Brazil is intimidating. It is the largest country in South America and they speak a different language than the rest of the continent. I was lucky enough to be invited for Christmas and New Year in 2022. I say lucky because my friend invited me to holiday with her friends and family so I experienced this country like a local. I was called a gringa at every turn but by the end of my 3 weeks I was drunk talking restate opportunities on a rooftop in Rio. Let me show you what to see, or more importantly, taste.
BRASILIA
The capital of the country and where my friend is from, Brasilia is very different from the other major cities. Highlights here were mostly the house parties. It would have been interesting to experience a history walking tour but between Christmas and new years the only culture I had time for was homemade food. Endless cousins feeding me and wishing me Feliz Natal which is a fun combination of Buon Natale in Italian and Feliz Navidad in Spanish. My friend Lais’ mom gave me white Havaiannas for Christmas. It is tradition to wear white on New Year’s and red on Christmas.
BAHIA
This is the real star of the show. Music, dance, culture, food, and beaches are all the most excellent here. When we flew out for our new years my friend told me to get ready to experience the real Brazil.
Where to go?
We flew into Porto Seguro and then cabbed to the port, ferried to the town, and bused to our hotel. There was 9 of us squeezed into a 3 bedroom apartment. Down a road that was more driving hazard than dirt road sat a beautiful new group of apartments behind a high gate. Much of what I experienced in Brazil is like this. Pretty run down on the outside but behind the gate or passed the security guard you find luxury.
Where to tour?
Arraial d’Ajuda was the small town centered around a church with incredible cliff views. The side streets held drinks, street foods, restaurants, and live music tucked away. You can take the vans along the main road for around $5. Everyone has a phone to transfer if you have a Brazilian bank account. We took it into town the first night for drinks, shopping, and dancing. These towns are quiet in the day when the sun is strong and overrun at night. Bands play and children run in the street as the moon shines above.
For New Year’s there is a tradition with these ribbons. You can buy them and tie them everywhere 3 times with a wish. Drunkenly I bought 20 of these to send to friends and family at home. The woman and I had no issue speaking our weird mix of Spanish and Portuguese. Mine stayed on my wrist from January 23 through to March 24.
Trancoso is another small town lifted high on the cliffs. Below a river empties into the ocean. The church in the square I was told it is one of the most expensive places you can get married. We had to hire a driver to get us over to this town. Before the town we went to a beach club where we had to wade through a river that emptied into the sea. We posted up there for the day and then before the sunset headed to Trancoso to shop and watch the sun disappear.
Where to swim?
Praia do Rio Verde / Coqueiros Beach – river meets the ocean
Praia do Parracho – beach club vibes
Praia de Araçaipe – local beach
Where to eat?
Everywhere is the answer. It’s less where and more what.
RIO DE JANEIRO
From the beaches of Bahia to the beaches of Copacabana, we relocated to the city. Everything is fairly close so we decided to stay by the beach. It was an extremely rainy January so the beach days were limited. In the 10 days I was there I had one. Rain will not stop Rio though.
Where to go?
Lapa for the famous stairs, clubs, bars and restaurants
Santa Teresa for the charm, cute coffee shops and bakeries
Ipanema for the food, shopping, and beach vibes. Leblon is the neighborhood west, Copacabana north east so either are excellent choices to stay.
Where to tour?
The best tour I took was through the favelas. These are the independent neighborhoods outside of the city. People could not afford to live in the city and started moving up the mountains. The government did not help make housing or create any systems in these areas so they are completely run by the community. More famously know for the danger and the gangs but the favelas are way more than that. This tour opens your eyes to what happens when institutions fail and people have to find a way. You need a guide. This is not a place for exploration alone.
I met the tour guides at the base of the favela. The cab driver had spent the last 20 minutes talking to me in Portuguese about how the roads were closed and I had to convince the hostel to hold my backpack because they were full so I arrived late. Right when I got out of the car the guide asked me for $10, put me on the back of a moped and up the mountain we went.
A more classic city tour will take you to Christ the Redeemer and around the city to various neighborhoods. It was an educational and full tour of so many different parts of Rio that I would not likely have gone to on my own. Explore the city
So much of Rio is explorable on your own. In 2022 when I was there you could grab an uber at a good cost. Check out the Sugar Loaf mountain, called that because of its shape. You can buy a ticket straight on the website and take the cable cars up and up. The views are stunning on a clear day.
Should you visit?
Brazil showed me what traveling mostly proves, the stereotypes you hear about countries being wildly dangerous or unvisitable are not true. Good people are everywhere.
my feet don't want to go to sleep 
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