I went to Brasil for a vacation, and to see my cousin, Annie and her family, who currently live there. She lives there because her husband, works for a major corporation and they're setting up a manufacturing facility there. They have two children: Simon-David (who is 10) and Hannah (who is 6).

I arrived in São Paulo on Saturday the 13^th of February. Annie had managed to get tickets to the Carnaval procession through the Sambadrome in the heart of the city. I was particularly impressed with the eagle that had moving wings. Each samba school writes a song and makes a dance, so it's very competitive. The celebration lasts for about 9 hours, starting around 9pm, and about 9 samba schools parade through the sambadrome.

After the main celebration was over, we went to a beach resort for a few days on the coast between São Paulo and Rio. I got thoroughly sunburned on the first day, so I had to stay out of the sun during most of the rest of my trip. We stayed in a pleasant hotel, called the Hotel Wembly (which had lovely grounds), in the city of Ubatuba.

After that, my cousin's family returned home, but I continued up the coast towards Rio. I staying in the small, revitalized city of Parati, which is a renovated colonial town. The mixture of left over carnaval decorations and cobblestone streets was particularly striking.

As I continued to drive up the coast, there were some beautiful beaches along the way.

I finally arrived in Rio, and managed to get a hotel room on Copacabana beach overlooking the ocean. I wandered around the heart of the city, including Bogafoto and Flamengo.

The next day, I went up to the top of Corcovado. At the top is a 100-foot tall sculpture of Christ the Redeemer. The view from the top is fantastic, although it was a bit smoggy/hazy when I was there.

That afternoon, I went to the Botanical Gardens in Rio. They were fantastic! There was a lilly pond, lots of tropical plants, and an orchid house.

I drove back from Rio to São Paulo, and the next day, I took a flight to Iguaçu. They have a waterfall here along the Rio Iguaçu, which defines the border between Brasil and Argentina. In the first afternoon that I was there, I went to the Argentinian side of the falls. I caught a beautiful sunset that evening.

The next day, I went to the Brasilian side, and saw even more tremendous views of the falls! I met a couple from England, Eddie & Deborah, and we had a surprisingly good dinner at the Yacht Club:

On my last day in Brasil, I visited the aviary that is near the entrance to the Brasilian National Park in Iguaçu. I saw a toucan, and even got to hold a macaw! Eventually, I flew back to São Paulo, then to LA (via Miami). What a trip!

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