Brazil

Tag Archives for Brazil.

And Russia makes 77

I am filling in my globe with all of the countries, territories and regions I have visited.  With the addition of Russia this week, I have made it to 77 countries. I only count a country if I have left the airport. So while, I have transited through Doha and Johannesburg airports, I do not include Qatar and  South South Africa in my tally. I have been to about two thirds of the countries in both Asia and Europe and exactly half of all the nations in the Oceania region of the planet. African exploration…

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Left & right: 7 tips for Safe Road Crossing

I measure how successful a pedestrian you are by your ability to handle crossing roads in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam! Faced with multiple lanes filled with cars, bikes, motorbikes, buses and scooters, weaving in and out of lanes, I have seen people freeze with fear.  I have escorted people across these roads while they quietly whimper with fear! In many cities, pedestrian crossings and traffic signals mean nothing when pedestrians are involved! It is a serious issue for travellers, however.  A UK study found that one fifth of UK road deaths involved pedestrians. 61 per…

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Buildings of Brasília – Awe Inspiring Capital

Aboard the tourist bus I have two more blogs to conclude my description of my experiences of Brasilia, the planned capital city of Brazil. The previous four are: Boggling Brasília – overview of a planned metropolis June 14, 2011- Bewitching Brasília -birds eye view of the capital June 17, 2011- Appraising Brasília –How does this planned city rate? July 28, 2011: Touring Brasília – the Tourist Experience Tomorrow’s Blog will tackle the fundamental problem of Brasília- successfully being a pedestrian! I took a very informative Tourist bus for a two hour tour of Oscar Niemeyer’s awe inspring architecture. Niemeyer’s was responsible for most of the…

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Buzzing Brasilia- the Tourist Experience

This is my fourth article on my recent experiences on Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. When I told people that I was going to visit there, I got one of three reactions: Why? Where? What for? I was regaled with tales of people going mad with boredom in the sterile cityscape and the empty streets. Even Brazilians said to me that it would not take long to see the sights! Brasilia gets such a bad rap – from anyone who has never been there. The locals I spoke to, however, liked their city.  Many who were born there, bristle at the…

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