BIG, BOLD & BEAUTIFUL

There’s more to Brazil than Rio de Janeiro and (sometimes exaggerated) reports of crime. TAN MIN YAN explores three distinctively different facades of the South American nation, and finds much to love.

byTan Min Yan Dec 2016

There’s more to Brazil than Rio de Janeiro and (sometimes exaggerated) reports of crime. TAN MIN YAN explores three distinctively different facades of the South American nation, and finds much to love.

POSTCARD-PERFECT RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH ITS GOLDEN BEACHES AND ROLLING MOUNTAINS, IS WORTH A VISIT.

RIO DE JANEIRO

SPEND: THREE DAYS

How can one visit Brazil without setting aside a few days for the Cidade Maravilhosa, or Marvellous City, as Rio de Janeiro is affectionately known? Unsavoury (and sometimes exaggerated) reports of crime and unrest in the lead-up to the Olympics may have marred its reputation, but the postcard-perfect city of endless stretches of golden beaches and rolling mountains, pulsing music and joie de vivre is worth making time for. Food is one of Rio’s highlights. The city’s melting pot of African and European influences is well represented by the hundreds of vendors and bars touting snacks like empanadas (crispy filled pastries), sweet or savoury pipoca (popcorn), and coxinhas (doughcovered shredded chicken). In the last decade, well-heeled cariocas (residents of Rio) and tourists have also developed a taste for more refined food, resulting in elegant restaurants with international influences and impressive ambiences mushrooming up all over the city.

Restaurante Aprazivel (www.aprazivel.com.br), on the edge of a cliff high up on the winding hill of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighbourhood, is a fine example. The lush treehouse-style restaurant overlooks Guanabara Bay and serves predominantly modern Brazilian food – lots of fish and meats, with a focus on the use of organic produce from the country. Dine here after dark and you’ll be treated to a breathtaking view of the twinkling lights of the city.

Rubaiyat Rio (www.rubaiyat.com.br), a steakhouse in the Equestrian Club at the racecourse, has a lovely view of the Christ the Redeemer statue in the distance. Its meat-heavy menu highlights signatures like Kobe beef and lamb chops, and a wine selection of some 5,000 labels.

Lasai (www.lasai.com.br), on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, is housed in a refurbished historic building. Rio-born chef Rafa Costa e Silva showcases Basque Countryinspired cuisine prepared using local ingredients and modern techniques. What’s served depends on what the kitchen can procure. When I visited, I had local fish with green papaya and sourcream emulsion, as well as a deconstructed lemongrass panna cotta with pineapple.

Luxurious set-ups and stunning views are often features of fine-dining restaurants in Rio de Janeiro.

Fish is a big part of the menu in any Brazilian restaurant, and is often served with farofa, a toasted cassava flour mixture.

STAY AT:

Ritz Copacabana (www.ritzcopacabana.com.br) The hotel, which just opened in August this year, looks like your standard business hotel – minimalist, quiet and very comfortable – with one major difference: its superb location just one block away from Copacabana Beach and all its touristy spoils. Wake up early and head for the rooftop pool on the 16th floor, where you’ll get a spectacular, unobstructed view of the glowing sunrise over the sparkling blues of the ocean. Room rates start at R$368 (S$157) a night.

BUCKET-LIST ITEMS TO CHECK OFF

Christ the Redeemer: The 38m-tall statue, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is awe-inspiring even if you’re not religious. Remember to book an official van from the Tijuca National Park as no other public transport options take you all the way up Corcovado. Go as early as possible (the park opens at 8am), before the crowds come in.

Sugarloaf Mountain: From the top, the 360-degree view of Rio and the surrounding Atlantic Ocean is worth braving tourist hordes for. Two cable car rides take visitors from the base of the hill to 220m above sea level. It gets blazing hot at the top at midday, so slather on the sunblock and slip on your sunnies.

Copacabana Beach/ Ipanema Beach: Soak up some of that famed Brazilian beach culture (and ogle the shirtless male volleyball players) at Copacabana, but stick to the lively kiosks and populated areas for safety. If you’re looking to bake in the sun, Ipanema, with its cleaner sands and waters, is the preferred option.

Escadaria Selaron: The famed 215-step stairway is Chilean-born artist Jorge Selaron’s canvas for thousands of vividly coloured mosaics, collected from more than 60 countries. His labour of love, dedicated to the people of Brazil, is great for a photo op from the bottom of the stairway – though you’ll have to jostle with lots of visitors.

An intriguing appetiser of coconut-yam cream with egg yolk at Lasai.

BOOK WITH:

Tatur Turismo (www.tatur.com.br) Salvador isn’t the easiest city to navigate without a working Portuguese vocabulary and a car, so it’s best to book a tour with a reputable agency. Tatur Turismo organises customised tours throughout the state of Bahia. My full-day city tour, facilitated by a knowledgeable local guide and a driver, was comfortable and informative.

STAY AT:

Pestana Convento do Carmo (www.pestana.com/en/hotel/ pestana-convento-do-carmo) The thought of staying in what used to be a convent can be a little unnerving at first, especially when you walk through the slightly musty corridors and quiet cloisters. But this is Salvador’s first luxury hotel, and all the rooms, even though they’re a little sparse, are still equipped with the essential creature comforts. From R$344 a night.

SALVADOR

SPEND: TWO DAYS

visitors to ease into Brazil, then Salvador, the capital city of the north-eastern state of Bahia, is a crash course on its rich cultural and historical roots. Founded by its former Portuguese colonial masters in 1549 as the first capital of Brazil, Salvador is resplendent with 17th- and 18thcentury colonial architecture. Its status as the first slave port in the Americas means there’s an incredibly vibrant Afro-Brazilian culture that literally and figuratively reverberates through the streets – from the powerful beats of the street percussionists to the street carts hawking the traditional African snack, acaraje (a deep-fried bean fritter with shrimp and okra). There’s always something to gawk at, something to be fascinated by, underscored by the persistent thrumming of rhythm, energy and carefree exuberance underneath it all.

MUST-VISIT: PELOURINHO SQUARE

Salvador’s historic centre has undergone major refurbishment, shedding its former seediness to become a popular destination for music, dining and nightlife, though the police still patrol regularly. Exploring this Unesco World Heritage Site requires a least an afternoon – so put on comfortable shoes – but there’s so much to see, the time just ies by. I started at the top of the Lacerda Escalator, where I got grand views of the Bay of All Saints, and wandered to an open-air marketplace for an utterly sinful acaraje. Along the way, I passed groups practising the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, and the youth drum corps from the famed Olodum music school drumming out a furious beat – the cultural group Olodum Band appeared in Michael Jackson’s music video They Don’t Care About Us in 1996. The Igreja de Sao Francisco church was worth a short stopover, if only to be dazzled by the baroquestyle interiors – apparently, more than 100kg of gold were used in building it. As dusk set in, I hurried over to Cafelier, a cafe with a million-dollar view of the sunset from its patio. A caipirinha never tasted better.

MUST-VISIT: BONFIM CHURCH

Salvador is a deeply religious city, with hundreds of Catholic churches. But in Salvador, Candomble – a form of African worship – is perhaps the most dominant, with well over a thousand churches dedicated to the religion. It came into being as a result of African slaves of centuries past seeking their own havens of worship. The Church of Senhor de Bonfim is the city’s most iconic, the juncture of Catholicism and Candomble traditions. It’s where millions of the faithful make a pilgrimage every January for the Festa do Bonfim (Feast of Bonfim) in celebration of the patron saint of Bahia. Even on a regular day, the church is quietly bustling with curious tourists who may be taking pictures of the colourful ribbons (meant to be good-luck charms) fluttering on the gates, or exploring the slightly eerie Room of Miracles, where gifted casts of body parts supposedly healed by the power of prayer are hung. It’s an eye-opening experience to a religion that seems so far removed from what we’re accustomed to seeing back home.

A main feature of the Bonfim Church is its neoclassical- style main altarpiece.

Despite refurbishment, the Pestana Convento do Carmo still retains most of its convent features.

The cloisters of the Igreja de Sao Francisco are decorated with iconic blue and white tiled panels from Portugal.

Colourful street art is very much a defining characteristic of Pelourinho Square.

IGUAZU FALLS

SPEND: TWO DAYS

Gushing superlatives don’t do the Iguazu Falls any justice. Witnessing the grandest waterfall system in the world – spanning 275 waterfalls and an area 2.7km wide – and its main attraction, the Devil’s Throat, can elicit a visceral reaction from even the most jaded traveller. You can visit the falls from either the Iguazu National Park on the Argentinian side or the Iguacu National Park on the Brazilian side, and you can squeeze both into a day if you hurry – the two parks are separated by a 50-minute drive. Still, it’s best to reserve a day of exploring for each of the parks. After all, such is the majesty and magic of the area that upon visiting it, former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly remarked “poor Niagara [Falls]”.

Upon arriving at Iguazu, most visitors will make a beeline for the Superior Circuit – a 1km trail which leads to the Devil’s Throat. But the Lower Circuit takes you to equally alluring views of the smaller falls, away from the crowds.

From the Brazilian side, you won’t get an elevated view of the Devil’s Throat. But the footbridge here takes you close to its surrounding waterfalls and the relentless spray, so you get a better sense of the grandeur of the entire system. Bring a poncho so you don’t get drenched.

If you cross over to Argentina, do make a pit stop for steak and wine. My meal of an excellent 400g steak plus half a bottle of Malbec at J Alta Cocina, a sleek little steakhouse about a 10-minute drive from the park, came up to just slightly over S$40.

BOOK WITH:

Iguassu Experiences You can visit both parks on your own without a guide, but booking one means that you will be chauffeured across the border, and won’t have to worry about passport and visa issues. An additional bonus: Booking a tour of the Iguacu National Park allows you to explore the entire trail before it opens to the public – great for photos. The Iguassu Experiences office is located at the lobby of the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas on the Brazilian side.

STAY AT:

Belmond Hotel das Cataratas (www.belmond.com/hotel-das-cataratasiguassu-falls) Staying here is a bit of a splurge (room rates start at R$1,380 a night). But factor in the convenience of being in the only hotel situated right in the Iguacu National Park, and the thrill of being within walking distance of the spectacular falls, and it’s quite a bargain. It also houses excellent restaurants that serve international breakfasts and traditional moqueca (seafood stew) with equal finesse.

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