Daniel just celebrated a big birthday, and I have yet to finish writing about mine, which over six months ago. We both turned thirty this year, and celebrated with pizzazz.

“I want to go hang gliding on my birthday”, I told Daniel back in January. We were planning for our trip to Brazil and I was specifically searching for things to do on my birthday which was to pass while we were in Rio de Janeiro. “It’s going to cost a lot, but I only turn 30 once”.

I emailed a few hang gliding companies, requesting rates for my birthday. They responded- some quickly, some a week later- all informing me that there was a hike in rates because of the World Cup.

“Should we still do it?” I asked my husband, gawking at the 25% World Cup premium being tacked on to an already expensive excursion.

“Yes, you only turn 30 once.”

We kept our expenses to a minimum, travelling frugally in Brazil. We’ve broken down our costs for the trip but we haven’t covered the fun part. Here are the things we splurged on:

(Note: Costs were valid as of June 2014. The exchange rate was roughly 2 BRL: 1 CAD)

Food

Brazil is a country for meat-lovers and prides itself for its churrasco: barbequed meat. There are a plethora of steakhouses (churrascarias), most of which serve their meat rodízio (all you can eat style for a fixed price). In churrascarias, servers approach your table with various cuts of  meat on a skewer; meat is sliced off the skewer onto your plate, right at the table. Meats offered include filet mignon, turkey, pork sausages, the Brazilian staple: Picanha (beef rump), bife de ancho (similar to ribeye, grilled on the bone), pork ribs, chicken hearts, and chicken thighs- all prepared simply with salt and pepper. Many modern churrascarias also offer a buffet table, serving salads and even seafood.

Rio de Janeiro

Porcão
We had our first experience of Brazilian churrascaria at Porcão. Reputably one of country’s best steakhouses, it set the standard- after which no other churrascaria measured up- for a feast of meat. Porcao Rio offers a huge breadth of cuts from quality meat, and an extensive buffet of sides, including decent sushi. The piece de resistance, which Daniel had three servings of, is the bife de ancho, wheeled out in a cart and cut from the bone before serving; it’s full of flavor and the right amount of fat. Porcao is experience, especially for the ravenous, but it doesn’t come cheap.
Location: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, S / N, Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro
Cost: R$97 (~$49 CAD).
Cheaper Alternative: While I do highly recommend Porcão, a more affordable option is Churrascaria Palace Copacabana, priced at R$60; there is a discount offer for signing up on their website.

Sao Paulo

The food scene in Brazil is centered in Sao Paulo. With its immense population and as the country’s economic center, there are numerous restaurants catering to many ethnicities and types of budget. We spent the last couple days in Sao Paulo and decided to splurge on food. Here are two restaurants worthy of note:

Benjamin Abrahão
This bakery boasts of being one of the City’s best, located in the upscale neighbourhood of Jardins. It is run by a French-born Brazilian and offers delicious bread and pastries. The place smells so good, I would wear it as a perfume just to smell the bread all the time.
Location: Street José Maria Lisboa 1397
Cost: Sandwiches and other treats for R$10-25

Brasil A Gosto
\Also in the Jardins neighborhood, this gem of a restaurant is hidden at the end of a quiet tree-lined street. The founder and chef of the restaurant traveled across the country to study different cuisine styles and to inventory regional ingredients thereby creating authentic Brazilian flavours and dishes. We opted for the tasting menu at about R$70 per person (~$35 CAD) and were presented a three course meal. Each dish was light but flavourful and delicious. We also opted for the “snack” dish for an additional R$14 per person; the snacks included amazing freshly baked bread and fried chips (various bananas, yams, yucca, potatoes) with different condiments to dip and smear. The restaurant itself is inspirational, decorated with regional art, plants, and lots of natural lighting. It is quite a trek to Brasil A Gosto (by foot) and takes patience to find, but I do highly recommend this restaurant.
Location: Street Azevedo do Amaral 70, Jardins
Cost: Mains start at R$45, daily fixed menu for R$70

Attractions

Hang Gliding

To celebrate my birthday, we went with Just Fly Rio for our tandem hang gliding adventure. Not only did Paulo provided the quickest response to my inquiries, he technically didn’t charge a World Cup markup. Instead, he only offered his inclusive package, inclusive of pictures, video and transportation to and from our accommodations- which, during the highest of high seasons, seemed relatively fair.

I woke up bright an early on the day of my birthday, filled with anticipation and excitement for a new decade and phase in life. I vowed to be more productive and, I thought, what is more productive than checking hang gliding off my bucket list? Shortly after breakfast, Just Fly Rio picked us up and escorted us to the hang gliding launch site about 1,700 feet above Tijuca National Park. As the jeep snaked higher and higher up a hill of lush jungle, my stomach fluttered with both fear and delight.

Because I practically told everyone with ears that it was my birthday, I was chosen to fly first- the first out of my group of four, and the first flight of the day. As I was being strapped onto the harness attached to the kite, my instructor told me to “run, and don’t stop running”. We practiced the take off run a few times, an awkward 10 ft sprint while attached to another human and a giant kite. We were ushered to the top of a wooden ramp that lead to the open horizon of sea and sky. I was to run and don’t stop running off that ramp. The stomach flutters grew as we waited for the proper wind conditions. Then it was time. With more fear than delight, we began our sprint down the ramp. I ran and didn’t stop running. Just like that my feet were not touching ground; I was a human kite and flying.

I had anticipated a drop coming off the ramp, but the wind picked up the kite as soon as we were in the air, gently lifting us upwards and away. We soared above the city, atop golden beaches, lush mountains, and the seemingly endless ocean; I was in awe at the beauty of the city and marveled as Paulo pointed out the sites: Cristo Reemer! Sugar Loaf Mountain! Rio de Janeiro, with its rolling mountains and beaches for miles, is the very definition of picturesque.

“You want some adrenaline rush?” I nodded eagerly and Paulo tilted the glider downwards; we flew down towards the city- fast- the air coursing around me. I squealed with delight as the he adjusted the kite back into a gradual glide again. I was in the air for a total of ten minutes, ten expensive, enchanting, exhilarating minutes; hang gliding is an amazing experience, however brief, and an impressive way to experience the beautiful city of Rio De Janeiro.
Cost: R$550/person

The Best $7 Spent

No trip to the island of Ilha Grande is complete without a trip to the beautiful Praia Lopes Mendes. Reaching the beach to experience its splendor of fine white sand and aqua blue waters is no easy feat; it’s a three hour hike through a humid jungle mountain. We trekked the route and were rewarded with a day of sunbathing, game of football, dips in the ocean, and general fun in the sun. At the end of the day, my friend Nancy and I intended on hiking back into town, but our husbands were reluctant. They complained about being tired and suggested taking a boat from an adjacent beach back into town.

“That’s going to cost us R$14 (~$7 CAD) per person! We can walk back to Vila do Abraão for FREE”.

In the end, the boys won. Ivan, Nancy’s husband, was recovering from a recent knee surgery and wasn’t certain he could make the trek before nightfall (it was winter in Brazil, and like winter in the northern hemisphere, the sun set early in the day). Not wanting to be lost in a jungle in the dark, Nancy and I reluctantly agreed, regretting that we didn’t bring the headlamps like we originally intended to.

We boarded the last boat back to town which was lovely:  warm breeze in our hair and a view of colourful fishing boats set against a backdrop of grey skies and hazy mountains. Nancy started sharing a story about her friends paying money for a boat excursion to see dolphins in Hawaii, when I noticed something in the distance: fish-like silhouettes leaping in and out of the water.

“Are those… dolphins?!” I pointed at the horizon. Half a dozen dolphins leaped into the air. The crowd on the boat began to stir, rising from their seats and whipping out their cameras. The dolphins, though too far to capture a good picture, danced in and out of the ocean until our boat drifted away.

For $7 a person, we got a dolphin watching tour that would have cost at least $70 excursion anywhere else.

The Worst $92 Spent

We made a point to visit the Iguazú Falls intending on spending half the time exploring the falls on the Brazil side, with the balance spent up close on the Argentina side. At nearly three kilometer in length and up to 80 meters high, the falls are undeniably breathtaking. Apparently, Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed “My poor Niagra!” at its sight- I couldn’t agree more. We wanted an up-close-and-personal look at the falls, thus a trip out to the Argentinian side was in order. We verified online that there were no visa requirements and left for the border.

The morning of our trip, we chose to navigate the public bus system. It was an easy bus ride to the border, upon which we disembarked and went through passport control. It was then we learnt that although a visa is not required, a reciprocity fee must be paid to enter Argentina. To make matters more complicated, they didn’t take payment at the border; the fee was to be paid online and the receipt presented at the time of crossing. We were rejected and forced back the way we came.

Back at the hotel, the situation continued to deteriorate. The reciprocity fee was $92 USD per person. Even if we were willing to pay, transit by bus was going to take to long to get to the Argentinian side. Brazil was playing Mexico at 5PM and every private car service was mysteriously unavailable. We were out of options.

Until we weren’t. Our hotel found us a driver willing to take us if we wanted to go. We had come this far. We bit the bullet, paid the fee and hired the car. In the end, we got a good look at the falls and even managed to make it back in time to catch the game. Was it worth it? Meh. The unexpected expense was too painful.

Last Word

We spent and splurged on Brazil more than we usually do when we travel- perhaps it was because I was turning 30 and had this YOLO mentality. Regardless, we had spent over a year saving for the trip and made an effort to cut costs to make the more expensive experiences possible. Our Brazil trip was a luxury and we are incredibly blessed to have had the resources- including full time babysitters for our little one- to go. If you ever have the privilege of travelling to Brazil, depending on your budget and travel style, we hope both our tips on how to mitigate costs as well as ideas on how to spend money will come in handy.

Addendum

While reading my post, Daniel asks “Why didn’t you write about the World Cup?” I stared at him blankly, genuinely not understanding what he was asking.

“We went and saw a game???” he stated. “… The World Cup was the reason we went to Brazil in the first place??”

It took a moment or two before I remembered what he was referring to. Why yes, we did see a World Cup game in Brazil! And it did cost money! Clearly t’s not the defining moment of the trip for me.