who let me stay with them in their tent.
As we arrived at the bus station I met a nice brasilian girl who helped us register and find the camp site ( which wasn't the most organized). Later she introduced us to the other 47 brasilians in her group and we ended up having a really good time together. It was a little crazy. There were 35,000 people staying in this camp site and only 4 toilets/showers.
Mostly Brasilian with some Argentines/Uruguayans and a few people from the rest of the world. About 200,000 people attended the Forum. It was nice to attend as I don't think I'll make the next one in India.
I got to see the new president of Brasil Lula speak but missed out on Chavez's speech (the president of Venezeula). It was almost like woodstock with all the concerts and different things going on. Political demonstrations, discussions, speeches and very little sleep. People from all levels- students, radicals, politicians...
After the forum I went to the island of Santa Catarina where after a few minutes in the hostel I met a group of 15 Argentinians, an australian and 4 chilians. They were on on there way to ferrusum and convinced me to go with them (a few hours later).
A tiny little village a few hours south of Floripa with one street and one beautiful beach, amazing nightlife full of beautiful people that starts at about 3am. We rented a house and spent a few days.
Then me and Pual (the australian) went north to another Island- Isla do mel (Island of honey). Paradise! Small, remote almost untouched, with no cars or streets. It had just has a few pousadas, bars, some travellers, amazing beaches and 4 or 5 guitars.
Next I had to stop in Sao paulo to see some freinds. After I went further north to Rio and Belo horizonte etc..
Rio was great as always. Infact I will go back again for a few days before when I leave brasil. I think I ran into everyone there from travelers to freinds of mine from chile, peru and Buenos Aires etc....
Most of them I bumped into at my hostel or in the Macarana Footbol stadium. It is suppossed to be the largest stadium in the world. I got to see flamengo beat botafogo 4-2- a really intense game.
This time around I went into a Favela with some brasilians I knew to a funky party, with 3,000 people. It was great- really intense and unlike any place I have been. A favela is where all the poor people in brasil live and can be extremely dangerous. I would not recomend it as most of my brasilian freinds havn't even been to one. I was 20 min away from the largest one in brasil (maybee globally) where 300,000 people live.
After Rio I left my passport and backpack at the hostel and brought only a shirt, tank top, shorts and sandals to travel with for the next month. It's been great to travel so light.
I went to visit freind in Belo horizonte- a big city with a few hills and a reputation for an excess of women ( somthing like 8 women to every man). Most of which were quite attractive. Nearby I visited the colonial town of Oro preto.
A charming town with narrow cobblestone streets with white brick houses with colorful shades of yellows, blues, Reds and greens. The city follows the contours of the hills and valleys creating a dramatic blend into the mountain.
I stoped in Porto Seguro and some small local beaches after flying there without a passport. (Only in brasil...jejej) Then I arrived in Salvador of Bahia for Carnival. Intense, traditional and crazy all at the same time.
Imagine a bus convertibale with a band and some dancers playing music on the top deck, being led by several hundred people wearing the same clothes surround by a rope forming a block.
Now add thousands of people watching and dancing outside the block multiplyed by another 30 blocks following each other down the street and you get a picture of what carnival is like.
I spent the last few days in Carnival in Olinda ( more traditional). Olinda has small colonial streets full of people making it hard to move. It was full of mini marching bands of 50 people marching with there Huge drums and trumpets in all directions. I prefered Olinda where I celebrated my birhday for the second time in Brasil.
Olinda is a very different Carnival but a lot more social and mellow but still with thousands of people. Although the variety of music was better in Salvador where the people are much crazier ( it is more dangerous ). It's nice to know that I have been to the craziest and the best Carnivals in brasil. Salvador and Olinda.
Afterwards we went to Natal to take a jeep bugy tour through some of the northen beaches and sand dunes which was an amazing trip. I'm on my way back to Rio so I hope to arrive there in about a week.
I have a lot of distance still cover. Brasil is an immense country. I found A flight back to Belo horizonte from Bahia ( funny enough) when I arrived I didn´t get off. I stayed on the plane instead.
I ended up flying to Rio for free which was my next destination anyways. In Brasil anything can happen.
Spent some days in Rio and then went to Bontio (beatiful in english). Which is south of the Pantanal. They are both known for ecotourism. Went snorkling down a river, about 2.5 km saw many exotic fish and so on.
In the next 5 or 6 weeks (apart from carnival) I will be just visiting one beautiful beach after another along the brasilian coastline (and several of it's islands). Some of which are really like what one perceives paradise to be like.
Lot's of fiesta, dancing, going out, Caiperinha, Rodizios, eating, tropical fruits, meeting up with old and new freinds. Not to mention, waiting in line for everything, long buses and an excess of fejeau (beans)......
I attended the World Social forum in Porto Alegre. It was really interesting. I met 2 Uruguayans on my way there in the bus who let me stay with them in their tent.
As we arrived at the bus station I met a nice brasilian girl who helped us register and find the camp site ( which wasn't the most organized). Later she introduced us to the other 47 brasilians in her group and we ended up having a really good time together. It was a little crazy. There were 35,000 people staying in this camp site and only 4 toilets/showers.
Mostly Brasilian with some Argentines/Uruguayans and a few people from the rest of the world. About 200,000 people attended the Forum. It was nice to attend as I don't think I'll make the next one in India.
I got to see the new president of Brasil Lula speak but missed out on Chavez's speech (the president of Venezeula). It was almost like woodstock with all the concerts and different things going on. Political demonstrations, discussions, speeches and very little sleep. People from all levels- students, radicals, politicians...
After the forum I went to the island of Santa Catarina where after a few minutes in the hostel I met a group of 15 Argentinians, an australian and 4 chilians. They were on on there way to ferrusum and convinced me to go with them (a few hours later).
A tiny little village a few hours south of Floripa with one street and one beautiful beach, amazing nightlife full of beautiful people that starts at about 3am. We rented a house and spent a few days.
Then me and Pual (the australian) went north to another Island- Isla do mel (Island of honey). Paradise! Small, remote almost untouched, with no cars or streets. It had just has a few pousadas, bars, some travellers, amazing beaches and 4 or 5 guitars.
Next I had to stop in Sao paulo to see some freinds. After I went further north to Rio and Belo horizonte etc..
Rio was great as always. Infact I will go back again for a few days before when I leave brasil. I think I ran into everyone there from travelers to freinds of mine from chile, peru and Buenos Aires etc....
Most of them I bumped into at my hostel or in the Macarana Footbol stadium. It is suppossed to be the largest stadium in the world. I got to see flamengo beat botafogo 4-2- a really intense game.
This time around I went into a Favela with some brasilians I knew to a funky party, with 3,000 people. It was great- really intense and unlike any place I have been. A favela is where all the poor people in brasil live and can be extremely dangerous. I would not recomend it as most of my brasilian freinds havn't even been to one. I was 20 min away from the largest one in brasil (maybee globally) where 300,000 people live.
After Rio I left my passport and backpack at the hostel and brought only a shirt, tank top, shorts and sandals to travel with for the next month. It's been great to travel so light.
I went to visit freind in Belo horizonte- a big city with a few hills and a reputation for an excess of women ( somthing like 8 women to every man). Most of which were quite attractive. Nearby I visited the colonial town of Oro preto.
A charming town with narrow cobblestone streets with white brick houses with colorful shades of yellows, blues, Reds and greens. The city follows the contours of the hills and valleys creating a dramatic blend into the mountain.
I stoped in Porto Seguro and some small local beaches after flying there without a passport. (Only in brasil...jejej) Then I arrived in Salvador of Bahia for Carnival. Intense, traditional and crazy all at the same time.
Imagine a bus convertibale with a band and some dancers playing music on the top deck, being led by several hundred people wearing the same clothes surround by a rope forming a block.
Now add thousands of people watching and dancing outside the block multiplyed by another 30 blocks following each other down the street and you get a picture of what carnival is like.
I spent the last few days in Carnival in Olinda ( more traditional). Olinda has small colonial streets full of people making it hard to move. It was full of mini marching bands of 50 people marching with there Huge drums and trumpets in all directions. I prefered Olinda where I celebrated my birhday for the second time in Brasil.
Olinda is a very different Carnival but a lot more social and mellow but still with thousands of people. Although the variety of music was better in Salvador where the people are much crazier ( it is more dangerous ). It's nice to know that I have been to the craziest and the best Carnivals in brasil. Salvador and Olinda.
Afterwards we went to Natal to take a jeep bugy tour through some of the northen beaches and sand dunes which was an amazing trip. I'm on my way back to Rio so I hope to arrive there in about a week.
I have a lot of distance still cover. Brasil is an immense country. I found A flight back to Belo horizonte from Bahia ( funny enough) when I arrived I didn´t get off. I stayed on the plane instead.
I ended up flying to Rio for free which was my next destination anyways. In Brasil anything can happen.
Spent some days in Rio and then went to Bontio (beatiful in english). Which is south of the Pantanal. They are both known for ecotourism. Went snorkling down a river, about 2.5 km saw many exotic fish and so on.
posted by Marco at
11:04 am
<< Home