Brazil nr 3: More Rio, the Favela

One of the most amazing things I did in Rio was the walk around one of the favelas. Here are some pictures which don't tell all the stories, but I'm not sure all stories should be told...

Brazil nr 2: Rio de Janeiro

For Rio I will mostly just post pictures. This city is amazing in so many ways. Way too hot and sticky to begin with but no other city I've been to offers the same vibe, scenery and beaches as Rio. Travelling to Rio alone as a girl isn't as dangerous as the rumors will have you think. BUT you do have to travel safely and use the traveler's common sense. And if you find yourself befriending a 2 meter tall Dutch man who can act as your body guard, it's perfectly ok to enter the Favelas (although always at your own risk).

lovely houses... or what's left of them

more lovely houses

some sort of very important tile covered stair case

(couldn't overhear the tourist group's explanation on why it was important but at least it's pretty...)

more of the pretty tiles

amazing view from the Jesus statue

Adriaan and the kids in the Favela

Jesus and a birdie

the view from the Favela

some of the kids in the Favela

the same kids again

Brazil nr 1: São Paulo

Three weeks in this alluring cultural melting pot. Amazing! I started off my stay by visiting the chaotic city of São Paulo - a traveler's nightmare and my new best friend. I fell in love with the city immediately. It's quite possible it was because I had a fantastic guide to show me around as well as incredible house and unbelievable food at my friend's family, but I think there was another aspect to my appreciation of the 7th largest city in the world. The beauty of the chaos: the elegant quadrille of the thousands of cars changing lanes at impressive speed and at exactly the right moment, the choreographed dance of public transport passengers who without a word manage to avoid any confrontation and the symphony of metropolitan sounds: dogs barking, car horns honking, cell phones bleeping and vendors calling out the latest deals. The result is breath taking and that is not the smog doing the work.

São Paulo is incredibly clean for its size. I really do believe it has received an undeserved bad reputation of pollution, crime and chaos. But then again, I did see the city from its best side. Even the graffiti is beautiful. In many countries graffiti is simply tags or some random funny character, but here it's an art and a respected one as well. The most amazing works of art are kept free of "overtagging" or other graffiti artists trying to steal their thunder. Everyone knows a great piece when they see it. So far I haven't seen anything quite of the same satirical caliber as Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk/) but it truly is amazing works on display around the city. Regular Brazilians are finally starting to appreciate the art form and exhibitions showing the street art are popping up everywhere. People from all over the world come to praise the artists and their creativeness.

Unfortunately some of the most amazing pieces are located in a tunnel where you zoom past in your car and they're quite impossible to get to by foot. I did not get a chance to photograph these which means there are even more impressive pieces out there than the ones I have for you here.

For more information on graffiti in São Paulo please check out World Hum's pictures and articles on http://www.worldhum.com/photos/slideshow/sao-paulos-graffiti-20090318/N4/

Welcome!

Dear reader,

I have two great hobbies, writing and traveling, and it's about time I combine the two. I hope you will enjoy the stories and pictures as I invite you to travel with me!

-anna-