Sea of Humanity

I first visited Brazil for Christmas and New Year's in 1996 and finally moved here permanently in 2002, to this day I think it was one of the better decisions of my life. The people is what first attracted me, specifically a woman and then meeting her family and spending a festival season with a Brazilian family left an indelible impression on me. Also, on that first trip I managed to cover allot of ground, first laid my eyes on Rio and spent a week in the most awesome town of Buzios. I could go on about the weather, the rain-forests and the 4,000 km's of beaches but suffice it to say that after so many years I'm still feeling like I've only scratched the surface and I dream about seeing more.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the greatest cities in the world, everyone owes it to themselves to visit if they have the chance. However, unless you like crowds I highly recommend avoiding the days surrounding New Years Eve and the week of Carnival, although I've got to admit that the beaches are so broad and hotels across the nice wide avenues around Copa Cabana, that even on the busiest of days (click to enlarge the photo), there's still room for everyone - believe it or not!