Mel's Life: #Brazil
Dec 10, 2016
Last week, I went on a whirlwind tour of Brazil and loved every minute of it. My cousin and I flew to Manaus, Salvador, and Rio all within 6 crazy days. I must admit we saw absolutely nothing in Manus as we flew in at night and left at 4 am the next day. The one day that we did have to explore the area we crashed hard and spent the day in our hotel (lame but necessary).
On Friday, we flew out to Bahia! I was most excited about heading to Bahia because of the rich cultural history. Bahia is the home to the largest population of black people outside of the continent Africa and it is apparent immediately. I felt like I was returning home in a sense because everything felt very familiar. The music, the food, and the overall vibe of the city is reminiscent of the Caribbean. My cousin and I were in awe at how much the people of Salvador were able to save culturally from the clutches of colonialism.
After taking in Salvador, we set our sights on Rio de Janiero. We arrived around noon in Rio and hit the ground running. We headed straight to the famed Escadaria Selarón steps, after walking up the stairs we built up a pretty hefty appetite. We grabbed lunch at a cute restaurant and indulged in Brazilian steak (o-m-g soooo good).
The next day we went to see the Christ Redeemer statue. I wasn't expecting the statue to be so massive, I was a little taken aback. In photos, it does not appear to be so large. The vantage point at the statue is absolutely stunning, you can see Rio's beauty from every angle. Did I mention it was blazing hot? To take a break from the relentless sun we concluded our day at Ipanema beach (where the water is cold and the food delicious).
After taking in Salvador, we set our sights on Rio de Janiero. We arrived around noon in Rio and hit the ground running. We headed straight to the famed Escadaria Selarón steps, after walking up the stairs we built up a pretty hefty appetite. We grabbed lunch at a cute restaurant and indulged in Brazilian steak (o-m-g soooo good).
The next day we went to see the Christ Redeemer statue. I wasn't expecting the statue to be so massive, I was a little taken aback. In photos, it does not appear to be so large. The vantage point at the statue is absolutely stunning, you can see Rio's beauty from every angle. Did I mention it was blazing hot? To take a break from the relentless sun we concluded our day at Ipanema beach (where the water is cold and the food delicious).
