During my semester abroad, I managed to fit in a few trips between my studies and work, which I never blogged about, and wanted to highlight here.
- Visited Brasilia, and some other cities in Goias state: Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, is a really interesting city with a very futuristic vibe: the city was designed to look like an airplane and in logical and confusing fashion, the streets are identified by a series of letters and numbers such as SDN 409. I also saw a lot of waterfalls in the nearby national park (Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros).
Brasilia, from Above
- Saw the Iguazu Falls and hopped over to Argentina: The Iguazu waterfalls are an amazing natural wonder, being taller than Niagara Falls and wider than Victoria Falls. The Argentinian side of the Iguazu Falls is cheaper to stay in and more awe-inspiring. Also, the Parque das Aves on the Brazilian side of the waterfalls was definitely worth the visit and featured a large variety of birds from all over South American (and the world).
Iguazu Falls
- Visited Rio de Janeiro: My favorite attraction in Rio was the beautiful Jardim Botanico (Botanical Gardens) which has monkeys, bamboo trees, an orchidarium, a medicinal plant garden, and a Japanese garden. I think one of the reasons I liked the Jardim Botanico so much was because I had missed seeing greenery while living in industrial metropolis Sao Paulo. Another attraction in Rio that I recommend is the Museu H. Stern and Museu Amsterdam Sauer, which both feature large gemstone exhibits. As many of the world’s gemstones are mined in Brazil, it was interesting to see exhibits by these top Brazilian jewelry designers. The vibrant and colorful steps in Santa Theresa/Lapa neighborhood of Rio, Escadaria Selarón, were another highlight and reminded me a bit of Gaudi’s architecture in Park Guell in Barcelona.
Escadaria Selarón
Overall, I most enjoyed going to Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro, and definitely recommend seeing the two if you have a chance to visit Brazil.
