Brazil
February 11th – March 29th, 2023
Iguazu Falls, Brazilian side. The waterfalls on the right are in Argentina.
Iguazu Falls again
Marco das tres Fronteiras, the border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pictured is the samba competition that's held throughout the week. All the performers in this shot are from a single samba school. You see multiple waves that cover the entire length of the stadium during the school's one hour window. The show begins at 10 pm and goes until 7 am.
The stadium, Sambódromo, was built solely for this annual competition. The schools are judged on their song, dance, and costumes among other things.
They have hundreds of blocos (parades and street parties) throughout the week
Rio de Janeiro from Sugarloaf Mountain. It was smoggy that day.
The Selaron Stairs. You know "Beautiful" by Snoop Dogg and Pharrell started playing in my head when I got here.
Sunrise from Pico do Papagaio, Ilha Grande. The view was worth the 2 am start and hundreds of bug bites (I guess). Ilha Grande is part of the state of Rio de Janeiro and is where locals go to escape the city.
Taken on Pedra da Gávea
Pelourinho Square, Salvador, Brazil
Plateaus of Chapada Diamantina National Park. The valley in this picture is Vale do Pati, where I did a three-day hike. The park is a four-hour bus ride from Salvador.
After Chapada Diamantina, I flew to the city of São Luís. The street pictured is Rua do Giz, which was rated the #6 most beautiful street in Brazil by Casa Vogue. (I also don't know how.)
Portuguese tiled walls in São Luís. (This isn't on Rua do Giz.)
São Luís is in the state of Maranhão, the land of manioc (cassava). The stuff in these bottles is a liquor called tiquira made from the manioc roots. I wasn't brave enough to try a shot, but I had beer also made from the roots that was good.
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil. This is about 4 hrs from São Luís by bus. I heard from Harvard the day before starting a four-day hike across the park barefoot. It was a great way to celebrate.
More dunes and lagoons. It's hard to believe something like this exists in the same place as the Amazon.
I was told this shot is in a lot of postcards of São Paulo, Brazil