Praia das Baleias

Patricia’s family on her mother’s side has a house on the beach called Praia das Baleias, which although being relatively close to Sao Paulo (~ 3hr drive), feels like a world away. We were lucky enough to spend a whole week there, where we were able to completely relax for the first time on our entire trip. Travelling is incredibly fun, but it was nice to be pampered for a change. The wonderful housekeeper, Nadie, looked after cooking and cleaning and our family took care of the shopping. The place was fully stocked, including a never-ending cooler of beers and Guarana, the delicious Brasilian pop drink. It was like being in a five star hotel but even better, because we were able to share the company of our family who really know how to enjoy life!

The days quickly developed a rythym: getting up to go for a jog/walk/swim, then a leisurely breakfast at 10am.

This was followed by lathering on the sunscreen in anticipation of heading down to the ocean. The beach chairs and cabana would already be set up (oh yeah!), and we would spend the afternoon chatting, drinking beers or coconuts, eating corn on the cob from the beach vendor, walking up and down the 2.5km stretch of sand, people watching, playing beach tennis, and overall just having a lot of fun.

Around 4pm we would head back to the house where we would have some appetizers from the grill with caipirinhas, and then a late lunch such as a barbeque, which would last until about 6pm. After this it was time to relax and enjoy the comfortable sofas, laze by the pool and then head out for a final beach walk to catch the sunset.

Ar night we all relaxed over a glass (or two!) of good wine and snacked if we were hungry. One night was spent learning how to make a Brasilian tasty chicken-filled pastry called “empada” from the friendly maids, who are superb cooks. Our own superb cooks, Bill and Lucila, had a blast!

Most of the family had to head back into town after the weekend so we got to enjoy the place with Ben’s parents for a few days on our own with the marvellous Nadie taking care of us.







We broke out of the routine one day to walk over to the neighbouring beach of Camburi, known for good surfing. There we rented a board and Ben, Patricia and Ben’s father had a blast trying out the waves. Patricia was able to improve her surfing skills and became a regular two-footer on the board!

Since the Brasilian side of the family had left, Bill and Patricia got to perfect their Caipirinha making skills, which they put to good use mixing passion-fruit, kiwi and lime versions with good pinga (sugar cane alcohol).






When the time came it was very hard to leave, but there were more adventures to look forward to in Sao Paulo and more family time to enjoy. However, all good things come to an end and before we knew it we were saying sad goodbyes and boarding our plane to Barcelona for the next part of our trip. Cheers to family! Europe and Africa, here we come!

Rio de Janeiro

The “Branco-Miles party of six” forged on a previous fun-filled vacation in Mexico was once again re-united to take on a new adventure.

Since it was Ben’s parents first time to Brasil, Patricia’s parents were keen on a stay in Rio so that they could experience the “heart” of Brasilian culture in the south. Famous for its vibrancy and colour, samba, good food and beautiful people on beautiful beaches, everyone had an amazing time exploring the neighbourhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema where our hotel was located.

Patricia’s dad was the “planner”, and scored big with finding the Arpoador Inn, the only hotel located on the beach and for some reason also incredibly well priced. We enjoyed many a beverage on the beachside tables, with a view of the beautiful rock formations that ring Ipanema beach, right beside the most famous surfing spot in Rio.

The breakfast was all inclusive and deserves mention as our routine involved getting up every day to sit in the sunny restaurant overlooking the water and to fill ourselves with the local delicacies including “café com leite”, “pao de queijo” and a wide variety of fresh fruits. Yum!




Patricia and her parents were able to participate in one of the favourite Carioca (word for people living in Rio) passtimes: jogging along the beach in the early hours of the morning and after the setting of the sun, as Rio remained hot even into the late hours of the night. There is a strong beach culture in Rio, of course, and everyone wants to look good when they hit the sand! Cue the models...

In Rio we did the usual touristy things including strolling the beaches, drinking from coconuts, and sitting on patios having a beer and appetizers while listening to a local street musician playing “Garota de Ipanema”. The girls even got to hit the streets for some shopping! Patricia’s dad arranged a tour to the Cristo Redentor on the Corcovado, where we lucked out on a cloudless day with a full view of the city.

We sampled the Brasilian cuisine with a lunch of “petiscos”, one of “feijoada” and a dinner at a churrascaria (Brasilian bbq). Feijoada is the national dish made of black bean stew and meat, one of Patricia’s favourite meals. We were even able to catch up with old family friends living in Rio, who took us out for pizza under the moon at the foot of the Pao de Acucar. It was incredible.


We left Rio with a wonderful impression of clean beaches, bright sun and beautiful green mountains, full of energy and colour. It was the perfect introduction to Brasil for Bill and Margaret, and a chance for us and Patricia’s parents to fall in love with Rio all over again.

Sao Paulo

We were sad to leave the beautiful beaches of Uruguay, but it wasn’t too hard as we were already looking forward to the Brasilian colour and flair. Our plane touched down in Sao Paulo GRU more than 3 hours late causing us to miss our ride with Patricia’s cousin who had valiantly stayed at the airport despite the lack of information. We caught a taxi deep into the heart of this enormous city and fell gratefully into our bed in the wee hours of the morning.

This trip was all about family as Patricia’s entire set of relatives live in Brasil. She herself is Brasilian, having moved to Canada at a young age, but the family connections have remained strong with frequent visits over the years. Patricia had the fantastic idea to arrange for both of our parents to join us during our stay here. Ben was making his third trip but for his parents it would be a first in many ways. Fortunately, they had met many of the Brasilian family through various weddings and visits in Canada so it was a mix of reunions and new experiences, much of it conducted in Portuguese. Ben’s dad bridged the language barrier with gusto and displayed his mastery by naming all of the ingredients in the famous Caipirinha drink while mixing himself (and others) this delicious cocktail. Quite the feat after the second or third of these boozy beverages! Margaret was soon chatting away with a mixture of hand gestures and facial expressions, making fast friends with the whole family. Lucila and Paulo, Patricia’s parents, were wonderful hosts and co-ordinated the entire trip with the family to ensure maximum fun and adventure!

We were able to experience the infamous nightlife in Sao Paulo when Patricia’s cousin took the two of us out for an adventure with his friends to an exclusive rooftop party and then off for midnight sushi and drinks at the best Japanese restaurant in the city. We recovered the next day with a brunch at the local "panaderia" (bakery), where the food has no equal - fresh bread, empadinhas, kibes, coxinhas, croquettes, and pao de queijo, just to name a few of the amazing Brasilian baked goods that make visits to Brasil a great culinary experience.

The most amazing experience of all was the incredible hospitality displayed by all of the Brasilian family and friends - their warmth and generosity was the highlight of the trip. Throughout our stay we maintained a breakneck pace of social visits, getting together for churrascos (barbecues) and pool parties, cocktails and appetizers, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. We were even able to give Ben an early 33rd b-day celebration with family. It was wonderful to catch up with loved ones over good food and drinks and we already miss them all so much!