Our first stops in Brazil

Dear Family and Friends,

First of all I want to let you know that we are still alive and well.  Over a month ago I started posting about our trip to Rio for Carnival.  Then, out of the blue, I stopped posting.

Chuck and I bought a new condo awhile back, had some modifications done and all of a sudden it was finished and it was time to move.  Everything, including the blog, was put on hold while we packed, moved and unpacked.

Now I am ready to finish the adventure.

The ship left Buenos Aires and we had a day at sea as we made our way to Brazil.

Before arriving in Rio, we made three ports of call: Santos, Lihabela and Buzios.

Our first stop, Santos is about 40 miles from Sao Paulo. The population is about a half a million people.  It is home to the coffee museum.  The city of Santos grew as a port city because of coffee exportation.  It is also home the the great soccer player, Pele.

A tourist tram exists that takes you through the historical part of the city.

The coffee museum is the building at the end of this pedestrian street.

Locals waiting on a bus.

We toured the city on the tourist tram.  We were the last to board so we took the seats that were available.  That lady sitting next to Chuck is looking mighty happy.

Our next stop was an the island Lihabela.  Lihabela is Portuguese for beautiful island.  The island is about 4 miles off the coast of Brazil.

The population of Lihabela is just over 30,000 people.

It is a very popular tourist destination.

We went by tender boat to the island.  

It is very beautiful and tranquil. It is very easy to understand why it is such a popular tourist spot.

Our last stop before reaching Rio de Janeiro was Buzios.

Buzios has a population of about 25,000 people. 

Until 1964 it was only popular with Rio de Janeiro high society who wanted to escape from the chaotic life of the city.

In 1964, after it was visited by French actress Bridget Bardot, it grew to be a popular international tourist destination.

Here are some guys unloading pineapples of a big truck.

The beach was very nice and the sand must have been great for building sand castles.

All of the stops we made were fun but our eyes were on the prize...Rio.

I will share about the carnival in Rio on my next post.

Love,
Nancy