Total Expenses

     Including my round-trip flight to Sao Paulo, my hotel, car-rentals, food, and leisure activities my total expenses would be $9,636.40.
-for the two nights at Sao Paulo hotel expenses were $1497.40
-my round-trip flight was $4,985.00
-my car rental was $720.00 per week
-my food costed around $280.00
-my four nights at Rio de Janeiro costed $1992.00
-leisure activities were $162.00

     My overall budget was to stay under $10,000, so I am pleased that I didn't go over my budget.  What really cost a lot were my plane tickets and hotel reservations.

Map of Brazil

Day 7: June 23, 2012

     Today I decide to spend my last day in Brazil in some of my favorite places I've visited this week but I want to visit one last place before I revisit my favorites.  I gather my luggage and check out of my hotel.  I get in my rented car and drive to the Bohemian Neighborhood of Santa Teresa.  I enter the park and see some amazing sights.  Ruins of the ancient city seem to grow from the ground as I turn each corner.  After spending a good two hours here I leave and go to the Margutta Italian restaurant. I order a delicious pizza and eat quickly.  

     I stop by the Christ Redeemer statue one last time before my final day in Brazil comes to an end.  I quickly stop by and say goodbye to my new friend and then head to the airport. I board the jumbo plane and get ready for the flight back.  

     We land in Chicago at 5:41 A.M. on Sunday June, 24. Home at last. 

Day 6: June 22, 2012

     I can't believe my time in Brazil is almost over.  I've had such a great time.  Today I've decided to take it easy    so I'm going to first off visit Parque Lage.  After a short drive I get out of my car to see a beautiful mansion built among the mountains.  I walk in and take a few snapshots of this beautifully crafted building.  The sun shines through the spaces between the leaves and makes beautiful shining spots on the ground.  I decide to eat my breakfast at the Cafe du Lage, located in the mansion.  I order a cup of coffee and an omelet, which was very tasty.  After breakfast I head out of the mansion and back down to the beach to have a game of volleyball with my friend.  

     I meet my friend at a small beach between Paula Freitas and Hilario de Gouveia.  We have a very satisfying game then I head off of the beach and back to my hotel to change into some new clothes.  I decide to next visit the Banco do Brazil Cultural Center to rap up my sixth day.  I spend the evening listening to some live music presented by locals. 

Day 5: June 21, 2012

     Today is my fifth day in Brazil and I'm having a blast.  To start off my day today I decided to shop for some souvenirs at the Artisan Market.  While at the market I tried acaraje, a Behian delicacy.  It was astonishingly good.  After a few hours looking around the market I decided to go to the beach again but try to do some surfing.
     This time I decided to go to Barra beach, known for it's strong waves.  I rented a bright yellow surfboard and  a wet-suit and then hit the waves.  I took up to surfing rather quickly and found it very fun.  While surfing you feel like your in a totally different world.  I surfed for about an hour before I finally got wiped out by one of the biggest waves I had ever seen.

     After returning my surfboard and wet-suit I decided to rent a bicycle and simply bike around the city for the remainder of my day.  I took a nice ride around the city and met some very friendly locals.  I even met a new friend whom I biked back to my hotel with.  Soon my fifth day was over and I was laying my head on my very welcoming pillow.

Day 4: June 20, 2012

     I woke up feeling really good, ready to take on Rio.  I slipped on my shoes and a clean pair of clothes and hurried downstairs.  I decided to visit Sugar Loaf Mountain today.  Sugar Loaf Mountain rises above the entire city and is a famous landmark.  I decided to take the cable car up to the top to do some sightseeing. The car only took three minutes to reach the peak of the mountain.  I had never been so high up in my life and the sights were breathtaking! After a good thirty minutes of sightseeing I returned to the bottom seeing life in a different view.  

     Next I was off to the Tijuca Rainforest, located in the city.  While at this beautiful  park I had the pleasure of actually swimming under a waterfall which was simply amazing.  After my relaxing swim I decided to get a bite to eat.  I decided on Confeitaria Colombo.  I ordered the feijoada and a glass of tea.  I was pleased with the service of the waiters and the quality of the food.

     My last visit of the day was to take a nice stroll through Santa Teresa which is home to brightly colored houses. The houses were simply inspiring to me.  As the sun set behind the horizon I made my way back to my hotel.

Day 3: June 19, 2012

     Today I woke up extra early to travel to Rio de Janeiro.  It would take about five hours to get there so I got up at 2:00 A.M. and planned on getting there at seven. I finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro at 7:30 A.M. Today I plan on visiting the Christ Redeemer statue, one of the seven wonders of the world. I drove as close as I could then got onto an elevator that took me up to the statue.  As I stepped out of the elevator I saw the statue, and was I amazed.  It towered over me and into the clear blue sky.  After about an hour at the statue I decided to check out some restaurants in Rio.

     I found a restaurant called Antiquarius which served Brazilian food.  I ordered codfish, one of there specialties, and it was surprisingly good. My meal cost about $80.00. Next I was off to the beach! I walked down to Ipanema beach to find it nearly packed.  I spent about an hour at the beach then decided it was time to visit one last place then find a hotel for the night. I visited the Jardim Botanica, a botanical garden, to do some meditating.  At dusk I went to find a hotel. I found one pretty quickly called JW MARRIOTT. I checked in and went to sleep.

Day 2: June 18, 2011

     I awoke the next morning feeling the warm Brazilian sun shining on my cheek.  Today I was going to go visit some local attractions in Sao Paulo.  I glanced at the clock to see that is was 9:30 A.M. I walked downstairs and grabbed a muffin and a glass of milk.  First I decided to take a private tour through the city.  My tour guide was very welcoming and I found out a lot about the city.  The sights were simply amazing as we walked through the busy streets.  Building seemed to grow from the ground and towered above us.  The tour lasted about two hours, and I said my goodbyes to my tour guide.  After the tour I was pretty hungry so I stopped at a local restaurant. I ordered a Bauru sandwich which was very good.
     The next thing I decided to do was visit Ibirapuera Park, one of the many parks in the city.  The park was simply beautiful as I walked on one of the walking trails. The park seemed very popular as there were many people here today.  The sun again was shining today.

     To finish up my day I decided to go to Sao Paulo Museum of Art.  The art here was quiet different here than in the United States.  After touring the museum I went back to my hotel.  Tonight would be my last night in Sao Paulo.

Day 1: June 17, 2012

   Today I arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil at 9:45 a.m. after my ten hour flight from Chicago, Illinois. I will be staying at a hotel by the name of  Emiliano tonight. I am very excited to be in Brazil, for it's my first time visiting.  Today the sun was shining and it's was pretty warm out.  As I entered my hotel the bellhop was glad to take my luggage up to my room.  I looked in a small travel book that was placed on a table in my room and saw a restaurant that seemed fairly nice.  The restaurant was named Brazil a Gosto and was located just down the street.  I got dressed and walked there.  As I sat down at the table the chef greeted me, which surprised me. 

     The main course for the day consisted of  slices of pork tenderloin with a deep red, smoky jaboticaba cherry sauce sided with a grilled banana and yam puree. It was very delicious and after I finished I walked back to my hotel.  The sun started to set over the beautiful city and I watched it disappear out of sight.  I walked back into my room and finally went to sleep. 

Banana Brazil Nut Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 3x bananas
• 1x large mango
• 6x Brazil nuts

Method:

Peel and dice bananas and mango and toss together in a bowl. Sprinkle brazil nuts on top and serve.
Serves 1

The Writing of Frankenstein

                We decided to have a contest. By we, I refer to I, my wife Mary, Lord Byron, and John Polidori. The contest was to see who, out of the four of us, could write the best horror story.  I knew I was going to win for I had the best imagination by far.  At that time I didn’t know that my wife would soon become a great novelist.  We were spending the summer near Geneva, Switzerland when the contest was brought up.  Weeks passed and no one seemed to have an idea.  Then one night Mary awoke from a dream screaming bloody murder into the night waking me up.

                She told us of a scientist who created life but was terrified of what he made.  The story scared all of us to the point of no return.  We all decided Mary was the winner by far.  But then in 1818 in London Mary’s story was published anonymously but on the second edition which was published in France in 1823 Mary’s name was proudly put on the front of her book, Frankenstein.  Her book was read throughout the world as a horror story, for she is possibly one of the best Horror novelists.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792 in England.  In 1802 Percy enrolled into the Syon House Academy in Brentford, Middlesex and then into Eton College in 1804.  His first novel was published in 1810 called Zastrozzi.  In 1811 Percy published his second novel titled St. Irvyne also called The Rosicrucian.  At 19 years old Percy married his first wife, Harriet Westbrook, on August 29, 1811 but after three years of this marriage he fell in love with Mary Godwin in which he ran away with.  In December 1816 Percy’s wife Harriet drowned herself but after her body was found Percy and Mary were married on December 30, 1816.  On July 8, 1822 one month before his thirtieth birthday Percy drowned in a sudden storm while sailing back from Livorno to Lerici.