[PARÁ] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 25 February 2022

Latam (Fortaleza - Belem) - 324.46

Uber (Airport - Val de Cans) - 7.73

Pizza Hut (Large Pepperoni + Coke) - 88.00

IBIS (2 Nights) - 345.77

BRL765.96

[BELÉM] Where the River Meets the Sea

I could have easily flown out of either Galeão or Guarulhos back to the US (‘MERICA!) but where’s the fun in that? Since I had a few days to spare anyway, I thought hey, why not transit in a northern Brazilian state? And then Suriname suddenly opened up post-Omicron surge, and then there are several direct flights linking Paramaribo and Belém twice or thrice a week. It was settled then. And that’s how I ended up in Belém on my way out. My only reason for being here was to get a negative Antigen result. But I got guilty, okay? So, I spent an hour or two walking around the historic city center. Not bad, I’d say.

[CEARÁ] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 22 February 2022

Gol (São Paulo - Fortaleza) - 455.67

Uber (Airport - Iracema) - 38.93

IBIS (3 Nights) - 456.98

Uber Eats (Spoleto) - 43.58

Uber Corner Shop (Groceries) - 71.52

BRL1,066.68

[FORTALEZA] Iracema's Stomping Grounds

Ceará was more of a filler for me. After São Paulo, I had, like, two or three days in between destinations. Finding a cheaper ticket from SP to Fortaleza and from Fortaleza to Belém, I thought hey one more beach won’t hurt. Besides, I needed the downtime as well. R&R pitstop, no pressures with regards to sightseeing obligations. And so, I booked an IBIS room and flew. It’s a good thing the hotel was just a few blocks away from the beaches. At least, I didn’t have to spend anything on Uber rides anymore.

[SÃO PAULO] Budget and Itinerary (2)

FRIDAY: 18 February 2022

Latam (Recife - São Paulo) - 537.05

Uber (Guarulhos - Sé) - 64.95

Airbnb (4 Nights/Sé) - 489.06

Metro Line 1 (Sé - Vergueiro) - 4.40

Gendai (Tonkatsu w/ Rice & Coke) - 41.00

Cinemark (Uncharted) - 41.00

Spoleto (Carbonara x2 & Bolognese x2) - 93.60

Varanda (Groceries) - 95.96

Uber (Bela Vista - Sé) - 14.07

BRL1,381.09

[SÃO PAULO] But What If You Actually Lived Here?

And that’s the bad side. The itinerary for the day was originally meant for the Museu de Lingua Portuguesa which is also at the Luz railway station but since entrance is free on Saturdays, the line was just too long. And so, I decided to just ditch that plan and head to the huge park across the street for a stroll. The park is called Parque Jardim da Luz and is a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of SP’s urban chaos. The park has a small pond with koi and some big fish swimming in green, moldy, shallow waters.

[SÃO PAULO] Hobo Central at Praça da Sé

São Paulo, oh, São Paulo. How do I describe thee? I guess it is one of those times in your life when you got excited about something or somewhere, got there, and had some sort of “Wait, that’s it?” epiphany. To be totally clear, though, this is coming from a totally touristic perspective. I bet I would be singing a different tune had I moved here for temporary relocation or for good, then I will be telling you a different story. But I came here as a tourist, and this is my verdict. Go to Rio de Janeiro instead.

[PERNAMBUCO] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 15 February 2022

Viação Progresso (João Pessoa - Recife) - 50.00

Uber (Várzea - Ia Leite) - 21.11

AirBNB (3 Nights) - 435.51

Uber Corner Shop (Groceries) - 66.46

BRL573.08

[OLINDA] Something Colonial in Recife's Urban Sprawl

In line with my MO when arriving in a big city: select a nice Airbnb in a central area; work in peace; rest, visit a nearby tourist attraction. And then we’re done. That’s why Rio Grande do Norte for me featured more Genipabu than Natal and now Pernambuco has been all about Olinda instead of Recife. I guess the only exceptions were Salvador in Bahía and João Pessoa's Tambaú  in Paraíba. In any case, I decided not to explore Recife anymore. Being based here for a few days and being comfortable is all that matters. I ended up at I(lh)a Leite, an island in the middle of the city where all the hospitals are. Weird, I know. But central, nonetheless.

[PARAÍBA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 12 February 2022

Viação Progresso (Natal - João Pessoa) - 42.00

Uber (Rodoviária - Bessa) - 37.92

AirBNB (3 Nights) - 438.66

Uber Eats (Spoleto) - 80.67

BRL599.25

[JOÃO PESSOA] Like Rio's But Not on Steroids

Wait, steroids? What steroids? Nope, we’re not going to talk about doping at the Olympics. I’m talking about Rio’s beaches, which felt like urban beaches on steroids to me. Weird comparison. In any case, all I’m trying to say is that João Pessoa’s Tambaú and Cabo Branco tandem is just as alluring as Copacabana and Ipanema, but with less people, whiter sand, more shades of blue, and an environment that is far more chill. At least, that is what I observed after visiting both pairs of beaches on a Sunday afternoon. At different times, of course.

[RIO GRANDE DO NORTE] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: 9 February 2022

Gol (Salvador - Natal) - 406.72

Uber (Airport - Lagoa Nova) - 39.97

IBIS (3 Nights) - 574.35

BRL1,021.04

[EXTREMOZ] Beaches and Hills of Sand

Sometimes life just happens. Work gets really busy. I guess I am starting to discover the perfect formula for this mobile work from home thing. Two days in a city is too hectic. Three days seem just fine, as has been the norm for me for a few weeks now. This way, I get to delegate one day of sightseeing and still have enough time to work and recover in between. After all, you don’t have to visit all the tourist attractions, right? In the case of Natal, I skipped the city center and just went to Extremoz.

[BAHÍA] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 6 February 2022

Azul (Belo Horizonte - Salvador) - 437.41

Uber (Airport - Nazaré) - 40.99

Airbnb (3 Nights/Salvador) - 400.43

McDonalds (Quarter Pounder Meal) - 29.30

Shopping Lapa (Groceries) - 80.06

BRL987.89

[SALVADOR] Brazil's Fourth Largest City

I guess there will always be one city bound to be your least favorite, and after almost three weeks and visiting my fourth state here, Salvador took on that honor. I guess this is just another case of ending up in the wrong neighborhood. I decided to book an Airbnb in the neighborhood of Nazaré close to all the action of the main tourist attractions downtown. I guess this is the only time since I arrived in the country in which I was really reluctant to get my phone out of my pocket, in fear of legit getting robbed.

[MINAS GERAIS] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 3 February 2022

Gol (Guarulhos - Belo Horizonte) - 477.48

Uber (Airport - Funcionários) - 64.95

Airbnb (3 Nights/Belo Horizonte) - 811.79

Pizza Pazza (Spaghetti & Coke) - 31.80

Bobs (Milkshake) - 12.90

Cinemark Savassi (Moonfall) - 35.00

Super Zona (Groceries) - 80.82

BRL1,514.74

[OURO PRETO] Sounds Brazilian, Looks European

Realizing that I actually have around three days to spare in Minas Gerais, I decided that a side trip to one of the towns was in order, but I didn’t want it to be too far as to be exhausting. Luckily, long distance bus rides in Brazil are comfortable and very easy to book. And so, I did a little research online and found Pássaro Verde, a bus company which has many departures a day to and from Ouro Preto. I booked a roundtrip bus ticket and chose time slots convenient  to me. Off I go. Ouro Preto is two hours and a half away.

[BELO HORIZONTE] Chilling in Beh-Agá

Touted as Brazil’s sixth largest city, Belo Horizonte automatically became an R&R pitstop for me. You know what that means. Big city + nice Airbnb studio = I’m not going out, guys. Well, actually I still had to go out to get groceries and buy food but there was a grocery a block away as well as a small but upscale mall called Praça Savassi that was just a ten-minute walk. I guess what I’m saying is that I didn’t have to go far. And then I felt guilty. At least feature something for BH, right? And so, I went to Pope’s Plaza for a panoramic view of the city.

[SÃO PAULO] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 31 January 2022

Viação Util (Paraty - Ubatuba) - 30.42

Uber (Rodoviário - Barra de Lagoa) - 10.93

Airbnb (2 Nights/Ubatuba) - 464.57

Uber (Barra de Lagoa - Centro) - 8.97

Burger King (Bacon Cheeseburger x2 Meal) - 40.86

BRL555.75

[UBATUBA] Uba-Chuva Indeed

After some last-minute itinerary booboo, this São Paulo trip ended up being an overnight transit in the city itself, although I managed to stay a day or two in Ubatuba which is still technically in São Paulo but the state, not the city. As is the norm in naming conventions of some cities and regions, some states or districts are named after their biggest or most popular city. Such is the case for Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo but look at a map and you’ll see how bigger these states are than those actual cities mentioned.