If you are thinking about going to the Brazilian Amazon or heading to Manaus to begin your Amazon excursion, consider Gero Tour as your tour operator! I found Gero in my Rough Guide to Brazil while planning my trip to Brazil. As flying to the Amazon is expensive, I wanted to make sure to select the best tour operator in the region to ensure 100% happiness! A Gero guide came to pick me up at the airport when ...

As I think back at my 3 weeks in Brasil, I try pinching myself to make sure it wasn't all a dream. The Amazon, Rio & Bahia, 3 weeks in 3 totally different places... and must I mention that I had the time of my life. It's hard to believe this trip finally happened, after almost 2 years of waiting. And I can reassure you that I will be returning in the near future. A special moment during the trip was def ...

Wow, I don't even know where to begin. So much has happened since I last wrote. When I first got to Rio, I was a little scared and lonely- but so much has changed in the last few days! I met lots of people at the hostel and we spent an awesome New Year's Eve together!  After visiting the main touristic places at the beginning of the week, I spent the remainder of it exploring it my way! On my third day in R ...

After spending 2 full days in Rio, I now believe to have a good feel of the city. First off, the city is absolutely gorgeous. After getting a nice view from Sugar Loaf and Corcovado (where the Christ of the Redeemer is located), I can surely confirm this. The weather has been cooperative. It's nice and hot during the day and it rains for a little bit in the evening. Let's just say that you quickly get used ...

As I sit in front of a computer in Manaus, I feel sad. After spending an awesome 5 days in the Amazon Rainforest, I wish I was still there. It was great to be disconnected from the Internet and the city. Although I traveled alone to Brazil, I've been in great company since I left home. I had an interesting conversation with two women  at Miami airport and a backpacker on my flight Miami-Sao Paulo. As soon a ...

Ok... the time is finally here. After countless days, I am leaving today! Wow... After spending the week in bed with fever, I can't believe the time has come. It's funny because while I was living in Europe, traveling was a part of lifestyle. Every weekend, we'd be hopping on a train, bus or plane to discover a new city. And I must say that Europeans take this for granted. Being surrounded by so many differ ...

So to my surprise, I woke up with a sore throat yesterday and after visiting the doctor today, I apparently have pharyngitis as well as high fever. Unable to move and only a few days until I depart for my big trip, I am freaking out! Anyhow, let's just hope that I'll be feeling better by Sat... So far, I still don't have my internal flights in Brazil and I didn't book anything in Bahia- which, honestly, I'm ...

Yes, I know, we don't want to hear about H1N1 anymore because most of us have had an overdose of H1N1 news in the last few months. Although deciding whether to take the H1N1 vaccin is a personal decision, there is a possibility that some countries require to see proof of H1N1 vaccination in order to enter the country. As we are entering the busiest travel time of the year- The Holidays- it may be important ...

Ok ya'll... Where in the world would you rather be than RIO to celebrate the New Year?! Right.... Rio is THE place to be! With Copacabana & Ipanema beaches, the opportunity to admire the sunset in Arpoador, visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer, have lunch in Santa Teresa and party in Lapa, how can you NOT want to be in Rio ?! If everything goes well, meaning that I do hop on a plane in Manaus and not ...

Flying in Brazil is like flying in North America- you buy a ticket, hop on the plane and head towards your destination. I must say that I realize how blessed I was to be flying in Argentina 2 years ago for so cheap! Now that I'm looking at internal flight prices in Brazil, I'm noticing that it's double or triple the flight cost than I was paying in Argentina.  This being said, I decided to fly standby inste ...