Brazil

February 2023

A 24-day adventure by Davide Read more

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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 15, 2023
- Altitude: 119 m
- Brazil Mato Grosso Poconé Carvoalzinho -16.551871, -56.72028616°33’7” S 56°43’13” W
Day 12
Pantanal day 2
February 15, 2023 in Brazil
Second day starts with a morning walk at 5.30 am to see the sunrise... and look for the sunglasses lost yesterday 💁‍♂️😎

Afternoon canoeing down the Rio Claro, beautiful wiews and nature. Alligators and otters as trip companions 😄

Highlight: the armadillo couple 😍. One very sociable the other one more shy.

Personal reminder: Add pics from IPhoneRead more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 16, 2023, 10:56pm
- Altitude: 195 m
- Brazil Mato Grosso Várzea Grande Lagoa do Jacaré Marechal Rondon International Airport -15.650292, -56.120515°39’1” S 56°7’14” W
Day 13
Pantanal day 3 - Obrigado pelo paseio
February 16, 2023 in Brazil
Last day in the Pantanal started with another early wake up for a morning walk to another tower in the vicinity of the lodge 🛖... my tolerance to mosquitos today is clearly at its minimum and that's clear already from the early hours 🤣😅.

After the morning siesta and lunch the day passes by slowly, as no afternoon activities were possible due to a thunderstorm 🌩 typical of this season.

I take the chance to study Portughese on Duolingo, sleep more and recharge the batteries as I have a long traveling plan ahead.
After dinner I great all my friends from the pousada and leave with Paulo direction airport...
2.5 hours of travel along the Transpantanera, pit stop at the pharmacy to get me an after mosquito bite cream 🙄 and finally at the airport.

I will miss Paulo he was a great and smart chap (a part from the Bolsonaro thing... 🤦🏼‍♂️😆).
Was great to visit this "little" corner of our planet. Obrigado Pantanal 😀, not so obrigado mosquitos 💁‍♂️

Now 3 hours await me before my flight at 2.35 am to São Paulo 🥲😴... I guess more Duolingo? 🤓Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 17, 2023
- ☁️ 33 °C
- Altitude: 28 m
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Vila Militar Copacabana - VMC - Exército - Army Parque da Chacrinha -22.963593, -43.178322°57’49” S 43°10’42” W
Day 14
Pit stop in São Paulo
February 17, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
After the night trip to São Paulo, I arrive at the station Luz at 8 and finally meet Mariana again 😅.
We decide to go for a brunch at the Botanikafè to catch up, have some laughs and do some fofoca.

Around midday we head back at Rodrigo's place for running some errands:
- Laundry
- Lunch
- Post office to complain about the wrong delivery of Mariana's top for Carnaval 👙🩳😂😂... with the funny ladies at the counter who had no clue of what to do 🤷🏼‍♂️
- Packing for Rio 👜🩴👚

Luckily there is some time to relax and chill and home 😴 before spontaneously meeting David in Avenida Paulista for a walk and a Japanese dinner 🍙🍱

At around 20 I catch an uber and head back at Rodrigo's to get ready for the next travelling bit: bus station to meet Martin and Regi and to catch the bus to Rio...

The Carnaval crew is ready and complete, Carnaval we are coming 😆🤪🥳🥳Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 18, 2023
- ☁️ 31 °C
- Altitude: 7 m
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Lido Copacabana Beach -22.971957, -43.18434322°58’19” S 43°11’4” W
Day 15
Rio de Janeiro - Locura day 1
February 18, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Rio day 1
After the night trip we arrive in Rio at 8am... but only half of the journey is completed, as ahead we have 1 hour of standing in a queue 🥴🚋 to get our tram ticket to our Airbnb in Copacabana.

Check in is only at 13, we have 3 hours to get familiar with our neighbourhood for the next 3 days, have lunch and experience the first Carnaval vibe...

After check in, with Mariana and Rodrigo we try to attend a first Bloquihno but unsuccessfully as we missed place and start of the "concentraçao" ... bad luck 🙄

On the way back thanks to my "intelligence sources" we are directed to bloquihno "Pomba idosa" at the metro station Carioca 😁🤪... end of the bloco so there is just time to watch and learn the Brazilian way of "connecting with people in Carnaval" 🥸😏 and finally meet Antonio.

We decide to go back home not too late, in order to get ready for the Brazilian Funk Party in the center- Uruguaiana Station, where David joins us.
Party with lots of new music for me, but I try to get the vibe and go with the flow 😆😌...
Start of Carnaval is veeery promising 🤪🎉🎊Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 19, 2023
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitude: 30 m
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Ipanema Pedras de Ipanema -22.983948, -43.20221622°59’2” S 43°12’8” W
Day 16
Rio de Janeiro - Locura day 2
February 19, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Rio day 2, Ipanema day
The day goes in the records as "Ipamena day"...
After few hours of sleep waking up is pretty hard but excitement for Carnaval pushes me out of bed 💁‍♂️😬 at 8 to trying to get to Bloquihno to Ipanema beach with Rodrigo. Already from the way in the metro seems that the party carnaval people are going the opposite direction as us 🤔... but we have faith and believe that the Bloco will be good 🙃
First impressions were confirmed as indeed we end up in a Family bloco 🤦🏼‍♂️... not exactly what Rodrigo and I are looking for haha 😝👀👀

We decide to head back towards the center to meet the rest of the crew for the Bloco "Boi Tolo" that reveals to be rather traditional and very crowded, but still enjoyable.
For the afternoon we head (again) to Ipanema, against my scepticism for a huge bloco with 30,000 people. The experience is not of the best as the crowd did not allow to fully enjoy the party. Some of us got frustrated and decided to drop, me and David continue until the main street on the beach ⛱ ...
After the "dispersão" we by chance meet again the "droppers" and spend the rest of the afternoon in the beach enjoying the sunset and dancing in a queer "left over bloco" 😀. This is probably the best part of a rather unpredictable day... but that's Carnaval 😆🤪

Most of the time we have to try and have faith, it doesn't always work but there is a lesson learnt 😌Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 20, 2023
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 51 m
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Cinelândia -22.911134, -43.17559322°54’40” S 43°10’32” W
1
Day 17
Rio de Janerio - Locura day 3
February 20, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We had to wait the third day to experience the best of our of Carnaval Locura 🥳🎉🎊.
Part of the group discouraged from the experience of the previous days decide to have a hike to the Cristo... Mariana and I decide for a small bloquihno in Copacabana which turns out to be amazing 😄😁. After the usual delay, the band starts playing at 10.30, the day is pretty hot so beer hydration is required since the morning... the music is great, the people around too! We dance at traditional and less traditional Brazilian beats and make some interesting encounters along the way 😂🤷🏼‍♂️.

In the afternoon we meet Rodrigo (and David) for a afternoon bloquihno in Cinelanida/Lapa, in the center... the beginning is less promising than the morning but the best has to come (always have faith!)... the music is not as good as in the morning but the vibe still great. The bloquihno ends in the area of the marina where we have a stunning view of the harbour to then continue unofficially (Brazilian way 🤷🏼‍♂️😆) in the streets.

The night is approaching and the streets are not completely safe so at 21 we head home all tired but very happy of the development of the day 😊.
Finally a proper bloquihno/Carnaval day.

The end goes to an end with a dinner close to our Airbnb and a brief fofoca session about novihnos with the girls 😏Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 21, 2023
- ☀️ 31 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Niterói Centro Ilha do Paiol -22.871322, -43.15354322°52’17” S 43°9’13” W
Day 18
Bye Rio - Arraial do Cabo
February 21, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Last day in Rio de Janeiro without bloquihnos and locura, for my sadness 💁‍♂️🥲... Time of the check out, packing and organising the car does not allow for any party in the morning.

After packing and preparing the car the day is pretty much free and I "abandon" the group, which decided to visit the botanical Garden, to meet Antonio (after having tried to all the "Carnaval" days).

Açai and a late breakfast and an early beer 🤪 allow me to meet and get to know this interesting personality and the life of a proper Brazilian 🥸 and exchange view and perspectives about our lives.
Thanks Antonio also for bargaining some prices and the souverin shop I own you one!
At 4pm I finally rejoin the group (after a little misunderstanding on the time) and we leave Rio direction Arraial do Cabo, to start the last bit of my trip... the beach/chill part 😄😊

Never lose the opportunity of taking chances life gives us to meet someone new, learn from them and understand their way of seeing the world.

Obrigado Rio, eu amei o Carnaval ♥Read more
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Traveler Brazil
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- Feb 22, 2023
- ⛅ 28 °C
- Altitude: 44 m
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Arraial do Cabo Enseada do Forno -22.964806, -42.01496222°57’53” S 42°0’54” W
Day 19
Praia do Forno
February 22, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
First day in Arraial is the classic beach day. In the morning I remind myself that sports has been (only) slightly neglected 😆💁‍♂️ during my time in Brazil so far. Hence a morning run 🏃‍♂️ with Mariana along the shore of Praia grande at 7am 💪🏼... 35 minutes and a quick work out is always the best way to start the day!

At 9 we leave for Praia do Forno to spend the day and relax 😌. A small hike to reach and leave this little paradise and a swim along the shore of the beach complete the work out day and allow me to have a well deserved beach nap 😆😴.

On the way back pit stop at home to grab some beers, refresh and watch the sunset, sky slightly clouded gift us with a beautiful combination of pink orange shades 😎. The good company of friends and good talk make this moment even more magic 🌅💫.Read more
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- Feb 23, 2023
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Arraial do Cabo Boqueirão -22.988013, -42.01299122°59’17” S 42°0’47” W
Day 20
Praia do Pontal da Atalaia
February 23, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Typical beach day with in a nice but not so quite place. After the usual shopping session, we head to Praia do Pontal da Atalaia.
Swimming, chill and suffering a slight sun burnt on the shoulders😓🤦🏼‍♂️... that's how the day goes by.
The afternoon is spent chasing another sunset and the evening with a nice dinner at the same restaurant as for the first day 😋 after having assisted at a small capoeira session 😁Read more
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- Feb 24, 2023
- 🌬 27 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Brazil Rio de Janeiro Arraial do Cabo Porto Do Forno -22.970536, -42.01786222°58’14” S 42°1’4” W
Day 21
Boat trip
February 24, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
For the last day in Arrial and basically of the holiday we decide to go for a boat trip with music around the main beaches of Arraial.
The morning is spent looking for a good provider and a small hike to Janela do Paraiso, where we get a stunning view of Praia Grande and get the girls a proper fotoshooting for the sake of my patience 🤪🙏

At noon a little van bring us to the Marina for the embarque, there we buy some souvenirs and have a quick snack.

The afternoon passes in the boat passes by very quickly... without realising is 5pm and time to be back.
Dinner with a so so service and a messed up bill 🤪 and a stroll in the centre, lead us towards the end of the day.
Batteries are down quickly after such a long and nice day, not even some music in the close bars keep me going for today 😆🤣Read more
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