After spending a quite sporadic yet enjoyable week in the wonderful South American country of Brazil, I thought I'd take some time yet again to write about the numerous things I learned on my international voyage. I'd traveled to Brazil with just my dad, and we utilized our sheer advantage of knowing and having a Brazilian native amiga of his (make that two, and, oh wait, three) show us all of the most fabulous places. Of course, there were other occasions when we didn't have our Brazilian friends around and we had to battle the non-English language currents on our own (hey, Portuguese isn't really a language taught in America, so I suppose we couldn't have known any better - especially for first time visitors to Brazil).
I'll touch upon the sites that were/are most memorable and worthwhile for not only me, but also for future visitors to Brazil. My dad and I spent a total of 4 real days in Brasilia (I say "real" days because there was one day during the week when we spent all day at an airport) and 1 day in Rio de Janeiro. Sounds a bit un-tourist like maybe, since Rio is what makes Brazil famous. But hey, this is what happens sometimes when you go with the flow and when your dad doesn't have particular plans in mind. Hmmmmm.
When we first got to Brasilia, I thought it was so ordinary and dull and just, well, not like what I would have pictured being the CAPITAL of Brazil. However, it didn't take long for me to fall in love with this amazing city. The TV Tower, the TV Tower Fountain, and the JK Bridge/Paranoá Lake are absolute MUST SEES when in Brasilia. You could literally spend all week at just these three monuments and never ever get bored. And yes, they are THAT GOOD. If you want a little taste of gorgeousness and flavorful ambiance all morphed into one, then welcome, because you've found it here.
However, one word of wisdom that I wish somebody would have told me beforehand is that ENGLISH IS UNKNOWN TO 95% + PEOPLE IN BRASILIA. Unlike Europe, where people in public positions are required to speak at least a little bit of English, this is not the case in Brasilia or really in most cities in South America. During our entire time in Brasilia, we heard maybe a total of 2 people (excluding our Brazilian friends) speak any English at all. So, you can imagine that we had to communicate in some really weird and dumbed-down ways just for people to even get a clue as to what we were trying to say. It really affected the way I perceived Brazilians at first.
Then there was that one very shortlived day spent in Rio de Janeiro. I am definitely sad that we didn't have more time to spend here. It is such a BEAUTIFUL city and it sits right by these sunkissed blue beaches, some classic South American mountains, and a chaotic urban atmosphere. Oh, and way more people spoke English here, so this was also a more enjoyable place to communicate with some more people (huzzahhh!). While in Rio, we rode a mountain lift up to the top of Pão de Açúcar (translation: Sugarloaf Mountain) and we saw some absolutely gorgeous sites!
Along with seeing Rio from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, we spent maybe 15 minutes at Copacabana just taking pictures and feeling the coolness of the ocean waves (or coldness, I should say, because it's currently winter there and the temperature of the water confirmed that). It's always nice to just spend a day at the beach, but because of our time constraint, we spent more time seeing the other things that Rio had to offer. Colombo is an absolute MUST EAT AT RESTAURANT when in Rio. It's the first and oldest cafe in the city and it really looks like a fancy palace inside (not to mention the food is top notch amazing!). I had a ham and cheese puff pastry, a vanilla milkshake, and some delicious chocolate and strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and that really did it all well enough for me and my appetite!
The only not so great thing I have to say about Rio is the atrociousness of the traffic. OH. MY. GOSH. If you're American like me and you perceive places like New York and Atlanta as having awful traffic, then you ain't seen NOTHING until you come and experience traffic in Rio. People literally jay-walk everywhere and anywhere on the road. LITERALLY. You'll be sitting at a very jam-packed red light and all of a sudden you'll see some crazy stranger crossing the street in front of your face. Or the side of your window. Or where your tail lights are. Motorcyclists zig-zag cars at every single red light like it's nobody's business. They'll even drive right next to you in the same exact lane you're driving in, and just having to drive on the same highway as them is nerve-racking enough. Drivers won't stay in the designated lanes, and Rio literally resembles a bunch of jumbled, discombobulated dominoes when you exhibit the chaos of cars in the streets. Lovely, right?
Anyway, that's all just part of the experience. It's good to see other places that aren't like America because it's easier to realize what you really actually have. Brazil is not a country I would personally want to live in, but I would (and will) certainly visit again! My dad's Brazilian friend Morgana is from the southern part of Brazil, where there are more of the "European" looking Brazilians, so I look forward to comparing my Brasilia and Rio adventures to her hometown.
Hey, at least I'll be able to pull out the common "obrigado" (thank you) and "hoy" (hello) when I return to Brazil. Those words really are the important ones, anyway.