Arrival

Just arrived in Nashville, TN with much safety.

São Vicente

São Vicente is known as "the first city in Brazil." It was established by the Portuguese in 1532. The city right next to it, Santos (where I was born), has the biggest seaport in Latin America. This whole area, known as the Baixada Santista, has very fine beaches. It is a popular vacation spot for the people who live in the city of São Paulo, since it's so close.

My grandmother owns a condo by the beach there. She doesn't live there anymore, but she still has the condo, so Ruben, Hannah, and I took the bus to the coast and spent a few days there. The condo is on the 19th floor of one of the many beachside buildings that stretch along the shore. Here is a view from the window.

View from the apartment

We ate at some great restaurants for a very good price. There were hundreds of hot dog and burger stands, and beachside cabanas where they serve you great drinks like caipirinhas and all sorts of food.

At night we walked down along the beach and found more things to eat and drink. At one point we stopped at this restaurant that served 2-liter towers of beer. It looks bigger in the pictures because the inside is actually a hollow cylinder filled with ice.

Party bus

There is also the party bus that takes the drunk tourists through the city. I don't think Ruben and Hannah were drunk enough to ride it, and I wasn't drunk enough to ride it by myself.

Ilha Porchat

From the observation deck on Ilha Porchat (Porchat Island), you can get a good view of the crescent-shaped bay, with São Vicente to the left, and Santos to the right.

View from Ilha Porchat

The beach Ahh... and finally: the beach. Brazil is famous for its thong and booty. In Brazil, they don't have the North American obsession with big boobs--it's all about the booty.

Walking by the beach

See all the pics of São Vicente »

Rio

Rio de Janeiro : A Cidade Maravilhosa (The Marvelous City).
A view of the city from the top of the Corcovado. Rio is Brazil's most well-known city. Second only to São Paulo in size, the city is scattered around a mountainous landscape, and its scenic beaches attract tourists from all over the world.

Corcovado Dad, Ruben, Hannah, and I walked up the Corcovado mountain up to the Big Jesus statue on top. It's an icon of Brazil, sorta like the Statue of Liberty in the US. We were tired when we got to the top, but the view was spectacular.

View from Corcovado

Copacabana
Copacabana Beach, one of the most well-known beaches in Brazil, where the wealthy spend their vacations along its world-class hotels and famous sidewalks. You don't have to be rich to enjoy it, though.

People on the beach


Driving by Copacabana

The other Rio : Favelas
Rio is also famous for its favelas (slums). A quarter of the people in Rio live in these slums. The favelas are controlled by rival drug gangs that are armed to the teeth. They constantly battle each other for control. The favela is a very violent place--the police don't even go in there. And if they do, they go in shooting. The people who live in there get caught in the violence.

See all the pics of Rio »

São Paulo

Source: http://www.fotosedm.hpg.ig.com.br/Aereas/DSC09026.jpg

The City of São Paulo, Brazil. The largest city in South America, population of 19 million in the metro area. It is difficult to imagine the sheer size of this city. The picture on the right gives you an idea.

Took a quick tour of the city with Dad, Ruben, and Hannah on new year's eve. We went down by bus and took the subway and walked around. The city was empty since most people are down at the beach or traveling on holidays during this time.

Highlights: Car accident on Avenida Paulista and a bum sleeping in the middle of the street.





Catedral da Sé


Avenida Paulista


The subway

See all the pics of São Paulo »