Not just a country, but a Federative Republic, Brazil is the biggest Nation of South America.
Established after the pact between Spanish and Portuguese colonizers, its history has differed a lot from all its Latin neighbors.
It was 1494 when the world was still known to be only Eurasia and some parts of Africa. Cristoforo Colombo, a sailor man from Genova, travelled to Lisbon to ask funds and support from the King of Portugal Joao II. He wanted to reach India following the principle of the roundness of Earth, and travelling across the other side.
Joao II refused to help him, so he decided to seek help from Isabel of Castilla and Ferdinando of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, who accepted to fund his journey.
Cristoforo Colombo, instead of reaching the India arrived to the Bahamas, and after coming back and leaving for a second expeditions to Cuba: it officially started the discovery of the New World.
Portugal, who had already been discovering the west-southern coasts of Africa, decided to narrow the causes of conflict with Spain, by making a pact with which they could split the world in two parts, on which they could have each exercise their sphere of influence.
They reunited in Tordesillas in 1494, a city in Spain, and traced a vertical line that would run on the left side of the Acoras Islands. The Portuguese part, however, was not happy with that line and they demanded to move it forward west of a few kilometers, somebody said they already had a knowledge of the presence of the coasts of a new land, but thanks to that, on the discovery of the actual Brazil, they could claim their right on it.
That is how Brazil started to develop and become a country, with the Portuguese language and a culture that different from its neighbors Latin and Spanish speaking countries.
São Paolo
When I landed in São Paolo, the first thing I wanted to do was to see again my Brazilian friend, Tiago. I had met Tiago in Cape Town a few months before in the same hostel room in which we had been locked down because of the Covid situation.
Tiago invited me to Brasil and when I arrived he came to pick me up at the airport Guarulho, the primary international airport servicing the city, which is located though in another district but in the same São Paolo state. Tiago brought me to have breakfast in a very traditional place next to his house.
Then we went to his apartment where he had prepared me the sofa bed to host me during the night.
I got to experience right away the Brazilian culture. Tiago and his wife were very nice to me and I felt I knew them for a long time.
Tiago also had two lovely cats that slept with me on the sofa.
With Tiago we explored the City Centre of Sao Paolo. It is a very big city and a little chaotic, but I enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibes of a place where people are enjoying their environment and work a lot.
I went with Tiago to the Mercado Municipal de São Paolo, where I got amazing fresh fruits and juice, then to the Museum of Art of São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, which is located in the famous Avenida Paulista, and is considered a landmark of the city and a main symbol of modern Brazilian architecture, and to the Praca da Se, the real city centre of the city and the place where the city of Sao Paolo was founded.
While São Paulo became entrenched as Brazil’s economic heartland and Brasília strengthened its position as the political hub, residents of Rio increasingly prided themselves on being the country’s cultural centre and Brazil’s most salient symbol to the rest of the world.
Rio de Janeiro
I had two weeks in Brazil and many things to see, so after Sao Paolo I moved to the next city, the beautiful Rio De Janeiro, the second most populous city of the country.
Portuguese navigators arrived in this area on January 1st, 1502 and they mistook the entrance of the bay for the mounth of a river, that is why they called it Rio de Janeiro.
Did you know? The inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro are called Carioca. This comes from the way in which the Tupi Indians referred to the Portuguese settlers "karai oca" which meant 'white house'
Rio de Janeiro is well known for the beauty of its beaches and its peaks, ridges and hills, all partly covered by tropical forest. Do you notice in this mural the shape of the city?
What really surprised me about Rio it's in fact its urban area so well mixed with the nature. The panorama is just extremely beautiful . The ay in which the location, architecture, inhabitants and lifestyle so well compose a highly unique as one of the world's most beautiful and interesting urban centres.
Pao de Açucar is the Portuguese name of Sugarloaf Mountain, and it's the peak that rises straight from the water's edge on the peninsula that is slightly detached from the rest of the city. It is a major side in Rio as the Sugarloaf it makes part of its particular geography.
Can you recognise the Pao de Acucar?
The Sugarloaf mountain is connected to the Morro Da Urca, the shorter mountain close to it, by a Cable car. You can go up by getting a ticket of the Bondinho, as the Cariocas call it, and have one of the most amazing view on the city and Corcovado Mountain.
This was one of my favorite spot ever in Rio, and I recommend you to get the tickets online ->get the tickets here<- and arrive on time for either sunrise or sunset. You would not regret it!
Foz de Iguazu
The last stop of my trip were the Iguazu Falls. These falls are similar to the ones of Niagara, but on South America. They share the crossroad of three countries: Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Foz de Iguazu was recently chosen as one of the "New Natural Seven Wonders of the World", and I can really confirm that it deserves this title.
To reach Foz de Iguazu, you can take a Place either in Brazil, or Argentina to reach the respective representative cities. You can in fact wisit the falls on the sides of both countries, which I strongly recommend as they are two different beauty experiences.
When you visit the Brazilian side, you are going to be under the falls. You can walk a lot inside the nature and a Bus can approach you to the falls, that you will get to see very close, even at some points having the water falling directly on you, so remember to bring a waterproof jacket or raicoat.
Double check the opening times because on Monday the National Park is closed.
In Argentina, on the other side, you will get to board a little train that will drive you
here is a little train bringing you to the falls that you will see from the top.
It's a quite amazing view as well, as you really get to experience the power of water that continuously drops in enormous quantities and spread and astonishing and speechless atmosphere.
The curious thing about Foz de Iguazu is that, with the border with Paraguay there is a Hydroelectric Central, that is used from both states, Paraguay and Brazil, to produce energy. This is called Itaipu, and it's the world's largest hydroelectric plant in power generation, after the Three Gorges Dam in China.
Itaipu is in operation since in 1984, and it runs on the border of Brazil and Paraguay.
All the energy of Paraguay, which is a smaller country, is coming from there, while for Brazil, it is covered about the 14% of the total. Coming from the Panama River.
If you have enough time, you could also visit an interesting place which is in the exact border where the three countries meet. This is on the shores of the river and on the Brazilian side it is built a structure where you can assist to dances and shows of the three countries folklore.
Paraguay has a more-homogeneous population than most other countries in South America, as most Paraguayans are of European and Guaraní ancestry. It is the only country where Spanish is not the most spoken language as the Indigenous Guarani community is still very nationalist and really mindful of keeping the use of their language.
Out of the many countries I visited, Brazil was one that really fascinated me. The places are stunning and the people are also very friendly, welcoming and always sharing good vibes. I cannot wait to go back and visit more cities there and taste again the succulent Acai Bowl!
When are you planning to go?
Proibido estacionar na vida!
- Forbidden to stand still in life -
Let me know in the comments about your trip and your favourite sights of this beautiful country!
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