Iguazu Falls is one of the natural highlights of South America. You can see them from either the Brazilian or the Argentinian side. So which is best?
Paraty Time
I wasn’t intending to stop in Paraty, a small town on the Brazilian coast. But it’s one of those places that seems hard to avoid on the backpacker road down the east coast of South America. It’s conveniently halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and seems a natural stopover for those travelling between. […]
Rio’s tourism paradox
There’s a strange mood in the air of Rio de Janeiro. I can’t quite shake the odd feeling as I spend a day jumping between some of Brazil’s most-famous landmarks. Even in the late afternoon, as I’m sitting and sipping cocktails on the beach, the uncomfortable aura persists. It gets worse that evening on the […]
Life in one of Rio’s favelas
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro favela tour In the alleys and walkways of the Vila Canoas favela in Rio de Janeiro, it’s easy to lose your sense of direction, height and time. There are no roads in this community and at times residents navigate their way through passageways that suddenly descend into the plumbing under a […]
The military occupation of Rio’s slums
Rio favelas in Brazil With the morning still dark and most residents still sleeping, the troops moved in. Special forces police, navy commandos, armoured military vehicles and helicopters all swooped in a carefully-planned operation. They had been surrounding Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela for four days and this was the climax of their operation. They […]