TOURY TOURY DAY

Brazil has easily been one of the best highlights of my trip. It is just so different and lively. The diversity is like nothing I have ever experienced before. A Brazilian girl said that the Brazilian passport was the most sought after passport because ANYONE could Brazilian. Everyone is so friendly & helpful, even though I would say only 1-10 people actually speak english. 

On my super efficient touristy day we all went to go see the Sugar loaf (a big lookout spot in Rio), one of the soccer stadiums, the Olympic center, a Carnival studio equipped with videos & cloths, the famous modern Cathedral, and the famous Christ statue on one of the highest mountains in Rio. We also had my first experience with traditional all you can eat Brazilian BBQ which was amazing!!! 

The Sugar Loaf:

Rodrigo, my tour guide, & me

I wanted to include this picture of the people working because it is supposedly the safest tram ride in the world. It is also the 3rd oldest in the world. I also found it interesting that it was named the sugar loaf because it looks similar to the sugar cane that was being exported out of Brazil after it was discovered & claimed in the 1500s by Portugal. 

We went up two tram rides & the next thing I know I was hiking through a bit of a jungle. There were monkeys & all these really cool insects. 

This caterpillars' legs was moving so quickly like someone's fingers move on a piano. 

The Soccer Stadium:

We could have paid extra to go into the locker rooms. But since I have been in plenty of stinky locker rooms & saw a futbol game the day before we had to entertain ourselves other ways while the rest of the group went in. 

The Carnival Studio:

The Cathedral:

Can you believe this is really a Cathedral? The stain glass windows were really impressive, and they had cool music playing the while I was there. 

The Cristo:

What a great view it was.....

I love this picture. We were so Cold & wet. 

Although it was disappointing that we could not enjoy the view & hardly see the Cristo, I thought it was appropriate because sometimes you cannot always see what you believe..... 

Her Name is Rio and She Dances in the Sun....

When something sounds too good to be true it is, usually it is. I had free transportation to and from the bus station in Ouro Preto & everything so far had just been too smooth. I was meant to have an overnight bus to Rio for a Friday night. And I did not need to worry about reserving tickets because they never sold out. Well not so much. So the boy there that was patient enough to deal with me directed me 2 hours north of where I was on an attempt to catch another overnight bus to Rio. Again no dice. So I was stuck in the bus station over night. My yoga mat sure has come in handy on my trip I might add! 

I had plenty of time to think during my overnight 5 star bus station extravaganza... Would you rather: be a security guard that has to wake up everyone in the bus station because no one is supposed to be lying down? Or be a bathroom vendor that charges people for basic necessities of life? 

I was able to buy one of the last tickets for the morning trip and made it to RIO in time for FRIDAY NIGHT LAPA. Which was one of the most insane street parties that I have ever experienced. 

The weather in Rio had been a little finicky, but when I arrived I had a beautiful weekend where I lounged on the beach and enjoyed the "show" all weekend long.

Welcome to Brazil!!!

Kevin and I enjoying Acaciii (a delicious fruit smoothie blended in with granola.)

Emelie, Christopher, & I who taught me how to truly enjoy TASHA. We saw 2 of the biggest Brazilian rivals play (Flamengo & Botofago.)

Thats a GOOOAL BABY! Flamengo won 1-0!

Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto is a small, mountainous, lovely, cobblestone city. I walked around for a day and a half and saw tons of cute shops, plenty of churches, had great ice cream, and got to go into the oldest theater in the Americas. The Theater was beyond impressive. It was fun because I got to see a free kiddie concert which was nice because it was easy to follow. (I have also discovered that dubbed Steven Seagal movies are also extremely easy to follow. How has he never received an Academy Award?) 

One of the coolest churches I have seen. It has such a cool circular set up on the inside. I am sure the acoustics would be amazing!

Here are all the moto mail carriers In Brazil. 

Doing what people do best... Enjoying the atmosphere around them. Mrs. Kravitz Should have lived in a different country.

Here is the not so bustling main city square. 

So far Brazil could not have been smoother, so something was bound to go wrong.....

Comida Barato

You never really know what you are going to get when you order food anywhere while you are traveling. There is a lot lost in translation. When you are hungry, you will eat just about anything... A lot of my orders is pointing & praying. I have broadened my horizons tremendously as I travel. (Crazy to think that I didn't eat EGGS till I went to Spain. 

In Central America I have learned that "enchiladas" are actually "tacos" and vice-versa. This meal was in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and cost me $1.50 (The refresco's are almost more expensive than the actual meals.) In general the street food has been delicious & super cheap. One of the best parts of this meal is we traveled back in time to some cheesy 80s tunes because the cafe played VHI classics! (I have been surprised how many cheesy 80's love ballads are still played here in Central America. 

We are very spoiled with homemade salsa back home. The "hot sauce" has been less than par throughout Central America. It comes in a squirt bottles and always super runny. 

Comedor Lucia:

I still dream about Comedor Lucia. I ate dinner there every night & changed my plans to stay longer when it was suddenly closed over the weekend, just so I could have one more meal there. You would point, they would fill up your plate, and the meal came with a refresco. My typical bill was $2.50!!! 

As a whole food was so easily accessible and super cheap in Central America. 

One of the last things I did learn while I was in Central America is DO NOT EAT THE EMPANADAS FROM THE BUS STATION. They are overpriced & Shady! 

Now I am in the land of popcorn, ham & cheese sandwiches, and all you can eat Brazilian BBQs. Very dangerous indeed....

BRAZIL BABY

I flew into Belo Horizonte on a whim because it was the cheapest option by a landslide. It is one of the biggest cities in Brazil and I was lucky to meet a wonderful local girl named Marianna who generally made my experience wonderful. We met her in the market and the next thing I know we are being whisked around the city in her car. Another highlight was meeting some of her family who welcomed us into their home with Cachaca (a sipping delicious alcohol) & beer. 

Somehow this is turned into Cachaca (pronounced cashasa). 

I could only assume, these are famous dudes of Belo Horizonte. Kinda reminds me of Mount Rushmore. 

Yeah- I slept on top of this triple decker for several nights...

Marianna, Alex & I at one of our sunset adventures.

San Blas Islands

The San Blass Islands were by far the most raw experience I have ever had. It is a tribal village. They are called Kunas and are recognized as completely separate entity from Panama. They had running water at certain periods of time & only had electricity from 6-11 P.M. I took a 3 hour OFF ROADING JEEP journey like no other to get to the islands. Then we took a boat to one of the main islands. It was rainy & I was becoming very apprehensive of what I had gotten myself into... 

Luckily When I walked into the the bigger hut of sorts there was a table full of welcoming people from all over the world! I stayed for a total of 2 days & 2 nights. All of our meals were included (fish, fish & more fish.) and our transportation & snorkel equipment also. 

There were a total of 377 Islands in this small region. Only 44 were inhabited. When the word Island pops up in my head, these are actual Islands that I think of. You can see the whole perimeter, and there are plenty of coconut trees. One of the Islands that we went to was only inhabited by one person (he and his family) take turns living there in 4 month intervals all by themselves to protect and collect the cocunuts. 

And now entroducing..... THE DREAM TEAM!!! 

We invented Island Olympics which was one of the most fun activities I have ever participated in. It involved the limbo, the triple jump, shot put, javelin (which proved rather dangerous for me), and relay races. Brydie and Alice were sweet to befriend me and we quickly created the dream team.

Here are the coolest leaf cutter ants I have ever seen. They were totally destroying this tree. 

Here was our toilet with a very scenic view of all the fishes.

You would not believe how refreshing this shower really was after a full day of sandy fun on the beaches. Especially when it was dark, then you could not even see how dirty the water really was...