I flew from Cusco, Peru to Sao paulo, Brazil on the 2nd of February. After waiting in the airport a few hours, I then caught my bus to Boissucanga, Brazil, a very small beach town on the southern coast of brazil. I arrived in Boissucanga on the 3rd of February at 2am. I was naturally freaking out that I would not be able to find the english school that I would be living and working in for the next month. But amazingly enough I was able to use my phone translator to ask the bus driver to drop me in front of the school and he DID! It was a life saver, because I had no idea where the school was. When I arrived, I was greeted by 5 tired, yet very excited workawayers who had evidently stayed awake to make sure I arrived safely. This was my first clue that these were going to be amazing people to be around for the next 4 weeks. In the group there was Irene (from Italy) Sasha (from Wales), Jennifer (from Argentina) and Liezl and Thean (married couple from South Africa). We definitely spent almost every waking hour together and had ALOT of fun times.

When I arrived, it turned out that the following week was Carnaval. This meant that I ended up having almost a week and a half to holiday and relax. It was a nice surprise, and Carnaval in Boissucanga was very fun. Apparently it is a tradition for the men to dress as women and the women to dress as men during the towns parade which begins in the centre of town and goes all the way to the beach front where everyone breaks off to dance, listen to music or take a swim, as it was VERY humid. As well as the parade, there was live performances every night, where the whole town came together to dance and be merry. The atmosphere was electric and it was great to see everyone samba dancing (to differing levels of skill). It was at one of these live music events that Irene, Jennifer and I met Dewiyson and Silas who were local Brazillian guys. They ended up being a huge part of my time in Boissucanga. Weekends were often spent hanging with them. As well as this, across the street from our school was a bar and grill that had a rooftop area. This was set up for Carnaval and there was a live samba band performing there every night as well as my workaway friends Liezl and Thean, who were travelling musicians and also performed their music.

I did eventually begin teaching though, which ended up being really amazing and rewarding. The students were all great people, ranging in ages from 5 all the way to older adults. At the school we taught a method called the Callan Method. Anyone who speaks english at a native level can teach this method, as your main purpose there is to teach them pronunciation. The method involves the students translating their lessons before the classes. This way they learn the meaning of the words and sentence structure and in classes we help them and show them how to speak these words. The lessons also use an english only methodology, meaning that in class students cannot speak portuguese (most of the time) and must use mostly english. I really got to know my students well and enjoyed my time with them so much.

I spent a lot of my spare time with the workawayers. We did a lot of the same thing, but this was really great anyway. We went to the beach whenever the sun was shining, we watched movies, played cards or hung out when it wasn’t. We had a couple of different excursions to different places around Boissucanga. This included a trip to the local waterfalls, which was a highlight of my time in boissucanga. It was so serene and the water was SO beautiful, especially on the day we went as it was really hot and humid, so the cold water was amazingly refreshing. We also went to Caleatas with Silas, who was amazing enough to drive us, and it was one of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen. This was one of my first experiences with Brazilian hospitality. It really is something else. He drove us there, brought chairs and an umbrella, and also brought enough food and cold drinks in a cool bag for all of us. It really blows my mind how thoughtful they are and how they give with no thought of getting anything in return. We also experienced this amazing hospitality a couple of times on weekends. The day we went to the waterfalls, we met a group of guys who casually invited us to a bbq at their house, and then wouldn’t allow us to bring a thing. We left so fed, we couldn’t stand upright. This happened again, when my friend Dewiyson invited us to a BBQ at his place and fed us AND provided drinks. I just couldn’t get over their way of being so giving. It’s something I will never forget, thats for sure.

 

After a month that just flew by, it was finally time to move on. It was difficult, as I had grown very attached to the small beach town and all the memories and people there. I really hope to go back one day. Next stop was Paraty. Which was a stunning little colonial town with cobble stone streets, horse and carriages and a feeling of stepping back in time. It was also home to many amazing waterfalls and the ocean was full of tiny islands and hidden beaches. My time there was spent on a boat tour exploring these islands and beaches as well as a visit to the local waterfall which was a natural slide. I also got to go to a Cashasa Distillery and do some tastings! I wish I had had more time in this town for sure.

But next stop was Rio De Janeiro which was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It was a huge city that had been built around large natural mountains. The landscape of this city was an incredible view. There is also so much to do and see! My first day in Rio, I spent doing all the major attractions on a day tour. I got them all out of the way on the first day, so that I would have the rest of the time to explore this beautiful city. The tour included the Christ the Redeemer Statue, Sugar Loaf, the mosaic tiled Steps and the city arches. In my week there, I met a good group of travellers in which I would spend the next few days with in Rio.

My next two days there were spent hiking. On the second day, we hiked the Two brothers, which provided the most incredible view of the whole city from above. We also walked through the favelas on our way up and down. Even though the area was very obviously poor, it was still oddly beautiful in a way. Especially from the top of the two brothers, the favelas look like a beautifully coloured oil painting surrounded by giant mountains on all sides and the coastline in the distance. Unfortunately, the day after that, we headed out on another hiking adventure…this one, not so successful. It was still a good day, but the weather was not on our side. Heavy fog and rain clouded our view of the amazing coastline views we drove 1 hour away to see. We then also got stuck when we tried to get home, not realising that we would not be able to get a taxi back to the city from the small beach side village we were currently in. So we spent the next four hours catching three buses and a train back to the city! All we could do was laugh at the end of the day and we all treated ourselves to an amazing Italian dinner. The restaurant being located right next door to the hostel, it was the only place we could muster up the strength to go! I slept like a log that night, that’s for sure.

Following that day, I had a much more relaxed day, visiting a local market that happened every Sunday, just off of Ipanema beach. On my last day in Rio, I visited the botanical gardens, which were were beautiful, filled with giant dragonflies and butterflies and amazing flowers growing everywhere. The gardens also had views of Christ statue in the distance, which was a great backdrop. I spent my last afternoon watching the sunset over Ipanema beach and then going out for the most over the top luxurious dinner I’ve had in a very long time! It was Brazillian BBQ at its best with every meat ever imagined coming around and around to our table, so juicy and delicious that we all gorged ourselves completely, filling to the brim with the amazing buffet foods as well! Also being a foodie to the core, I couldn’t not get a dessert, so I shared a chocolate fondant with the table. I thought that I had experienced a food coma before, but I now know what a real food coma is and I felt it for a long while. I wasn’t hungry again until the next evening!

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to South America, in which I have only had a taster of. I definitely want to go back and do so much more, as there is still so much to see and experience. From what I did see though, I fell in love. It’s such an amazingly beautiful place with all different climates and cultures. The people were all so passionate and friendly, you can’t help but make friends. Brazil is a place that I feel I have only just touched the surface of things to see and want to go back for sure. Coincidently, my flight to Frankfurt, on my way to London was spent with one of the guys that I spent the majority of my time with in Rio. It was great to have a travel buddy for once, someone to pass the time with. He was the one that got me out hiking in Rio, which was a great blessing.

It would be two days on my own in London, until I finally got to see my parents again after 10 months away from home. This will be my next installment, so keep an eye out!

xx