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South America
  • Zach G
Sep 2022 – Mar 2023

South America

6 months backpacking South America for our honeymoon. Read more
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    San Carlos de Bariloche

    December 9, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    "Perhaps one day, tired of circling the world, I'll return to Argentina and settle in the Andean lakes, if not indefinitely, then at least for a pause while I shift from one understanding of the world to another."

    - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

    It's a place as beautiful as it is symbolic. For us, as we grow, as we grow together, as we process the events of the world and of our intimate, personal, lives over the last few years, for all the talking we've doing about going on our 'big trip', this is to us symbolizes the adventure and scale of it all.

    Patagonia is a place of legend, pure natural beauty, and freedom. It's the beginning of our journey to the (other) end of world. It's a place for reflection, for challenging ourselves, for taking ourselves as far as we can literally and figuratively go. It's the culmination of years of planning, the realization of the deepest dream, and it promises to be one of our greatest adventures together.

    San Carlos de Bariloche is our first stop in patagonia proper. We arrived here after 3 months of backpacking, after some unbelievable and unforgettable highlights, and somehow it feels like just the beginning.

    It's a city on the shore of gorgeous lake Nahuel Huapi. The most iconic town in Argentine lake country and an absolute must when travelling, by whatever means, through the area.

    We didn't have great weather here, but we did a couple small hikes to get our legs back under us, and we actually quite enjoyed seeing the lakes and the valleys with the more moody feeling the weather gave us.

    This is also where we collected our rental car, which we will have for three and a half weeks, we will have freedom, we can really explore this beautiful, special place in the world, and we can go, just the two of us, to the end of the world. Together.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    El Bolsón

    December 11, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Not a ton to write home about here. It's a chill little hippie town that reminds a bit of home. Gorgeous mountains and scenery, listened to some good rock at roll at a pub, hit a few spots out around the town, Anna got swarmed by murder chickens on our little picnic, normal Patagonia things.

    We wanted to do a longer hike but found out when we got there the trail was closed, c'est la vie!

    We went to a couple viewpoints, saw the Indian head rock formation, some waterfalls, and bought some natural honey from a nice witch in the woods. She gave us free samples of all her cheeses and a taste of a traditional drink made from all the local berries and fauna (still not sure if it was alcohol), not bad for a day in town! First stop on the roadie complete, on to Esquel!    Read more

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    Esquel

    December 13, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Just one day in Esquel also, about 2 hours south of El Bolsón.

    We weighed some options and instead of doing a paid tour we chose a hike up one of the mountains outside of town.

    It's 5k up a valley with almost a kilometer of vertical gain, and some gorgeous views of the town and the Andes in the distance.

    We went for the requisite post-hike beer to watch Argentina advance to the world cup finals!

    Big drive day tomorrow, about 8 hours to the Chilean side of Patagonia for a few days then back to Argentina.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Coyhaique

    December 15, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Our drive here was super interesting...

    Heading south, we were directed by our GPS to turn right suddenly down a terrible dirt road through what appeared to be nothing but barren fields as far as the eye could see.

    We decided to trust it, potentially at our own peril, and ended up driving west through these fields on this, at times, BRUTAL, dirt road, crossed the border at a weird farm house in the middle of NOWHERE, and eventually ended up surrounded by these gorgeous Chilean hills and flowers.

    We were immediately struck by the change in landscapes crossing the border between Argentina and Chile. The hills came out of nowhere, these gorgeous purple and yellow flowers lined the hills, and the road ended up cresting the hill over gorgeous Coyhaique.

    Of course the pictures do no justice to the scale and grandeur of the valley in which Coyhaique lies.

    Gotta say though, we were had, once again, by Chile. We had one day and had planned to do a hike in the natural reserve nearby, only to find out on our arrival that entry tickets were required to be purchased ahead of time, and the park closed at 2pm, which wouldn't have left us enough time to complete the 18km we had planned. C'est la vie en Chile!

    Nonetheless, it's beautiful and we spent our time checking out a couple viewpoints near the town, and made sure we were well supplied for the next leg of our journey.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Puerto Rio Tranquilo

    December 17, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Puerto Rio Tranquilo is hands down one of the most beautiful places either of us has seen.

    It's UNREAL, the colour of the water, the scale of the mountains, the calmness, the freshness of the air. Amazing. It is, in a nutshell, the best of what Patagonia has to offer. Clean air, fresh, beautiful, cold, water. Astounding natural activities, friendly people, I mean come on!

    It's famous for the marble caves. They're accessible by kayak or by motor boat tour. We chose to kayak so we could get a little closer, and of course, why wouldn't you want to go out on this gorgeous lake for some exercise!

    They are breathtaking, incredibly unique, intricate, and detailed marble formations rising up out of the lake. We went early to beat the crowds, and in total, there were 4 of us, including our guide. The water was pristine and calm, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and it's a hell of a way to start your day!

    We actually did this hike up behind the town on the same day as the kayaking tour only takes the morning.

    What VIEWS!

    It has inspired us to get better at landscape photography because my God is it something to behold. Vast, clean, colourful, and just absolutely gorgeous in every way. And this is coming from someone who lives in the Canadian Rockies!

    Anna made a Christmas pinecone with flowers she picked along the way up to help celebrate. This will be the first Christmas we've ever spent abroad, so the little things are really nice!

    What a phenomenally beautiful place. An absolute must for any journey through Patagonia.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Perito Moreno

    December 18, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had initially planned to spend a day in Perito Moreno to see a cave with prehistoric hand paintings inside.

    But as we go on, we've been prioritizing a bit better and decided to skip here to spend more time in El Chaltén to maximize our mountain time.

    We still planned to spend a night here to break up what would have otherwise been a ridiculously long drive.

    We also planned to stop here to be back in Argentina for the world cup final.

    We did indeed make it back in time to watch (most of) the game, only to find an absolute ghost town.

    No people, no cars, no dogs, not a tumbleweed in sight. Nothing open. We couldn't even find a bar to watch the game!!

    Driving up and down the avenue, Anna happened to spy a small group of people in a bakery watching the game. They graciously allowed us to join them, (the jersey Zach got in Mendoza may have helped) and we were able to watch the drama unfold in a bread shop with a small but extremely dedicated group of fans.

    Argentina became world Champs and in no more than 2 minutes the streets were absolutely flooded with people, sirens, horns, music, and absolute jubilation. What had been a ghost town moments prior was now full of life with people dancing on cars and rooftops, climbing street poles, the fire brigade even came out and was hosing down the crowd in celebration.

    It was amazing to be part of, and wonderful to have made some memories where otherwise we may not have had any.

    Viva Argentina! Campeones del Mundo!!!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    El Chaltén

    December 22, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Got to hike up to the famous Mount Fitz Roy!!

    This was a big one for us, definitely one the coolest looking mountains around and absolutely worth the journey and the 11 kilometer hike up to its base.

    Anna did great with her knee, and luckily, our hostel offered hiking poles to take for free. The hike itself wasn't too bad except the last kilometer is quite steep, and there's lots of loose rock and gravel, we were definitely grateful for the poles on that stretch!

    We had the best weather during our stay in El Chaltén the day we went, which we were very happy about, although there was a bit of cloud cover by the time we got to the top.

    Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience in an amazing part of the world. It's just gorgeous here with the blue lakes, tall mountains, huge glaciers, and the unspoiled nature.

    We were quite lucky to be able to see a friend we met in San Pedro de Atacama here as well, a super fun treat to encounter another adventurer and exchange some stories!

    Gotta say, though, the wind is absolutely crazy but that doesn't put a damper on anything down here!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    El Calafate

    December 24, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The epic Perito Moreno glacier is near El Calafate.

    My God did it exceed expectations! It's huge, beautiful and very active! It's constantly breaking and groaning, getting ready to calf. We witnessed 5 or 6 pretty good chunks fall off in our short time there.

    It really left us with an impression of just how beautiful and powerful mother nature is. This is absolutely not to be missed.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Puerto Natales

    December 29, 2022 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Well, true to form, at our last stop in Chile the luck (or lack thereof) continued.

    It absolutely poured rain, the wind was off the charts, and the conditions on the trails we wanted to hike were extremely bad with ice and mud, so ultimately we decided to just stay in the room for our 3 days here.

    It's too bad, we really wanted to see the Torres del Paine but it wasn't in the cards for us this time.

    We leave Chile feeling defeated, not having accomplished a lot of what we came here to do, and not seeing a lot of what we came here to see.

    But we move on back to Argentina and with big things ahead, Ushuaia and the end of the world await!    Read more

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    Ushuaia

    January 3, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Ushuaia, El Fin del Mundo, the southern most city in the world!

    We came earlier than we had originally planned to be here to celebrate the new year, or as it's referred to here, the end of the year at the end of the world.

    We stayed with the most incredible local family. The apartment was lovely, they brought us lots of fruit, fresh baked bread, they left us champagne on New Years Eve, and they even gave us some fresh, delicious homemade empanadas!

    The weather luck continued here. There is some hiking and sightseeing to do in the area, but with so much rain and cloud, we didn't end up doing much of that!

    We did meet some really great people here. Fellow travelers and adventurers, some of whom are continuing on to Antarctica, some are not, but we had a blast at the local pubs with our friends from Austria and the Netherlands.

    The excitement was building by the minute here. We picked up all our snow gear, and we spent some time at the pier watching the ships come and go.

    Next, we go to Antarctica, the seventh continent, the most remote region in the world, the land of adventurers and discoverers.

    Antarctica.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Lindblad Cove

    January 7, 2023, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ❄️ -1 °C

    63.51° S 59.25°W

    "Good morning everyone, good morning, and welcome to Antarctica!"

    The words that we woke up to on our first day officially at the seventh continent.

    We sprang out of bed with shivers going down our spines and rushed up to the deck to get our first glimpse. We were greeted with an exceptionally moody, and if I must say, fitting day. Cold with low hanging clouds, very calm water, and overflowing emotion.

    We stood on deck simultaneously crying and laughing, surrounded by sea ice, icebergs, and an indescribable calm.

    We were told the conditions would allow us to get out in the Zodiacs, and we quickly hurried to get ready for our first foray into Antarctica.

    We cruised around one giant iceberg, with the lighting conditions really accentuating the blue tones in the ice. We were greeted by a dwarf Minke whale who spent a few minutes swimming around our tiny boat, no doubt curious about his new visitors. Little did we know it was just a taste of things to come.

    Something you can't capture in photographs is the emotion. There's a feeling that comes along with being here, our first taste of which we received this morning. It's a mix of excitement, adventure, peace, and a growing respect for the beauty, power, and importance of nature.

    Our expedition team worked very hard to plan our time in Antarctica, chasing weather conditions suitable to getting off the ship, planning our excursions to maximize our time down here.

    With that, we enjoyed our Zodiac cruise and headed off to our second site of the day, ravenously curious to find out what lay ahead.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Mikkelsen Harbour

    January 7, 2023 in Antarctica ⋅ 🌧 2 °C

    63.54°S 60.47°W

    In the afternoon of our first day, we cruised past Tower Island, a place so remote and infrequently visited we were the first ship to record soundings, and we were told only about 100 people had ever been there. We then visited Mikkelsen Harbour, near Trinity Island.

    We were to visit a Gentoo Penguin colony on D'hainaut Island.

    These were our first steps on land in Antarctica! At our first steps on shore, we saw the remains of a blue whale and an old whaling ship. Huge veterbrae and a giant skull lay there on the beach, left behind from the heyday of whaling.

    We walked around the island, observing the hilarious little dudes in their natural environment. We learned about penguin behaviour, breeding tendencies, and nest building. We didn't see any chicks at this colony, but we did see one Penguin stealing pebbles from another, and one poor guy just trying to get home but having a hard time!

    There was a 'refuge hut' placed on the island back in the 50s for anyone who may have needed safety in the time before modern communication, and we saw a broken egg we think was stolen and dropped by a bird to eat the chick inside.

    Very cool experience to walk among the penguins, surrounded by the same moody, pristine environment as the morning.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Orne Harbour

    January 8, 2023 in Antarctica ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    64.37°S 62.34°W

    At Orne Harbour we made our first steps on to the continent proper!

    This is the site of the only Chinstrap Penguin colony on the continent of Antarctica, and we did a small hike up around a few nesting sites to a great view point over looking the Harbour itself.

    We got some great views of the chinstraps, and we got to witness a National Geographic moment, an Antarctic Skua trying to steal eggs or chicks from a nesting site being fought off by the penguins. The penguins won!

    We had a zodiac cruise around the gorgeous Harbour, surrounded by icebergs and the towering, dark, glacier covered mountains.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Wilhelmina Bay

    January 8, 2023, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌧 1 °C

    64.25°S 62.5W

    Wilhelmina Bay may have just been the highlight of the trip.

    We went whale watching by zodiac in the afternoon.

    The usual process is to be called down to the mudroom, put your gear on, wait to be called, do partner safety check, be checked by the guides etc. The process can take some time, and although no corners were cut, we were being told by our guides to hurry as much as possible, go, go, go!

    We scrambled into the zodiacs and were treated with what I can only be described as wildlife encounter so intimate and close-up as to be spiritual.

    We went out to our spot and first we were investigated by a pod of up to 20 orcas. As you can see from the video (Credit to our amazing expedition leader and whale biologist Marilia), they were extremely inquisitive and curious, and we were as close as I think you'd ever want to be to an animal with 'killer' in its name.

    After the orcas left, we continued, and approached some whale blows we saw in the distance. Our zodiac driver stopped at the usual safe distance and we waited, and AGAIN, the humpback came so close to us you felt like you could touch them.

    They were playing with us, making calls when they came up for air, splashing their fins and tails, giving us everything (and more) we could have asked for.

    Our guide said that in his 17 years of Antarctic guiding, he had never seen anything like it. It was deeply moving to have been so close to such a huge, majestic creature.

    When they did finally go on their way there were tears, hugging and many, many thanks to our incredible guides.

    My only regret is that I can't post more here, (I'm limited to 2 videos).

    So I will post what I can for now, and we will make a compilation when we get some time to try to convey the magnitude of this experience.

    Just incredible.

    Back aboard the ship that evening we all did the Polar plunge! The water temperature was -0.3 degrees (yes, you read that right). They tied a rope on to us, just in case, had some amp up music going in the mud room, and treated us with a shot of Vodka after completing the feat.

    Yes it was cold, but damn do you feel good!

    That evening we celebrated a birthday with the group of friends we had made on board the ship.
    Us, a Canadian couple from Toronto, a Brazilian couple from Miami, and 2 Australian couples all bonded pretty early on on the voyage (something I will talk more about later), and everyone had a great time on our new friend Mikes birthday, some even said it was the best day of their lives.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler
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    Danco Island

    January 9, 2023 in Antarctica ⋅ 🌧 1 °C

    64.43°S 62.36 W

    Another great morning in Antarctica.

    We got to make a landing on Danco Island, in the Errera Channel to see a penguin colony and some great views of the bay. The huge mountains provided great protection from winds, and it was as calm as could be.

    Beautiful blue icebergs, more whale watching, big groups of penguins out swimming, eating their krill, it felt like we had a little bit of everything this morning.    Read more

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    Paradise Bay / Skontorp Cove

    January 9, 2023 in Antarctica ⋅ 🌧 1 °C

    64.53°S 62.50°W

    Easily the most photogenic place on our journey, Paradise Bay was named for the ease with which whalers used to be able to hunt whale here.

    Now the home of Argentinian research station Almirante Brown, Paradise Bay immediately moved us to tears when we stepped on to the deck for the first time here.

    It is tranquil beyond words. The water was a mirror, not a breath of wind, the only sound whales blowing all around the bay.

    We hiked up to a panoramic viewpoint to take in the entire bay, and had another incredibly successful whale watching tour. The whales here just didn't care that you're around, and we got appreciate the humpbacks feeding up close and personal.

    We saw them lunge feeding, we saw the adults teaching the calves to bubble net feed, and we were surrounded at times by these whales feeding on the abundant krill.

    As much as I try, there just aren't words to convey how spectacular it was to be surrounded by all this.    Read more

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    Gand Island

    January 10, 2023, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    64.27°S 62.54°W

    We found out on this day that due to changing weather patterns, we would have to leave and head back to Ushuaia to get ahead of storm systems moving in.

    We had planned to leave the following afternoon, but ended up heading north a day early.

    So, for our last day, we were treated again to an incredible whale watching experience and an absolutely beautiful afternoon to relax and enjoy the scenery.

    It was our first time having any sunshine on the voyage, and when sun hit those glacier covered mountains, it was absolutely magical.

    We spent our last afternoon relaxing in the hot tub on the top deck with the friends we made along the way.

    The 10 of us felt very close during the voyage, and it was one of the best parts of the trip to meet so many wonderful, kind, life-loving people.

    To Alan, Karina, Mike, Caroline, Jody, JP, Adam, and Amy, thank you all for making this voyage so much more special. It has been one of the greatest pleasures of our lives to share this with all, and sincerely hope to see you again soon.

    And with that, we say goodbye to Antarctica.

    It's not something that can be adequately described or conveyed through photography. It's magical, remote, untouched, unspoiled, powerful, beautiful, magnificent, and on a scale that can't be imagined.

    The landscapes, whales, penguins, and birds, the cold water, the lessons we learned, and of course the friends we made, have made this an experience that I'm not sure can ever be equalled.

    Even though we have still lots of time left to travel, it felt like something was ending when we turned north and away from the white continent.

    We hope to return again.    Read more

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    Buenos Aires

    January 21, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Buenos Aires is a HUGE, metropolitan city, with lots to offer everyone. Even a week felt short, and we never would have been able to see it all.

    It seems to us it's a city best enjoyed for its nightlife, with an incredible amount of bars (a few we visited were rated top 50 in the world) and restaurants. Parks, markets, beautiful tree lined, colonial-latin American streets, and an overall laid-back, yet proudly 'Porteño' vibe.

    (Porteño is the name the locals give themselves)

    We visited the gorgeous Recoleta Cemetery, the colourful La Boca neighbourhood, bid farewell to our friends from Antarctica, enjoyed our rooftop pool, and just wandered around Palermo to spend our week. We took in a tango show as a special treat. It was wonderfully Argentinian and an absolute must if you find yourself in Buenos Aires!

    And with that, we bid farewell to Argentina. It's been an amazing experience since we first step foot in Mendoza almost two months ago.

    The people, the culture, the nature, the food, the wine, the friends we made, and the countless memories have all made Argentina maybe our favourite country in the world.

    We are incredibly grateful to have been able to experience it as we did, and are already looking forward to the day we can return.

    Hasta la próxima, querida Argentina!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Sauce de Portezuelo

    January 25, 2023 in Uruguay ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We went a little way up the coast in Uruguay to a quiet beach town for some proper R and R.

    We spent three days here just relaxing, visited a 'playa naturista' and kept things really laid back.

    The sunsets were unbelievable, and there was more than enough beach to go around.    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Montevideo

    January 28, 2023 in Uruguay ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Uruguay is lovely. It's really laid back, chill, the people don't seem to be in a hurry.

    Montevideo very much fits the vibe. It's a nice colonial, Latin-American city that very much bears the scars of its previous dictatorship but is very proud of its history.

    Colonial buildings, statues, monuments to those who fought for their independence, tree-lined streets, incredibly friendly people.

    We wandered the streets for a day and visited the local Marijuana museum where we were gifted some of the local product and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening there.

    It's not that cheap here, unfortunately, so we decided to move on. We had to change our original plan due to the prices of certain flights, so we won't visit Paraguay, but we are off to Brazil next, we will be there until we head home (we think) for lots more beaches, sunshine, relaxing and to party during the famous Carnaval!

    Adios, mundo español, Óla Brazil!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Florianopolis

    February 7, 2023 in Brazil

    We actually stayed in 2 places here.

    It's a beautiful island with more than enough beach to choose from, so we stayed in Campeche and Canasvieiras, 2 towns outside of the city of Florianopolis.

    Our original plan was to come for 3 days, but we stayed for over a week, and we are glad we did!

    More beaching, sunning, tanning, playing in the water, lots of relaxing, we definitely enjoyed it. We've been traveling hard for over 5 months, so the break is a beautiful thing.

    We are off to see the epic Iguazu falls next!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Foz do Iguaçu

    February 11, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    I mean, what can you say?

    It's marvelous. It's on every list of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and there is absolutely no doubt as to why.

    These falls are HUGE. They're gorgeous! It's an absolute must on any trip to either Brazil or Argentina.

    Both countries have a share of the falls, and they offer a slightly different experience.

    The first photos are from the Brazil side, you get panoramic views of the falls, and the walkway will take you right in to the 'Devils Throat', right next to the largest of the falls, where the sound is deafening and you will get absolutely soaked from the sheer power of the falls. It's amazing to be able to see them in all their glory and get so close that ALL of your senses will be lit up by the experience.

    We also took the helicopter tour from the Brazil side, which is an amazing experience in its own right, but the views from the air over these falls are just incredible.

    On the Argentina side, their walkways go out to the edges of the falls at the top, and you can peer right down over them. It really gives you an appreciation for how much water is going over, and just how fast it moves.

    We ended up with extra time here because our plans changed, and boy, are we glad we did. Amazing, amazing to see with our own eyes!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Itaipú

    February 12, 2023 in Paraguay ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Real quick hop in to Paraguay today to see the Itaipú dam, the 3rd largest in the world, and second largest by electricity production.

    The Ciudad del Este in Paraguay didn't offer much else, so we saw the dam and headed back to Brazil.

    We met a nice friend at the bus stop going over, and he joined us for the day, and we even hitchhiked for the first time! Leaving the dam, there were no buses like we were told so a nice young local couple took us back to the border. Really fun, really funny day!    Read more

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    Rio de Janeiro

    February 20, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Gotta say we were both really nervous going into Rio.

    It's a theme in South America that everyone warns you about the next country, next town, saying that you'll get robbed, they'll steal your phone, etc, but with Rio, literally EVERYONE we met was warning us over and over again and we didn't know what to expect.

    It took us a few days to feel more comfortable, and we did take extra precautions, especially with it being Carnaval, but we did not feel unsafe or threatened.

    Quite the contrary, actually, Rio is a reeeeally cool town. The vibe is amazing. The people seemed very happy and fun-loving, and it is unbelievably gorgeous.

    It's a unique geography, with the bay and the surrounding mountains, which are absolutely covered in dense, vibrant, deep green vegetation.

    The views from Sugarloaf and Corcovado mountains are amazing, the christ the redeemer statue is on every tourists list (of course), and the carnaval was so much fun!

    They completely shut down sections of the city, even some of the main avenues for the 'blocos' (huge, themed, block parties) - there are about 400 blocos during the week of carnaval.

    We found some costumes to get in to the full swing of the party, and we had a blast!

    And the sambadrome was absolutely amazing. All of the samba schools of Rio compete in a massive stadium, they dress up to absolute nines in the classic carnaval colours, feathers, glitter, and dance their way through this massive arena with huge, brightly-coloured, parade floats and the scale of it is hard to describe. It is absolutely amazing and one of our highlights here for sure.

    All said and done, we kind of wish we had more time, just for the fact that we were a bit anxious coming here at first. But once we got used to the beautiful madness that is Rio de Janeiro, we loved every second of it and we can not wait to be back!    Read more

  • Zach GSouth AmericaTraveler

    Olinda

    February 26, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Well, Olinda is definitely not what we expected.

    They tell you that it's the cultural capital of Brazil, that it's the 'Venice of South America', that it's historical centre is vibrant, brightly coloured and the best old town in Latin America, that the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site...

    With respect to the people of Olinda and Brazil, we very much disagree.

    The old town was 'ok', it was small, very quiet, and it that typical typical state of Latin American disrepair that can sometimes be charming, but here we found to be almost eerie.

    The city of Olinda itself was absolutely nothing to write home about. It was dirty, the water was full of garbage, and it stank of sewer.

    All this to the point that we only left our BnB to get groceries, and the one time we visited the old town.

    We probably wouldn't recommend anyone come to Olinda. We think there's maybe a situation where people might enjoy it more than we did, but we are hoping for better from the rest of the Recife area.    Read more

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