"Brazil - Guaruja, Sao Pedro, & Itu" Brazil by akwindsong

When my aunt & uncle offered to take me to Brazil with them I didn't have to think twice! I said YES! I didn't even ask my husband, I said I'm going. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were going to visit the family of a past foreign exchange student and said that one more could go along. On April 30, 2002, for the first time EVER, I boarded a plane. We left from Chicago O'Hare and went to Houston where we got on our connecting flight to Sao Paulo. I had a hard time sleeping on the plane but otherwise I loved flying...although it was 9-1/2 hours from Houston to Sao Paulo. Once we arrived in the airport, I was a little overwhelmed with everyone speaking portuguese. Having taken 4 yrs. of Spanish in high school (11 years ago), I could figure out mostly what was being said and what the signs said. Our Brazilian family was waiting for us. I introduced myself (since they'd never met me) and we all hugged and then left for Guaruja where we'd be staying for the next 3 days.

Asturias Praixa (Beach)

What can I say...it is beautiful! We stayed at the apartment that our Brazilian family owned along with other family members. We first visited Tombo Beach. The next day we went to Guaiuba Beach where we swam and found seashells and some jellyfish that had came up on shore. We ate at a restaurant on the beach called Helena. The food was fabulous! We had shrimp, beef (kind of like beef tips) and chicken ("bird chicken") which was cut into pieces. While you're in Brazil, you MUST try Guarana (a soda made with natural fruits from Brazil). After swimming make sure you wash your swimsuit to get all the salt off. Then we took a sightseeing tour to Santos. We took a ferry boat and then drove along he waterfront. We stopped at Long Beach where you could see the ships waiting to drop off their supplies. That night we went shopping...we walked 1 mile (along the beaches) from the apartment to the mall. Everyone was very nice at the mall. On our way back from the mall we had some kids who were "shadowing" us but our host asked them to go across the road. I was a little nervous walking that far at night but we always walked to the other side of the road if there were groups of people standing on the sidewalk. The next day we went to Enseadas, Asturias, Pitanguieras beaches...which are all connected. At the beach there are several vendors selling nuts, hats, bracelets, or wraps for over your swimsuit. The next day we're off to Sao Pedro to the family's country home.

• Pros:Weather
• Cons:Could Get Sunburned
• In a nutshell:I Can't Wait to Go Back!