South America: Quick tips on Brasil & Colombia

Two of my good friends, Nick and JP are visiting Brasil and Colombia respectively, soon.
Here are some quick tips / advice I shared with them…

COLOMBIA

Brunch in Salento

‘Pollo asado con papas fritas + jugo de naranja’ in Salento, Colombia

ย 1. Don’t miss the Zona Cafetaria (Armenia, Salento) – my favorite region!

ย 2. I loved Medellin city the most. There’s something about the city!

ย 3. Food: Try ‘arepas con queso’. Don’t miss ‘Crepes y Waffles’ restaurant – AMAZING!

ย 4. Cali is salsa capital of the world! Take a crash course in salsa or Spanish lessons

ย 5. Santa Marta is strictly OK, but I loved Cartagena and of course, Parque Nacional Tayrona.

ย 6. Cali is a bit commercialized, although I only spent 2 days here so can’t judge it so well.

ย 7. Scuba diving is supposed to be great and cheap, up north in Taganga.

ย 8. Shop for apparel. The styles, collections and prices are too good to resist.

ย 9. In Medellin, take the metro which doubles up into a ropeway at no additional cost.

BRASIL

Paulista Ave. - Consolaรงรฃo

(The Street of) Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo

ย 1. Learn to speak Portuguese – the best advice ever!

ย 2. Pick up a pre-paid phone card if in the country for 2 weeks+ … just $5

ย 3. Eat lotsa acai, Drink Guarana Antarctica and caipirinhas!

ย 4. The metro in most major cities rocks! Use it everywhere u need to go, besides buses.

ย 5. Throughout the country, restaurants serve food by the ‘qilo‘ – buy it buffet style and pay by weight…
– It’s great, and you’ll save a lot of money + get to taste a wider range of food!

6. Buy a pair of Havaianas

ย 7. Always greet women with a single-cheek peck/kiss. How tough is that?! ๐Ÿ˜€ On both sides in Rio though!

ย 8. In Sao Paulo, visit the Santander building for a free panoramic view of the city.

ย 9. Don’t go home without a heli-tour of Rio, around Christ the Redeemer. Costs ~ $100, totally worth it.

10. In Rio de Janeiro, I’d say skip Copacabana and stay in Ipanema/Leblon.

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Blog Comments

Ola Gringo!
having lived in Brasil i agree with all you said, would like to add more, Rio is a dangerous place, so you got to be very very careful regarding your belongings and security. Also, with proper guidance the Niteroi favela is quite a treat in its own way.

Pao de Quiejo, the ‘girl from ipanema’ t-shirts, going to Minas Gerais and knowing the history, and Brasilia are a must haves.

Brasilia, as a city and capital is one of the most organised(considering it has architectural habitation), and with one of the best bridges of the world in it, the city/capital has a methodical madness to it, quite unlike paulistas and kariocas.

yeah, i miss the ‘kissing the cheeks to greet’ part of being in brasil.

Obrigada.

Veronica – thanks for the feedback and comments!

I do agree, although in the one month I lived in Rio there was no particular incident, it’s definitely important to stay alert and safe. Thankfully my friend has a Carioca friend who will also help him once there – so yes, it’s always MUCH better if you have friends in a new city one plans to visit!

Pao de queijos are delicious – yes, great note… unmissable!

I didn’t get a chance to visit Minas and Brasilia, maybe next time ๐Ÿ™‚ thanks once again for the useful info and see you around

Beijos!
Kaushal

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