…days there: 89

…countries I visited: 3

…cities I spent at least one night in: 14

…days my stomach wanted to jump out of my body: 2

…times I used a laundry place: around 9

…bridges I jumped off: 1

…nights I drank alcohol: 65

…posts I wrote for this blog: 70

…nights spent camping: 0

…haircuts: 4

…times I got robbed: 0

…longest continuous bus ride: 17 hours

…fights I’ve seen between at least two South American men: 4

…car/motorcycles crashes I saw: 3

…times I rode on the back of a motorcycle: 3

…Beaches I swam at: 3

…hospitals I’ve stepped foot in: 0

…drug or vaccine injections: 0

…times I was awaken by dorm-mates having sex: 2

…girls I met that I’d consider dating long term: 1

…pairs of glasses I broke: 2

…books I read: 3

…times I thought I may not make it out of South America alive: 3

…South American countries I have visited: 5

…hostel room in a small Cusco, Peru: $4

…hostel room in a small Sao Paulo, Brazil: $25

…hostel room in a small Bogota, Colombia: $7.50

…Highest city visited: 10,800 ft.

…Islands visited: 2

…money spent calling the United States: $17.00

…money I spent in South America: $8,500.00

…money I earned in South America: $6,500.00

…money I would have spent had I gone now with so many economies in the shitter: $6,000.00

…price of my plane ticket from Philadelphia – Atlanta – Bogotá – Lima – Sao Paulo – Atlanta – Philadelphia: $1025

…regrets: 0

Click here to view the embedded video.

I woke up the next day at my normal time; 12 in the afternoon. Breakfast ended a few hours before so i changed my plans to get breakfast before going siteseeing for the day. Just as I was walking out of the hostel one of the workers introduced himself as Marcus. Marcus and I spoke for a few minutes and we decided to get lunch together. Afterwards, he would take me site seeing.

In a neighborhood full of eateries costing at least $10 a meal, Marcus showed me an all you can eat place for $4. We loaded our plates with different salads, chicken, farofa (roasted manioc flour), etc. But Marcus then commented that my plate seemed empty. In reality, I had filled up my plate. But in comparison to his, and every other patron in the restaurant, it was hardly close. Brazilians, and all South Americans for that matter, treat lunch as the biggest meal of the day.

After lunch we caught a bus leaving from the beach to Pelourinho, the historical center. Our first stop was Mercado Modelo, a landmark of Salvador.

Despite being a tourist trap, this building used to house the old Customs House and now functions as a warehouse full of handicraft stall.

In addition, black slaves were held in the basement when they just arrived from Africa. Very humid and very hot, conditions must had been very bad.

I really can’t explain why I decided to pose for a picture down here…let alone smile.

After purchasing a pretty stylish t-shirt we walked a few blocks to the city’s elevator that transports people to the upper city.

A view from the top.

As I walked away from the elevator I noticed some graffiti. I quite like it.

Capoeira

After passing the graffiti I came across this touristy gem. Another cross overlooking a city in South America. Who would have guessed?

I should have taken the obligatory cheesy photo of myself pretending to hold up the cross.

Pelourinho is full of beautiful colonial buildings and plazas built by the Portuguese long ago.

Some could really use a new paint job, though it shows more character the way it is.

So many churches

It was getting late which makes for the best photos.

We took the elevator down and bused it back to Barra…the posh area where I and most other foreigners stay. Explains why it’s nearly impossible to find a fairly priced meal.

Back in Barra I met a German backpacker who just began his trip the same day. We journeyed off into the night in search of food and in his case, pot and food. I was walking beside him and look over to see him in mid conversation with a vagrant, setting up a purchase. He had the guy run to one of the nearby favelas to purchase his drugs and deliver it to the restaurant we decided on.

Local food can taste good but sometimes its not exactly what I expect. At this restaurant I ordered chicken and instead received burnt chicken bones.

Afterwards we wandered to the Barra lighthouse.

…and then back to our hostel for an early night.

I may be home and finished traveling but for all of my readers; we have about 3 weeks left in Brazil. So…this will be you (me) as I recount our travels in this update.

I had been relaxing in Rio for a few weeks and was not enjoying myself as much as I believed I should. I wanted a change. But in Brazil, a change (the actual act of traveling) is expensive. But one night I met a few Canadians and they helped to change my mind and come to the realization that no matter the expense, i am fortunate to be in Brazil and should make the most of it.

Rio De Janeiro and Salvador was what attracted me to visit Brazil in the first place, which was not an easy nor cheap task. It only made sense that I would visit Salvador out of any other destination (though i briefly considered Buenos Aires).

“Salvador (historic name, São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos, in English: “Holy Savior of All Saints’ Bay”) is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil’s capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival.

I actually took this photo!

The city of Salvador is notable in Brazil for its cuisine, music and architecture, and its metropolitan area is the wealthiest in the northeastern region of the country. Over 80% of the population of metropolitan region of Salvador is of Black African origin, and African influence in many cultural aspects of the city makes it the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. The historical center of Salvador, frequently called the Pelourinho, is rich in historical monuments dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985″ (http://wikitravel.org/en/Salvador).

That’s enough of an introduction to Salvador. The following day I woke up early to make that change. I began by researching plane fares on the internet. It’s really not worthy busing it because the costs are even more than flying and it takes over 20 hours. Really, you need to realize that Brazil is huge, like the United States. After getting a general idea of the costs, I went to obtain quotes from a few travel agencies. I again went back and compared them to prices I found on the internet. finally, I went back to one travel agency and booked the plane ticket for a pretty good price, about $450 Real’s.

Off I went the following night. I set out with all of my belongings on my back and walked a while until i reached the unofficial bus stop, opposite the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel. The idea is to wave the bus down. Problem is that the bus does not run on a schedule and tends to come at a random time every hour. Another problem is that next to the sidewalk is a road just for bicycles and on the other side is a skinny sidewalk that is not meant to wait on. Even worse is that Copacabana beach is extremely sketchy at night and waiting there, especially with valuables (my bags), is asking to be robbed.

Even walking to the bus stop presented problems. For instance, homeless men and sketchy guys would shout at me, asking if i needed help carrying the bags (can we rob you) or trying to sell me drugs or whores.

Being the “experienced” traveler I am, I walked very fast with my head up and hurried next to a nearby hotel when I felt at great risk. This worked and I safely made it to the “bus stop”. I chose to stand next to one of the hot dog vendors in hopes that I would not stand out to much. This was a great choice as the vendor flagged down the bus when it came more than 30 minutes later. The ride only took one and a half hours but did save me about 30-40 Real’s.

The adventure did not end after leaving Rio. During my flight I met a few kind Brazilians traveling back home to Salvador after a quick business trip in Rio. One of them spoke passable English and so he wrote down every possible tourist destination in and around Salvador which turned out very helpful.

After landing in Salvador after midnight, they offered to drive me to my hostel, which was way out of their way. My instincts told me it was okay to trust these guys. That’s another thing; your instincts and ability to judge situations and other people great improve when traveling. It’s probably because we do it all the time as we change locations, meet new people, etc…..all of the time.

My baggage came out after 30 seconds of waiting and we hurried to the parking lot to set off. They were doing me a huge favor since I would have probably needed to spend at least 60 Real’s on a taxi.

The rain started pouring down as we drove closer to the hostel. When we finally arrived, they had offered to show me the city and take me to a soccer game. Did I mention they were really kind people?

In the pouring rain at about 1am, i ran with my belongings to the door of the hostel and rang. After a minute of waiting and the rain drenching my clothes and bags, a guys answered.

Another problem: he only spoke Portuguese. There is also a little courtyard after the first door before i reached the main door inside. But he did not want to let me in since I would mess up the lobby with my wet clothing and bags. The next few minutes consisted of him telling me that the hostel was full, me trying to make reservations for the next day, and him pointing outside to another hostel nearby that I could walk to….in the rain!

I once again gathered my belongings and set out into the night in an unfamiliar city I had just arrived in. This seems to happen more often than I prefer. I bolted down the unevenly paved sidewalks as fast as the bags on my shoulders would allow, stepping in countless puddles along the way with glasses that fogged up as soon as I left the hostel. I removed my glasses, able to see slightly. I passed many bars and restaurants with the patrons staring and chuckling at me.

That was one of many moments that make me realize that I love to travel. The absurdity of the situation makes it so adventurous and fun, even if in reality I should feel miserable and sorry for myself.

I continued walking with my eyes pointed to the end of the endless street where I was supposed to make a right…I thought. I turned right and it was a dead end, a long one. I continued to the end (another 5 minutes) and did not see another hostel in sight. At the end of the block, I abandoned my belongings under the cover of a tree and darted back down the street and to the left to where I started. That’s when I saw it, a big sign reading “Hostel Brasil.” It seems that the hostel worker has meant it was on the right hand side of the street…not to make a right.

So once again, I ran down to the end of the street to claim my belongings which were now soaked.

I forgot to mention: I was wearing my $2 flip flops I bought at CVS back home the entire time. Also, the straps on my backpack had broken a few weeks back. That basically means that the backpack’s purpose of feeling light by it being strapped around the hips no longer works. Inste
ad, it feels its true weight…over 50 lbs.

With my belongings in tow, I made it to my new hostel with available space. I never felt better. They welcomed me, threw a warm towel over my head, and showed me to my room where I slept exceptionally well.

I am in Rio De Janeiro now, and have been for the past 3 days. But before Rio I started in Brasil’s largest city, Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo is massive in its actual size of the city, skyscrapers, subway system, etc.

I will be honest and say that I was really nervous coming to Brasil. When I first began traveling solo in South America, the most nerveracking part of it all is arriving in an unfamiliar city not knowing what to exepect. But I had not experience that at all in Colombia or Peru this time and traveling to spanish speaking cities had become routine.

I thought Brasil would be a challenge. Its expensive so I could not afford to take an $80 taxi to my hostel, I do not speak one word of portuguese (Spanish is not the language in Brasil), the media makes Brazil appear as if its a warzone, i was arriving at 4am, and i had never set foot in the country.

Once again my experience could not be far differente than my expectations or fears. My flight (4th in 1 week) arrived on time at 4 am. Customs was straightforward until the end when they pulled me aside to check my unusual luggage, a big backpack that i have to assume they are not used to seeing.

I have had some unusual experiences with customs on this trip. In Colombia I recieved two entry stamps because the first one forgot to include how many days I had. On the way out of Peru i had a 10 minute conversation with the exit stamp lady as she found it pretty unusual that I was traveling solo at 20 years old.

Back to Brasil, I got through customs alright…i better after the $200 visa i had to buy. I struggled for about 15 minutes in Portuguese trying to withdraw money from 5 different atm’s. Most would not take my card. The next step was to find an office to buy a ticket on the bus to one of the nearby hotel’s that is close to mine. That was easy, but figuring out where to wait was not when i don’t speak the language. I walked in circles dead tired for the next 20 minutes. An hour later when the bus finally left i almost missed my stop from feeling so exhausted. Even when I did reach by stop, I could not find my hostel and resorted to what i thought was going to be a quick and cheap taxi ride. 8 minutes and $8 later i had finnally reached my destination. I never found the hostel when i was walking because it had actually moved to a new destination.

So here I am in Brasil and the first thing I do is sleep, rightfully so. As the only person in a hostel that sleeps over 40 it was pleasant having my own room for the first time in almost 2 months.

When I did wake up I began my tour of the city…beginning with a 10 minute walk full of left and right turns to reach the subway, one just as nice and seemingly as big as New York City’s.

I walked along Avenida Paulista…comparable to Times Square because of the huge skyscrapers.

Sao Paulo is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy and holds over 11 million people in the city itself.

One easy observation to note is that Brasil is expensive. Eating is more expensive then back at home. Hostels are twice as expensive than in other South American countries. A bottle of water often costs $1.50.

After my wandering for the day I was greeted by the friendliest staff yet. Hostel Sue in Bogota remains a special place but the people working here were wonderful. They explained the city in detail with such enthusiasm that I was convinced to stay another night in Sao Paulo.

In the morning I took the subway to the city center and explored from there.

I even ate a sushi dinner in Chinatown!

The next morning I woke up later than anticipated and took the subway with all of my belongings to Sao Paulo’s bus station to board a $50, 6 hour bus ride to Rio. I mention the price because that 6 hours would cost no more than $10 in Ecuador.

My first impressions of Brasil are that its a very modern country, much much safer than anticipated, and expensive as hell. The backpacking scene here is a bit different as some cities like Sao Paulo are definitely not on the trail and the ones that are usually attract travelers on the start or end of their trip. I am enjoying my time here in Brasil but its no Colombia. I say that because at this point it personally is not a country that I will fall in love with. Its nice, but not great.

Nevertheless, I am on vacation, am glad I am here, and would not have done it any differently in hindsight.

One of the obstacles in preparing for the portion of my trip in Brazil was actually being allowed in the country. Brazil, and other Latin American countries like Bolivia and Paraguay require US citizens to file for a visa in advance. They do it as retaliation to the U.S. policy of charging foreigners hundred if not thousands of dollars in fees to apply for a visa that they are not guaranteed. This may seem unfair at first, but the U.S. has more people wanting to visit/move there and the costs of doing almost anything are more in the United States. This makes it difficult for the average Bolivian to spend what may be equivalent to their monthly/yearly income on a visa application. But in reality, a country like Bolivia needs the income from tourism and for Brazil and Bolivia, charging tourists money is just retaliation to the U.S. policy.

In order for me to get a Brazilian Tourist Visa, i had to:

-Either visit the New York City Brazilian consulate in person to submit everything or find a company to go there on my behalf. I chose a company to do it for me. I still had to send the company, VisaRite my documents and payment.

- Actual passport, signed, valid at least 6 month beyond stay with blank visa page
- One visa application form per person, completely filled-out and signed One recent
- passport-type photograph (please glue or staple the photo to the application form)
-Copy of round trip ticket, or itinerary showing flight information and dates of departure to and from Brazil.
-submit my yellow fever certificate
-$190.00

Before i could apply, i had to purchase tickets with no guarantee that i could use them. I also did not want to bother booking any domestic flights in Brazil either. The visa is only valid within 90 days of when it was issued, so i had to wait to submit my application until a few weeks ago.

As of two days ago, the fedex tracking numbers shows that the visa was delivered to my home address. Now i just need to see if they granted me a visa that they granted me is valid for a 5 year time period or for 90 days in total.