Places and Things I Like in Brazil

Rio De Janeiro

When we went to Rio de Janeiro, there were awesome  beaches.  The ocean is cold, but nice to swim and play in.  Although, it is kind of dangerous for small kids.  It is dangerous because of the big waves and strong undertow.  We were at the beach called Copacabana.  I met a few kids there, including one girl from Holland who we met in Vancouver last summer!  The beach is 4.15 km long.  There is a lot of yummy coconut to drink and eat.  I don’t like eating the coconut but I do like drinking it. 

 This is the view from our apartment in Rio de Janeiro.  Outside is Copacabana Beach.

Jardim Botanico

When we were in Rio, we went to a place called Jardim Botanico which means botanical garden.  They had a lot of cool plants there just like the botanical garden in Vancouver but these were tropical plants from all over the world.  This garden has over 8000 plant species, and was designed in 1808 by Dom Joao VI, a Prince Regent. They had huge towering palm trees, a medical plant garden, lots of orchids, and a lot more.  There was also the ruins of an old gunpowder factory there.  They had samples of stuff that they used to make gunpowder, including charcoal.

This is my favourite orchid in the orchiderium at Jardim Botanico. 

Caraca

We went to visit a National Park called Caraca.  It used to be a college over 200 years ago.  It was built in 1774.  Every night there is a tray of meat left out for the wolves.  Usually a wolf comes to eat every night and everyone takes lots of pictures.  Other creatures come sometimes, like birds or skunks, but we did not see any.  We only saw the maned wolf.  In Portuguese it is called the lobo-guara.  It looks like a giant fox. 

 There are lots of good hikes at Caraca.  There are good places to swim too.  One of the good places to swim is at this waterfall, called Cascatona.  The other two I liked were at a river and a natural water swimming pool.  The pool was man made but was filled by a river, and had little fish swimming in it.  The word Caraca means big face.  They called it that because one of the ridges on the mountains surrounding the valley looks like a big face.  I think a meteor hit where Caraca is a long time ago to make the mountains create a big circle, or a volcano erupted.

Pedra Azul

Pedra Azul is a big blue rock in the state of Espirito Santo.  Pedra Azul means blue rock. There is a part of the rock that looks like a big lizard climbing up it.   Pedra Azul is granite, and is 1,822 metres high.  It is a state park and has the second largest Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil, (Mata Atlantica). There is one hike here that goes up the rock to some clear water pools.  We have not gone on that hike yet because it was not open.  It was closed in December because it was too wet, and this makes the hike dangerous.  We went on a short hike through the rainforest and saw a rare bird called a Jacu.  My grandfather used to hunt them, and my dad says they are very yummy. 

There is a lot of agrotourism around Pedra Azul.  This means there are a lot of farms open to the public.  Each farm has something to do or food you can buy from the farmer.  We went to a farm called Fim de Picada, which means End of the Cut Forest.  You could go fishing there, and they sold milk, fish, strawberries, cheese, juice and other things.  You could also look at cool birds.  I collected colourful feathers from this golden pheasant.  This is the most beautiful bird I have ever seen in my life.

Tiradentes

We went to a town called Tiradentes.  It is in the state of Minas Gerias.  At the beginning of the 18^th century, it was a hamlet called Ponto do Morro.  In 1718, it became a village with the name Sao Jose del Rey.  In 1889, it received a new name, Tiradentes.  Tiradentes was a rebel, and is a big hero of Brazil.  There is a church there that began in 1710.  It is considered the second richest church in Brazil with 482 kg of gold inside.  It was carved by a man called Aleijedinho, which means “little cripple”.  He was called that because he had a disability in his hands, so he had to strap his carving tools onto his elbows.  His carvings are very detailed and beautiful.  The main chapel was sculptured by Joao Ferreira Sampaio, and is one of the best examples of Baroque art in Minas Gerias.  This picture shows the view from the front steps of the main church, and shows the old stone road and colonial buildings.  Being here is like going back in time.

Maria de Fumaca

We went on this 19^th century steam train in Tiradentes called The Smoking Mary.  The tracks go through one of the oldest areas of gold mining in Minas Gerias.  I liked the train because it was fun to ride on a real steam train.  My dad used to ride a similar train when he was a kid to get from our farm to the town of Carmo do Cajuru.

Jacaranda

 We live in the state of Minas Gerias in a region called Jacaranda.  Jacaranda is a big tree that grows in this region.  It is in the country by two towns and one city.  The two towns are Carmo do Cajuru and Angicos.  The city is Itauna.  We go to Cajuru alot.  We sometimes go to Angicos or Itauna.  I go to school in Cajuru, play soccer, and go on the internet. This area is mostly dairy farms, so there are lots of cows.  When my dad was a kid, it was all Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado.  They were many more animals and birds then, like jaguars, ocelots, and mackaws.

Our Farm

We live on a farm with some animals.  They are chickens, chicks, cats, kittens and dogs.

Seriama

Around the region Jacaranda there is a lot of nature and wildlife like small green parrots, seriamas, (a laughing bird shown in this picture), buzzards, eagles, snakes, marmosets, armodillos, opossums, toucans, and more.