My Future Home

How I wish I were there now:

Espirito Santo is an unusual, but very interesting state. While it has the misfortune of being wedged between three massively popular states (Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Minas Gerais) that dwarf it not only in size, but also in terms of the sheer volume of sights, activity and history, the state nonetheless has a great deal to offer.

It is the only state in Brazil, which, to my knowledge, the capital city, Vitória is not the largest city in the state;  nearby Vila Velha is. While the beaches near the major cities are good, I like Itaunas and of course, thebeach near my future home, Barra do Jucu. To the left in the photo is the mouth of the Rio Jucu, near a nature reserve where cattle egrets come to roost at sunset. I plan to spend a lot of time on a kayak in that river.

Don't like the beach? The state has a beautiful mountain range featuring such beautiful parks as Pedra Azul and lovely towns such as Santa Teresa , Domingos Martins and Venda Nova do Imigrante.

Check it out.

Comments

[Mr. Trend]

I had a friend who joked that Espirito Santo existed for two simple and understandable reasons: to keep Rio and Bahia from bordering each other, and to keep Minas landlocked. Both seemed like good explanations to me. :)

[Randy Paul]

No doubt the view of a carioca.

One thing I’ve always found interesting is that just like in the US, Brazil has interstate rivalries: people from São Paulo comment that mineiros are baianos who got tired on the way to São Paulo and Rio residents make fun of the way mineiros talk (claiming erroneously that they refer to the capital as “Belzonte” not Belo Horizonte).

My personal favorite is this one:

Um mineiro chegou em São Paulo, foi ao loja e pediu pra um penico (chamber pot).

O dono perguntou, “Que é isso?”

O mineiro explicou e o dono falou, “Aqui nos chamos essa coisa um mineiro.”

O mineiro falou, “Tá bom. Da-me um. Vou encher com Paulista!”

Espírito Santo is a beautiful state. The climate in summer is much better than in Rio. The vistas are breathtaking and the crowds are much smaller. You’ll have to come visit just to see how wrong your friend is.

[Mr. Trend]

A free place to stay in Brazil? Sign me up!