THE QUEEN OF TWO HOUSES - FEFEIA

Fefeia comes from Niteroi as well, now she lives in Rio, at my mother's house!!!

She is a very moody lady...very spoiled by every one in the house!!!

She is quite shy when you come to the house, while Ferrugem is the public relations!!!

She has been our companiorship for years and years, she is a lady of about 8 years old!!!

I am very honored to introduce to all of you part of my life and the cats that tells a big story of my life!!!

I found Fefeia in a crash can...she was such a baby that not even the eyes she could open, I had no choice, I took her home and promissed my mother that I would take care of her until she gets okay to assume her own life, but she conquered all of us, and she stayed!!!

Now she rulezzzzz the house!!!! :) And I love holding her tight, she seems not to like it!!! :)

WELL NOW YOU KNOW A DIFFERENT SIDE OF ME!!!

FEFEIA... YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF OUR LIVES!!! :)))))

P.S.: I just took this photo 10 minutes ago!!!

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME - MY CAT FERRUGEM

It is not a secret that I adore animals..they are part of my life in everything I do. Now that I am living in Copacabana I do not have pets at home, but Ferrugem lives in my mother's house and he is still make all of us happy!!!

I am always at my mother's house because you know...Mothers are everything in Brazil!!!

But Ferrugem got to our lives years ago when I was living in Niteroi - yes, FERRUGEM IS FROM NITEROI....

HE IS AN ELETRIC CAT, he runs like a rocket in the house and he is the only cat I know who loves MANGOES.

Ferrugem means "rusty" in English, and he has this name thanks to his ginger color!!!

I am a cat person, cat's is a theme in my stamps collection and I travel around Brazil and also in the World looking for big cats and spot them!!!

I saw many of them in the zoo...I just had the chance to see one in the wild when I was in Canada, it was back to 4 years ago, I saw a cougar...

Ferrugem is part of many people's lives at home...and he is still there...giving me lots of fun!!!

HEY FERRUGEM, "CAT RAFA" LOVES YOU!!!! : ))))))

GUESTS - SUPER FRIENDS - FAMILYHOOD AND ADVENTURE - WORDS FROM NEW JERSEY

A great person and great friend from New Jersey

True friendship and enormous love Alan and Thereza

A very funny family and the Christ watching everything!

One of Rio's best secret: JOA BEACH

In Grumari playing like Children, when two brazilians meet!!!!

Not a long while ago, in fact the second week of August I had the honor to welcome Alan who organized with me two days tour in Rio with his family and one adventurous day in the countryside with him only...

Alan is a fantastic teacher from New Jersey, in fact he is quite popular there!!! The students love him!!! He came to Rio and before that I was preparing with a lot of dedication his days in our city!!!!

He is a good father and a great friend to his ex-wife Rose. Rose is brazilian, she is Brazilian just like me, and decided to live in the States and she brought up a family with love, lots of work and dedication, she carries the strengh of a corageous NORTHERN BRAZILIAN WOMAN. As a result of so many LIFE STORIES the result was Thereza, such a lovely girl full of plans. And my task was showing Rio in a way that all the moments would be recorded in their memories!!!!

WE DID IT...We went to so many places, we laughed alot and we had huge fun in everyday we toured the city!

I am sure they will come back!!!! I am sure that now I have friends in this hilly part of New Jersey!!!

And Alan wrote some words at trip advisor that I have the honor to register in this blog:

If you are going to Rio De Janeiro do yourself a favor and hire Rafael Torres Lopes as your guide.

Raphael or "Rafa" as we called him, guided my family for 3 days and nights in Rio and his services was absolutely indispensable. Rafa went above and beyond any reasonable expectations taking us everywhere we wanted to go and suggesting many great local restaurants and attractions. He speaks perfect English (with a British accent) and quickly transitions from guide to friend putting you and your family at ease.

It became evident early in out trip that Rafa was going to go all out to make the trip special and he succeeded. If you think you've got energy and a spirit for exploration, you have to meet him.

When I go back to Rio, I will make sure I have Rafa booked before I do anything else. In addition to guiding us Rafa also took hudreds of photos for us, allowing us to enjoy ourselves without worrying about taking pictures.

If you have any apprehension about visiting Rio, book Rafa and you won't have to deal with the hassle of cabs and ripoff artists; you can just sit back and relax knowing that all the details are being taken care of by a professional who has a great deal of knowledge about the places you will be visiting. I loved it.

THANK YOU ALAN!!!! AND BE SURE THAT HERE IN BRAZIL YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FRIEND AND SOMEONE TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY YOUR HOME OUTSIDE THE STATES!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide

Travel Planner

And a friend ALWAYS

SUMMER IS COMING AND I AM WAITING FOR YOU

Winter is getting to an end... Our high summer is coming!!!! And I am sure that I will have new friends coming to experience some secrets of Rio.

To experience Rio de Janeiro which is not only Copacabana, it is way more than that. To have an adventure that will make Rio your so incredible home.

I am prepared to welcome you. Each tour I can more and more in love with my land and I really want to show you the best, and you will know all the secrets and surprises of Rio!!!

OUR SUNSETS ARE BREATHLESS...a dear combination between the mountains and the ocean...Rio with beautiful faces and bodies, a Rio with generous sun and cool sea.

And it is time for me to thank you for making my work something so special. I know that every visitor I have, it is my duty to make Rio an easier destination.

THANK FOR THINKING ABOUT RIO IN YOUR DREAMS AND THANK YOU FOR TRUSTING ME TO MAKE THEM COME TRUE!!!!

The photo was taken in Niteroi, in our amazing sunset at Parque da Cidade, an stunning viewpoint which is a real surprise for any person who comes to Rio!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

THE BEST SUNSET SEASON STARTED!!!!

From August to April I would say we have magical point in the city where the sun says good bye with a lot of style. One of these points is very easy to get, in the Arpoador Rocks where people always applause when the sun "touches" the water.

The rocks of Arpoador are nestled between Ipanema and Copacabana, short walking distance from both places, it is one of the places that all Cariocas go, and you can spend some hours there taking pictures and you can have many fantastic memories of your trip to Rio de Janeiro!!!!

BY THE WAY - Arpoador is also a cool place for couples, they spend hours there talking about life and watching so many beautiful views of the Cagarras Island, the waves of Ipanema and the Sugar Loaf right in the entrance of Guanabara Bay!!!! :)))))

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

MY IMPROVISATION POINT

I just go there in very special occasion, mostly of the time it is not in my itinerary but it is always a fantastic surprise for my guests. The top of Pedra Bonita mountain is where people go hanglyding in Rio, and from there we can have a lovely view of our westside ocean region.

Pedra Bonita is also part of our impressive Tijuca National Park and the road that leads to the top is a great opportunity for us to enjoy the nature and see many beautiful places!!!

I have jumped from there a couple of times...hang glyding only...

I can also help people if they want to fly, I have some contacts in São Conrado beach where all the flights are arranged!!!

My friends and wonderful guests from Chicago, Bill and Maggie joined me in such a delicious adventure!!!!

THE WORK OF A MASTER - GRAÇA ESTRELA - LOCAL PAINTER

I am a real bird fan and I travel alot the country looking for places where I can see and learn more about their habitats, and when I go to the Amazon or even in the Forest of my own State I come across with very interesting species and I do admire to meet artists who can create elements of our nature using the best PHOTO CAMERA we have: OUR OWN EYES!!!!

And of course I follow with great interest the work of a local painter from the State of Goiás, Graça Estrela is her name, she is from the very countryside of Goias State, from a very tiny village called IPAMERI. She also loves travelling the countryside, magical places like CHAPADA DOS GUIMARES in Mato Grosso and in her own land too, aroiund the forests which follows the course of Araguaia River.

So Graça paints MACAWS, Parrots and my dear Ararajubas....

She helps to run a preservation programme in the jungle called PROJETO CANINDÉ, that is the name given to the blue macaw, by the way. This project can be found at Fazenda Cachoeira das Moitas, which is a real paradise for nature lovers and people who are really interested to travel in Brazil and find out the most genuine places and local places where the NATURE rulezzzzz!!!!

I have so many guests that are interested to bring beautiful paintings from local artists, and I really believe that Graça Estrela deserves a chance to be known in the World and she is one of the people that I know who really loves Brazil and she will be very happy to have their work in your homes!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

THE REAL SYMBOL OF BRAZIL - OUR LADY ARARAJUBA

This is finally the BIRD SYMBOL OF BRAZIL...

The States have the magnificent BALD EAGLE, and we have a very charming parrot...They belong to the same group of Araras and many other famous parrots in South America.

The children usually call them ARARAJUBINHA, and the bird is also symbol of our powerful oil company PETROBRAS.



We can find them in the high mountains of Rio and also in the middle of the country, in the State of Goias, another fantastic state if you are into WILD ADVENTURE TOURS.

Well, I have th blood of spanish conquerors, so visiting forests and exploring the wilderness is one of my hobbies, so every now and then I will be writing some cool info about our Nature.

AND BRAZIL IS A REAL PLAYGROUNDM FOR NATURE LOVERS...No wonder that best research programme about Amazon were made by Jacques Costeau.

Rafael Torres Lopes
The Nature Observer

SPECIAL FRIEND - TIE SETE CORES

When they come up we must be very happy because this bird is very rare...but I saw then more than once in my tours in the Forest of Tijuca, not so far from Copacabana or Ipanema!!!

This pleasant fellows are called TIE SETE CORES...TIE means bird in your indian language (which I must clarify that I do not speak any indiginous language...) and SETE CORES, means 7 COLORS. We are very proud of this little bird because it has the colors of our flag, but it not our BIRD SYMBOL because it has black in its feather...



THE BIRD SYMBOL OF BRAZIL IS THE ARARAJUBA, I promisse to publish its photo very soon.




The Tie Sangue deserves a special article because it is a rare bird and you may come across with this beauty, just contact me!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner

BIRDS IN MY TOUR

In my tours I focus alot on Nature, I always take my people to places where Nature tells you that you are really in a country full of wilderness, even though you are visiting a city of almost 9 million people!!! Rio is privileged because of our forests, mountains and absolutely beautiful ocean.

Everywhere I go, and I visit lots of places with my guests, either in Rio or outside of the city...we come across with different birds and we can see some unique species of our environment. We are lucky because our people preserve our natural resources. We are very proud to have so many city parks, state parks and national parks all around!!!

Rio is not a city for birdwatching, it is not a common practice among brazilians.

But I do love it and I also found out a birdwatching place in the mountains of our state, it is a location called CACHOEIRO DE MACACU.

My birds I find mostly in the mountains of Bocaina and in the wetlands of Marapendi where I have found not only birds, alligators are often there!

So if you want to experience a different side of Rio de Janeiro, oh yes...YOU CAN REALLY COUNT ON ME!!!

Happy travels!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

MARAPENDI WETLANDS - WILDNESS IN RIO - ONE MORE TOUR WITH MARCONE

Marcone and I working together in our wild spot Marapendi

Always showing what Rio has best...adventure

This is a guide and a friend with a lot of charisma: Marcone

We have not find their mother yet....

This is the scenery you see...A different side of Rio de Janeiro

I think this is indeed one of the highlights of my tours and I have a special fond for this place...I am not sure because I have never been there but I always says that this is a very small version of the Florida's everglades, but the coolest things is that we are in Rio de Janeiro.

Marapendi is a complex of various lagoons in the west side of Rio, it has about 7 islands, some islands people live, other islands are protected reserve areas and one island is a big country club where people can have a lot of pleasant activities such as practicing sports and simply to have a good time with friends and family.

For the moment and I hope it takes a long time, Marapendi is not even writen in any travel book, so it is a very local and down to earth place. The pace of life is slow and calm and you will be thinking that it is hard to believe that in a city which has the World's famous Copacabana you can find this little peace of paradise that Marapendi shows you all the time you go there!

That day marks some very often co-work between Marcone and I which makes me very honored. I was the one who met Marcone way up north where I do my tours in the Amazon, in a very fantastic State called Maranhão, and since that time I always told him...You'd e a perfect tour guide and after so much time learning about my work and seeing the places I cover, Marcone decided to go to Rio and start his professional life down here in the South East of the country, and nothing better than starting in Rio which I am sure this is the door entrance of a fascinating country called Brazil!!!

Now Marcone is no doubt the person I always can count with when my guests write to me requesting a TOUR GUIDE to make their trips something more than special, of course, when I am busy with other guests...It is hard to be one person, but I can see myself in the way that Marcone shows Rio with a solid enthusiasm, with all his heart and using the same endless person just like I always do in my tours! To show the best of Rio I think you need to use your blood, to use your heart...And Marcone makes these personal quality a very important tool in his work!!!

And he is a working guy...such a busy and well known english teacher and brilliant student of Nursery-Medicine in one of the best federal universities in Brazil. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO.

And this special day, that happened in August 9th, 2009...Marcone was taking care of such a very nice couple from Chicago, Marija and Bruce, and I was taking care of ANOTHER Chicago's couple, Maggie and Bill, my fantastic friends and special guests with a lot of GREEK BLOOD...these special people who gave such a HOT FLAVOR in Illinois' culture, right????

Laughs, breathless landscapes, wildlife, fun and a new discovery in one of the sides of Rio that not even the locals have access...

This is what makes my work different...and with a little help of Marcone, makes it even more special!!!!

You can write directly to him, Marcone is another busy man like myself but we will always find time to clarify all your doubts about Rio and we are able to make your dreams come true in Carioca's land, his email is marconelima@yahoo.co.uk

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: We take people to the wetlands, but we cannot include the boatmen payment, so bear in mind that we all have to give 15 reais (each person), which is about 7 american dollars, for the trip that takes about 40 minutes to one hour.

A good suggestion is stopping in a local bar called Cicero for some delicious local snacks (specially schrimps) in one of the islands.

RAFA STRIKES BACK

Among indians with Chicago in my heart!!! NITEROI - RJ

In the Jungle at Mirante Dona Marta - The survivors!!!

São Luis do Paraitinga - São Paulo State

Israel's presence in the State of São Paulo...ITAMAMBUCA beach

Bill and I in Pista Claudio Countinho at Praia Vermelha

Did you miss me????? I HOPE SO!!!!! Were you looking for news about me??? I hope you did!!!! :) I was very worried because I could never find time to update my news and believe me, I have got LOTS TO TELL YOU!!!!

So many wonderful people that I have had and I have been even to São Paulo always to visit places that you will love to see and also to honor my work that so many people now are requesting. I had a lovely time with my new guests from ISRAEL and ISRAEL NOW GOT THE STATUS OF MY TOP FIVE GUESTS that are always requiring my tours, yes now I have 5 countries that provides SPECTACULAR PEOPLE TO MAKE MY WORK EVEN MORE ADORABLE, and they are: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and ISRAEL!!!!!

SHALOM ISRAEL!!!!!!! : )))))))))

You will learn more about places like São Luis do Paratininga, Itamambuca, Ubatuba and so many new things!!!

NOW YOU CAN BOOK A HOTEL THRU MY BLOG AND VERY SOON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ MY WEBPAGE, THANKS TO SOME FRIENDS THAT I HAVE IN TEXAS!!!! :)

THANK YOU BOB AND DEAREST TEXAN FAMILY!!!! Very soon I will give you more information about this wonderful project!!!

Finally I am back to my blog stories after such a long time with intense work, I simply did not stop with so many things to do. I must thank all of you to understand that such a wonderful work that I am honor to have, makes me absolutely busy. I am simply everywhere, I hardly have time to come home and sit in front of my computer and give to my guests all the attention they deserve.


BUT I AM ONLY ONE PERSON and I do not want anyone to write my answers for me because my answers are unique for each person who writes me, and I like to keep this direct communication…Because you who write to me are the reason to make my work so special and unique, you are the big source of my inspiration and a very precious chance to make Brazil a better country.


Thanks to you I can tell to the World the best secrets of every little corner of Brazil, and thanks to my guests I can keep the tradition to keep a status of “informal capital" to this so dear and popular city called RIO DE JANEIRO.


Well, I am still with no time, but you should know where I am and what I am doing…So the blog continues and very soon I WILL HAVE A WEBPAGE!!!


IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT MY GUEST’S ADVENTURE…THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE…


IF YOU WISH TO HAVE SOME “BACK STAGE” NEWS ABOUT MY TOURS…KEEP ON READING RAFA’S BLOG…


IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE BEST IMAGES OF RIO YOU CAN COME TO US AND IMAGINE THE PLACES WHERE YOU WILL CERTAINLY HAVE LOTS OF FUN!!!


Now I am much more prepared to welcome every one who write to me…if by chance I will be busy, I have wonderful guides who can make Rio your INFORMAL HOME. I can count with the fantastic help of wonderful and knowledgeable tour guides (all officially registered as well), Marcone, Cedric, Diana and Manu, and I am always looking for the best professionals. So you will increase your number of Brazilian Friends, because me and my Guides are more than tour guides, we are really interested to be YOUR REAL FRIENDS in Rio de Janeiro.


Here you can see some recent tours that I had and beautiful reasons why I could not be so promptly in my mails…


But I am still busy and this humble tour guide keep on asking you not to give up, if you wrote me you can be self assured that you will have my reply in your inbox!!!!


PLEASE DO APOLOLYZE THIS GUIDE WHO REALLY GIVES YOU THE BEST FOR YOUR NEXT BRAZILIAN ADVENTURE!!!!

Lots of love,

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner