Save Time for the South
Travel Location: Rio-de-Janeiro,Brazil
Long have I desired to see Brazil’s southern states. I just hadn’t realized it before arriving. As with many other countries, I had conjured fantastic visions and imagined unique adventures prior to receiving my admission stamp. However, only after crossing the border and learning more about the country’s geography did I realize all of my memories-to-be were set in the south. I knew little about the north except that it contained the massive Amazon River, a stunning Atlantic coastline, and the Afro-Brazilian capital of Salvador. As I traveled through it, I learned and liked more of the north’s varied cultures and landscapes. I didn’t penetrate it as deeply as I would have liked, because each time I lengthened my stay somewhere or added a new town to my itinerary, a voice would speak to me. “Make sure you save time for the south,” it said. Sometimes it came from other travelers, sometimes from my earlier fantasies. Regardless of the source, it was right. By the end, I wished for more time, but I did manage to include three of its gems – two expected and one wonderful surprise.
I spent a week in Rio de Janeiro (pronounced HEE-oh day Jah-NAY-roh in Portuguese) with Jamie, but we did not room together. Thanks to Adriana, a friend I met months earlier in Egypt, I had a welcome break from hostel life, my first since landing on the continent. But Adriana was not the only familiar face in Rio. Jamie and I reunited with our three California friends from Salvador as well as a carioca (local) named Ricardo whom we had met in Belém. We flew into the cidade maravilhosa on Ricardo’s birthday, and after a brief phone call he picked all five of us up and treated us to a memorable evening that included sipping drinks from his plush apartment balcony, hunting for “acceptable” (read: cheap but good) clubs, and crashing a neighbor’s house party.
No city in the world can compete with Rio de Janeiro for most outstanding natural setting.
The rest of my time in Rio was more touristy, but not in a negative sense. There is simply too much to see in a city this large, diverse, and so beautifully set. It would require a week just to see the city from its innumerable vistas, one of which would have to be from the barrio of Santa Teresa. Coupled with a self-guided tour through the Centro and Lapa districts to see their notable architectural achievements of the Petrobras Corporate Headquarters, Catedral Metropolitana, and Arcos da Lapa, strolling around the tranquil streets and quaint neighborhoods of Santa Teresa was our team activity for an afternoon. This older, quieter area of Rio offered respite to the big city hustle below, and with the west-facing views from its hilly perches it was easy to see why sundown had been the recommended hour to visit.
Thanks to the metro, Rio is a walker’s city. There may be quite a bit of it, but it is walkable no less. On some days, Jamie and I would stick to our home district of Catete. On others we’d stroll through a greenbelt like Parque Lage, around a lake like Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, or atop the fine, warm sand of the Praias do Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana. But our greatest pedestrian adventure came when I suggested we walk from Enseada de Botafogo to the base of Corcovado mountain, home to the World Wonder Cristo Redentor. What seemed like a trivial distance on the map became over an hour of walking before we reached the train at the mountain’s base. Had one of the city’s key attractions not been waiting for him at the top, I’m certain Jamie would have abandoned me then and there for making him walk so far. True to his status, Christ indeed was the savior.
After Cristo, Jamie and I sped over to another of the city’s notable landmarks, Pao de Açucar. We exited the second cable car atop the Sugarloaf just in time for the warm spectrum of oranges, pinks, and purples that nature paints best. It was here watching the sun depart and the city’s lights spark to life that I made a claim which I will now share: No city I’ve seen in picture or actuality can compete with Rio de Janeiro for best natural setting. Sydney’s and San Francisco’s harbors fall short as do the Alpine towns of Europe or the beach resorts of southeast Asia. With islands dotting the waters, sugary white beaches fringing its various bays, and dozens of peaks from which to see it all, I consider it lacking nothing. The Cristo’s status as a World Wonder still strikes me as bizarre, but Rio’s harbor deserves every bit of its Natural World Wonder title.
Sao Carlos was not on my must-see list until the last minute. Several Brazilians hadn’t even heard of the town until I mentioned it, so it is unsurprising there are few tourists there. What the city does have are credible universities, thousands of students, and one special English teacher. Lucimara is one of only half a dozen people I’ve seen on this trip who knew me before I became a world traveler. For this reason, it was important to visit her, because she represented some of my home.
Most of my time in Sao Carlos would seem uneventful and uninteresting to you, my blog readers. It centered around simple comforts like lazy mid-morning brunches, bike rides around the college campuses, and evenings of either billiards and bars or just “Friends” episodes at home. Once, Jamie and I assisted in one of Lu’s classes as the native English speakers; and on his final day with me, Jamie and I were treated to an authentic Brazilian barbecue. The real blog highlight of Sao Carlos, however, did not occur in the city. It took place an hour away in Brotas. From this tiny town, we satisfied our desires for outdoor activity. In little more than 30 hours, we rappelled down three waterfalls, rafted down a Class II/III river in a “duck” (two-man raft), and zip-lined over two canyons. It was a fun-filled weekend, to say the least.
With time running short, I chose to visit just one more place in Brazil – a place I was going to see come hell or high water. Just how high, I had no idea. The seven Wonders of the World were voted upon months before my departure from the U.S. The Swiss organization that conducted the voting is now doing a similar poll for the natural wonders of the world, and Iguazu Falls is a main contender for the title. Niagara’s torrent is impressive, and I hear the cascades of Victoria and Angel Falls are not to be missed, but Iguazu has my vote. Long ago, the earth’s plate movements created a series of stepped cliffs at what is now the triple frontier of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. When the Iguazu River flowed over it, thus was born hundreds of waterfalls requiring at least two days to appreciate.
Most travelers say the Argentine side of Iguazu is better than the Brazilian, but I disagree. Both sides are necessary to fully comprehend this spectacular place. Argentina gives visitors the opportunity to walk above the cascades, be sprayed by the swirling mist, and be deafened by the churning roar. It is the park’s intimate experience providing hiking trails, catwalks, and a boat trip to San Martin Island. Brazil’s side is not as sensual, but is the only way to appreciate the water’s collective magnitude. It is often called the more photogenic side because the panoramas of the smaller saltos, the Tres Mosqueteros, and the Garganta del Diablo are unparalled. Only from Brazil can you stand atop a tower hovering above the falls and observe what a fantastic sculptor Mother Nature can be.
As if I hadn’t written the words “World Wonder” enough in this blog, it wouldn’t be complete without mentioning one more. Itaipu Dam is the largest hydroelectric plant in the world (by output, not capacity). It is a binational effort creating power for both Brazil and Paraguay. Its 14,000 MW production supplies Brazil, the world’s fifth most populous country, with 20% of its total power and Paraguay with 100% of its needs. Unfortunately, this came at a high environmental cost. A series of falls rivaling Iguazu and hectares of subtropical rain forest were destroyed in order to achieve this, but as part of the $12 billion price tag, many animal species, trees, and new spawning streams have been introduced. There are several options for touring Itaipu, and, being the engineer that I am, I chose the “technical” (i.e. dork) tour. Luckily, I had company in my dorkiness. Two Portuguese guys whom I had befriended the day before came with me. Andres, Nuno, and I traveled from top to bottom, inside and out, never ceasing to be amazed at the size of the dam, its components, or the workforce required to create it.
By now, you may be tired of reading this entry, as it is one of my longest. However, this should only reinforce the draw of the region. I had no time to visit the enchanting colonial town of Paraty or the carless island of Ilha Grande. I didn’t get a chance to experience the savory foods or expensive nightlife in Sao Paulo, the continent’s industrial center and one of the world’s largest cities. And I’ll have to try the prime surf spots and experience the laid back atmosphere of Florianópolis on another visit. But for what I’ve seen and everything I haven’t, I know this – you should put aside plenty of time for the south of Brazil.
