Latest / GowayPro Travel Tales / Brazil and its Hidden Gems

Transcript

Brazil and its Hidden Gems · GowayPro Travel Tales

• 0:00
  Brazil and its hidden gems.
• 0:02
  Famous for Carnival, the Amazon, Ipanema Beach and Guazu Falls, Corcovado, Sugarloaf, Barilha, beaches and Caipira, Brazil is a magnet for the globetrotter looking for a
• 0:14
  different kind of Latin America.
• 0:16
  But Brazil is more than these famous sights, sounds and experiences.
• 0:21
  There is the Pantanal, a vast wetland comparable to the Ocovanga Delta which is rich in wildlife.
• 0:27
  The African cultural hub of Salvador.
• 0:30
  where African beats, culture and grass roots celebration of carnaval flourish.
• 0:35
  Maranenses National Park, a unique landscape of white sand dunes and seasonal blue lagoons, creating a surreal and beautiful environment.
• 0:45
  Join us today as we dig into Brazil and its hidden gems.
• 0:49
  Hey there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goay and welcome to the GoayPro Travel Tale Podcast.
• 0:56
  you
• 1:03
  Travel far and travel often.
• 1:07
  Hello everyone, welcome to the Go Way Pro Travel Tales podcast and we have the band back together again.
• 1:13
  And by that I mean we have Alisson and Carlos and I spoke to both these gentlemen probably about a week ago, two and a half weeks ago for our Brazil webinar.
• 1:23
  But today we're doing a podcast and other than the platform being a little bit different, we're also gonna talk about Brazil and its hidden gems.
• 1:31
  The webinar was pretty much focusing on basic logistics for someone looking to sell Brazil for the first time, focusing in on the big expected sites, which would be, in recap,
• 1:44
  Iguazu, Rio, Sao Paulo, the Amazon primarily are the main features.
• 1:51
  Of course, Salvador as well.
• 1:52
  ah But I think a lot of people don't know about Salvador, which we'll look into.
• 1:57
  expand on today as well.
• 1:58
  So as I mentioned, so we're going to talk about other areas of Brazil as we discuss.
• 2:02
  It's a huge country, has a lot to offer.
• 2:04
  It's very varied in its offerings as well, culturally as well as uh geographically.
• 2:10
  So I was just talking to Carlos off air about a favorite area of mine.
• 2:16
  So let's get into that.
• 2:18
  And Carlos, we might have to repeat the conversation we just had because you gave a lot of really good information.
• 2:22
  And that was talking about the Pantanal.
• 2:25
  Now the Pantanal for those who may not know is a big wetland area in Western, west of Brazil, as in west from the coast.
• 2:34
  uh If you need a comparison for those who may know, it's very similar in vibe to the Ocovanga Delta in Botswana.
• 2:43
  So I'm going to bounce this back to Carlos, just because we said we just had this conversation off here.
• 2:48
  uh And the Pantanal, as I said, it's wetland, very, very rich in wildlife.
• 2:53
  and very famous for big cat being the jaguar.
• 2:57
  ah It seems at least on my feed, social media feeds, there's a lot of TikToks and stuff going around recently of jaguars hunting caiman, jumping from trees into rivers, all that
• 3:08
  type of thing.
• 3:09
  Now it's a huge area, which natural because Brazil is such a big area.
• 3:13
  And as Carlos was saying, there are two main ways in, there's a North Pantanal, which has different attractions and the South Pantanal.
• 3:20
  So Carlos, let's bounce back to that.
• 3:22
  Can you give us a brief summary of, excuse me, excuse me, what the main differences between North Pantanal and South Pantanal and as the jaguars are a big draw, where is the
• 3:34
  best area to see the jaguar?
• 3:37
  So over to you, Carlos.
• 3:39
  Thank you, thank you, Don.
• 3:41
  Good see you again, Alison.
• 3:44
  Well, actually, uh South and North Pantanal, both of them offers fantastic wildlife experience, uh nature experience, and uh it's hard to say which one is the best.
• 4:01
  But I personally uh have, you know,
• 4:07
  I like the North.
• 4:08
  I like the North Pantanal.
• 4:10
  You know, Pantanal has two main airports.
• 4:13
  You have the Cuiabá airport to North and you have Campo Grande airport to South.
• 4:19
  uh The landscape and the wildlife, they are very alike.
• 4:26
  uh You have uh almost the same kind of experience.
• 4:30
  know, Pantanal, uh a part of this
• 4:36
  rich nature, it has also a very rich local culture.
• 4:41
  uh know, uh in somehow Brazil, like US and North America in general, we also have a very strong cowboy culture.
• 4:53
  uh This is something that nobody really, a lot of people maybe in the United States realize that because a lot of the Brazilian cowboy doing the rodeos are Brazilian.
• 5:04
  they...
• 5:04
  really?
• 5:04
  They understand that we have a very strong Rodeo culture, very similar to US, exactly in this part of the country, in the center of Brazil, in the countryside, where we have uh
• 5:17
  very big uh cattle breeds and things like that.
• 5:22
  So Pantanal also has a very important horse culture.
• 5:27
  We have special horses in the Pantanal that are uh biologically equipped to
• 5:36
  to ride on the wetland.
• 5:38
  uh So uh the basic difference between the South and the North, in my view, is that the access to the nature uh experience, is easiest in the North because the Equiaba Airport is
• 5:58
  very close to the entrance of the Prantaneta dirt road.
• 6:01
  It's a dirt road that cross all the Pantanal North from Cuiabá up to the Amazon region.
• 6:09
  Because this is also important to uh mention that Pantanal actually is a consequence of the Amazon ecosystem.
• 6:19
  Actually, they are interconnected.
• 6:22
  And they work on the same uh water, let's say, flow.
• 6:27
  And they have the same seasons.
• 6:29
  that gives a big impact on uh the way you visit.
• 6:36
  Actually, have uh the waters uh changing from dry season to wet season dramatically, like in the Amazon, like the Amazon River, for instance, that can grow about 16 meters during
• 6:51
  the wet season, the same way it goes down 16 meters on the dry season.
• 6:56
  This also impacts on the southern part of Amazon.
• 7:02
  That is the beginning of the Pantanal.
• 7:04
  So Pantanal North actually border to the Amazon rainforest.
• 7:09
  So uh as I said, mean, the access to the Cuyahoga Airport, it's only 40 minutes drive from the airport to the beginning of the Transpantaneda.
• 7:19
  And once you get into Transpantaneda, you are already having a kind of safari because
• 7:25
  You see a lot of wildlife, a lot of different birds, a lot of the haptials.
• 7:31
  You feel like you can have one or two snakes crossing your road while you really going to your lodge.
• 7:38
  And in the South, it is more the environment is a game lodge.
• 7:45
  It's all the experience normally within farms.
• 7:52
  And somehow it's more luxurious in terms of accommodation.
• 7:56
  It's more controlled because all these farms has normally programs to protect jaguars, for instance.
• 8:04
  So jaguars are, uh let's say, they have ships.
• 8:10
  have, I don't know the right word in English, like uh lacnaise, neck lace, where.
• 8:17
  the ships implanted so they can be monitored, the farmers can monitor where they are.
• 8:23
  So to see jaguars in the south is somehow more guaranteed.
• 8:28
  In the north, are free.
• 8:29
  North, are actually, also you see jaguars in the south, in the farms, on vehicles, normally four by four vehicles, trucks, or things like that.
• 8:40
  And in the north, you see, I mean, you go after jaguars uh in the rivers.
• 8:47
  uh by boat uh on the Cuyahoga River uh searching for them and uh actually this feeling of going after the unknown for me it says a lot.
• 9:03
  So I for instance I have some personal experiences in the north of Pantanal uh amazing, like uh to see jaguars crossing the river, swimming in front of your boat.
• 9:15
  you know, from one shore to the other or hunting or killing, you know, uh at the other day and I mentioned to you was absolutely fantastic.
• 9:26
  We were in a small group and we saw two young jaguars playing with a big snake of about, I don't know, two meters or nearly, I don't know, they were big, was a really big snake.
• 9:36
  One little, one young jaguar was having the snake ahead and the other one was in the...
• 9:43
  tail of the...
• 9:44
  And they were playing with it.
• 9:45
  sometimes they were really playing like a toy, you know?
• 9:48
  And it was a very big uh snake.
• 9:51
  So you see things like that.
• 9:53
  I remember that I had an experience where we were uh looking for jaguars.
• 10:01
  All of a sudden, uh our tracker said, listen, I think I have got an information that there is a jaguar.
• 10:10
  that area.
• 10:11
  So we went to that area when you get there.
• 10:14
  There was a female Jaguar, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful male Jaguar hanging on a tree, know, hanging this lazy day on a tree.
• 10:24
  uh it's still you know, you come it almost cry everybody was on tears because it was so the emotion was so so it's a such a beautiful animal that that it was amazing.
• 10:36
  So
• 10:36
  There's things like that, you know.
• 10:38
  So I like this feeling of knowing.
• 10:41
  I like this feeling of going after and that is not.
• 10:45
  I mean, open to everything that can come your way at that adventure.
• 10:51
  So and also during the season, during the season, which is normally from May up to, I would say, beginning of September, still good for sure.
• 11:03
  And you will see Jaguars in more than one in a day.
• 11:06
  More than one.
• 11:07
  uh I have seen many in one day sometimes.
• 11:11
  Yes, yes.
• 11:12
  That's why I like to know.
• 11:15
  one day.
• 11:17
  think a lot of people forget that South America does have a lot of big wildlife to see.
• 11:23
  Now granted as long as widespread is obviously something like the Alkmaar Delta or Africa in general, you can see jaguars obviously in the Pantanal in the fifties, right?
• 11:33
  Nothing's guaranteed of course, but there's a very, very high chance that you'll see one if not more as Carlos just said in a day, alone.
• 11:40
  over a period of four or five days, which is what we recommend for the Pantanal.
• 11:43
  But you can also see Puma down in Tosapane National Park and the Patagonia.
• 11:47
  So there is some big game in South America, but if you want, and I've never seen the Puma in Patagonia, friend of mine who works here at Go-Away went down there for the first time
• 11:57
  and saw one and he actually even saw a kill.
• 11:59
  I was really upset because I mean, there's so many times I've never seen that.
• 12:03
  So someone's looking for a big cat experience in South America, Brazil is where you want to go in the Pantanal.
• 12:19
  It's been quite interesting to listen to all these amazing stories from Carlos.
• 12:24
  I was not so lucky to have so many
• 12:26
  older than you, I'm much older than you.
• 12:29
  Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 12:34
  He's had more time to experience it.
• 12:36
  Carlos, you also mentioned um and I'll segue from the Pantanal to the Amazon with this question as well.
• 12:42
  But um the Pantanal experience, as you mentioned, you can go by boat to see wildlife in general, let alone the jaguars.
• 12:47
  You can go by vehicles.
• 12:49
  There's walking safaris.
• 12:50
  I know there's horseback riding opportunities down there.
• 12:54
  as well.
• 12:54
  you've also you just mentioned that there is now another option.
• 12:57
  You actually do boat cruises like overnight boats in and around the Pantano, is that right?
• 13:01
  Yes.
• 13:01
  I mean, yes, we actually are exploring, uh you know, uh wildlife, it is beautiful, but wildlife for many people produce a kind of, know, when you go to sleep, the bugs or the,
• 13:21
  you know, people sometimes don't feel so comfortable in the lodge, you know.
• 13:26
  uh
• 13:27
  So we are exploring the possibility of boat cruises because boat cruises really deliver this feeling of safety because you are somehow protected over there.
• 13:37
  So we started this year and actually we are now discussing this with Go Away product development tool.
• 13:50
  we have to chart one boat or do a schedule.
• 13:55
  uh scheduled trips uh to start in the mountains at the beginning of the Cuiaba River in the Amolar Mountain Range because it will give a fantastic uh experience from the
• 14:13
  mountains to the savannas and from the wetlands, you And uh you see every different, every day a different landscape and every day a different possibility
• 14:25
  of different kinds of animals.
• 14:27
  including, of course, the king of our cats, is Jaguar, that it's really growing in population a lot because, you know, Brazil is very strict in the animal protection laws.
• 14:42
  I mean, in Brazil, if you kill a wild animal, you are condemned to guilt and you go to jail.
• 14:52
  It's not that...
• 14:53
  And there is no way, I mean, you can't pay, you go to jail and finish.
• 15:00
  There's nothing you can do.
• 15:01
  That's it.
• 15:02
  So the population of why the life in Brazil in the last 25, 30 years has been really growing a lot.
• 15:09
  So the Jaguar population in this part of the country is very big.
• 15:14
  So the chances are more and more.
• 15:16
  So with this, let's say with this boat cruise, it's starting
• 15:22
  uh from the mountain range to the Port de Jouffre, which would be right in the border of the Amazon.
• 15:29
  uh It's a cruise of about seven nights.
• 15:33
  We understand it's a bit longer for some people, uh but it's really a unique opportunity for those nature lovers that wants to have this experience from a very, very comfortable
• 15:48
  uh viewpoint.
• 15:50
  uh And also,
• 15:52
  to live uh in uh an environment that is somehow protected.
• 16:02
  So this is something that we are now introducing and we are putting bets on that.
• 16:07
  We believe that this boat cruise will become something very, very interesting for our next season.
• 16:15
  Because that's an important aspect and I'll now segue to the Amazon and we'll get Alison into the conversation here is that um the Amazon, it sits in the heart of Brazil.
• 16:27
  That's where the bulk of it is.
• 16:28
  But it does run into the foothills of the Andes.
• 16:31
  So technically you can visit the Amazon basin from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and even Bolivia.
• 16:37
  But if you want to see the heart of the Amazon, the true heart, then you have to go to Brazil and you have to go to Manaus.
• 16:42
  And we were...
• 16:43
  We are still often asked, what's the best option for a jungle experience in the Amazon?
• 16:47
  Is it a lodge or is it a cruise?
• 16:49
  ah My advice has always been a cruise is a better option simply because with a cruise, you'll see more of the river system, more of the jungle, because you're moving all the
• 17:00
  way.
• 17:00
  And as Carlos just mentioned with the potential introduction to this Pantanal cruise, you'll go from the highlands down through the savannah.
• 17:07
  So you'll see the full length of the, or not the full length, but a very large proportion of the river system.
• 17:13
  so in Manaus, you have both options, river cruises, um, and you have large options, anything from rustic basic three star up to five star options as well.
• 17:23
  Um, now a bit of a background here.
• 17:27
  Manaus is where the two big river systems, the one I come, or an OCO, I think it's comes from Venezuela, and Amazon is which feeds out of Ecuador and Peru.
• 17:36
  Manaus where the, and where the official Amazon river starts it's Manaus where
• 17:41
  cruise lines like big cruise ships coming in from the Atlantic Ocean all the way into the heart of Brazil.
• 17:47
  That's how big this river is.
• 17:50
  And to echo Carlos's comment on seasonality and high water and low water.
• 17:55
  I've been there in both times.
• 17:57
  If you're in low water around the river system near Manaus, are these like walkways and deckwalks and stuff like that.
• 18:05
  In low season, you're walking above.
• 18:08
  basically the riverbed, there's nothing there, but in the high season, they're almost, the water almost come to the level of the walkways.
• 18:14
  It's such a huge difference in volume that comes out of the Andes and flows out.
• 18:21
  Anyway, it's a wonderful spot to visit.
• 18:25
  So Alessand, Manaus historically at one stage was the most richest and or largest city in the Western hemisphere because of the rubber.
• 18:36
  industry at the time.
• 18:38
  It now it's it has an opera house in the heart of the jungle.
• 18:41
  um Is Manow still because I know it was busy during the rubber boom, it went away a little bit and then the government turned into a Judy Freeport, which saw it come back to life.
• 18:51
  Is it still growing the way it was growing?
• 18:54
  Yes, absolutely.
• 18:55
  Manaus is the uh capital of the state of Amazonas.
• 19:00
  It's the main gateway to this part of the Amazon, the state of uh Amazonas.
• 19:08
  And it's a very unique city, not only because it is in the middle of the jungle, but as you said, historically, it's very important.
• 19:16
  Of the golden age of the rubber in Brazil, you have the beautiful opera house.
• 19:22
  where you can uh visit and watch some opera.
• 19:26
  If you're lucky, there are some operas there.
• 19:28
  You have the local market, the city market, where you can get to taste very different spices from the jungle, from the Amazon, try the fish, the typical food.
• 19:40
  So, Manaus itself, it's not ah only the capital, but it's also not only the gateway to the place you get in the Brazilian Amazon, but also
• 19:51
  a good place to visit and to spend ah some days.
• 19:56
  But I would like to highlight here that just a few hours from Manaus by road or by boat, ah I would like to highlight an experience which is perfect called Anavilhanas.
• 20:09
  ah For those who haven't heard about Anavilhanas, is one of the largest archipelago of islands in the world.
• 20:20
  At Anavelhadas you can stay at charming ecologies, can uh go on canoe rides in a flooded forest, you can go for night safaris, and the region is also rich in indigenous and local
• 20:35
  culture.
• 20:36
  So it's not far from uh Manaus and it's a highlight, I would say, like a combo, Manaus and Anavelhadas.
• 20:45
  Anavelhadas, by the way, is a national park as well.
• 20:48
  the National Park of Anabidiana.
• 20:50
  It's a very pristine and protected uh area and very easily accessible uh through Via Manaus.
• 21:00
  and probably the most beautiful sundown in the Amazon, in the Annabellanas.
• 21:06
  It is wonderful, the sundown.
• 21:08
  I had the map in front of me, the Google map I see, Manau.
• 21:11
  So if someone wants to get there and for my education, which way is it?
• 21:16
  North towards Venezuela?
• 21:18
  Is it south?
• 21:18
  Is it down the river?
• 21:20
  It's no, it's up the river.
• 21:22
  It goes over the Rio Negro.
• 21:24
  is, know, Rio Negro.
• 21:27
  Yeah.
• 21:27
  Vilhanas is, that's why Ana Vilhanas is so, so important because you know, you have two major rivers that combines to become the Amazon River, which is the Negro River, the Black
• 21:40
  River and the Solimões.
• 21:43
  So they get together in Manaus, the city of Manaus, where it happens the famous
• 21:49
  uh natural phenomenon called the meetings of the waters where the Black River and the White and the Brown River don't get, they don't mix to each other due to density, pH,
• 22:04
  there is a lot of things that prevent them to get mixed.
• 22:09
  So they go for miles having these black and white kind of waves.
• 22:15
  uh
• 22:18
  An avillanas, uh it's up down there, uh not the Amazon, but the Dengue River.
• 22:24
  uh And uh it is because of the pH of the water is also an area where you have very little mosquitoes.
• 22:34
  It is something that also important for some people.
• 22:38
  It is an area where you can really live a lot outside.
• 22:41
  uh The mosquitoes uh do not really survive in this kind of water.
• 22:48
  So it is, and also uh as Alison mentioned, it is lots of different islands.
• 22:57
  It's an archipelago of fresh water.
• 23:01
  So uh some of these islands uh provide, depending on the time of the year, beautiful white sand beaches.
• 23:11
  So you really have, sorry.
• 23:17
  Yeah, so beautiful white sand beaches and where you can really enjoy, can have, you know, some of the charming lodges in that area.
• 23:27
  is two or three very upmarket like Anaveliana's lodge oh or Juma lodge that's also in that area.
• 23:37
  ah The other one, it's the Mirante do Gavião.
• 23:42
  They are very modern.
• 24:13
  And those who want to combine these uh two regions, you do, for instance, four nights Black River, three nights Amazon River.
• 24:25
  And then you have one week, seven nights of uh discovering of this whole area and the two main contributors of the Amazon River.
• 24:37
  Just to add, to get to uh Manaus, you can fly directly from Miami, so anywhere from the US or Canada, fly into Miami and you go with one stop you get in Manaus, or you can also fly
• 24:52
  from many different origins in Canada or US to the city of Panama, and there is a direct flight from the city of Panama, Panama City, to Manaus as well.
• 25:04
  Yeah, okay, so just a few clarifications here on all of Manaus because there's a lot of information there.
• 25:09
  One, I was incorrect in saying the Orinoco.
• 25:11
  I was thinking Venezuela and that's the river in Venezuela as Carlos says it's the Black River.
• 25:16
  Rio Negro which flows down and it's black as he mentioned through the sediments.
• 25:20
  Other important fact is there are less mosquitoes on that river so that's a big plus for people.
• 25:25
  Also Carlos mentioned white sandy beaches.
• 25:27
  A lot of people don't realize that you can swim and relax like...
• 25:31
  on the shorelines in many areas of the Amazon, particularly around Manaus where most people will go, and back to the market in the city of Manaus.
• 25:40
  It's really cool.
• 25:41
  There's a lot of seafood available for obvious reasons, but let me tell you, there are some of the weirdest fish you will ever see at the market.
• 25:48
  There are some very strange marine life.
• 25:51
  that's not going to hurt you um in and around uh the rivers in Manaus.
• 25:55
  uh There's all the usual experiences.
• 25:57
  There's the pink river dolphins, you can fish for piranha, go kitespotting at night.
• 26:02
  So yes, Manaus is probably one the more popular destinations.
• 26:06
  Brazil is not really a hidden gem, but I think to the point the guys are making here outside of the cities where you need to go to see some of those hidden gems.
• 26:15
  And too many people go into Manaus and they do a two or three day experience and then they're gone and there's easily
• 26:20
  Just on a river cruise, as Carlos said, you could spend up to a week there.
• 26:24
  There are many more things to see and do.
• 26:27
  Now, Alisson, a question for you.
• 26:29
  Back in the day when I was leading groups there, there was a road in from the north from Venezuela down into Manaus.
• 26:35
  And at the time, that was it.
• 26:37
  The only other way out was either return back up into Venezuela by road or you would take the ferries or the buses at the Amazon from Manaus down river to Baleam, which we did a
• 26:48
  couple of times.
• 26:48
  I did once on the ferry.
• 26:50
  with a lot of people on board with hammocks and the other one I did taking the vehicle down the river on a barge.
• 26:57
  Is there other than flying and that road to the north into Venezuela, is there a road system feeding out of Manaus now?
• 27:04
  Has that been developed?
• 27:05
  No, no, actually the best way to get there, is by plane as well.
• 27:11
  Also because of the geography of the area.
• 27:13
  There are many rivers and many islands, river islands.
• 27:17
  So that's the way, the best way to get there.
• 27:22
  But speaking of hidden gem, Don, I have another one to share with you, which is very close to my nose.
• 27:28
  May I go ahead?
• 27:29
  It's called Presidente Figueiredo.
• 27:31
  It's known as the land of the waterfalls.
• 27:34
  You have more than 100 stunning waterfalls just in the middle of the lush forest.
• 27:41
  It's incredible because when you think about the Amazon forest, you think about the river, the forest and so on, but you have got like amazing waterfalls.
• 27:49
  It's very close to Manaus.
• 27:52
  You can go by car, by bus.
• 27:55
  There are tours that take you to Presidente Figueiredo.
• 27:58
  And that's a great highlight because you can hike.
• 28:03
  through preserved trails, you can connect with the biodiversity, interact with local community, and explore these amazing waterfalls.
• 28:13
  This is one of my favorite parts, of Manaus region, because for some people it's a hidden gem as well, So I wouldn't like to miss this spot.
• 28:28
  Very good.
• 28:29
  have to think about, uh you have to consider, this is a very, very uh important point raised by Alison because Manaus is not the only gateway to the Amazon Brazilian side.
• 28:44
  You have also this more unknown one.
• 28:48
  So you have the airport out of Floresta that take you to
• 28:57
  a really, really, really wild experience that combines, you know, Presidente Figueiredo, for instance, and uh we have a very beautiful lodge called Cristalino that for me is one
• 29:13
  of the best lodges in the Amazon.
• 29:16
  Fantastic experience, really, really, really in the middle of the jungle.
• 29:22
  Manaus, as you said, has been growing a lot.
• 29:25
  in the last 20 years.
• 29:28
  due to this enormous growing of the city, some of the lodges that were somehow one hour, one and a half away from an house, now became very close to the city.
• 29:44
  So when you're going to this area, we really have to understand where to go.
• 29:50
  Otherwise,
• 29:52
  the client might be disappointed.
• 29:54
  Somebody has a perception of going to the wide jungle in the Amazon, you land into a city of nearly three million people.
• 30:04
  And the lodge you're going to be, uh maybe you can hear the noises of a city or you can see the lights of a city, which is not really uh the experience some people expect.
• 30:17
  So that's it's always important.
• 30:20
  to have uh people like go away, to help and to select the right place to be, you know, and how to do this, and to explore these lesser-known places like Presidente Figueiredo or
• 30:39
  like Cristalino Lodge, you know, using a different airport than the airport of Manaus.
• 30:45
  Sure.
• 30:46
  um So, Alisson, would Presidente Figueroa, would that be similar in feel to the Grand Savannah in Venezuela?
• 30:54
  Could you mention lots of waterfalls?
• 30:56
  I remember driving through the Grand Savannah, there were waterfalls everywhere.
• 30:59
  Is it a similar type of feeling?
• 31:01
  Because sadly, the moment, most uh of Venezuela is off limits due to political unrest.
• 31:07
  And of course, the Grand Savannah is one of the most stunning areas in the world.
• 31:10
  So could this be a taste of that type of environment?
• 31:13
  I've never been to this place, but in Presidente Figueiredo, visitors can explore caves, swim in natural pools, hike through preserved trails.
• 31:24
  So it's an authentic immersive experience of waterfall in the Amazon.
• 31:30
  Yeah, I'm not sure if we can compare, but this is the idea.
• 31:36
  Yeah, okay, so based on your description from my time in the Grand Savannah and having driven that road a few times as well coming down, again, I don't think it's an exact
• 31:44
  comparison, but I think it's very, very similar in its feel.
• 31:47
  So that's another.
• 31:48
  big bonus by getting into Manaus.
• 31:50
  So already we've discovered two areas outside of Manaus.
• 31:53
  uh You could turn your trip into Brazil in that area into like a two, three week trip and see something different at each sort of turn of your itinerary.
• 32:02
  And what's very important from an itinerary planning point of view is the points that were brought up by Alison earlier in getting in.
• 32:09
  You can fly directly from Miami or in via Panama because as we now move away from the Amazon to other areas of Brazil, if you look at a map,
• 32:19
  You'll see that Manaus and this is one of its its attractions.
• 32:22
  It's in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Amazon So therefore to get somewhere else within Brazil you need to fly so from an itinerary point of view Flying in and
• 32:32
  starting your itinerary in Manaus with a direct flight is advantageous or going home Via the Manaus is advantageous because you can therefore obviously fly out directly to Panama
• 32:41
  onwards or into Miami and onwards so as we do move away from
• 32:47
  uh Manaus, let's head down the coast a little bit.
• 32:49
  um We mentioned Fortaleza, is quite poised, but a couple of, well, it gets two cities, but they're sort of side by side.
• 32:57
  And it reflects something very common in South America or Latin America.
• 33:00
  Generally speaking in the cities, you have an old town and a new town.
• 33:04
  The old town is generally where the city started back in the colonial days and the new town is the more modern.
• 33:10
  And the two I'm referring to here would be Olinda.
• 33:13
  And Recife with a linda, I'm not mistaken, is the old town, beautiful cobbled streets, colonial vibe.
• 33:19
  And just down the road is Recife, which is a very modern Brazilian town, beach resorts, that type of thing.
• 33:25
  can um let's go to Alison.
• 33:28
  Can you expand on those two options as well?
• 33:32
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 33:33
  uh Recife and Olinda are very known for their uh culture and the shore.
• 33:42
  uh During the last conversation we had, we talked about uh the carnival in Brazil, right?
• 33:52
  And besides the Fables party we have in Rio de Janeiro, we mentioned about
• 33:59
  the celebrations of carnival we have in Olinda.
• 34:03
  So I would like to start by that.
• 34:05
  In Olinda you have carnival, like it's a street carnival, it's not like the parade everyone knows in Rio.
• 34:12
  You have a street carnival where people celebrate like singing and playing music on the streets and they have like very big dolls that they carry on the street.
• 34:22
  Like they're like two or three meters tall and the dolls they dance.
• 34:28
  So uh it's something uh that can be one of the highlights of Recife.
• 34:36
  Recife is also known as the Brazilian Venice.
• 34:39
  And why that?
• 34:41
  Because it has many rivers, bridges and historic neighborhoods.
• 34:46
  Recife is also a metropolis, but it holds also very deep roots of uh Afro-Brazilian and Portuguese culture.
• 34:58
  uh especially Recife Antigo, which is the old town where tourists are going to find colonial buildings, art galleries, and the famous Francisco Bredan Sculpture Park.
• 35:11
  Francisco Bredan was a very famous uh artist in Brazil, so they can get to visit this museum as well.
• 35:20
  ah I remembered also in Recife you have the Carnival Museum.
• 35:28
  where you can learn about the carnival from Recife and Olinda uh and also learn about frevo.
• 35:35
  Have you heard of frevodon?
• 35:39
  It's a dance like we have in Brazil samba.
• 35:43
  We have frevo, but frevo is typical from Recife and Olinda.
• 35:47
  So this carnival I mentioned about where people go to the street, they do not play like uh samba or other Brazilian music.
• 35:55
  They play frevo.
• 35:56
  And they play frevo and frevo has a very uh unique type of dance where everyone dances with an umbrella.
• 36:04
  So everyone holds an umbrella, so they go up and down.
• 36:08
  It's a very intense exercise, I would say, going up and down with an umbrella.
• 36:13
  So it's a unique element of the culture from Olinda and Recife as well.
• 36:18
  And besides that, you have got a very beautiful shore in...
• 36:22
  Recife and Olinda.
• 36:24
  And if you want like to explore some other places by the beach, you can go to Porto de Galinhas where you can go diving or if you want to stay at a resort, there is an option as
• 36:36
  well, ah which is not far from from Recife and Olinda.
• 36:40
  So that's it.
• 36:43
  One thing I've noticed with Brazilians, so after you Carlos.
• 36:49
  No, I mean, also in Recife, between Recife and Maceió in the northeast part of Brazil is where we have our biggest coral oh reefs.
• 37:02
  So the experience of a uh fantastic, gigantic coral barrier, uh find there with all, know, live corals, live coral reefs that makes uh fantastic
• 37:18
  swimming pools, natural swimming pools, lots of fishes, you you swim with fishes, fantastic to snorkeling.
• 37:27
  In my opinion, this is probably the most beautiful beach uh sector of Brazil.
• 37:36
  know, Brazil has nearly 8,000 kilometers of beaches.
• 37:43
  from Fortale, from Recife,
• 37:47
  to Maceió, the city in the north.
• 37:49
  It's also a gateway to Fernando de Noronha, which is one of the most beautiful islands of Brazil.
• 37:56
  mean, it's the furthest north.
• 37:58
  I mean, it's the closest point to Europe in Brazil.
• 38:02
  It's 300 nautical miles from the city.
• 38:07
  This coast, this is about 300, not that, 250 kilometers of
• 38:15
  Absolutely amazing beaches, amazing.
• 38:19
  Now, uh lots of little lodges, uh charming hotels, very, very beautiful.
• 38:26
  Yeah, I was going to bring up Fernando because that's a very popular destination for snorkelers.
• 38:31
  And if you want to get away from the crowds of Brazilian beaches, because they can be very busy.
• 38:36
  No, because the Brazilians themselves love the beach.
• 38:38
  So it's not just for the tourists and the gringos, it's for the Brazilians are down there all the time.
• 38:42
  But Fernando is a lot more tranquil, quiet place, but you got to fly there and fly back.
• 38:48
  And what I was going to say when Alison was talking about the dancers, one thing I've noticed about Brazilian and its dances
• 38:54
  You said it's quite energetic in a workout.
• 38:56
  don't think I know a dance that's not like that in Brazil.
• 39:00
  Like samba, like...
• 39:02
  uh
• 39:03
  the martial arts dance, always forget its name.
• 39:05
  Capoeira.
• 39:06
  Yeah, capoeira.
• 39:07
  It's all very physical, very active um and even something that's always blown me away.
• 39:13
  You see this on any beach, anywhere, including the Amazon beaches.
• 39:17
  There'll be someone playing, they'll be playing volleyball with a net, but that's not with their hands, it's with their feet because Brazilians are soccer for our North American
• 39:25
  people or for our Brazilian friends here, football mad.
• 39:30
  So every sport they do is often
• 39:32
  it's revolving around the feet and a soccer ball.
• 39:37
  So let me, we're talking about Carnival and as you mentioned, Alisson, like and up in the Linda, had their own version of it and we did bring this up in the webinar.
• 39:46
  I don't want to spend too much time on Salvador because it is probably one of the bigger well-known attractions, but just a couple of things that.
• 39:52
  people may not know about is that one, like in a Linda you mentioned, it's a different type of carnival, a bit more organic.
• 39:59
  And my experience in Salvador was the same thing um because it's a very African centric uh city in particular region in general.
• 40:08
  There's a different vibe to it.
• 40:10
  The city itself has that old town, new town, the old town is up on a hill, the new towns down by the, by the water.
• 40:16
  m For those who like Michael Jackson.
• 40:19
  He had has a song called They Don't Care About Us and the the back beat to that song and the video he did was filmed in Salvador with a group called Olodum, which are a very well
• 40:31
  famous sambaman and they're based in all sorry based in Salvador.
• 40:36
  So, Alison, can you expand on I guess you sort of talked through the Alinda carnival difference compared to Rio?
• 40:41
  How was Salvador different from both of those cities as well from from a carnival point of view?
• 40:48
  uh Carnival in Salvador is known as the largest street party in the world, drawing literally millions of people to dance on the streets along powerful sound trucks that we
• 41:03
  call it Tri-Electrico.
• 41:05
  They are like trucks surrounded by speakers, like literally full of speakers.
• 41:13
  yeah.
• 41:15
  And uh I would say, that the energy is raw, also democratic, because everyone's very close together.
• 41:24
  And as you said, it's deeply rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture.
• 41:28
  So uh unlike Rio's uh parade, uh where everyone is watching, here everyone is part of the celebration.
• 41:38
  In Rio, have people in the parade, but a lot of people watching.
• 41:42
  There, you are
• 41:43
  part of the parade, dancing for hours in loco that follow these music trucks.
• 41:49
  So from the beginning, like there is the music truck and you are around the music truck.
• 41:54
  So you follow the music truck from one point to another one.
• 41:59
  And the, this may take like five to six hours, like dancing and following and everyone together is such an energetic uh place.
• 42:09
  Yeah.
• 42:10
  I would, I would confess that it's one of my favorites.
• 42:13
  favorite spot is in Brazil.
• 42:15
  So I really, I really like the carnival you Also you asked me the, the, the, the, the right question because I love it.
• 42:25
  Now I agree 100 % because I was there with the group and we were heading into Rio for carnival and this is where I learnt about this and this has always been my recommendation
• 42:32
  ever since.
• 42:33
  If someone's building an itinerary around carnival and that's a big focus, have them into Salvador a week or a couple of days before the official big carnival celebrations in Rio
• 42:43
  because you'll see the more organic.
• 42:46
  experience it and as you say I think you summed up beautifully Alisson in Rio and it's stunning Rio don't get me wrong it's just an event like you'll never see anywhere else but
• 42:54
  generally speaking you're a you're an observer to the parade because these samba schools are very serious it's very prestigious they're awards given it's a competition but it's
• 43:03
  awesome
• 43:04
  In Salvador, you're part of it.
• 43:06
  You can be part of it.
• 43:07
  Literally, we pulled up, we were staying in like a hostel and we heard this drum beat from outside our windows.
• 43:12
  We looked down.
• 43:13
  I found out later it was Olodum practicing for their upcoming performance that night or the next night.
• 43:19
  And the beats were awesome.
• 43:20
  And people came out of their hotels, mainly the foreigners came out for the most part.
• 43:26
  And then they started marching up and down the streets in their, you know, all this in their syncopated patterns.
• 43:32
  And all these foreigners and tourists were following along and everyone
• 43:34
  was welcome.
• 43:35
  was just, it was organic.
• 43:37
  It was awesome.
• 43:39
  And as a completer side here, I just, I was thinking about this last night, getting ready for this interview.
• 43:44
  Another thing that always makes me think of Salvador, and this is a cultural thing, I guess, or more of a social drinking thing.
• 43:53
  was with a group and the thing about Salvador and the old town is beautiful, beautifully painted buildings, beautiful old churches, narrow cobbled streets, wide cobbled streets,
• 44:02
  and at carnival time, particularly.
• 44:04
  You know, the hotels have tables set up in the middle and it's very, very fun time to be around there.
• 44:10
  We sat down, a group of us, Australians, English primarily, and we ordered beers.
• 44:15
  Now in Brazil, correct me if I'm wrong, but you order a large bottle of beer and you get small glasses and you share the bottle of beer.
• 44:22
  When the waiter came up to us and we, like there were six of us at the table, seven of us, we want seven beers.
• 44:29
  And he couldn't understand because we were ordering a bottle of beer each.
• 44:33
  not to share.
• 44:34
  He found it very, very amusing because you normally share a big bottle of beer with small bastards, but we wanted a bottle each.
• 44:39
  So he found that very, very amusing.
• 44:41
  Again, it has nothing to do with any hidden gems.
• 44:43
  It was just a story that popped into my head last night as I was preparing for today for today's chat.
• 44:49
  So
• 44:51
  Yeah, yeah.
• 44:53
  The best thing not to have this problem is instead of asking for a beer, you ask for a shot.
• 44:58
  Yeah, uh exactly.
• 45:02
  for a shop, will bring you a glass with the lighter than a beer.
• 45:10
  And after drinking the beer you can go and celebrate.
• 45:14
  you're looking at carnival that's more than costumes and choreography and dance with people, Salvador is the place to be.
• 45:23
  And that's exactly what we ended up doing as well after our beers each or a few beers each.
• 45:30
  So again, Salvador is a very popular stop for someone on a Brazil itinerary in general.
• 45:37
  But keep all this in mind if you're looking to send your guests down there around about carnival time.
• 45:41
  It's just a fantastic city, not only for the carnival pre-imposed, but just in general.
• 45:46
  So again, let's have a look at just bring up a few others just for the sake of time that people may not know about.
• 45:53
  Um, now this was a hidden gem when I was leading groups down there.
• 45:56
  I think it's changed a lot since then.
• 45:59
  It's probably still a hidden gem.
• 46:00
  Um, I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing it correctly.
• 46:03
  It's south of Rio.
• 46:04
  It's Parati or Parachi.
• 46:07
  What's the correct pronounce?
• 46:08
  Parati.
• 46:08
  Parati.
• 46:10
  Okay.
• 46:11
  So Carlos, do you want to speak to Parati?
• 46:13
  you
• 46:14
  Sure.
• 46:16
  Well, Paraty, is really, mean, Paraty was a very important port at uh the 18th century, 18th 19th century, ah to bring to Europe gold from the inlands of Brazil, the Minas
• 46:41
  Gerais, the Minas General, Minas State.
• 46:44
  And it was a very busy city.
• 46:46
  And at that time, they had built a wonderful city with fantastic houses, know, cobblestones, church, also is in the shore of a very nice bay.
• 46:57
  uh But then, the port of Santos in the southeast of Brazil, uh it start to be more logistically uh important.
• 47:09
  And Paraty was absolutely forgotten.
• 47:12
  mean...
• 47:13
  It practically disappeared.
• 47:15
  It was like a ghost city for about eight years.
• 47:23
  nobody was living, mean, very few people was living there.
• 47:26
  So what was a disgrace at that time became today an adventure because it was preserved in time.
• 47:35
  at the beginning of the 50s, it was rediscovered and today is one of our UNESCO
• 47:49
  uh monuments.
• 47:51
  It is a processing by UNESCO and it is really, really, really one of the most beautiful cities we have in Brazil.
• 48:00
  Totally preserved.
• 48:01
  I mean the old town, mean, it is totally protected.
• 48:07
  You cannot build, you cannot change, you cannot touch anything in the, let's say, in the historical part of Paraty that was totally restored.
• 48:18
  And a lot of these nice buildings became uh posadas, small inns.
• 48:24
  So also the gastronomy of Paraty is very famous in Brazil.
• 48:30
  uh And the church, beautiful old Portuguese church there.
• 48:37
  And Paraty has something very interesting because uh depending on the tide, half of the city during the high tide
• 48:47
  are taken by waters.
• 48:50
  So you actually have a city that during part of the day, some of the streets getting closer and closer to the bay because of the location and the high tide.
• 49:05
  It is a fantastic, let's say, geographical point that it is in the middle way from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
• 49:16
  And it is located right on what we call the green coast of Brazil.
• 49:22
  Because it is an area where we have over 300 islands.
• 49:28
  And we have a very, very big mountain range, very green.
• 49:33
  And these mountains, they come and they end in the ocean.
• 49:39
  So this reflection of the
• 49:42
  uh the forest, mean the mountains, the green of the mountains to the very clear waters of the bay reflect it green.
• 49:52
  So the water there is very green because of the fraction of the mountain.
• 49:57
  So that's why we call this the green coast.
• 50:00
  So this green coast goes from Angra dos Reis closer to Rio de Janeiro, just up to north as uh São Paulo state in areas like Ubatuba.
• 50:10
  So there are many beautiful
• 50:12
  small cities in this connection.
• 50:14
  You can easily come arrive in São Paulo and drive from São Paulo to Paraty and the same thing you arrive in Rio can drive to Paraty or you can start in Rio and in São Paulo stop
• 50:25
  in Paraty, stop in Ilha Grande.
• 50:28
  This is another beautiful natural spot in the same coast.
• 50:32
  Angra dos Reis, the Bay of Angra dos Reis is probably one of the most beautiful sea spots of Brazil.
• 50:39
  where you normally explore it by boat.
• 50:42
  So you can explore all these over 300 islands with lots of white sand beaches, a lot of clean water, surf paradise for one side, diving paradise, fishing, uh sailing.
• 51:01
  It's really, uh one of our most beautiful sea resorts in Brazil.
• 51:08
  Yeah, and it's often suggested by us uh when speaking to our travel partners out there, if you've done or had a busy itinerary in Brazil, which I think you will pick up that you'll
• 51:17
  be very busy no matter where you visit in Brazil, that we often suggest adding parity at the end for two or three days, just some downtime, chill time.
• 51:25
  You can be active down there if you want, or as Carlos is sort of inferring, you can just relax on the beautiful coastline and take advantage of some water activities before flying
• 51:33
  home.
• 51:34
  OK, just a couple others I'm going to throw out and then you guys can throw some more at me that I might have
• 51:38
  missed.
• 51:38
  um Alisson, you mentioned in our webinar, and I do know this from my love of history, that at one stage Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil, I think in colonial times,
• 51:49
  particularly it was one of the first cities established on the coast of Brazil.
• 51:53
  um But I believe uh Rio uh in summertime gets warm, naturally, it's sort of just below the equator, all that type of thing.
• 52:02
  And back in the day, the well-to-do of um
• 52:06
  of Rio society went to a town called Petropolis, which is up in the highlands, which I also believe is a UNESCO protected city now.
• 52:14
  And it's a very interesting visit as a juxtaposition to the famed coastal area of Rio.
• 52:20
  So can you talk a little bit um about Petropolis?
• 52:24
  Sure, absolutely.
• 52:26
  ah Well, Petropolis is a very different Rio from what we are used to imagine.
• 52:33
  mean, for those who have never visited Brazil, let's see the capital.
• 52:39
  Petropolis was founded in the 19th century as a summer retreat, let's say, for the emperor Dom Pedro II and for the Brazilian royal family.
• 52:50
  So ah when you walk,
• 52:53
  in the city, you see European style architecture, and you feel like you are back there in the 19th century.
• 53:01
  uh And you can also visit the Imperial Museum, which was the uh royal palace uh where you can find all the artifacts like jewels and so on and so forth.
• 53:18
  But Petropolis is more than history.
• 53:21
  It's also
• 53:22
  Paradise for those who love nature.
• 53:26
  It's surrounded by a range of mountains called uh Serra dos Orgãos, ah where you can find trails, parks, waterfalls, and...
• 53:40
  uh Wow, it's really nice.
• 53:43
  Last year I went there for holidays because it's one of my favorite spots of Brazil.
• 53:49
  So you can go there, you can have like a mountain holiday, let's call it this way, in the region of Petropolis.
• 53:56
  So in the state of Rio, can have like a beach vacation and also a mountain vacation in the region of Petropolis.
• 54:05
  If I may, I'd like to add oh two points to this Petropolis topic, During our last conversation, we were speaking about the difference between Brazil and the other, our
• 54:22
  neighbor countries, et cetera, et cetera.
• 54:24
  uh I think a very remarkable difference between Brazil and the other South American countries is that Brazil was a capital
• 54:35
  of European kingdom.
• 54:37
  uh During the Napoleonic War, the kingdom of Portugal moved the capital from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.
• 54:48
  I didn't know that.
• 54:49
  So uh Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the whole Portuguese kingdom.
• 54:55
  At that time, Portuguese was one of the most powerful countries in the world.
• 55:00
  They had possessions in Africa, Asia, uh Europe, and Brazil was the capital.
• 55:07
  And the whole family, the royal family and all the Portuguese crown moved to Brazil, mean, unexpectedly.
• 55:16
  That's why Napoleon never conquered Portugal.
• 55:18
  was the only European country that was not ruled by French during the Napoleon war because they changed it.
• 55:26
  mean, they moved it.
• 55:27
  mean, 135 uh boats uh left Lisbon port and arrived in Rio de Janeiro.
• 55:36
  know, like, imagine all the, all these, all the nobles, Portuguese nobles.
• 55:43
  accustomed with their palaces in Europe, now they had to find places to live in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
• 55:50
  So the government at that time was taking people out of their homes to uh lodge all these Portuguese crowns, et cetera, et cetera.
• 55:58
  That's why Rio is also so important in terms of uh architecture and in terms of culture, because of this fact that brought the Portuguese royal family to live in Brazil.
• 56:11
  Brazil...
• 56:13
  after the, you know, after the, when everything settled down in Europe, uh the Portuguese people, of course, was asking for the king to go down, to go back to Lisbon.
• 56:26
  So they had to go back to Lisbon and they left in Brazil.
• 56:30
  uh His son, mean, the king of Portugal left his son in Brazil, who became the first emperor of Brazil.
• 56:40
  So Brazil was for a nearly
• 56:43
  actually more than a hundred years a royal was a monarchy was a monarchy so going to Petropolis back into Petropolis that's the original this Petropolis actually because of as
• 56:55
  you said you know during summertime the heat in Rio etc etc and at that time no air conditioning no this no that so Petropolis which is only 70 kilometers from Rio and the
• 57:07
  top of a hill offered a very much nicer
• 57:11
  weather and climate for the royal family.
• 57:14
  So they built a summer house or a summer palace in Petropolis.
• 57:20
  So this is why Petropolis is still today a very important historical point of Brazil, very close to Rio, surrounded by beautiful nature in the top of the mountains and has, it give
• 57:35
  us Brazilians the opportunity to share with the visitors
• 57:40
  this part of our history, which is very, important because, you know,
• 57:47
  I built this city but I didn't know
• 57:50
  a kingdom.
• 57:51
  And the second point, and I finish, that gives importance to Petrópolis, that Brazilians consider that the airplane was invented by a Brazilian, while Americans think that it was
• 58:04
  Americans who actually invented the airplane.
• 58:07
  So the Americans think that the brothers white invented the airplane, but Brazilians think that Santos Dumont was the first man who really flew a machine.
• 58:18
  uh
• 58:19
  So I leave this with you for further discussions.
• 58:25
  Thanks Carlos, you left us with a political, not political, but like a uh conflict over who invented flight between the Brazilians and the Americans.
• 58:34
  don't need any more conflict right now.
• 58:36
  That's very interesting fact.
• 58:37
  Both those actually.
• 58:39
  Yeah, no more.
• 58:40
  Yeah, no more, please.
• 58:40
  But it is a beautiful city to echo both Carlos and Alisson.
• 58:46
  Okay.
• 58:47
  I've got two more I want to just bring up.
• 58:48
  um
• 58:50
  One is directly north of Rio.
• 58:52
  And again, these are ones that I've seen as a tour guide that I know from now selling Latin America for so many years that a lot of people don't know about or don't consider.
• 59:00
  And I think they should.
• 59:02
  uh This one is somewhat directly north of Rio.
• 59:06
  Don't know how far and it's um Oroporeto.
• 59:10
  I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly.
• 59:12
  A stunning, stunning, beautiful colonial city again.
• 59:16
  also believe it's uh
• 59:17
  protected city and it's home to some old mine shafts and stuff which you can go down and visit.
• 59:25
  So Alisson would you like to talk about Boropurto?
• 59:30
  Sure, absolutely.
• 59:32
  ah Ouro Preto is located in the state of uh Minas Gerais.
• 59:40
  Minas Gerais is famous for uh its history, but also for its food, for the cheese produced there, for the coffee, and also for the pão de queijo.
• 59:51
  Did you try pão de queijo when you visited Brazil,
• 59:55
  Probably, but I don't remember it by name, yeah.
• 59:58
  It's the cheese bread.
• 1:00:00
  yes.
• 1:00:02
  I love bread, love cheese.
• 1:00:03
  So yes.
• 1:00:05
  Yes, so Ouro Preto is known for its uh history in terms of uh art, including art.
• 1:00:17
  We have a very important artist called Aleijadinho who was responsible for uh decorating many of the historic churches in Ouro Preto.
• 1:00:29
  And also Ouro Preto is a beautiful region because it's uh
• 1:00:34
  surrounded by mountains.
• 1:00:38
  Yeah, it was, I remember we drove, again, the vehicles I drove, what we term trucks, so the large expedition vehicles, driving the vehicle around those streets in Oropueta was a
• 1:00:48
  real fun challenge, because as you say, very hilly, beautiful cobblestone roads.
• 1:00:53
  It's fantastic.
• 1:00:54
  Now the last one I have on my list of hidden gems, and I'm probably going to mispronounce this well, is the National Park, Madan Henses.
• 1:01:01
  This is the, the Madan Henses.
• 1:01:06
  Now I'll let, I'll throw this to Alison because he loves this area.
• 1:01:09
  um But this in very general terms is like a desert sand duner with these crystal clear blue lakes or are they lakes or are they water deposits?
• 1:01:22
  Okay, there we go.
• 1:01:25
  Well, so they are in the state of uh Maranhão.
• 1:01:30
  So would like to invite uh the people who are listening to us to imagine for them to imagine standing on the top of pristine white sand dune.
• 1:01:40
  And in every direction that you look, you see, I would say crystal clear lagoons, like shimmering under the sun.
• 1:01:49
  It's not, it looks like a mirage or if you are
• 1:01:53
  on another planet, right, Carlos?
• 1:01:55
  Because it's so surreal, so different.
• 1:01:58
  And it's called the Sois Maranhenses.
• 1:02:01
  Yeah, it's within, it's inside a national park.
• 1:02:05
  And despite looking like a desert, um it's not a desert indeed.
• 1:02:13
  It's a vast field of white sand dunes.
• 1:02:18
  And it's really huge.
• 1:02:20
  and it fills with rainwater during the rainy season, forming thousands of freshwater lagoons, like freshwater and blue lagoons between the dunes.
• 1:02:31
  uh The name Lengsoys in English means bedsheets, ah inspired in the windless waves of white sands, that's why we call it uh Lengsoys.
• 1:02:46
  And Mareng is because it's in the state of uh
• 1:02:49
  Maranhão.
• 1:02:51
  You can go to the city of Barreirinhas, which is one of the gateway towns to the park.
• 1:03:00
  So you take uh a vehicle like those big four-four vehicles across the sand trails and you go to the dunes and you explore the dunes during the day and you can swim in the lagoons.
• 1:03:18
  uh
• 1:03:19
  It's a very unique experience.
• 1:03:21
  And if you want a different perspective, can also take a scenic flight over the dunes and see the full scale of this natural wonder, which is also impressive because you say, I'm
• 1:03:32
  not on Earth.
• 1:03:34
  This is indeed like another planet when you see it from above as well.
• 1:03:38
  So you can also spend a few days in Achins, which is a remote fishing village, which is on the edge of the park.
• 1:03:47
  where the dune meets the ocean.
• 1:03:49
  So I would definitely say that this is a hidden gem for those who love ah nature and being in different place and peace.
• 1:04:02
  Yeah, it's for those who do the I can't remember the name outside of Cusco.
• 1:04:07
  There's the famous mountain with all the different colors and sediments in the hills and things like that.
• 1:04:11
  um If you want to see nature sites, which you just like.
• 1:04:16
  in your face, literally through to the colors and stuff.
• 1:04:18
  This is one you should add to your list.
• 1:04:20
  uh is amazing.
• 1:04:21
  I haven't done the flyover, but I can just imagine how encompassing that would be seeing it from the air, the whites and the blues, and maybe even some of the greens in there.
• 1:04:29
  ah It's definitely something again that should be added to your itinerary.
• 1:04:34
  Okay, guys.
• 1:04:35
  And I also love when I asked, I've asked Alice on this question during the webinar, he gets so excited.
• 1:04:41
  He loves this particular area of his country.
• 1:04:43
  I would say Don Your Right, it's one of my favorite places as well.
• 1:04:48
  Okay.
• 1:04:49
  So for the sake of time, so let me just, so I've gone through my list, what I think, you know, that that I've experienced firsthand, that I know our travel partners and turn,
• 1:05:00
  their clients should consider as part of Brazil.
• 1:05:03
  So I'll start with Carlos.
• 1:05:05
  Can you are there any other areas?
• 1:05:07
  We'll try and be brief as we can.
• 1:05:08
  Any other areas that you want to mention to our listening audience ah from a hidden gem point of view when they're looking at Brazil Carlos?
• 1:05:16
  I think Belém in the Amazon.
• 1:05:19
  It's a hidden gem.
• 1:05:22
  think Belém, ah actually the Amazon uh region started uh that part.
• 1:05:31
  The nature surrounding Belém, uh amazing.
• 1:05:34
  The city is very nice.
• 1:05:37
  And also it's very close to Altair-du-Chon.
• 1:05:39
  That's considered the largest, the biggest uh white sand
• 1:05:47
  beaches in a river, you know, so it's really amazing out there to show uh Belém.
• 1:05:55
  Also they have the Marajó Island.
• 1:05:58
  It's a fantastic island where we have our biggest uh bull.
• 1:06:05
  uh Alison, help me with that.
• 1:06:09
  How do you say that?
• 1:06:10
  It's area where we have uh
• 1:06:16
  in English.
• 1:06:20
  So also communities in this Belém, this year in November, Belém will be the capital of the uh COP 30.
• 1:06:30
  I mean, the United Nations Conference for Climate Change.
• 1:06:35
  Belém is the city that we're going to happen now in November.
• 1:06:40
  And of course, due to this event, that is one of the biggest in the world.
• 1:06:45
  I mean, a year event provided by United Nations.
• 1:06:49
  Belém has been receiving a lot of investments in new hotels, new infrastructure.
• 1:06:55
  So I think Belém, it is a place that people has to discover because it's combined a nice city with a lot of nearby, very, very uh authentic, uh non-spoiled,
• 1:07:14
  attractions like Manasor Island, the Altair du Champ.
• 1:07:23
  I think so.
• 1:07:30
  Excellent.
• 1:07:32
  We just lost, oh, I was just about to say we just lost Alisson, but he's just coming, he's just coming back in.
• 1:07:38
  So we'll just wait till he signs in and then there he is, he's back with us again.
• 1:07:43
  Okay, so Alisson, before we, before we lose you again, let me ask you the same question.
• 1:07:47
  Are there any other hidden gems you'd like to let our listening audience know about for Brazil?
• 1:07:53
  Bye.
• 1:07:53
  happy to say that we have covered like the great hidden gems of Brazil and I would like to support Carlos when he talks about Belém.
• 1:08:04
  Pará is the other side of the Amazon which is quite interesting as well and Belém full of flavors, culture, it's also a highlight of hidden gems so yeah this is it.
• 1:08:18
  eh Okay, well, I'm pleased that my list was all encompassing or almost all encompassing because uh you would have heard the word used a lot in regards to Brazil, big.
• 1:08:29
  A lot of countries out there pack a lot into a small spot, Costa Rica, Ecuador.
• 1:08:35
  It's easy to get around, see multiple things, but Brazil, due to its size, has so much.
• 1:08:41
  And it is difficult at times to squeeze it in in such a big country.
• 1:08:44
  But I think you would have heard today that
• 1:08:47
  Even when you're going to all the big expected sites, there's lots of things to do nearby.
• 1:08:51
  It's not a big issue to add a day or two on to go up to Petropolis or down to Paraty or if you're in the Amazon to extend it and go north to the waterfalls or up the Black River.
• 1:09:03
  So, or again, know, Carnaval, try and hit Olinda and or Salvador before you get into Rio itself.
• 1:09:10
  There is so much to do.
• 1:09:11
  There are so many hidden gems in Brazil.
• 1:09:15
  And while Alison said we've hit all the big ones, there are still many more out there as well.
• 1:09:20
  And in partnership with our Brazilian partners here, the Tourist Board and our local operator, Carlos, if you or your clients have something beyond this list that you want to
• 1:09:29
  look at, give us a call.
• 1:09:30
  We can do it for you.
• 1:09:32
  And the Tourist Board will support us as will Carlos.
• 1:09:35
  Your destination experts here at GoA know pretty much all about what we've discussed today.
• 1:09:40
  And again, if they don't know, they'll find out for you because that's what we do and what we do best.
• 1:09:44
  ah we take your ideas and turn them into a reality.
• 1:09:48
  So on that note, I'd to once again thank Alison ah and also Carlos for their time today.
• 1:09:54
  ah Your enthusiasm and your pride for your country is so obvious and you have every right to be enthusiastic and proud about Brazil.
• 1:10:03
  It is a wonderful country at all levels.
• 1:10:05
  So Alison, thank you very much.
• 1:10:08
  Thank you.
• 1:10:08
  Thank you very much.
• 1:10:10
  It was great being with you and Carlos here talking about the hidden gems.
• 1:10:14
  And I was very happy to know that you know a lot about Brazil, you know.
• 1:10:18
  So you have been here and you like the country.
• 1:10:22
  And we really appreciate to hear this as well.
• 1:10:24
  This was a great moment because we could share ideas because you have a previous knowledge about Brazil.
• 1:10:32
  Yeah, again, I've driven through it top to bottom a few times.
• 1:10:35
  I love it, love the people.
• 1:10:37
  I love the whole region.
• 1:10:39
  But as we discussed in our webinar, Latin America or South America has lot of similarities in the Spanish speaking countries.
• 1:10:45
  Brazil is not another world, but it is completely different to what you will find in the Spanish speaking parts of South America.
• 1:10:53
  Carlos, as always, thank you very much for your time and your knowledge and again, your passion as well.
• 1:10:59
  Well, Don, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to share our passion for our country.
• 1:11:05
  And uh it was actually great to be with Alisson, to be with you.
• 1:11:09
  It's always to be with you.
• 1:11:10
  You are actually one of the top most expert agents I know in Latin America.
• 1:11:18
  I know Don for quite a while.
• 1:11:20
  And I have learned a lot of things from him many times because he knows a lot about every corner of this whole continent.
• 1:11:29
  Central and North.
• 1:11:31
  So thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share some of our passion with you people.
• 1:11:38
  thank you once again.
• 1:11:39
  And I hope we can have a chance to do it.
• 1:11:41
  I know the world is big.
• 1:11:43
  I know you have to cover the whole planet.
• 1:11:44
  But give us a chance to talk more about Brazil in the future.
• 1:11:48
  Yeah, we will for sure, because I think we could even do sessions on carnival itself in Rio.
• 1:11:53
  We haven't really gone into any depth than you guys have before, so there's a lot more to talk about and we will do that.
• 1:11:58
  So everyone out there to our two guests, obrigado a todos and we will talk to you all very, very soon.
• 1:12:04
  Thank you,