Hi friends!
I told you 2014 was a busy year... besides all described on the last post, in October I went with my boyfriend (now husband) with a couple of friends to the US!
Our plane landed in Newark, we got a car and went straight to Philly on the first day. Actually, since we knew we were going to be tired and not absorb anything more "cultural" we went to a Outlet, yes, we went shopping! So by the end of the first day, half of the trunk of our mini-van was already full!!
We visited Philadelphia (BEST cookie in the WORLD on the Reading Market), saw the Liberty Bell (the small line was worth it) and the city hall. Nice sight seeing. From there we went to Annapolis and Washington DC, where we stayed for 3 days. Washington is great, all the main museums are free, the National Mall with the monuments are very nice and driving a bike feels safe! I recommend more days in DC, there`s just soooo much to see!
On the last day we went to the Boing Aviation Hangar (close to the Dulles Airport). It is a huge hangar with all sorts of planes. Even for me (I`m not that into planes), it was very nice! We also visited Baltimore (around one hour from DC), with it`s bay side and old ships and submarine. It`s very nice. We didn`t get to see the Baltimore Aquarium, but I`ve read that it is very nice.
Next day we spent the day on the Six Flags adventure park!! It was lots of fun!!! I loooove roller coast! From there, we went to Hershey City, yes, the city of the chocolate factory! We got to visit the "factory" (is re-made to the visitors) and with a trolley we went around the city and learn about the history of Mr. Milton Hershey. He was a visionary and also a philanthropic, until now, the company has a structure to take care and educate orphans.
Close by you can find Allentown, the home of the Mack Trucks, we also went there to visit its museum. It`s small, but nice. From there we drove an entire day until Rhode Island/Newport and later we went to Cape Cod/Hyannis/Sandwich.
From Boston me and my boyfriend rented another car and went to Vermont. We wanted to enjoy autumn and see the trees with its leaves changing colors. It was as beautiful as we imagined. I recommend!!!
Then we went back to NYC, were we met our friends again and stayed another 3 days before going home.
Since the US has a LOT of information online, I`m not going into more details at this time. I have some spreadsheets and a detailed summary on word. If you would like to learn more, just ask and I`ll give you more info! =)
Safe travels!
15 February 2016
2014, Thailand and Central America....
Hi Friends!
2014 was also a very busy year!
Another couple of travels to Colombia and Chile, for business... But also a couple of vacation time!!
First of all, in March I went to Thailand. After 2 days of travels, I finally arrived to Bangkok. It`s crazy, you are completely insane with the jet leg, it`s the hottest place I have ever been, the transit is chaotic, no one understands you, it`s terrible! But I finally managed to find the hotel, and meet my Brother, his wife and my nephew and take a shower! The best shower in the world! =) Since it was around 9am and I couldn`t sleep, I had to try to get used to the 10h difference time zone, we went straight to the Emerald Temple, and Palace and Reclining Buda Temple. The places are beautiful!! All the details on the engravings, the culture, everything, very nice! The problem, again, was the heat, it`s insane! I was melting, but kept walking.
The next day, we went south, got a plane to Krabi, stayed there for the night and next day we went to Railay, where we relaxed for a couple of days on a resort (they are excellent and a lot cheaper than anywhere else). From there we went by boat to Ko Lanta, not as famous as other places, but still with a very good structure and with a lot of possible day trips. Even though it`s really hard to get there, I recommend. I LOVED the coast, the beaches are amazing! The water is clearer than you can ever imagine and the snorkeling is beautiful, so many colors!!! I would go back, no doubt!!
From there I said goodbye to my brother and his family and went to Cambodia, to visit Angkor Wat. There I met a friend of my from Brazil that was travelling with other friends! It was a lot of fun, we went to a bar and ate and drank and had lots of fun! It`s so cheap everything there... The next day I went to see the sunrise at the main temple, it was nice, but not as I expected. Too many tourists, not peaceful... I visited a lot of places, took some amazing pics, it was great! From there I went back to Bangkok to visit the last couple of places on my list but mainly to enjoy their new year with my friends. They have a tradition to throw water on everyone, for 3 days! It`s nice, but not as nice when you need to get from one place to another... I though I would enjoy more, but I wasn`t in the mood, I guess... The next day I hopped onto a new plane to Chiang Rai. The new years continued, so I couldn`t visit the city. By myself was even less fun!! I went in a day trip to Chiang Mai (where is the White Temple, amazing and still under construction) and to the border of Burma and Laos. It feels like the border of Brazil and Paraguay, but it`s interesting. And on the last day I finally visited the old city and a couple more temples. I LOVED the beaches and in terms of city, the one I enjoyed the most was Chiang Mai, it`s calmer, has more trees, feels nicer...
What I still have with me regarding Thailand are the things I saw and felt, due to the cultural diferences. I still feel very sad when I think of the people, and how they suffer with poverty. Because of that, the environment is not very well taken care of, there`s a lot of trash and the corals are being destroyed. And finally, that I got traumatized with the large groups of Chinese tourists, they have no respect for nothing, walk in front of your picture, don`t respect lines, fart inside the tourism vans, it`s terrible... I know I shouldn`t judge, and that is other culture and all that, but I got annoyed... The Thai people are not like this, and I believe that when you are visiting a place, you should try to blend in and respect their ways and culture. Of course my memories are not all bad, the cheap massages everywere are amazing, once you get to communicate with the people they are very friendly, the fried rice is very good, and the places are beautiful!
In June, I had a business trip to Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. I stayed the weekend in Panama, and went to the islands of San Blas. The water is like the water in Thailand, as well as the white sand beaches. It`s really hard to get there, I booked a Van with a touristic guide/group. It takes you a couple of hours on the road (take something for sea sickness, I don`t have problems, but I would have if I had not taken the medicine... The road is terrible!!!), than you get to an indian reserve, and jump in a boat. They have a main island (where we stayed) and spent the days on other islands. The experience of staying with the indigenous people is very nice, they don`t have running water or electricity, you sleep on hammocks in a school or as I booked a room not shared, it was above the water. Sleeping with the water just under you was amazing, so peaceful! I loved it and I recommend!
Ok, this post is becoming too long... I`ll leave the next 2014 trip to a next post!
Safe travels!
2014 was also a very busy year!
Another couple of travels to Colombia and Chile, for business... But also a couple of vacation time!!
First of all, in March I went to Thailand. After 2 days of travels, I finally arrived to Bangkok. It`s crazy, you are completely insane with the jet leg, it`s the hottest place I have ever been, the transit is chaotic, no one understands you, it`s terrible! But I finally managed to find the hotel, and meet my Brother, his wife and my nephew and take a shower! The best shower in the world! =) Since it was around 9am and I couldn`t sleep, I had to try to get used to the 10h difference time zone, we went straight to the Emerald Temple, and Palace and Reclining Buda Temple. The places are beautiful!! All the details on the engravings, the culture, everything, very nice! The problem, again, was the heat, it`s insane! I was melting, but kept walking.
The next day, we went south, got a plane to Krabi, stayed there for the night and next day we went to Railay, where we relaxed for a couple of days on a resort (they are excellent and a lot cheaper than anywhere else). From there we went by boat to Ko Lanta, not as famous as other places, but still with a very good structure and with a lot of possible day trips. Even though it`s really hard to get there, I recommend. I LOVED the coast, the beaches are amazing! The water is clearer than you can ever imagine and the snorkeling is beautiful, so many colors!!! I would go back, no doubt!!
From there I said goodbye to my brother and his family and went to Cambodia, to visit Angkor Wat. There I met a friend of my from Brazil that was travelling with other friends! It was a lot of fun, we went to a bar and ate and drank and had lots of fun! It`s so cheap everything there... The next day I went to see the sunrise at the main temple, it was nice, but not as I expected. Too many tourists, not peaceful... I visited a lot of places, took some amazing pics, it was great! From there I went back to Bangkok to visit the last couple of places on my list but mainly to enjoy their new year with my friends. They have a tradition to throw water on everyone, for 3 days! It`s nice, but not as nice when you need to get from one place to another... I though I would enjoy more, but I wasn`t in the mood, I guess... The next day I hopped onto a new plane to Chiang Rai. The new years continued, so I couldn`t visit the city. By myself was even less fun!! I went in a day trip to Chiang Mai (where is the White Temple, amazing and still under construction) and to the border of Burma and Laos. It feels like the border of Brazil and Paraguay, but it`s interesting. And on the last day I finally visited the old city and a couple more temples. I LOVED the beaches and in terms of city, the one I enjoyed the most was Chiang Mai, it`s calmer, has more trees, feels nicer...
What I still have with me regarding Thailand are the things I saw and felt, due to the cultural diferences. I still feel very sad when I think of the people, and how they suffer with poverty. Because of that, the environment is not very well taken care of, there`s a lot of trash and the corals are being destroyed. And finally, that I got traumatized with the large groups of Chinese tourists, they have no respect for nothing, walk in front of your picture, don`t respect lines, fart inside the tourism vans, it`s terrible... I know I shouldn`t judge, and that is other culture and all that, but I got annoyed... The Thai people are not like this, and I believe that when you are visiting a place, you should try to blend in and respect their ways and culture. Of course my memories are not all bad, the cheap massages everywere are amazing, once you get to communicate with the people they are very friendly, the fried rice is very good, and the places are beautiful!
In June, I had a business trip to Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. I stayed the weekend in Panama, and went to the islands of San Blas. The water is like the water in Thailand, as well as the white sand beaches. It`s really hard to get there, I booked a Van with a touristic guide/group. It takes you a couple of hours on the road (take something for sea sickness, I don`t have problems, but I would have if I had not taken the medicine... The road is terrible!!!), than you get to an indian reserve, and jump in a boat. They have a main island (where we stayed) and spent the days on other islands. The experience of staying with the indigenous people is very nice, they don`t have running water or electricity, you sleep on hammocks in a school or as I booked a room not shared, it was above the water. Sleeping with the water just under you was amazing, so peaceful! I loved it and I recommend!
Ok, this post is becoming too long... I`ll leave the next 2014 trip to a next post!
Safe travels!
05 February 2016
Still old news...
Hello again!
Continuing the recall on the old travels, just so we`re updated....
If you need any further details on the cities described on this or on the last post, let me know in the comments and I`ll tell you!
2012
May - Serra Catarinense is a region on the Santa Catarina state, on the south of Brazil. It has high mountains, valleys, historic towns... It`s beautifull! Good to go on the winter, enjoy the cold weather, fireplaces... Very romantic! Simillar to the Serra Gaucha (or Gramado, Canela, etc in Rio Grande do Sul), but cheaper and with less wine... Just look out for the apple fair in Sao Joaquim, it crowds the hotels and increases the prices... And don`t forget to go to Urubici, there`s a beautifull view to the valley!
July - Continuing my work related travels, I went to Chile! Santiago and a side trip to the coast to have lunch with some customers. It is a beautifill and well developed city! Choose a seat by the window so you can see the Andes when you cross it. And in the city keep hidrated and with eye drops. Due to the location where the city is built, in the winter all the polution remains above the city and it`s terrible to breath...
November - I took 15 days vacation and went to Portugual and Spain. I arrived in Lisbon, rented a car and started the first day driving south. I was very tired due to the long plane travel, and the excellent roads that I felt very sleepy. The good thing is that they have several rest areas along the way and I could sleep a couple of minutes... Slept the firs day in Faro, in a Hostel. Well, I got old... =( I got really annoyed by the noise of the other guests in the room, couldn`t sleep well... Not fun anylonger... The city is cute, by the seaside, very nice to walk around.
From there, I crossed to Spain, to Granada. I wanted to see the Allambra, and it was worth it! Beautifull architecture, details, history... Amazing!!! from there I drove through the coast up to Gibraltar. My parents had travelled around Morocco for 3 weeks and I was to pick them up where the boat arrived. The tip of the Iberian Peninsula is England's territory, so you go from border caos to extremelly organized and english speaking (and pubs) just by crossing an airport. Yes, the entrance is the famous street that crosses the airport. The space they have is very small and there is a large rock mountain in the middle of it. It`s interesting to see.
Now with company, we went to Cadiz, Sevilla, nice historic city and back to Lisbon. The rain didn`t stop, from the next day in Granada up to Lisbon. It's really anoing all this time under the rain, with wet shoes...
We stayed a couple of days in Lisbon (they eating Bacalhau and I enjoying the views) and they left to Brazil. I went to Porto, really nice city, loved it! Afterwards back to Lisbon and to Brazil...
2013
February - again the Carnaval holiday. I try to avoid the main party places and cities, so we rented a house with a couple of friends in Governador Celso Ramos, in Santa Catarina. Almost deserted beach, few people, low prices, excellent! Of course by the following years people found out and crowded the place....
March - Work related travel to Bogota in Colombia. I spent the weekend, so I could visit Monserrate (the mountain with city views), the turistic neighborhoods, and the Botero Museum. I loved it, and it`s free!!! On Sunday I went in a day trip to the Salt Cathedral, it`s a cathedral inside an old salt mine. it`s really different from everything, very nice tour, I recommend!
March - Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, back to the Ibere Camargo Fooundation, I love the architecture of this museum! And walk around the old downtown and eat a Pelota`s sweet or ice-cream with fruits on the Municipal Market. But mostly, the Torta de Sorvete on Moinhos, the best icecream cake in the world!!!
April - I took my grandma to Maragogi, it`s a city/beach on the northeast of Brazil. It was as the Cancun resort, all inclusive, beach front, large pools, day trips. If you can choose, I recommend go to Cancun. They are more prepared to serve the customer, you have a better experience, whilste in Brazil nothing is very good... It`s crowded, the food is so-so, they don`t even have coconuts! The beach is amazing!! But not woth the trip... On the other side, I enjoyed visiting Recife and Olinda, nice cities, nice history, beautifull views...
June - I went to Panama on a business trip, but I got to go to the Casco Viejo to eat and visit the Panama Channel. It`s awsome to see the huge boats crossing the channel!
July - Back to Colombia, but this time no fun, just business... We went also to Barranquilla and Medellin. Until now, my favorite is Medellin, calmer, cleaner, more trees, not suffocating as Bogota.
2014 will come on the next post... it`s a lot of travels!!!
Continuing the recall on the old travels, just so we`re updated....
If you need any further details on the cities described on this or on the last post, let me know in the comments and I`ll tell you!
2012
May - Serra Catarinense is a region on the Santa Catarina state, on the south of Brazil. It has high mountains, valleys, historic towns... It`s beautifull! Good to go on the winter, enjoy the cold weather, fireplaces... Very romantic! Simillar to the Serra Gaucha (or Gramado, Canela, etc in Rio Grande do Sul), but cheaper and with less wine... Just look out for the apple fair in Sao Joaquim, it crowds the hotels and increases the prices... And don`t forget to go to Urubici, there`s a beautifull view to the valley!
July - Continuing my work related travels, I went to Chile! Santiago and a side trip to the coast to have lunch with some customers. It is a beautifill and well developed city! Choose a seat by the window so you can see the Andes when you cross it. And in the city keep hidrated and with eye drops. Due to the location where the city is built, in the winter all the polution remains above the city and it`s terrible to breath...
November - I took 15 days vacation and went to Portugual and Spain. I arrived in Lisbon, rented a car and started the first day driving south. I was very tired due to the long plane travel, and the excellent roads that I felt very sleepy. The good thing is that they have several rest areas along the way and I could sleep a couple of minutes... Slept the firs day in Faro, in a Hostel. Well, I got old... =( I got really annoyed by the noise of the other guests in the room, couldn`t sleep well... Not fun anylonger... The city is cute, by the seaside, very nice to walk around.
From there, I crossed to Spain, to Granada. I wanted to see the Allambra, and it was worth it! Beautifull architecture, details, history... Amazing!!! from there I drove through the coast up to Gibraltar. My parents had travelled around Morocco for 3 weeks and I was to pick them up where the boat arrived. The tip of the Iberian Peninsula is England's territory, so you go from border caos to extremelly organized and english speaking (and pubs) just by crossing an airport. Yes, the entrance is the famous street that crosses the airport. The space they have is very small and there is a large rock mountain in the middle of it. It`s interesting to see.
Now with company, we went to Cadiz, Sevilla, nice historic city and back to Lisbon. The rain didn`t stop, from the next day in Granada up to Lisbon. It's really anoing all this time under the rain, with wet shoes...
We stayed a couple of days in Lisbon (they eating Bacalhau and I enjoying the views) and they left to Brazil. I went to Porto, really nice city, loved it! Afterwards back to Lisbon and to Brazil...
2013
February - again the Carnaval holiday. I try to avoid the main party places and cities, so we rented a house with a couple of friends in Governador Celso Ramos, in Santa Catarina. Almost deserted beach, few people, low prices, excellent! Of course by the following years people found out and crowded the place....
March - Work related travel to Bogota in Colombia. I spent the weekend, so I could visit Monserrate (the mountain with city views), the turistic neighborhoods, and the Botero Museum. I loved it, and it`s free!!! On Sunday I went in a day trip to the Salt Cathedral, it`s a cathedral inside an old salt mine. it`s really different from everything, very nice tour, I recommend!
March - Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, back to the Ibere Camargo Fooundation, I love the architecture of this museum! And walk around the old downtown and eat a Pelota`s sweet or ice-cream with fruits on the Municipal Market. But mostly, the Torta de Sorvete on Moinhos, the best icecream cake in the world!!!
April - I took my grandma to Maragogi, it`s a city/beach on the northeast of Brazil. It was as the Cancun resort, all inclusive, beach front, large pools, day trips. If you can choose, I recommend go to Cancun. They are more prepared to serve the customer, you have a better experience, whilste in Brazil nothing is very good... It`s crowded, the food is so-so, they don`t even have coconuts! The beach is amazing!! But not woth the trip... On the other side, I enjoyed visiting Recife and Olinda, nice cities, nice history, beautifull views...
June - I went to Panama on a business trip, but I got to go to the Casco Viejo to eat and visit the Panama Channel. It`s awsome to see the huge boats crossing the channel!
July - Back to Colombia, but this time no fun, just business... We went also to Barranquilla and Medellin. Until now, my favorite is Medellin, calmer, cleaner, more trees, not suffocating as Bogota.
2014 will come on the next post... it`s a lot of travels!!!
Recovering
Hi friends!
This blog was used to report my travels around the world when I was younger. I'll translate the older posts someday...
It hasn't been updated since 2008!! It`s not that I didn`t travel... It`s just that I was always so involved in the travels "per se" that I wouldn`t remember to write...
But this is changing! I`m currently in the US and I have some posts ready (I just need to translate it...)
I decided that I would write in english from now on, so the blog is more accessible!
Para meus amigos brasileiros, sei que vocês não terão problemas com o inglês, mas se quiserem alguma informação adicional em português, me avisem! Vou tentar fazer um resumo pontual em português no fim dos posts para ajudar....
Just so the last 7 years don't be forgotten, here is a short summary of where I've been!
2010
May - I started travelling because of my job! I went to Buenos Aires. It was a different trip, since I spent my days in the office... But on the late afternoon I walked around my hotel, ate a "tostado" (my favorite! Their bread is bigger but thinnerm it`s great!! I reccomend! Any coffee shop serves them). And at night I would have dinner on more expensive restaurants. The main thing in Argentina is the meat, it is divine!!
September - my vacation on this year was used to move out from my parents house! The money as well... =(
2011
March - I had a terrible break up with the boyfriend of the time, it was "Carnaval", the tipical partying brazilian holiday (that I don`t like very much) and I had gotten some extra cash. Therefore, I found the perfect solution: PARIS!!!! Yes, I jumped on a plane to stay 15 days in Paris! I ended up going to London as well for a couple of days.
Paris: I stayed in a large hostel, but met some brazilians in a pub crawl. Normally I try to meet people from other parts of the world, but these people were very nice. They lived in Paris, so on the next days I got to do things that normal parisians do (go to some bars and streets and parks not so "main stream". I`m still in love with the street crepes... I also got to go for the first time to my favorite museum (until today!!): L`orangerie! It has a LOT of Monet paintings (one of my favorites), you can google it for more details... What I want to tell you is the room with 2 huge paintings! It`s an oval room, with two 2x9 (approx, my guess) paintings of his garden. You feel like you are there. I love it....
London: I got the train tickets for free! So, I got on the train and stayed in a Hostel in Greenwich. It was a great opportunity to know a different part of the city. I went back to someplaces I liked from last time and some new places. I still LIKE London, but I don`t LOVE it. It`s too similar to Curitiba I guess... Always clowdy, messy... The greenwich park is beautifull, and the neighborhood as well. I recommend if you have some extra time wile visiting London.
Setember - I went back to Buenos Aires because of my job, I found out about Falabella, the giant clothes store! Great prices, I reccomend! The rest of the time was split between a lot of work and a few steaks...
October - Cancun!! Yes, this was an year with 2 vacations! Thanks to GroupOn! I found online a groupon to Cancun, including airplane tickets and hotel all inclusive (8 nights, 7 days, all food and drinks all day long included)! Of coooourse I couldn`t go to a place like this by myself, and since I was still single, I invited a couple of friends! We ended up going in 4 girls and had a lot of fun!! The hotel was Oasis Cancun, great hotel, huge swimming pools, great food and service, everything perfect! I recommend the day-trip travels many agents offer around Cancun. We took some from the hotel. They are not cheap (back in 2011 it was an average of 80/90USD per day), but worth it! You have to go to the pyramids, it`s amazing what they could do and the energy of the place! And you have to take the boat trip to Isla Mujeres. I`m not bossy like this always, it`s just that these are "must visit" places! Unfortunatelly, it was cheap because it was hurricane/tornado season... And we`re "lucky" enought that one came.. So for 3 days everything was closed, on the day the tornado was expected the clubs and bards couldn`t even sell alcohoolic drinks, we had to move rooms for a more safe building in the hotel, the windows were covered with boards, pretty scary... But fortunatelly, it dispersed on the coast and nothing bad happened. The sea lost a little it`s transparecy, but the pool was kept nice! =)
2012 up to 2014 will come in the next post!
Safe travels! =)
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