IT TAKES TIME BUT I WILL BE WRITING TO YOU

Working, working and working...many people still do not believe that I am busy when they ask me to answer an email in less than 24 hours or when they want to talk to me in the phone or when people invite me to do anything and I simply cannot go...YES I AM WORKING!!! :)

I am everywhere in the State of Rio or I could be out of the State, sometimes out of the country...

I am busy with my tours and I am showing the best of my land to all visitors who write to me asking for tours and to experience what is unique and spectacular of Rio!!!

Step by step they find out more about Rafa's secret in Rio...

I do not update my dear blog for a long long time and so many things had happened that it is hard for me to start...

For those who write to me and for some reason I am taking long to reply, please be patient!!! I might be in a place where internet is very hard to find, or I might be so busy with my tours that I hardly have time to stop in front of the computer and start writing...

And those who get my emails, they know...I DO WRITE BOOKS!!!

I am very detailed in my answers and it takes time... I lost some potential guests because some people think that I have to write immediately, but sometimes it is very hard for me!!!

I love this work as you can well see in the pictures and I also love writing my emails and explain people many things regarding my tours and my own land!

SO BE PATIENT ALL OF YOU...AND BE SURE THAT ONCE WE HAVE A TOUR TOGETHER YOU WILL SIMPLY HAVE THE BEST OF RIO!!!!

Very soon I will be writing about new adventures with more dear guests, people who came here as a guest and now they are back home as my very dear friends!

LOTS OF LOVE TO ALL OF YOU,

Rafael Torres Lopes

FIRST SPECIAL WORDS FROM VIRGINIA

The pictures already tells us that her heart is full of happiness, images can tell how positive she is to experience new things; the bright of her eyes tell us a huge love for life and she knows how to enjoy it. Great experience on dealing with people made us be mad about her. This lady from Virginia conquered us brazilians with her goodness, grace and simplicity.

I knew I had a lot to show her and explain about our daily life, about my country and my city. She learnt BUT...this days in Rio was also a lesson of life provided by TWO GRAND TEACHERS CALLED JANET AND ROGER...

Janet completes Roger and Roger completes Janet, and they made my life even more special during their stay here and Rio became a brighter city since she got here

As a prize, and such a honor, I got her words about the result of our glorious days in Rio de Janeiro...

Janet wrote: "Words cannot describe what a glorious time we had in Rio with you. It was perfect in so many ways. The weather could not have been better and for sure, the scenery of the water, beaches and mountains...all so spectacular!! and you were the BEST companion we could ever have had. Your knowledge of your city and surroundings is mind boggling and your wonderful happy soul made every day a joy for us.

Thank you so much, Rafa, for making our trip so very special. We will never forget you and our time in Rio. Please remember us to Marconi. He, like you, is a very special guy and it was our pleasure to get to know you both. Now you must plan a trip to the U.S. and include Virginia. We would love to have you stay with us while you are here."

Needless to say that it makes my work as a tour guide way richer and it fills my life with honor!

Rafael Torres Lopes

TWO GUIDES FOR A SPECIAL DAYS

IT IS ALWAYS HARD FOR ME TO SAY WHEN WE ARE REALLY WORKING OR WHEN WE ARE REALLY HAVE FUN!!!! I would say, both situations is true.

Since we started planning these days in Rio way in advance, Marcone and I always knew that this days had to be special, so we found a way to be together in one of the most important full day tours that I have...A day in Niteroi, the great surprise of any trip to Rio!!!

Janet and Roger the time with Janet and Roger was so fantastic that the hours were like minutes, but we did enjoy every little second of their stay here!!!

We did a lot, from the cultural sites of Rio, to the main attractions of the city and to many hidden interesting places in Niteroi. We visited the fishing village of Jurujuba which hides the gorgeous beaches of Adan and Eve, our sunset at Parque da Cidade and our fast visit to the Modern Art Museum of Niteroi, MAC...Every little stop we had were an explosion of happiness and we laughed out loud all the time!!!

A visit to the soul of Rio, that is what they did here!!! A visit to a city where they are sure that they will have friends forever!

I always put a lot of passion on the top of my 9 years experience in the tourism business and Marcone with his charisma, great experience on dealing with people and endless knowledge of the city really makes a plus in every trip to Rio!!!!

And having Janet and Roger with us was a enormous honor for us!!!!

WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR SO MUCH TRUST, FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT THAT JAN AND ROGER GIVE TO US!!!!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MY VIRGINIA'S FAMILY!!!!!

Rafa and Marcone

OUR NATIONAL COCKTAIL - CAIPIRINHA - THE WORLD ALREADY KNOWS IT

And we still enjoy it...So does Jan and Roger, my friends and dearest guests from Richmond, Virginia who came to Rio to spend some incredible days in Rio de Janeiro, we sat at A Mineira Restaurant in Niteroi for a wonderful lunch.

And to make the famous brazilian drink is quite simple...

Ingredients for a Caipirinha: Sugar, Lime and Cachaca, the ones I really like (humbly speaking I do understand alot about Cachaça) is NEGA FULO, Terra de Minas or Magnifica.

Blending Instructions: Muddle the sugar into the lime wedges in an old-fashioned glass,
Fill the glass with ice cubes and pour the cachaca into the glass. After all that, stir well.

Cachaça for us is like Whisky for Scotland, it is our proud national drink, it is a very strong spirit coming from Sugar Cane, I always say that Cachaça is the cousin of the caribbean rum.

If you drink some alcohol, you cannot miss this refreshing cocktail which is one of the symbols of Brazil.

And by the way, A Mineira has the best Caipirinha Ever!!! :)

By the way, I am a frequent costumer of A Mineira for more than 12 years, it is a restaurant I liked since way before I became a tour guide! So no doubt that it is one of the greatest places where you can really experience the best of our Brazilian Food!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

MY LOVE AND THANKFULNESS TO VENEZUELA

Very recently I got back from a short trip to Caracas, in Venezuela to attend a meeting of potencial travel agencies. I was one of the tour guides invited so we could discuss about tourism in the country, specially regarding the Amazon which I have made so many tours in these nine years of work. I have always planned and organized tour in the Amazon starting in the State of Maranhão, up north of Brazil, some spots in the State of Pará, specially Marajó island and now most recently in our State of Roraima where Brazil borders with Venezuela. I have always searched for places away from the touristy places which even in the Amazon we can find!

That trip allows me to have even more attractions to offer this year or maybe in 2010.

But I could meet other guides and establish great contacts with people from the State of Bolivar and I could also learn about new places such Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolivar where visits to genuine indiginous tribes can be arranged, and of course I will get ways to take my guests to the famous ANGEL FALLS. Thanks for that I have the great support from Roraima Adventures in Brazil

This is my second visit to Venezuela, by the pictures I posted you will think that I am a CHAVISTA, but I am not!!!! :) I am just grateful for this people who welcomed me with great enthusiasm, I am greateful to learn more about real life in Caracas when I spent the whole day in a poor community playing with children and organizing a lot of theater plays and folk music performances, I could get some food, clothes and toys to give to the children and we had a blast there, it was in one of the poorest barrios in Caracas called Catia.

At least I could take one day to go to the beach and I drove two hours from Caracas, close to Maracay, in a fishing village called Choroni, it is a lush tropical jungle by the Caribbean Sea which in Venezuela is not that popular, but people should pay attention in so many incredible beaches there...I will have some surprises in the future to all my guests by taking them to the remote state of Falcon, lovely desert beaches there!

And finally I could go again to my favorite spot in Caracas, the Avila Mountain, over 3000 meters high where you can see the ocean in one side and the whole huge valley of Caracas!!!

It is still quite trouble some, the trafic is still a chaos (and people complain about Rio!!!) but the city still welcomes you with big smile and happiness...

Indeed it is one of the poorest big city in South America that I have ever been, but they have a wonderful country full of unknown surprises that I will slowly discovering just for you!!!

ALL MY GREAT MEMORIES AND LOVE TO MY VENEZUELAN FRIENDS AND ALL MY LOVE TO ALL PEOPLE IN VENEZUELA!

Muchas Gracias!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela