1988 one month trip to BRAZIL by air with Brasil Pass revisited by heart 35years later

Brazil had remained in my heart since 1984 when I had seen the two best attractions of the country; the Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro, but I wanted to see the rest, so my daughter's mother and I decided to spend a month touring that great country with the Brasil Pass, a 300-dollar deal that must be bought with the intercontinental ticket (one-way only Rio-Bahia cost the same) We arrived a week before the beginning of the carnival expecting to see a lot of wonder while we were disappointed because everything takes place in the four days of madness, 4 dias de locura between Friday and Ash Tuesday. We only visited a samba school where we witnessed the batucada, i.e. the performance of about 500 drummers who play together and give you chills. We watched the Saturday night parade at the sambadrome of the best companies, the ten competing for the title of champion, each made up of about 5,000 people who, when they have completed their parade of about an hour, fill the kilometer of the sambadrome, singing repeatedly "la samba do enredo" or the song chosen by each company that everyone sings while dancing and drinking in the stands. The parade started at nine in the evening and finished at eight in the morning leaving us exhausted but also with eyes full of wonder, the greatest show in the world. We immediately took the plane to see the street carnival in Bahia, Salvador and booked a seat at a stage in a central square where the trio eletricos passed, huge trucks with the musical group on the roof shooting samba rock music at full volume, followed by the members of the company all dressed in the same simple costumes, in long overcoats that are not very spectacular compared to the incomparable ones in Rio which also exhibits extremely sexy half-naked girls After visiting the historic center of Bahia with the Pelorinho, the square with the pole where the slaves were frustrated and the pastel-coloured buildings, the underlying fort dating back to the colonial era, the island of Itaparica with the French Club Med and palm and sandy beaches, we boarded the next flight bound for Recife-Olinda hoping to see that rather famous carnival as well but we arrived too late however Recife is a small Rio with skyscrapers surrounding a long sandy beach in a semicircle while Olinda which means oh beautiful, is a delightful colonial town with low and colorful painted houses surrounded by lots of bougainvilleas Then it was the turn of Belen at the mouth of the Amazon River, here we visited a huge fish market and had lunch in one of the many restaurants at the side of the market with fish and seafood chosen directly from the stalls Another flight to Manaus in the heart of the Amazon, we saw the famous theater which hosted Caruso when Manaus was rich thanks to rubber and then we took a boat trip along the longest river on the planet until the meeting of two branches with different color and density that miraculously do not mix Then it was the turn of Brasilia, the futuristic capital inaugurated in 1960 and designed by the architect Niemayer who died centenary a few years ago. The city is beautiful and futuristic but inhumane, it seems that the public officials of the various ministries leave it over the weekend and return to Rio. We then visited two colonial cities that have remained almost intact for centuries; Ouro Preto a university town with many green hills and many baroque churches that was once a rich gold mining town and then Paraty which is flat, with low houses and cobblestones lining its ancient streets. Before returning to Rio we visited the capital of the rich Minhas Gerais of which I only remember the square that had hosted the pope's visit and then a large FIAT factory. Rio offered us many other surprises that we enjoyed in the remaining ten days, the ascent by train to Corcovado for the enchanting view, the surrounding tropical forest, the famous statue of Cristo Redentor, the equally spectacular Pan de Azucar rock which can be reached by cable car, the historic bonjinho tram that leads to the Santa Teresa district high above the many favelas of the poor, the modern cathedral, the large Maracana stadium which at that time could accommodate 200,000 spectators, the bars of Ipanema where cariocas (citizens of Rio) present improvise live music using various tools, even cutlery! and of course we enjoyed the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and appreciated the local cuisine, picanha or roasted meat, tropical juices and "batidas", famous cocktails with rhum and fruit inside. Brazil eu te amo, tenho lembrancas de voce i sinto tua falta!
What can I say, toda joja, toda beleza, Rio remains in my heart forever and I consider it one of the most beautifuldiv class="separator" style="clear: both;">

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