Beautiful Brazilian beaches

After almost 6 months in Spanish speaking countries we now had to make an attempt to switch to Portuguese, with a little bit of English and Spanish combined we got there but it was harder than we expected.

JERICOACOARA
After the Amazon we went on to the coast! Via Fortaleza we reached Jericoacoara, also known as Jeri. Jeri is a hard to reach destination as you need to take a 4×4 to cross over the dunes for the last 20 kilometres or so. Just before we got there our 4×4 truck suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the desert like landscape, it was late and already dark, we couldn’t see a thing as it was pitch black while we waited for buggies to pick us up and take us to our end destination.
A sand street village in a desert like landscape, it’s touristy but it gives you a feeling of being at the end of the world, so relaxed!
What a wonderful place to wake up, run along the beach and do yoga. We visited Pedra Furada, a natural rock arch in the sea, had delicious fresh seafood and we went to Lagoa do Paraíso where you literally feel like you are in paradise when you swing in a hammock in the water with a fresh coconut in your hand. This area in Brazil is well known as the perfect kite/wind surf location so René had to try this and conquered the strong winds in nearby Préa.
We took part in the famous daily pilgrimage to watch the sunset from the Duna Por do Sol, amazing. Caipirinhas on the beach while watching a traditional Capoeira circle dance, this is holiday!

OLINDA
It was hard to leave Jeri, but there is a lot more to explore in Brazil so we headed a 1000kms further down to Olinda, just north from Recife. A colonial arty town with pastel coloured houses, baroque churches in the historical centre. Unfortunately swimming in the sea here is a bit tricky as there is a risk for shark attacks. Olinda is picturesque at some places but we also thought that a lot of it looked like faded glory. The place is extinct while we are there, empty restaurants, no tourists at all, maybe because of the municipal elections throughout the country later this week when all Brazilians need to be in their home towns to vote – which is mandatory! The elections here are a true spectacle, we see parades of cars on the streets with enormous speakers on the roof or in the trunk, loud music, flags, people dancing and drinking beers on the back of pick-up trucks. You would probably associate this with Carnaval, not with a far more serious thing such as elections.

SALVADOR DA BAHIA
The African soul of Brazil, here descendants of slaves preserved their African culture more than anywhere else. Salvador might not be the safest city, guess we were lucky but we were more careful here than ever as our AirBnB host warned us and we had heard stories before so we knew he wasn’t just exaggerating. The historical centre of Pelourinho is a vibrant place with many dance, music and art studios. Sauntering through the cobbled streets along the renovated colonial buildings is a very nice experience. Here Michael Jackson’s video clip of ‘They don’t care about us’ was recorded. Countless colourful wish ribbons ‘Senhor do Bonfim’ are given out on the streets to tourists – 3 knots, 3 wishes, and leave on until it falls off naturally, only then your wishes will come true. We would have loved to stay a bit longer but unfortunately we got the sad news that Viv’s grandmother suddenly passed away so we decided to head straight to Rio to spend the last couple of days of our trip there before flying back home.

RIO DE JANEIRO
While the Olympic beach volleyball area was still being dismantled we explored some of the highlights of this spectacular city, mainly by bike. Mountains, beaches, rainforest and sea, Rio has it all. If you look at the different building styles throughout the city you see that they are not very organized all together, it’s a messy mix of baroque, neo classic, art deco and modern architecture. Chaos but a nice chaos, just like many other things in Brazil.
We enjoyed the impressive – but unfortunately a bit cloudy – view from the famous Christ statue which is on top of a 700m high mountain. Since 2007 this is one of the 7 new world wonders.
We treated ourselves to a nice luxurious hotel for the last days of our trip in the famous Copacabana area 5 mins from the popular beach. Locals here are called ‘cariocas’ which literally means wealthy people. Not sure if they’re all that wealthy but for sure they know how to enjoy life to the max! So did we: Next to the bike tour we spend our days by walking along the boulevards of Copacabana and Ipanema beach, people watching, and not to forget good food and drinks.

WHAT A TRIP
1 continent, 7 months, 8 countries, 9000 kilometres in our Tutti Frutti campervan, 13 flights, 33 (night) bus rides, 3 boat ‘cruises’, 11,000 pictures, 50 GB of video footage…
We are looking back at an unforgettable experience, it was our best decision ever to just go and make our dream come true. It was fantastic to feel free and be on an adventure together. We met many new interesting people, and we feel very privileged that we had the chance to do this.
Now we’re back in the Netherlands, without a job and a house but we feel richer than ever. Our trip also made us realize what a fantastic place the Netherlands is, so we’re glad to be back again. It is very nice to be around our families and friends again and we’re both very excited to start another new chapter.

 

Sand street in Jericoacoara

Caipirinhas on the beach

Fishermen with their nets

Sunset at Duna por do Sol

Feeling zen

Sunset at Duna por do Sol

Enjoying fresh seafood

Lagoa do Paraiso

Chilling out in the hammock

Lagoa do Paraiso

Another Caipirinha please…

Jeri has the best sunsets

Pedra Furada – natural rock arch

Quick swim to cool off during the run

Jeri view from the water

Traditional Capoeira circle dance on the beach

Rene kitesurfing

Love

Church in Olinda

Olinda street view

Colourful colonial houses

Danger: shark zone

Electoral parade on the streets of Olinda

Street vendors in Salvador

African style statue surrounded by colorful wishribbons

Locals playing games in the streets of Pelourinho

Pelourinho street view

Square in Pelourinho, here Michael Jacksons recorded the video clip they dont care about us

View over the bay in Salvador

Live music on the streets of Pelourinho Salvador

Welcome to Rio!

Morning run on the boulevard of Copacabana

Surfers on Ipanema beach

Smile

Exploring Rio by bike

Sao Joao Batista cemetery, with christ statue in the background

Messy mix of different building styles

Selaron steps

Cycling along Gloria lake

Copacabana beach development throughout the years

View from christ statue

There he is: Mr Christ the Redeemer

Copacabana beach