Brasil, Ate Mais!

First the bad bit: we came home from an immense 2-week trip to Brazil to a collapsed ceiling in a kitchen, brown water all over the kitchen floor, dripping water from the bathroom ceiling, and the smell of rotten food permeating the entire apartment, as the workmen in our building had decided to turn the power off.

Now, back to the better bit. Brazil is an epic country. From a satisfying-my-stomach point of view, the food was actually very good. We were anticipating rice, beans and meat, but there was a lot more on offer. We ate a lot of moqueca, which is a Bahian fish stew, cooked in coconut milk and palm oil. We ate a lot of steak. Not a lot left to say about that. Delish!The most disappointing meal was (unsurprisingly at Rio airport as we were waiting for our flight home. We went to Batata Inglesa, a Brazilian Spud-U-Like. I'm sad to report that the Brazilians and all other international travellers must have an awful opinion of British food. I ordered a jacket with bolognese and got a microwaved potato with mince. Less said about that the better.

Rio is a glorious city. It's all about getting up as high as you can from different angles of the city. The Sugarloaf mountain has the best view and is the most relaxing experience, but Christ the Redeemer is so iconic, that's it's pretty cool to be watching over the city with him behind you. Plus, how many art deco Christ figures are there out there?

Iguazu Falls are spectacular. BUT PEOPLE ARE SO ANNOYING.

Go to Bahia, people, particularly Chapada Diamantina. The views are amazing. Morro do Pai Inacio, Google the pictures. Fumaca. Google the pictures. It's all pretty wild. And then you get to hang up your hiking boots and stroll round the cobbled streets of Lencois with other travellers. The locals are friendly, the food delicious, and the caipirinhas hit the spot.

Lastly, Salvador. We had mixed feelings about the place. The historic centre is beautiful, but ropey at night. It's edgy and you don't want to find yourself on a street where there isn't a policeman. We stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel called Aram Yami, as it was our anniversary, which was amazing but sat uncomfortably with me at the same time. The place was extremely aspirational - we had two terraces so had a view from both sides of the hotel, a king-size bed, a glass ceiling shower, and there was an infinity pool. Unfortunately, the contrast between the our  hotel and the poorer areas made me feel a bit awkward... Of course, it felt totally relaxing when we were sitting on our terrace looking out over the water.

The best thing about the staying at Aram Yami were the interesting conversations we had with the staff. They were two Spaniards and a Pole, who gave interesting insights into the Bahian culture. Apparently Bahians are looked down upon by other Brazilians, for instance, and the candomble religion is still highly influential in the area. The Pole had come to Salvador to teach candomble dancing, so was able to explain the folkloric performance we went to see. The movements were an interpretation of the religion, some of them really uncomfortable to watch, I think because we are so unused to seeing them in western culture. All very fascinating.

To blow my own trumpet, I had taken a grand total of 11 hours of listen-and-report Portuguese lessons. Do this if you want to go to Brazil. It'll help you out of a pickle or two, Also, if anyone wants to come with me again on our next trip, I'm currently saving my pennies now. On the docket will be Fernando de Noronha, Lençóis Maranhenses and the Pantanal fo sho...