Christine and Ed Retirement Travels

The area around Salvador, Brazil, was originally discovered by Italian explorers in late 1501 but was not officially established as a colonial settlement until 1549 after the Portuguese had arrived. The weather here is a consistently tropical mid 20s Celsius, sunny and very humid and I am sure that this might sound quite appealing to anyone who lives in a northern climate. But, and there is always a but, it is so very difficult to escape the overpowering heat, and after only a couple of hours of wandering, energy levels begin to drop quickly. When first established as an official colony of Portugal, the city of Salvador’s growth was triggered by sugar cane and subsequently it also became the capital city of Brazil. Some time later, the title of capital city was passed to Rio de Janeiro and later still the capital was established in Brasilia. The growing of sugar cane and the increase in the number of plantations, served as an impetus for a period of high prosperity. Resulting from

The small town of Buzios, with a population a little less than 35,000, is located on a small peninsula jutting out, into the Atlantic Ocean, from the Brazilian mainland. French pirates, in the early 1500s, were the first Europeans to discover this area and established a lucrative, but highly illegal, Brazilian hardwood smuggling route into Europe. In 1575, the Portuguese banished the pirates and established the town of Buzios. The Centre of the old town reflects centuries of Portuguese rule with picturesque churches, colonial architecture and narrow cobbled streets. It is very easy to imagine this place as a pirate haven, in years gone by. The tropical climate, with lots of sunshine and high humidity, ensures that lush vegetation is visible everywhere and there are also more than 20 beaches in the area. The close proximity, of this exotic place, to Rio de Janeiro - only three hours driving time - has enabled Buzios to become a very popular tourist destination. The town also hosts,

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the home of the Cariocas, as Rio’s residents are known. Locals proudly say that while God made the world in six days, on the seventh day he made Rio de Janeiro - the sensual home of samba, soccer and Carnival. And, now it is also home to the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf mountain and the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, the area around what is now Rio de Janeiro was occupied by the indigenous people’s of the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo and Maxakali tribes. The climate is tropical with temperatures in the high 20s C and so very humid. The city of Rio was founded by the Portuguese on March 1st, 1565. Today there is an estimated population of  6.5 million and, now, the city is one of so many contrasts. There are hills, there are tunnels, there are trains, buses and cars, there are bicycles and motorcycles, there are horrendous traffic jams, there are pedestrians everywhere, and there is noise, const

The island of Ilhabela was discovered and named by Americo Vespucio in 1502, but did not receive official status until 1805. It is located 6km off the Southeast coast of Brazil, in the Sao Sebastiao archipelago, and is around 340km south of Rio de Janeiro. The population of the island is only 30,000 and the small town of Ilhabela is the commercial hub, and the centre of tourism for the area, and the numerous surrounding islands. This area enjoys a tropical climate year round with lots of sunshine and regular rainfall, which results in abundant palm trees and lush vegetation. The day of our visit was extremely hot and humid, with the temperature expected to quickly reach 28 degrees C. with heavy rain in the forecast. We came ashore mid morning, commenced our wandering exploration of the small town and were  not disappointed. We walked along the palm fringed shoreline, took a couple of breaks under shade trees, enjoyed the brightly coloured buildings which had previously been dwellin