Jericoacoara

280km north of Fortaleza is Jericoacoara, a fishing and wind surfing mecca with 3000 inhabitants and no paved roads. Everyone drives dunebuggies and swimming in the ocean feels like taking a bath.

Jeri was built next to a constantly moving sand dune where everyone goes daily to watch the sunset.



Dune buggy tour.


Preparing to slide down a massive dune and into a lagoon. The ride was awesome but the hike back to the top was painful.



For lunch we ate at a fresh water lagoon. The water was incredibly warm. They provided hammocks in the water and fresh fish and shrimp for lunch.



Everyday after sunset people gather on the beach to watch Capoeira.



We ended up spending a lot of time in Jeri with Marcus(Italy), Sven(Holland), and Dominique(Holland) whom we met on our dune buggy ride. Homemade Caipirinhas and good times flowed freely during our time together.


Alexi rocking the William H. Macy dirtbag mustache.

Salvador

From Rio we caught a flight to Salvador. We ended up staying for 4 nights but I don´t have much to day about the town. People seem to rave and fall in love with Salvador but I didn´t. We did go to a really fun free concert but we probably missed opportunities to connect culturally to Salvador. The historic area is really beautiful and there are loads of museums to choose from, but after 5 days I was ready to set out to Jericoacoara.

I will say that it is a really photogenic city.

Rio De Janeiro

Rio. Population 6.5 million. A city set between beautiful beaches and abrupt mountains and jungle. The geography and people are amazing in Rio.



Copacabana Beach, with Sugarloaf in the distance.


Rocinha Favela. Population 300,000, it is the largest favela in South America. The favela is run by a 23-year-old kid who does $4 million USD in business per month. There are 52 million Brazilians living in Favelas. In the Rio state alone there are over 1000 Favelas.




Even Rio loves Brooklyn.


Enbar mouth feeding a really weird little monkey on the walk to Sugarloaf.


The view of Rio from Sugarloaf.



Me, Chen, Enbar, Alexi. After travelling with Enbar and Chen for about 3 weeks (ever since the Pantanal) we had to finally say goodbye. No more Yaniv and Hebrew lessons.

Ihla Grande

Ihla Grande is a verdant tropical island just off the Brazilian coast, a few hours south of Rio. The island has about 5000 inhabitants and 0 ATMS. There are no cars, boat is the preferred means of transport, and there are beautfil beaches accessible via long hikes. The island used to be the home of a Brazilian prison, but the prison has since been demolished. However, there are rumors of booby traps still hidden in the jungle meant to kill escaping prisoners.



Lopes Mendes Beach. About two hours away by hiking, or a 20 minute boat ride(for cheaters). The ocean is super warm.



Snorkel Trip!






Delicious island breakfast. We found a Pousada for 25 Reais (13USD pp) a night with a private hammock room.

A two hour and twenty minute hike was well worth is after getting to swim at Dios Rios Beach. Dios Rios is the town with the abandoned prison and is still a really eerie place.

Paraty

After a 15 hour bus ride to Sao Paulo and connecting for another 6 hours journey, we reached the Brazilian coast and the town of Paraty. Paraty was an important port where gold was shipped from Brazil back to Portugal. The town is brimming with history, none of which I actually know because I spent all my time on the beach rather than at the museum.



Paraty Old Town


Acai is super cheap here!




We went on a day long boat trip around Paraty and he surrounding islands. The dude on the boat is clearly not me, its our captain Logan.

We spent a good amount of time playing Yaniv, an Israeli card game thats super popular with backpackers. Between the beach, acai, beer, Yaniv and a triumphant game of ping pong, Paraty was a really great place to stay.

I was victorious after a heated ping pong game with Enbar.