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Showing posts with label Travel in Brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel in Brazil. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Brazil hosts one of the most beautiful streets in the world

Porto Alegre, a beautiful city in the south east of Brazil just added a new reason to visit. "Is This the Most Beautiful Street in the World," stirred a great street debate the other day on a landscape architecture forum.   Gonçalo de Carvalho looks like a winner to me and what makes this story so wonderful is

Saturday, September 24, 2011

'PIPA is spanish slang for having a good time'


As an american in Pipa, I felt like I stepped back into time some 70 years by US standards. I don't know what its like to be an hour from a big city where there isn't a mariott sheraton lineup of sorts impacting the dunes and serenity. I wish I could have seen North Carolina in the 40's... dunes, drifters and divers I imagine. What wasn't here now, is coming though. Common words on everyone's lips seemed to be 'real estate boom' because Natal, some 60 km away (and a 3 hour flight north from Sao Paulo) boasts direct flights from Europe making Pipa a fantastic get away. Yet somehow we managed to get there early enough to indulge in some desolation, just in time before it becomes thoroughly bought and built.  But then again a little desolation is the Brazil I know thus far. Yes there are luxury vacation homes and a few fancy restaurants but the locals still seem to have the run of the place on their bicycles. Even the beach towns 2 hours from Sao Paulo still feel rustic (to me) so I don't have this sense of anxiety that I did when I was in Cuba a few years back, worrying that all the coastal misshaped hotels from the 50's will soon rediscover their american mob roots and sprout back to life, cluttering up the views.

For Pipa, its a blessing the landscape is abundant in rich, earthen toned cliffs that protect the beaches. If you want something on the beach you have to build high and design a sturdy set of stairs to reach sand. The town is laid out in similar fashion with the exception of a well used dirt road to descend in elevation. The restaurants and bikini stores all open up in the back to a 100 foot drop down to the central beach where the good surfing is. But that is one of dozens nestled into coves that shape the shoreline. The pousadas are either mixed somewhere within that fabric of small town street life or a little ways up the road on a slope to take advantage of the views. But you won't find anything on the beach.

I met a few nomads, one making wire souvenirs as he travels the coast throughout the year on his bike. The town is active with locals, fisherman and artists but thanks to some obvious brands its evident things are slowly changing from bead shops to fancy brazilian names. Still, Pipa has the same magic spell as one of A and I's favorite towns in Mexico, Sayulita. Just a sleepy surfer town with incredible food and the kind of authenticity you want to put in a jar and seal so it can remain pure.


If not for the perfect beaches go to Pipa for the cousine. Toca da Caruja deserves a Michelin star. The moqueca on the beach in a little 200 person shrimper town a few hours down south (accessed by our champion dune buggy driver, Josinaldo) is the best in Brazil I've had. We also met Daniel, who runs a little restaurant out of his house and makes a mean fire grilled lobster. Like...his stuff is the kind of stuff you find yourself saying, 'okay I can die happy now."

So is Pipa the best beach in Brazil? I dont believe there is a, 'best" beach in this country, its a myth. Try finding a bad beach though... In fact I think I am going to devot the rest of my life trying to find a bad beach... even a mediocre one. Dare me. 


the local security

robalo at toca da caruja




coca cola lagoon, accessed by dune buggies only


 for sale?

 the locals

 the place to watch the sunset

sunset from the place

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The best beach in Brazil?

Well thats quite a statement considering there seem to be soo many. But according to Backpacker Ben, Praia de Pipa takes the cake. Known for fine cuisine and gorgeous beaches, this small fishing village was discovered by backpackers and surfers in the 70´s and is also a dolphin haven. It is located about 85 km from the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte which is very very.....norte!  So in honor of Brazilian Independence Day off we go for a much needed vacation in the sun. When is a vacation not needed?

Praia de Pipa here we come... ohh I´m so excited!




Friday, May 06, 2011

Hello May.

my new favorite picture

Hello May and Hello Chilly weather. It was a good thing the MIL stuck around long enough to still enjoy some Brazilian summer. We headed to the beach for her last weekend here and boy was it ever so maravilhoso. We have friends that head to the beach often usually checking the weather beforehand and it may look hot and sunny but then I see their poor facebook uploads and its gloomy and rainy. The beach is only about 2 hours away but you drop about 3000ft in elevation so you really can jump between climates. Originally the plan was to see Maresias and after reading O Jeito Brasileiro's blog I thought we would try a pousada she recommended. But, we had dinner plans at Manaca, which is in Camburi (about 20 km closer than Maresias) so we stopped there first. In the end we got to talking with some people and scrapped our idea of going on a little further and just decided to stay at a place near the restaurant with a golf cart shuttle to the beach. It was already 10am so it was silly to waste more time in the car on such a gorgeous day. I was a little bummed since this will probably be one of the last beach trips of the season and I was eager to try something new, but Camburi doesn't disappoint. Our pousada was just what we needed for one night but it was covered in ants. Ants everywhere, in my bags and on my wet hanging bathing suit. I know its par for the course but I thought it was a little extreme so I don't think I will be recommending. I cant believe I am even complaining about anything to do with the beach though, my american friends would slap me!

Once on the beach I realized again how much I love living here. Paradise (minus ants) is only a quick drive away and since it's fall, Brasilians have already started their retreat to the interior for weekend vacations leaving the beaches empty. Yet, it was still 80 degrees and lovely, maybe we were lucky, maybe just smart to take in one last opportunity for our feet to taste the sand.

If you haven't tried Manaca, you must add it to your list. Its pricey so beware but I don't think you will be disappointed. I had only been for drinks before with friends so I really wanted to show it off to Alex and his mom as a special send off dinner. They were awe struck. If it sounds familiar, Anthony Bourdain featured it as one of his Sao Paulo stops on his show, "No Reservations." Here is a snippet if you missed it.... It was a great chance for the MIL to try Moqueca and while I have had it in SP and was told it was the best in the city (its a Bahian dish), it was nothing like her dish. She wanted to lick the plate... as did I once my fish-grilled-in-Banana-leaves had quickly disappeared off my plate. Its hard to photograph the restaurant at night with a small camera and looking back I should have at least taken a picture of my insane dessert but the time was better spent eating, laughing and taking in the beautiful amazonian atmosphere.

Yet another amazing trip. I think we are done with traveling for a little while, looking forward to relaxing at home and getting back to our Saturday market then cook a fresh feast routine, but my oh my the things you see when you step outside this city! As Anthony Bourdain says, "Life does not suck."






Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The falls of all falls



There is just something majestic about water. It’s power, it’s fury and it’s dashing humid spirit. I have never been to see the great Niagara Falls but I imagine it must also just steal the breath right out of you. These falls however, like distinguished water curtains standing defiantly in their natural mold were simply awe striking. Alone one evening I stood there staring, my mind playing tricks as though it were a painting. The colors of the sun dipping into the Jurassic park scene glowed in stunning silence.


One of the benefits of staying in the only hotel within the park are the evenings and early mornings. The park opens at 8am so if you are an early bird you can run down and catch the fresh light peeping over the falls without being pushed and crammed. At five o’ clock the park closes and all the tour buses scamper away like mice retreating to the walls. While Alex and his mother enjoyed the sunset perched atop the terrace with a glass of wine, I wandered down the gentle slope with my camera and spent the sunset in silence. Not 30 minutes before there were thousands of people trying to squeeze their way to the front for the perfect picture where I later stood solo.


I checked the weather the morning we arrived and the first day seemed to be the best so we dropped our bags and headed out for a day of adventures. First stop, a boat ride down the river past the Argentinean side of the falls for pictures and then literally straight into them for a Disneyworld like experience. Fortunately for us we hadn’t read that just three weeks before, a similar boat flipped as it went into the falls killing 2 Americans, one my age and the other my mother in law’s. We were a bit freaked out when we found out a few hours later, but were glad we had gone because had we known before we never would have. And well… it was really fun!  A few hours later we headed for the heliport to discover the area from above.



A quick 10 minute tour seems like plenty but once we were up in the air I could have stared down for hours. We shared our helicopter with a very attractive French family of 5 boys so when I say we could have stayed up there for hours/days I’m not kidding. MIL and I were gawking and poor Alex wished they’d had sisters.



The next few days were spent relaxing and to our luck the weather was perfect and the beautiful French family was staying in our hotel.  Friday was spent at the pool and for the first time since Christmas it really felt like we were on vacation. I chased butterflies with my camera and Alex and his mother soaked up some much needed sun. Alex may live in Brazil but he sure doesn’t look like it.


Saturday was our day to see the Argentinean side and by morning it had chilled down to the low 50’s and was pouring rain like the dickens.  We fought the good fight against the terrors of wind and rain and stayed true to plan, insisting to see this magnificent place from both sides. Soaked through, you could have poured a bucket full of water over my head and I wouldn’t have noticed. We trudged on across what felt like a mile of steel platforms exposing multiple tributaries each gaining more vigor than the one before and it was actually pretty scary. By the end it literally just dropped below us, more than 300 feet and witnessing the strength of the water so close below was soooo worth the pain. I have no idea why I brought my nice camera, poor Alex carried it like a baby all the way there and then I was too afraid to even take it out at the end. All in all Argentina has the more dramatic view whereas the Brazilian side is more beautiful. Both however are breathtaking in their own unique style and if you go, you must see each. 


Alex and his mom


On our way home to the hotel we had to make one important stop, a wine store. It was so incredibly cheap we stocked up for the plane home. Apparently you are allowed twelve bottles per person carry on. Back at the hotel we had a wonderful lunch of hamburgers with one of our new bottles while the rain still pelted on outside.  

For her first time to South America, MIL had only been in Brazil for a few days and she had seen one of the most beautiful places in Brazil and I think on earth. By the time we hopped back on the plane she had dipped her foot into Argentina, tried agua de Coco, a churrascaria, a few Caipirinhas, picanha and farofa and of course a good bit of the fabulous brazilian sun.  

Like sugar on my lips, this trip was divine.  

view from Brazilian side

Sunday, April 17, 2011

4..3..2....1

Jardim Botanico in Rio

Besides the new spare tire I'm carrying around in front of me ....this was one of the greatest girlfriend trips. We did too much of everything. In a good way; lots of drinking, too too much eating and plenty of seeing.

Those beautiful smiling faces I kissed goodbye to throughout the day in Buenos Aires will never know how much it meant to me that they spent the effort & time & money & ....came. It helped that our itinerary featured two of the most beautiful cities in the world as well as my lovely companionship ....but still. So here we go....

Airport pick up - Post picking up the cheery ladies, I took the wrong street on the gps and wound up in the middle of scary centro and fully admitted I was really nervous and they needed to lock the doors and keep the windows up. Yes, welcome to brazil girls! Not exactly the smooth entrance I had planned.  

When we breathed a deep one that we had not only gotten ourselves out of centro but also successfully made it to my house in our 1.0 liter car that does a hill full of suitcases with the ease and power of an overaged cripple...it was time for feijoada, sao bento style!  

All the lovely paulistas were spending their day samba dancing and eating and we attempted to fit right into the groove. A few honorary caipirinhas later, we continued on to 'pe manga,' a fun bar with a huge tree lit up in the middle, and then into a lounge on lorena in jardins for live music belted from an incredible bonnie rait sounding canadian voice and we created our own dance routine with lots and lots of fresh tangerine caipiroskas till 3am...

Day2 we woke up and headed to Shopping Cidade Jardim for a quick tour and breakfast of pao de quejo and fresh fruit smoothies at santo grau for a little pick-me-up, walked down the sunny side of the street at oscar freire to shoe shop (lots of shoes purchased), havaiana store and pictures, moqueca for late lunch (a taste of bahian food) and the finale at hotel unique where we sat next to pamela anderson and her new surfer boyfriend and watched them make out. She definately had a breast reduction. Champagne and many giggles shared, we were home by 10pm to pack for our very early flight to rio.
damage at the Havaiana Store

I hope I did ok as tour guide in sp. They said they enjoyed centro despite the condition of the people and the area in which I was lost and they wernt scared outside of my driving... Which ultimately cost us an extra 2 hours of getting lost in morumbi and a little passenger car sickness (slash too much vodka the night before) all the while enjoying the spectacle of my 2-year old tantrum with the gps. Anyways. It was a good weekend in the city!  

RIO


Landed many pao de queijos later and headed straight to the hotel for fresh juice in the pouring rain in Leblon. We paused for an ounce of relaxation, the rain stopped and were off to the botanic gardens. Best way to spend 2 hours in the late afternoon ever, together. Dinner at Leblon sushi. More like, AMAZING dinner at Leblon sushi! Met lots of obama security guys at the hotel bar post dinner. Learned he has teams in place working on telephones and communications, k9s and perimeter survaillance on the ground 4 weeks prior to any trip outside the country usually. These guys worked hard and then got to play hard for another bonus week and had some very interesting stories. They were kinda rednecky so we left as sleep felt more important. 


Foggy Cristo Redentor from Jardim Botanico

Got up early to catch the Cristo before the clouds rolled in. Took the trem to the top, clear Christ but not clear city views due to fog. Fresh mango juice and a big ole bug bite on my foot made the view more eventful though. Headed to Ipanema beach, arrived and literally 2 seconds later it started to POUR. Lunch at an amazing bakery down from mile post 9. Wow, yum sandwhich with my favorite burratta cheese! Decided to walk in the pouring rain to find mil frutas ice cream on Rua Garcia D'Ávila with no umbrellas and two kangas. Soaked success! Awesome ice cream with local amazonian fruit flavors and after 2 hours there it was still raining, boooo. 

still foggy but worth it


Dinner at copacabana palace on the terrace by the pool. Nice and quiet post the obama frenzy (we were there the day he left the city, he didn't stay there but it was still a madhouse). Headed to the Rio Scenarium in Lapa for the night and ran into a guy staying on our hall at the hotel, he taught us latin moves and we called him Jimmy of the stars (last name la Estrella). Samba danced till 3am with Jimmy of the stars, made lots of friends. My girlfriend K got a marriage proposal from a banker in town from rotterdam, she said no... it one of the best nights of the trip. Later we made friends with our early morning cabbie and he took us to the beach for aqua de coco. Hung with the locals, sipped our recovery drink and we were back in hotel by 330am, checked that off the list. Called for a wake up call for 430am. The front desk said, as in an hour? Yes as in an hour, are you sure? Yes we are sure. Flight to Buenos Aires 8am. 


BUENOS AIRES

sculpture United Nations Plaza


So the bug bite from the trem grew giant and black thanks to too much samba dancing. It became infected and my ankle dissappeared into something of a cankle. I couldn't walk so I hobbled to the plane, hobbled to the hotel, hobbled to the hospital. Luckily a german hospital in BA was near by. Sent the girls to an afternoon lunch of empanadas and erva-mate while I waited under 30 minutes for my english speaking doctor who drained the bug bite, administered two tetnus shots in a place i wasn't so keen on, gave me antibiotics, explained something about an ¨´itis´´ and sent me home. 90us dollars total for all (yes cheap healthcare and good healthcare!!) including hospital visit, drugs, two shots on the upper butt at the vacunatorim not to be confused with the labotorium or the 4 other ´atoriums´´ that i wandered\hopped on one foot into. Felt sick though so a late afternoon nap was added to the list while girls wondered the city in the rain. Dinner at las lilas in puerto modero lasted 4 hours. it was Ahhhmazing. Cured the bite with the yummiest of steak and wine! 


Recoleta Cemetery


Foot kinda sorta fit into a tennis shoe for the am walk to Recoleta cemetery. Saw Eva Peroni's grave, toured the touristy recoleta crafts market, strolled through the park past the beautiful palaces to the Obelisk. Holiday = parades and demonstrations. Walked to the Colon Theater for local beers and lunch, wandered down Santa Fe for afternoon coffee and shopping. Dinner and tango show for the evening = incredible! 

very sexy tango show

The last day in BA the biblioteca was sadly closed (another trip) so off to Florida street for cheap leather and shoes. The gorgeous afternoon was spent in heavenly Palermo Soho at Meridian 58. Otimo. Decided I wouldn't mind moving to the Palermo Soho neighborhood but I think I would deeply miss Brazil too much. It was a long, lovely afternoon with more markets and more ice cream at freddo! Dinner at La Cabrera was nice and quaint for steak but we liked Las Lilas better (try both though if you can!). Still, we shared wonderful bottles of malbec for our last night togther toasting to a perfect vacation of 4 fabulous girls, 3 amazing cities, 2 incredible countries and 1 unbelievable week. 



By Saturday morning I could walk again! Goodbye BA, goodbye amazing best friends and hopefully goodbye spare tire in a few weeks! 

*travel note to self, check holiday schedule in cities to be traveled in so things looking forward to seeing arent closed. 

**written stream of consciousness style on the plane home, please excuse typos!


tchau meninas

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Carnival Part 1: Tiradentes

Getting there was a rainy adventure. Old Gringo was in for the ride of his young life, we had never taken him this far so it was time to test the waters. The first few hours of our vacation boasted beautiful pastures and hills reminiscent of Ohio or Pennsylvania. Rodovia Fernao Dias is a highway of sorts with two double lanes and about 3 hours into the trip on the opposite side we passed an 18-wheeler that had flipped over completely perpendicular to the road blocking all traffic. Not only that, it was full of gravel… yes gravel had poured out along the road for at least a hundred feet.  It appeared as though it had just happened, but then as we started to pass the hundreds, then thousands  (I could be exaggerating just a bit) of stranded vehicles waiting in angst to start moving again we realized they were probably in for a minimum 10 hour wait AT LEAST! Also there was a nice ditch between them and us making it nearly impossible to cross over and turn around. Mind you, I think this was also the busiest traffic day/holiday of the year next to maybe New Years. However I think Carnival is even bigger as Brazilians get more days off. Never found out anything more about the truck mess but we were just glad to be on the right side of the world that day!


So a few hours into the ride there was that.... and then the fact that it was pouring down rain like some Brazilian God had really been betrayed. In addition we came upon a fun little detour. It was mud on top broken concrete with potholes that make Chicago roads look blissfill on a post winters day.  It was a minefield and another mess. By the time we pulled into Tiradentes mid afternoon (we left at 5am) it felt like we'd conquered a country and it was time for a local brew! When isn’t it time?


While there it continued to rain. All day. This was my first carnival and I only knew what I had seen on TV or heard briefly through friends and somehow I always pictured it bright and sunny. Was it possible that it could rain during ALL of Carnival?  As we huddled under the umbrella wearing sweaters and jeans we saw the stage set in the middle of town, streamers and masks on every light post and an abundance of party goers draped in ponchos and glitter, beer in hand in postponed cheer. This picture did not change until Tuesday. I have never seen a happier group of people in pouring down rain dancing like it was college spring break. We were voyeurs to the magic that is Brazil and its people. Ray told me to mind the cobblestones in the town center as it was designed 300 years ago to keep slaves from fleeing. He wasn’t kidding and so we can prepared, sporting our bright white tennis shoes like disney world pros! The brazilian women however STILL wore their 6 inch heels despite the rain and seemed to manage those cobblestones as if they were dancing on a Rio float. 


Our hotel was more than perfect. We made our decision based on a few recommendations from Alex’s friends at work and it was good we spent the extra money. You never need a good hotel until you need a good hotel. And unfortunately, we ended up spending more time in it than of out. So instead of being poolside, or out horseback riding in the hills like we imagined, we split our time between the bar around the corner smack in the middle of town so we could make fun of drunk people in the rain or we were hunkered down on a big old couch next to a fireplace watching Carnival in Salvador on TV where it was hot and sunny! 

Tiradentes has incredible arts and crafts and its fun wandering the streets full of furniture stores and linen shops. It is also known for its Dolce de Leite to which my father in law decided he needed to bring back enough to feed the city of Chicago. He also decided he would buy himself a matching american tourist style hat and t-shirt that read “TIRADENTES, MINAS GERAIS.” Minas Gerais is the state in which Tiradentes resides.


Maybe the funniest part of the weekend was when he walked out of the store to show me his new treasures and said, “well I had to buy memorabilia to wear at the gym when I get home and this was perfect, it has the name of the town AND Mardi Gras all written together so everyone will know I was there!" He was so happy, I hated to rain on his parade but he interpreted Minas Gerias to be Mardi Gras?!!! No more do Brazilians call Carnival Mardi Gras than they watch baseball instead of soccer. WRONG country, WRONG language, WRONG party... Poor guy BUT hilarious.

It finally cleared up on Tuesday and even though a storm was looming our cabin fever put us on the old steam engine train through the countryside to Sao Joao del Rey. As they say in Portuguese, ‘Valeu a Pena' = worth the pain. That day made all the others, spent waiting to get out, well worth while. Alex and I even took an afternoon run along the river on a muddy dirt road checking out all the farms where our lovely “Slow food” style dinners came from (check out Tragaluz if you find yourself in need of a wonderful meal!) 


Carnival, there! Each night a different bloco planned its parade through town, usually in a downpour but sometimes in a light sprinkle. Either way, we were there. To watch men dressed up regardless of sexual preference as women, women scantily clothed as beer maids and cops, disney characters and nurses or whatever their bloco theme designated. Those themes I observed, can range widely from roman gods to diapers. It’s a themed party and anyone’s invited to witness a bloco's practiced dance that vaguely looks synchronized after multiple pre parties. They surround a band, usually made up of teenagers and grandpas with drums and horns controlling the beat through the town singing songs and chants. That my friends is a small town bloco and we got to see about 5 of them. The blocos in Sao Paulo, Salvador and Rio however practice all year, invest sometimes millions in décor and strategy and are flawless and magnificent, charging hundreds of dollars to see. Our little Tiradentes Carnival was free and a perfect way to be introduced to such a wonderful Brazilian tradition.




It was fun to...

Watch drunk men hit on what they thought were women, “Hey snow white how youuuu doin…? Woah hey, sausage surprise!" (we heard a lot of that in so many words)


Drink a lot of caipirinhas at Conto de Reis. The owner of the bar looks like Santa Claus and has his picture painted on the wall inside. Outside lots of of boys were following groups of sixteen year old girls in teddys and other lingerie with blinking lights and bunny ears much like American Halloween. Except in the US I rarely see dads dressed as keg-orators with taps on their heads and their kids dressed as beer bottles!


Dance in the street with roman emperors in my ann taylor cardigan and sperrys... the most conservative obvious American in town! If you didn’t know it by my appearance you knew it by my dance, a la Tom Brady style (if you don’t know what I mean click here) something I clearly need to work on if I plan to attend more of these in the future. Yes the outfit AND the dance.  Less clothes more action in the hips. When in Rome… still an American.





Leaving there of course it was sunny and beautiful. Alex may have backed up into a stone curb causing a crunch and a bang so when we made it to the highway the bottom of our car rattled the entire way home. But even with a little jingle and shake, it was the perfect backdrop to reflect on our wonderful time there. Despite the rain and samba tunes that lasted well into the morning preventing our beauty sleep, Tiradentes is a must see if you have a weekend to spare. Great food, incredible history, top notch pousadas, wonderful and inexpensive furniture, a quiet peacefulness you cannot find in the city. An experience well worth your while!




Next up part 2: Rio @ Sambadrome