Rio is not only beaches ans favelas, or the faceless highrises that dominate the skylines. I have alao visited many charming neighborhoods full of life, like Catete, Flamengo, and Urca. And I have discovered all-you-can-eatbsteak restaurants.… Read the rest

Rio loves its beaches. White, fine sand, wide, surf, people playing volleyball or a volleyball variant played with feet and head. Copacabana, probably the best-known beach in Rio, is not my favorite. Too wide, separated from the city with an enormous highway that is hard to cross, and too commercial. My favorites are Ipanema Beach,…

There is a 700-meter mountain called Corcovado in the middle of Rio with a big Jesus statue on top. They call it Christ the Redeemer which makes me think of plastic bottles. The statue is 38 meters tall. Beautiful views from up there. It’s packed up there even on a weekday; the platform is not…

First stop in Rio is the sugarloaf mountain!… Read the rest

Just pretty pictures is boring. I had another day in Manaus and decided to go to the edges, where it’s industrial an poor – without venturing into the favelas (slums) because that’s dangerous. Took a picture from across the river though, the banner of this post.… Read the rest

Hiking in the jungle again. No animals this time but we got a course on building traps. The guide cut the crown off a young tree, bent it down, and tied a rope to the end which was held down by an H-shaped frame and a carefully balanced trip rod. Step on that rod, and…

Met a few others at the lodge, and our guide took us on a long hike. First 45 minutes using our small wooden motor out, then two and a half hours back through the jungle. Our guide was in front, walking a path that he knew but that I couldn’t even see, occasionally using his…

The Amazonas region is one of Brazil’s largest undamaged jungles. I had a tour booked that first took me from Manaus across the Rio Negro and the Amazon. The former has dark water and the latter is yellow, and they don’t mix where they meet, just swirl a little. Very peculiar. The tour continued to…

Manaus is the gateway to the Amazon river. Most river and jungle tours begin and end here. Manaus is not a beautiful city; it’s loud and busy and colorful but has few attractions. The opera house is one of them. I took the picture below from the hotel’s roof terrace. Like so many tropical cities,…