Beaches, Football Games and Carnival in Brazil

Cush & I – Lopez Mendes Beach, Illa Grande

En route to Lopez Mendes Beach, Illa Grande

After taking in the wealth of Rio’s famous sights and enjoying its action packed nightlife, we were ready to get stuck into some serious beach time as we headed to Illa Grande. This secluded island is purpose built for tourists, with beachside bars and restaurants interspersed with some small hikes and incredible beaches. With our newly adopted son Matty Pestell along for the ride, we set about exploring the island, the most impressive section being Lopez Mendes beach. Vogue magazine (apparently the unquestioned authority on the subject) recently voted it the 3rd best beach on the planet!! Certainly it deserves an award for the hottest girls I’ve seen on 1 beach. Ridiculous awards aside, it was a beautiful spot and after a 3 1/2 hour walk in scorching temperatures the ocean was pretty inviting when we arrived.

A day trip to the underwhelming former prison soon turned eventful as we were greeted by a torrential downpour while starting the 90 minute return leg. With little

Matty P & I racing down the rockslide

choice but to press on, our hopes the rain would ease were in vain and we were soon on a muddy track in ankle deep water. By the time we made it to the township, the streets had transformed into a shin deep river, as had our hostel. With no power in a beach town the only entertainment left was to sit and watch the ever rising waters wondering if our room would be consumed, which it thankfully wasn’t. We then pushed on back to the mainland, arriving at the nearby colonial town of Paraty, famous as the home of the Brazilian staple alcohol Cachaca and the house off some kids movie called Twilight. While we skipped the house, we did take full advantage of the distillery’s, hiring bikes and heading into the hills in search of a rock slide. This is basically a sloped waterfall, that’s completely smooth and slippery courtesy of type of moss growing on it. As is often the way with these things, after building up our courage to eventually go down head first we were quickly shown up by a 12 year old local kid who ripped down on his feet, doing a few jumps along the way for good measure. Not his first trip to the rodeo. After a quick picnic lunch we rounded out a very successful day by finding a huge

A fun afternoon crawling around the rocks in Trindade

rope swing before filling up on Cachaca shots to help power our bicycles home.

Our final stop on the beach tour was the tiny town of Trindade, a place with some beautiful sand that appeared to be inhabited solely by stoners who made wristbands and earings to sell on the streets. The main event here involved a trip to some natural pools, though a lack of research meant we ended up on a huge mission trying to navigate our way around some massive rocks. After a good hour of grunt work our chosen route became impassable and we were forced to return to the town and take the normal path which was a 10 minute walk. Beach time had been incredible, but it was time for the polar opposite as we headed to South America’s biggest city, Sao Paulo.

It was here that we struck the travelers jackpot. At the wedding in Florianopolis we’d been invited to stay with the brides family who live in Sao Paulo, and they rolled out the red carpet. With around 18 million people calling it home, the city is truly a concrete jungle and the chance to get a guided tour from locals

Chinese New Year in Japanese town – Sao Paulo

Cush & I with some random fruit at the Sao Paulo Market

allowed us to experience the culture in a way we never could’ve imagined if navigating it ourselves. With our chauffeur Marcos leading the way, we were given a guided tour of the local markets, where family friend Paulo; acting like he owned every stall, raced around organising us samples of the huge range of tropical fruits. We were then taken to ‘Japanese Town’ which was the home of the Chinese New Year celebrations, with a huge street parade and a host of market stalls and authentic foods. Next we got an up close look at Sao Paulo’s homeless community, who were having a solvent induced dance in the middle of the main square, quite the sight. Things were about to go up a gear though as we pressed on to another market to get what had been billed as a ‘really, really huge pork sandwich’. Eager to test this I was not to be disappointed, as I mowed down a feed that was instantly being discussed as an option for top ten of all time.

Corinthians Game, Sao Paulo

Feeding our Brazilian hosts a proper ‘Kiwi roast’

The highlight for me though was a trip to Pacaembu stadium to watch a Brazilian soccer game in the flesh. As luck would have it we got to watch the Corinthians; current Fifa world club champions defeat Oeste in a 5-0 romp. This was handy both because all the goals meant the crowd were in great voice and because the Corinthians fans are notorious for destroying things when their side loses. The atmosphere at the ground was pretty special and while they didn’t do much work off the ball, the skill level of the players was out of this world. In amongst all the touring, we were treated to a never ending feast and some incredible hospitality from the Matsura and Tanaka families. When you’ve been on the road a long time it’s a great feeling to have people open up their homes and welcome strangers as family. As a small token the three of us set about cooking everyone a ‘Kiwi Roast’ on our final night. While they all looked on suspiciously at the gravy, the Apple Crumble dessert was inhaled in minutes.

Carnival Street Party, Florianopolis

Julia, Haydin, me and Matty P – Fatboy Slim pre drinks

We now just had the small matter of Carnival to participate in as we headed back to Florianopolis to stay with Haydin and Julia. While the South has less street parades than the more traditional Northern areas, Flori put on one hell of a party. This pretty much required us to become nocturnal animals, though we did make it into the city for a couple of the street parties during the day. Matty P again proved his worth introducing a frisby game that will undoubtedly be bought at future beach trips. By night we hit Fatboy Slim, who for an old fella still knows how to throw down one hell of a set, and attended what felt like an extremely exclusive party for models in an amazing club. Carnival was an amazing experience and with some old friends and new ones we had a blast. It was with weary bodies and severely damaged livers that we boarded the bus for the Iguazu Falls.

Nights Stayed: Ilha Grande: 5, Paraty: 2, Trindade: 2, Sao Paulo: 4, Florianopolis: 7

Quote of the week – “They have new law in Brazil. If I drink the whiskey and drive my car they take me to jail. It’s very bad.” – Our host Ruben lamenting Brazil’s ever

Cush & Matty in Paraty

increasing safety standards

Most ridiculous pricing we’ve seen – A 750 ml of Smirnoff vodka just 28 real ($14). A 4 pack of redbull cans in the same store cost 32 real ($16). How this works is beyond me

Beach wear – It really is amazing how much skin is acceptable on a Brazilian beach. For the ladies anything more than a g string bikini and you’re overdressed. For the lads, budgy smugglers are the order of the day

Best idea I’ve ever heard – Girls pay half prize (or nothing) to attend events in Brazil, so while it costs me $70 to see Fatboy Slim it only costs Cushla $50. The result, is that all of the events are packed with girls. So simple it’s stupid.

Best feed – The enormous pork sandwich in Sao Paulo

The world class Pork Sandwich, Sao Paulo

obviously takes the cake, but on Illa Grande they frozen juice iceblocks for 1 real (50c) are the closest thing to a frozen jucie I’ve ever come across

Interestingly – Brazil is comfortably the most developed and wealthiest country we’ve been in since leaving Europe, and our incredible hosts in Sao Paulo and Florianopolis aside, it is also the least friendliest country we’ve visited. Rio and Sao Paulo also had more homeless than anywhere we’ve been

Don’t miss – the Museo do Futebol (football museum) underneath the stands of the Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo. For about $3 this is the best museum of it kind I’ve ever visited

What grinds my gears – Our first flight in Brazil we were treated to supermodel quality air hostesses. So you can imagine my disappointment when our later flights were hosted by girls who’d struggle to get a run with Jetstar. Come on TAM airlines lift ya game

Cush can’t get enough of Haydin & Julia’s new puppies

Stay at – Backpackers House in Paraty. A great atmosphere with the best breakfast we’ve had anywhere. Don’t stay at Overnativa Green Hostel on Illa Grande, overpriced lodgings with the worlds rudest staff. Not a great combination

We got here – From Rio to Illa Grande and Sao Paulo on some pretty average bus rides. From Sao Paulo to Florianopolis on a cheap flight with TAM

Weddings in Florianopolis & Chopper Rides in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Tough day at the office – Matty & I up Sugar Loaf in Rio

All the boys – Martin’s wedding

With a friends wedding and Carnival just around the corner it was high time to cover some serious distance and take in the sunshine of Southern Brazil. After two full days of travel, Florianopolis started with a hiss and a roar. Arriving at 1am to find Matty Pestell chomping at the bit to hit a local beach party. After a few drinks and very little coercion I joined him for my first experience of the Brazilian nightlife as we saw the sun come up over the ocean at a dance party on the sand that was still pumping when we pulled up stumps at 7am. This would be the first of many sunrises seen in Brazil.

After some early rain we couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon for an outdoor wedding. Some flight delays from NZ meant Rene Smith took the fashionably late award, strolling into the apartment 30 mins after our ‘scheduled’ departure for the ceremony. Thankfully the this was to be the most relaxed wedding on record, with family and a few friends overlooking the water, as more than a few local passers-by got their camera’s out for a slice of the action. A couple of I do’s later and we congregated to

Cushla dressed in her finest for the wedding

a nearby house where the sweltering temperatures meant swimming and some back yard soccer was the order of the afternoon.

It was here we were introduced to our first Brazilian BBQ, a fantastic tradition that involves an absurd amount of marinated meat being slow roasted over coals. The celebrations went long into the night, pausing briefly for the bouquet toss where Cush was reluctantly forced into claiming the honors, launching everyone into full scale planning mode for our big day. Around 4am the group decided the Nelson Speedway was the only sensible option for the ceremony with the Stoke Rugby Club the likely venue for a classy reception. Weddings are always a great day out and we’ve had to miss a few important ones to make this trip, so it meant a lot to get to see one of my oldest friends tie the knot and catch up with a few of the old Nayland College boys.

With Rene and Matty in toe it then came time to attack the

Cush & I at Lapa Stairs – Rio de Janeiro

jewel in the Brazilian crown, Rio de Janeiro. From the very first minute it is absolutely pumping with energy, a bit grimey and a bit rough, but ram packed full of soul. Arriving on a Friday, we were immediately thrown into the thick of it attending the Lapa Street Party. This basically involves tens of thousands of revelers partying as street vendors wander around selling various potent drinks and shots of tequilla. There’s not really any bands, there’s not really any reason, it’s just a party that goes off because everyone’s having a blast. For me this sums up Rio perfectly.

By day we did our best to take in the  wealth of attractions, visiting the much famed Copa Cabana beach and the much nicer Impanema beach which sits next to it. In one of those moments that leaves you unsure whether to laugh or cry, we fought through huge crowds to see the infamous Christ the Redeemer, only to have the entire statue shrouded in fog. You couldn’t

Cush finally gets a glimpse of Christ the Redeemer

even see the base of the statue when standing right next to it and we were forced to wait in the rain for 2 hours before the fog cleared for 10 minutes, just long enough to take the obligatory photo. We left felling pretty disappointed at missing out on a real highlight, a feeling that wouldn’t stick around for long.

The following day our exploration instincts were rewarded when we stumbled across a navy museum where we were treated to a self tour of a formerly functioning submarine. After doing our best to spy imaginary bogies through the telescope and launch imaginary missiles, we headed to Sugar Loaf Mountain for sunset. The cable car accessed mountain provides panoramic views of the entire city and was to be the scene of a fantastic surprise. There’s a lot to love about Matty P, but without doubt his affection for helicopters now sits at the top of the list as he shouted us a 15 minute sunset chopper ride around the city!! The beaches, mountains and skyline combine to create an amazing spectacle and seeing it from the air was an

View of Copacabana Beach from the chopper

absolute treat. Making Up for the previous days disappointment we twice circled around Christ the Redeemer with pristine views of the statue.

Poverty and wealth collide – the view from the Rio slum

Rio is also well known for it’s nightlife and as well as the Lapa Street Party we took advantage of our incredibly social hostel to meet some new friends and enjoy wandering through Lapa’s bars. On one evening the ridiculously cheap price of rum lead to my downfall and resulting in me making quite a scene in our 8 bed dorm room. After far to many drinks and sporting nothing but a pair of superman undies, I twice fell off the top bunk before crashing around the room en route to the bathroom to regurgitate the nights work. Cush, being the darling she is had been kind enough to book an early morning Favella (slum) tour the next day, so despite being in danger of being blown over by a stiff breeze we headed off to inspect Rio’s largest slum.

In a bizzare twist, the slum; located in Rio’s hillside, provided some of the most spectacular views of the city we would see

Some interesting wiring in the Favella – Rio

anywhere. Despite sighting some incredibly unsafe wiring and plumbing techniques, the slum contained a lot more wealth and safety than we’d been expecting. When we later mentioned our tour to some locals they scoffed at the concept of walking out of a Favella alive let alone cruising around one with an SLR camera around your neck, indicating this was very much a tourist slum. It was an amazing week and left us very much in love with the city of Rio. Between it’s bustling streets, it’s random alley parties, it’s amazing beaches and world renowned tourist sights, this is a place you’d struggle not to enjoy.

Nights Stayed: Florianopolis – 6, Rio – 5

We got here – Via one hell of a mission. 24 hour bus from Cusco to Rio Branco, then a flight to Florianopolis via Brasilia. Flights were with Tam who incidentally appear to have a supermodel only hiring policy when it comes to air hostesses

Matty, Rene & I On our way to Christ the Redeemer

It’ll cost you – Plenty, this is the most expensive Latin American country we’ve been to by some distance. In fact Brazil is the first place we’ve been that’s made more for a holiday budget than a backpackers one. Thankfully we were on the receiving end of some generous mates who helped make things a lot more achievable. $22 for a bed in an 8 room dorm. During Carnival this price skyrockets to $110 per night which is crazy

Cush and I up Sugar Loaf – Rio de Janeiro

Quote of the week – “Watching you was the highlight of my trip so far – like Christ the Redeemer was good but watching you was great” – Ollie Shore, one of our dorm mates after enjoying my intoxicated display in our room

Quote of the week 2 – “I think the real story here is how much weight Oprah’s put on” – Cush isn’t too concerned with Lance Armstrong’s confession

Getting ready for our helicopter ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain

Safety – The Lapa St party was the first time we’ve (knowingly) had a pick pocket attempt. There’s certainly an edge as you walk around Rio and you quickly see how it gained its reputation as a dangerous city

Stay at – Books hostel in Rio. An absolute gem

What grinds my gears – The Spanish deserve a lot of respect. They conquered vast amounts of foreign lands, meaning people can now move seamlessly through Latin America speaking just 1 language. So why couldn’t they go one step further and vanquish the pesky Portuguese?? 4 months of tirelessly practicing Spanish out the window. Thanks for nothing Spain

Acai – Cushla’s new favorite food

This blog was bought to you by – http://www.sciencekids.co.nz. Thinking quality childrens’ educational resources, think Science Kids (there you go Rene, as promised)