[VINHETA DE ABERTURA]

[LOCUTORA]

My backpacking around Brazil!

[VINHETA DE ABERTURA]

[LOCUTORA]

Hey everyone! I’m Emily and today I’m happy to share a bit about my backpacking across Brazil. As a foreign traveler, exploring Brazil from north to south was a journey packed with delicious food, welcoming people, incredible music and unforgettable moments.

[VINHETA TEMÁTICA]

[LOCUTORA]

I started my trip in the north, going deep into the Amazon rainforest region. The vibrant biodiversity of the small portion I could see of the Amazon, left me speechless. Did you know they have a vast number of animal and plant species that you can’t find anywhere else in the world? It’s truly amazing. I also visited the nearby cities, Belém and Manaus, where I learned some Portuguese essentials to use during my trip, like… beleza, that means beauty, but it’s used on a daily basis by people from other places in Brazil to ask others “how are you?” or to say “ok”, so it quickly became part of my vocabulary for my whole trip around Brazil. One of my experiences there in the North was tasting tacacá, an indigenous soup recipe made with shrimp and manioc, which I believe is mandioca in Portuguese, among other ingredients. The North is deeply fused with nature and indigenous culture, which makes the visit fascinating. From there, I headed to the northeast, where each state has its own identity.

[VINHETA TEMÁTICA]

[LOCUTORA]

In Salvador, Bahia, I was delighted by the rhythm of axé music and fell in love with acarajé. Acarajé is this delicious snack made of mashed beans. After they fry the dough, they fill it with shrimp and a spicy paste. The recipe for this paste was originally brought from Africa, and it came to the region when the first ships carrying enslaved individuals started to arrive there in the sixteenth century. The beaches in Ceará, especially around Fortaleza, are stunning, and the local warmth and hospitality were incredible. I quickly picked up the expression oxente, that means “wow!”. They say it’s a very recognizable slang from the northeast. Recife’s energetic frevo music is much more than just a rhythm, it’s the heartbeat of the carnival celebration in that city. Frevo pays homage to the local folklore and culture. It originated from a fusion of diverse musical genres and the Afro-Brazilian art form of capoeira. This fusion gives frevo its unique characteristics. It has a fast-paced sonority and vibrant dance moves, where people carrying small colorful umbrellas follow acrobatic dance steps. It’s an incredible display of color, fast foot movements, high jumps and a lot of spins. It’s jaw-dropping! Next, I headed to the southeast of Brazil, a region with a completely different vibe.

[VINHETA TEMÁTICA]

[LOCUTORA]

Everybody has heard of Rio de Janeiro, of course, and while there, I learned that it is known as the “wonderful city”. It’s easy to understand why; the views are out of this world! The city is entangled with nature. From Ipanema beach I could see Christ the Redeemer on top of Corcovado Mountain. I had seen the Christ on TV, but seeing it in person was breathtaking. Rio is also the heart of Carnival in Brazil. Dancing the iconic samba was a fun experience, because the locals are always willing to teach you the dance moves, at which I failed horribly. Oh, and there they say caraca when they want to say “wow”. In contrast, modern São Paulo, the city that never sleeps, amazed me with its cultural and culinary options. The hot days in the places I’d been to until now finally gave way to breezy summer nights. There, in São Paulo, I tried the famous feijoada and pão de queijo which can easily be translated into cheese bread, a recipe from Minas Gerais, popularly eaten all around the country as a snack. People in the Southeast were also warm and always eager to help. I guess they really enjoy foreigners there. My final stops were in the south and central areas of the country.

[VINHETA TEMÁTICA]

[LOCUTORA]

In Curitiba, in the South, I was treated to the famous barreado, a delicious beef dish prepared in a clay pot. They also use bacon, onion, garlic and spices to season the meat. After putting everything in the pot, they seal it with flour and water. The cooking takes about 12 hours. It was different from anything I’ve ever had in my life, because it has a very specific earthy taste, but it’s really delicious. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul people are deeply connected with their heritage, which you can see in their festivals. There, the “wow” word is replaced by the syllable bah, and that’s it… bah!. The Central-West also offered its own wonders.

[VINHETA TEMÁTICA]

[LOCUTORA]

Brasília, the capital of the country, has a modern architecture, but to be honest, I didn’t like the dry desert weather. Finally, paying a visit to the Pantanal was the highlight of my trip, where the rich wildlife alone made the whole journey in Brazil worth it. For people who like nature and enjoy outdoor adventures, that is the place to go. But you have to go with a tour guide, because jaguars are very common in the region. Luckily, we didn’t come across any.

[VINHETA DE SEPARAÇÃO]

[LOCUTORA]

When Brazilians say “come to Brazil”, they are not joking around. Everywhere I went, people wanted to share the best of their culture. The colorful festivals, the unique culinary experience, the nature, and the many ways of expressing “wow”, enriched my experience beyond anything I could have expected. Traveling through Brazil taught me the importance of embracing different cultures. See you soon, tchau!

[VINHETA DE ENCERRAMENTO]

[CRÉDITOS]

This podcast used audios from Envato Elements and Yan Maran. Voice by Lee Courtney Marvin.