A shorter-than-expected stay in Chile and Uruguay means I had an extra week to spend elsewhere – I decided to head further east to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
People in all South American countries speak Spanish, except in Brazil people speak Portuguese. Spanish and Portuguese are sister languages and are quite similar to each other (both languages also share many correspondences with French and Italian). People sometimes joke that Portuguese kind of sounds like drunken Spanish, and vice versa. Interestingly, Portuguese speakers understand Spanish better than Spanish speakers understand Portuguese. Why is that?
As an Asian American who barely speak any Spanish or Portuguese besides the basics, it is not as easy to have a grasp of this situation. The way I understand this is to compare with my roots: Chinese. Being a native Cantonese Chinese speaker, it is easier for me to understand Mandarin Chinese than Mandarin speakers understand Cantonese (and the way I speak Mandarin does kind of sound like drunken Cantonese!). And as a native traditional Chinese reader, it is also easier for me to understand simplified Chinese than simplified Chinese readers understand traditional Chinese; Chinese language (hanzi) also share correspondences with Japanese (kanji) and Korean (hanja) – So when I was in Japan and Korea, say in a subway train reading the route map, it was quicker and more efficient for me to read the kanji and hanja than to try to figure out the long English translations.
On a side note, I met a 75-year-old solo traveler from Japan at my hostel in Rio. He travels for 3 months every year around the world, writes digital guidebooks in Japanese, and publishes them on Kindle. Boss retirement!
#Brazil
@Rio
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@Rio
On earth, everything is movement: The slow drift of the continent, the swift currents of our oceans, the quick winds of the atmosphere, and the blindingly fast light of the sun. The interactive dynamics between light, air, water, and land produce the changing of seasons, which are the basic rhythm of life on earth. Museum of Tomorrow takes visitors through these elements via innovative exhibits.
@Rio
On earth, everything is movement: The slow drift of the continent, the swift currents of our oceans, the quick winds of the atmosphere, and the blindingly fast light of the sun. The interactive dynamics between light, air, water, and land produce the changing of seasons, which are the basic rhythm of life on earth. Museum of Tomorrow takes visitors through these elements via innovative exhibits.
@Rio
On earth, everything is movement: The slow drift of the continent, the swift currents of our oceans, the quick winds of the atmosphere, and the blindingly fast light of the sun. The interactive dynamics between light, air, water, and land produce the changing of seasons, which are the basic rhythm of life on earth. Museum of Tomorrow takes visitors through these elements via innovative exhibits.
@Rio
On earth, everything is movement: The slow drift of the continent, the swift currents of our oceans, the quick winds of the atmosphere, and the blindingly fast light of the sun. The interactive dynamics between light, air, water, and land produce the changing of seasons, which are the basic rhythm of life on earth. Museum of Tomorrow takes visitors through these elements via innovative exhibits.
@Rio
@Rio
@Rio
@Rio
@Rio
If you ask someone from Singapore / Taiwan / Hong Kong the same question, they would tell you instead it is the enormous “bubbles” in bubble tea.
For people in Brazil, tapioca is something totally different: It is a flat griddle-cake, similar to a pancake / crepe – White, chewy, and without much favor. It is then folded and filled with any number of fillings, like crepes are.
@Rio
@Rio
@Rio
@Rio
There are two very good museums in Rio: The National History Museum, which has a large variety of exhibits displayed in both Portuguese and English (rare in South America). And the National Museum of Brazil, which surprisingly has very good exhibits of other countries. The presentations of the mummies from Egypt, Peru, and Chile are top-notch even compared with those in their corresponding countries.
@Rio
There are two very good museums in Rio: The National History Museum, which has a large variety of exhibits displayed in both Portuguese and English (rare in South America). And the National Museum of Brazil, which surprisingly has very good exhibits of other countries. The presentations of the mummies from Egypt, Peru, and Chile are top-notch even compared with those in their corresponding countries.
@Rio
There are two very good museums in Rio: The National History Museum, which has a large variety of exhibits displayed in both Portuguese and English (rare in South America). And the National Museum of Brazil, which surprisingly has very good exhibits of other countries. The presentations of the mummies from Egypt, Peru, and Chile are top-notch even compared with those in their corresponding countries.
@Rio
There are two very good museums in Rio: The National History Museum, which has a large variety of exhibits displayed in both Portuguese and English (rare in South America). And the National Museum of Brazil, which surprisingly has very good exhibits of other countries. The presentations of the mummies from Egypt, Peru, and Chile are top-notch even compared with those in their corresponding countries.
@Rio
There are two very good museums in Rio: The National History Museum, which has a large variety of exhibits displayed in both Portuguese and English (rare in South America). And the National Museum of Brazil, which surprisingly has very good exhibits of other countries. The presentations of the mummies from Egypt, Peru, and Chile are top-notch even compared with those in their corresponding countries.
@Rio
Pedro had received everything in double: One part inherited (Portugal) and another conquered (Brazil). He had two countries, two people, and his name appears in the history of two continents. He also loved so many women that even his confessor lost count of them.
@Rio
First off, you have to understand that Brazil is not exactly in a good economic condition. Brazil has been in a recession since 2014. Income inequality is very real and it shows in the streets. But overall, I don’t feel like Rio is any more dangerous than any big cities in other parts of the world: I spent my week in Rio walking different neighborhoods and taking public transportation every day, and I didn’t feel like I was in any kind of danger (beside the danger of getting dehydrated because it was very hot here!). As long as you don’t flash your new iPhone in the street or walk alone in sketchy neighborhood at night, you will probably be fine. Rio has a lot to offer and is very enjoyable as long as you stay safe.
@Rio
@SaoPaulo
@Rio
@SaoPaulo