South America Part 2 - Brazil

After leaving Bolivia we traveled to Paraguay and to the very tip of Argentina at the Iguazu Falls. We  saw the falls from the Brazilian side as well. The difference is mainly that on the Argentinean side you can actually go into the falls, whereas on the Brazilian side you get a panoramic view.

The Brazilian side

The Argentinean side 

On the Brazilian side we went on a helicopter ride right over the falls, which was not only exciting for the view, but also for the ride! What was funny about the helicopter ride was that my friend Amy and I took the helicopter with these two older American ladies, and while we were waiting to board the helicopter they were shocked at the sight of our skin. They asked what happened to us in very concerned voices, until we laughed and explained that all of our giant red spots and welts were from the mosquitoes in the Pantanal. I'm sure that they thought we had contracted some strange South American disease because we did look a little strange!

From there we visited Sao Paulo. At the time (remember from my previous post that this was five years ago) the population of Sao Paulo was about 22 million or the total population of Australia in one city! It is one of the largest cities in the world, and although a lot of my traveling friends disliked the city for that, I still thought it was a very cool place to visit. If you ever get the chance to go, take the metro to the asian district, Liberdade, and enjoy some Japanese food. Or head to the 42nd floor of the Edificio Italia to get a panoramic view of Sao Paulo.

Panoramic view of Sao Paulo on a cloudy day

After a few days in Sao Paulo we went to Paraty. We had booked a sailing trip here and unluckily for us it poured rain for almost the entire trip. Thankfully I was with a good group of people and it didn't ruin our trip. We went to the local grocery store and purchased all the supplies to make the famous (or infamous) Brazilian cocktail, the caipirinha! These drinks are basically, sugar, lime juice and a rum-like liquor called cachaca. I brought home some cachaca to make these for my family, but somehow they just don't taste as good when you're not in a tropical climate. 

Using my swiss army knife to cut limes for caipirinhas!

Finally we ended in Rio de Janeiro. Rio is home to the Christ the Redeemer statue, as well as Sugarloaf mountain and Copacabana beach. While I did visit Sugarloaf and Copacabana, I didn't have enough time to actually go visit the statue. I keep telling myself that this just gives me a reason to go back though (not that I need a reason). What we were all most excited about is Carnival! This is the biggest party that I have ever been to (the Calgary Stampede is nothing in comparison) and I really think that everyone should experience it at least once. The pride that goes along with Carnival is amazing and it leaks into every part of the city. You'll even see homeless people join the spontaneous parades in the streets. You can also buy tickets to some of the balls that happen in the days leading up the Carnival. What I thought was very interesting about it, is what goes on behind the scenes. Basically there are different samba schools that compete in the Sambadrome. Each of these school is "unofficially sponsored" by one of the drug lords in the city and they begin practicing from the moment that the last Carnival ends. What's also interesting is that Brazilian culture sees beauty as a right and not a privilege and so getting plastic surgery for the event is a regular occurrence. One year, one of the leading ladies even had her eyes made to look like asian eyes to match her school's Chinese theme for that year!

We sat up in the nosebleeds with the locals because our VIP tickets had been stolen. However I really think that I preferred sitting with the locals because not only to you get to mingle with the people, but when a school is done, the members join the crowd, and if they know that they wont win, they give away their costumes! The man sitting next to us was from one of the favelas and this was his first time ever seeing his samba school in the Sambadrome. He was so passionate about his culture that he started crying while singing and dancing.

After the craziness of Carnival, we spent our last day on the beach! 

I highly recommend Brazil if you're looking for a new adventure. I have been dying to go back ever since I left and I really think it is one of the best countries in the world!