Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
When arriving in Rio de Janeiro, I had mostly seen rural life in Brazil (exempt São Paulo). I had the image of the big bad city in mind, having read too many security advices from guidebooks and state authorities. And I had to get rid of this and to find out, that Rio de Janeiro is in fact the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city).
Continue reading “Cidade maravilhosa”
Going to Vila do Abraão means a slow boat trip to Ilha Grande, enjoying nice views on the green island. As I arrived in the village I was expected by a luggage porter who carried my trunk with a pull-cart to my hotel, the Pousada Naturalia. I was really happy about this, because on the island there is nearly no pavement: Even the streets in the village were simply sand.
Continue reading “Life in Vila do Abraão”
Coconuts can be dangerous, especially when falling from a palm and striking you on the head. But it has to be considered an urban legend, that a considerable number of people per year die because of this fruit. In Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande they can say: You have been warned.
I’ve been to many places where religion plays an important role, but Brazil seems to rule them all out. Christianity is of massive importance here and even the housenumber signs remind you to smile – because “Jesus loves you”. You can’t omit seeing catholic statements nearly everywhere.
Brazil is a country with a lot of tropical rainforest. Many areas are quite unreachable and in earlier days some places could only be reached by boat. That is why some cities exist: Especially the Portuguese colonial masters arrived with their ships at the coast and had to walk into the mainland to find gold (for example in Minais Gerais).
Continue reading “Road trip from Santos to Rio”
São Paulo is one of the biggest cities in Brazil und going by car into the town is quite an adventure. I wouldn’t say that traffic is as mad as in Marseille, but it is definitivly close to it. Especially the motorways around the city are special: Most times four lanes going parallel, then two surprisingly change their direction or cross the other two via a bridge. A miracle, if you arrive without getting lost at least once.
Continue reading “Entering São Paulo”
“Although São Paulo is definitely a city in which cars rule,
you’ll have to possess vast amounts of patience
(and a certain degree of insanity)
to consider renting a car here.”
– Michael Sommers
When travelling you really need to know which day and which time it is. You need to catch trains, busses and planes. And you need to be at sights and museums while they are open. While being in Brazil I had two big surprises concerning day and time.
Different times I’ve been asked how I got around in Brazil without speaking Brazilian Portuguese or even Portuguese. The answer is quite simple: Sometimes with hands and feet, sometimes with English; but always with a smile. And of course: Badly pronounced Spanish.
Continue reading “Getting familiar with Brazilian Portuguese”
There are some things I would never ever do at home, like walking around without a shirt or wearing flip-flops. I still remember this annoying sound of (mostly female) students walking around with these minimalistic sandals in front of my office door. But coming to Brazil makes doing those things a pure necessity because of the high temperature, especially if you are arriving from a much more chilly country like Germany.