Brazil
I attempted to go to Brazil 4 times during my lifetime and each time I was unsuccessful. My dedication to visiting Brazil is a reflection of my determination: I just do not quit. I was unsuccessful in my attempts for several reasons. One trip was outright cancelled because of the pandemic. But perhaps the most dramatic experience was when Delta airlines boarded all the passengers in Atlanta, flew one hour from the airport and decided mid flight to turn around, due to mechanical failure of the plane. The next day Delta flew my bag to Rio without me on accident: I was butt hurt. This Delta fiasco was the 4th try and at that point I accepted that maybe I was not supposed to go to Brazil.
As fate would have it, Delta had flight credits for me and I was determined to use them. So I booked what I told myself was the final attempt at going to Brazil; internally accepting that something grand and catastrophic was going to happen yet again to cancel the trip.
The fifth try went seamlessly, I landed in SaoPaulo and made my way through and airport whose signs made no sense. I quickly realized that English as a first language would have its limitations on this trip.
When I landed in Rio de Janeiro, I felt a mixture of accomplishment for having finally made it to the country but also curiosity about what my experience would be like.
I met a few friends who had arrived to Rio on the day prior. We then went on a tour of one of the reknown favelas. I rode on the back of a motorcycle, no helmet, no vest. It was freeing but I wondered if this was covered in my disability policy and what my mother would think if she knew what I was doing. Regardless, the experience was very freeing. When I stood at the top of the favela and looked out over Rio: I thought that the trip alone was worth it, if only for this one breathtaking view.
I took part in the most popular excursions that Rio had to offer and I saw the sights. The details of which can be found in the itinerary linked here.
My biggest challenge with Brazil is that roughly less than 2% of the native population speaks English. Not only that, but on more than one occasion people walked away from me when I needed help: as soon as they realized I was an English speaker. It also did not help that the food was probably some of the worst I have had while traveling. Food, for me, makes the trip. I enjoyed the fried fish that I had on the last day and the sushi I had while there was very fresh. Buy beyond that I was very underwhelmed.
People who rave about Brazil usually make one of the following suggestions:
Try going during carnival season
Try going to Bahia where there is a larger concentration of black people
Will I go back? Maybe! But I have a few other countries I plan to see first.
