I love those first moments when you have stepped foot in a new place that has intrigued you for ages. Whether it has intrigued you because it is famous or because you have a particulate fascination with it or because it is incredibly remote and was a feat to get to. As you can imagine, the Amazon was such a place for me. It has always been a place, at least in my mind, that I felt in order to call myself a true adventurer I needed to visit.
My morning began early and at a port along the Amazon River in Manaus. I boarded my boat and my heart was aflutter with excitement! There were some loud Italians chain smoking in the front of the boat, so I excused myself and went to the back to have some alone time with my thoughts. What did this magical place have in store for me over these next few days?
Setting sail down the Amazon River!
The scenery during the first 20 minutes of the boat-ride was nothing special, however soon the river’s mouth began to narrow and the surrounding jungle became lusher. I knew then that I had arrived. I began to experience those “first moments” that I previously mentioned. Simply surreal!
The best way to see the Amazon is to fly into the city of Manaus, which is considered the gateway. In Manaus you will be able to find copious companies that will offer tours to suit all budgets. I wanted accommodations on the more luxurious side, however I also wanted to take daily excursions deeper into the jungle and further along the river. This is why I chose the eco-lodge that I would be staying at, as it seemed to be exactly what I desired.
My first view of the Amazon EcoPark Jungle Lodge.
The outside of my jungle cabin. Yep, that is the Amazon Rainforest around it!
At check-in I was told that my tour guide was in the midst of giving someone else a tour and that he would pick me up soon for my first tour to the Monkey Forest. I unpacked, sprayed myself with (organic) bug spray, and made sure my camera was ready to go. I also jumped up and down, silently screamed, and did a little dance, haha. I was in the Amazon!!!
An hour later I heard a knock at my door. It was my guide, Alberto. I did not know who to expect when I opened the door, but I did know from the moment he smiled at me that we would become close and fast friends. Alberto had grown up in the jungle for the first 25 years of his life. After encountering some tourists, his curiosity led him to want to learn more about the rest of the world. He left the jungle for Manaus, where he studied tourism and learned fluent English and Russian. He returned back to the jungle years later, however this time it was to give tours, not to live. He quickly became one of the most sought out guides in the entire Amazon. It is easy to understand why after being around him. He exudes this incredible energy and his knowledge of the land is impressive beyond words.
Me on my way to the Monkey Forest.
Our first stop of the day was to an island about 10 minutes away from the eco-lodge. It is named the Monkey Forest, because on the island there is a center for rehabilitation and re-introduction of the monkeys into the wild. It was created with the intention of receiving animals which have been confiscated from illegal commerce. I could hear the monkeys singing while we were still half a mile away!
In this center, the animals are initially put into quarentine to be evaluated and taken care of by a team of vetenarians and biologists. With a high success rate since the start, the animals manage to reproduce naturally, creating new families and ensuring survival of the spieces.
The following are some of my favorite photos I took of the monkeys:
And of course I had to pose with one of the cheeky ones!
Stay tuned to find out what Amazonian adventure I completed next…
If you have been following my posts regarding my trip to Brasil, then you have already stepped into the world of Casa 32. So, I am sure you can understand then why I chose to remain there for my last day in Rio. I could have gone to one of the numerous glorious beaches or shopped for some Havaianas or climbed Sugar Loaf Mountain, but instead I grabbed my book, sunnies, and found the perfect spot by the pool.
This was my view for the day.
Several hours into my sunbathing session, the owner, Lucio, brought me a delicious fresh coconut drink and turned on some Samba music. I seriously felt like I was in heaven! He even made sure to send his son-in-law over every hour or so to clean the pool. Beside the pool was a sauna and when I needed a break from the sun I would take turns visiting it and the al fresco shower.
Surrounding Casa 32 is the remnants of a rain forest that truly makes you feel like you are in the middle of the Amazon and not in a major metropolitan city. I loved the feeling of taking a vacation inside of a vacation! It was an incredible backdrop for me to reflect on my time in a city that I had fallen head-over-heels in love with in only a few days time. I had been warned of Rio’s powerful seduction, however I had no idea it would be this magical of an experience! It is of no wonder to me now why Brasilians call it Cidade Maravilhosa, or Marvelous City.
Sadly, my flight to Manaus was approaching and I needed to finish packing. Lucio told me to make sure that I saved some time in order to say a proper goodbye. When I went searching for him a little later, I found him and his closest relatives by the pool in the midst of a cookout. I did not want to interrupt their party, but as soon as Lucio saw me he got very excited. The cookout had been arranged for me as a farewell celebration and I was the guest-of-honor! I was really, really touched.
Me and my farewell meal. Do you see the flower that was so sweetly put on my plate by Lucio?
Before I got inside the taxi that was to take me to the airport, Lucio, his daughter, Joana, and I posed for a picture in front of the main door to Casa 32. I refused to say “goodbye” to them, since I knew with all certainty that I would be returning one day soon. What I did not know, was just how soon, but you will have to stay tuned for a couple of more posts to uncover that story.
Since it was our last night out in Rio (or so I thought, stay tuned for that misadventure), we simply had to paint the town red! I had heard from countless people that Lapa was the place to be, so we hopped on the subway (Rio really does have one of the best in the world) and made our way there.
My 1st view of Lapa. Told you we were painting the town red!
Lapa is a neighborhood that is home to a weekly massive street party. This is the place to go to experience pure Rio at night! It definitely is not the safest place in the city, but fun always has an element of danger to it, right? In all seriousness, if you stick to the main street you will be just fine.
As we walked around Lapa it was impossible to not be enchanted by the people dancing throughout the streets to the samba drums and the smell of the Brasilian food being cooked by the vendors. It was such a thrilling experience, only made better by the delicious caipifrutas (a caipirinha with fresh fruit) that I was consuming.
The drinks lady!
My favorite part of Lapa actually had nothing to do with the nightlife, rather it was art-related. One of the side streets, named Escadaria Selarón, is covered with colorful, hand-painted tiles from all over the world. This brilliant, constantly evolving, work-of-art is by the celebrated Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. I could have easily spent hours looking at all of the tiles.
A part of the Escadaria Selarón.
My favorite tile of course!
Keren and I enjoying our caipifrutas amongst the tiles.
At the end of the night, I was saddened to say goodbye to my new friends (this part of traveling NEVER gets easy), however they promised to visit me in the States and I promised to visit them in Israel. I am a woman of my word, so do not be surprised if in a couple of months you see some posts on a trip to the Middle East!
I strongly believe that the media is responsible for a lot of misconceptions around the world. They love to dramatize stories, which creates unnecessary fear in many peoples minds. A perfect example of this are the notorious Brasilian favellas. These shanty towns have been labeled as the most dangerous places in the world. I have sadly heard them referred to as “slums” on more than one occasion. So, you might be asking yourself why on earth would I take a tour of one of them then? Well, 1) I love exploring places that I am told not to and 2) I wanted to de-myth this idea that if you entered one you were basically asking for a death sentence.
My Israeli friends had met this man named Alex the previous night at their hostel who was rumored to lead one of the best tour’s in the city. Within moments of meeting Alex for myself, I knew this would be quite an interesting tour, as he was incredibly passionate about his job.
From the hostel we walked about 10 minutes to the foot of a mountain. Surprisingly, Alex was more scared of us being robbed on this walk then when we actually set foot inside the favela. We decided to take a taxi up the mountain, since it was very hot outside and it would have been at least an hour long walk to the top.
My 1st view of the favela we would be touring.
As we drove up the steep incline I began to see poverty that was difficult to stomach. I would like to note an observation though that I have made repeatedly throughout my experiences in shanty towns, especially in South Africa and Bolivia; while the residents are some of the poorest people in the world, they also tend to be some of most joyous and optimistic people I have ever encountered. It is so inspiring to me, as these people do not have physical wealth, but their emotional wealth is abundant.
By the time we had reached the top, Alex had given us a complete history of the favela. He explained that at 1st the police had tried to stop the crime and drug wars that existed within the favela with violence, which only resulted in more corruption. Then, the police moved into the favela and had a strong peaceful presence, and everything began to improve. Thus, this is one of the reasons why it is safe to take tours of most of the favelas. Because Alex dedicated his entire life to helping his neighbors, they not only treated him with the utmost respect, but he was also considered to be an honorary mayor of sorts.
We had just gotten out of the taxi when the man on the right approached Alex, who is on the left, to show off his new necklace. He was a character to say the least!
Within minutes of the beginning of the tour I was reminded of the old adage, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Alex had taken us to the home of his friend. From the outside it looked like this:
Although, from the inside it had this view:
That is Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance.
Me and my lovely Israeli friends.
Our next stop was to Alex’s hostel/restaurant/jazz club, which is very famous in Rio. The Maze has been home to many beloved musical artists, such as the Black Eyed Peas. Go to Youtube and type in “the maze” and I think you will be impressed!
The architecture of the hostel itself was a work of art, very Gaudi-esque.
Alex taking a photo of me.
The actual photo that Alex took.
And the views, well, let us just say they were by far the best in Rio!!!
The next stop was to Alex’s “school.” I put this in quotations, as it is in the process of being built. I thought that I was a pretty ambitious person, but Alex definitely wins the award for the most ambitious person I have ever met. He spent about 30 minutes detailing his dreams of opening up a first-class school in the middle of the favela and while I hope with all of my heart and soul that his dreams do come true, I highly doubt it as he would need some serious financial support. However, I must say that it is touching to meet someone who cares so deeply about their society and dedicates every minute of their day to bettering the world. I wish that I had taken pictures, but I was so engrossed with his story that I simply forgot.
As we walked back to the taxi stand some men on their motorcycles stopped to talk to Alex. One offered me a ride down the mountain. I asked Alex if it was okay and he said of course. So, I hopped on the back of one and bid my friends “tchau!”
I like to ride in style, what can I say!
If you would like to watch some videos of my ride down click here and here.
After our tour ended, we all went our separate ways to get ready for our final evening out in Rio…
This was one of those days where I spent countless moments feeling blessed for having discovered the path of exploration. I truly live a life less ordinary! I want to warn you ahead of time, there will be a lot of photos in this post and in the next. Thankfully, I saw such an abundance of beauty, that I simply cannot leave out most of the photos that were taken. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!
The night before, the Israeli’s and I decided to meet at 8AM next to the train station that would take us up to see Christ the Redeemer. I arrived promptly, but did not see them anywhere. Already by that time there was a 2-4 hour wait. I was just about to give up on my friends 15 minutes later when I saw them pull up in a taxi. The 3 of us decided that there was so much we wanted to do/see in Rio and if we waited that long, then we would not be able to fit it all into the day. I saw some guys around the corner offering other tourists rides up the mountain in their cars for less than a train ticket would cost AND there would not be any wait. It seemed a little sketchy, but I am always up for an adventure! We paid for our ride and soon enough we were on our way up the mountain.
We stopped about half-way up at a lookout point that had magnificent views of the statue and Rio (if you take the train up, you do not get to stop at said lookout point).
My 1st view of Christ the Redeemer.
A view of both Rio and the statue (see him on the far right?).
A view of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, along with Sugarloaf mountain.
I should say a little about my new friends. Their names are Keren and Tamir and they are both flight attendants for an Israeli airline, which has them flying all over the world. Yes, I am beyond envious of their lives as well! They are 2 of the nicest people I have encountered throughout my travels. I know I probably say that about everyone I meet, as I tend to love all travelers, however they really added a lot of sunshine to my already incredibly bright trip.
As we were walking back from the lookout point to the car, Keren spotted something in a tree. She yelled, “Look at the hamster!” I was so confused. Then she said, “No, I mean koala!” Then I was REALLY confused. Seconds later, I saw a monkey swing from the trees and I realized what she was talking about. I love those “lost in translation” moments!
The rare Brasilian hamster/koala hybrid.
It took us about another hour to make it to the top. In all honesty, I am glad that I did not miss this experience, but I was not majorly impressed with the statue. Maybe because it does not resonate with me on a religious level or maybe because I am bit jaded with my travels throughout Asia, where the statues are larger and older? Nonetheless, the photos came out really well and now I can say that I have seen another Wonder of the World. I have already seen the Great Wall of China, Machu Pichu, the Roman Colosseum, and Chichen Itza. Next month I will be able to add the Taj Mahall to the list as well!
I think we only spent about 10 minutes at the foot of statue before starting our decent. On the way back down the mountain we planned out the rest of our day. First, we needed to refuel our energy with some acai though. We made a quick stop at my friend’s hostel and then found a nearby cafe. I seriously became an acai addict on this trip!
Tamir and I with our acai.
Now Keren and I with our acai.
After we were properly satiated, our next stop was to one of the notorious favelas, where I had an unforgettable experience…
Surprisingly, I did not wake up with a nasty hangover, which I would have bet a million dollars would have been the case (I consumed a bottle of champagne and 4 caipirinhas the previous night…and quite possibly some shots of cachaça, but my memory is a bit foggy). Since I had already missed half the day sleeping, I decided to quickly get ready so that I could fit in some sightseeing before the sun went down.
Me leaving my pousada on New Year's Day!
I decided to walk to the train station that would lead me to O Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer. It was about a 10 minute walk. However, it took me about 30 minutes, since of course I had to stop and take pictures of every interesting thing along the way. My 1st photo-op was the crumbling and colorful mansion outside of my pousada. It just begged me to take its photo!
The owners of my pousada warned me that the people who lived inside the mansion were crazy and that I should avoid them. I could not help but think though that I bet these people had some pretty fascinating stories to share. Too bad I do not speak Portuguese!
My next photo-op was a graffiti covered wall that was simply too long to be photographed entirely. Thus, I chose my favorite section. If someone can explain the naked woman giving us the middle finger, I would love to hear your explanation.
When I finally arrived at the train station I was greeted with a gigantic line of people. I was promised that the wait was only 1 hour long, so I decided to join the line. I realized though after about 30 minutes of not moving, that in fact it was going to take many hours. I found an attendant and after a little bit of flirting on my part he confessed that it would probably take about 8 hours. 8 hours!!! He said that I should come back at 7AM the next morning to avoid the same situation. I wanted to see this Wonder of the World, excpet not bad enough to wait 8 hours underneath the blazing sun. I decided that I would return the next day like he had suggested.
I walked back to my pousada and made a couple of calls to my friends. They told me that they had just arrived at Copacabana beach and that I should join them. I hopped in a taxi and soon my next photo-ops presented themselves to me.
You cannot leave South America without getting a football shot!
The sun began to set behind the mountains and the beach was illuminated with a myriad of colors. I wish that I had brought my better camera with me, but I do not think any camera would have been able to really capture the beauty that I was witnessing.
I spotted my friends at a cafe on the beach and joined them. Within minutes I had a caipirinha in my hand and I was one happy lady!
One of the friend’s I was with was my Brasilian friend, Alberto. He and I had met each other 3 years earlier in NYC and had kept in contact through Facebook. I promised him year after year that I would visit Brasil. I think he was starting to lose faith in me, especially when he saw my status updates saying that I was traveling in neighboring countries. Nonetheless, I kept my promise, like I always do, and it was nice to catch up with him in person.
Alberto and I on Copacabana beach.
I also got to meet some of his other lovely friends. I really connected with his 2 friends from Israel, so much so that we agreed to spend the following day exploring the city together. We all then ordered this interesting dish called, “ice cream pizza.” It is pizza that is fashioned to look like an ice cream cone; the crust is the cone and stuffed inside, like the ice cream would be, is cheese and various toppings. It was an excellent compliment to the caipirinhas.
Before we left the cafe to meet other friends at a different bar, I was afforded one last photo-op.
After my flights and tours were booked, the last thing left to decide was where I would stay in Rio. I searched tirelessly to find an affordable place near the beaches of Copacabana or Ipanema, however the cheapest room I could find was around $500/night and I would not have even paid $100 to stay at these places. After much thought, I decided to search for either a boutique hotel or B&B further inside the city. I figured I could just hop in a taxi whenever I wanted to go to the beach.
I am not sure how I stumbled across Casa 32, but thank goodness I did, because it is hands-down the BEST place I have ever stayed in on any of my travels (and I have stayed in some pretty amazing places). I was shocked that they still had availability when I inquired, as most places are booked almost a year in advance for New Years. I knew that Casa 32 was special before arriving, but it definitely blew my expectations away!
Casa 32 has an incredibly rich history that dates back to the 17th Century. Some very famous people have owned it and several years ago an extraordinary man named Lucio bought the property and with the help of his equally extraordinary daughter, Joana, turned it into a pousada. While it lies in the center of Rio, you truly feel like you have escaped the city when you are there. It is located in a small picturesque square, Largo do Boticario, that lies off a main street. Surrounding the pousada is the Atlantic rainforest and from the grounds you have a view of Christ the Redeemer. There are 2 suites inside the neo-colonial mansion. Each one features baroque hand-crafted ceilings and original hand-painted Portuguese tiles. It is both stylishly and luxuriously decorated. As you walk up the sweeping iron and marble staircase to your suite you truly feel like royalty. My suite consisted of 3 rooms: a living room with 2 couches and bar, a bedroom with a king-size bed, desk and flat screen TV, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi and shower. Every morning a cook will prepare a delicious gourmet breakfast and in the afternoon she will bake a traditional Brasilian cake and set out coffee and tea. Upon arrival you will also get a cell phone.
The best part about Casa 32 were the owners, who treated me like family. They invited me to meals and engaged me in conversations for hours. At the end of my stay they even invited me to join them on vacation this summer in Europe!
Here are some photos that will allow you to step into the world that is Casa 32 (unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the suite, please see the link above for more photos)…
I failed to mention several things on my last post that happened after I arrived in Rio, because most of it occurred past midnight technically making it the next day. It was about half past 11 when my plane finally landed and it was also pouring rain. My heart sank, as bad weather does not a happy New Year’s celebration on the beach make (tomorrow was New Year’s Eve). Though before I stepped foot in Brasil I promised myself a stress-less trip. Whatever was to happen, would happen, and I was to just go with the flow. So, now this was my 1st test. I took a couple of deep breaths and a smile returned to my face…I was in Rio!!!
I hopped inside a taxi and it was past 12 by the time I arrived at my pousada, or bed & breakfast. More on my pousada later (it deserves its own post, trust me it is that special!). The co-owners Joana and Lucio (a daughter and father) greeted me with hugs and kisses and within minutes I felt like I was part of their family. They showed me around the grounds and asked me about my plans for New Year’s Eve, since the weather forecast was rain for another couple of days. I told them that I was supposed to be celebrating with friends on the beach, but that I was not sure what would happen if the rain kept up. They told me that it had not rained on New Year’s Eve in about a century and that the mayor had spent quite a bit of money hiring of a famous spiritual guide who claimed that she could pray away the rain. We all had a nervous little laugh about this.
I had been very tired on the airplane, however I experienced a burst of energy and did not want to go to sleep yet. I called to my friend Katu, one of the organizers of the Couchsurfing Pan-American event. Thankfully, he was still awake, as it was now around 1, and we went out for some late night drinks and conversation that lasted until about 6 in the morning!
When I awoke around 2 the next day, it was still raining. I spent most of the day getting to know my pousada’s owners better and catching up on e-mail. I am not going to lie and say that I was not concerned about the rain, since my entire trip was planned around this night, but this was one time where I was absolutely powerless when it came to the situation and I refused to let it ruin my trip. Around 6 I was just about to call to my friends and see what the new plans were, when magically not only did the rain stop, but the intense humidity disappeared as well, making it one beautiful evening. I think we were all in shock for about 10 minutes or so. What an incredible turn of events! I quickly ran to my room to get ready for the huge celebrations that were going to be taking place soon. I donned my white dress, since wearing white on New Year’s Eve is a tradition in Brasil for good luck.
My 1st sip of champagne of the night.
Me and my white dress...bring on the good luck for 2010!!!
So, the plan was to 1st meet up with the Couchsurfers and then I would find my other friends. I had specific directions, except the moment I arrived at Copacabana Beach, I was greeted with this scene…
A snapshot of the 2 million.
I was seriously overwhelmed by the amount of people I saw, but within moments the incredible energy of the city and the 2 million+ crowd infected me, and I was on such a high! I felt super blessed to be experiencing this and I gave a quick thanks to the Universe (and the spiritual guide who prayed away the rain) for making it happen. I walked along the promenade for about 20 minutes before finding the post that I was told the Couchsurfing tents would be in front of.
Posto 4 on Copacabana Beach.
The Couchsurfing tents.
I am certain that most of my readers have heard about Couchsurfing, so I will not go into great detail about the amazing site. I will say, however that Couchsurfers are amongst some of the greatest people in the world that you will ever encounter. Almost instantly after finding the tents, I had made countless new friends from various countries. I enjoyed their company so much so that I decided to not leave and look for my non-Couchsurfing friends. I called them and told them that we could meet the next night.
Me with my new Couchsurfing friends!
I was lucky to meet Thyago, a Brasilian Couchsurfer, within an hour of arriving. We had an instant connection and he kept me company for the rest of the evening. I learned so much about Brasil from him.
Me and Thyago.
About 5 minutes before midnight, we all headed down to the water to get ready for the fireworks. Another Brasilian New Year’s Eve tradition for good luck is to jump 7 waves, so people started to undress in order to get into the ocean. Since I was wearing white, I chose to jump the waves that came in on the sand in order to avoid my dress becoming see-through (along with most of the other girls). At midnight the fireworks exploded in the sky and it was pure magic!!! For almost 20 minutes the sky was alight with color and sound. What an extraordinary way to begin a new century! Here are 2 of my favorite photos from the fireworks show:
Ater the show ended, Thyago and I walked about a quarter of a mile to see a famous Brasilian band perform. I wish that I could remember their name, because I really liked them and would have loved to have been able to purchase their CD.
The night/day ended at sunrise. To say that I will always remember this experience is simply an understatement. I hope with all of my heart that I am able to come back to Rio again soon for another New Year’s Eve. I cannot imagine a better city to celebrate it in! HAPPY NEW YEAR WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, my room was right above the restaurant, so I was woken up bright and early by the kitchen staff setting up breakfast. On a positive note, I was the 1st to arrive breakfast and therefore the 1st to arrive at the pool, so I was able to get the best seat as witnessed by this photo…
Not a bad view, huh?
The hotel pool.
I knew that the next week ahead was going to be filled with lots of activity, thus I decided to just relax for the entire day. Around midday I went for a stroll along the beach. Here are some photos from the walk:
One thing that I took note of is the incredible confidence Brasilian women have. Every single one of them, no matter age or size, exude this enviable lack of self-consciousness. Having grown up in the States, where girls from an early age develop all sorts of issues with their bodies, it was delightful to see a culture where all bodies are celebrated. And I could tell that the men loved it too! I decided that I was going to try and adopt this attitude for the rest of my trip.
My 1st attempt at acting like a Brasilian woman was to get photographed in my bikini (eeek!).
The day came to and end way too quickly and before I knew it I was saying tchau to Porto and heading back to Recife for my evening flight to Rio. I could have easily spent another week in Porto, but I was excited to finally experience Rio. I have been wanting visit the infamous city for many, many years!
My trip had really begun the day before, thus I should say this is “Day 2″, but nothing too exciting had happened as I had been traveling for almost 24 hours to arrive at my ultimate destination of Porto de Galinhas. Porto, as it is affectionately called by the locals, is a sea-side village about a 1 hour car-ride away from Recife. Recife is a much larger city and it definitely deserves to be visited, however my time was limited and I opted to skip it and spend my time in Porto, which is known for its awesome scuba diving sites. I had to wake up quite early on this morning, since my 1st dive was scheduled for 7AM. Normally, I am not a morning person, but the excitement from traveling erases all sense of time for me. Plus, I had this view to greet me as I walked to breakfast…
Sunrise in Porto.
As I ate my 1st delicious breakfast in Brasil, which consisted of tropical fruit and Brasilian coffee, I wondered why more people do not travel? I understand that there are things that get in the way at times, ie. finances, work, and family to name a few, but I firmly believe that if you make it a necessity, rather than view it as a luxury, then it becomes possible. Life is magical when you travel. Every day you wake up not knowing what adventure you will face or what person will cross your path. The possibilities are endless! Why people would not want to experience this from time to time, to break from their daily routines and live a life less ordinary, is something I will never understand. Nonetheless, I feel blessed to have discovered traveling and I will definitely continue to make it an integral part of my life, a necessity, as previously stated.
Porto de Galinhas means “Chicken Port” in Portuguese. According to my Lonely Planet guide it received this name because, “The original name was Porto Rico, but after the slave market was prohibited, slaves had to be brought secretly to Brazil. In this port the buyers and sellers started a code; when there were ships with slaves in the docks they would say “There is new chicken in the port”, and that is why it was renamed to Porto de Galinhas. I hate that the name is based in racism, but I cannot change history.
My 1st encounter with a chicken statue (these can be found all over town) was with 'Scuba Chicken.' How appropriate, since I was on my way to scuba dive!
The dive center that I used was called Porto Point and was located in the center of town, directly across from the beach. None of the people in the center spoke 1 word of English, despite me being told otherwise. At 1st I was a little alarmed and then I decided to just go with it. I have dived about 30+ times and figured by now I know what I am doing. I followed my dive guide to the beach and then proceeded to get on the most interesting “boat” I have ever ridden on before!
My ride to the reef.
Our gear on the "boat." I took this photo from the water.
Once we began the dive I found it quite humorous that while my guide and I did not speak the same language and could not communicate on land, under the water we did speak the same language of scuba dive hand signals and had no problem communicating now! I descended about 20 meters on my 1st dive and 15 meters on my 2nd dive. The most exciting spotting was of some sea horses (a 1st for me). Having dived in the South Pacific, Caribbean, and the Australian and Belizian Great Barrier Reefs I consider myself a bit of dive snob now. So, it takes a lot for me to be impressed. At least, I get to say that I dived in Brasil now though! In addition, it was nice to have my guide to myself (also a 1st).
Me in my favorite place to be, under water!
After my dives, I returned to my hotel for some much needed sunbathing and caipirinhas. If you have never had a caipirinha, then get yourself to your local watering-hole pronto! This drink is simply mouthwatering, though I am certain it would not be as tasty if you were drinking it in Brasil.
What could be better than drinking a delicious caipirinha on a gorgeous Brasilian beach? I guess if I had a sexy Brasilian man next to me...
After I hydrated myself sufficiently I took a walk along the beach and thought about what New Year’s resolutions I would make for myself this coming year.
Stunning, right?
I could have stayed at the beach all day, but I was eager to go back into town to do some shopping. Heads up ladies, Porto has some adorable boutiques! I bought some sundresses and a beach cover-up that I fell hard for. I was quite excited to wear it the next day!
An example of one of the boutiques.
I wish that I could say that I celebrated my 1st night in Brasil in style, however I was exhausted and retired to bed early. What a 1st day though in a country I was already enamored with!
