Brazil - Rio and Salvador
Rio is an amazing place and you can see in a fairly short space of time the very poor areas and the very rich areas. We were on an escorted trip and as such felt pretty safe the whole time we were there. Our hotel was a short walk from Copocabana beach, where we spent quite a long time just wondering along watching all the different activities going on. We were there at the weekend so the beaches were packed with locals, it was fascinating seeing a normal weekend in Rio!
As part of the trip we also went to see Sugar Loaf Mountain. Access was by two cable cars which take you up to the different levels. Even if you are afraid of heights, it is worth trying to overcome this as the views are amazing. From here Christ The Redeemer looks really small! Next we were back on the coach ready to board the train that takes you up to Corcovado. The statue of Christ The Redeemer is really huge and very high up offering really spectacular views!
A 2 hour flight took us back to our beach hotel. The food here was fantastic – we had a choice of restaurants including Japanese. Having never tried sushi before this was a great opportunity for us to try new things! There was also a traditional Brasilian Steak House which was similar to the one we had dined at in Rio. They serve all kinds of meats on skewers and they basically keep coming until you tell them to stop!
Our hotel was around 3km from a little village called Praia do Forte. Unlike Rio it was really safe here and we were able to walk along the beautiful beach. Although it is quite hard work walking on the sand in the heat it was well worth it as the beach was really unspoilt and almost deserted. Praia do Forte is a pretty little village, it has lots of shops (some quite expensive) but also has a lot of stalls to get your souvenirs and bargains. You’ll find things cheaper here than at the hotel. There is also a Turtle Reserve, which is only a couple of pounds to get in and although it is fairly small it’s nice to go in and do your bit. Turtles nest on the beaches in this area and like everywhere they have a very low survival rate so this is to try and help their chances. Also, definitely try a ‘Coco Gelado’, we asked for a Coke and this is what we got but we were grateful of the error! It’s an ice cold fresh coconut with a straw and it cost us US$1!
Another great day out was the Imbassai River Trip. This took us in a 4x4 with no glass in the windows, (which was very windy!), to a river in the local area. The river is completely safe and there are no piranhas or crocodiles! Then we canoed for about 3km down the Imbassai River in Canadian canoes. We stopped for a quick dip, and the water was very warm and very clear, in fact the locals were doing their washing in it! Then after this we walked for about half an hour along a completely deserted beach as the sun was going down, to a local village called Sant Antonio. It got the name from a statue of Sant Antonio that was washed up on the beach, and that was why they decided to build the village there. The village is very small, and before the tourist road was built about 10 years ago it took them 2 days to get to the next village.
Overall, we had a great time in Brazil but barely scratched the surface – there is so much to see and do and I am sure we will return again in the future to see other parts of the country.