Brazil. When you think about my country,
probably your first thoughts are about soccer, Carnival and beautiful women.
Well… Here you’ll find them, sure. But Brazil is much more than just stereotypes,
believe me.
From North to South you can discover
so different landscapes, cultures, food, music, weather, accents, faces… But
our language, Portuguese, unifies us. We are the same people,
apart regional differences. Some people warmer than others, but each of us
love to receive our guests and show up our country.
That’s why, one of the “DOS” in Brazil is to
visit as many regions as possible. You should visit the most famous places,
like Rio de Janeiro
(RJ) and Iguaçu Falls (PR) – but make an effort to expand your itinerary.
You need to plan carefully your
destination. Imagine, Brazil
has 8.514.876 km², while Europe has 10 498 000
km² - if you don’t have a plan, you can spend infinite time exploring this
country.
Brazil doesn’t have train rails like Europe, so your transport will be buses and planes – you
can rent a car eventually. Or you can use a travel agency to plan everything
for you – but then the experience won’t be so authentic (some references below,
just to help you).
So, in my list, I would include the
following destinations in Brazil:
Rio de Janeiro
(RJ); Paraty (RJ); Ouro Preto (MG); Mariana (MG); Tiradentes (MG); Belo
Horizonte (MG); São Paulo (SP); Cataratas do Iguaçú (PR); Florianópolis (SC); Gramado
(RS); Canela (RS); Bonito (MS); Chapada dos Veadeiros (GO); Pantanal (MG); Porto
Seguro (BA); Chapada Diamantina (BA); Jalapão (TO); Manaus (AM) Belém (PA); Lençóis
Maranhenses (MA); Fortaleza and (specially) around (CE); Fernando de Noronha
(PE)...
Such long list (even being a compacted
version)… and lots of kilometres separating each one of those destinations. So,
DO IT: research on internet what you will find in each one, and decide for
those that matches better with your style. Don’t forget that there are lots of
other destinations very interesting. So, make your own research and have fun!
Also, make friends in Brazil! DO IT!
They will help you to plan your trip and have an experience more authentic.
About DONT’S in Brazil…
Don’t forget to use sunscreen,
specially if your skin is white… “Gringos” (foreigners) who are so white with
pink marks along their bodies are pretty funny – and you will suffer with the
pain. Sun is powerful here!
Don’t forget to go to a Barbecue
Restaurant. The amount and quality of meat served will surprise and amaze you :-)
Don’t ask a Brazilian if our capital
is Buenos Aires,
pleaaaaseee. Just to make sure you know the right answer, Brazil’s Capital is BRASILIA, in the very middle of our country.
Buenos Aires is Capital of our neighbour Argentina
(if you have time, it would be nice to visit them as well….) – don’t forget
that even being a nice people, when the subject is soccer, Argentineans are our
enemy! So if for some reason you think Maradona is better than Pelé, DON'T say it out loud. Just an advice ;-)
*********************
So, trustful and cheap Brazilian
airlines to help you:
GOL: http://www.voegol.com.br/int/Paginas/home.aspx
AZUL: http://viajemais.voeazul.com.br/
About busses, in each bus station
you will find information available – but if you come during high season, be
careful: buy your tickets few days before, otherwhise you´ll spend your
precious time waiting for hours for the next bus.
Rent a car with Localiza (I trust
them, and they are present all over the country): http://www.localiza.com/Reservas/Default.aspx
One travel agency to recommend is
CVC, quite big and a little bit impessoal: at least they take you to your
destination for a price
ok, including hotel.
