Ilheus - Bahia

Hey folks, I´m back, and this new article is about Ilhéus, a beautiful city in northeastern Brazil. This wonderful city is located in Bahia, a state known for it´s great coast, some of the most famous coastal cities in our country are in Bahia, like Salvador and Porto Seguro.

Ilhéus has the biggest coastal extension among all the cities in Bahia, and that means only one thing, lots of beaches to see. Another great side of this place, is it´s history. In the past Ilhéus was the biggest "cacau"(cacao bean, cocoa bean) exporter in the world, that changed after the farms were infested with a fungus, causing it´s production to decline. But the signs of the past are still in the city, where you can find the old "Casaroes"(Big Houses) where the Baron´s of cacau used to live. If you want you can also see some of the places where the cacau´s high society used to meet, by visiting the Bar Vesuvio and the Cabaret Bataclan.

Another interesting thing about Ilhéus is that it has inspired famous brazilian writer Jorge Amado. He mentions places like Bar Vesuvio in his work, and lots of other location in the city. So if you are a fan, you can´t miss this oportunity to see the house of Jorge Amado, now it´s known as "Casa De Cultura Jorge Amado"(House of Culture Jorge Amado).

You may also take a guided tour through the cacau´s farms. Where you can lear about the production of this fruit, most important ingredient in chocolate. By the way there´s also a chocolate factory you can visit.

There also a lagoon called "Lagoa Encantada"(Enchanted Lagoon), you can get there by ship, through the Rio Almada. It´s a 14 square kilometers lagoon, and in it´s surroundings you´ll find waterfalls, fisher´s villages, cacau farms and much more. It´s definetly a great place to see.

Here I´ll put some photos of the beaches. Hope you enjoy it. Bye.

New posts coming soon.

Hi folks, I´m trying to post more often, but it´s kind of hard, college is taking most of my time now, but I made a decision, and I´ll post at least a post per week, so come back at least once every week to see the updates ok?

I think my next post will be about my last trip, it will have a lot of information about Ilha Grande.

So ´till my next post.

Trindade - Rio de Janeiro

Trindade is a small village of fishermen, located in the south of Rio de Janeiro and this place is turning into a well known location of the state, even for people from other countries that go there to visit beautiful beaches and waterfalls.

This is a little place where you don´t need to spend much time, unless you really want to relax or have a romantic time with someone. Most people visit Trindade, while staying in Paraty, since Trindade is very close to it.

And there is even a better option, that is to visit also Ilha Grande, and spend about a week or more there, since you´ll have a lot to see, then spend some days at Paraty, and during those days go to Trindade. But if you wish to stay in Trindade, there you´ll find campings and Inns too.

Those places are full of travellers from all the world, I went to Ilha Grande two weeks ago, and I can surely say that there were more foreigners than brazilians visiting the Island.

Here a list with some of Trindade´s beaches:

Praia Brava
Praia do Cepilho
Praia do Rancho
Praia do Meio
Praia do Cachadaço
Praia das Figueiras (exclusive for naturists)

This is it, if you are looking for a good place to do some trekking, or just relax, Trindade is the place for you. And bring your surfboard and your diving equipment, since here you´ll have good spots for both sports.

Balneario Camboriu - Santa Catarina

Balneario Camboriu was founded in 1964, when it was emancipated from the city of Camboriu. And since it´s foundation this has always been a place dedicated to tourism, it´s main financial activity. The city has around 95000 citizens and an infra-structure that can receive around 1.000.000 visitants, there are 100 hotels, 15000 houses and flats to rent for the summer, and plus that you can always find some "Pousadas", resorts and campings near the beaches.

Balneario Camboriu is a great option for people that want to spend some days or weeks in a place with nice beaches, friendly people and a lot of things to do and see. It has beaches for all kinds of tastes, from almost untouched to very crowded and full of beautiful people. There you will find Brazil´s first nudist beach, called Praia do Pinho.

If you like sports, you´ll wont be disapointed. In the main beach you find special areas to play soccer, voleyball, futevolei(a variation of voleyball that is played with feet), do exercises... Plus that there are other areas where you can ride jetskis(you can rent one there). Surf is also a good option, as the state of Santa Catarina is one of the most famous surf spots in Brazil. And there are more options but they are too much to list here.

The nightlife is very intense, with a great number of dance clubs and "bares"(kind like pubs, but with a more brazilian feeling). The most famous dance club is called Baturite, and a lot of other bares are located around it. If you are not a big fan of dancing, you can just sit in a bar and relax eating something and drinking, it´s a great to way to meet people.

This is it, see ya later.

Rio das Ostras - Rio De Janeiro

This is the city where I spent my last vacation, and what a nice vacation it was. It´s a calm city, with a great infra-structure, beautiful spots to enjoy the nature and a lot of places to enjoy a little nightlife.

Rio das Ostras is located in the Sun Coast(Costa do Sol), and it´s about 190km from Rio de Janeiro, that´s about 1hour and 30 mins. Nearby you´ll find the cities of Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Araruama, and Buzios, all of them famous tourist places, and less than an hour from Rio das Ostras.

But now let´s talk about this wonderful city. As any of the cities in Sun Coast, the main atraction in Rio das Ostras are the beaches, and it had to be, since the city has one of the most beautiful coasts in the country. There´s a beach really close to the town centre, that´s not a really pretty beach, but it´s ok if all you want is to take a swim and relax. But if you want to see a beautiful place you should go to Costa Azul, that´s the most famous beach in the city, it has some surf activity, but it´s ok too for people that just want to swim, there are "Quiosques"(place where you can get food and drinks) all over the beach and also some stores in the street, where you can buy souvenirs and maybe get an ice cream. You can also visit Praia Virgem, it´s beautiful, but people say that sometimes nudists go there. That can be a good or bad thing, it´s up to you.

Once you leave the beach, go to Praça da Baleia (Whale´s Square), it´s a famous spot, where you can see a sculpture, in almost real size, of a Jubarte Whale, but be careful cause it throws water up, and from time to time, and uncautious tourist get his cloathes all wet. I know cause it almost happened to me. Near the square you´ll find a place called "Tocolandia" it´s a kind of Shopping Center, but not as we are used to, it´s worth to take a look.

During the night, you can walk in the town centre, where you´ll find restaurants and ice-cream parlours, some live music, places to shop and play some video game classics. Night life may not be as intense (but you can find some dance clubs too, I just don´t care much about them) as in Cabo Frio, but that can be a positive point, if you like a more calm and relax atmosphere. This photo is from Rio das Ostras Jazz & Blue Festival:

Well, another great city. bye folks.

Porto de Galinhas - Pernambuco

Hi people, today I´ll talk about Porto de Galinhas in the southern Pernambuco. It´s a great beach, one of the most famous in the northeastern part of Brazil. It´s situated in the city of Ipojuca at 70 Km from Recife.


The name Porto de Galinhas means, Chicken´s Port and it has an interesting history behind it. The original name was Porto Rico, but after the slave market was prohibited, slaves had to be brought secretly to Brazil, in this port the buyers and sellers started a code, when there were ships with slaves in the docks they would say "There´s new chicken in the port", and that´s how the city of Porto Rico, became Porto de Galinhas.

This is a wonderful region, with clear waters, natural pools, corals and reefs, also has a great infrastructure for the tourists, with restaurants from the whole world, nice hotels and a lot of entertainment.


During the day you can visit the famous beach of Porto de Galinhas, and also the nearby beaches of Muro Alto and Macaraípe(the place to be if you want to surf). If you don´t want to be swimming and sunbathing the whole day, you can always go to a ship or Buggy trip, this way you´ll be able to see the best spots of the region.


During the night you can go to "Villa de Todos os Santos" it´s a street in front of the Macaraípe Beach, full of restaurants and bars, great to meet someone while enjoying live music. And in Porto de Galinhas you´ll find also nice restaurants, plus a wide selection of handcraft stores.


So, this is it. I´ll place some videos here too, check it out if you want to know a little more about this place

This video is recorded at Maracaípe Beach, take a look to see how are the waves there.



This one is in Porto de Galinhas, it´s a ship trip. Enjoy it, and see ya in the next post.

Paraty - Rio de Janeiro

Today I´ll write about Paraty, a little town in the southern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro. A city with great things to see, and of course, islands and beaches to enjoy. Also it´s near others great tourism areas, like Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande.

Nowadays this town is very famous as a tourism destination, one of the most visited places in the state, but Paraty is also an important city in the history of Brazil, it was in a route used for imprisoning native americas to work as slaves, also was the most important port for the exportation of gold to Portugal. But around 1710 the king of Portugal prohibited the miners to ship their production trough Paraty, this started the decay of the town, that in the XX century became a famous tourism spot.



But were these events that made Paraty become what it´s today, a historical sanctuary, and a Paradise for Eco-tourism, with great architecture, beautiful waterfalls and a perfect coast.

As soon as you get to Paraty you will probably see the Historical Center, the most famous part of Paraty, it´s a great sample of the architecture of the Colonial Period, so take a little time to see it, I´m sure you´ll like it.



But here´s what a lot of people don´t know, most tourists think that the best thing to do in Paraty is just to visit the Historical Center, that´s a huge mistake, this region is one of the most beautiful areas in the whole brazilian coastline and anyone that visit it should take a tour around the many great places of this paradise.



A good option is to take a boat tour, this way you´ll be able to see the beautiful beaches and islands of the Paraty´s Bay, plus you can dive in the calm and clear waters of the bay.



You can also sign in for a Jeep tour, this way you´ll visit the most famous spots of the region, like the Toboga waterfalls and the Golden Trail. And you also visit the place where they make the famous Cachaça or Pinga, Paraty is also known as the city of Cachaça.



During the night the Historical Center is the point, there you find shops to buy souvernirs, and also there´s always some kind of artistic exhibition. Maybe you want to enjoy live music in one of the bars and restaurants of the area, this is a great chance to meet others travellers like yourself.



Well, this is it people, I´ll be back soon with more updates.

Costa do Sauipe - Bahia

Hi folks, I´m back, and I think that this time of few updates per month is over. From now on I´ll post a lot more, and with better content too, I´ll even repeat some destinations because I want to make better posts about them. So this is it, now to what really matters, let´s talk about beaches...

Today´s post is about Costa do Sauípe, it´s the tourism complex with the best infrastructure in this whole country, even used to business meetings of the most importants companies in Brazil. Some even call it "The Cancun of Brazil". It has more than 8 km of beaches with white sand and crystaline waters.


It´s the perfect place if you want luxury with all the options that a city in the coast has to offer, from coconut water 'till all the kinds of watersports. And not only water sports, there you find almost every kind of sport that you want, like football(soccer), squash, tennis and golf(fields of international level).


Costa do Sauípe is only 76 km from Salvador, so a good idea while you are there is to visit Salvador, the most famous city in the northeast of Brazil with famous beaches like Praia do Forte, and intense nightlife.


But if you don´t want to leave to Salvador, there´s no problem Costa do Sauípe has also a good night life, not as intense as in the capital of Bahia, but some people find it even better. The place to be during the night is Vila Nova da Praia, is a little village full of entertaiment. There you´ll be able to buy all kinds of stuff, like handcrafts, clothes, decoration, jewerly. Also it´s famous for it´s restaurants, with food from all over the world, and has some typical food if you want to taste the flavours from Bahia. Here´s a aerial view of Vila Nova:


After a day of beaches and shopping the best option is to sit at one of the bars in Vila Nova and listen to a good live music while you enjoy a drink or two chatting with friends or your wife. And if you don´t have a husband or wife don´t worry, it´s a easy place to meet someone.


This is it, to get to Costa do Sauípe you need to fly to Salvador, as you get there you´ll find in the airport, people that do transfers and resarvations to Sauípe.


Bye folks, and ´till next post.

Fernando de Noronha - II

Hi folks, just a little more pics of paradise.

Here you can see the "Morro do Pico", it´s that rock on the back.

And here you´ll see a lot of dolphins in Dolphin´s Bay

Here we have a view of Sancho´s Beach. Another great beach in this paradise.

Well, this is it friends, ´till next post.

Fernando de Noronha - PE

Hi folks, I´m back for a little post. This is about what´s maybe the destination most desired by brazilians, the beautiful island Fernando de Noronha. I will place here some photos of it, some information too, but very few. Later(maybe next week) I´ll make a big post about it, cause this island deserves it.

The two first photos will be of the Two Brothers Hill(Morro Dois Irmão), this name is self explaning after you see them.

The next two photos are of the Pig´s Bay(Baia dos Porcos), it´s a beautiful place, it has a the best view for the Two Brothers and in the low tide it has incredible natural pools.

Well, for now it´s over, but I´ll definetly post more stuff about this paradise. For now just watch this video with some surfing at this incredible island, and for people that don´t care much for surf, there ´s also some great views in this video. Bye Folks, see ya soon.

Good News for travellers from South America.

12 Countries of South America signed an agreement to allow their citizens to travel between their countries without passports.

Here´s a some parts of the article that I took from BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6182760.stm

"The measure, designed to boost tourism and business activity, allows travellers to cross borders for up to 90 days, with only an identity card.

Visa-free travel "represents a step in our efforts to eliminate our traditional divisions," said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.

Mr Foxley said that three basic areas were important to boost regional integration - transport, energy, and the reduction of social inequalities.

The countries covered by the new agreement are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela."

This is a good thing to read, it will make my travels much easier. :D

A Video about Parati

Parati is a little historical city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, it has great beaches, and it´s near some great islands like Ilha Grande. Enjoy it.

Fernando de Noronha, New Video

Hi folks, well, I´m here to say that I probably won´t update the blog much this month, I´m studying for a test to enter college. But to keep this thing alive, I´ll try to place here some photos and videos, so check it out from time to time to see any new stuff.

And the first video will be about this paradise called Fernando de Noronha, it´s mainly about surf, but you will also see here the beauties of this island, from it´s beaches ´till it´s bikini girls :D



This is it, and as soons as this test is over I´ll start to make new posts again. Bye Friends

Arraial D'ajuda - Bahia

Arraial D'ajuda is located near Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia, it´s a rustic and elegant little city, with historical buildings and wonderful beaches.





This city is famous for it´s religious parties, some of the most tradicional are Saint Sebastian(20 January) and Saint Cosme and Saint Damian(September 27).
But the biggest is on August 15, it´s for a saint called Nossa Senhora D'ajuda it attracts thousands, tourists and locals to participate in this celebration.



There are too many beaches to list here but the most visiteds are Araçaí, Apaga Fogo, Canoas, Mucugê, Tororão e Pitinga. You´ll find all kinds of beaches there, even some nudism beaches.

While in the city there are inumerous activities for you, if you are into scuba diving there are operators there, they´ll take you to dive in Abrolhos(one of the most famous diving spot in Brazil). You´ll also find in the city, Lambada Classes and trekking trails.



The right place to be during the night is the "Broduei"(it´s pronounce is exactly like "Broadway"). There you´ll find bars and restaurants all over the street with all kinds of food(and I really mean all kinds, from Acarajé to Sushi) and live music. Besides that you also find there some people selling their handcrafts, a good souvenir to remember this paradise.



Here´s a little description of the most famous beaches. I took it from this site: http://www.bahia.com.br/viver_detalhe.asp?idl=5774&id=256

Apaga Fogo beach
It is good for swimming, fishing and nautical sports such as kayaks, windsurf and jet ski. The reefs form natural pools at low tides. After the ferryboat crossing,it is the first beach of Arraial d?Ajuda,on the right margin of Buranhém River.

Araçaípe beach
It is across from a private property. The sea is calm and there are natural pools due to the existence of reefs. There are many shells on the sand. A modern water park was built there.

Mucugê beach
It has calm waters with natural pools formed by the reefs. Good for swimming. It has beach kiosks.

Parracho beach
Due to its calm waters, it is very sought after by divers. Tourists can rent nautical equipment in kiosks.

Pitinga beach
One of the most beautiful beaches of Arraial, it has an inlet of strong waves. During the low tide, the tourists can swim in its natural pools. The sand is soft and there are some kiosks. There is a nudism area, on a calmer stretch in the south.

Taípe beach
It is a calm beach, isolated by high cliffs of up to 20 meters in height. Open sea, with big waves, good for fishing. Once it is a desert beach, Taípe is sought after by nudists and by turtles during the spawning season. Four kiosks offer bar and restaurant services, restrooms and a parking area. This beach has access for cars, before the bridge over Taípe River.

Well, this is it, another great place, Bye folks, and see ya in the next post.

Cabo Frio - My last travel.

Hi folks, I´ll just post here some photos of my last trip. This is Praia do Forte in Cabo Frio



It´s one of the best beaches I´ve have been, has a part with waves and another without it, perfect for kids. Clear water and a beautiful landscape with a Fortress in the back ground.



This is a view of the Fortress from the "Morro do Arpoador". Beautiful view.

This photos is from a place where you can just sit and relax, listeaning to the sound of waves hitting the rocks, and we saw a Penguim while we were sitting there. But I wasn´t with my camera.



This is a little island near the Praia do Forte, I think it´s a public island cause there was a lot of little boats there.



Well, this is it, a friend of mine took more pictures, maybe I´ll post some of his photos later. Bye friends.

Hi Friends, sorry for the lack of posts.

I just want to thank the people that are coming to see if there are any new posts during these days. I´m having some troubles to place new updates here, cause it has been a crazy month. First I travelled, then I got sick, then travelled again and this week I have an impotant exam called "vestibular", I´ve got to pass in it so I can go to college next year.

But Anyway, I travelled to Cabo Frio this weekend, I´ll try to post some photos of my trip tomorrow, check it out later to see some pictures of this great place.

That´s it, bye and this busy times will pass soon.

Morro de São Paulo - Bahia

Quote of the day: "Do you ever get the feeling that the world is a tuxedo, and you are a pair of brown shoes?" by Geroge Gobel on Johnny Carson show

Hi friends, I´m sorry about the lack of posts, but has been a busy month,and I have a feeling that it will get worse before it gets any better, but I´ll try to come here more often. Now let´s talk about what really matters. Today I´ll make an article about one of the most famous islands in Brazil.

Morro de São Paulo is a village in the Tinharé island, but due to the famous village, the island is more known as Morro de São Paulo.

With beautiful beaches, coral reefs and surf activity, this island is certainly a very good option for people that are spending some time in Salvador, it´s about 20 minutes away by plane, and 2 hours by boat.

This place is for people that want to relax and practice all kinds of water sports. If you´re into diving, there are dive operators in the islands. They offer boat trips to the best sites, you can choose free dives or use tanks, you can also rent all the equipment needed. The best time for diving is from octobert to february.

Yatchism and sailing are also very strong in the island, with full infra-structure for it.

What most people don´t know is that Morro de São Paulo is one of the best spots for surf in Bahia.

The best points are:

Pé de Moleque: On First Beach, the best waves on the island that come with a swell that reaches its greatest height from the East. Breaking from two to six feet over a coral reef.

Quebrancinha: On the left corner of First Beach. The waves break rapidly and sharply from the left, over a rocky, coral-littered bottom. Waves only break when the height over Pe de Moleque is greater than four feet. Wave heights reach between two and four feet.

Fourth Beach: There are various "secret points" on Fourth Beach that can only be surfed with an island local. Wave heights between two and four feet.

If you want to take a look at the list of beaches, check this site http://www.morrodesaopaulo.com.br/praiase.shtml it has info about it, and some pictures.

Well, this is it, this url above is from a good site about Morro de São Paulo, if you want more info you can search there, probably you´ll find what you need.

Bye friends, take care.

WCT in Floripa. Slater X Irons

Hi friends, this post is to show a little bit of surfing in Florianopolis, this is a video with Slater and Irons on the WTC. Enjoy It.

Ilhabela - São Paulo - Brazil

Ilha Bela is the biggest island in Brazil and one of the most visited, maybe because it´s near the two main cities in Brazil.It´s located 210 miles south of Rio de Janeiro and 138 miles north of São Paulo.

Ilhabela is portuguese for Beautiful Island, and that´s what this island really is. A paradise for people that like to be outdoors. The island is ideal for who want to practice aquatic sports. There are great 35 km of beaches, a coastal Atlantic rain forest, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, mountain peaks to climb and over 400 cool waterfalls cascading into the ocean. Add to that legends of pirate treasure, underwater wrecks to explore, great sailing, enough to make Ilhabela's annual Sailing Week a must.

The best time of the year to go there, depends on what you are looking for. In the summer and during weekends the island is a little crowded but not enought to make it impossible to find a place for relax and enjoy the nature, off season or during the week most likely you´ll have the beach to yourself or will share it with a few people. For diving it´s best during the summer, but if you are a sailor you should go during Sailing Week in July when international sailors participates in races and regattas. Since the coast between São Sebastião(a city near Ilhabela) and Rio de Janeiro is popular cruising water, there are numerous facilities for sailors.

This is it friends, I have a video on the previous post about this island, where you can see more of this beautiful place.

For more info about this island check this site: http://www.packtours.com.br/dest/saopaulo/ilhabela/

Ilha Bela - Brazil

This another video of a great island in Brazil.
Enjoy