With withdrawal symptoms kicking in from being at home for nearly two months now ( oh gosh ) I figured it was about time I told you more about my four-month trip, starting with a bit about my time in Brazil. To kick the trip off where better to fly to than Rio De Janeiro slightly daunting but huge adrenaline rush at the same time we found ourselves on Copacabana beach figuring out the Metro System, testing out Coconut water (truly deliciously refreshing), the different blocks of roads and well the language barrier. Portuguese is a very difficult language, even with the help of our miniature phrase book. The Rio Metro System is one hundred percent better than the London Underground for sure a lot easier to navigate ourselves around even with our poor attempt at Portuguese but given yes it is a lot smaller.
Visiting Sugar Loaf is an absolute must aswell as staying in the El Misti Hostel on Rua Tonelero on Copacabana beach; really amazing hostel we all became as massive family at the end of our stay. Sugar Loaf is super cool, probably the best views of Rio that you can get and totally beautiful at every point especially from the views of the cable cars. A ten minute bus journey home turned into a couple of hour’s as soon as we hopped on to the wrong bus, buses are so so so so cheap, but do watch it as they don’t work the same over here; with our limited vocabulary we did not realise that same bus numbers can do different routes it’s all very confusing believe me. Another place that is so worth the slightly precarious trip is Lapa just north of Copacabana a part of the city known in Rio for its amazing street parties. Samba music echoes and flows around every corner, the smells of all the delicious street food mingle and well of course a favourite of mine…CAIPIRINHAS are available at every turn. Caipirinha’s are maybe just the most refreshing drink and I have never been a fan of beer – Cerveja as my phrase book told me – so this suited me just fine. If it was possible I would have spent four months just in Rio, it’s a truly amazing city and one day I will have to return.
Ilha Grande was the next stop on our list, I remember thinking that it looked like a picture from a postcard it was just truly beautiful. Spending days on the beach doing nothing but drinking Acai – an Amazonian berry, really delicious aswell as being really good for you – and soaking up Vitamin D I could never really complain. With speed boats taking you around the island ‘the beach look’ was not something we sought after it naturally fell upon us through being windswept and dodging surfers as we swam. Lopes Mendes is apparently the 7th most beautiful beach in the world and it sure lives up to this, with a short hike through the jungle the complete bliss was definitely worth a visit. One lesson that I have learnt is that sun burn is a killer with those backpacks. Ouch.
Paraty has maybe just the worst roads ever created, especially not good on a full bladder in the rickety cars of Brazil. Arriving in the dark we did not truly see and appreciate the beauty of this city until the next morning it reminded me of Greece in fact, I would say in my opinion Paraty could be seen in just a day or two worth a quick trip but no big stay. Next stop São Paulo now São Paulo is a place I wish I had explored slightly further our first view was that it is more of a business city than anything else but I think this may have just been in the neighborhood that we stayed in with the Vila Madalena hostel, from the short time I was there I was not able to get to know the hidden bars and hidden beauty of the city and really want to go back to explore more in all honesty. One thing in Brazil hostels is that most places serve an included breakfast but be warned in this usually means they just serve ham and cheese toasties; for it when it gets to nearly three weeks of this breakfast becomes quite bland, it’s amazing how ketchup can excite you at times. Graffiti Alley is definitely worth a visit totally stunning with roads winding into each other with different artists explosions of creativity on the walls. São Paulo is also the place that we discovered Soy Apple Juice, this stuff is so wrong in so many ways almost like what milky apples would taste like it does grow on you after a while though. If your daring enough do give it a try, or try to avoid buying it accidentally as we did.
So I will leave you for now that’s only half of the route in Brazil, one thing is for sure Caipirinha’s will always be flowing…wherever you go.
nelltilly's 