My 8-month adventure through Brazil

by Thábata Alves da Silva (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Brazil

In 2019 I quit my job to start backpacking alone, around my country. The idea was to volunteer in exchange of accommodation and spend as little as possible. I didn't plan too much and I didn't have a ticket or a date to return. My life at that time was a big empty book waiting to be written. I started in the central region of Brazil, in a place called “Chapada dos Veadeiros”. This place is surrounded by hiking trails and waterfalls, stunning and very particular vegetation. I stayed there for 30 days, volunteering in a hostel where I met some very special folks. Bati, an amazing Argentinian woman, citizen of the world, very talented cook. She taught me everything she knew about cooking. Gil, a Brazilian guy who had just loose his job and was looking for a place to start over. Wagner, the hostel owner, that had just retired from a lifetime working as a prison officer. Traveling is like this: you're gonna meet a lot of different people. If you're curious enough to overcome the barrier of first contact and truly want to know more than their names and countries, you will find out that everyone has something to teach and share. This is the most amazing part of it. Get to know people from all over the world, different cultures and backgrounds, different languages and distinct point of views, it is such a rich and priceless experience! My 30 days in that amazing place was about to end, so I decided to go to a small city in the State of Minas Gerais. I got there in the end of July to stay 2 weeks, but it turned to be 4 weeks. I felt home. The food, the coffee, the chilly weather and of course, the people. They were so nice that I simply couldn’t leave. I've learned there that if you have flour, eggs and oil, you have lasagna! Put some baker's yeast and it can turn into a pizza, a bread or maybe a cake. I've met local people, had some french lessons with a french girl who was living next door and every now and then I went to the neighbors houses to have coffee or soup and enjoy the cold weather next to a fire pit. As wonderful as it was to spend some time in that tiny little city, it was time to move on. In the end of August I was heading Bahia, one of the biggest states of Brazil. Bahia has beautiful and countless beaches, sunny, warm, perfect to party or just lay down on the sand. It was fun! Maybe the place that I had more fun in the whole trip. I keep dreaming about going back there. After I left Bahia, I went to Alagoas, one of the smallest states of Brazil. Another place with an amazing coast. But the important part was that I got to know so many women traveling alone! It was so inspiring to meet those girls. They were fearless, intelligent, independent. There was so much power in their stories and speeches. I was proud and very happy to share my days in Maceió with them. In November my bank account was almost empty but I was not ready to go back home. So I decided to go to a very touristic place and find a job in order to get money and continue the trip. I spent 3 months in Pipa, working as a waitress. I was able to save some money, practice a lot of English and Spanish, while living in a ridiculously beautiful place in the north of Brazil. In February I went back to Rio just in time for Carnival, my favorite time of the year. But the person who went back was not the same one that left 8 months before. I've changed. Now I'm sure of one thing: the world is too big for me to spend my life behind a desk inside an office. I want to discover new things everyday. I want to learn as much as I can and live a life full of experiences. The adventure is now just beginning!