Weeks 17/18 – Back in Brazil

Last year, I lived and worked for a couple of months in Sao Paulo, while I tried to travel as much as possible on the weekends. Travelling Brazil as a backpacker is – I believe – a little bit more challenging given that English is not very widely spoken and whoever things that Spanish and Portuguese are so similar, that speaking Spanish is sufficient to understand the people in Brazil, has either admirable language skills or no idea what Brazilian Portuguese is. People might understand you when you speak Spanish, but they will usually respond in Portuguese. For me reading Portuguese is easy, but the pronunciation is so weird, that I have difficulties understanding a conversation, for example, Hot Dog is pronounced Hotschi Dogi. I speak only some Portuguese and I am just accepting, that I do not understand everything. As long as I understand e.g. when and where the bus leaves, I am fine with it. I heard from my hostel owners, that there are quite a few Americans and Europeans doing backpacking without speaking a word Portuguese and they somehow manage to get around – Chapeau! 😊

Summary of my travels last year:

I still have to write the Brazil section in “previous travels” page to share my experience from last year, but here you have some idea, what I did:

Sao Paulo is not the most beautiful city in the world and in winter (July/August) it can get quite cold. Sao Paulo has lots of Art Galleries, like the MASP Museum of Art Sao Paulo, the MAM, Museum of Modern Art etc. If you are an art lover, you should include SP in your travel plan! The Itaú Cultural Museum on Avenida Paulista and the House of Roses (Casa das Rosas) are also worth visiting. The Ibirapuera Park, where the MAM is located, is always full of people running, walking, playing volley etc. In the city centre, you can visit the Pinacoteca, see the cathedral da Sé and some other nice buildings. There are many homeless people in the centre. In the evenings or on Sundays it is therefore not recommended to go there – the shops are closed so you will not find people there apart from the homeless. Sao Paulo has a fantastic nightlife and restaurant culture. For nightlife, I love the Cuban Clubs “Rey de Castro” and “Azucar” both in the Vila Olimpia area. In the area around Avenida Paulista are many restaurants and clubs, especially in the Rua Augusta with more posh clubs on one site and more Funk/alternative clubs on the other side. Sao Paulo is the culinary capital of – I guess whole Latin America. Due to immigration from several countries you can find all kinds of authentic food here – In Libertade (the Japanese or nowadays also Chinese quarter) hosts many Japanese and Chinese Restaurants, while Italian cuisine or even German restaurants can be found too. Sao Paulo claims to have the best pizza in the world. I cannot confirm this. I love Pizza and I did not like it at all (Same with Buenos Aires – who claim to have a great pizza). The best Pizza is still the home-made one following my grandmother’s recipe.

Rio de Janeiro with its awesome landscape – sea meets those weird rocky mountains. Many people told me not to go to Rio or to be extra cautious as it is even more dangerous than Sao Paulo. My advice – leave your valuables in the hotel/hostel safe – don´t walk around at night – do not even wait for an Uber/Taxi in front of the building, wait in the building until the taxi has arrived, do not go into a Favela alone. If you want to visit a Favela do it with a guided tour. If you want to go to the beaches in Copacabana or Ipanema, be aware that sometimes a herd of young men are running through the beach, grabbing any bag or similar they can get. The city centre of Rio is beautiful – the Catedral Metropolitana, the theatre municipal, the famous staircase, which can be seen in several music videos (Escadaria Selaron) and some more buildings and churches. Other recommended activities are going on top of the sugar loaf and enjoy the view – you can also take a helicopter ride from here over the city. The sugar loaf is called Pão de Açúcar. Ensure that you pronounce it right! Pau – like I used to pronounce it- means dick. After the weekend in Rio I told my colleagues, that I have been on top of Pau de Açúcar and that it was awesome – while a male colleague starting blushing, a female colleague ask me to tell her, when I have found the “Pau de Açúcar”… The same also applies to French bread – it is Pão Frances not Pau… I am glad that I always got bread in the bakery … just imagine the shop assistant saying “Ey Fabrice – a special customer for you”

I also visited the Parque Lage with its beautiful view (also knowns from music videos) towards the Cristo Redentor and the Botanic Garden.

The most impressive waterfalls I have ever seen in my life:  The Iguazu waterfalls. I stayed in Foz de Iguazu on the Brazilian Site. You must see the waterfalls also from the Argentinian Site – either with a guided tour or on budget with a bus. The park on the Argentinian Site is much bigger than the Brazilian one, but on the Brazilian one, you can do a boat tour and get under a smaller waterfall with the boat.

Beaches, beaches and more beautiful beaches can be found in Paraty, Florianopolis, Bombinhas, Ilha Bela or up north in Praia do Forte. These places usually have for every budget an accommodation.

Salvador de Bahia – I love this city. It is colourful, has a nice architecture and you often here drums or other music in the streets. You might also see some Capoeira. The city is heavily influenced by African culture. Salvador has thousands of churches. I was told therefore every single type of Religion even each Christian Congregation (e.g. Franciscan Orden) required a different church. On top of this, people of colour and white people were not allowed to use the same church, so even more churches had to be built to allow everyone to go to church.

Chapada dos Guimaraes – Chapada means flat mountain. In Brazil, there are several areas called Chapada, but only three are developed touristically:  Chapada dos Guimaraes, dos Veadeiros and Diamantina. The rocky formation of the mountains is just stunning, and they are home to many waterfalls and natural pools.

Close to Chapadas Guimaraes, there is another beautiful area. Often the town “Nobres” is used as a point of reference for this area, but actually, the tiny village “Bom Jardin” (ca. 65km away from Nobres) is the better starting point. Be careful, there is another Bom Jardin 250km away. You can again visit nice waterfalls, swim in natural pools, rent a Quad or you do “Fluctuation”. This means you get into a small river with snorkelling equipment and a life vest and you just lie in the water, watch the fishes and let the current do the rest. Bom Jardin is also close to the “Lagoa das Araras” – a beautiful lake and home to many  New World Parrots. 

Paranapiacaba – I love this word. It is a beautiful ghost town and offers also nice hiking trails (guide needed!). It is quite close to Sao Paulo and can be reached by car or a tourist train. Campos do Jordão – the Brazilian Switzerland – is also a nice place to go close to Sao Paulo (and close means ca. 2-3h drive ;-P ), if you miss the Swiss flair or German Glühwein (Hot Wine).

Tirandentes – like Ouro Preto a so called baroque city with awesome buildings and as well a beatiful surrounding area inviting for some hiking.

My Current Travels

Getting Stuck in Rio due to rain and a horrible airline

I flew from Guatemala to Rio de Janeiro as it was the cheapest flight I could get – Flying to Recife or Fortaleza further up north would have been much more costly. As I already knew Rio, I just wanted to have a relaxing day at the beach before flying the next day to São Luis in the North-East. This time in Rio it was raining and I, therefore, spent half the day in a shopping centre – I do not know why, but when I go shopping in Germany I usually do not like the colours or the way the clothes are cut – here in Brazil I love C&A  (In Germany C&A is rather not made for my generation). I could buy the whole store. So, I ensured, that my bag was getting even heavier with nice dresses.  The next day I was supposed to fly to Sao Luis with Lineas Azul at 8 am.  It was raining quite heavily (for Rio terms), quite common for cities like Frankfurt or London. However, around 7:00 Azul started to cancel the first flights…My one was still scheduled to depart with a delay of 30 minutes. When 8:30 came closer – the display pannel suddenly showed, that people on my flight should contact the airline. Ok, I went to the first Azul guy I found and tried to ask what was going on. He sent me to another gate. At that gate, I realized, that there is a help desk from Azul in the corner with around 50 people already queuing up. It took me one hour to speak with the airline employee. She only spoke Portuguese, so I was happy that another passenger translated for me the parts I could not get. I was re-booked on a flight the next day, which would have meant arriving 24h later to my destination. I asked, whether it is possible to change my flight to go with another airline or another connection (e.g. instead of going via Belo Horizonte, maybe via Sao Paulo or Recife), but no the women said, if I want to change my flight I have to go to the help desk in the check-in area, but that it will take hours as the line is already huge. Ok, I was not really convinced to stand in line for hours trying to change my flights given that with every hour my chances of getting another flight reduced. Finally, I asked here, where I can get my checked luggage. The answer ridiculous – I had to get in the same line in the check-in area just to get my luggage back. They could have brought the luggage to the “luggage claim” area, but no they did not. You had to personally pick up your luggage at the counter. At 10:00am (2h after my flight was supposed to leave) I was finally standing in the line to get my luggage back.  Guess how long it took? At 16:50 I finally had my luggage back including a voucher for a hotel. During this time, we did not get anything to eat or drink. Around 2pm the first passengers started to complain loudly following this around 3pm everyone received a 200ml cup of water…. I spent one f*** day at the airport without even boarding a plane.

São Luis and the national park Lençóis Maranheses

Next day I luckily arrived in Sao Luis without delay (however with a long stopover in Belo Horizonte given that my new flight to BH was even early). I immediately went to Barreirinhas with a shuttle service from the airport to my hostel (takes 4-5h). As I had to cut down my programme, I only spent one day in the national park Lençóis Maranheses instead of 1,5-2days I had previously planned. The park is amazing. Sand dunes everywhere. When it rains the water gathers in the deepest points of the dunes forming beautiful lagoons. I only did the “Passeo de Atins” Tour, i.e. with a car you drive from Barreirinhas to Atins and you visit two lagoons in the park, where you can relax in the refreshing water. If you like biking, there are also tours where you can ride a bike through the dunes (special sand bikes with thicker wheels).

The next day I already went back to São Luis – again with a shuttle – and took a walk in the city centre. It is a World Heritage Site- beautiful colonial buildings, a vivid marketplace with many restaurant options and good music in the streets. This atmosphere invites to sit down and enjoy a cool beer or a fresh juice. The shuttle cost me (one-way) only 70BRL, while the public bus would have been 62BRL. The shuttle picks you up at the airport or hostel in Sao Luis and brings you directly to your hostel in Barreirinhas and vice versa, which makes the shuttle not only less expensive but also time-saving. Just ask your hostel to book a shuttle for you!

Again, an airport – this time flight from São Luis to Recife.  I love Brazil but travelling can be quite cumbersome as the destinations you want to see are often so far apart, that taking a bus is just insane. I am happy to take busses for 10 or 12hours, but not for 30h or more, so, unfortunately, taking a plane is the better option for me.

Recife – a city with dutch influence

Recife was once the capital of New Holland or “Dutch Brazil” (17th century). Some influence can still be felt in the old part of Recife. Recife is also called the Venice of Brazil, given that the city is located at the sea and that for example the quarters “Recife Antigo” and “Santo Antonio” are separated from each other and the rest of the city by water.

I stayed in Boa Viagem close to the airport. Unfortunately, the first day was cloudy and a little bit rainy, so instead of taking a nice break at the beach, I instead went for a run on the beach. It is a very nice one – though it is directly in the city with the high buildings next to it. On day two, I decided to take a guided city tour through Recife and Olinda. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and the agency forgot to pick me up, only with almost 2h delay I joined the group. Therefore, I have unfortunately missed the historic centre of Recife. The tour guide was really good and changed my mood quite quickly and Olinda is just stunning. It is an old colonial village, with colourful houses, many churches and a great view of the ocean. 

The start of my crazy 12-days-roadtrip (>1.900km) – First stop: Costa do Sauipe

I again took a plane from Recife to Salvador, where I got a rental car. I drove up to Costa do Sauipe – a beautiful resort on an amazing beach – I guessed, that after travelling on budget for 4 months I deserved some more luxury for my 30^th-birthday – enjoying all-inclusive on a nice beach.

Second stop: Chapada Diamantina

After resting for a few days, I got into my car again and drove 6,5h to Chapada Diamantina, after I fell in love with Chapada dos Guimaraes last year. My stay was accidentally falling on a weekend, so I booked the weekend package with one of the tour agencies. However, when doing the tour, I found out, that they only went to places, you can visit without a guide as well – if you have a car and you do not mind driving on sandy roads. All the places are beautiful. I was at Cachoeira do Mosquito. It is called that way because, in Chapada Diamantina, many Diamonds were found, but at this waterfall, most of the diamonds were very tiny so-called Mosquitos.  The place is quite easy to find. If you have a map, it is good, but you won`t get lost given that there are signs on each crossroad. Once you reach the Fazenda (Farm) owning the land, on which the waterfall is located, you will have to pay an entrance fee and then you drive another maybe 15minutes to the parking lot for the waterfall. From here you need less than 30 minutes to descend to the bottom of the waterfall, where you can also take a refreshing bath.

Next stop was another river or another waterfall – Poço Diablo. Again, easy to reach by car. The restaurant/souvenir shop, which is also the entry to the river is directly on the highway to Seabra – no driving on sandy streets needed. While many people just stayed at the first waterfall and the first pool, we walked about 20minutes downstream. First, we had to climb over some stones to reach the other side of the river and from there we followed the path. What is weird in Brazil, if there is water involved, the tour guides will always hand out lifesaving vests to everyone. The natural pool we went in had almost no current and was very calm, so I just decided to sneak into the water without the jacket – like the people without a tour guide. I always feel like a turtle when I wear one. Usually, it is not fitting very well, and, in the water, it will just go up to my face making me look like a turtle who is lurking out of his shell and I cannot swim with such a vest. I understand that they have vests with them because many people cannot swim or don’t swim very well, so it is safer, but yeah if the water is calm, I really don’t want one unless I do fluctuation 😊

After that, we went to a nice viewpoint to see the sunset and the “camel mountain”. I forget the name of it, it was something with “Vale do….”

The next day – to my surprise – I had an Austrian tour guide and a couple from Berlin in my group. The tour guide spoke Portuguese with me at the beginning and introduced himself as Pedro, only when the couple from Berlin joined, he started speaking German with them. I was already puzzling how a Brazilian learns German with a perfect Austrian dialect when he revealed, that he is actually from Austria. That day we visited the Gruta Lapa Doce, a cave, and then we went to Fazenda Prathina. On the land of this Fazenda, there are two caves – filled with water – the Gruta Prathina and the Gruta Azul. The Fazenda is a touristic hot spot, it is more like an entertainment park than a farm. If you want, you can do “Tiroleser” (20BRL) or lend snorkelling equipment and enter the Gruta Prathina (40BRL). Or you can get a professional underwater/ in the water photoshoot. My group just decided to drink a beer and take a bath in the river – which was a very good decision. The only thing is that the little fish in the water like to eat your skin, so you need to keep on moving to stop them from coming near you. Just moving arms and legs is not enough, I got bitten in the back and I do not why the back was the most uncomfortable place.

Finally, we went to the Morro do Pai Inacio. Again, through a sandy road, we went up halfway to a parking lot from where we climbed up the stony hill. From the first viewpoint, you can see one side of the Chapada, with its beautiful, perfect formation. If you go a little bit further up to the cross to the second viewpoint, you see the other side of the Chapada. I had the impressions, that Brazilians are not afraid of heights. There is no railing or something protecting you from falling. So, some Brazilians tried to get the perfect shot sitting on the edge. It is insane. I stayed away at least 2 meters as I was too afraid to trip and then falling, the clumsy person I am.

These were my first two weeks back in Brazil. Plan for the next week: Drive to Chapada dos Veadeiros and visit more waterfalls and enjoy nature, then Brasilia and from there another plane to Sao Paulo.

Getting around in Brazil

• Brazil is extremely huge. Even if two cities look close to each other on the map, they aren´t and even if the roads are good, you have a speed limit of 80km/h or 100km/h and close to the cities and busy streets lots of speed cameras and the fees are quite high
• Overnight buses are a good option if the destination is 6-12hours away. Beyond this, I would honestly try to split the travel or take a plane. There are several airlines in Brazil, e.g. Lineas Azul is the budget airline followed by GOL. Latam tends to be a little bit more expensive.
• The public bus system in Brazil is very good – you usually find buses going to all famous destinations if the distance is reasonable.  The website https://www.buscaonibus.com.br/ is a good starting point to find out which company is operating the route you want to travel as well as their schedule and the prices. They are thousands of bus companies and they usually only operate between two or three destinations. Tickets can be bought at the ticket counter of the respective company at the terminal (rodoviario) or you can try to buy them online. Buying online can sometimes a little bit tricky, not all websites allow foreigners to buy something. You might have to enter a Brazilian Tax number (CPF) and a Brazilian phone number to make the booking.
• A Rental Car – I like Rental Cars – you are more flexible; you can stop wherever you want to stop. Especially if you visit the Chapadas or Bom Jardin it is good to have a car, then you are not dependent on an agency and you can visit the attractions by yourself (at least many of the attractions can be visited without a guide)