Greencaviar Travel

I heard so many warnings: “Be careful, there's so much crime in Rio de Janeiro.  People get robbed in broad daylight”. Another passenger said, “My dad was an army guy, but he won’t ride the cable car to the top of the Sugarloaf Mountain. It does not look safe”. The warnings gave me some trepidation, but as someone obsessed with the beach and the sea, I was not going to deny myself of the experience. Ever since our family friend from Brazil, Daniel, introduced me to Brazilian music and brought pictures of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to our Thanksgiving dinner many moons ago, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has intrigued me and now I was about to experience it first-hand. It was early dawn when we arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Almost instantly, the startling beauty of the Rio de Janeiro skyline captivated me. The seascape induced a feeling of mystery,  I could not help but wax poetic. MOON OVER RIO A light shines through the great seaport this early and this d...

On the bus ride from the airport (Aeropuerto International Cataratas del Iguazú), our guide reminded us how lucky we were. He said, "If you were here yesterday, you would have been soaked, it rained hard yesterday. Today is a little bit cloudy, but a perfect day to visit the park.” It was spring in Argentina and Brazil – one of the best times to see Iguazu Falls (another best time to visit is fall). Summer is intensely hot and humid, and in winter, the water level is considerably lower. Our guide gave us a little information about the National Park for which the falls are part of the ecosystem protected by both the Argentine and Brazilian government. He talked about logistics - how long it should take us to walk the upper circuit (trail) and the lower circuit, but gave no statistics about the falls. He told us about the birds (Great Dusky Swift) that fly through the mist and nest on the rocks behind the waterfalls. Iguazú Falls (Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish, F...

I spotted Old St. Nick lounging on the beach - Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I guess even Santa needs to relax and gather energy before heading north (North Pole) to accomplish his task of making the rounds of delivering mega-millions Christmas presents around the world . And what a better place to scope out the view of heights : The Sugar Loaf and Corcovado mountains , and perhaps to receive instructions from Christ the Redeemer, and  making a list of those who had been naughty or nice . A perfect place to relax and scope out the view of heights Aerial view of Copacabana Beach Christ the Redeemer stands 30 meters (98 feet) at the summit of Corcovado Mountain (710 meters above sea level). The Sugar Loaf Mountain [1,299 ft (396 meters)] seems to soar to a commercial plane flying altitude