Last week, I went through the second half of my Top 10 Experiences from Brazil. Be sure to check them out here if you haven’t yet. I also updated it with a photo my friend Yannick took of the mayhem that ensued on Copacabana beach on New Year’s Eve. This week I present to you my top five experiences from Brasil. From hikes to falls to family, these are the moments that will entrench Brazil as a special place in my heart. Without further ado, my top five... #5: Natal in São José dos CamposBeing a small, tight-knit family, holidays are a pretty sacred time for my family. For the longest time, it’s been just the five of us, so I’ve always made an effort to spend the holidays with them. This past year was the first time I didn’t get to spend Christmas with them. Whatever sadness I felt, was supplanted by the joy and warm reception I received from the family I got to share Christmas, or Natal, with. I was fortunate to have Scott and Mo, two good friends from Carolina, also visiting Rio/Brazil during the time I was down there. After spending a few days with Mo, Scott, and Scott’s mom, Angela, exploring Rio, I was able to reunite with Scott and Mo and Mo’s family in São José dos Campos to celebrate Natal. I was luckily able to coordinate four days off from BotaHostel and was able to make the most of my trip to São José dos Campos. It was a nice relaxing couple of days with Scott and Mo, meeting her family, lounging by the pool, and exploring São José dos Campos. I even got my first manicure as we prepare for Natal! In addition to spending time with Mo’s parents, I got to meet her extended family and some of her friends. The entire family was so welcoming and kind! Most of our activities centered around food, my favorite! BBQs, Christmas Eve dinner, and a Christmas day lunch at Grandma’s, were full of incredibly warm individuals and delicious food! Charles, Mo’s stepfather, was the chef extraordinaire for most of my time there, and even made us a tender suckling pig one afternoon. I was also able to partake in some of the planning for the upcoming wedding in August! We got to check out the beautiful church and park where they’ll exchange their vows, as well as the reception venue. Although I left before they went taste testing the food for the wedding, I am grateful to have been able to help out however I could. I can’t wait for my return to Brazil to celebrate the wedding of two of my best friends in a few short months with their wonderful friends and families! #4: Trilhas, trilhas e mais trilhasI was lucky enough to go on a quite of a few incredible hikes in each of the places I visited during my trip. The incredible thing about Rio is that many of those hikes are right within the city and make it such a unique place. Although it can get quite warm and humid, they are all well worth the hike! Here are some of my favorites: Dos Irmãos It’s fitting that I got to explore Dos Irmãos, meaning two brothers, with my brother from another mother, Scott as well as his mom and fiancé. Dos Irmãos is probably the most famous hike in Rio, in part because it serves as the iconic backdrop of Ipanema & Leblon beaches The journey starts at the base of Vidigal, one of Rio’s pacified favelas. There you take a mototaxi to the top of Vidigal where you begin the hike the rest of the way up. The mototaxi was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes on the trip. I’m not the biggest fan of motorcycles, so zigzagging up and down the narrow road to/from the top of Vidigal wasn’t my idea of fun, but we made it safe and sound. For the most part. Scott did get a nice burn on his calf from the exhaust pipe on the bike. The hike up takes about two hours, but is worth every minute. The views you of the city you get as you climb are stunning. One of my favorites is a straight drop view over Rocinha, Brazil’s largest favela, about thirty minutes before reaching the top. The sprawling favela is massive, but what’s even more impactful is how close it is to some of the fanciest high rises in the city as well as a one of the most posh country clubs/golf courses in the city. The inequality and disparities couldn’t be more stark. We made it up in great time and enjoyed the beautiful views of Zona Sul and Rio before heading back down as the sun began to set. We wrapped up a great day with the my favorite meal in Rio, rodizio at Fogo de Chão, all-you-can-eat steakhouse. We rewarded ourselves after the hike with a feast of meat! We devoured around 10lbs of exquisite, perfectly cooked meat amongst the three of of us. Angela opped for cod. It was a bit pricey, but worth every penny! Corcovado & Cristo Rey One of the New 7 Wonders of the World, this “Christ the Redeemer” statue is one of the most recognizable structures on Earth. Although the actual statue is only 30m (98ft) tall, it sits on top of Corcovado, a 710m (2,329ft) tall granite mountain and offers perhaps the best view of an urban skyline that there is. The entire city is spread out in front of you! You can take a tram or bus up to the top, but Fede and I opted for the hike which starts from Parque Lage, a beautiful gardens and open air pool inside the historic mansion with Corcovado and Christ as a backdrop. The hike up and down takes about 2-3hrs and provides a nice natural reprieve to the hundreds of people that await you at the statue. Pão de Açúcar We were told that sunset from Pão de Açúcar, or sugarloaf, was one of the best in the city, so we decided to check it out one evening. The 396m (1,299ft) rock sticks out on a peninsula overlooking the Botafogo harbor. We hiked 30mins to the first hill and then took the cable car to the top. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Without a doubt one of the most stunning sunsets of my time in Brazil. Pedra Do Telégrafo My favorite hike with my hiking partner, was Pedra Do Telégrafo. The hike is about an hour outside of the city. We took an uber out there as there isn’t an easy way to get there by public transportation. The hike it’s isn’t too challenging, about an hour to the top, but the views it provides are incredible! If you’re daring enough you might can also venture out onto the famous hanging rock for a photo opp! Check out some of our daring shots. A special shout out to Fede for being my partner in crime on these and the rest of our adventures in Rio! I look forward to more adventures in the future! #3: Foz de Iguaçu: Waterfalls Worth ChasingAfter our time in Salvador, Michelle and I flew to our last destination together, Foz de Iguaçu. We would spend the first day on the Argentinian side of the Iguazú Falls and then spend our last half day on the Brazilian side before parting ways. I'd seen beautiful waterfalls before and have been to Niagara Falls before, but was not prepared for what we witnessed at the Iguazú Falls. We were both completely mesmerized by the grandeur and beauty of the falls! Forget what TLC may have taught you! Chase those waterfalls! The falls are the world’s largest waterfall system. We did the three trails on the Argentinian side that take you to the Devil's Throat, the upper falls and the lower falls. Every corner presented a new set of falls, a new perspective, a new rainbow.The incredible thing about the Argentinian side of the park is that you get to walk right up to the edge of these massive falls and see them up close and personal. Half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called, the Devil's Throat. It's massive! Water spraying in every direction. It's as if you're walking through a cloud of water. On the Argentinian side you also have the option to take a boat tour around and INTO the falls. It was an incredible experience to feel the sheer power of the falls. Needless to say, we came out soaked! We spend our last morning together taking in the falls from the Brazilian side, which offered panoramic views of the falls as well as another opportunity to get up close to the falls on the Brazilian side. What made the journey around the grounds even better was that I was doing it with one of my best friends. More on our last day together further in the post. :) I lump Iguazú Falls in with my summit of Mount Kinabalu and Volcan Acatenango as my top three most spectacular natural sights I’ve had the privilege of visiting so far. If you’re ever in the that part of the world, make sure you spend a couple days to check them. You will not regret it! #2: BotaHostel Family: My Home in RioMany people have asked how I was able to afford living and traveling abroad for such a long time. Yes, I’d saved up a decent amount of money, but one of the biggest keys for me was housing-work exchanges. I was lucky enough to find a great place to work/stay in each of the places I stayed for more than a couple of weeks. In Antigua, Guatemala, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Matiox, run by the wonderful couple Andrea & Mario. In Rio, I was fortunate enough to come across BotaHostel, on the online platform, WorkAway. For fairly low cost ($29 for a year) you are granted access to their network of hosts and opportunities. BotaHostel, run by two friends Nati & Michele, is a quaint, boutique hostel in the Botafogo neighborhood of Rio. The night I arrived to BotaHostel was Michele’s birthday, one of the owners of the hostel. Everyone was going out to celebrate and I was to start my first shift that night, 11pm to 7am. It wasn’t too bad as I had the next two days off. I actually came to enjoy the night shifts. As long as it wasn't a weekend night, it was relatively calm and got to watch some Netflix and napping attentively with and ear out for the buzzer to let guests in. In addition to saving a good chunk of change on accommodations, the thing I most enjoyed about the work exchange was making great friendships with likeminded world travelers from around the world. Individuals who are compassionate and curious, eager to learn and share all there is to from the world. At BotaHostel there was a crew of 5-6 volunteers that overlapped during my time there, most of whom were Brazilian or Argentine. Whether it was enjoying of the many hikes Rio has to offer, lounging on the shores of Copacabana beach, enjoying a family meal together, dancing the night away in Lapa, or simply on the couch watching a movie on Netflix, we did it all and I’m glad I had this crew to make the most of my time in Rio. Thank you to Michele and Nati for the opportunity and Fede, Maria, Renata, Vicky, Lucas and Zito for making my time at BotaHostel and Rio so memorable. Amo vocês! #1: Michelle: Minha Linda IrmãThe thing I'm most grateful for on this trip, after getting to spend time with my grandmother and her sisters in La Uvita, is the month I spent with Michelle traveling around Northeastern Brazil and the Iguazú Falls. At the start of this journey, a good friend gave me a great piece of advice, “Take this time to redefine your relationship with your sister. It's easy to fall into the same dynamics you had growing up. Push past that. You both chose to travel together, not just because you're siblings, but because you're good friends.” My time with Michelle ushered the beginning of an even stronger bond between us. Not only is she my sister, but I can now say with certainty, one of my best friends. I mean, who else would be able to put up with a month of my antics and spending every second with me if not for one of my best friends? It was the first time “living” together since I’d gone off to college back in 2005. Sure, we’d spend time together when I’d come home to visit or we were all together on vacation or during holidays, but this was the first time it was just the two of us for that period of time. What I most appreciated about that time was getting to witness first hand, Michelle’s gift with people. She has an incredible way of making everyone feel valued and loved. It’s what I most admire about her. Whether it’s an elderly Brazilian couple on a riverboat, hippie street vendors, fellow travelers from all around the world or her friends and family. She is able to connect and empathize with individuals in a very real and meaningful way. As her brother, I’ve felt this appreciation and love for a while, but never as intensely as I have since our time together at the end of last year. She is often thanking me for supporting her and being a role model for her, but little does she know how much I am the the one who admires and appreciates all that she has done and will continue to do! So, Michelle, THANK YOU! I am so grateful to have you in my life and to be able to create so many wonderful memories together over the last 25 years. I've learned and continue to learn so much about the world from you! I cannot wait to see all of the amazing things you are going to accomplish in the next 25 years and beyond! Our last few days on this leg of the trip were spent at the Iguazú Falls and I could not have imagined a more fitting ending to our time together in Brazil than with taking in the panoramic views of the falls on the Brazilian side followed by one last meal together, a Brazilian buffet, probably our 50th of the trip! As we said our tearful good-byes as I boarded a bus to the airport, the sky opened up to a downpour seemingly also sad that our time together in Brazil had come to an end. I will be eternally grateful for that month I spent with Michelle. In addition to an incredibly sweet sister, thoughtful and caring friend, I now have a badass travel partner! I cannot wait to see you again in just a few short weeks to celebrate my 30th birthday in Las Vegas! Love you, Michi! So those were my Top 10 Experiences from my remaining time in Brazil. Thank you to everyone that made my time in Brazil so special. Muito obrigado a vocês!! Eu amo muito vocês! Next week, I’ll share the first half of my Top 10 Experiences in South Africa. Be sure to check in then! Until then, much love and thank you for taking the time to read! :) *** Pedro's Birthday Request***I am organizing a fundraiser for my birthday for an organization very near and dear to my heart, South African Education and Environment Project - SAEP. This year instead of gifts or birthday drinks, I'm hoping at least 30 friends will donate $30 or more to SAEP to support the work they do in Cape Town. I hope that you will be able to contribute I had the privilege of volunteering with their various programs supporting youth from one of Cape Town's poorest townships and know first hand how impactful their work is. Please check out the link below to learn more about the incredible work they do and how YOU can help!
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AuthorColombian-born, Brooklyn educator traveling the world Archives
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