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Brazil and Latin America

June - July 2022
Brazil is the biggest piece of the trip but there will be stops in many other countries too Read more
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  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 1

    Montreal

    June 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    All aboard :)

    This very long trip starts with a train to Montreal. Then a 13 hour flight to Sao Paulo.

    Montreal airport is insane today. Fortunately I was able to skip the massive checkin lineup and the even crazier security line up because of my business class ticket. Without hyperbole, it might have taken 4 hours to get through all that. Took me 90 minutes even with all my line skipping! Crazy. Even the maple leaf lounge had a 20 minute wait. Not complaining haha, just observations :) I have it verrrry good. Most of my points are gone now, gotta enjoy this last bit of luxury transportation/status while i have it. Tomorrow morning, my pod turns into a pumpkin :)

    First new experience... I am sitting at a barstool and all the walk up orders are right next to me. This young guy ordered a red wine and coke. Both in one glass together haha. After a brief chat and laugh i had to order one too, just to see (helps that its all free). It's definitely sacrilegious to the wine and maybe to the coke too but not as wretched as I expected :) cheers !

    Flight got delayed 3 times. Instead of 9:30pm takeoff its probably midnight now. Definitely missing my rio flight tomorrow :( But i ran into the same red wine and coke guys at the bar near the gate and the invited me to stay with them in Sao Paulo. Or i might take a bus to rio as soon as I arrive. We will see how things look in the morning. Also met a couple of others at the bar, Emily going to Spain and Gabriel going to Senegal for his father's sudden funeral. He was handling it well. Super nice guy. And Tas going to England via Qatar... thats messed up. I laughed at his flight plan a whole lot.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 3

    Rio - the hard way

    July 1, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Landed in Sao Paulo 3 hours late and missed my connection to Rio while we were still in the air. When i bought my airfare back in april to Rio, it was only 80 dollars. But when i checked for a flight today, the cheapest was 450. Yikes

    A taxi driver told me the terminal for that airline was a bit far. I figured the chances of getting on a new flight without paying the difference was low and asked him to take me to the bus station instead and salvage the lost day maybe without getting into a brazillian argument with no recourse. Sometimes you gotta weigh the battles vs the greater good. This felt low on the greater good scale and time was ticking to make the trek and arrive relatively early in Rio

    My taxi driver also gave me awesome intel. Its not like back home with one bus company and one type of seat. There were 50 different bus companies and I had to know which one did express routes plus comfort levels. I learned this lesson in colombia years ago.

    8 hours later, i arrived in Rio. Ugh. But I had a bed to sleep in on the bus... yes!! Still my day got wiped out but at least i was there.

    Found a local restaurant near my hotel and met a nice local Daniela who spoke great english and ordered a crazy cold drink that was smoking and bubbling - so weird. After a few drinks she went home and i moved onto another nearby spot my lonely planet book recommended and met carlos and his friend who insisted on refilling my beer glass repeatedly despite my lack of portuguese language. It really is remarkable how people can communicate sometimes with minimal common words. People everywhere are awesome. Seriously.

    Then finished the night at a copacabana beach bar which despite being super quiet, i felt was really apt. So anxious to see things in daylight tomorrow!! Actual brazil pics coming soon!! Stay tuned.

    Edit: As I type this, the nice people two tables over invited me to join them. Even as i try to take advantage of a quiet moment to write this blog, i make new friends haha. Loving brazil 🇧🇷 already    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 3

    Rio - Day 2

    July 1, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I was so tired from such a long trip and stayed in bed until noon. Went for a walk down very picturesque copacabana beach and then taxi'd to hilly santa teresa area for food and wandering around. Eventually took another taxi out of there to Botafogo beach. Gorgeous area. I was hoping to walk to the hotel from there but the sun dropped around 5:30pm and i didn't want to be walking that sort of distance at night here and found another taxi to the hotel

    Had an awesome siesta for 3 hours. Word to the wise, never buy a drink from the girls walking around with trays of drinks. on copacabana beach. Aye carumba that had a lot of kick to it.

    I had heard about a brazillian festival happening downtown, so after my nap, i took an uber there to check it out. Tons of people and food stalls and lots of dancing. Met some really nice brazillians at a shared table and spent the night with them. Janaina, Janderson and i forget the other's name.. something really complex. And back to the hotel, which by the way is Hotel Canada haha

    Happy Canadá day 🇨🇦    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 4

    Rio - Day 3

    July 2, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Had another lazy morning, getting up late. But ambitious plans to hike a local iconic mountain called sugarloaf or in brazilian, pao acucar. Actually, you can only hike up mt urca and you need a cable car ride to get you rest of the way.

    As i started on the path, i came across a sign warning about venomous snakes ! Ok haha. And shortly after, a came across a big family of adorable marmosets. They look a lot like lemurs but different i think too. Cool vid in the pics.

    The hike to the top of mt urca was steep but only about 30 minutes huffing and puffing hard. I was proud of myself; 50 year old on a busy, hard trail, and i passed many younger, fit people and no one passed me. Perhaps i am just more stubborn haha.

    The views from there were fantastic but there was still a cable car ride higher to the top of famous sugarloaf mountain. And what a view. Worth every penny. I hung out there for a few hours taking pictures and writing a blog entry over a beverage. Incredibly inspiring and magical.

    I eventually came back down the mountain, and got myself to a cool beach bar near my hotel in copacabana with live music as the sun went down. Went to a nice restaurant across the street for some food and met more locals who invited me over and i hung out with for a few hours before calling it a night. I feel very blessed by all the friendly souls here. Its such a loving vibe. I am quickly realizing Rio is a very very special place on this planet.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 5

    Niteroi

    July 3, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today i picked up my rental car and i was planning to drive to some pretty villages in the interior mountains. But my friend Daniela who i met on my first day in Rio offered to give me a tour along the Niteroi coast, across the bay from Rio. A personal tour from a local is pretty amazing; i gladly accepted. And she is excellent company.

    First we stopped at a few beaches and a museum in the city. And we drove down the coastline of endless beaches and stunning views of the Rio mountains across the bay.

    Stopped at a beach restaurant for a late lunch of fried shrimp and a beverage. And then drove up a mountain to a viewing platform to see the dramatic sunset unfold. Insane colors and very dramatic backdrop of Rio and its mountains.

    And finally back to the town of Niteroi for supper. After that we also went to a place that specializes in craft beers. So far i am very impressed with brazil's craft beer scene and i haven't really sought out places as much as i usually do. I will have to correct that issue this week 😁    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 6

    Ouro Preto - Day 1

    July 4, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Leaving Rio area today and driving 6 hours into the interior mountains. Which turned into a 7 hour drive because i made one small wrong turn. The highways and roads are so complicated in Rio and impossible to know which ramp is the right one sometimes as there will be several lanes all exiting at once to different roads. My gps will say exit right and there are 4 options to the right haha. And then finding a way back to where i need to be is even worse. Very challenging!

    Once outside of Rio, it was smooth sailing. Very good roads through the mountains and almost always a divided highway. Finally reached Ouro Preto which is a gorgeous town built on the top and steep sides of a mountain. All narrow steep cobblestone streets, and quaint European buildings. And lots of huge ornate churches.

    Arrived later than i wanted. Sun down is at 5:30pm here so i quickly picked a hotel that i had just drove past and set off exploring before it got too dark. Walked around the main plaza and tried to find a nice restaurant but almost everything was closed. Seems most things are closed on mondays. But then stumbled across a really nice cellar gastro pub with a hobbit sized door :) And made this my home for most of the evening before getting a good night's rest from a long day.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    1
    Day 7

    Ouro Preto - Day 2

    July 5, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Started the day driving the insane vertical streets of ouro preto to see some more of its famous churches. Which got me lost in many different places. Its incredibly confusing, and the hills make it really difficult to read the map. But its a fun type of being lost because every street is full of beautiful old european style buildings.

    Then started making my way to the nearby town of Mariana. Just before reaching Mariana, i stopped at an old gold mine that is only used for tourists now and also for divers in the subterranean lake down there. They converted and old mining cart into seats and we were lowered down 315 meters down the tracks into the mine. Unfortunately the tour guide didn't speak english but it was still a neat trip into a mine. The underground lake was a striking blue color.

    From there, continued to Mariana. Smaller, more quaint version of Ouro Preto. I walked around for a while and realized very few places were open because it was a tuesday. Decided to head back to ouro preto and maybe return to Mariana on Wednesday instead as i could see thats when most businesses were re-opening

    Got lost again on the way back. Nothing new here haha.

    I found a nice outdoor patio near my hotel and met Iuri and Maira. Iuri eventually had to leave so maira and i went to another spot for food and a few more drinks before ending the night relatively early.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 8

    Mariana

    July 6, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The goal to start the day was to drive to the tiny village of Lavras Novas and hike to a canyon. The drive there had dramatic scenery with lots of red rock and high up in the mountains. I read that a specific hotel in the village is helpful with hiking maps so i popped in there and got some directions and off i went

    The trail was very rocky and lead me up and over a mountain. It didn't seem like the right direction for a canyon hike but there were trail markers every so often, so i assumed i was on the right path. The trail took me far down the other side of a mountain and eventually to a fence that said private property. So i re-traced my steps all the way back to my car.

    The lady at the hotel said it would take about 2 hours and thats exactly how long it took me. So either i was on the wrong trail that coincidentally took 2 hours, or the hotel lady and i had a miscommunication and i ended up exactly where i was supposed to go :) It was really scenic, just not what i was aiming to do.

    The hike back was extremely difficult and i was exhausted. I was planning to drive back to ouro preto but i decided i needed to sit down somewhere for a beverage and relax for a bit. Shortly after sitting down, a very nice couple Antonio and Cleide from Sao Paulo asked me where i was from and this kicked off a really nice conversation about all our travels and brazillian life. Amazingly, Antonio once drove from brazil to alaska and back, driving both coasts of north america and all across canada too. An unbelievable task that Antonio says is only possible because he is mentally disabled to try such a thing haha

    They had ordered some local food and asked me join them and try it, and i happily accepted. Very tasty pork stew (i think). They are such nice, warm people. It was so wonderful to meet them and especially after my frustrating hike. I stayed far longer than i had planned because it was such a nice conversation with great people. But it was about an hour before sundown and i had an hour's drive to get to mariana so i had to get going too. I try very hard to not be driving anywhere at night.

    Got to mariana just before sundown. Quickly found a hotel in the old town and made my way to a local brewery in the central square. Then had a nice salmon liguine at an italian restaurant nearby. Met a very nice local there named Mirian and we chatted over a few drinks. And home early as i had a 6.5 hour drive back to Rio in the morning.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    Day 9

    Rio again

    July 7, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Long drive back to Rio today. 6.5 hours according to Google maps. But its such a fun drive over and around mountains all the way. I was about an hour outside of Rio at noon and i pulled over to check out a castle i saw near the highway that has a restaurant but unfortunately it was closed.

    Nearby Petropolis has brazil's oldest brewery, so i went there instead. Had lunch there and then checked out the very pretty town. Tons of mansions and palaces. But i couldn't park because i had already incurred a parking ticket near the brewery (and i got one in mariana too). I pulled over for a few quick pics on one street where i found an opening. But around the corner i saw the parking ticket lady putting tickets on every car, so i scurried back and left. Certainly not the types of towns i imagined before arriving in brazil. Lots of german settlements here and there apparently.

    Made my way to chaotic Rio. Driving in this city requires a certain level of insanity and patience haha. Often there are 4 lanes of traffic and no lines on the road, and everyone is jostling for position like a race track. And my map will say to exit to the right but there will be one ramp going up and another going down. Google maps isn't 3 dimensional, so its a coin flip every time, and I'm losing more than winning :) But i just laugh and recalibrate Google maps for a new route and try again. I can't imagine doing this without google maps.

    Got to my hotel in copacabana. This time i ended up with something much nicer and somehow much cheaper. Got in contact with Daniela again and she took me to a really cool restaurant in Ipanema where you can order off a menu, but i don't recommend doing that. Because, there are waiters circling the establishment with different trays of small plate appetizers every 10 minutes that you can take off their tray and they add it to your bill. You can see the food and decide, whereas i have no idea what anything is in print. Brilliant! And delicious!

    Then we went to a craft beer spot a few blocks away for a little while. She had to be up at 5am and i was exhausted from the long travel day so we both needed to get some rest and get out of there after a quick pint.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin America
    11
    Day 10

    Buzios

    July 8, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After breakfast, retrieved my car from the coolest garage I've ever seen. Its basically an apartment building for cars with 3 elevators to move the cars up and down and a neat device that grabs the car and pulls it in and out of the elevator.

    Waiting for Daniela to get off work, i went to a craft brewery called Hocus Pocus near Botafogo area and relexed with my book. Eventually Daniela showed up, had a quick bite and then drove to top of a mountain (Mirante Dona Marta) for an amazing view of Rio and the Christ the Redeemer statue.

    Then we fought through traffic for an eternity to escape the city and find a beach town called Buzios, 3 hours north of Rio. Took us 4.5 with the crazy traffic and a few wrong turns. When we arrived, we got delayed even more by the guesthouse owner not opening the door because she had not received the reservation yet. So we stood there for about 30 minutes.

    Finally got in and then shortly after made our way to the streets with countless restaurants and lounges. It was about 10pm by the time we finally sat down for supper. Had an awesome catch of the day meal seaside and walked around a bit before ending a pretty long day. Anxious to see what this place looks like in the daylight.

    Interesting detail, this place got a lot of fame from Bridgette Bardot staying here many years. There's lots of hotels that use the bardot name and a statue of her too.    Read more

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