 Our idea of a perfect day in Rio: a peaceful stroll in the Botanical Garden up to the Orchidarium, after a nice cup of coffee at their Café Botânica. Check out the new Cactus Garden also.
 Our Rio Guide, better known as Maria's Little Black Book, is now updated once a week. Read more on how to make the most out of your stay and where best to spend those hard-earned dollars (or euros, if you should be so lucky!) of yours...A good example is at the Museu do Índio, one of our favorite spots.
 Rio is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the arrival of D. João and the Portuguese court in Brazil. We're pleased that among monuments undergoing restauration is the Jesuits' Bridge in Santa Cruz, seen here in a photograph taken a few years ago. Part of his legacy are the Botanical Garden and the magnificent Biblioteca Nacional.
 Old recipes, new ideas! We occasionally add new ways to use traditional recipes...Don't forget to revisit your favorite recipes...such as the one for brigadeiros! Try this with tapioca (we just got a few great tips in Rio Grande do Sul) or this recipe for cocada with condensed milk.
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 Check out the absolutely divine Vale dos Vinhedos, where wine is a treat to your palate and your skin! Also, don't miss the history-laden charqueadas in Rio Grande do Sul.
Meanwhile, here are our all-time favorite places in Brazil (so far, that is!):
 It's immense and awesome and such a great city! As the Tom Zé song goes: São...São Paulo, my love!
 Simply spectacular: the Jalapão in the state of Tocantins.
The most amazing place I've ever climbed up and down: Serra da Capivara in the state of Piauí. Magnificent cave paintings and other vestiges of prehistoric Brazil. Worth every drop of sweat! (And you will perspire an awful lot...)
 For crafts, nothing beats the Northeast. These lovely
one-inch tall dolls came from the São José market in Recife.
 Picture yourself staring at this amazing rock in Fernando de Noronha...
 Or walking past colonial buildings in the small coastal town of Paraty...
You know when you're itching to go somewhere and wish all the goodies and inside scoop were packed into one site? Well, if you read Portuguese, before you pick out your bikini and comfy shoes, pay a visit to Férias Brasil. |
 The film is sweet and the characters (mostly of a certain age and above) so engaging...
Singer Elza Soares, backed by a wonderful gafieira orchestra, is masterly! Her interpretations of "Não deixe o samba morrer" and "Bambino" are two for the books!! Run to get this one, as soon as you can find it!
 More amazing women for you! The nine-piece all-female Orquestra Lunar is amazing! Another must-have, as far as we're concerned...A little more about them on our blog...
 DJ Dolores, 1 Real. We figure he's being way too modest in naming his latest CD...DJ Dolores is still the best at re-inventing musical traditions from northeastern Brazil for the international electronica/dance market. Available from Crammed Discs, Amazon.com, Calabash Music, etc.. Read more...
Much more music...
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