Peak Experiences and Lasting Impressions

A note from your blog concierge: I've asked everyone in our great group, including the non-bloggers, to share a few sentences or paragraphs on their favorite experience(s) and/or important reflections on our amazing journey.  I'll be posting these as they come in.

From Jackie Yang:

Many thanks to Rob for organizing this trip!  The itinerary was perfect with a great mix of cities and sights.  The meetings and tours were all really fascinating and informative.  I had a wonderful time!

Hmm, it is really difficult to pick the best experience, as the whole trip was a great experience overall for me.  Warmth of the people, tasty food (however meaty), great transportation, two of the wonders of the world, etc.?  

From Darrell Van Ness:

Great trip; excellent planning by Rob and his helpers; superb execution; and outstanding friendliness within the group.

We all learned something about urban planning but I discovered an alternative history of aviation.  Chance reading of a plaque in the Curitiba airport led to discovery that Brazil considers itself to be the founding nation for powered flight.  Alberto Santos-Dumont, a faithful son of Brazil, indeed flew an engine powered, steerable balloon before the Wright Brothers put their winged craft into the air.  And Santos-Dupont quickly followed the Wright invention with a heavier-than-air design of his own. 

Arrival home:  Drivers stopped at signs and traffic lights; pedestrian used crosswalks.  And I rambled through a house filled with more furniture and clothing than anybody needs.  Alas,  three days after the return, orderly traffic and excessive personal property, including four vaccuum cleaners and three TVs,  now seem normal. 

Highlight for me, other than Brazil:  Lee Eastwood's stories of other travels, including a ride in an airplane in Africa equipped with school bus benches rather than airline seats.  And, of course, Alex's account of the "fiercest warrior" (himself) in Amazonia.

From Scott Ruhland:

For me, I think I will remember a few things as the stand outs....the warmth and friendliness of the Brazilian people. I had the opportunity to meet some locals and all were kind, curious and genuine towards me as an American.

Feelings of being safe and not threatened at all, given the amount of warning you get as far as traveling to Brazil. Brazil gets some bad press about crime, and I'm sure most is well deserved. Call us lucky, call us smart, call us intrepid, but I never, even as I'm walking around alone in the wee hours, felt unsafe, uncomfortable or threatened, and that was a pleasant surprise to me.

And finally, I think the contrast and similarities between cities we visited was amazing. Each has their own style, flavor and atmosphere. Paraty and Ouro Preto were similar in alot of ways, in others not at all. The contrast between two big cities like Brasilia and Curitiba is fascinating. Sao Paul is a beast, the lion of South America, as Ive heard it called, and Rio is like its mischievous (and beautiful) little sister.  All were beautiful in their own way but at the same time gritty and a little rough around the edges. It was the perfect blend and I commend us all for planning a great itinerary, the time and effort we spent was so worth it.

It goes without the saying that the planning meetings were all excellent and fascinating. I think we scored big time on those. Special thanks to Vincent of course.

And of course, special thanks to Rob, the cat herder. Not easy to organize and manage a group of planners like us, but we know all what an excellent job he did!

 
From Eileen Whitty:

Sugarloaf Mountain Visit

In Rio de Janiero, Sugarloaf Mountain rises steeply out of the city. It’s named for its unique shape that resembles a traditional form of refined sugar used in the 19^th century. To reach the summit, we took two cable cars mostly straight up from the visitor’s center. The first ascended to the shorter Morro da Urca, 220 meters high. The second car ascended to Pão de Açúcar. The Italian-made bubble-shaped cars upgraded in 2008, offer passengers 360-degree views of the surrounding city. The climb takes three minutes from start to finish.

Because the Mountain is located out on a peninsula in Guanabara Bay, which contains more than 130 islands, views are spectacular and show why the city is so water-oriented. Many hidden beaches and neighborhoods that have private marinas are now visible and beckoned to those walkers and swimmers among our group.

The Mountain is also a popular urban rock climbing destination and many climbers were visible to us as we ascended in the cable cars.

Because of the views from this site, this is my One Memorable Experience in Brazil.
*************

and from John Carson:

Brazil was, without question and by far, the most remarkable trip we have taken.

The trip was an unending parade of unforgettable experiences: the planning meetings in Sao Paula and Curitiba, the South-Sea-like schooner cruise, the cog rail way ending in the summit of Corcovada Mountain and Christ the Redeemer blessing Rio, the aerial tram to the summit of Sugarloaf, the spectacular train ride through the costal mountains; all would have been the highlight of a "mere mortal" trip but...

for me, the most unforgettable moments were the experiences in the Iguazu National Park. The walks, the vistas, and the magnitude of the natural setting exceeded anything I could have imagined . Experiencing the falls went beyond appreciating spectacular beauty. From the tiny Swifts, fearlessly flying through the falling water to safely roast, to the grand vista's, to the thundering power of the Devils Throat, the grandeur of the falls elicits powerful spiritual and emotional responses from within one's being.

Just want to also share a totally qualitative feeling regarding the social atmosphere of Brazil (the country)

Having been a small business owner and also a non-profit organization director who has had a positive experience in the US socio-economic environment, I have (and should have) strong positive feelings about the capitalistic-democratic system we have in the US (after all it has been good to Carolyn & me.)

Being ignorant of the socio-economic character of Brazil, I nevertheless have experienced a feeling that there is a slightly different "sense of community" that may exist. The source of this community is beyond my analysis but nevertheless it has opened a small seam in the window of my opinion.

.

Socio-economic approaches have positive and negative elements, and we probably had a very limited view of the negative. However, I still felt, especially in the Sao Paula and Curitiba planning meetings, a strong sense of great effort being invested to improve the environment for all citizens. For some reason the emotional tone of the presentations went beyond posturing and seemed to reflect honest hopes and a commitment to work for an improved quality of life for all.

Additionally, on the mass transit, on the night of the bike tour, I was impressed by the people's lack of aggressiveness. In spite of the packed bus conditions people were able to get out at their stops. To me, there seemed to be a good sense of "we're in this together and we'll do our part to make it bearable". On more than one occasion, riders offered their seat to me (ok, ok, I know I'm old, but nevertheless...impressive.)

As a result, for me, the seam that has been opened is that other socio-economic systems have elements that can, possibly, result in a satisfying and supportive environment that "works" for people...

and the associated corollary? Our way remains a work in progress, we can and should continue to labor for a better tomorrow...for all.

But...can we learn from others?...I don't know.