Ola!
December is typically a chill month – figuratively and literally with the weather in Chicago. This trip definitely shook this December up a bit. I visited four cities in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Araraquara, Salvador, and São Paulo.
Rio was our first touchpoint. We stayed near Copacabana Beach, so we were in a great area of the city. Rio was exactly what I envisioned when I thought of Brazil – very colorful, full of beautiful, brown people, and warm with palm trees. “Warm” was an understatement, as I experienced my first-ever sunburn on Copacabana Beach. Granted, we spent 6 hours, unmoved, in the sun without sunblock (never knew I needed it), but I will forever believe the sun in Brazil is different. Other than spending hours on Copacabana Beach where we had our first (of many) caipirinhas, we saw the Christmas Lighting Special, rode cable cars to the top Sugarloaf Mountain to see breathtaking views of Rio, bussed even higher in the sky to Christ the Redeemer, walked around and ate in the Santa Teresa neighborhood at Bar Os Ximenes, watched samba dancing at a bar/restaurant Bar da Lapa in the Centro/Lapa area, ventured (unintentionally) into the favelas attempting to get to a hiking trail (never made it), and brunched with incredible views at Parque Lage.
Araraquara is where our office was located, so most of our time spent there was working; however, traveling to and from there was an adventure to say the least. The nearest airport is two hours away, so it was never a quick trip. Though a much smaller city than the rest, it’s still decently sized with good food.
Salvador was the capital in the heyday of the slave trade. Today, it retains a largely black population and culture; this is evident in the people, the art, the music and food. We were excited to visit Salvador to experience the African influence. Here is where I saw my first capoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial arts) show, which has spread worldwide. We lodged in the Barra area, which is near the coast. As we were by the shore, the seafood was fresh and delicious. We spent many hours at the beach (surprise), walked to the Pelourinho neighborhood where there was a cultural/religious festival, and visited the Iaipava Arena to attend a reggae festival where I discovered some music I added to the rotation immediately (Natiruts).
São Paulo is a massive city – 12.1M people in 2017. That’s four times the size of Chicago (crib). Needless to say, there were people everywhere. The city felt like that of New York, by how littered the streets were, and Los Angeles, by the traffic, along with the palm trees and natural highpoints; this big city vibe also set it apart from the other cities we visited. We went out to an underground reggae club, CCPC, the first night. It was a super chill place with great music and crazy strong caipirinhas; just up the stairs was a totally different EDM vibe, but the transition was so smooth. The next day, we went to an art museum, where they were having an all-women’s music performance (it was honestly so beautiful; we really enjoyed it), and walked around a few neighborhoods, specifically to see the cathedral.
In the future, I would love to visit any other cities, because Brazilians seem to be the coolest people I’ve ever met!
All photos taken with iPhone 8 Plus. I was advised not to carry around a Nikon (or anything else bulky, expensive, and easily snatch-able) in the cities.
Jenai M. Davis 