Experience the Beauty of Brazil !!!
My Brazilian Adventure started in Rio to catch the end of the 2016 Olympics – you have to admire the athletes who put in the hard work and effort to become one of the exceptions in their field.
I hope YOU decide to “Step Out of the Ordinary” be one of our Olympian exceptions in Surge365 !
The Rio skyline is probably one of my favorites, with the mountains and islands making it such a unique city.
We stayed in a “favela” ( the Brazilian word for a slum), called Pereira da Silva favela (Pereirão) in the Laranjeiras neighborhood. There are favelas all over the city, perched on the sides of the mountains. Basically, favelas are communities that have grown by families building a shack on the side of a mountain, and then adding on 1 room at a time, with no building permits, and often no public services such as water or electricity, connected by small alleyways.
It is interesting that even though this is a slum, and there are some “illegal activities” taking place, the community looks after each other and there is NO theft, robbery or violence within the favela ~ it was safer in the favela than walking the streets of Rio !
We rented a room from Tom, a guy who dedicates his time to teaching kids from the favela to play music
You have to take a taxi or Uber to one of the entrances to the favela, and then walk in along the footpaths.
Our next stop on our adventure was down close to the border to one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World ~ Iguazu Falls.
This should be right up there on your bucket list !
It is worth going to both the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side.
The Brazilian side offers a lot of views of the Argentinian side, with a gentle walk (downhill) through the forest along the falls. There are some great lookout points and photo spots along the trail.
You can be courageous and walk across a steel bridge in the middle of the upper and lower falls ~ you just have to wear a raincoat because the mist from the falls drenches you along the way.
The Argentinian side is a lot more developed and has a lot more trails, so you can take a short 30 minute walk to see the falls, or spend 7 hours seeing several sites, taking the train to different trailheads.
We also got on the speedboat that actually takes you right under two of the falls ~ I’m sure there is no insurance, and I was sure we were going to flip, but we made it back in one piece !
Salvador de Bahia
Our next stop was the historic state of Bahia, specifically Salvador. This is reputed to be the first port in the Americas that they brought in Africans as slaves for the sugar cane plantations. We stayed in a Pousada in Pelourinho , and the culture here is so rich.
You walk up cobblestone streets, stop at local restaurants, listen to live bands in the squares, and watch the capoeira.
Capoeira’s history begins with the beginning of African slavery in Brazil, born as a simple hope of survival. It was a tool with which an escaped slave, completely unequipped, could survive in the hostile, unknown land. It is now a symbol of the Brazilian culture, symbol of the ethnic amalgam that characterizes Brazil, symbol of resistance to the oppression and has become a source of pride to
Brazilian people.
The history behind how the Portuguese tried to force the Africans brought over as slaves into Catholocism, and the way in which they merged all of their tribal deities and customs into the Catholic saints days and holidays to keep their culture is a complicated one.At the Church of the Senhor de Bonfin (which means Our Lord of a Good End, which is one way that Bahianas refer to Jesus), one of the first things you notice are hundreds of colorful ribbons tied to the wrought-iron railings blowing in the wind.
Senhor do Bonfim Miracle Ribbons, known as fitas, are an institution in Bahia.
Senhor do Bonfim Miracle Ribbons, known as fitas, are an institution in Bahia.
Worn by generations and generations, these bracelets are a symbol of faith and good luck ~ they put one on my wrist in Pelourinho !
Inside the church is a room full of prayers for miracles and notes of thanks for miracles received after praying here.
Next time you’re in Bahia, you have to visit Mary in the square in Pelourinho and try an Acaraje ~ peeled beans formed into a ball and then deep-fried in dendê (palm oil), served split in half and stuffed with vatapá and caruru – spicy pastes made from shrimp, ground cashews, palm oil and other ingredients….for about a dollar a piece !
The muqueca is a delicious Bahian recipe based on salt water fish or shrimp stew in coconut milk , tomatoes , onions, garlic , coriander and some dendê (palm oil)
Recife
Our next stop on this Brazilian adventure was Recife, a big coastal city with a 13 mile beach, golden sand and gentle waves, with high rises all along the beach – this city reminded me a lot of Australia, where a modern big city meets the sea. If you want to catch some sun, you need to go there in the morning, because the high rise apartments block out most of the sun on the beach by the afternoon.
Oh, and a real coconut juice with a straw ~ under a dollar !
Olinda
We got a ride to the neighboring city of Olinda, designated as a World Heritage City by UNESCO, due to the proliferation of 16th and 17th century buildings. It was filled with colorfully painted houses, historical churches and forts, and a plethora of handicrafts, usually made by the people selling them on the streets
And another HUGE discount on our hotel with Surge365 !
Fernando de Noronha
From Recife, we jumped on a prop plane to the famed island of Fernando de Noronha, the only inhabited island in a small archipelago 350 km off the coast of Brazil, famed for its diving, snorkeling, National Parks and beaches.
We discovered that this island is actually closer to Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone in Africa than it is to Rio!
Baia de Sancho has been rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world on Trip Advisor. The view from the top of the cliff is spectacular, and then you climb down on several metal ladders right through a crevice in the cliff, and then down some stone stairs. Sancho boasts a wide sand beach with the most incredible turquoise water in a small bay on the protected side of the island.
WATCH THE VIDEO I SHOT ON PERSEVERANCE
We decided to try toughest hike on the island, which was meant to be a 5 km walk that took 5 hours, but ended up being 14 kms and took 9 hours, including hiking up to some spectacular viewponts at the lighthouse, scrambling down the sides of cliffs holding onto ropes to get to the Capim Acu cave, and then trying to get across several beaches comprised completely of rocks (from small round stones to gigantic boulders), before the tide came in and blocked our way out !
M ost of the island has been designated as a National Park and Projecto Tamar is very active here protecting sea turtles from extinction.
We reserved a day to walk down to the famed Atalaia beach, where you can snorkel in a natural tidal pool at the oceans’ edge that is like an aquarium filled with marine life – small sharks, octopus, crabs and more.
And we rented a dune buggy to get around ~ the brakes and steering left lots to be desired but it made it up the dunes, across the beaches and up every mountain !
There are multiple dive sites around the island, but the eastern side was too rough at this time of year for diving, so we stayed on the western side, and just as we were about to jump in for our dive, we saw a pod of dolphins ducking and diving on their way past our boat. For those of you who don’t dive, the snorkeling is fantastic at almost every beach around the island, where you can spot turtles, rays, sharks and a multitude of colorful fish.
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