Brazil Countdown!!

7 days until departure! And I just realized I'm landing in Brazil EXACTLY two years after I landed in Australia. I arrived in Oz June 21, 2012 and arrive in Brazil June 21, 2014. Crazy how life works like that.

For those who do not know, I will be traveling to Brazil next Friday to watch two matches of the World Cup!! I'm super stoked that one of my dreams is coming true and can't wait to watch USA play Portugal and Switzerland play Honduras! Both of these games are in Manaus which is located near the Amazon Rainforest. We plan to explore the Amazon for a couple days between games. As of now, the tours are very hard to book so fingers crossed we can find one! After a

week in Manaus, my party (my dad, and his friend's son, JT) and I are flying to Rio de Janeiro! Here, we will explore the city and do typical tourist activities such as viewing the Christ the Redeemer statue, taking a cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, visiting the beaches, and of course, seeing what the bar life has to offer. This area is known for having a high crime rate which scares me a little bit. I keep reading articles about how careful travelers need to be since the World Cup is sure to bring lots of hustle and bustle to the area. Here is an excerpt:

"In Rio de Janeiro, motorists should be especially vigilant at stoplights and when stuck in traffic. Carjackings and holdups can occur at intersections, especially at night. Incidents of crime on public transportation are frequent, and at times have involved violent crimes. When traveling by yellow taxi, tourists are recommended only to use taxis openly displaying company information and phone numbers as well as red license plates. Tourists are also advised not to use public vans. Visitors should also remain alert to the possibility of manhole cover explosions."

Ok, no big deal. Just watch out for EVERYTHING. I'm a little more nervous than I was to travel to Australia (which had the ten most poisonous snakes and five most lethal creatures of their type - the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish) because people are a whole new animal. They are ruthless and will stop at nothing if they are desperate. Animals are avoidable for the most part. Anyway, knowing that I'll be with my dad and JT makes me feel much better about the situation. I'll be sticking to them like glue. The place we are staying in Rio is further from the center of the city and not near the favelas (slum areas) so we should be safe and secure there. Pictured below is a view from our future balcony! http://www.vrbo.com/3711115ha

After visting Rio for 4 days, (the Harbor in Rio is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World by the way! Just found that out about a month ago when reading National Geographic) we will be renting a car and driving to a village in Marica, Brazil. This is a place nearby that offers a more "local" feel of Brazil away from the crime scene. We are staying in a rental house called Casa Azul (http://www.vrbo.com/440514). The beach is a short walk from our rental house and "the locals are very friendly and love to see tourists in our little village". There's also a local fruit/vegetable stand and fresh produce is delivered daily by the local farmers. Sounds like my kind of place :) Here is what the view will be from our private pool of our rental house:

I'm hoping to also do some scuba diving while we are here. It's one of the activities offered so I will be bringing along my dive log and certification card just in case. All these places were actually a reasonable price since we used the website VRBO. Especially split 3 ways. All the listings are rentals by the owner. Plus it's more home-y than a hotel room. I would highly recommend this site if you're ever planning to travel! Lowest prices on the internet. This is shaping up to be a grand adventure and I can barely contain my excitement!