Brazilian commentary

A few comments about Brazil & its culture, language & people that I’ve learned over my 6+wks there:

The entire country is obsessed with acai & tapioca. There are shops & street vendors selling it on every corner. Many mornings for breakfast I have tapioca crepes stuffed with some sort of cheese & hopefully veggies & a protein. I know the Chinese love their tapioca pearls in the bottom of their smoothies & teas but I had no prior knowledge of the Brazilians’ obsession. The only thing that tops tapioca is acai. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I enjoy a small cup of the pudding-consistency-like acai topped with fresh fruit & granola… it’s a nice light lunch or afternoon snack. But Brazilians eat entire massively large bowls of the stuff in one sitting & I just don’t get it. It’s not THAT good.
Brazilians outside of Rio seem to hate the “Cariocas” (term for people who live in Rio). There’s a sense that Cariocas seem to think they’re better than anyone else & no place compares to Rio. It’s true, while traveling in NE Brazil, I don’t think I met even one Carioca. I commented on this to a Bahian & he rolled his eyes & said in a mocking tone “nothing is as good as Rio so why visit?” I met a bunch of Paulistanos (from Sao Paulo) & the NE-ers seem to like them just fine. Paulistanos really don’t like Cariocas. Cariocas are certainly body-image obsessed & while I think there are gorgeous people all over Brazil, it seems NE-ers believe Cariocas take it to another level. I just find it all rather amusing.
All Brazilians seem to love Bahia. Especially its food & music. I first tried moqueca on the Rio foodie tour. Moqueca is a Bahia dish (see my Salvador post) & it’s definitely much better there with a lot more spice. Perhaps Cariocas are indeed short on culture & food. Since visiting Bahia, I’ll hear music, indicate I like it & a non-Bahian local will say “de Bahia”. So it seems Bahia is definitely the culture capital of Brazil.
Throughout Brazil, everyone seems to clap for sunsets. I suspect the Cariocas think they’re real special with the clapping on Arpoador rock in Rio but it’s actually done throughout the country & I find it pretty darn charming.
I’ve been getting along fairly well in terms of the Portuguese language & thankfully so, because there are very few people who speak any English. Somehow my crude mix of Spanish with substituted Portuguese words when I know they differ from their Spanish counterparts has not only gotten me by but it’s managed to fool more than one person into commenting how good my Portugese is. Please. As I continue to learn more, I’ve noted a few things I find interesting:
- I’m not saying it’s a rule or anything but the “ll” in Spanish seems to be a “ch” in Portuguese. Examples include “llave” & “chave”, “llamar” & “chamar”, and “llegar” & “chegar” so I’m treating it as a rule & substituting “ch” for “ll” & it’s turned out pretty well for me.
- When a word starts with an “r” it seems that it’s an “h” sound in Portuguese. This was an easy one to figure out with “Rio” & “Reai”.
- “Gracias” is so much more fun in Portuguese… “obrigado”.
- “Bien” is so much more fun in Portuguese… “bom”. Everything is “muito bom”.
- Greetings are so much more fun in Portuguese… “total bom?”. All good? This didn’t really start until Fernando but it’s continued in Ceara while visiting the beaches in/around Fortaleza. I love it.
In general, Brazil is just more fun. The cities, culture, music, food & of course the people. The people are amazing, friendly & just want to enjoy life & have a good time. My kinda outlook. So it’s perhaps my favorite country in South America. And I almost didn’t even visit.

Buzios, Brazil – Thankfully not so crazy during low season

Buzios was made famous by the French starlet Brigitte Bardot when she visited in the 60s w her Brazilian boyfriend & she declared her love for the little fishing village. Soon after, Brazil’s rich & famous began flocking. Today during high season it’s a pretty ritzy place apparently. Ronaldo has a massive place on the top of a hill w fantastic views. I’m sure there are many glitterati. I of course didn’t visit in the high season & since I went directly from Arraial do Cabo to Buzios & since Arraial is supposedly “the Buzios of 20 years ago”, I feel as if I should compare the two.

Arraial do Cabo vs Buzios

Perfectly wide white sand beaches vs brown sand beaches not as wide or pretty
Accessibility to some beaches is difficult vs easy beach accessibility
Uncrowded beaches vs far more highly crowded beaches
Crystal clear water & good visibility vs less visibility
Beach services spotty vs beach svcs always
No established tourist central vs very well established tourist downtown
A couple nicer restos vs a shitload of really nice restos
Sunset watched after a hike to mirador vs sunset watched at a table in a nice resto
No bar scene, real quiet at night vs an active bar scene
Pousada accommodations vs wider range of accommodations, incl luxury
Feel is chill & laidback vs chill & higher class
Relatively cheap vs more expensive

The beaches don’t compare – Arraial do Cabo wins hands down. Buzios wins as far as service industry goes – food, drinks, shops, etc. – but you pay for that as Buzios is definitely more expensive. Strolling the downtown of Buzios you’ll find a very charming center. This is somewhat missing from Arraial do Cabo – although there are pockets – but this is exactly why I’m sure all the tourists flock to Buzios & perhaps only visit Arraial for a day trip to see its beaches. I loved Arraial do Cabo. I liked Buzios more than I thought I would – enjoying a great meal while watching a stunning sunset was a highlight. But I would never ever visit Buzios in high time (generally that’s a rule of mine) as multiple cab drivers told me my 10-15mins drive from the center to my pousada on Geriba beach would take 2hrs in high season. No thank you. It was lovely now. Relaxing & quiet. But I noted a few joints appearing to be massive clubs that were shuttered for the season. Not that I minded at all… but I could imagine the place turns into something else when it fills up. So visit Buzios during the low season when it’s on the quiet side & you can walk into any restaurant you want without making prior reservations but also make a loop to include the real standout & my fave, Arraial do Cabo.

Praia Geriba, the lovely wide fine sand beach good for surfing & swimming & the one I was staying on

Arraial do Cabo – My (first) small town Brazilian paradise

I live in a big city. And I LOVE it. I’m a big city girl. But the opposite attracts me most on my travels. Don’t get me wrong, I freakin loved Rio, but my heart skipped a beat when I first arrived in Arraial do Cabo, via a 3hr bus due East. The bus dropped me at the town’s tiny main square & as expected, I found no taxis waiting so I wound my way through the little streets (thank you offline google maps – an international traveler lifesaver!!!) til I arrived at my tiny little pousada where I was the only one staying.
Side note to head off a mom question… in Brazil the place to stay are pousadas. It doesn’t have a direct translation in English but essentially it’s similar to SE Asian guesthouses, Cuban casa particulares or US B&Bs where you get a room (w a private bath if you so desire) & you have shared living amenities. However, I’ve also since found it can include lodging such as villas & small boutique hotels so the terminology has a wide span.
Lovely small towns in my travels stick out the most to me. Maybe it’s bc you get nonstop interactions w locals but also bc I think the place perhaps hasn’t quite blown up yet as far as tourism goes. In Arraial do Cabo’s case, I really feel that. Arraial gets a tiny half column mention in my Rough Guide but that’s it. I read in some random online blog that it’s the Buzios of 20 years ago (next stop). Buzios, as you may know, is famous as the best beach in the Rio de Janeiro province. So just that statement saying it may be “the next big thing” in Brazil makes me want to go. As does a couple random online articles ranking Brazil’s top beaches – 2 of Arraial do Cabo’s fall number 2 & 3 on the list. I feel as if my past experience has qualified me to be an exemplary judge of beach quality. The fact that every Rio local I asked about it told me to instead go to Buzios, only made me want to visit more. And I have to say… it’s amazing, the beaches can easily hang even with the Philippines & all expectations were exceeded. One potential downfall – it’s real quiet at night (which I think drove the party animal Rio opinions). But I don’t mind that. I exhaust myself during the day & if nothing’s going on at night, then I don’t feel guilty for being “lame” & crashing early while reading my book. Because the tourism industry hasn’t fully developed yet, there’s no “central tourist district” that’s been spit-shined & crowded w adorable restaurants & bars & shops. Those things are just a big more spread out in a tiny little town which is just fine by me. There’s also no proper big hotels as the only option to stay is in pousadas (mine was open air & lovely). If you’re looking to invest in a property in Brazil… this could be the place.
So Arraial is a town of 25k, features some of the best beaches in Brazil yet still flies under the radar. Oh yeah, it’s also considered the 2nd best dive spot in Brazil & I FINALLY took advantage of that so I was a real happy girl here. The town is quite tranquil & relaxing & a stark contrast to Rio. I loved Rio, don’t get me wrong, but this is my kinda place.

Praia do Forno is the 3rd ranked Brazil beach let some ranking that locals quote. It’s probably my favorite. To access it, you have to hike 20-30mins up & over a hill on a winding path. No vehicles no thing there. There are some light beach services but nothing more. It’s heavenly & also has some pretty good snorkeling along the rocks (turtle!).

Praia dos Anjos runs along the port on one side of the town

I took a boat one day (definitely the most touristy thing to do in Arraial) to see a couple beaches you can’t access any other way (well one you can by car but I didn’t have one of those).

Praia da Ilha do Farol is supposedly Brazil’s 2nd best beach. It’s an island just off Arraial & facing the beach below & the only way to reach it is by boat. It’s pretty gorgeous.

A crazy cool naturally forming crevice. Nature rocks.

Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia is on the very SE most tip of Arraial & faces Farol beach on its island. This is a stunner. One half of the beach is pretty isolated. The other half has beach services & a really long wooden stairway up & over the bluff to a road (so you can drive & park if you have a car). The best views are from this beach.

Praia Grande on another side of town. Great for sunsets. Obviously. And also surfing. One of the widest beaches I’ve ever seen.

A hike up to a mirador between Praias Grande & Brava reveals views of all of Arraial & lovely sunsets, even when the clouds aren’t cooperating

Brazil, my last country, & Rio de Janeiro, the coolest big city I’ve visited

So Brazil. I went from planning to skip it entirely in the months leading up to my trip (it’s so big, I think I was intimidated by its size & while I hadn’t yet read about it, I was really excited about other countries) to deciding a month before leaving that I might as well get a Brazilian visa just in case bc I’m going to be so close to about halfway into my trip, deciding I not only had to go, but I was really excited to go, to ultimately spending the last 6 weeks here. So my excitement level was real high going into Rio, my first stop in Brazil.
But I’m not really sure where to start with Rio. I think Rio gets a bad rap primarily bc of safety stuff & IMHO, it’s total crap. Be smart, be safe, don’t put yourself in bad situations & all will turn out wonderfully most of the time. I freakin loved the city. LOVED. I had planned on 6 nights & ended up staying 8 & didn’t want to leave then. I think it’s my fave big city I’ve visited on this trip. It’s just such a unique combination of massive city laid out on rolling green hills that meet the island-dotted ocean at these insanely long stretches of white sandy beach. Then you toss in the vibe, culture, music, nightlife & the nice beautiful people. There’s interesting & must-see tourist to-do’s but it’s also another city made up of different unique hoods & I had a blast exploring a lot of them. My faves, both with a lot of culture, were Lapa, which had great samba & fun parties in its central square, & Santa Teresa, an artist haven in the hills. I of course spent a lot of time in the Zona Sul which is the south zone home to 16km of sandy beaches including the famous Copacabana & Ipanema. I did a foodie tour, went to a couple local samba fests, visited some not so famous but IMHO much better beaches further south & didn’t even make it to the historical center, which is supposedly a bit dodgy outside of normal weekly business hours but includes some famous murals painted for the Olympics. I documented a lot of this but it’s also the city where both my iphone charger & one of the heroes of my trip, my backup phone battery charger, both died within a day of each other so a couple days of my adventures are not photo documented.
The people? They really are as beautiful as people say. Annoyingly in shape & stunningly beautiful. Although the guys really should stop shaving or waxing or whatever they’re doing do to their chests. The women should be parading around in their thong bikinis bc they look ridiculously amazing. And it’s no wonder. You go to the beach & people aren’t lying around. They’re lifting weights, doing pullups on children’s playground equipment, running, biking, surfing, playing football, volleyball or my fave & seemingly the most popular… footvolley which is just freaking incredible. Oh & they’re super nice too.
The food was great. All of it. I ate Thai twice & sushi once. What can I say? I’ve been traveling for nearly 6 months & I’m in need of a little variety & you get that in a big city. The food tour for me differed from my SE Asian food tours in that it was more about the experience of visiting different hoods & interacting with locals than necessarily the food. You know, experiences like bonding w the local guide (+ grad student + film critic) over drinks & finding out his fave movie is Magnolia which blows your mind bc that’s one of your fave movies of all time & then after more drinks, you two start quoting the movie & discussing plot lines before breaking into Aimee Mann songs (“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do…”), much to the dismay of everyone else at the table. You know, those experiences?
But I really did love Rio. All but the traffic. The traffic is atrocious. It prompted me to figure out early on how to transition from taxis to the metro system. And I’m a walker so I put some miles in. I left thinking I could probably be happy hanging in Rio for another 2 weeks or quite possibly, the rest of my trip. But like I said, Brazil is big & I needed to do a bit more exploring. However, I will definitely squeeze it into another future trip to Brazil. And I’m fairly certain there will be plenty of those to come.