Brazil Blog
About this blog
Thrill of Brazil is a travel blog all about Brazil written by Moon Brazil author Michael Sommers. Michael blogs about Brazil travel, culture, and more. He welcomes questions, comments, and story ideas.
Recent Posts
- Summer of Scam: Beware of Card Cloning
- Brazil Cultural Challenge: Feasting on Food, Festas, Music, and Art
- Brazil Getaway Challenge: Taking the Paths Less Traveled
- Strange Fruit: Learning to Love Jaca
- Brazil Budget Challenge: Rio on the Cheap (Part II)
- Brazil Budget Challenge: Rio on the Cheap (Part I)
- Road Trip to Chapada: The Way Home
- Road Trip to Chapada: Eating Our Way There
- All About Eden: the Vale do Capão
- Changing Face(s) of Brazil
- Arms and the Fan
- "The Best of..." Three Bahian Luxury Hotels
- Notes from the Amazonian Underground
- Mango Musings
- Da Boca do Brasileiro (VII)
Summer of Scam: Beware of Card Cloning
One day in December, I logged on to my Citibank account and was shocked out of my mind to discover that I had $3 in my checking account and $9 in my savings account.
Only 5 days earlier I had gone to a local branch of HSBC in the upscale Salvador neighborhood of Graça and withdrawn money from my US-based Citibank account (I do this frequently on account of the fact that much of the freelance work I do is U.S.-based for which I’m paid in lowly greenbacks). At the time, my combined balance had been in the four digits – not one! more >>
Brazil Cultural Challenge: Feasting on Food, Festas, Music, and Art
Just as there are many more Brazils than Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, there is much more to Brazilian culture(s) than samba and futebol, feijoada and Carnaval. Due to the fact that, amazingly, so little of Brazilian culture is known outside of Brazil, traveling around Brazil can constitute a true Cultural Challenge. more >>
Brazil Getaway Challenge: Taking the Paths Less Traveled
Until fairly recently, deserted beaches, virgin forests, and undiscovered historical small towns used to be a dime a dozen in Brazil. However, last year foreign travel to Brazil hit a record high. Meanwhile Brazilians themselves (those able to resist overnight shopping spree packages to Miami) are traveling throughout their country more than ever before. Add to this the rapid spread of urbanization and the frantic pace of infrastructure development, and it’s become more of a Challenge to Get Off the Beaten Track in Brazil. And yet, it can be done.
Here is a winning list of Top 5 Getaways from around the country; no matter which one you escape to, it’s a cinch you won’t be running into any folks from back home: more >>
Strange Fruit: Learning to Love Jaca
This January marks 13 years that I’ve been living in Brazil. During that time, I’ve discovered a lot of native fruits that I’d never laid eyes upon, let alone sunk my teeth into. I’ve also rediscovered some fruits. One of my biggest (literally) and most recent rediscoveries was the jaca (jackfruit). more >>
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