Would you be concerned if you arrived to a new city with police barricades and traffic jam and news of 100,000 demonstrators on the streets next to where you would be staying?

That was the news and scenes that greeted us on our arrival from Florianopolis to Sao Paulo. After driving and re-routing for more than an hour we arrived safely at our apartment.

On our second day in the city, we heard there would be another protest, this time in downtown Sao Paulo. While having dinner at a local restaurant, scenes of protestors filling up the streets in downtown were shown on TV. As the night proceeded, pictures of broken glasses, a burning van and looting began to emerge in the local TV channels.

Life was back to normal the next day. On our tour the next morning, we passed by scenes of places where vandalism, looting and burning took place. Local TV channels were interviewing locals and international TV stations like CNN were at the scene as well.

Here are photos showing scenes after Sao Paulo’s second massive protest:

1. Stores closed on a Wednesday at a busy street in Sao Paulo because of looting the night before. Magazineluiza is an electronic store where looters stole and destroyed merchandise.

A local TV station interviewing in front of the store:

The Itau bank was closed and tarp was used to close off damaged areas. Glass doors, walls and windows were broken. The bank suffered massive damage:

The Sao Paulo Municipal building  (Prefeitura do Municipio de Sao Paulo) was filled with graffiti, a police booth next to the Municipal building was burnt and graffiti was found throughout the area:

Even the Sao Paulo Catedral was vandalized. Here is a photo showing men cleaning the cathedral’s doors on the morning after:

It all started with the transportation fare increase. Notice the 3.20…that was what triggered the protests.

Most Paulistas (citizens of Sao Paulo) are living life normally enjoying soccer with friends and beer, going to work, dining in restaurants and attending classes while the rest of the world is watching scenes of burning vans, broken glasses and vandalized stores.

Samba is part of the Brazilian culture which originated from the African people of Brazil. There are variations of samba in Brazil as it evolved throughout the years. In some bars and restaurants you will find samba that sounds almost like jazz music. So what is samba?

For the best explanation and history of samba, please read National Geographic’s article here. It is a music and dance and samba is synonymous to Rio’s Carnaval but you can get a glimpse of what it is all about in local restaurants or bars. We had a little taste of our samba music and dance experience at Vigia Do Casqueiro at Barra da Lagoa Beach, Florianopolis.

Here the musicians were playing the old style samba…the slow and romantic samba made popular during the 30s. The rhythm was slow and the dance steps were small. It is the samba-canção. The musicians were using a trombone, cavaquinho (small guitar), pandeiro (tamborine), cuica (like a drum) and a guitar. It was an assembly of five musicians and one main singer who danced with the audience. Some of the musicians were wearing ‘fedora’ hats.

Vigia Do Casqueiro at Barra da Lagoa Beach in Florianopolis is a simple place where locals hang out. It is actually located close to a few hostels in the area. Food is served upstairs. While we were there the musicians were playing downstairs. Joining the crowd is free. I think it is only fair to get a drink while you are there.

Information about the restaurant:

Vigia do Casqueiro. Servidão da Prainha, 190 – Fone: 48 3232-7149
Prainha do Leste – Barra da Lagoa – Florianópolis/Santa Catarina.

According to a Santa Catarina tour brochure, sandboarding was invented in Florianopolis in the eighties. The sand dunes in Joaquina beach were unlike a lot of beaches we have seen. In fact there are many beaches in Florianopolis that you can try out sandboarding. Sandboarding is also available in Ingleses and Siriu Beach in Garopaba (located in the mainland).

We brought our son Jonathan for his first sandboarding experience in Joaquina beach where you can rent sandboards. Rental was 20 real (US$10) per hour. There are boards of different sizes. He was given wax to wax the board before his adventure. The gentleman who sat at the hut across the street from the sand dune showed him ways to wax the board. Here are just some of the photos taken from his experience.

Here is a Vine video of his adventure. I think he is a natural sandboarder. He was able to do it well with only a few tries:

Florianopolis is a land of adventures. You will find surfers in most of the 42 beaches. And here were two walking down the street near the sand dunes to Joaquina beach about 5 minutes down the road from where we were.

Here is a list of things you could do in Florianopolis:

1. Trekking

2. Ziplining

3. Sailing

4. Surfing

5. Sandboarding

6. Kitesurfing

7. Windsurfing

8. Parachuting and paragliding

9. Sailing and learning to sail

10. Fishing

11. Cycling

12. Horseback riding

13. Mountain biking

14. And more

Obviously we didn’t try them all. Let us know if you have done any of those listed. Please share.

Over 90 percent of oysters in Brazil are produced in Florianopolis and other parts of Santa Catarina state. With 560 km of coastline throughout Florianopolis, you can easily find a beachfront dining experience with a variety of seafood particularly oysters.

Pântano do Sul in the southern part of Florianopolis has a laid back atmosphere where locals hang out for lunch or dinner. There are over five restaurants by the beach that specialize in seafood. One interesting fact about this beach is you are allowed to drive through a strip between the restaurants and the waterfront. Picture this, parking your car on the beach right in front of the restaurants.

Colorful houses are located on both sides of the mountains facing the water. Fishing boats provide color to the clear blue water and sky. This seems like a great beach for swimming although when we were there it was cold. Indeed, a very picturesque beachfront with a calm sea and mountains on both sides.

If you would like to hang out in the oldest and most unique restaurants in this area, check out Bar do Arante. The whole ceiling is covered with notes and the walls as well. You can leave messages for yourself and come back next time and read it. We did not eat in this restaurant since we were tired after a long day of trekking. Our local guide recommended us to another restaurant for a quick meal.

Mandala Restaurant looked inviting with three seating types, indoor, terrace or by the beach. All types of seafood are on menu. Even the table setting has a miniature boat that holds sauces and toothpicks.

Fishermen populate the southern parts of Florianopolis and the biggest oyster farm is close by. Which made it easy for Mandala Restaurant to provide freshly caught fish, seashells and oysters on a daily basis. Here is our oyster gratin, which is oysters topped with special cheeses. Oysters are cultivated in neighboring Riberirao Island. We had 12 oysters (six raw and six oyster gratin) for less than US$20. I like how they left the shells of the oysters when they served them raw. Usually restaurants will take the top shell off.

This is the delicious seafood fried with onions (Marisco Frito c/cebola) for R$38 (about US$15).

I heard Ribeirao de Ilha would be the best place to savor oysters in Florianopolis. Let me know if you have been there.

Imagine no garbage, no restaurants or any vehicles at this beach. The sand is soft and when you walk you can actually hear the rubber soles squeaking along with your footsteps, the waves constantly pounding onto the shoreline and the rocks…all you hear is just the waves and your echo.

The only way to get to the ‘secret beach’ Lagoinha do Leste is through trekking trails. You have no other option by land. Either trek from Matadeiro for two and half hours or from the south beach at Pantano do Sul for one and half hours. Or you could hire a fishing boat to take you there.

We did both treks and it took us over five hours starting from Amacao, a scenic beach with fishing boats and restaurants. Before starting on the trail, we took a walk in Armacao village crossing a wooded bridge to a small hill where a few cows were resting and walked to the edge of the hill to get a spectacular view of the ocean. Locals were resting by the rocks on a mid-afternoon Sunday.

The trail started just off Matadeiro beach through a brand new wooden pedestrian bridge. The two and half hours trail included climbing on hills, through thick bushes and trees of the Atlantic coastal area of Southern Brazil.

Here are some of the amazing views of the area along the trail from Matadeiro beach to Lagoinha do Leste. Few beaches on earth are still in their natural state like the ‘secret beach’.

Before arriving at Lagoinha do Leste, we rested at the lookout point, high up on the hill. The view is worth the effort of trekking for over two and half hours without stopping.

Lagoinha do Leste or the ‘secret beach’ is a treasure to behold. I have not seen a beach quite like Lagoinha do Leste for a long time. It is pretty much untouched, natural, not crowded and non-commercialized.

After that beauty, we took another trail, this time going uphill, a much more difficult trail than the first through thicker forest and higher hill climbing for at least one hour before arriving at a steep concrete road to the town of Pantano do Sul.

Surfers usually trek through this route to the Lagoinha do Leste. If you are trekking, be reminded that there are no toilets. You need to wear shoes, a hat and bring snacks and lots of water. And of course your camera.

As I looked up the concrete road leading to Pantano do Sul beach, I couldn’t believe we just trekked through many hills and one was just behind me. Take a look:

The trekking tour is one of the best ways to explore Florianopolis, Brazil. Have you been to Florianopolis?

I felt a pang of nervousness in my stomach when Windsor, one of the owners at GoTripTV.com said it would be a medium to high level of difficulty, referring to our trekking trip the next morning in Florianopolis.

He was exaggerating, so I thought….

Frankly, I do not like adventure travel nor do I like trekking. If given a choice I would rather sit in comfortable vans, cars or tour buses, visiting museums, people watching, chatting or eating with the locals or just sitting at the beach or anywhere with a good book. The men (my husband and son) are the opposite. So to please my men and to travel cohesively as a family, I went for it.

15 minutes into our trekking, there was no turning back. What I didn’t know was, the trekking tour would take over five hours climbing hills, going down hills, walking on rocks into the woods with overgrown bushes and trees shading the sun, crossing the lane at the edge of a cliff overlooking beautiful beaches, rocks and crystal clear blue waters.

The view was amazing (find out more in my next blog post) but this trekking thing reminded me of an episode of The Amazing Race or Survivor. I was by no means qualified or was fit in any way to go on a trekking tour. I was out of shape and desperately wanted to get out of that uncomfortable feeling of trekking in the woods.

Meanwhile, my son and husband were having a great time. I had to remind myself, I was doing it because of my son and husband. They have accompanied me to so many of those tours that they rather would not do, like visiting old churches in Chiloe, Chile, sitting in coffee shops doing nothing and more.

When we arrived at the beautiful ‘secret beach’, I thought the level of difficulty for this trekking tour was over until I was told we had to climb another hill to a fishing village. I don’t give up easily though I was feeling the pain and exhaustion. For the next hour of trekking I was pushing beyond my limits.

And I fell…my legs totally gave up! I used lavender essential oil on the wound and it healed really quickly. If you are looking for alternatives to ‘ heal yourself’ while traveling, you have to seriously add essential oils into your first aid kit. I co-wrote an eBook on essential oils for travel. (not selling, just saying) Here is a scratch, two days later to prove….

This tour reminded me of five things:

1. I am not fit.
2. I need to work out. If not my travel experience will be limited. I saw the beauty of nature in Florianopolis because of this trekking tour, otherwise hidden from me.
3. We travel to get out of our comfort zone- physical, cultural, emotional or anything out of the normal.
4. When traveling as a family we have to do the uncomfortable (which may be comfortable for other members of the family), in this case trekking is uncomfortable to me but my son and husband loved it.
5. What am I teaching my teens about life, limitations and getting out of my comfort zone? Am I a good example to them?

The question now is, am I ready for the next big trekking tour, The Lares Trail in Peru in August, trekking 33 km in 48 hours at a high elevation and going uphill? Will I make it? I am determine to make it happen. Come follow along as we venture out for a very uncomfortable experience of my life – overland tour in a truck for 46 days camping, hosteling, traveling and driving through thousands of miles from Rio (the sea) to La Paz (high mountains) and beyond starting July 6.

My husband said it is a must-do in our trip, either trekking the Inca Trail or the Lares Trail.

Have you done any of these? Please help me out and let me know how you felt.

P.S. Our trekking tour was very well organized and is definitely a must if you enjoy the great outdoors, amazing views, like to be with nature and like trekking. The guys at GoTripTV.com did a great job.

We left the United States without a Brazilian tourist visa because we did not have an actual date of arrival and we were traveling slowly in South America for nine months. You do need to show your round trip tickets or a signed letter from a travel agent confirming your airline ticket for visa application.

Two and half months into our travels, we made a major decision to go on a 46 day guided overland tour starting in Rio de Janeiro through Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. This tour requires us to apply for a Brazil visa, Paraguay visa and a yellow fever shot for Bolivia (many different opinions on yellow fever vaccination) since we hold American passports.

So what do you do if you don’t have the necessary visas for Brazil and Paraguay while traveling in South America? Apply for visas in Montevideo, Uruguay! That’s what we did. It was not an easy process because it takes time, some knowledge of the Spanish language to find out the direction to the consulate and get the correct size of photos and more.

Here is what we learned through the process and we would like to share with you the necessary steps to get a Brazil tourist visa in Montevideo Uruguay:

1. Fill out the electronic form at https://scedv.serpro.gov.br/ We tried to do that several times but could not get it done from our apartment in Montevideo. The whole website was in Spanish or Portuguese. I didn’t find the English version online. Another thing is you need to print out the filled application form.

2. What we did was visit the Brazilian Consulate General in Montevideo, located at Convencion, 1343, piso 6 (level 6) in downtown Montevideo, just off Avenida 18 Julio (the main street in Montevideo before Plaza Independencia) about 10 minutes walk from Plaza Independencia.

3. Upon arrival at the consulate, you need to get a ticket to meet up with a visa application consultant (thankfully the attendant at the counter spoke a little English).

4. Your number will appear on a TV screen in the waiting room. You can let the visa application consultant know your intention and she or he will let you fill out the online application form at the consulate. In our case, we did not bring enough cash or the passports with us when we visited the first time.

5. Remember to bring

• 2 recent passport size photos (to be exact 3×4 cm) and don’t smile for your photos. The photo must have a white background
• your passport must be valid for at least six months and must have at least one free page
• round trip ticket to enter and leave Brazil (for our travels, we had bus tickets from Montevideo to Florianopolis and an invoice and itinerary from the tour operator)
• proof of international credit card with your name and financial means

• cash of 4320 Uruguayan pesos per person (US$227)

If you meet all their requirements, it takes 48 hours or two business days to process the tourist visa. According to the Consulate, visa fee varies and depends on the nationality of applicant. All fees must be paid in cash, in Uruguayan pesos at the Consulate while applying for visa.

Minors under 18 years old are required to be present and parents must authorize the application.

It is cheaper to apply for the visa in the United States.

The visa is valid for 10 years.

The Brazilian Consulate in Montevideo is open on Mondays through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.

Here is their website: http://cgmontevideu.itamaraty.gov.br

All the best. Did this help? Let us know.

After traveling for over 100 days, we are savvy when it comes to buying food from a local supermarket and can easily identify the quality, price and service once we step into an establishment.

Angeloni supermarket in Florianopolis is one of the best so far. The vegetables and fruits aisles were filled with green, yellow, red, brown colors. In other words we have choices here.

Meat like chicken, pork and beef were cheaper than those in Montevideo, Uruguay and Santiago, Chile. A kilogram of beef tenderloin was R$9.97 (US$5) and one kilogram of chicken breast was R$6.95 (US$3.50). For the first time ever, we are able to reduce the amount of money spent on food.

Papayas, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, apples and even oranges in Florianopolis were cheaper than those in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. For example, a small papaya cost R$2 (US$1) and we paid 78 pesos (US$4) in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Here is a short list of things with prices from the grocery store, just to show you what to expect when you do grocery shopping in Florianopolis:

Multigrain bread (600g) R$3.99 (US$2)
Rice (1 kg) R$2.65 (US$1.50)
Spaghetti (500 g) R$2.25 (US$1.20)
A small head of broccoli R$5.25 (US$2.80)
6 cups of Greek yogurt R$7.15 (US$3.60)
700 g of chicken wings R$8.17 (US$4)
4 rolls of toilet paper R$2.89 (US$1.50)

For two breakfasts, two dinners and one lunch and some miscellaneous items like snacks, toothpaste, beer and shampoo, we paid R$150.42 (about US$72).

Just like in Montevideo where we found our favorite bread and spread, here in Florianopolis we are enjoying Bauducco toasts and pineapple jam. Take a look at this video about Bauducco toasts:

Thinking back to our first bite of Bauducco toasts for breakfast. It was at the Hotel Olimpia in Venice in 2006. Look at the photo below when my daughter, Bethany was 11 having breakfast in Hotel Olimpia Venice with a small packet of Bauducco toast between the juice and roll.

There is a variety of Bauducco toasts at Angeloni Supermarket and they come in two sizes. A single or double pack.

Angeloni in Florianopolis has three items that I was extremely excited about. They were organic apple cider, virgin coconut oil and virgin coconut oil in capsules. I’ve been looking for apple cider and virgin coconut oil since my arrival in Santiago, Chile. I finally found it in Angeloni.

Preparing and cooking our meals in the apartment has allowed us to eat cleaner, healthier and cheaper. Shopping in a local supermarket is one way to experience life as a local. It is one great way to see the world.

Do you prefer eating out for all meals or cook most of the time when traveling with your family? Please share your experiences below.

Fishing boats, fishermen selling fish at the shore, fishing villages and oyster farms are found throughout the island of Santa Catarina. In fact 90% of oysters in Brazil are from this island and Florianopolis the main island city plays an important part in the seafood industry in Brazil.

The city celebrates Fenaostra or  National Oyster and Azorean Culture Festival every October. Florianopolis better known as Floripa by the locals provides plenty of opportunity for waterfront dining. Waterfront restaurants of all styles and prices are everywhere.

For our waterfront dining experience we went to simple local restaurant called Delicias do Mar at Rod, Gilson da Costa Xavier, 1.456, Sambaqui, in the north west side of Florianopolis. Guests have the option of dining in the restaurant or across the street from the restaurant in an open air dining area.

The view from the open air dining area was extremely calming with light breezes blowing through. Outdoor umbrellas shading us from the sun and views of the city center’s skyline and the famous Hercilio Luz Bridge.

Seafood is the main draw in most restaurants at the waterfront especially the Sequência de Camarão (sequence of shrimps) and Camarão na Moranga (pumpkin with shrimps). We did not order both instead we had a variety of fried breaded seafood, rice and a pirão, a mushy yellow dish of fish and mandioc or yucca flour. I like the pirão on rice with lots of house special spicy chili oil. You can ask for the chili oil.

I can imagine dining at sunset into the evening when the skyline from the city center lights up in the distance reflecting lights on the water.

Our lunch cost R$90 plus R$10 for service charge (total about US$50) for four including mineral water and three packets of coconut water and a fruit drink for the tour guide.

Eating like a local is a fun way to experience the culture and life in Florianopolis. None of the servers spoke English. You probably need to know some Portuguese to order your food or go with a tour guide like we did.

What are your thoughts about dining like a local? Would you do it without a guide or speaking the local language? Let us know below.

Beaches, mountains, sand dunes, forests, rivers and lagoons were what we saw as we took a tour of the east and north beaches of Florianopolis in Santa Catarina Island. One of the most unique features about the sandy beaches of Florianopolis is the coastlines are short and divided by beautiful rock formation, vegetation and hills.

Our guide, Marcio Misso from gotriptv.com said the longest beach is only 15 km long. Our first stop for this six hour tour was at a lookout point of Lagoa da Conceição. You can get a breathtaking view of the lagoon, lush green vegetation, hills, sand dunes and houses and shops surrounding the lagoon. It is indeed beautiful but there are quite a few obstructing objects because of electric cable lines.

At the lookout was a pimento rosa tree (tiny red pepper tree). You can pick it and try eating it. It tasted like black pepper.

The next attraction was the Joaquina beach sand dunes. Sandboards were lined up in a straight line for hire. This is the first time I saw sand dunes and it is pretty amazing to walk on the smooth sand, leaving footprints and climbing up to higher dunes and looking down below.

The Joaquina beach is a great place for surfers. We saw surfers in wetsuits trying out some small waves in 20 degrees Celcius weather and water below 20 degrees. Along the sandy beach are a few restaurants and the summer crowds are no where to be found in this late fall season.

We took a walk on the rock formations by the water. During high tide you would have to swim across the water to get to these rock formation. It was a nice climb on the rocks.

The crashing waves were not there at Joaquina beach since it was a sunny calm day during our visit. We were told Praia Mole is another great place for surfing. While at Joaquina beach we tried our first Acai Mix, a refreshing smoothie that filled us up and gave us energy to go through the six hours tour.

Barra da Lagoa was one of my favorite places in this tour. The idyllic setting of the village with fishing boats, calm waters and a bridge and a hilly path through local small restaurants led us to a secluded small beach).

It was here that I saw a fisherman selling dirt cheap fish. Imagine four huge fish for R$20 (less than US$10). Marcio said he often gets his fish for free in the morning as the fishermen come in after a night fishing trip and he helps them pull the boat ashore.

I could live in this environment with calm waters, rolling hills, quiet neighbors and open sky….a great place for writing and thinking.

After we saw a few beaches including the exclusive neighborhood of Jurere, it was time to look for a place for lunch. The drive between Jurere and Santo Antonio Lisboa was scenic as we passed through fishing villages and oyster farms.

Our lunch was at the waterfront restaurant called Delicias do Mar, a simple local restaurant with a great view of the city.

We left the beaches for the city of Florianopolis traveling on the highway at about 3 p.m. where the traffic was not too heavy as we passed by the old unused bridge called Hercílio Luz Bridge.

Some of the attractions in the city were Praça XV de Novembro with a 100 year old fig tree in the middle of the square and the pink historical building of the Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina and the oldest church, Catedral Metropolitana.

The Mercado Municipal was our last stop. We chose to visit only the fish market with the famous Box 32, the most historic bar and restaurant in the Mercado. They are known to have the ‘best’ touristy oysters in Florianopolis. We have decided to try oysters elsewhere but took a few photos of the famous restaurant in Florianopolis. By far the most fascinating thing in the market was the fish eggs that looked like sausages.

A 6-hour tour with a local guide is the best way to see Florianopolis. I highly recommend GoTripTV.com for your tours in Florianopolis. They came highly recommended by the staff at Sofitel Hotel and they speak and write excellent English. Here is Marcio Massio, co-owner of GoTripTV.com.

Have you been to Florianopolis Brazil? This is our first stop in Brazil and it has been fun so far.