Getting Out of Dodge Traveling South America's Largest Country: Brazil 2006 Austin Woman Magazine April 2006 By Erin Prather
This past New Years Day I found myself on Bull's Eye Beach, named after a red seed by the same name. A private cove that can only be accessed by a narrow climbing path, it is one of over 20 beaches in a small piece of Brazil known as Buzios. The peninsula was my second stop on a two-week trek through South America’s largest country.
Most of what I’d known about Brazil came from either the cinema or writings by famous author Paulo Coelho. I attended Austin’s Carnaval Brasileiro for years and was intrigued by the country of that celebration’s origin. There was no hesitation when opportunity arose for friends and myself to head south.
Christ the Redeemer Welcomes You
Our Rio de Janeiro headquarters was the Miramar Palace Hotel, located on the legendary Copacabana Beach. After arriving, the group took taxis up to see the legendary Christ the Redeemer. Since its unveiling in 1921, the monument has become a symbol of Brazil, welcoming all visitors with open arms. Visible from almost anywhere in the city, the statue is 100 feet tall and can be seen from Rio’s other famous high point, Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar).
Known particularly for its spectacular view, Sugarloaf Mountain is home to Brazil’s first ferry cable (established in 1912) and a trip to its top is a worthwhile investment of time. Visitors ride a cable car to a halfway platform, and then transfer to a second cable car to reach the top. Once there you can stretch out in the one of numerous chairs and truly enjoy the uniqueness of Rio’s geography. It was where I enjoyed my first of many Brazilian sunsets.
The second day in Rio was spent at Copacabana Beach and at neighboring clothing stores. I was on a mission to find the perfect New Year’s Eve attire, specifically a white dress. Most Brazilian New Year’s Eve customs are related to good luck, fortune and love. Wearing a particular color symbolizes what the wearer wishes for the year to come and white for peace seemed an obvious choice. I was at a small boutique ironically called “Target.” Although the sales staff spoke no English, we were able to decipher what size was needed. I even received a lecture about proper lingerie for wearing white.
That night’s dinner was at the churrascaria chain Porcão. Churrascarias are Brazilian steakhouses and a person should fast before entering one for dinner. From an amazing piece of beef covered in blue cheese to the extremely tough chicken hearts, Porcão was a world of meat. There were also green options, including a bountiful salad and sushi bar. The fact that could even transport my swelled belly back to the Miramar still surprises me.
Although Rio de Janeiro has been surrounded by stories of theft and violence, I never felt fearful for my safety while in the city. Advice from fellow that was followed included not wearing jewelry, nor carrying large amounts of cash. The buddy system was also in use as were cabs to avoid walking in neighborhoods that could have been problematic. Despite the city’s charms, we had been advised to spend actual New Year's Eve in Buzios. On the third day of our trip we embarked for the peninsula on a bus that was provided by our future hotel.
If it was good enough for Bardot...
Located two hours by bus from Rio, Buzios became mainstream when French actress Bridgett Bardot fled there to escape persistent paparazzi in the '60s. The once small fishing village has become a popular, chic resort for both foreigners and wealthy Brazilians. The traffic was horrendous on the day I traveled to Buzios since numerous folks were heading there for the holidays. Unbeknownst to friends and myself, New Years Eve is the second largest celebration in Brazil, just after Carnaval. Many hotels require a five night minimum stay and our new home, the Pousada Aquarium, was no different.
Much of my time in Buzios was spent enjoying the Atlantic. Small rocky islands, ensuring both fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving, surround the resort area. Although popular beaches were often crowded, it was easy to discover smaller ones that had only a few visitors. Tourists can rent buggies to travel around the peninsula and the vehicles proved to be very adapt at maneuvering the area’s dirt and cobbled roads.
The center of Buzios, appropriately called “Centro,” is actually two main streets that are about six blocks long. Numerous restaurants, art galleries, and discos reside here, along with Internet cafes. After a day of snorkeling I was delighted to discover the very popular Chez Michou, home of the best crepes I’ve ever tasted. The restaurant has been around for over twenty years and in later hours transforms into one of Centro’s most popular nightspots.
As part of our stay at the Pousada Aquarium, my friends and I were provided with a poolside New Year’s Eve dinner. Brazilian songs were performed as fireworks began to explode over the hotel. It is customary for Brazilians to spend their New Year's on the beach, after midnight people jump seven waves while making a wish for the year to come. Since I was already decked in white, my group and I traveled to the large beach Geribá. There we discovered an outdoor party both large and wild enough to shame even the most well attended ACL festival. Most attendees did not return to their hotels till well past sunrise.
Border Paradise and Perfect Finale
Two days after New Year's I departed Buzios for the Rio airport with a smaller group of travelers. The destination was Foz do Iguaçu, located near the famed Iguassu Falls. Legend has it that upon her first glimpse of this natural wonder, Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed, "Poor Niagara!" Indeed, the Iguassu Falls are taller than Niagara, twice as wide, and rest near the borders of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The Iguazú National Park, on the Argentinean side, is one of South America’s top tourist destinations with nearly 2 million visitors per year. It is 385,000 square miles large and home to thousands of plants, hundreds of birds, mammals, and too many insect species to count.
A favorite picture signpost clearly states, “Beware of snakes.”
Transportation within the park begins with a train from the main gate to the start of different circuit paths. I walked along a series of catwalks over jungle and water with incredible views of the park’s 275 waterfalls. While the day was extremely hot, waterfall spray often brought welcomed relief.
Eventually friends and myself made it down to the Falls’ base, where boats (for a fee) took us right into the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat Fall). Although the Brazilian side provides the most panoramic view of the falls, I elected to only visit the Argentinean park due to time constraints.
Despite being thousands of miles away, my final Brazilian night was spent in synch with everyone in Austin. The Rose Bowl started at 11:00pm and a folks embarked on a quest to find the game on television. Luckily Brazilian football was not in season so the nearby sports bar obliged the pleading Americans who promised a large bar bill in exchange for watching their beloved Longhorns.
Panic did set in when the bar announced it was closing at halftime, but an undeterred group found a lone television in the hotel bar for the big finale. As 3:00am hollers could be heard throughout the building and I knew it was the perfect conclusion to an amazing trip.
