Brazil Travel Report

[Prubangboy]

Interest-wise, it's a grower, not a show-er. It takes a while for it's qualities to impress you.

 

I thought it was Mex City with worse food, but it's the Thailand of S.America -the weird left turn place from the greater continental mass of it's neighbors.

 

Battery is getting low, so I'll come back with more later. But:

 

Anyone been here or S.America in general?

[Andrew Dwyer]

Lived in Brazil for 20 years, Sul de Minas Gerais, 300km north of São Paulo and 460km west of Rio.

The first 10 years were a blast but the last 10 was just going through the motions, mainly matrimony related.

 

Loved the place, travelled all over, from Fortaleza to Porto Alegre. Made many good good friends and remain in touch.

 

A great experience and don’t regret any of it, except maybe the marriage !!.

Worked extensively in Brazil, Argentina and Chile but Brazil is definitely my favourite of the three.

[marin]

Damn, one dude needs to take a chill pill and this thread needs to be trashed. Wow, started off really nice. Never having been to South America I was interested. 

[marin]

40 minutes ago, NowNow said:

Let's just say I have some knowledge of South America. WTF has Mexico City to do with anything?

Its cool you have experience, but at the same time dont you think others could share there's? First time for him and you simply blasted him before he even posted anything. Jeez its not only you here. 

[ElwoodP]

Reported post removed, along with flames and personal attacks.

Please stop.

[josephbloggs]

Not sure if there is any point replying to this thread as it has descended into chilish nonsense for no reason at all.

But I have been to Brasil and absolutely loved it. Iguacu was one the most amazing things I have seen explored all over (Argentinian side too) and did a helicopter tour. Also did Rio and Salvador which has Afro roots. I was there during carnival time so it was a special trip - also coincided with the Rolling Stones million man concert on Copa Cabana beach which was also an experience.

All in all I loved the country and the people. I found them very much like the Thais - friendly, funny, and love a good time.

[Ben Zioner]

2 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Interest-wise, it's a grower, not a show-er. It takes a while for it's qualities to impress you.

 

I thought it was Mex City with worse food, but it's the Thailand of S.America -the weird left turn place from the greater continental mass of it's neighbors.

 

Battery is getting low, so I'll come back with more later. But:

 

Anyone been here or S.America in general?

Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chili.  Didn't boomboom any locals in Ecuador nor Colombia, boomboomed my first wife there... Tel Aviv girl.  The other three countries had some pretty good whores, while the civilians were really hard to get for casual sex. Even though, in those years, I was a real stud with cash to spend. Bloody Catholics.

[Prubangboy]

Without commenting on the moderation here, I want to express my great appreciation of the moderators here.

 

First stop: Iguazo Falls.

 

I didn't love it. Anyone who wants to see them to great effect with Morricone's most stunning soundtrack should watch this clip:

 

 

[Prubangboy]

Problem: Massive tourism like everywhere now. It's $200 for the day out with the lady driver, a Bolisaro/Trump worshipper -just work in that angle -as always.

 

Up at the crack of dawn, it was wall to wall people by 11 AM. You have three trails with 3 overlooks to view. By the time we got to trail # 3 (the money shot one), it was a slow-moving trudge along a 20 minute metal grating walkway, fully packed out, both coming and going.

 

You get your obligatory selfie shot by the railing and then you are very happy to leave. The to and fro is very wetlands-scenic with a few exotic birds about. The little train that takes you between the trails also starts requiring missing a train or two until you can finally get on.

 

My 5 minutes there was true grandeur with the roar of the falls and the dizzying mist - but dampened (literally) by the 500 people I shared it with. Many a photo buff is setting up stepladders and and other equipment to further block your view. Many a baby is a-wailing.

 

I stayed at the pricey hotel on the Brazilian side which has what is supposed to be a very inferior view. It was def less dramatic (you're viewing the falls from a distance), but you're also viewing them with a cocktail in hand, 5 minutes from your room. At 8 AM, you're viewing them completely alone.

 

The hotel was half off 4 Season rates, but only about a third as good, so do your own personal math on that. Food was a letdown, not particularly Brazilian, more like a very good Marriot anywhere in the world. A few monkeys scamper about near the pool. Wouldn't do it again, but it was a satisfying one and done with very warm and personal service.

 

I skipped the bird parks and the power station tour. 36 hours in town felt a little long.

 

[Roo Island]

4 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chili.  Didn't boomboom any locals in Ecuador nor Colombia, boomboomed my first wife there... Tel Aviv girl.  The other three countries had some pretty good whores, while the civilians were really hard to get for casual sex. Even though, in those years, I was a real stud with cash to spend. Bloody Catholics.

There's more to these countries than boom boom. Bizarre

[josephbloggs]

12 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Problem: Massive tourism like everywhere now. It's $200 for the day out with the lady driver, a Bolisaro/Trump worshipper -just work in that angle -as always.

 

Up at the crack of dawn, it was wall to wall people by 11 AM. You have three trails with 3 overlooks to view. By the time we got to trail # 3 (the money shot one), it was a slow-moving trudge along a 20 minute metal grating walkway, fully packed out, both coming and going.

 

You get your obligatory selfie shot by the railing and then you are very happy to leave. The to and fro is very wetlands-scenic with a few exotic birds about. The little train that takes you between the trails also starts requiring missing a train or two until you can finally get on.

 

My 5 minutes there was true grandeur with the roar of the falls and the dizzying mist - but dampened (literally) by the 500 people I shared it with. Many a photo buff is setting up stepladders and and other equipment to further block your view. Many a baby is a-wailing.

 

I stayed at the pricey hotel on the Brazilian side which has what is supposed to be a very inferior view. It was def less dramatic (you're viewing the falls from a distance), but you're also viewing them with a cocktail in hand, 5 minutes from your room. At 8 AM, you're viewing them completely alone.

 

The hotel was half off 4 Season rates, but only about a third as good, so do your own personal math on that. Food was a letdown, not particularly Brazilian, more like a very good Marriot anywhere in the world. A few monkeys scamper about near the pool. Wouldn't do it again, but it was a satisfying one and done with very warm and personal service.

 

I skipped the bird parks and the power station tour. 36 hours in town felt a little long.

 

Thanks for sharing. I had a different experience though. My friend and I booked a car and driver to take us there, we wandered all over the Brasillian side and it was quite busy but enough quiet spots to get pictures. We also did a boat tour which was fun as you go right in to the foot of the falls. And before we even started we did a helicopter tour of the whole thing which was amazing, especially when the pilot swooped down at an angle over the falls - a real heart in mouth moment.

After that we went back to our car and he drove us over to Argentina and we spent the afternoon on that side. Much more impressive than the Brasillian side and much less crowded (if I remember correctly - it was 18 years ago now).

Definitely busy but what amazing spot like that wouldn't be? But we found enough quiet places to get amazing photos. I would share them but I am in most of them so therefore don't want to.

Definitely agree on the power station / dam though, we did a night tour there and it was very underwhelming and very boring. That was our first night in Brasil and a definite let down. The rest of the trip was amazing though. 

We did eat local food in Igaucu and it was good. But not as good as what we ate in Rio and Salvador.

[Prubangboy]

27 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Thanks for sharing. I had a different experience though.  

 

and much less crowded (if I remember correctly - it was 18 years ago now).


 

Your experience may no longer be replicable.

 

Right now is the lowest of the low season. The helicopter ride was fully booked out. Over-tourism will need another Covid blowup to get cured.

 

I have an upper-medium favorable opinion of Brazil and I will def come back next year.

 

I am not much of a Big Bang  tourist sight kind of tourist, so that colors my view. I imagine if I was writing about the current state of The Grand Canyon (my all time fave Big Bang sight), I'd have the same mobbed-out aversion.

[josephbloggs]

28 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Your experience may no longer be replicable.

 

Right now is the lowest of the low season. The helicopter ride was fully booked out. Over-tourism will need another Covid blowup to get cured.

 

I have an upper-medium favorable opinion of Brazil and I will def come back next year.

 

I am not much of a Big Bang  tourist sight kind of tourist, so that colors my view. I imagine if I was writing about the current state of The Grand Canyon (my all time fave Big Bang sight), I'd have the same mobbed-out aversion.

You might be right - as I said I went in 2006, 18 years ago. No idea what it is like now. I just loved the whole thing at the time.

[Prubangboy]

Flew from the falls to Salvador. Def check in on the early side in Brazil. Little English is spoken, check in systems and long lines are very variable. Flights aren't cheap ($300 one way).

 

Booked into the Wish Hotel De Bahia, a 60's modernist semi-masterpiece with lots of bass-relief murals and old fixtures ($120 a night). I booked it way early and the hotel did sell out.  Check in took 40 minutes, a very Brazilian experience. The hotel guests were 80% Brazilian, the rest mainly from N. America.

 

Only one other option there for a full service hotel ($350 a night, old mansion). I was afraid to pull the trigger on one of the very small hotels in the old historic district ($40-ish), due to fear of crime, which is def way overstated on Reddit.

 

'Wish I did, since The Wish Hotel had a truly terrible restaurant; about 80% of the food comes out of the deep fryer.

 

$3 Havana Club 7 year old-shots tho, and lots of aperitif-type cocktails in a bar setting that Connery-Bond would have felt very comfortable in. Lovely guitar lady doing all the Bossa Nova hits you almost remember. Paying for a drink takes a half hour and involves multiple staff members.

 

The electricity kept flipping on and off, the internet too. Unless you're in the historic center, there's not a lot of places to walk to, given the traffic and very few traffic light crossings.

 

If São Paulo felt  (a bit -don't go crazy) like a more urban Mex City, Salvador is a less depressing Havana. Lots of old stores selling wigs, lots of street food of the very deep fried variety. The locals are very mixed between Portuguese and full-on, undiluted African. I have never seen such visually interesting people in my life.

[Prubangboy]

2 hours ago, Roo Island said:

There's more to these countries than boom boom. Bizarre

Yes (in spirit), but uh, no. Brazil is an under the radar women-meeting paradise.

 

I'm here visiting my friend who left New York to live here and study very hard Portuguese specifically for the women. It sure aint the food.

 

Suppose you're a male sapiosexual who wants to have sex with young intellectuals who read Jean Paul Sartre. Jean Paul is buyable at most newsstands. Bukowski is Beatles-level big here too. Everyone has their nose in a book.

 

Eat in the most basic restaurant, Coltrane is on the soundtrack. Go to an art museum, you need a reservation. Super-fashionable in a very local-centric way too. They're poor at near Thai-levels, but semi-genius.

 

Suppose your tastes run a little kinky. That's more attainable here among good looking women than anywhere else.

 

Is there a correlation between Sartre-loving and bondage-loving?

 

My friend says, "I hope so. I think so". 

[scubascuba3]

5 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Without commenting on the moderation here, I want to express my great appreciation of the moderators here.

 

First stop: Iguazo Falls.

 

I didn't love it. Anyone who wants to see them to great effect with Morricone's most stunning soundtrack should watch this clip:

 

 

Yeah typical tourist junk, i did visit it though.

 

Apart from Brazil, i also visited Argentina, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua. None of them come close to Thailand as a place to retire 

[Ben Zioner]

7 hours ago, Roo Island said:

There's more to these countries than boom boom. Bizarre

Sure, but on certain assignments with high level of stress one sees only the job and the release.

 

And this is Aseannow mate.

[NowNow]

8 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Without commenting on the moderation here, I want to express my great appreciation of the moderators here.

 

First stop: Iguazo Falls.

 

I didn't love it. Anyone who wants to see them to great effect with Morricone's most stunning soundtrack should watch this clip:

 

 

 

Great review 😊 It can be encapsulated by 'Wherever you go, there you are'. Congratulations, you fulfilled my expectation.

It seems that everyone else on this thread who has been there, had a totally different experience. But then they likely went to both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. Personally we stayed for hours, appreciated the falls and the wildlife. Did you notice any wildlife? 

 

[Prubangboy]

7 minutes ago, NowNow said:

 

Congratulations, you fulfilled my expectation.

 

 

Seriously?

[NowNow]

Just now, Prubangboy said:

Seriously?

 

Yes.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Brazil is a very diverse country and due to its size ( 9/10 the US ) has various different regions. The tourist traps of Iguaçu Falls, Rio and Salvador obviously attract the most attention but Brazilians also flock to the remote Amazon city of Manaus, the southern region, in particular Canela and Gramado, to immerse in the Germanic experience complete with snow ( albeit what we would call a light frost ! ) and the rustic picturesque cities in Minas Gerais ( Ouro Preto, Tiradentes and Diamantina ) famous for gold and diamond mining widely exploited by the Portuguese using the slaves brought in from Africa.

The population also very diverse, the descendants of African slaves mostly settled in Rio and Bahia at the end of the Gold Trail ( the route from MG to the ports ). The Europeans settling in the south for the more temperate climate and the Japanese seeking refuge in São Paulo at the start of the 1900’s, interestingly a large number of Brazilians have also settled in Japan presumably encouraged by seeing the Japanese culture.

One has only to look at famous Brazilians Pelé and Gisele Bündchen to see the extremities of the population, one can remain inconspicuous in Brazil until you open your mouth or you are wearing socks with your sandals.

[Prubangboy]

Tinder game for my friend was through the roof in Salvador, but the usual Brazilian problem: the flake factor was also through the roof. He set up 12 sure-thing dates. All solid 9's. All blew him off.

 

We were only there for 3 days, but he's a seasoned Brazilian-phile, so he knew to overbook. 

 

The sugar thing here is the way to go. Unlike elsewhere, they're all early 30's. Call it triple the going Thai rate. And you have to speak Portuguese. 

[JoergADA]

How did you get to Brazil ?

I usually fly via Europe with a few days stopover there to adjust for the time difference.

Contemplating the route via Addis Abeba, just for the adventure. The price is also good.

 

 

[Roo Island]

10 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Yes (in spirit), but uh, no. Brazil is an under the radar women-meeting paradise.

 

I'm here visiting my friend who left New York to live here and study very hard Portuguese specifically for the women. It sure aint the food.

 

Suppose you're a male sapiosexual who wants to have sex with young intellectuals who read Jean Paul Sartre. Jean Paul is buyable at most newsstands. Bukowski is Beatles-level big here too. Everyone has their nose in a book.

 

Eat in the most basic restaurant, Coltrane is on the soundtrack. Go to an art museum, you need a reservation. Super-fashionable in a very local-centric way too. They're poor at near Thai-levels, but semi-genius.

 

Suppose your tastes run a little kinky. That's more attainable here among good looking women than anywhere else.

 

Is there a correlation between Sartre-loving and bondage-loving?

 

My friend says, "I hope so. I think so". 

I've been to Brazil. Spent a fair amount of time at the Stop disco. Just saying there's more to these places than cheap women. But yes, I love Coltrane! I'm more into outdoor activities.

[Prubangboy]

8 hours ago, JoergADA said:

How did you get to Brazil ?

 

Contemplating the route via Addis Abeba, just for the adventure. The price is also good.

 

 

Air Emerits. 90 minute stop in Dubai. They emailed a business class upgrade for $600 per trip leg. I took it. Very, very plush.

 

Addis is not currently safe to walk around in. I wanted to go for the zany Afro-Mod architecture. The famous community of old repatriated Rasta's is all but extinct. That's the other reason I passed.

 

Turkish Air was the other option I considered because buying RT's to Istanbul and then on to São Paulo was only $200 diff.

 

Jet lag was brutal, but Chiang Mai has a place where you can but Xanax easily.

[Prubangboy]

Salvador promised a bit of the old voodoo culture but it was less accessible than even in New Orleans. There's a cultural show twice a week. 4 hours long.

 

The tour seller at the hotel was honest: "it's only 2 hours long, the rest of the time is hotel pickup and drop-off'. So in a way, def a very Brazilian cultural experience.

 

This place is not built for tourism at all. Without my Portuguese-speaking friend, I'd have been fairly lost. Ubers will often tell you that you need to walk somewhere else to get picked up. They tell you this in Portuguese. 

 

The old town resembles the French Quarter. Not so much historically  preserved as simply left alone. A few un-touristy shops selling African beads and white dresses for their ceremonies. Very beautiful and mostly empty. No English spoken. Some Havana-like bars, maybe half a dozen restaurants with an English menu.

 

We went to TA #1 choice, Oydoyo, and ordered a moquetta, a vast bubbling stew of various banana's and your choice of protein. Not a lot of taste. They fear the chili spice here. It's like yellow curry for hospice patients.

 

Later, at a 5* restaurant near the water, it was the same indifferent service and tepid red snapper with a smear of hospice yellow sauce atop a pile of pureed plantains, Def NYC prices. Salads are must orders in Brazil due meticulous chopping of everything into tiny bits and dozens of ingredients.

 

An Anthony Bourdain landmark had what looked like giant falafels stuffed with small unshelled shrimp (why?) and mashed yucca.

 

A  green coconut seller had left his post unattended for the length of our meal (30 minute wait for street food) so they were not available.

 

The biggest grease bomb of my life, surpassing even low rent kabobs in England after pub-closing.  Napkins? Seriously? 

 

We went to the mall to buy pants, like a Thai mall on valium. They promised alterations that day, 2 days later, but after dozens of heartfelt texts explaining what was going on with the pants, we went back to the mall to investigate. Profuse apologies, and a promise of hotel delivery by midnight.

 

And then they pointed behind the cashier to a small bar set up. Double shots of 18 year old Chivas Regal and a small cheese plate were put out. We laughed about life and pants. For 2 hours. They kept pouring drinks and begging us not to leave.

 

So when people ask why I like Brazil when there's really not that much to see or do there, the food is blah, and everything is a soft hassle, I say "that".

[Andrew Dwyer]

Brazilian food is indeed highly regarded by the locals but to others not so much. Rice and beans with everything and they have quite an obsession with farofa ( cassava root ground into a powder ) which can only be described as sawdust, of course every country has its favourite ( som tum here, baked beans in the U.K., grits in the US etc ) which others struggle to understand the obsession.

 

Feijoada is a national treasure, based on a traditional stew where the landowner would give his slaves the leftover pig parts to sustain themselves for the week it obviously contained the snout, the ears and the bits that would normally be discarded. But the modern version uses better class of ingredients and although found extensively in the tourist areas Brazilian people have great pride in their “ slave casserole “ and eat it regularly.

 

Portuguese is generally required to exist comfortably in Brazil but closer to the various borders a schoolboy knowledge of Spanish will get you by ( Portunol as known by the locals ). Regional accents are in place and are quite obvious even for an untrained foreigner.

[Prubangboy]

Had Feijoada yesterday. You can order a light version, free of the dross for double the money.

 

I def suggest you do. To compensate, they tossed a pork chop on top. There's a tear drop shaped deep friend thing with a tiny bit of meat in it that's another grease bomb that's everywhere. And very spongey cheese bread little nuggets. These 3 items and the maquetta stew would be what you'd make in a cooking class. Inexplicably charging $120 here.

 

But again, always a full aperitif bar on offer even in a dump. Such esoterica as Cynar (more bitter Campari) and Bunterberg (Jagermeister from hell) is available to chase down your pig ear.

 

The Caprihinia cocktail tastes like a Marguerita from Tijuana skid row. like grain alcohol with a lime -and a ton of sugar. Begging for no sugar is successful 50% of the time. Were these people ever lucky enough to sip a San Tip, they would think it was Johnny Walker.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Red tape problems are common in Brazil and I had great fun getting my id card ( RNE, Registro Nacional Estrangeiro ) and driving license, both only obtained from the capital of the state ( Belo Horizonte ) some 400 km away. Took me 1 year and several trips to get the RNE , a small piece of paper with my photo stapled on ( protocolo) looking decidedly worse for wear at the end.

A permanent visa is available based on marriage or employment and subject to the usual police and medical checks …. and an extended state of patience !! but gives citizenship and everything except a passport and the right to vote, naturalisation is needed for these two items, not really necessary imho.

 

The driving licence, as here, is translated from your home license with a few medical tests and a strange coordination test to check both arms and hands work in sync, many people failing the latter 

[Andrew Dwyer]

4 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Had Feijoada yesterday. You can order a light version, free of the dross for double the money.

 

I def suggest you do. To compensate, they tossed a pork chop on top. There's a tear drop shaped deep friend thing with a tiny bit of meat in it that's another grease bomb that's everywhere. And very spongey cheese bread little nuggets. These 3 items and the maquetta stew would be what you'd make in a cooking class. Inexplicably charging $120 here.

 

But again, always a full aperitif bar on offer even in a dump. Such esoterica as Cynar (more bitter Campari) and Bunterberg (Jagermeister from hell) is available to chase down your pig ear.

 

The Caprihinia cocktail tastes like a Marguerita from Tijuana skid row. like grain alcohol with a lime -and a ton of sugar. Begging for no sugar is successful 50% of the time. Were these people ever lucky enough to sip a San Tip, they would think it was Johnny Walker.

Indeed , feijoada comes in varying degrees of taste and price as does Caipirinha.

Cachaça ( or Pinga as known locally ), main ingredient of a Caipirinha, comes in varying degrees of nastiness. My friends would drink shots of it and swear it was as good as a high class whiskey or tequila, only in price !!

 

Fashionable bars ( Cachaçarias ) in the bigger cities stock thousands of different levels of the stuff.

I would drink it to be sociable but never really enjoyed it.