Rio's Centro

Apart from Rio de Janeiro's beaches and mountains, you can also enjoy its downtown area with its historic buildings, museums, theaters, a truly awesome library, and samba clubs.

Rio's downtown center can be explored on foot and this will take about half a day if you do it at a leisurely pace.

Beaches of Paraty

Another reason to go to Paraty are the numerous fine ivory sand beaches in Paraty and the surrounding islands. Paraty actually has some 65 islands and 300 beaches in its area. There are boat cruises (5 hours cruise cost about US$40) that leaves from its port and this will take you to the better beaches in the vicinity.

However, if you are from Southeast Asia like me, the beaches and islands will not impressed since the scenery is similar to what we have in the Philippines. Time will be better spent enjoying the town.

Paraty's Colonial Past

Paraty is one of the most appealing places in Brazil because of its beautifully restored colonial houses. The colonial center is closed to vehicular traffic and allows for a truly enjoyable walks in its cobblestone streets to see the many white painted structures with colorful doors, windows, and wall borders.

The town is also an art center with many artists, writers, and craftsmen who have decided to settle here. One should not miss Paraty if you are already in Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro since the place is only six hours by bus from Sao Paolo, and four hours from Rio de Janeiro.

Subway Sao Paolo

A tourist attraction by itself is Sao Paolo's Metro, an efficient and modern subway system. For Brazilian Pesos 3.0 or US $1.76, your can go to any of the important tourist destinations in Sao Paolo.

The Metro is the best in South America and is one of the best in the world! This clean and efficient subway system made my short visit to Sao Paolo even better because it allowed me to reach my destinations in the fastest possible way at a very reasonable price.

Lovin Sao Paolo

It was not love at first sight for Sao Paolo. At first it seems to be just an ordinary city. But as you stay on, this city grows on you. The many parks, the modern and efficient subway, the historical sights and modern buildings all combine to make it a wonderful city to visit.

There are also numerous weekend markets, art events, museums, trendy shopping areas and restaurants that gives Sao Paolo, a New York feel. So even if I had no intention of visiting Sao Paolo and I was just forced to see it because my plane landed here and I had to go from here to my other destinations, I was glad that I had the opportunity to visit this charming Brazilian city.