BRASIL - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

[Magician]

Well I finally got around to it. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] The hardest part was narrowing down the pictures to a managable number. Was there in November 2007 for 15 days, and the place nice so mi tek a whole heap a pikcha. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]



Capital: Brasília
Largest City: São Paulo
Official Language: Portuguese
Population: (2007 est.) 183,888,841 (5th in the world)
Currency: Real (R$) (BRL)


Their motto is Order and Progress. Well it sounds ambitious but in my opinion at a great cost. In the southeast where I traveled you can drive for hours and dem chop down every deggeh-deggeh tree in sight! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img] Hills just barren and in some places the rain and wind strip down the soil to the rock. The only piece of real rain forrest jungle is ironically right near Rio and just to the west.

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 17pt'><span style="color: #000099">São Paulo</span></span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>At nearly 23 million people residing in the metro area, São Paulo is the second most populous metro area in the world (after Tokyo)... and it feels like it too. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70392-silly.gif[/img]

You're like an ant lost at Grand Central Station. The 1 hour bus ride from the airport and all you see are highrise buildings as far as the eye can see. And since the sity is in a basin there no hills or see to orient yourself by. So mi only spend the first and last day here and that's because of the timing of the flight. </span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>The Municipal Theatre</span>

(mi just see di pikcha size too big. Soon come afta mi small dem up. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

Ok, mi see seh Mo post her pictures bigup bigup so mi cyaan bodda an resize dem all. If she can dweet mi can try a ting.



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Cathedral near Praça da Sé</span>


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>What I found interesting and surprising is the amound of Japanese and half-Japanese that live in S.P. There's nearly half a million of them and the largest concentration of Japanese outside of Japan.</span>




<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This combination of old and new caught my eye. This is a hospital with a "new wing" added on the left. </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Alrite that's enough of S.P. I think the term 'concrete jungle' was termed here. And the vibe is very un-Brazilian with business and work. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>It was before Christmas, so mi spy this Santa an puss on top of a bank.


So now we drive east out of this mess and into the country, heading in the direction of Rio.

Then get off the highway, the road small up until is a one way mud track through the only ramaining part of the rainforest in this part of the country. Road was so bad we were gonna turn back. But I'm glad we didn't.

Welcome to </span><span style='font-size: 17pt'><span style="color: #000099">Paraty</span></span>
<span style='font-size: 14pt'>[pronounced para'Chi]</span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>It was raining and chilly in Paraty. But it didn't stop wi from making the best of it. Thankfully weather did nice rest of the trip.</span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>They made a hole in the seawall and let the ocean come into the street at high tide. Not sure why. </span>[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif[/img]



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This guy made it. </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]






<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Looks like RichD an fi im hawse. </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.



Good thing there's wikipedia!

Flooded Streets
Thanks to Portuguese engineering involving an ingenious curvature of the cobblestone streets, Paraty is home to a unique phenomenon. Once a month when there is a Full Moon and the tide is high, seawater rises from its normal levels, and pours into the Historic Center District through special openings in the seawalls that separate the city from the harbor. The streets are only flooded for a short time, until the tide recedes. The water is usually only six to ten inches deep and a few merchants near the seawall put out small bridges to span the flooded streets for the benefit of pedestrians.
wiki link



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This was a nearby beach just south.
The sea was angry! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cold.gif[/img]









<span style='font-size: 14pt'>And so was the sky! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek2.gif[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>[Let me introduce you to the <span style="color: #CC9933"><span style='font-size: 17pt'>FUSCA</span></span></span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Pronouced "Foo-shka" is a VW Beetle produced for many years in Brazil. They are all over the place still, and the name comes form the brown colour that was the original. </span>







<span style='font-size: 14pt'>By the way we now drove for about 7 or 8 hours! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img] to the north and landed in </span><span style='font-size: 17pt'><span style="color: #000099">Ouro Preto</span></span>, <span style='font-size: 14pt'>in the Minas Gerais state, not far from Belo Horizonte. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

Vila Rica do Ouro Preto (from Portuguese, Rich Town of Black Gold) is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque architecture.
link


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>It's up in the mountains and I've read that in the 18th centry, 70% of all the gold in the world was mined here. They used to discard all the other precious stones that they dug up, but somebody realised that a fortune can be made on them as well.

It's the only place in the world where they mine the imperial topaz. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, and 139 million Brazilians all seem to go to mass on Sunday morning as there's not a soul to be seen anywhere! </span>



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>After church there are processions with singing dancing and music though the streets!</span>




<span style='font-size: 14pt'>And ladies dressed in their Sunday best susu pon di doorsteps of their churchsisters. (In lieu of jamaicans.com)</span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>And then there's food! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hungry.gif[/img]


[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This is what is called "Por Kilo". Meaning per kilogram. You load up fi yuh plate, they weight it on a scale and you pay by the weight.

Don't ask me what all these things were, but it was good. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>No! It's not the girl from Ipanema! ...yet (that comes later)

Just a gyal a tek in breeze an henjoing di Sunday sunshine with a likkle romance novel. </span>[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]




<span style='font-size: 14pt'>The carved ladies in the windows were everywhere. I don't know the background behind this tradition but just to be on the safe side I got one an she looking pon mi now as we speak. </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/1teeth.jpg[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>We now start heading back towards Rio, and after about 3 hours reach Tiradentes. (Brazilians say their s's with shh)

It translates to "Pulling Teeth", and there's a legend behind it but I don't remember what it was. </span>








<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This by the way was the town with the best steak I have ever eaten in my life. And I have eaten many. Can taste it to this day still! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/agood.gif[/img]

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Next stop... </span><span style='font-size: 14pt'><span style="color: #000099">Petropolis</span></span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>This is Brazil's Paris. I normally don't like to buck up pon Europe outside of it, but this place was nice still. High up in the mountains, it was the summer residence of the King of Brazil.

Bet you didn't know Brazil used to be ruled by the king, eeh.</span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Like I said... wayyyy up in the mountains. This is a shot of the GPS since mi did tink seh it waan lead mi astray!</span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/dizzy.gif[/img]



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>The Imperial Palace</span>



<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Next cathedral. That's where dem bury di royal fambly.</span>





<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Some random flower mi buck pon di road. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>A little over an hour drive down down down and we get to..</span>

<span style='font-size: 17pt'><span style="color: #000099">Rio de Janeiro</span></span>

[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img]


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Before I start, I guarantee that most of you (incuding myself) have pronounced this famous city's name <span style='font-size: 14pt'><span style="color: #FF0000">WRONG</span></span> all these years! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70388-shameonyou.gif[/img]

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>No it's not RIO.

It's H-YOO DI-JAH-NERU </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif[/img]

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Evidently all the leading R's are said like H's and ting that end with O are considered ending with U.</span>

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>My years of learning Spanish were absolutely useless in Brazil. Brazilian Portuguese is a whole different animal.

So the famous football players are Honaldu and Honaldiniu, and their money (Real) are "He-ice"

If you're coming on a domestic flight you might be landing at the very exciting Santos Dumont Airport! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img]

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>If you've ever landed at New York LaGuardia and thought that was short, the runways here are almost half the lenght of LGA.

Pilots require special training to oprate here, and you can't see it here, but right after takeoff is the SugerLoaf Mountain which is best avoided by a sharp left turn as soon as the wheel leave the ground. </span>
[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]


<span style='font-size: 14pt'>There's a road leading to a school that passes in front of the runway in the bottom of the picture. When there is a plane taking off or landing, a siren goes off to warn motorists that clearance between the plane's tire-bottom an roof-top is not guaranteed! </span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/popcorn.gif[/img]







<span style='font-size: 14pt'>A government plane was practicing landings. </span>

[Magician]

Re: Brazil - Rio, Ouro Preto, Buzios, Paraty, Tiradentes, S.P.

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>These two pictures are not mine, but it will give you an idea of what the landing is like at this airport.</span> [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/proud_jamaica.gif[/img]