Picturing Paraty
The beautifully preserved colonial town of Paraty snuggles itself between lush, green mountains and a bright blue bay. Whitewashed buildings and cobblestone streets serve as a real-life oil painting that you can walk through. After a great trip to Buzios and Arraial do Cabo I was fixing for more small town adventures, so the following […]
Rio de Janeiro Favelas – Santa Marta
Last Sunday morning I decided it was time to go see Michael up in Santa Marta. I waved down the local public bus just outside my apartment and made the short, 10-minute ride over to the Botafogo neighborhood to experience another one of Rio de Janeiro’s many faces – life in the favelas. Santa Marta […]
The Ultimate Brazilian Food Guide
Brazilian Food is as diverse as your going to find in Latin America. Heavily influenced by Arabic, African and Portuguese immigrants, Brazil’s culinary world has reaped the rewards from the melting pot of people and varying landscapes across the country. Before I get started with the most popular foods, let me share a few facts… Now that […]
Bonito Brazil – The Heartland of Brazilian Rodeo
Grab your saddles and cowboy hats ‘cause we’re going down south, waaaaay down south. 4,574 miles south of Dallas, Texas in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, lives a cowboy culture that could compete with the best of ‘em up north. Cowboys from all over southwestern Brazil compete in a traveling rodeo at […]
Brazil World Cup Update: Two Weeks Away
With just over two weeks remaining before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, I’ve been traveling like crazy to see as much of Brazil as possible before the chaos begins on June 12th. My goal is to return to my apartment in Rio de Janeiro to watch the games and hopefully still find a way to […]
The Pantanal – Life Along the River
After dark skies and heavy rain dominated day one, I woke up early on my second morning to clear skies and new life within the Pantanal. The sunshine invited everybody out from hiding, and I wanted to meet as many as possible. Before breakfast, I wandered down to a small gathering of houses along the river […]
How to Catch a Piranha
After a peaceful arrival into the Pantanal the night before, my first day in the Brazilian wetlands was exactly that, wet. It poured for the better part of the morning and our planned jeep safari and eco-hike turned into a drunken refugee camp. We circled around a shop table with a group of local farmers, […]
Into the Wild Pantanal
Four Brazilian fishermen and I piled into the back of a covered pick-up truck at the roadside rendezvous point to catch a lift into the Pantanal. They knew the area well and were happy to be returning to their familiar fishing spot, while my joy came from each and every unknown. Despite being one of […]
Visual Highlights from Brasilia (18 Photos)
Unique architecture, good food, great friends, cool cloud formations and beautiful sunset boat rides sums up my five-day trip to Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil. Brasilia is such an interesting place, from the airplane-like urban layout to the diversity of its people, I really enjoyed my time exploring the city. Here are some of […]
A Brazilian Music Guide from Freaky to Fancy
It’s 4:15AM on a Sunday morning and the party is hitting that pivotal moment; do I have what it takes to rally or is it time to throw in the towel? Fortunately on this particular night, two lovely brunettes and a provocative Brazilian song made that decision for me. While the dance floor was packed […]