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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

SECOND TIME AT BARROCO NA BAHIA IN SALVADOR - LOVED IT!!! :)



The first time we stayed there, we felt such a large welcome from the staff in the very first moment...Lovely colonial building when Pelourinho Area and Saude used to be the center of life in Salvador. The Barroc complex of Barroco na Bahia is part of the city's heritage and part of the history of the city; that makes this Cottage such a wonderful place to stay. Our first visit was memorable and I always wanted to come back and we did. 

I am also a tour guide in the city of Salvador, capital of beautiful Bahia State. it is the first capital of Brazil since the time of portuguese colonization until 1763; now Salvador is one of the most interesting cities in Brazil, so diverse and colorful scenery, incredible food and wonderful History. A real mix between races, so musical and the city give you the real taste of Brazilian Hospitality, and I am sure that Hans and his team will make you feel at home in your first visit in Salvador.






Marcone and I spent three nights there as we need to be in Salvador and visit all the places that I once visited because I was in charge of welcoming my american visitors, I work in the travel business, so it is always important to know more about the place, much more than a single visitor. 

And the place gave me all the quietness and peace that I need to write my emails and blogs and at the same time to have fun in Salvador which for me it is simply one of the most interesting cities in Brazil. Privacy is absolutely guaranteed in Barroco na Bahia, you really feel that you are in a old farm, it really gives you the feeling that you are in a royal summer residence, once you enter in the house, all the confusion, noisy and craziness of a big city simply desappear. 

It is a corner of peace and relaxation...the best way to organize your itinerary in the city...

Very close to you is Pelourinho a feel blocks away...not so far from Bonfim, the nice restaurants of Montserrat and easy access to the rest of the city by car and by taxi.



The experience was so wonderful that we got back to Pousada for more three nights last December. I saw Hans again with his same smile in the face, and he knew already which room is my favorite and I had the same fantastic experience!

Great location, absolutely efficient service, spacious and clean rooms, very pleasant garden, you breath history everywhere! We specially loved to spend our few free hours in the afternoon under the pleasant shades of very old and generous mango trees. Every breakfast we had mango juice straight from the back yard!




Everytime that we stay at Pousada Barroco na Bahia we always have the warm welcome of the owner, the cultural promoter Hans; and our friends Ricardo and Vicente which I love to talk about the newest happenings in Salvador, but it is always wonderful to be taken care of by someone who is really a "MOTHER" for us in every visit!!!

Ivonete works at the place and she makes sure all the time if you are confortable, she did not mind my picky attacks like refusing to eat DUCK EGGS (yes the place is full of funny and gorgeous ducks) and orange juice with absolutely no fibers...she kindly comes to be every morning with my favorite fry eggs (chicken eggs, always!). She arranges everything for you to feel like home, she leaves our rooms absolutely clean and she knows a lot of insider information about Salvador.

She has the generous spirit of Bahia and I hope Hans keeps her forever!!! She is our Queen!!! LONG LIFE TO IVONETE!!!


I could never forget to mention the ducks in the property which is a lovely attraction apart...This gives us a sensation that by crossing the door we turn back time where life was slow, the clock watch was not so demanding and reminds us that we have the right to feel lazy every now and then.

Thanks a lot for all the great reception, thank you folks for such a wonderful welcome and you can be sure that always when I travel I search for places that I feel at home and staying in Pousada Barroco na Bahia is really a remarkable experience!

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner

Monday, December 24, 2012

THE BIG PARTY IS COMING - CARNAVAL THERE WE GO - THE MAGIC OF IMPERATRIZ LEOPOLDINENSE

Add some pieces of energy, then put all your happiness, you will get started....after that, get together all your passion and love for life....THERE YOU GO...You will have Carnaval in your heart and we visit one of the factories of this endless happiness...And you can witness the making off. You can be part of this wonderful energy by visiting a real samba community in the outskirts of Rio.


I am so happy with my work, I am a tour guide but not a regular tour guide...I like to take my guests and friends which I prefer to say, to the authentic places where they can experience the spirit of a place they want to visit in Brazil. I am based in Rio, the first land of Carnaval among so many brazilian cities where Carnaval is amazing.

But visitors should understand the magic of Carnaval where everything is made....they should see what is behind of the most fascinating party in the World...We visit a SAMBA SCHOOL, in a genuine community of Rio and in this case we always choose (specially on sundays) to visit RAMOS, in the fascinating IMPERATRIZ LEOPOLDINENSE Samba School.

It is a very traditional neighborhood in the suburbs of Rio, most of the cases, suburbs in Rio are the poorest zones of the town, but in this case Ramos also hold very old portuguese dwellers that make the blocks in the area quite nice with big houses, but Ramos is also a place where SAMBA was born, it is birth of traditional samba roots like CACIQUE DE RAMOS...the very beggining of this samba school.

I had the honor to take many guests in their neighborhood and recently my friends from San Diego, Zina and Jacob, great travellers very curious about Brazilian Culture.


No risks, just happiness; no crime just smiles; no sadness, simply no time for it. Going to a Samba School Rehearsal, or in portuguese, going to ENSAIO DE ESCOLA DE SAMBA; makes you forget about anything negative. Visiting IMPERATRIZ is the meeting with happiness and joy. It is a way for you to meet people, it is an opportunity for you to understand the magic of Samba in Rio.

When you visit a Samba School that means that you will visit THE QUADRA, it is a space where they start training the whole coreagraphy of the big SAMBA NIGHT in Sambodromo, it is a space where people know how to act in the big competition. it is a whole preparation for one of the big spectacle on Earth.





All this is simply the big preparation for something grand...for the conservative guests who are reading my blog for the first time, I apologize the picture where the girl is quite comfortable dancing; but take it as part of our lovely and happy culture and also for the record, this is what we call "dental floss", hahahahaha :)))))

But that's how it is......this is the SAMBA FACTORY, the way you can see how things are done....

And the result....



Beautiful colors, a great party where all the country and all the World is involved. Imperatriz Leopoldinense is one of the main samba schools in Rio and I am always happy to take all my friends to experience what life really happens!

COME TO EXPERIENCE SAMBA...COME TO WITNESS AN UNIQUE PARTY...Again, when you come to Rio, only visiting is not the right thing to do...you've got to go deep in our culture and then you will really find out a home away from home!

SINCERELY, 

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

THE TOUR OF COLORS IN RIO - A COOL WAY TO KNOW THE SOUL OF THE CITY

Our Big Group from Semester at Sea

We never notice how colorful our day in Rio can be...full of lively color, made by men, naturally designed by nature and when you explore the city you will be surprise how joyful and lively your tour in Rio can be...So I decided to create a tour where we will see life in Rio in a colorful way...the colors of the tyles that only our SUPER ARTIST Selaron can give us...His wonderful work of years making this piece of Lapa one of the most interesting places in the World. One person's labor and the grace of many visitors that come to Rio and bring him tyles from their own lands.

I have the pleasure to take my guests and also my colleagues Marcone and Sonia to show our guests such a magic World of Colors in just one day in Rio!!!



In this day we can also add our own colors visiting the various public markets of Rio specially if we choose a weekend where visiting the FASCINATING UNIVERSE of Feira Nordestina where we learn more about Brazilian Culture, where we meet funny people and if we buy any of the souvenirs we can also take funny COLORFUL pictures.



I have friends in the market who have a studio where people can take funny pictures of famous brazilian legends like the Great Gang of Lampeão, a sort of Robinwood Brazilian Version that lived in the north east of Brazil in the 30's. And you can set your creative soul free, you just have to pay some few dollars and then you can be whatever you want to be!

I visit the studio often with my guests and friends and we laugh alot all the time we spend some minutes there.



So, a day with colors can continue with the colors we want for our lives!!! And visit Rio is much more than doing tourism, visiting Rio is taking part of the daily life!!!





And the magic of colors in this specific tour continues...we will visit the incredible neighborhoods filled with grafitti, I love doing it, so I took my maltese friend Leon and my Aussie friend Sandy to have some fun in the streets of Santa Tereza, Lapa and even some of the famous favelas of Rio!!!

The city is living a COLORFUL PERIOD, in the schools we are teaching our children to do beautiful art in specific places in the city, so we are just taking advantage of this so positive period of safety and creativity that we are living in Rio!



Of course when you take part of THE TOUR OF COLORS, you will be part of the CRYING NATIVE BABY GALLERY OF PHOTOS in my facebook which is becoming a funny tradition in Rio, if you want to learn more about this gallery, please add me on FACEBOOK, you can find me if you search for the email that I use there which is donrafainrio@gmail.com





The next step will be exploring the COLORS OF THE NATURE. Rio has so many parks, so many wild places, a wonderful Botanical Garden, residences of important botanists which are open for the public.


I am a Nature Addicted and I love taking my guests to the greenest spots of Rio and also all over Brazil, and the colors of the Nature can be part of your day. More than 12 years working hard to give you the best of Brazil...but it is not over yet, I have more to tell you about THE TOUR OF COLORS IN RIO.





And the grand finale is always with THE COLORS OF BEAUTY of the whole region. Rio with its beauty will dictate the colors of your day. Your free spirit will give the best colors of this different way to see Rio. Just like my brazilian guests could experience and also my polish cousins Paulinha and Pawel, wonderful friends and guests who are now living in England!

Well...come and join us, just myself, my team and the folks of AnyRoad can offer this unique opportunity.

Get informed, write to me anytime, donrafainrio@yahoo.es

RAFAEL TORRES LOPES
TOUR GUIDE AND TRAVEL PLANNER