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
Magic Carpets of Minas Gerais
For years now, one of the Brazilian spectacles I’ve longed to witness are the “tapetes de serragem” (sawdust carpets) that decorate the streets of a handful of Minas Gerais´ colonial towns during the major Catholic religious festivals of Easter and Corpus Christi.
In fact, it was to satisfy this long-held desire that I purposely booked my recent trip to Diamantina to coincide with the beginning of the Semana Santa (Holy Week) festivities that culminate in Easter. more >>
For the Love of Travel (a trip to Diamantina)
As anyone who’s ever done it can attest, falling in love is a lot like traveling to a new, previously unexplored country. Along with the thrill, wonder, and adrenaline-filled sense of adventure, there are recognizable signposts, moments of déjà vu, of shocking familiarity, of been-there-done-that, as well as moments in which you discover you’ve suddenly entered unchartered territory without a map (or GPS) to guide you. more >>
SESC and the City
This week, The New York Times’ former Brazilian correspondent, Larry Rohter, published an inspiring profile on Brazil’s SESC system. SESC – which stands for Serviço Social de Comércio (Social Service of Commerce) – happens to be Brazil’s leading arts financing entity. more >>
When Lightning Strikes
I always take comfort in the fact that Brazil is spared the types of natural catastrophes that afflict many other countries. Tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, blizzards, and avalanches are all unheard of and earthquakes are negligible to non-existent. Sure there are floods and mudslides, but in most cases, the damage they inflict is due to human negligence and lack of proper planning and infrastructure rather than Mother Nature’s viciousness. more >>
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