Obtaining a Visa for Brazil. It depends on where you go and apply for the visa. I applied for mine at the Brazilian Embassy in Los Angeles while Nicole was in Florida and applied for it in Miami. Here it took waiting for almost two hours just to turn in my application and receive a date to pick it up while Nicole was easily able to apply for it. I waited two weeks to get mine and she got hers, I believe, less than a week after applying for it. So this is just information, which I'm sure you already know, that you need a visa to enter in Brazil. It costs $130.
Weather. First in São Paolo, it was cold and raining the whole time we were there. Heading up to Manaus and the Amazon, the weather was hot and very humid. Sometimes almost unbearable but liveable. The humidity was so strong that it felt like it was just 24 hours of light rain. We never felt dry; always somewhat lightly drenched. We came during the rainy season of the Amazon so it rained about 2-3 hours each day we were there. Of course the changes in the climate are due to the fact that the Amazon lies right near/on the Equator. Where it concerns the weather, our sleeping conditions were slightly affected by that it was harder to fall asleep when it was really hot, humid, in the middle of the rainforest, and have bed bugs and flying insects on your mind. Nevertheless, that, to me, was nothing because the Amazon has been a lifelong dream of mine and something I was not going to take advantage of or complain about just because the weather was the way it was. In Rio, it was bearable. We were there during the hottest month of summer, February, but honestly it really wasn't that hot and that is being said by someone who really doesn't like being in the sun unless at the beach. The heat and humidity were felt most of the time on the beaches there. During the nights, humidity was there but during Carnaval, that isn't something that is on everyone's mind! All I'll say is that the weather is more bearable in Argentina and in Southern Brazil than in California!
Where we stayed/Hostel. We were at the EcoLodge on the Rio Negro, staying in a small cabin, which so happened to be the last one in their area, in the middle of the rainforest. We didn't mind it at all, except at night when we were wandering around over there while bats and other creatures were out. Nevertheless an interesting close up experience of the Amazon. In Rio de Janeiro, we stayed at the Copinha Hostel on Rua de Oliviera Street, just a couple blocks away from Copacabana beach. It was a miracle and we were very fortunate to book this hostel in time because everything books up rather quickly during Carnival time. We had good roommates and made friends with everyone in our hostel. Overall, the experiences we had in Rio were different from Buenos Aires/Mendoza. In Rio, the people working there were very helpful, but of course it was Carnival and were more focused on the activities that week. One lady working there seemed to rub off the wrong way with almost everyone there. I had no issues with her, but I heard plenty of complaints about her from other backpackers. Wasn't really friendly and warm. Hostel was hot; no air conditioners, but that didn't bother us because spent most of our time outside anyways. If given the chance to go back and choose that hostel again, I honestly wouldn't. I liked the location; perfect location to get to anywhere, but after being there already, I would like to go to another one. I believe if you look up the reviews for this hostel online, you would see what I'm talking about. But overall, conditions there were liveable and manageable.
Safety.We felt safe in Manaus/Amazon. No issues to talk about. Rio de Janeiro, in general, felt safe. The same day we arrived in Rio, there were two huge robberies in our area at a hotel and a hostel. I heard about this because one of the girls that was robbed was in our hostel talking on her cell phone about it (and I think Nicole's grandma saw it in the news or online and was a little worried). Not something I wanted to hear about our first day there! The only issues we had were that plenty of kids tried to pickpocket from us and were unsuccessful; this occcured mainly our first night out to dinner and anything that consisted of being out and surrounded by people and celebrating Carnaval. We brought our cameras once to the beach and were stared at everytime we brought them out; I would like to clarify that this was not from everyone there. Just a few men, but we were in a group so we didn't worry much. I believe that is all that happened while we were there. My opinion is that you definitely need to be aware of your surroundings but please do be openminded. Rio is a beautiful city and the things that happen there should not overlap with the city in general.
The Brazil Real.The exchange rate at the time we were there was US$1=R$2. The dollar was stronger in Argentina. (US$1=AP$4) Just the difference of going from using the Argentine Peso to the Brazil Real made everything to us feel expensive.
The People of Brazil.In the Amazon, everyone was friendly but we were the only young adults there so they acted differently with us. I don't know how to explain it, but it wasn't anything bad. More of a curiousity about us. Yuri, our tour guide, was born and raised in the Amazon and I really enjoyed listening to his stories growing up there. He talked about his son who works at the Manaus airport. And what a coincidence, we actually saw him working at the airport as we were boarding the plane for Rio. The Amazonian Residents were all wonderful and so giving. I really enjoyed watching them in their own environment; very beautiful people. In Rio, personalities here were different to the ones in Argentina. In general, people here were friendly, nice, and open, but there were some that weren't too helpful. I believe this was because my friend Nicole is a blonde and they quickly realized that we were from the US (I kept cracking jokes to her about her hair the whole time there). But I think they took us in more positively and we weren't worried at all. We spent most of our time at the beaches and everyone there was friendly. Everyone shared their buckets so we could all pour ocean water on our bodies because you can just feel the rays of the sun burning all over your body. We had conversations with other Brazilians and how they were curious about us. It was the younger Brazilians who were more open about talking to us and getting to know one another. At night when we celebrated Carnaval, everyone was friendly and just having a good time. I really enjoyed watching everyone dancing the Samba through the streets of Rio. Very colorful, vibrant, and sexy! I'm currently learning the samba now (and 12 other dances) and I get the feel about how the Brazilians move and express themselves. Overall, I love the people there and what they offer.
Fashion/Style/Shopping.The fashion for the Amazon was white shirts (t-shirts and long sleeves; female mosquitos dislike white), jeans, and shoes. Our perfume of choice--bug spray! I used up a whole bottle and half of the bug wipes in another container our whole time there! Hairspray, of course because of the humidity, even though it really didn't do much for me. I really didn't wear many colors only because we saw a bunch of mosquitos attacking one of the tourists who was wearing black a lot. Such a nice group of people from all over the world; I really hope none of them got bitten by any mosquitos. Fashion-wise in Rio, there wasn't anything spectacular. Brazilians dress very cool and casual, nothing like Argentina. We didn't see anything new and we really weren't there for the shopping! The one thing we noticed the most was the sort of 80's style--like a regular t-shirt with one side going over one of the shoulders. Nothing too fancy. And unlike Argentina, you can wear shorts in Brazil and not have everyone think you are a tourist. Beach wise--we saw no nudity-no topless beaches. Definitely no one was covered up at the beach. Very skimpy, revealing bikinis, Brazilian cut bottoms. This was the first time I ever stepped out onto the beach wearing a Brazilian cut bikini! Men walking all over the place in mainly Speedos--and not just at the beach. I give Brazilians huge credit for their confidence in themselves but they still need to take better care of their bodies. Shopping---we really didn't do. We got all our souveniers in Argentina since we knew they would be cheaper there. All our money was saved for food and Carnival activities! Overall, the style is very bright and colorful, like the country!
Food.Brazil is known for its flavors, wide variety, and definitely something I was looking forward to. In the Amazon, our tastebuds were doing the Samba! We loved EVERYTHING we consumed there--from the piranha to the pirarucu, parsnip root to the carrots, potatoes, plantains, bananas, fresh fruit, sandía, papaya, mango, vegetables, sopa de calabaza y habas, sopa de calabaza, sopa de feijão, cacao, manioc flour, rice, banana chips, taperebá, frango, bisteca, bread---of course can't forget about the açaí berry. Definitely felt like good homecooking, especially when that was the most we could eat in the midst of all our traveling. I enjoyed them so much, I am still trying to recreate everything we ate there! The Amazon has so much to give us and I am fully willing to take in all its offerings! (All other tropical fruits not mentioned here are mentioned in my other Amazon entries.)
But to be honest, in Rio, besides all those familiar dishes and drinks served in most of the restaurants like feijoada, feijão com arroz, bisteca, farofa, agua de coco, caiprinhas, and churrasco, I wasn't really happy with the outcome of food in our neighborhood of Copacabana. And trust me, I looked EVERYWHERE. We were in a pretty known area surrounded by plenty of restaurants, right near the beach, and next door to most of the action. There were no food carts in sight. Didn't even see one in Rio; more in Argentina. Everything you ate was either from the supermercado or at a restaurant. And most of the restaurants that we went to or saw resembled fast food restaurants in the US. And if you know me, I do not support fast food chains. No McD's, definitely no In-N-Out, and not at all Carl's Jr. I didn't even step into any of the these "fast food" restaurants in Copacabana. Most of the food we ended up eating came from the local supermercado around the corner or some of the family restaurants in our area; agua de coco (from fresh coconuts and from the local "Jamba Juice"/marketplace), bisteca, empada, Salgadinhos, pasta, camarão, massas molho tomate, sopa de jerimum, and peixe. Overall, there was a variety but fell short on the ease of finding these places-which so happens to also be quite expensive to. I would like to return someday and really dig deep because I know everything that I'm looking for is there.
Locutoríos.We only used the locutorío once to call home. Cheaper calling home there than from our hostel. I believe it cost us R$1.75 per minute to call home versus the R$2.00 from the hostel and cheaper at $0.75AP in Argentina.
Ease of Getting Around Brazil.Very easy. Walking, taking the bus, subway, and taxis. Pretty safe but be aware of your surroundings. Sadly, since this was during Carnaval, a lot of the taxis felt it was fair to overcharge tourists instead of going by the meter. I think it cost us R$50 to get back to our hostel from the Sambadome, when it could have been R$20-30 if using the meter. We passed by a few taxis that were doing this to us, but after a while it was starting to get unsafe so the next taxi we saw, we jumped right in and paid that ridiculous price.
AMAZON.My #1 dream come true had everything that I had imagined it would have and more. Everything was beautiful there. The rainforest, Rio Negro, Rio Amazonas, Meeting of the Waters, flora, fauna, animals, bugs (yes, beautiful but not anything I would ever touch or get too close to!), people, cabaclos, fishing/piranhas, and exotic fruits and wildlife. I really recommend that you go to the Amazon and see what it offers you. Of course it does ask a lot of you (vaccines, malaria, ticks, mosquitos, jaguars, anacondas) but don't let that scare you. The exotic mysteries of the Amazon will overshadow all these issues and you will quickly forget about them (or so I mean not letting your worries take over what your eyes are seeing).
Rio de Janeiro.Such a vibrant, lively city. Once you look passed all the things you hear in the media, you will then really understand and are able to take in what this city really has to offer you. Nothing but fun, excitement, food, beaches, sun, and culture. And a bonus that we went during Carnaval time! I'll admit that our Carnaval days were more interesting than our non-Carnaval days. It was just harder to find fun things to do after Carnaval when everyone was gone and the streets were empty. Nevertheless, a still enjoyable city to explore. We saw the famous Christ the Redeemer on top of the Corcovado Mountain. The Sugarloaf, though it was a pity that the day we went, it was extremely cloudy and couldn't get a whole snapshot of it. We saw bits of the Tijuca forest. And explored everything from Copacabana to Ipanema to Leblon. I love how each city has different offerings and nothing is the same.
Carnaval/nightlife.I could go on and on about how AMAZING Carnaval is, the nightlife, the samba, the people, the parties (held pretty much anywhere you can think of), the Carnaval clubs, the Sambadome/Samba School Parades, the colors, and the good times----but I'm not! I realized that I don't want to give it all away to everyone. This is the one thing you have to experience for yourself. I think it would take its magic away if I gave everything up, like it won't be as magical or a surprise. I will say, however, that this is so worth flying to Rio for and I promise you won't be disappointed!
Interesting moments.One would be at the locutorio calling home on my birthday and listening to the guy working there sing in English the Beyonce song that I don't like "Put a ring on it" but didn't understand English when talking to him. Another would be learning from one of the guys at our hostel about Valentines Day and how it is in June because no one wants to be in a relationship in the summer and during Carnival. When we saw some people in Ipanema who we hung out with in the Amazon, small world! One drunk guy, not sure where he was from, but I'm guessing from Europe or Australia calling all of us "f****** liars (in a fun, joking way)" because we were all joking around about where we came from. I think Nicole was telling him I was from Denmark, Sweden, or Africa. He wasn't fun to be around; as most uncontrollable drunks are.
What I Wish We Could Have Done While We Were There.The only things I can think of off the top of my mind are look deeper for good food because I wasn't 100% satisfied with what we found and maybe celebrated more. We did but I wasn't feeling well the first few days and that took my energy and my willingness to go crazy and explore (although this wasn't my fault and was out of my reach). I REALLY regret not going to a soccer game. :( I used to love watching Ronaldo play soccer on TV and it really was a bummer not being able to go to the Macarena Stadium. I keep wondering how cool it would have been to wander through the Amazon Rainforest on our own since we were so deep into it. The only reason why we didn't was because of the wildlife and no one would know if anything happened to us! Still it would have made some interesting memories. Also, I deeply regret not having enough time exploring the fish/produce market in Manaus. That was something I really wanted to do. I've heard so many good things about the market. For two weeks though, I am satisfied that we did all that we could do while we were there.
Would I Come Back?That would be a yes! Definitely not done exploring this city. Of course not only in Rio, but there are a few other cities in mind I would like to explore. I would LOVE to spend more time in the AMAZON of course! My heart is still there!♥ The only thing is, is that I don't think I could explore this country alone. Safety wise, if I was alone, I would stick to Rio and the more touristy spots and if not, I would feel more comfortable exploring much more.
Things I look forward to in the future in Brazil.ALL of the Amazon (not just in the Manaus region), Manaus, more food, more cities, more rainforests/jungles (Tocantins?), and looking into more wildlife. Brazil is a vast land of opportunities to explore and be adventurous.
There is much more in this world that has yet to be discovered.
