Brazil
A foot on the southern-american continent
March 2012
My trip to Brazil is another one that I managed to squeeze in after an event we produced for a client in Salvador de Bahia. Actually, it took place outside of town, in a holiday resort with conference facilities.
The Mexican operations of our company, advised us to use a supplier out of Sao Paulo they usually work with whenever they need to go down there. They happened to be really good and exceeded our expectations.
I then had a couple of days to visit Salvador before going down to Rio for another few days.
|
I picked a hotel on the waterfront, at the limit between the Ocean and the Bay of All Saints. Then strolled through the city, indulging the atmosphere and local life; feeling no sense of insecurity, as many people had alarmed me about. The old town was particularly interesting with a lot of colourful houses to be seen among the cobbled streets. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On the next day, I planned on taking a boat ride to one of the islands in the bay, where people usually come and spend their days off away from the crowded beaches. I first went to the main passenger harbour but actually boarding was at a remote marina. To get there I had to catch a bus that I never found, so I hauled a taxi that drove for over an hour, way into the suburbs.
When I got to the marina a boy ran up to me offering to board a ship going nowhere I was aware of... as long as he drops me on one of those islands and I could come back the same day, I was happy.
|
After having walked around the island, I settled at one of the bars on the beach and after a few beers while reading my book I had a chat with that guy who lives in San Francisco spending holidays here, visiting his family. He helped me order a nice plate of giant prawns grilled and served with herbs and olive oil. |
|
A few beers later and the end of my book, it was time to catch the last boat back to mainland where I viewed the sunset on the Bay of All Saints, before catching a 2 hours hell-of-a-bus-ride back to Salvador. |
|
On the following morning I caught a direct bus to the airport to fly to Rio, where it was pouring rain. The information to catch public transport was not clear at all. So I lazily grabbed a cab that dropped me at the hostel I had booked online, said to be the best one in town, the Mango Hostel. |
|
|
The next day was grey and slightly rainy but I anyway wandered out along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. Afters a few hours walk and a stop at a cybercafé to process some work, I caught a bus that brought me to the foot of the "Sugar Loaf" and then up it in the cable car, it isn't really recommended to walk it. |
|
After a metro ride back to the hostel, I started chatting with that girl I was pretty sure I had seen at the Sugar Loaf. Ellen is backpacking South-America on her own for 9 months! We decided to spend the next day together wandering around town and especially going up to the main tourist attraction in Rio: Corcovado, the Christ up on the hill! The clouds just cleared when getting up there opening up the views over the city mingled between sea, hills and jungle. 
|
|
We spent the afternoon on Ipanema beach indulging the local atmosphere of Brazilian’s favourite activity. The next morning, Ellen was sick, due to some ear infection and needed some sleep. I wandered off to the markets and some other neighborhoods and came back to the hostel with some food to cook us some lunch. Then back to the beach for la siesta! Catching, amongst other pictues, the sun setting... |
Ellen, La Viajera
|
Final day, a run and some gym on the beach, packed with Brazilians working out on their Sunday morning, I mingle in as a local.
After sharing a pizza and a bottle of wine with Ellen, I got a taxi back to the airport as I was not really confident in what bus route to take to get to the airport...
A night flight and dawn arrival in Paris Charles De Gaulle...
A night flight and dawn arrival in Paris Charles De Gaulle...
|
Back to top of page.
|