Final Thoughts on Brazil

I am now back in Minnesota.  It was a long flight back and I was very happy to see my own bed.  So happy that I think I slept  about 15 hours when I got home.  I had an incredible trip and I had an opportunity to experience Brazil in a way that very few tourists get to.  We were immersed in so much of the country because of our tremendous guides and the many experiences that were arranged for us. 

Many people asked what I could possibly learn from touring Brazil's schools.  Much more than one would think.  It was neat to see the partnerships between businesses and schools and the empowerment of the teachers.   Just like we are proud of the accomplishments of our students, they are very proud of theirs.  There were so many take-aways from each school visit.  I know I will need some processing time. 

What probably hit me the most was how the 10% of the country that holds the nation's wealth, sits right next to the poorest of the poor.  There was such striking contrasts between the haves and have nots. Beautiful neighborhoods of buildings sitting right next to the favelas or slums.  It is understandable that there were widespread protests that started because of increases in bus fares.  A huge amount of the working class' income goes to transportation.  It was an amazing experience to be in the country during this historic time.  I truly hope I have the opportunity to to travel here again some day.  Thanks for following Stanley and my adventures!

Beautiful apartments like these...

sit next to favelas like these.

These cars were very symbolic of the economic divide.

Final Night

For our final evening, we dined at a beautiful home.  Stepping inside was like stepping back in time to 1922 when the house was built.

Bob's Burgers

I don't think it was the same restaurant from the television show, but you could find a Bob's around almost every corner in Rio.

Companhia Urbana de Danca

We had a special treat, a private performance by the Companhia Urbana de Danca.  The dance troupe is made up of young dancers who come from Rio de Janeiro's slums, or favelas.  They found dancing was a way to stay out of trouble.  The performance was amazing, absolutely moving.  They will be traveling to the states next year and will be performing in the Twin Cities.  I know I will be there.

More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures that I think are kind of neat.

More Flowers

These are some more pictures of flowers we saw.  Impatiens grew on the ground like grass

Monkeys

A lot of people asked if we would see monkeys.  The answer is YES!  Here are pictures of marmosets on Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Sugar Loaf Mountain

Probably one of the most spectacular sites that Stanley and I saw was Sugar Loaf Mountain.  We hopped in a cable car.  Good thing that Stanley and I aren't afraid of heights.  We quickly found ourselves at the half-way point, Morra do Urca.  We exited the cable car and looked around for a bit.  We then hopped in another car and we went all the way to the top.  The view was amazing.  We also had time to explore in the forest on the mountain.

This is what the cable car looks like.

Glad we didn't go up the mountain this way!

The view of the station from the cable car.

Amazing!

The original cable car.  Hmmm...not sure I would want to ride in that!

The view of Copacaban Beach from the top of Sugar Loaf.

Once at the top of the mountain, we got to explore the forest.  Here is bamboo.

Stanley plays hide and seek in the forest.