2008 - THE ROYAL COUPLE ARE BACK!!!! LONG LIFE TO JP AND MARIE STELL!!!:)))))) THE ULTIMATE BRAZILIAN ADVENTURE!!!

Right in the end of the month of August I had such a royal visit!!!! For me they are royalties because John Paul and Marie Stell are friends who live deep in my soul...

After weeks and weeks exploring Brazil and believe me THEY LEARNT ALOT!!! They are closing their second visit in Brazil here in Rio de Janeiro, in a way to visit me and I AM HONORED hahahaha but also they came to Rio to see more places and find a way to make Rio a very frequent destination for all maltese people and also more european people.

When they visit Brazil they think different...they experience brazilian like brazilians. And in a way...they are really VERY BRAZILIANS!!!

They are back but now with great plans...plans that they will eb sure that I will be there doing my best to assist and help in everything they need!!!

Once in Rio we are still finding new places and getting new ideas and they visited our new apartment in Copacabana and we are still having in fun because the DEEPEST MALTESE EXPEDITION STILL CONTINUES!!!!!

We had few days in Rio but we had fun at Sao Conrado beach where they jump the Pedra Bonita Mountain like birds, we saw the beach of Joa, hidden paradise in the west part of Rio and we had fun in a dinner at Eclipse in POSTO SEIS in Copacabana and we eneded our night at home...a home that they know it is their home as well!!!

MALTESE EXPEDITION STARRING JOHN PAUL AND MARIE STELL WITH DEEPER KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BRAZIL..with incredible stories in the northeast coast..some other spectacular stories of Ilha do Mel and more funny facts here in Rio.

JP and Marie are life time friends...my real family in Malta!!!!

They are from a small island called MALTA...small island in the Mediterranean Sea but with people with ENORMOUS HEART.

JP and Marie Stell, be sure you will always have a brother in Brazil and I am more than honored to have both of you very lively in my heart!!!!

RAFAEL TORRES LOPES
donrafainrio@yahoo.es

THREE YEARS AGO....

Three years ago I had the impression that I would have friends in Malta for the rest of my life.

And I was right...

They spent several days here and I was the one responsable to give them a taste of Brazil, a simple one...but the taste was enough for them to get to know not only the city of Rio, but the whole State of Rio de Janeiro...

That August for the FIRST MALTESE EXPEDITION, the great characters were:

JP
MARIE
MICHELLE
LEON
ANDREW
GRETA
KAREN....

Seven different people and seven different styles.... oh gosh we had fun!!! Some days with a nice van and some days with my small but efficient FIAT TEMPRA for 4 people where we put seven people!!!

HAHAHAHHAH

We had a blast!!!

The night adventure in Ilha do Governador to find a very local football stadium and supporting my glorious BOTAFOGO in a very shaking stairs. The hikings in Petropolis with very green trails and nice waterfalls..the afternoon at Prainha 8 brave hearts facing a rough see in our brazilian side of the ocean!!!

THE YUMMY CHOCOLATE PIZZA IN NITEROI, EH MARIE STELL????

Good friends remained from these glorious days...And thanks to them the Maltese Adventures continued and gave me fantastic stories in my career.

We kept in touch but after that we did a lot all around in the world!!!

When they left Malta they took in the heart very powerful seeds of Brazilian Love and they decided to do something!!! :))))))

More than guests, they became very important friends and the best of all JOHN PAUL AND MARIE ARE BACK!!!!

THE GUIDE HAS A MOTHER! :) A MOTHER CALLED STELLA AND THE SON CALLED RAFAEL

I always believe that everyday is Mother's Day, but once in a year we have one special day to make a tribute for the woman who brought you to this world!

It is hard to express the big meaning of this woman to me, all I know that I would not reach half of what I have without My Mother's Goodness and big help in my education!

Living with her is like being in Cuba with a Sweet Fidel Castro in my daily life, she loves me I know and with her love she made what I am today...If I am kind with people and know how to respect everyone, she taught me the values to respect everybody no matter who they are, she gave me love and I give love to anyone because she sent me LOTS OF LOVE TO MY HEART AND TO MY LIFE!

She gave me everything even what she could not have, but she provided me knowledge, and she gave me the tools for me to make what you read right now, more information about Brazil, the land that she always taught me how to love, she told me that our land is sacred, our land will be everlasting in our life history and in our heart.

Mother Stella is the great strengh of my life, and she rules my life with a strong hand but with a light wind of freedom. She taught me the values of freedom, something that for one weird reason I do not feel this breeze coming from people I know in our environment. But I do not care, she also gave me the power to forgive and walk ahead, no matter what problems we have!

She is a woman of courage, and faced many difficulties in life with no fear. And I have the strengh of the wind to gain my future and will of God to succed in life!

She is a woman of goodness....telling me that it is always important to build a smile in everyone's face! And that is why even with no conditions I walways try to promote social work in the poor communities close to me!

We have our up and downs, so many high moments that together we touch the clouds, and some deep downs that make us a real war worst than any war in Iraq. but above all we understand that the love between son and mother is unique, it is a link that no one can take away from us!

I am proud to have her blood in my veins and really proud to be her son!

I am the son of a wonderful person, I am the son of someone with a great heart, big enough to host all of you!

Not only to my mother, but to all mother in the World, I wish you loads of love, tons of peace, and great elephants of happiness.

We always have to remember that our great gift of life came from the belly of a woman.

LONG LIFE TO EVERY WOMAN IN THIS PLANET!

As a tour guide I also have to make my Mother very updated about the places in Rio, this wednesday I was HER GUIDE!!!

ENGLAND AND RAFAEL

For years and years...not so much time because I am not that old!!! But for years I am honored to welcome british people as well. they come to me not as often as my dear folks from USA, but they come in good number and the few Brits I welcome, they provide such a huge quality in people and I have made lots of friends in England and of course the whole United Kingdon!!!

These people and I had created the UNITED KINGDON OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!! :))))

They come to Rio with the joy of adventure and fun, they give to us the passion of showing Rio exactly like it is! All of them know that Brazil is a blessed country and they know that everytime they come they are self assured that RIO will be their second home!!! Same feeling I could see when Francis came hith her friends Bal and Peter in a fantastic journey around South America and that one day we spent in Rio was a highlight in this trip!!! Francis was indeed a very radical fan of Brazil and I am also a very good friend of England! As you can see in the picture!!! :))))

THANK YOU FRANCIS AND ALL ENGLISH FRIENDS FOR TRUSTING IN MY WORK!!!!

RAFAEL TORRES LOPES
donrafainrio@yahoo.es

WHEN I MEET CANADIANS

When I meet canadians in my tours is like being with very distant and dear distant relatives..In a way..it is more or less that you feel when you stay at Marta’s guest house when I always say that going to Marta’s place is like VISITING A VERY RICH RELATIVE!!!!

I am very related to Canada as much as I am related to Marta, my sweet brazilian friend and great name in the tourism business in our Rio de Janeiro!!!

But the topic today is not really Marta…what I want to report is the greatest friendship and special relations that I have with Canada!!!

This country has a lot of participation of my life, when I became a popular tour guide it was exactly after I went to Canada to promote my tours thanks for the help of a very good friend of mine in Montreal, Pierre Vezina!!!

But the Canadians rarely come to Rio…(now I count with the help of so many canadian friends to make Rio, a popular destination!!!!) I was very lucky to welcome Melissa and Aly. They live in Toronto and they came to Rio to have a great time and celebrate their everlasting love in Carioca’s land!!! My mission was providing the best of Rio in JUST ONE DAY!!!

I was really lucky to be with them because the have adventurous spirit and big curiosity to see new things, to be updated with local life and they really know what they want when visiting a foreign country. Avoiding as much as possible the touristy places and dive deeply in the so diverso local culture. That is why they bravely went to Buzios by themselves using PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!!! And this brave couple are now experience the best of Salvador in Bahia!!!!

Actually we had fun!!! :) We went to the Christ and we could explore the biggest urban forest in the world, TIJUCA FOREST!

Very few people know, but the Statue of the Christ is located in this magnificent National park…So many wilderness, peace and adventure in this enormous green area make us very proud to be Brazilians!

And I am even happier to welcome so many wonderful people from Canada!

I will have more Canadian guests to come and I am very happy to be here and make this enormous Brazil their warmest home outside of Canada!!!

MELISSA AND ALY, THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SPECIAL

AND CANADA….THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SPECIAL IN MY LIFE!!!

LONG LIFE TO CANADA!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes
donrafainrio@yahoo.es

TALKING ABOUT CANADA...

It is very hard to describe in words the most fantastic moments of your life, at east for me when something is so grand, but so grand that words are not good enough to express a love and so much fondness for a certain land!!!

CANADA IS FOR ME A HOME OUTSIDE BRAZIL TOGETHER WITH SO MANY FOREIGN HOMES THAT I HAVE!!!

Well, that happens a long time ago..I was there in the winter of 2005 and WHAT A WINTER!!!

But one year before I welcome a very special guests who could experience Brazil like a Brazilian!!! He came here and spent 3 weeks visiting not only Rio but many states and we took the car and we were riding these endless roads of Brazil heading south!!!! :)

This canadian guest became one of my best and fantastic friends that I have in life and much more than this...he believed in my work and after the denial of my american visa he was the one who convinced me to promote my tours outside Brazil and he helped me to look for very good contacts in the travel business in provinces of Quebec and Ontario!

And of course, he provided me a "canadian look" to explore Canada! And I really did a lot over there...I could be in touch with its wonderful people, I could travel the countryside, I could experience wild life, I could really experience the winter adventures by hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiles, skiiing and walking on frozen lakes!!!! And I LOVED IT!!!!

It is good to look back and always know that in North America I have a home, it really touches the heart that when I think about Canada I can think about my dear friends, specially Pierre and his mother Jacqueline which her love and endless generosity I could keep in the heart, and thanks to Pierre my career became a rocket and I can see him as a great brother always ready to accept new challenges and make me grow!!!

Thanks to this trip in Canada, I could open a great market and I met wonderful people from Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa Calgary and Vancouver.

I will never forget David Craiggs (an englishman but canadian in the heart, the great hiker AND MY VERY FIRST CANADIAN GUEST which started my great curiosity about this lovely and special country) and Anita from Calgary, Jane and John from Vancouver; Mike and his daughter Robin from Ottawa, most recently Aly and Melissa from Toronto. And I will never forget my future guests Gilliam and Phil from Oakville who are coming for a fantastic brazilian adventure in October!!!

But I really have to turn it public that I am very fortunate to be with spectacular people and a friend like Pierre you know how big a friendship can be...if we measure friends in size, Pierre has the size of Canada!

Canada was the first step I made to conquer North America. I really believe that thanks to our friendship and mutual curiosity we can make either north and south just one America and I am way more than prouder to welcome not only Canadians but my wonderful American friends in this warmest side of the Continent!!!

So my love and deep thankfulness (is this word exist????) for Canada must be registered here, in a blog that I write about my professional life (most of time also VERY PERSONAL LIFE, hahahaha) and my funniest adventures with guests, with friends, sometimes alone...but here you know, you will alwats read about cool things that I experienced and great information about what we can do in Brazil. And some interesting facts that happened with my guests in my tours everywhere in the country and also everywhere in South America!

THANK YOU CANADA!
MERCI CANADA!!!

WORDS FROM A VERY SPECIAL FRIENDS IN AUSTRALIA

My work is a real blessing, it allows me to meet so many special people, so many visitors that come to Rio seeking for even more happiness to their lives. I am telling you..I always do my best to provide a real "home environment" when they are with me. I add a lot of quality to my work and they recognize that I am in my right way. so from nice guests to real friends!!! I am very fortunate and even more honored when I get these words by Marg and Pete in a lovely card they gave me some minutes before getting to the airport in their way to Madrid that I rewrite below:

Dear Rafael,

Not sure what this card says, I know it says thank you, but I was meant to get it for the picture on the front (frogs, hahahahahaha!!!!!!), as soon as the shop keeper showed me the card I said YES, that's the one I want!!!!

Dear friend, we leave this special place, with the most beautiful memories which we will keep with us for the rest of our lives and part of it is beacause of you, YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL!!!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!

And because of the caring and wonderful person that you are only good things will come your way (karma), hope to see you in aussi land someday soon so we can do the same to you.

Love,
Peter and Margaret!!!

A SPECIAL WAY TO SAY GOOD BYE TO RIO

People would say: CRAZY TOUR GUIDE!!!! hahahahahahaha :) In my case...my tour guide is weaker than my "friend" side and that night I was really with real spectacular friends! This is the joy of my occupation and I was in my lucky stars when I found Marg and Peter, two great friends which really represents the great heart of Aussie People.

After our two stops in some brazilian bars in Rio..we had our grand finale at MIRANTE DO LEBLON!!! One of our treasures where Rio is not so much known and certainly one of the best stop when we close our night!!!

Jakob was with us...he brought some of the danish joy to Rio and get prepared folks that we are getting another excellent tour guide!!!

So we closed with GOLDEN KEY this successful tour that Marg and Pete had in Rio...they are going back to Australia (still touring the World) with a taste of ASKING FOR MORE!!! And be sure that you are more than welcome everytime you think about coming back to Brazil.

HERE IN RIO YOU HAVE A FRIEND, HERE IN RIO YOU HAVE A HOME! :)

Rafael Torres Lopes

WHEN MY FOLKS HAVE FUN

It is absolutely ridiculous to call this people "tourists", no they are not...but they make my work even special because I always get fantastic friends and they start to belong to my very precious family!!! So I prefer to say that they are my "guests", but what if they become very special friends????? Well, Marg and Pete did...and I must say LONG LIFE TO AUSTRALIA!!!! :))))))

After having such a complete tour, we decided to have some beer to celebrate their love for Rio and to say good bye and talking about new australians guests to come and planning a trip to my DREAMLAND Australia and also start planning a second visit to Brazil, this time with more time and more places to go!!!

And of course I wanted to make special because my australian friends are simply fantastic people, then I invited my super, hiper, ultra incredible best friends and also co-workers...MARCONE and JAKOB to make our meeting even more informal.

And we had such a glorious night...and WHAT A NIGHT!!!

Starting with some beers at our house because we needed a warm up and I was so happy to open to our friends our new house! :))))

Then Jakob joined us to have some drinks in the edge of Lagoa (a very charming lagoon all surrounded with mountains and nice residential buildings..we had a blast at ARABE..too romantic for crazy fellows like us but this place was special..and to "deceive our bellies" we ate typical KIBES, according to Pete...we ate CAMEL BALLS...I wonder how "elephants" must seem...the we decided that staying at the ARABE was not suficient, but we were waiting Marcone to join us there, and he finally came, he stayed for a while and we had a real great 10 minutes!!!

Very fast we decided to go to Leblon, very exclusive neighborhood of Rio where the most interesting locals usually go...We had brazilian snacks and we had everything that brazilians need to simply go out, talk and laugh out loud with friends. JUST HAVING THE BEST OF OUR FUN ENJOYING NORMAL LIFE!;)))))) At Leblon we sit at Guanabara, hottest point of the Golden Carioca Society, a place where you see and you be seen, but we do not really care about it!!!

And we had what Guanabara has as a speciality...we had a giant pizza...smoked sausage and a very creamy cheese that we call CATUPIRY with little pieces of chicken!!!

Marg and Pete had the taste of a casual Rio, with no tours, with no attractions..they just enjoy the informal way of the CARIOCAS, they just started to be part of our family!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

P.S.: After such a fantastic night I start wonder..what is the real borderline between a guest and a friend??? It is a delicate region that when you know how to deal with it becomes such an extraordinary privilege. My work always give me wonderful friends, and I am grateful for everyone which just choose Rio to have the best time of their lives!

FERNANDO - THE MAGIC HANDS

He is not famous, he is not present in any art gallery in Brazil or any art gallery or museum in the World which is a pety!!! Fernando is just a street artist and he is a good one!!! With his hand he makes pieces of art..unique feelings that made him a very sensitive sculptor. He plays with wood with the same natural way he talks. He is very humble, he has the wisdon of a simple life person who lives in the suburb. Of course he sells his art but we can make his day with a simple compliment! and he always in the mood to tell with details how he does his art work...with his hand he makes barroc saints which always have been a strong influence in many countryside villages and in many very old colonial churchs of Brazil, and he also express his love for our Nature very rich in animals and plants.

He just have a natural skill on dealing with woods..he sees a branch then he pictures exactly what he wants to do...maybe a saint he likes, maybe a pet or just a wild animal that he sees everyday in the forest!

Fernando does not speak english...he just know that many foreigners buy his art...I do not know whether he is recognized or not according to the prices he has in his work, but all I know is Fernando is very appreciated for what he does.

Normally, I am always very critical regardind the Hippie Fair in Ipanema..too much touristy, not so friendly prices in all kind or crafts..But I can recognize REAL ART wherever I go, and I was very impressed to meet Fernando and see how spectacular his work is. I am into art, I am into history and I am into nature, and through Fernando's hand you can see it in everything.

I wish I could have one piece of his art at home and I am telling you, one day I will.

You can also have Fernando's work dedicated specially for you, you give him an idea and he makes it in two days, a week, three weeks depending of the size of your criation.

I told him that as he has not got an email address and would never read what people want, they can write to my email for more information about how to purchase his marvelous would work or about how he could show his work to anyone interested to make Fernando popular because he gives life to dead wood and in my opinion this is unique.

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

A GIFT FROM AUSTRALIA

I have been working as tour guide for more than 7 years now. It is cool job because I have the chance to meet people from all over the World and people from some specific countries comes more to Rio to have my tours. I do alot showing every little corner of Rio, allowing my guests to have a deep knowledge about our culture, about our cities and about our daily life!!! RIO BECOMES MORE THAN A HOLIDAYS DESTINATION, RIO BECOMES THEIR HOMES!!! I have always welcomed a lot of people from basicly 5 countries.

USA, ENGLAND, RUSSIA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA, and then people from different countries.

MY TOP FIVE ALWAYS CHANGE IN EVERY HIGH SEASON, and now I noticed that the number of AUSTRALIANS are increasing and it is a NEW WORLD OF NEW FRIENDS!!!

My top fives are:

USA
Australia
Russia
England
Canada


Very proud to welcome such wonderful people and AUSTRALIA proudly gives to me!!! And it is a very pleasant WEDDING...I have always loved Australia, actually after USA and England this is the country that I deeply wish to visit!!!

Recently I welcomed Justin and Belle, such a fantastic young couple from Melbourne and we had a blast in Niteroi and also in a very simply but absolutely interesting walking tour in Copacabana; one day was good enough for me to realize that I got spectacular friends in Melbourne; and just yesterday, I mean, 8th of August, I had the great honor to meet another POWERFUL TRAVELLERS, the glorious couple Marg and Peter. Pety we just had one day, but I can tell you I did everything humanly possible to provide an intense one day tour and a quick gastronomy tour in our WORLD OF STEAKS! :) We had a great time at Cruzeiro do Sul Churrascaria (barbecue house) Not to mention that some months ago.

I had also the fantastic opportunity to make some tours with another aussie family from Melbourne, Darren, Lona and Carlos, my old friends which I am sure I have a CASTLE in their hearts!!!!

I know THEY CAN STILL CALL AUSTRALIA A HOME, but certainly thanks to me, they have another HOME in Brazil! :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUCH A BIG CONFIDENCE AND FRIENDSHIP!!! LONG LIFE TO AUSTRALIA!!!!

EUROPEAN HISTORY IN THE TROPICS

Many people when they come to Rio they think about sunny beaches, very beautiful people in short bikinis and very tiny bath suits...men and women are in the beach to show their best bodies...Everyone think that in Rio we have the high energy of Ipanema, the famous Copacabana. Green hills everywhere. People come to Rio to see the Christ on the top of a hill, they know they will see the SUGAR LOAF. But they simply not know about some hidden european treasures spread out in the older parts of the city!!!

Rio has a massive portuguese influence and this could be easily seen in just one morning walking in the city centre. Rio will show you a deep relationship with Portugal and the main european royal families starting with the ORLEANS and STRASBURG.

A walking tour in Rio will make you see the magnificent mixing of races that just our people can have..the interesting mix with european and black, blacks and indians, indians and portuguese, or just european types. Showing you that life in Rio is cool, that we do not really have racial problems!

A visit to Rio you can come across with one of the most impressive churches that we have in South America. The Candelaria Church...we start building that church with a little chapel in 1609. Thanks for the idea of a very wealthy spanish couple which lives were saved in a sinking spanish gallion in the coast of Rio, and from the years of 1727 to 1811 we finally could finish the construction of one of the most beautiful churches in Brazil.

We still do not know why CANDELARIA is not the CATHEDRAL OF RIO, but it is very important in our people life, all the most traditional families desire to get married there, all the most important catholic events are held in Candelaria. But after getting to the church and see the wonderful paintings on the roof, incredible creations of many brazilian and italian artists, after seeing the amazing italian and iranian marbles everywhere, very old images of saints made in Portugal more than 300 years ago, after seeing angels made of noble woods and many sculptures coverd with gold you will realize that CANDELARIA is for sure one of the uniques attractions of Rio!!!

COME TO RIO TO SEE LOTS OF WILDLIFE BUT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE VERY SURPRISED WITH THE UNKNOWN WONDERS OF RIO!!!!

Candelaria is for sure THE PLACE!!!!! :)

Marg was very surprised and she could show her "angel side" while visiting the old parts of Rio.

I am so honored to have such a wonderful australian friend WITH VERY HOT ITALIAN BLOOD!!!

If you really want to see a different Rio, for sure you can contact me and we will still continue to find some very interesting surprises that only Rio can give to you!!!

RAFAEL TORRES LOPES
donrafainrio@yahoo.es

AN AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUL OF RIO

Marg came with Peter in Rio as part of the tour around the world, every place they come they leave a lot of enormous energy and wonderful feelings. They were my guests and they became friends for a LIFE TIME.

Another important challenge for me...Since they were in Santiago I knew that I had to make TWO DAYS in ONE DAY...including Marg's dream which was visiting the Christ, our most famous landmark...Well I accepted...We managed to talk in the phone as soon as Marg and Peter got to the hotel in Copacabana. And we arranged to meet in the day after and decide what to do!

I slept thinking about what i could do to show these people the best of my land....Right in the morning I called them and talk with Marg and we decide to start our tour, it was a cloudy friday but we decide to explore Rio no matter what...

As soon as we were driven in Lagoa we say the mountain of Corcovado free of clouds!!! :) AND MARG'S DREAM CAME TRUE! We had a great time at the Christ...

But I add many special places in their tour..We saw the less visiting part of Santa Tereza and we had a walking tour in the city center of Rio seeing buildings of all ages...from the portuguese Colony to the Brazilian Empire, and we stopped for a nice and cool beer in the OLD RIO AREA, a place called ARCO DOS TELLES. They had the best of our local snacks, PASTEL WITH SHRIMP INSIDE!!! A REAL STOMACH ORGASM!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes
donrafainrio@yahoo.es

ADVENTURES OF OLGA IN RIO DE JANEIRO

We had such a great time in a very complete tour around Rio. Olga and Mike decided to have a trip of their dreams in Brazil and it was my responsability to make it really special. We saw all the main places of Rio, we went to the mountains of Niteroi and we spent two days in Ilha Grande which will be the great destination in Rio for this summer!!!

I am very honored to welcome such nice friends and keep the tradition to have russian guests...YES, OLGA IS FROM RUSSIA, Mike a great midwest friend from Illinois!!! We laughed a lot and as usual they just proved that Rio is still a magic place to visit!!!

We took this photo in a very hidden surprise of Rio, in the west side of the city. Canal do Marapendi, a chain of channels of a big lagoon where the Carioca's high middle class have their houses!!!

It is part of my tours taking my guests to new places!!! :)))))