Beautiful Brazil
With a welcome cocktail on the rooftop terrace with swimming pool and amazing views of the Copacabana, we were welcomed by the hotel manager. It was pretty late, but there was still plenty of people on the famous beach, of course mainly playing football. And it was also busy again at 5 in the morning. Because of the jet lag I got up early and Rio was also awake. From the hotel we had a view of the beach as well as a view of the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, which we also went to visit after breakfast.
We went up with a ski lift and the views of the city are truly breath-taking. And there he was for the first time this journey, high on a mountain on the other side we saw the most famous statue of Brazil, the Christ the Redeemer statue. Wow, goose bumps the first time I saw it.
After Sugar Loaf Mountain it was time for lunch in a real Brazilian BBQ restaurant, a so-called Churrascaria. This is not just a BBQ restaurant; the meat is prepared fresh for you and it's the best meat there is. The meat is served at the table in various ways and a piece is cut in front of your nose. It is like having a little party at your table and incredibly tasty.
With our bellies full it was time for something else that makes my heart beat faster, carnival! Rio and the rest of the country have a world-famous carnival tradition and we went to the Carnival Factory, where we were given a tour. A great deal was told about the background, the stories, the history, what it means and so on. It was very impressive, and it is very important for the Brazilians, they have been doing this for a whole year. Finally, we were also dressed in traditional clothing, which made for a hilarious moment, especially when we also had to perform samba moves. If you want to experience a carnival in Rio, book your trip well in time as this is the highlight of the year!
The last stop of the day was at the immense statue of Christ the Redeemer. This iconic monument has been on my wish list for years and I still can't believe I was there. With a train we went up the mountain and we drove through a beautiful area, a jungle in the middle of the city with great views. When we arrived at the top, I thought, "Well, this will be interesting." It was foggy and we didn't see anything. A few more stairs and he suddenly appeared. Wow! Really incredible how big and impressive. The fog was interspersed with clear moments and this made it an extra magical experience.
The following days we explored the city with our guide. A highlight was a visit to the Escadaria Selarón Mosaic Steps (Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams filmed the video for "Beautiful" here). The artwork consists of coloured stairs with all different tiles. People from all over the world have sent tiles so almost every country is represented; there were also some nice Dutch tiles in between. The street art in general around Rio is beautiful; beautiful graffiti that make it a colourful whole. Via the Cathedral of Rio and many shops in the centre (where of course I bought a load of famous Havaianas) our stay in Rio ended in a samba club where we dared to dance after a number of Caipirinhas.
It was time to leave Rio behind us and after a flight of only 2 hours we arrived in the city of Salvador. We stayed in a beautiful old monastery to hotel! In the heart of the historic centre, this was a very unique place to stay. Salvador is the former capital of Brazil. You can see cultural heritage and history everywhere. And of course, there is the music; from the various street cafés to the famous Olodum samba band playing on the street. Michael Jackson recorded his famous video for "They don't care about us" with this samba band.
We did so many different things, we went ziplining at the beach, visited sand dunes, had a wonderful boat trip, strolled through the historic centre and shopping at the market. You will also find great restaurants here, so many different cultures that you taste in the delicious food.
We spent the last days in Praia do Forte, from fine small-scale poussadas to large all-in resorts along the coastline, here too there is something for everyone. Brazil is so incredibly diverse, and I have only seen a small piece, but it was fantastic, the variety makes it a great destination for everyone. Whether you like cities, nature, beach, culture it's all there, a must for couples, young, old, families with kids or the adventurous solo traveller. If you want to know more about this impressive country, please contact me.