My Paradise in Paraty

When people give their definition of paradise it often includes white-sand beaches and warm, crystal clear water. Like a gay guy looking at Megan Fox, I can appreciate the the beauty, but it’s not my idea of perfection. My paradise is bright green foliage and cold dark water. It’s a day in the forest climbing up […]
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 […]
A Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Buzios

In desperate need of an escape from all the dudes in Rio after the World Cup, a few friends and I headed east to the peninsula paradise they call Buzios. Just a three hour bus ride from Rio, it’s the perfect getaway for Cariocas seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Thanks to a well-publicized […]
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 […]
World Cup Behind the Scenes [VIDEO]

Come behind the scenes with me as I take you through one of the most insane months of my life – The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. I worked for an Australian tour company, attend five matches in five different Brazilian cities and watched the semi finals and finals matches back home in Rio de […]
World Cup 2014 in Brazil (33 Photos)

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was an absolute blur, but luckily I managed to capture a few highlights on camera that I’ll be able to show my grandkids one day. If you’ve already read the World Cup Wrap Up than you have an understanding of how things went down, but either way, a picture’s worth […]
3 Previous World Cup Champions

Here are the last FIFA World Cup Champions and what you can expect from them in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 3. BRAZIL (2002) – Brazil went to South Korea and Japan in 2002 and beat Germany to win the World Cup championship. They will probably have to go through Germany again (before […]
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 […]
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 […]