South America
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Lençóis, a colourful little village – Brazil
“COBRA!!” (snake) – someone shouted. Everyone turned to where the voice came from, then followed the eyes of the woman shouting, to then find a red snake with black and white rings, around 70cm long. I have just landed at the airport of Lençois, around 400 km west from Salvador, state of Bahia in Brazil. This airport is so small! It only operates 2 flights per day twice a week and we basically wait at the door of the airport, while we watch the men taking our luggage from the airplane and placing it in a cart to then hand it directly in our hands. It is while waiting for…
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10 Things to do in Rio de Janeiro
I must confess! The sassy city of Rio de Janeiro has conquered a place in my heart like not many cities have done so far. To start, it has everything I love about a city: warm sandy beaches, several mountains to climb for a view, romantic parks, relaxed coffee-shops and trendy boutique shops. But it is so much more then just that: it’s the beat of the music, the rhythm on the streets, the fresh taste of the coconut water sold in every hut by the beach, the warmth of it’s people’s heart. 5 days weren’t enough, well I don’t think I could ever get enough of this. And you…
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Copacabana Beach, hut 143.
“In your country, people never give you anything for free?” Do they?! – People from Portugal are friendly, kind, but the general rule is if someone is too generous they want something from you that you might not want to give in return. This rule becomes stronger being a girl traveling in a foreign country, on my own. Yet, this stranger, afro-brazillian, chubby and sweaty, stands hands on knees leaning over with the friendliest smile in his face when he invites me to take a seat in one of the chairs his hut is renting, but for free. Here, at Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, I was quite happy lying…
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Porto de Galinhas
When you visit a new place, do you ever wonder why it’s called that?! Porto de Galinhas literally means Chicken’s Port. But why? Back in the 17th century countries all over the world started abolishing slavery. Sadly, Brazil was the last country forbidding it completely with the implementation of the Aurea Law in May 1888. However this only gave them reasons to do it clandestinely, selling slaves for higher prices. The slaves were then hidden under the chicken cages in the ships traveling from Africa and arriving here. This area was not very well known at this time which made this practice easy to get away with. The password “there are new…
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Standing at the edge of the waterfall…
Standing at the edge of the waterfall and I give a step forward! All my body muscles tense up as if to hold me up in the air. The cold water is the least of my concerns right now as down the 33 meters waterfall there are only rocks. Adrenaline warms up my arteries like water boiling in a kettle. The rope tightens up around my waist and stops me from falling any further. With my legs straight, I stand at a 90º angle facing up. I was told how to control the rope with my right hand, but I am scared I might loosen it too quick and fall.…
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From Recife to Olinda…
From Recife to Olinda it is only a short drive away. The people from Recife say “what Olinda has best is the view over Recife“. In matter of fact the view is awesome but the colonial town has much of it’s own personality and a strong portuguese influence in the architecture of the houses and churches. Alto da Sé is Olinda’s main square, located on the crest of the town’s highest hill and here is where we set base to explore the surroundings… Olinda also hosts one of the most famous Carnival celebrations of Brazil, dancing away colorfully dressed in the rhythm of frevo and maracatu. Well, before leaving Olinda, if you…
