As a backpacker in Brazil, it is especially easy to find tasty, quick, on-budget meals. Some of my food highlights from Brazil: Lanches – this Portuguese word for snack is used to describe a category of eateries. At busy intersections, 2 of the 4 corners are usually occupied by a lanche, a food establishment similar to…
Category: Brazil
Rio de Janiero & Sao Paulo (again) 6.24.17
Bunk beds, roommates, earplugs, shared bathrooms, cold showers, shower flip-flops, meals at restaurants, no schedule, lockers, new people, new sights, new languages – these realities are some of the joys of travel. Every moment is an adventure! These same joys are also tiring. From Belo Horizonte, I originally planned to visit cities further north in Brazil….
INHOTIM 6.19.17
In a first on this blog, I am writing about a place instead of sharing a story or observation. INHOTIM, (pronounced IN-YO-TCHEEN), is a world-class outdoor contemporary art museum and certified botanical garden located in the Brazilian countryside about 1 hour from Belo Horizonte. INHOTIM, one journalist wrote, is the “best place you’ve never heard of,”…
Belo Horizonte & Ouro Preto 6.15.17
French start-up BlaBlaCar is a web-based platform that facilitates carpooling. When I explained the concept to my mom she replied, “That sounds like the 21st century’s version of hitchhiking.” I think she is right. The company launched in Europe in September 2006 and entered Brazil in 2015. Talking with other travelers about their experiences in…
Buzios & Arraial do Cabo 6.4.17
I mentioned costs a few times on the blog but I have not directly addressed the topic of money. This post outlines my expenses and how I saved and planned for a year of travel. A future post will highlight what I do while traveling to manage my money. First, the numbers: $20,282 – Food, transport…
Eating Well: Brazil 5.30.17
On my first bus journey in Brazil from Iguazu Falls to Florinopolis (Floripa), the bus stopped around 11:00pm at a restaurant rest stop. At the entrance to the large restaurant a young woman handed me a checklist-like paper ticket printed with the names of food items. Inside the restaurant I surveyed the food offerings, selected a coxhina and an empanada, and…
Rio de Janiero 5.27.17
Friendships at home take years to form. We have to dedicate time between commitments to share an experience with a new person. We slowly share more and more personal information as the comfort level with this new friend increases. Then, over time, these friends become mainstays in our lives and people who support us in difficult and exciting moments….
Paraty 5.24.17
After 9 months away, it seems like a good opportunity to assess some travel gear choices I made prior to departure. Most important to me, I did not overpack. Every few weeks I meet other travelers who compliment me on the size of my 40L, 11kg pack. This compliment is quickly followed by a statement like, “My bag is…
Florianopolis & Sao Paulo 5.22.17
Traveling in Brazil has been a language experience unlike in other countries. Everywhere else I traveled I relied on either English, my first language, or the native language of the country, Spanish, to communicate. In Brazil, English is not widely spoken and the native language is Portuguese. Here, my interactions usually take place in Portuñol, which Wikipedia describes…
Iguazu Falls 5.13.17
The journey is as important to the travel experience as the places I visit. Each country has its own system for moving people long distances and I have become intimately familiar with these varied systems. After a 10-day period in Argentina and Brazil that included 3 overnight bus trips, blog reader (and prolific blogger herself), Kat asked how busses…
The Year of Sarah Joy 