Travel Brazil: Rio De Janeiro and surroundings

Rio De Janeiro is a truly beautiful and unique city. It is a cultural centre for Brazil and South America and plays host to the world famous Rio Carnaval. From a tourist’s point of view, the Zona Sul is the most important.

The Beaches

This part of the city revolves around three famous beaches; Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. Each of these beaches are surrounded by fashionable and usually expensive districts. The beaches are a centre focus for socialising and entertainment, during any major event in the city. For a visitor to Brazil, these beaches can be a great place to people watch and take in ‘Carioca’ life.

                                     Image courtesy of wikipedia and Author Artyominc

Christ the Redeemer

However, there are many more great sites that are world renowned. One such site is statue of Christ the Redeemer which sits on top of one of the numerous steep hills that surround the coastal parts of the city. From this statue, the views are spectacular, with a panoramic view of the cities primary beaches.

Other sites of  interest

Sugar Loaf Mountain with its impressive cable car are a must for any tourist. Again the views are spectacular from this beautiful location. Maracana stadium is also a very popular place to visit in the northern part of Rio De Janeiro.

 

Favelas and Social Issues

                                         Image courtesy of wikipedia and Author Chensiyuan

Brazil and Rio are famous for a high crime rate and social inequality. You will notice in parts of Rio, many million dollar apartments, which are overlooked by favelas (slums) on the hillside. Many famous Brazilian moves like City of God and Elite Squad have illustrated this issue. However, Brazil has witnessed a period of extended economic growth. This has led to an improvement in the living standards of many people. Furthermore, with the onset of the Olympics and World Cup in Rio De Janeiro, the authorities are actively improving these issues in Brazil.

Day Trips

Rio is surrounded by small and beautiful beaches and islands. These towns are definitely worth a visit. We will focus on the beautiful island of Ilha Grande, which is a piece of nature close to a large city. There are no roads or cars on the island and some beautiful scenes to witness.

Paraty is a nearby town on the mainland, with stylish Portuguese colonial architecture. Paraty is like a little Venice, as the central streets flood during the high tide and drain on low tide. The town is popular with foreigners and Brazilians. There are great restaurants and bars in the town and it even has a colourful and loud carnaval. The harbour is full of boats which can take you on memorable boat trips in the crystal clear inlets between the mainland and the numerous islands. There is also usually great fish barbeques available on board.

                                         Image courtesy of wikipedia and Author Fontela01

Gem of the Caribbean: Grenada

The Caribbean is a sun seekers dream, warm all year round with numerous islands and beaches looking out at clear seas. However, it can be hard to choose the island that is right for you. Grenada is a real dream of an island. It is situated in the south of the Caribbean, close to the shores of South America and Trinidad and Tobago. The island possesses one of the best beaches in the world, Grand Anse Beach. This beach is a few miles long and possesses wonderful white sands and crystal clear water.

 

The Legendary Grand Anse in later afternoon

Author Varun Kapoor Image courtesy of wikipedia

Grand Anse is not overdeveloped like many famous beaches in neighbouring islands, but it still has amenities. There is a range or hotels, from high end through to more affordable. There are also some great places to eat and drink in the area.

The majority of tourists in Grenada come from the US, UK, Canada and neighbouring countries. However, the numbers are generally not as high as on the neighbouring islands, which makes for less crowds on the idyllic beaches.

The food in Grenada is varied due to the mixture of the people. The majority are of African-Caribbean, but there is also a sizeable minority of Grenadians of East Indian origin. There is also small number of Grenadians of French or English origins, due to Grenada’s history as a British and French colony. This means that there are excellent creole dishes, combining the various cultural influences that came to the island. You can also get great curries and rotis from the island’s Indian culture.

The island is volcanic, so it has steep mountains in the centre of the island and some beautiful remote waterfall, which can provide a perfect break swimming in sea water. The volcanic soil is hugely fertile, so this makes the scenery very green and fruits are abundant.

Grenada is one of the world’s largest producers of high quality nutmeg and mace. This is why the island is often referred to as the Island of Spice. There are also many cocoa plantation that produce very high quality cocoa. Near to Grenville on the Island’s east coast, there is a great plantation to visit called the Belmont Estate. This estate has a lovely colonial feel, with a large restaurant serving high quality local food. You can also sample some of the cocoa, cocoa balls and chocolate.

                                                                Grenada's Nutmeg
                                                              Author Brocken Inaglory
                                                              Image courtesy of wikipedia

Fish is another attraction to Grenada, on Fridays you should visit the west coast town of Goyave. Here there is a special event in the streets called Fish Friday. Here are the local varieties of fish are sold in a street market. There is a real party atmosphere with soca bands and live music.

If you are looking for an exotic break or winter sun, look no further than Grenada.