Visiting the Cris-toe

There is the saying - Things happen for a reason - something Mama always says when things are going bad to try and make me feel better. Well, she was right. After dealing with some craziness in my life, the opportunity came up to travel to Brazil - a much needed getaway! I flew into Sao Paulo and connected to Salvador.

I was traveling to Praia do Forte about an hour from Salvador, a beautiful beach resort known for the turtles that breed there. The beaches were beautiful and so secluded.

We took a canoe trip down a narrow river and ended up at the base which emptied out to the beach. While getting our gear on and the canoes in the water I noticed a little boy fishing in the river. He had a home made net and had already caught some fish.

When we arrived at the base of the river, the beach we came to was the most secluded I had ever been. We were the only ones there and if I looked up and down the shore, I couldn't see anyone for miles!



We walked down the beach about a mile and ended up at this quaint little fishing town where we ate and I bought a beautiful straw bag.

The next day, we went to the city of Salvador where we did some shopping and sightseeing.

The architecture was so detailed and the colors in Salvador were so bright. Walking around town, there were these women dressed as Bahianas, with their beautiful head dresses and native dress. I couldn't help but take a picture.

While at dinner, we heard samba coming from the window and peeked our head out. There was a full band banging on the drums and they had such a fun rhythm that we couldn't resist dancing!

The following day we took a motorized canoe ride down a large river (which I like to say was the Amazon) to an adventure camp.

When we got to the camp, we strapped on a harness and ziplined cross the river. Towards the end of the line the guy controlling the zipline thought it would be funny to dip the person coming down the line - not cool - especially if you were wearing a bikini and ended with the bottoms halfway down your butt.

After our adventures in Salvador we flew to Rio de Janiero!

All that ran through my head was the song "Girl from Ipanima" and Barry Manilows "Copacabana". Never in a thousands year would I have thought I'd be in RIO! And what is one of the things you HAVE to do in Rio - see the Cristo (or Christ the Redeemer). We hopped on the trolley that took us to the top.

The views from the top were amazing! The day was so clear you could see for miles! There I was, standing on top of the world.

 

You could ever see Sugar Loaf.

I have to be honest. While I was looking up at the Cristo, I was overwhelmed with emotion, thinking how things had been so bad and now here I was, looking up at one of the seven wonders of the world. How many people can say that? So I sobbed like a little baby.

The following day, we toured the area where carnival is held. The place was massive, able to hold thousands of people. There was a small museum that had elaborate carnival costumes and a Carmen Miranda exhibit. Of course I had to try on the famous fruit basket hat!  Chica Chica Boom Chic!



Despite a little hesitation we also made our way to Sugar Loaf. It was a little nerve racking traveling in a little bubble that hangs by a string, thousands of feet in the air.

When we got to the top we had another spectacular view of Rio, this time with the Cristo in view.

To my surprise, we got into another bubble to get to the tippy top of the loaf - goodness!

After all that sight seeing it was time to chill and enjoy the beach.... isn't that what Rio is all about? We selected a cute area where we rented some chairs and bought some cervesas. They were selling bikinis at the beach and I was memorized with all the beautiful colors. They hung them on umbrellas and with the wind blowing, they created such a colorful backdrop to the fantastic time we were having.

There is this fascinating cultural habit in Brazil. It's custom for men who go to the beach not to sit. Some say that it's because it's their way of flaunting their feathers - others say it's a courtesy for women to have a place to sit. Whatever the reason, it was entertaining to see these men standing for hours just chilling at the beach.

During the end of the trip, I remember what my Mama had said - Things happen for a reason. This reason led me to be able to dig my toes in the beautiful beaches of Rio! Fantastic!

Until Next Time! xoxo A



Happy Valentine's Day!

Let The Adventures Begin!

Many moons ago, I traveled to the Bahamas for work. When a group of friends and I decided that we wanted to spend spring break somewhere warm (we were in chilly Boston) I suggested Harbour Island. I had first gone there when I was hired to be a nanny for a family who had rented a house on the island. I was there for three weeks and when I had the opportunity to return, I convinced my friends to come along.

When I returned,  I wanted to capture the beautiful blue water and the smooth pink sand that make Harbour Island famous. The beach stretched for miles and because we had wandered off to the North side of the island we had the beach all to ourselves. We laid out our towels and waded in the warm ocean, soaking up all the glorious sun. I was able to walk out quite a distance and the water did not go past my knees. I sat down, leaned back and floated around listening to the waves. I  looked up and realised that my toes were popping out. All I could see were miles of isolated beach, beautiful aqua blue waters and my ten little piggies.

I had bought this cheepy disposable camera and decided there was no harm taking it out into the water. I leaned back and snapped the picture. It was the days before digital and when I developed the photos, it took me back to that fantastic day. It made me realize that I had captured a beautiful setting, one that should have been reserved to fill the whole frame but this shot had included a little piece of me. A little piece of me that would always remind me that I was there........... and this is how the traveling toes began.