My own Paradise

by Thaís Fernanda Rico (Brazil)

Making a local connection Brazil

I went up to the pier, all around was blue. In moments like these, you close your eyes and try to feel the wind blowing and refreshing your skin that's exposed to the sun. You can feel the melanin growing, the heart falters for a single second, your mind begins to calculate the hight wanting to give up, but all you need, all you want, it's to feel that adrenaline, then you jump. That's what I did. I flew, seconds before hitting the cold water of Barra's Beach in Salvador, Brazil, my heart skipped a bit, my whole body chilled by the Atlantic ocean. When you travel, the best thing is about changing habits, disconnecting from the world you're used to and diving deep into something new. If you're ready to face the unknown, then you'll discover your own paradise. Being in South America is the craziest experience I could ever have. All of the people, forests, animals, and different weather changes my mind and soul. Traveling is not just about going to a new place, it is about connecting with it, feeling what those people feel, seeing as they see, and most important of all, to experience, even just a little bit, how it would be like living as they live. Taking a cruise with my husband on our honeymoon sounded like a good idea for us. We took six months to prepare for it. Of course, we didn’t have enough money to pay for that, but a friend helped us borrowing his credit card. It was crazy because to do something like that you have to really trust in someone. Otherwise, you’re getting into a big trouble! I spent 7 days on the water, sleeping in a luxurious big ship, eating whenever and whatever I wanted and enjoying a lot of activities on the different decks. Anyone would feel like a king, but for me, the real luxe is to appreciate the nature outside. The ship would leave from Rio de Janeiro on Saturday morning, so first, we had to travel to Rio. So there we go, leaving the noisy São Paulo behind with a couple that we’ve met on a ride app. The road to Rio was really funny, you can meet pretty nice people on app rides. Those 8 hours were spiritually, emotionally and physically therapeutic. Sharing your life with others in unusual situations can be very eye-opening. Arriving in Rio, a friend let us stay in his house until the ship check-in. It was a really cute place, his mother welcomed us for two days before the cruise; those days were enough to feel a bit like a “carioca”. Their wheezing way to talk, for ones a little annoying, can captivate you, they are very simplistic people, you can see a good relaxed life by the way they communicate with you. The second day in Rio was spent hiking the Christ the Redeemer trail, which took us 2 and a half hours to get up. The hike brought us, a Chilean guy and his son, a few boys who lived in Rio, whom have never hiked that trail, and funny and smart monkeys. Which I’m sure, are pretty used to standing and watching many people sweating in the woods under the scorching Brazilian California's sun. It’s very windy up there, but I can’t deny, the entire hike is worth it. You have the most amazing, breathtaking and indescribable, view. Trees, buildings, roads, everything hugged by the ocean around. The peace fills your body so much that you may feel you can fly. Yes, that’s the feeling. All of the cities I’ve visited on that trip and the people I had the chance to connect to I’ll always keep with me. That's what a trip does, it changes you and connects you. I felt myself changing when I dived in the water after hesitating some minutes, when I got on a stand up paddle with my husband, and while watching the sea ahead us I could breathe more deeply than I’ve ever could, and when I let myself be involved with the salty water, leaving all the thoughts behind, I changed. And I’ll always keep changing.