Vila Madalena was the district I stayed in when I was in São Paulo.  It’s a bohemian neighborhood with a strong artisan, cafe, and local music scene.  One area that…

On our last day in Rio de Janeiro, Jorge and I did a tour of the city’s largest favela in Rocinha.  What amazed me the most was the organic structure…

At close glance, Rio de Janeiro is a busy and a bit worn city.  But higher up, particularly at views from Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) and Cristo Redentor, Rio…

On the morning prior to our World Cup game between Belgium and South Korea, Jana took Jorge and I on a tour of São Paulo’s old-downtown.  While a bit seedy at…

Upon the recommendation of Jana, we took an overnight trip to Ilhabela – beautiful island.  Because it was low season, we were able to find reasonably priced accommodation and traffic…

This was my second visit to Brazil, but this time the reason was for the World Cup.  My friend Jorge and I based ourselves in São Paulo and stayed with…

After Ubatuba, and on our way back to Sao Paulo, Jana invited us to stay at her family’s beach house in Cambury (Camburizinho). Gorgeous place, and iconic beach. It was…

After the exhausting São Paulo gigs, I was in need of some relaxation. After some delays and running low on time, Jana, Colleen, and I decided to cut out a…

This was the first time I visited South America. What better excuse to do so than to see U2! My friend Jana, whom I met in Australia, invited a few…