Summer Break Part I: Brazil

We have been in Asunción for several weeks after two amazing months of travel. As usual, it has taken us quite a while to go through our photos and update the blog. Our adventure this year began by bussing to Curitiba and hopping on small boat to spend Christmas on Ilha do Mel.

This little island was a fantastic place to spend a few days enjoying the beach. There were no cars so we got around biking and walking. We visited the remnants of an old Portuguese fort, swam, enjoyed some sea food, and did a little fishing.

We then spent a few days in São Paulo and then met our friends from Paraguay, Bree and Adrianne, in Rio for New Years. Both cities were a welcome change from Asunción and we took advantage of some fantastic international and local food, as well as some surprisingly good beer. Artisanal beer culture is expanding rapidly in South America. While some brews are far worse than sticking with a local lager, quite a few brewers are doing impressive new world style pales and IPA's, and Brazil seems to be at the forefront of this.

In Rio, we rented a car and embarked on a road trip, driving approximately 20 hours north to the state of Bahia and city of Salvador and then returned along the coast to Rio.

En route to Salvador, we spent a day at Parque Nacional Chapada Diamantina. This area offers to hiking, swimming in beautiful creeks and waterfalls, exploring a number of caves, and viewing wildlife, although we saw very little other than a rattlesnake which crossed the road in front of our car and a scorpion who was living in our hotel room.

The old part of Salvador has beautiful old buildings going back to the 1500's. Salvador was the original capitol of Brazil and an early center of the slave trade in South America. In addition to an abundance of history, Salvador offers phenomenal seafood centric cuisine, and unbelievably beautiful beaches.

Taking a day to relax in the surf town of Itacaré on the return trip to Rio.

Cave visit, Parque Chapada Diamantina

Moqueca - a seafood stew served throughout Bahia, perfect for those living far from the coast and seriously deprived of good seafood.

Fitas, bracelets that say "remembrance of Bahia." Put it around your wrist and tie three knots. When it falls off, your wishes will come true. They are also tied around church gates similar to the reason people light candles in a Catholic church.

Biking around Ilha do Mel

Beach side oyster salesman, Salvador

Local fish, Ilha do Mel 

Beach Crab

Getting ready for New Years in Rio - white is traditional 

Kristi and I did some handline fishing on our drive back to Rio. This is the first and only fish I have ever caught in Brazil.