Top Brazil hotels
Beach Rio de Janeiro
33 Reviews When you are in Rio you quickly realize that we all love the beach, no matter if the weather is fine or not, but we always find any reason to be close by the sea. Even when the sea is flat you will...
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Portuguese needed... or not? São Paulo
6 Reviews it's difficult to travel here without knowing some rudimentary Portuguese (even Spanish helps a lot! for some reason most Brasilian/Portuguese people can understand Spanish, but not the other way...
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Bahian dress Salvador da Bahia
4 Reviews When you enter Pelourinho in Salvador you’ll be met by baiana women wearing traditional Bahian dresses. The outfit of a baiana woman is turban, starched skirts of colourful pattern, shawl over the...
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Thumbs Up! Speak Portuguese Manaus
4 Reviews Brazil is not a bilingual country and, in Manaus, as well as the rest of Brazil, most people are not fluent in English or any foreign language. In shops and turistic points you' ll probably find...
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Cachaça and Caipirinha Rio de Janeiro
4 Reviews Cachaca is a spirit native to Brazil and is distilled from fresh sugarcane juice. Considered a member of the rum family, it is lighter than other rums which are molasses based. Cachaca has a light,...
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Good food ! São Paulo
3 Reviews The city's Italian community is large and vibrant, and much of their culture has found its way into the daily lives of every paulista (i.e. someone from São Paulo). However, the Italian influence is...
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Bahian Food Salvador da Bahia
7 Reviews Bahian cuisine has the influence of Portuguese, African and Indian cultures with a predominance of local exotic ingredients. Is characterized by the generous use of malagueta chili peppers and dende...
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local people Manaus
4 Reviews from the Manaus Region, have become very much aware of their Heritage and try to preserve their way of life and culture. much of their land has been confiscated, burned and left the tribes on a knifes...
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Fitas Salvador da Bahia
5 Reviews I went to Salvador in 2007 and had my wrist covered in these beautiful Bahia Wish Bracelets. Long story short, I long ago forgot about them and the story behind them until I recently came across them...
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fishing Manaus
1 Review fishermen at the port of Belem...the main income source for many in the 70s, has been still is I suppose, a spectaculare pasttime for tourist, when the Fishermen brought their catch home in the late...
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Berimbau Salvador da Bahia
3 Reviews The Brazilian berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, braced musical bow or African origin. It consists of a wooden bow (traditionally made from biribi wood) about 1,2 - 1,5 m long, with a...
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Capoeira Salvador da Bahia
5 Reviews Capoeira is a unique Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. But capoiera is much more; it is a ritual and a philosophy, a cultural tradition and a...
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Acaraje Salvador da Bahia
2 Reviews Acareje is street food eaten at any time as a snack. It consists of a patty, made from mashed feijao fradinho (black-eyed beans). The mash is deep-fried in dende oil (derived from a nut found on the...
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Carnaval Salvador da Bahia
2 Reviews New info on the last 2005 Salvador Carnaval in my new Travelogue. Carnaval is Locura Total : for 6 day and 6 night million of people dancing, singing and drinking. The old carnival consisted of big...
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Dance Salvador da Bahia
2 Reviews I stayed in Bahia from 16th until 25th June (S. Joao). Everywhere you could hear "forro", and in the night there are forro bands all over. You´ll have to learn and dance it (and very close one each...
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Cafezinho Salvador da Bahia
2 Reviews At any time of the day you will see these little coffee-cars with with decorations beyond imagination especially in the city center. Some are very basic, but lots of them are equipped with fantastic...
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The jangada is a little fishing boat made from a few pieces of wood, with a little sail on.It's a very important boat in the history of the north east and you will hear it mentioned in many songs and in many brazilian novels.It's used for fishing and you see it all over the northern coastline.The jangada fishermen are some of the people that has played a big part in creating the spirit of Brazil.
Brazil is very casual and laid back.Forget about gucci and rolex and put on your shorts and your thongs (your tanga if you are a girl).The only thing that is compulsory is a positive attitude.Be proud of who you are and smile.That way you are a sure hit in brazil.
Many Brazilians believe that Europeans in general and Germans in particular enjoy drinking warm beer. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to convince my Brazilian friends that this is just a rumour. Then I found about how this misbelief originated: Brazilians like to keep their beer in the freezing compartments. It has to be literally “ice cold”, nearly hurting the teeth when you drink it. The Brazilians explained to me that having a nice cold beer is even worth the risk of blown up freezers (if the beer is left in there for too long). Maybe I should also post this in the “warnings and dangers” section! ; ) So if you prefer drinking a beer without toothache and explosion hazard ask “for a warm one from the fridge”! ; )
Capoeira is a blend of martial art, game, dance and culture. It was created by enslaved Africans in Brazil during the 16th Century. Participants form a roda (circle) and take turns playing instruments, singing, and sparring in pairs in the centre of the circle. Movement is fast and furious, accompanied by rhythmic music. Those sparring use feints, subterfuge, kicks, and head-butts to try to knock their opponent to the ground. One possible explanation for the development of capoeira is that it was a way to conceal the fact that slaves were practicing to fight (against their owners), by making it appear that they were dancing happily. This would explain why today capoeira appears to be a mix of both fighting techniques and flowing artful dance. Whether the theory is true or not, it is certain that capoeira became a way for the slaves to resist oppression, practice art, transmit their...
These days you can get a caipirinha in pretty much any good bar in London, but in 2001 when we went to Brazil we had never come across this, its national drink. However, I always believe in trying the local delicacies when I travel, so on our first evening in Rio we ordered a couple of these in the hotel bar, and were immediately hooked! If you like your drinks strong and not too sweet, and if you haven’t yet sampled a caipirinha, Brazil is definitely the place to try one.The recipe consists of a whole lime, roughly chopped and put in the base of the glass, where it is crushed with some sugar. A generous measure of the local sugarcane rum, cachaça, is added, along with plenty of ice, and the resulting drink is both powerful and refreshing.
Giving a tip is generally nice, but not mandatory. The fancier the place, the more tips are expected.Some general guidelines:Restaurants: most sit down restaurants will add 10% tip to the bill. This is the usual amount tipped and it is not mandatory. If you wish to pay without the 10%, you are entitled to. Most people, however, will pay the gratuity. If service was very good, they will give a little extra (5%) in cash to the waiter. If you plan on returning to the same restaurant, I suggest you do this - the waiter will remember you and treat you a little better than other clients.Tipping is not expected in kilo restaurants, buffets and fast/faster food places.Taxis: no tipping in general, but most people will round up the value on the meter to the nearest real.Car keepers: if you park on the street, inevitably a flanelinha will offer to look after it for you. Tip him one or two reais...
Bem casado means happily married. These delicate little cakes are a traditional wedding favour. They are wrapped in crepe paper and distributed at the end of the reception. Feel free to take several home - it is expected and the hostess will usually estimate three bem casados per guest.They are made with two layers of a light sponge cake, about 2 inches across, representing the couple. They are filled with a milk cream or doce de leite (similar to the argentine dulce de leche), which "binds" them together. Finally, it is dipped in syrup, to create a crystalized layer all over it.RecipeThis is very time consuming. Can you imagine making 300 hundred of these - and then hand wrapping each one?Cake4 eggs4 tablespoons of sugar150 grams of starch (manioc or potato starch is common, but corn starch will work)1 tablespoon of flour1 teaspoin of baking powder1 teaspoon of baking sodaZest of a...
Moqueca is a fish stew. There as many variants of moqueca as there are seaside cities in Brasil.The most famous is the moqueca bahiana, from Bahia. It is fish stewed with green peppers, tomatoes and coconut milk, spiced with dende oil (a very heavy palm oil which adds a distinctive colour and taste), cilantro and plenty of peppers.Its is tradicionally served with pirão (a fish broth and manioc flour paste), white rice and a pot of red peppers (malaquetas), which you add to taste.The people of Espírito Santo claim their version is the "original" moqueca. It is similar to the moqueca bahiana, but without dende oil and coconut milk. Instead urucum (called achiotle in Mexico or corcuman in Indain cousine) is used to give the dish colour.Prawns, crab and shellfish can also be added to the moqueca.I will add a photo as soon as Grandma makes another moqueca!Recipe1 Kg of firm fish, sliced in 1...
In the USA, you would probably call Churrasco barbecue, but make no mistake: this method of preparing meat is unique to Brazil, requires far more time than Americans are willing to spend preparing food, and results in absolutely wonderful food.One of my Brazilian friends here in the USA purchased an American grill and decided it didn't work well for Brazilian Churrasco. Therefore, he built this improvised Brazilian style Churrasco for cooking his meat.
Don´t think that what you see on the tv about Brazil is true heheheh...think twice before taking your clothes off on the beach and run naked or do a top less....Okay, that might sound a bit odd, coming from the supposed country of carnnival, land of the smallest bikinis on the globe, where every year naked women dance the samba in international broadcast....But top less here in Brazil is not well accepted, neither any kind of nudity appart from the usual swimsuits...unless you want to call a lot of attention for you hehehe.This is so uncommon for us, I remember when I went to Cuba with my mother, and for the first time ever, we saw a women on your side taking off her top...it was a funny situation... we talked to each other "What´s wrong with that lady, is she drunk or something?" =)Has anyone tried it before? Yes... some years ago a brazilian women went top less on a beach in Rio...she...
Copacabana Palace Rio de Janeiro
21 Reviews and 355 Opinions A veritable Rio landmark, Copacabana Palace continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the most...
Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi São Paulo
4 Reviews and 200 Opinions ALL PICTURES ON PAGE 1 ( PICS 1 - 5 ) AND ON THIS PAGE # 6 AND 7 TAKEN IN SEPTEMBER 2003 , PICTURES...
Aram Yami Hotel Salvador da Bahia
1 Review and 100 Opinions I did not stay at the hotel, but my good friends did and I visited them there, hung out in the...
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Q: Hi there! I am looking for people, who love dancing, have attended or are planning to attend Brazilian dance (Samba, Forro)...
A: I don't think that this topic belongs on a VT forum. This site is about sharing tips, vidoes and photos on travelling. It's not a site where you want to meet up with...
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