Brazil Blog
About this blog
Thrill of Brazil is a travel blog all about Brazil written by Moon Brazil author Michael Sommers. Michael blogs about Brazil travel, culture, and more. He welcomes questions, comments, and story ideas.
Recent Posts
- Care for a Drink with your Film? (or a Film with your Drink?)
- Brazil’s Homegrown Tourism Boom
- Brazil's Best and Write-est
- Making House Calls in Rio (Part II)
- Making House Calls in Rio (Part I)
- The Dawning of Brazil's B&B Age
- Rio's Alternative Points of View
- Taxi Trouble in Santa Teresa
- Obamas Take to the Campaign Trail in Brazil
- Plans and Punctuality
- Reliving Tropicalismo - On and Off Screen
- Food and Lodging that Make the Grade
- The Making of Moon Living Abroad in Brazil
- U.S. is Number One Source of Immigrants to Brazil
- Best English-Language Blogs about Brazil
Minas Gerais Road Trip - Part 3 (Comida di Buteco)
Bar hounds beware (or prepare)!
Belo Horizonte is Brazil's bar capital par excellence.
At last count, the capital of Minas Gerais boasted some 12,000 watering holes, a figure that translates into more bars per capita than any other Brazilian city. For this reason, "BH" has earned the informal title of "capital nacional do boteco" – a boteco being the Brazilian term for an informal bar that functions as neighborhood headquarters for residents (and bohemians) from all walks of life who get together to talk about futebol, politics, or their sex lives for hours at a time, while downing ice cold cerveja or shots of cachaça. more >>
Minas Gerais Road Trip - Part 2 (At The Market)
Although it is not a terribly alluring city, I have developed a real fondness for Belo Horizonte , capital of the state of Minas GeraiS, referred to by Mineiros as "BH" (pronounced "BAY ah-GAH"). Translated literally, Belo Horizonte means "beautiful horizon," an allusion to the fact that the city is spread out along the slopes and bottom of a valley surrounded by Serra do Curral mountain range. Traveling around BH is akin to sliding up and down the sides of a gigantic bowl. The higher up you happen to be, the more fetching the horizon. more >>
Minas Gerais Road Trip - Part 1
On Saturday night I flew from Salvador to Belo Horizonte, capital of the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, to meet my most recent ex, Luiz de Abreu.
Luiz is a contemporary dancer and choreographer whose works explore issues related to being black and Brazilian - his most recognized work is a riveting performance called Samba do Crioulo Doido, or Samba of the Crazy Nigger. Simultaneously lyrical and in-your-face, Samba speaks volumes about questions of race in Brazil, and has had a considerable impact on audiences both in Brazil and overseas. more >>
Sophisticated Sands
One can get spoiled by living in Brazil. Several summers ago, I was visiting my sister in New York and, she enthusiastically suggested we beat the heat and humidity by heading to a beach – in the Bronx. Having never been to a beach in NYC, I was game – even though it took about an hour on various subways and buses to get there. more >>
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